asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have plans to open negotiations with Commonwealth governments, with a view to establishing reciprocal arrangements for payment of increases to retirement pensions paid to retired United Kingdom citizens domiciled in Commonwealth countries to bring them into line with United Kingdom retirement pensioners living in any one of over 30 non-Commonwealth countries who currently receive all pension increases as for United Kingdom pensioners living in the United Kingdom; and what they are. [HL2088]

State pensions paid to UK pensioners living in the major Commonwealth countries are not increased in line with pensions in the UK. There continue to be competing demands and constraints on social security spending in the UK. Therefore, the Government consider that it would be wrong to raise expectations that moves to unfreeze UK pensions paid abroad would be likely to attract priority in the current circumstances.About 800,000 UK state pensions are paid to pensioners who live abroad. Four hundred thousand of these are not uprated, mainly paid to pensioners living in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It would cost some £250 million a year to unfreeze those pensions—that is, to bring them up to the rate which would be paid if the pensioners were in the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Chief Police Officers Ltd are subject to any scrutiny by the National Audit Office and, if not, why not; and [HL2281]Whether the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis in his role as (a) a director and (b) an executive committee member of the Association of Chief Police Officers Ltd is accountable to the Home Secretary; and [HL2282]To whom

The Association of Chief Police Officers for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (ACPO) is not part of the Home Office or any other government department. The National Audit Office audits the accounts and examines the regularity and propriety of government expenditure. The Home Office contribution towards the expenses of ACPO is subject to scrutiny in common with all other government expenditure.The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is not accountable to the Home Secretary in either role. The officials of ACPO are accountable to the members of ACPO, and chief officers of police who are members of ACPO are locally accountable under existing arrangements.The information requested on the invoices paid by the Home Office in respect of ACPO is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consideration they are giving to Law Commission reports. [HL2424]

We very much value the work done by the Law Commission and welcome the close working relationship between the Commission and the department. The Home Office has the responsibility for considering the Law Commission's reports on the criminal law, although other departments often have an interest in their proposals. Law Commission reports are normally considered by an interdepartmental working group of officials representing all the interested departments. The Law Commission plays a valuable role in assisting and advising these working groups.The consultation paper

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will create regional centres at which sick Gulf War veterans can be assessed and treated. [HL1805]

The Ministry of Defence, MoD, provides free clinical assessments for Gulf veterans at the Medical Assessment Programme, MAP, which is based at St. Thomas' Hospital in London and, if required, pays for travel and accommodation for Gulf veterans when they attend the programme.The programme is based in central London because London is well served by rail and air links to all parts of the country. There are good medical reasons for using a single location with access to a wide range of facilities, as this enables interdepartmental referrals and laboratory or medical tests to take place without undue delay.MoD has no plans at present to create regional centres for the assessment and treatment of Gulf veterans. However, all aspects of the work to address Gulf veterans' health concerns are kept under review and it is our intention later this year to commission an independent clinical audit which will address all aspects of the service provided by the MAP.Treatment for Gulf veterans is not provided by the MAP. Treatment is provided either through the Defence Medical Services, for veterans who are still serving, or through the NHS, under the care of a GP, for those veterans who have left the Services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, under the School Standards and Framework Bill, local education authorities will be empowered to initiate school reorganisation proposals, including proposals affecting admission arrangements, for consideration by the organisational committee and where necessary the Adjudicator; and if so, what powers will foundation schools as admission authorities in their own right have to resist any such proposal. [HL2306]

Local education authorities will be able to propose to close any school, to open community and foundation schools and to make prescribed alterations to community schools. A local education authority does not have the power to publish proposals to change the admission arrangements of a foundation school or a voluntary school. The only prescribed alteration they will be able to propose to a foundation school is an enlargement of its premises. They will also be able to propose that a community school changes its category to become a foundation school.Any governing body may object to proposals made by an LEA. This will mean that the proposals are considered by the school organisation committee.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Blackstone on 15 June (

The Government's intention is that funding should be fully delegated by LEAs to schools in respect of all functions other than those which clearly need to be carried out at the level of the LEA. As noted in my previous Answer, the final division of responsibilities and associated funding within the new framework will be informed by the outcome of the consultation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:If and when a proposal under the School Standards and Framework Bill to close, enlarge or merge a foundation school is initiated by the local education authority, whether it is the case that the decision would be made by the organisation committee on the basis of unanimity and where unanimity cannot be secured by the adjudicator. [HL2349]

If objections are received to a proposal, then the school organisation committee will decide the proposals if the votes cast are unanimous and if they are not, the adjudicator will make the decision.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes will be made to the cash limits of the Department of Health in 1998–99. [HL2415]

Subject to parliamentary approval, the cash limit for Class XI, Vote 1 (Hospital, community health, family health and related services, England) will be increased by £6,600,000 (from £31,385,613,000 to £31,392,213,000). This allows for a transfer of £6,600,000 from Class IX, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services) to reflect the initial transfer of funding responsibilities for students in health care professions.The cash limit for Class XI, Vote 2 (Department of Health, administration, miscellaneous health and personal social services, England) will be reduced by £1,130,000 (£75,000 running costs), from £1,097,507,000 to £1,096,377,000. This reduction allows for the transfer of responsibility for childcare and early years policy to Class IX, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services) as announced by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister to Parliament on 27 March 1998 at column 296.The Department of Health's gross running cost limit will be increased by £4,425,000 from £258,490,000 to £262,915,000 for additional work being carried out by the National Health Service Pensions Agency on missold pensions (£4,500,000) less part of the transfer mentioned above.All increases will either be offset by savings, increased receipts or transfers to or from other Votes and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What have been the sums of money paid to the Treasury in each of the last five years from the oil industry. [HL2238]

Annual government revenues from North Sea oil and gas production were published in the 1997 edition of Inland Revenue Statistics, table 11.15. Figures for 1997–98 were updated in Table B9 of the March 1998 Financial Statement and Budget Report.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether an export licence for the supply of bomb disposal equipment to the Ministry of the Interior, Sarajevo Canton, Bosnia, has been approved. [HL2417]

The Government recently approved the export of a complete disruptor set and a box of 100 cartridges to the Ministry of the Interior, Sarajevo Canton, in Bosnia to enable local police bomb disposal teams to defuse bombs placed in the city by criminal and terrorist elements. Given the threat which these improvised explosive devices pose to civilians who are trying to rebuild normal, unthreatened lives in the city, we were glad to be able to approve this export as an exception to our interpretation of the EU arms embargo on the former Yugoslavia. This decision does not affect the Government's continued support of the EU common position on arms exports to the former Yugoslavia.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will propose to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture that contracts with relevant organisations should not normally be funded for periods exceeding 36 months so as to bring the fund into line with the European Commission Budget Chapter B7–70, European Initiative for Democracy and the Protection of Human Rights. [HL2108]

The United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture (VFVT) make grants to non-governmental organisations and other groups with relevant expertise. Projects are funded on the basis of an implementation period of no more than 12 months, although further funding is considered on the basis of a fresh application. VFVT do not enter into contracts with their partners, but operate on the basis of an exchange of letters.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make representations to President Habibie of Indonesia for the release of all political prisoners, and particularly of Xanana Gusmao, the East Timorese leader who is serving a 20-year sentence of imprisonment. [HL2109]

Her Majesty's Government have on a number of occasions, most recently at the European Council in Cardiff on 15–16 June, called on the Indonesian Government to release all political prisoners, including those from East Timor.In his capacity as representative of the Presidency of the European Union the Minister of State, Mr. Fatchett, visited Xanana Gusmao in prison in Jakarta on 28 May. He also stressed to the Indonesian Government the importance of Gusmao's early release, which would allow the dialogue on East Timor to be taken forward. This call was repeated at the EU General Affairs Council on 8 June. The European Council in Cardiff on 15–16 June agreed to continue to press for Xanana Gusmao's early release.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied that assault rifles sold by the United Kingdom companies to Turkey, or manufactured there under licence from United Kingdom companies, would not be used for purposes of internal repression. [HL2110]

We are not aware to date of any request to export such items from the UK under this Government. All such applications to export, including those to Turkey, are considered in accordance with the Criteria to be Used in Considering Export Licence Applications for the Export of Conventional Arms, as announced by the Foreign Secretary on 28 July 1997, (Official Report, Commons cols. 26–30), and in accordance with the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Sales. The UK national criteria state quite clearly that we will not issue an export licence if there is a clearly identifiable risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will review their policy of seeking to visit certain prisoners in countries such as Cameroon and Ethiopia, but not in others, such as Bahrain; and whether, in evaluating the possible risks to the relatives of prisoners arising from such requests to visit, they will accept the opinion of the next of kin. [HL2111]

There is no worldwide policy on embassy officials visiting non-British prisoners. Each case is considered carefully in the light of individual circumstances, drawing on all information at our disposal. The opinion of family members would be given due weight in this consideration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ask the Government of the Gambia about the reasons for the arrest of Imam Karamo Touray, Sangsang Sanneh and seven others as they left the Brikama Mosque after the Maghrib prayers on Sunday 17 May, as well as former Member of Parliament, Lamin Waa Juwara, six hours later, and three other persons on 1 June after they had attended the High Court proceedings relating to the earlier arrests; and whether they will ask the British High Commissioner in Banjul to visit these detainees, if possible, and to report on their welfare and access to lawyers. [HL2168]

The British High Commissioner in Banjul raised these arrests with the Acting Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Bajo) on 21 May. Mr. Bajo stated that the arrests were as a result of criminal behaviour "of a very serious nature."The 10 arrested on 17 May were released on bail on 8 June. The four arrested on 1 June were charged with breach of the peace on 2 June and released on bail on 9 June.The British High Commissioner in Banjul made a

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have about the continued presence of large Turkish armed forces in northern Iraq; whether this has been reported to the United Nations Security Council; if so, with what outcome; whether they have made representations to the Government of Turkey; and, if so, in what terms. [HL2114]

We understand that the Turkish military action in northern Iraq launched on 21 May has ended, and that most of their troops were withdrawn on 5 June. The British Embassy in Ankara made representations to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs when the action began. We urged the Turkish authorities to avoid civilian casualties, and to withdraw their troops from Iraqi territory as soon as possible.We are not aware of any reports to the United Nations Security Council on this issue.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the licensing contract between British Aerospace plc and the Government of Turkey for the HK33 assault rifle complies fully with the terms of the arms transfer criteria agreed at:

We are unaware of the terms of the "licensing contract" between Heckler and Koch, a German-based subsidiary of British Aerospace plc, and the Government of Turkey. The British Government have not been approached to grant an export licence in respect of such items.Export licence applications for export from the United Kingdom would be considered in accordance with our national criteria (The Criteria to be used in Considering Licence Applications for the Export of Conventional Arms), in line with the arrangements cited in the question and the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Sales.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is the case that in March chemical defoliants were sprayed onto land used by the Bedouin of the Negev, on the instructions of the Israeli Minister of Agriculture; and whether they have discussed or will discuss this matter with the Government of Israel. [HL2178]

Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised this matter with the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, who denied that such spraying had taken place.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action is being taken within the European Union to assist the Secretary-General of the United Nations in the fulfilment of his policy objectives on conflict, durable peace and sustainable development. [HL2119]

EU member states fully support the United Nation's Secretary-General's report The causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa.The UK presidency is preparing a review of the EU Common Position on conflict prevention and resolution in Africa. This will be considered by EU Foreign Ministers on 29 June.Her Majesty's Government have also pressed successfully for conflict prevention to be integral to the mandate for renegotiation of the Lomé Convention, which governs EU trade and aid with developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made in the renegotiation of the Lomé Agreement on the enhancement of human rights and in particular whether it is anticipated that responsibility for deciding whether a human rights issue has arisen will lie with the European Union, with the African, Caribbean and Pacific states or with both together. [HL2120]

The renegotiation of the Lomé Convention will not begin until 30 September. The UK for its part would like to see a provision in the new convention affirming that parties' domestic and foreign policies must be informed by respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law, and good governance (the essential elements of the convention). We would also like it to include a clause permitting any of the parties to seek appropriate action in the event of a violation of one of the essential elements. This action should enshrine dialogue as the preferred means of reaching a solution.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made on the reform of the United Nations. [HL2121]

The UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, announced in July 1997 a package of wide-ranging institutional and management reforms. The Foreign Secretary welcomed these at the General Assembly in September 1997. Since then, the UK has continued strongly to support the Secretary-General's proposals, and has in particular used its European Union and G8 presidencies to press for their implementation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action will be taken to provide adequate supervision of future oil and gas extraction and related activity so as to safeguard the environment in and around the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. [HL2152]

Both Her Majesty's Government and the Falkland Islands Government attach the highest importance to the protection of the unique environment of the Islands. Before each phase of exploration and exploitation the oil companies are required to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for approval by the Falkland Islands Government. Various environmental studies are also being carried out by the oil licensees and Falkland Islands Government. Supervision of oil exploration and possible exploitation activity is ensured by the provisions of Falklands legislation and the stringent environmental conditionality of the licences issued. There are no plans for hydrocarbons development affecting South Georgia.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much the following nations of the Baltic states will receive in the financial year 1998–99 from the ASSIST programme (Assistance to Support Stability with In-Service Training)—(a) Estonia (b) Latvia; and (c) Lithuania. [HL2252]

The Baltic states have been allocated £41,000 each from the ASSIST programme for the financial year 1998–99.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the role of the United States Administration or forces during the recent events in Sierra Leone; and whether the Government's enquiry will cover United States relations with Messrs. Sandline. [HL2296]

It is not for Her Majesty's Government to comment on the role of the United States Administration or forces in relation to Sierra Leone.Sir Thomas Legg KCB QC is investigating allegations of British Government involvement with the supply of arms to Sierra Leone by UK citizens and firms.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Private Finance Initiative contract for the British Embassy in Berlin will be signed. [HL2416]

The Private Finance Initiative contract for the British Embassy in Berlin was signed on 22 June and the commercial arrangements completed yesterday, 23 June.The Embassy will be built to a design by the British architects Michael Wilford and Partners, winners of the 1995 Embassy Design Competition, on the site of the pre-war British Embassy in Wilhelmstrasse. Under the contract, Arteos, a German consortium, will finance, construct and then manage the building for 30 years. Building work will start in July and the building will be handed over by the end of February 2000.