asked Her Majesty's Government:By how much the United States is currently in arrears in respect of their annual contributions to the United Nations; and whether it is their policy to encourage the United States Government to reduce that sum. [HL1744]

At 15 April 1998, the US owed $619 million to the UN Regular Budget and $958 million to UN peacekeeping budgets in respect of prior year arrears and unpaid 1998 dues. We continue to urge the US to pay their arrears and future contributions promptly and in full.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are supporting the application of the Turkish Trade Union Federation (KESK) to join the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which has been outstanding since 1992. [HL1705]

We have not received any representations from the Turkish Trade Union Federation concerning its application to participate in the Turkish delegation to the International Labour Organisation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will urge the Government of Turkey:

Our Embassy in Ankara are closely monitoring the progress of the trials of those police officers accused of torturing the students in Manisa and of the killings in the Gazi Osman Pasha district of Istanbul in 1995. We hope that these proceedings will be quickly concluded. We understand that the trial of the police officers in the Gazi Osman Pasha case has been moved to Trabzon for security reasons.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have studied the resolutions adopted on 11 April by the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting at Windhoek concerning Turkey (Annexes 38 and 39); whether they will continue to press for the release of imprisoned members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the lifting of bans on those now in exile; and whether they will make representations about the case of Mr. Hasan Mezarci, a parliamentarian sentenced on 29 February 1996 by Bandirma Penal court. [HL1708]

We are aware of the Inter-Parliamentary Union resolutions raised by the noble Lord.We will continue to urge the Turkish Government to fulfil its publicly stated commitment to meet its international obligations in the field of human rights. We believe it is inconsistent with those obligations to prosecute elected politicians for the peaceful expression of their views.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make further representations to the Government of Cameroon about the prison sentence, reduced to one year by the court of appeal in Yaoundé, passed on Mr. Pius Njawe, editor of

We have made representations about Pius Njawe to the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Director of Commonwealth Affairs of Cameroon and with the Cameroonian High Commissioner in London. We will continue to take every suitable opportunity to raise his case with the Cameroonian authorities, making it clear that we regard even a one-year prison sentence as unacceptable. Our High Commissioner plans to visit Pius Njawe again shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which department is examining the Ocean Charter being promulgated by UNESCO. [HL1613]

My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions is currently considering this document.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which parliamentary constituencies are located in whole or in part in National Parks. [HL1709]

The parliamentary constituencies that are located in whole or in part in the National Parks in England and Wales are set out in the table below.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have received on proposals for implementing the requirements of the amended Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (97/11/EC). [HL1876]

Following an initial consultation last summer, a second consultation paper on the implementation of the amended EIA Directive was issued on 19 December 1997. It set out our detailed proposals for refining the way in which the need for EIA is determined in the UK. To date, 195 responses have been received from business, government and environmental organisations across the UK, as well as members of the public. In addition, one response was submitted on a confidential basis. A list of responses received has been placed in the Library of the House. Copies of the responses themselves have been placed in the department's library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What targets have been set for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. [HL1875]

The following key targets have been set for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The targets are set out in MCA's Business Plan, copies of which will be placed in the Library:ensure that at least 60 per cent. of operators and crew of UK registered fishing vessels are aware of the safety standards promulgated by MCA;follow up at least 95 per cent. of significant breaches of safety and environmental aspects of merchant shipping legislation to determine whether prosecution is appropriate;decide on the search and rescue (SAR) response to accidents and life-threatening situations, and to initiate action, if necessary, within five minutes of being alerted in at least 95 per cent. of cases;complete at least 90 per cent. of key tasks and also complete at least 95 per cent. of the agreed planned programme of inspections and surveys.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the expenditure on the NHS in Scotland for each year of the last 20 years at constant prices; and [HL1713]

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the projected increase in allocation for the NHS in Scotland:

Expenditure on the NHS in Scotland in 1998–99 is planned to be £249 million-£123 million in real terms-more than the planned expenditure for 1997–98. The allocation for next year will not be determined until the review of government expenditure is completed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the Report by Sergeant, now Inspector, Hughes, of Central Police, into Thomas Hamilton; to list all the charges to which he recommended

The information requested is set out in the table below.consideration for prosecution; and whether they will state why the Report is not listed in the index or appendix to Lord Cullen's Report into the Dunblane tragedy. [HL1712]

This report was made to the Procurator Fiscal while Thomas Hamilton was alive. It was therefore not a submission to Lord Cullen's Inquiry, but the Inquiry took account of it as a production. Lord Cullen did not list productions in the report or in the appendix. Mr. Hughes' report is, however, referred to at pages 34–36 of Lord Cullen's Report.Lord Cullen concluded that these productions should have a 100-year closure placed on them.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the report by the Chief Constable of Central Police, Mr. William Wilson, submitted to Lord Cullen in the last days of his Inquiry; and whether they will state why the report is not listed in the index or appendix to Lord Cullen's report into the Dunblane tragedy. [HL1711]

The document concerned was a submission to the Inquiry. It is referred to at pages 16–18 of Lord Cullen's report and is listed in Appendix 4. I have arranged for a copy of the submission to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Chairman of Committees:What percentage of waste paper from the House of Lords is recycled; and whether that percentage has changed over the past two years. [HL1745]

It is not possible to estimate the percentage of waste paper which is recycled as no record is kept of the volume of paper used. However, in the last year some 730 tonnes of waste paper was recycled from the parliamentary estate and the volume is increasing.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will encourage local authorities which are replacing personal computers to offer the redundant machines to the schools in their areas. [HL1759]

This is a matter for local authorities in the light of their own disposal policies. When deciding whether donated equipment is suitable for classroom use, local authorities and schools will need to consider a range of issues, including the capability of the equipment to run an appropriate range of educational software; the acquisition of suitable software and the necessary licences; the additional costs of training and technical support associated with equipment (which may not be of a type familiar to schools); the provision of compatible peripheral equipment such as printers; and the need for a continuing service of maintenance and support. They should also consider the opportunity cost to schools of updating, supporting and maintaining equipment which may be on the verge of obsolescence or unsuitable for use beyond the year 2000.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish the guidance which will be given to governors concerning the assessment of the suitability of eligible prisoners for Home Detention Curfew. [HL1877]

We have today placed in the Library a draft version of the guidance to governors which would be used in assessing prisoners' suitability for Home Detention Curfew. A final version of the guidance will be included in a Prison Service Order which the Prison Service expects to issue to governors in October. Copies of that order will be placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware that the University of Swansea has withdrawn its offer to host the 1998 meeting of the Institute of Animal Technology and that there is an increasing reluctance by universities to host annual congresses of the institute because of the activities of animal rights activists. [HL1738]

I was aware of the change of venue for the 1998 conference of the Institute of Animal Technology. The decision about whether to host a conference is, of course, a matter for the universities concerned but, as for any large event, the local police are able and willing to advise on the measures necessary to ensure public safety.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the decisions against the Treasury and Home Office in the County Court and High Court, and the decision on 1 May in the Court of Appeal regarding the administration and terms of the 1997 Firearms (Amendment) Acts and the handgun compensation schemes, what plans they have to repeal the 1997 Firearms (Amendment) Acts. [HL1815]

The Government have no intention of repealing either of the 1997 Firearms Acts.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Chief Officers of Police, Chief Constables, Deputy Chief Constables or Assistant Chief Constables in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, have, over the last 25 years, acquired firearms surrendered to the police or confiscated from the public or firearms certificate holders, for their personal collection whilst being in the employment of the Police Service. [HL1764]

The Government are not aware of any instances where such weapons have been retained by chief officers for their personal collections.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Immigration Act detainees are held in each of the prisons or detention centres in use for this purpose; and, for each establishment, when the person who, at the end of April, has spent longest in custody was detained. [HL1737]

The available information, relating to persons held in detention solely under Immigration Act powers as at 31 March 1998 by place of detention, is given in the table.I regret that the information requested on lengths of detention is only available at disproportionate cost through the examination of individual case records.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why fishery laboratories in the United Kingdom are being run down (for example Conwy and Burnham on Crouch); who has conducted a cost benefit analysis of these laboratories (including their capital value); what role in the decision to run them down has been played by (a) new Treasury rules and (b) levels of expenditure in other parts of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food research system; and what steps have been taken to discover a European, rather than a purely British, role for these laboratories in the future. [HL1767]

The Laboratories at Conwy and Burnham on Crouch are part of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.As part of the agency's obligation to provide an efficient and effective scientific service, the activities at these sites are being reviewed in order to match facilities with future requirements. Neither laboratory is being run down. At Burnham on Crouch, the present work programme fully occupies the site, which currently employs more staff than ever before. There is no expectation that this will change in the foreseeable future.A study is under way with CEFAS to determine whether the spare capacity that has existed for several years at the Conwy Laboratory can be replaced by new work, or whether it would be more efficient to relocate the existing functions to another CEFAS site. There are no plans to reduce the amount of work below that for which there is a demand.Throughout CEFAS, efforts are made to secure work appropriate to the skills and expertise of the agency from European funding sources as well as within the United Kingdom. A substantial part of the work at CEFAS contributes to European science programmes through the co-ordination provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the present condition of fishery research vessels in the United Kingdom; how many of them there are; how many are in full service; how many are mothballed; and how many are engaged in European, as opposed to purely British, programmes. [HL1768]

Fishery research vessels are operated by three government departments within the United Kingdom. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) is an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and has two vessels, RV "Cirolana" and RV "Corystes". Both are fully operational, although "Cirolana" is now 28 years old and is only used for part of the year, pending planned replacement with a new research vessel.The Fisheries Research Service (FRS), an Executive Agency of the Scottish Office, has two vessels in full service, RV "Scotia", which is about to be replaced with a new vessel during May 1998, and RV "Clupea". The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland operates one vessel, RV "Lough Foyle", which is fully operational. All of these vessels are engaged in European programmes of monitoring and research, through the co-ordination provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will set out the agreed European Union import tariff quotas and arrangements for the importation of beef, veal and lamb from non-European Union countries between 1 July 1998 and 30 June 1999; what separate arrangements cover the importation from each country; and what estimate the Government have made of the quantity of these importations in the United Kingdom. [HL1685]

Imports are forecast on a quarterly basis. It is provisionally forecast that 80,000 tonnes of beef and veal and 100,000 tonnes of mutton and lamb (both expressed in product weight) will be imported into the United Kingdom from non-EU countries between 1 July 1998 and 30 June 1999. However, the actual level of imports will depend on the prevailing market situation in the period up to July 1999.Imports of beef, veal and sheepmeat into the European Union are subject to import tariffs. There are various concessionary import schemes which allow imports at reduced tariff rates. Not all of these schemes run on the WTO year (1 July to 30 June): some follow the calendar year. The details are as follows:BEEF IMPORT QUOTAS