To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent representations he has received regarding the murder of Stephen Lawrence; and if he will make a statement; [186](2) what plans he has to establish a public inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the role played by the police, the CPS and the judicial system following his death. [187]

An early-day motion regarding the murder of Stephen Lawrence was tabled on 20 May. We have also received a recent letter about the case from the London borough of Greenwich and are aware of the widespread concern, particularly within the black community, resulting from this case. We are currently considering how those concerns can best be addressed, and will make an announcement soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving prisoners were convicted of drugs-related offences in each of the last three years. [869]

Information on the number of persons received under sentence into prisons in England and Wales for drug offences (excluding find defaulters) for the years 1994 to 1996 is given below.

	Number
1994	3,483
1995	4,729
19961	6,100
1 Provisional information.

Information for 1994 and 1995 is published in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales"—tables 3.9, 4.6 and 5.6 of the 1994 (Cm 3087) and 1995 (Cm 3355) editions. Copies are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to give the courts new powers to deal with those convicted of drugs-related offences. [872]

Yes. We are committed to introducing a new drug testing and treatment order, and will bring forward legislative proposals accordingly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those convicted of all crimes are known to be addicted to drugs. [870]

It is difficult to quantify the proportion of offenders addicted to drugs or dependent on them. The Home Office has a research programme designed to shed further light on the links between drugs and crime. It includes a study of drug use by samples of people arrested by the police in various cities. Preliminary results from this study point to a higher level of drug taking by arrestees than expected. However, the study is still incomplete; the University of Cambridge will be delivering a report to the Home Office in October, which is likely to be published around the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of recorded crime in each of the last three years was committed by persons between the ages of 15 and 21 years. [873]

The readily available information is for persons found guilty at all courts or cautioned for indictable offences and is contained in table 5.26 of Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1995.Copies are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is Her Majesty's Government policy in respect of ensuring the safety from the threat of terrorism of Mr. Salman Rushdie; and if he will make a statement. [993]

Decisions concerning the protection provided for Mr. Rushdie are for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. Mr. Rushdie continues to receive protection at a level commensurate with the threat and which has successfully ensured his safety over a number of years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation to extend police powers of arrest over hit-and-run drivers; and what other measures he plans to take in respect of hit-and-run drivers. [718]

The Government intend to make failure to stop after a road accident involving personal injury an arrestable offence. Primary legislation will be brought forward at the earliest opportunity. No other measures are planned.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of successful arrests of hit-and-run drivers have been recorded in each of the last 12 months. [719]

The information requested is not collected centrally. Information on arrests is not held centrally at the level of detail needed to isolate particular offences. Nor can hit-and-run drivers be identified in the statistics of motoring offence prosecutions, as they will form only part of those offences classified as failing to stop or report an accident (i.e. where personal injury is caused).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will allow the two male members of the Onibiyo family to return from Nigeria and Guyana and be granted permanent United Kingdom residency. [716]

It is open to Mr. Abdul Onibiyo to apply at any time for entry clearance to return to the United Kingdom. Mr. Onibiyo's son, Ademola, will not qualify for entry clearance while he remains the subject of a valid and extant deportation order but it is open to him to apply to have the order revoked. Entry clearance will be granted only to applicants who meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. It would not be appropriate to treat the Onibiyos exceptionally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to abolish the primary purpose rule. [794]

In our manifesto, we said that we would reform the current system to remove the arbitrary, ineffective and unfair results that can follow from the primary purpose rule. We shall make an announcement about this soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on refugees and asylum seekers from the Congo and neighbouring states. [1053]

As my right hon. Friend explained in his reply to the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Olner) on 16 May, Official Report, column 3, he has made a declaration under the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 1996 that Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) has undergone an upheaval such that we would not seek to enforce the return of refused asylum seekers to that country for the time being.The declaration of upheaval relates to the fundamental changes which have occurred in Zaire and does not extend to neighbouring countries. We will of course continue to monitor the situation in the region generally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the police powers to remove or clamp motor vehicles not displaying a valid road tax disc. [1022]

Powers contained in the Vehicle Excise Duty (Immobilisation, Removal and Disposal of Vehicles) Regulations 1997 enable the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to authorise agents of the Department of Transport to clamp and impound vehicles evading vehicle excise duty. I understand that a three-month pilot scheme was successfully conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency last year and that consideration is currently being given on the way forward. There are no plans to give the police powers to remove or clamp untaxed vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on border controls, and to what extent the Government plans to concede administration, control and judicial authority to the European Union. [974]

We have made clear our firm commitment to maintain Britain's frontier controls. We will not agree to anything which would jeopardise their continuation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants at each grade within his Department were of Asian origin on 5 May. [243]

The information requested is given in the following tables, table 1 relating to the non-prisons Home Office and table 2 relating to the Prison Service. To avoid the possibility of identifying individuals because of low numbers in particular grades, the figures are given by grade level (i.e. main grades plus equivalent specialist grades) and grade levels are amalgamated where necessary.The computer systems used do not allow for the provision of data on a particular retrospective date and the figures, which have been supplied by the Department's Information Technology units, relate to the position on 12 May (table 1) and 15 May (table 2). The Prison Service information has been supplied from a database which is currently being updated.

Table 1: Number of Civil Servants of Asian origin (excluding prison service) by grade level
Grade level	Number
Administrative assistant	147
Administrative officer	189
Executive officer	94
Higher executive officer	18
Senior executive officer and above	8
Total	456

Data extracted on 12 May 1997 (monthly snapshot) for serving, permanent, non-industrial staff.

Table 2: Number of civil servants of Asian origin by grade level: prison service
Grade level	Number
Administrative assistant	60
Administrative officer	212
Executive officer	47
Higher executive officer and senior executive officer	22
Grade 7	13
Grade 6 and above	37
Total	391

Data extracted on 15 May 1997 for serving, permanent, non-industrial staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to increase the number of employees from ethnic minorities within his Department. [244]

I am undertaking a review of the current position. Although measures used in the past have been relatively successful in attracting ethnic minority recruits, I remain concerned about the under-representation of employees from the ethnic minorities, particularly in higher grades.The measures used up to now include targeting job advertisements where they are most likely to reach prospective ethnic minority applicants, and raising the Department's profile with prospective ethnic minority applicants, for example, by participating in the Windsor Fellowship programme and the National Mentoring Consortium.As part of the Department's commitment to securing equality of opportunity for all staff, the procedures in the non-prisons Home Office for dealing with complaints of harassment and discrimination are being reviewed. The Prison Service will shortly begin a programme of racial harassment awareness training for all staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision he intends to make in respect of fees for applications for British citizenship made under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997. [1297]

The British Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 1997 are being laid before Parliament today. They amend the British Nationality (Fees) Regulations 1996 so as to prescribe a fee of £250 for an application for registration as a British citizen under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997, and apply to the 1997 Act the fee of £20 for supplying a certified copy of a certificate etc.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims for financial compensation are outstanding involving individuals who were found by the Court of Appeal to have been wrongfully convicted and on what date the individuals concerned had their convictions quashed. [182]

[holding answer 21 May 1997]: There are currently 156 outstanding cases at various stages in the process of consideration.There are currently 59 applications for compensation outstanding where a decision has still to be taken on whether the applicants qualify for compensation. There are also 27 finalised claims yet to be submitted by successful applicants and 18 claims that are either with, or in the process of being prepared for, the independent assessor. In addition, there are 52 further claims being processed arising from a number of cases in Greater Manchester where drink-driving convictions were quashed following possible contamination of blood samples.No central record is maintained of the dates on which the convictions were quashed in those involving wrongful conviction.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in introducing a system of three-monthly reviews of the health of individual prisoners in special secure units; how many prisoners were examined in each month since the system was introduced; and how many individual prisoners have been detained in an SSU without examination for periods exceeding three months. [185]

[holding answer 21 May 1997]: The health care received by prisoners in special secure units (SSUs) is comparable to that elsewhere in the Prison Service. In addition, the Operating Standards for SSUs state that the health of each SSU prisoner will be reviewed every three months. Details of the format and content of these reviews were agreed in April and a system for reviewing the health of SSU prisoners has now begun.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many hours per day Danny McNamee, currently detained in the special secure unit at HMP Full Sutton, is confined to his cell; and what is the size of his cell. [149]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: Danny McNamee is out of his cell for 4 hours 15 minutes a day between Monday to Friday, 8 hours 15 minutes on Saturday and 7 hours 45 minutes on Sunday. These hours relate to time allotted for general association, meals and exercise. Mr. McNamee refuses to take part in organised gymnasium activity or to work and he elects to take education in his cell. If he were to take part in these activities he would spend an additional 4 hours a day out of his cell between Monday to Friday.The average size of a cell within the special secure unit at Full Sutton prison is approximately 3.5 metres by 2 metres.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the decision of the Prison Service to refuse permission for Danny McNamee, currently detained in the special secure unit at HMP Full Sutton, to be examined by an outside consultant for a suspected hernia. [162]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: The medical staff responsible for the clinical care of Danny McNamee at Full Sutton prison have examined him on a number of occasions. They are satisfied that he does not have a hernia or any other condition which warrants the intervention of an outside consultant. Mr. McNamee will continue to receive regular medical examinations in line with Prison Service policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison transfers to (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the Irish Republic have taken place in each month since October 1994; how many requests for transfer (i) have been rejected and (ii) remain outstanding; and if he will list the prisoners involved in each case. [150]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: Arrangements for the exact date of transfer of prisoners are an operational matter for the prison concerned. However, the number of applications from prisoners seeking transfer to Northern Ireland approved in each month since October 1994 are given in the following table.

Approval of requests for transfer to Northern Ireland
	1994	1995	1996	1997
January		—	—	1
February		—	—	—
March		—	4	—
April		1	3	1
May		—	4	2
June		3	3
July		6	2
August		1	2
September		—	—
October	—	2	2
November	—	—	3
December	—	3	1

Since October 1994, 31 requests for transfer to Northern Ireland have been refused.Twelve requests remain under consideration.Prisoners repatriated to the Republic of Ireland in each of the following months are given below:

Repatriation to the Republic of Ireland
	Year	Number
May	1996	2
November	1996	3
December	1996	2
February	1997	1
March	1997	1
May	1997	1

Three repatriation applications have been refused.Eighty applications remain under consideration either in England and Wales or in the Republic of Ireland.It is not normal practice to disclose the personal details of individual prisoners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Army plans to close its civilian manning and records office at Imphal barracks, York; how many square feet of office space this closure will release; and what are his plans for its future use. [600]

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Army Personnel Centre. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review bilateral defence agreements with the United Arab Emirates. [267]

The strategic defence and security review will consider all aspects of defence. The review will take full account of our commitment to international peace and security, and our interest in continued cooperation and consultation with our friends, including the United Arab Emirates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the Defence Review will include consideration of the threat or use of nuclear weapons, following the International Courts Advisory Opinion of July 1996; [253](2) if the Defence Review will include a review of the future of Trident. [258]

As was made clear in the new Government's Election Manifesto, we are committed to retaining Trident to provide a minimum, but credible and effective, nuclear deterrent. We will press for multilateral negotiations towards mutual, balanced and verifiable reductions in nuclear weapons. When satisfied with progress towards our goal of the global elimination of these weapons, we will ensure that British nuclear weapons are included in multilateral negotiations.Our country's security needs and foreign policy objectives must be fully reflected in the roles, missions and tasks of our armed forces. The Government have decided therefore to hold a strategic defence and security review. All aspects of defence will be considered in this process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current nature of Her Majesty's Government defence co-operation with Bahrain; and if he will make a statement. [740]

Bahrain hosts some of the RAF force involved in Operation JURAL, which monitors Iraqi compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 688. There are occasional deployments by other RAF aircraft and RN ships make regular visits to Bahrain. UK and Bahraini Defence Forces periodically exercise together and the UK provides some military training to Bahraini students. The defence relationship with Bahrain is underpinned by regular meetings of the UK-Bahrain Defence Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review the five power defence arrangement with Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. [813]

The strategic defence and security review will consider all aspects of defence. The review will take full account of our commitment to international peace and security, and our interest in continued co-operation and consultation with our friends, including in the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made since 18 March in his Department's search for information concerning reports of dead animals being found during the Gulf war and analysed. [99]

[holding answer 21 May 1997]: As well as searching for relevant information amongst our records, my Department has conducted a survey amongst serving Gulf war veterans on this subject. I will report on the results of this work as soon as it has been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence(1) if he will list the estimated savings he intends to make as a result of the Defence Review his Department is undertaking: [980](2) if he will list his proposals for the Defence Review; and if he will make a statement: [981](3) what plans he has to reduce the size of the armed forces. [979]

Our country's security needs and foreign policy objectives must be fully reflected in the roles, missions and tasks of our armed forces. The Government has, therefore, decided to hold a strategic defence and security review. All aspects of defence will be considered in this process, which will be policy led rather than driven by resources.

To ask the Attorney-General how many civil servants of each grade in his Department were of Asian origin, on 5 May. [726]

The numbers of civil servants of each grade in the Law Officers' Departments who are of Asian origin is as follows:

Treasury solicitor's department
	Number
Senior civil service	1
Grade 6	1
Grade 7	15
Executive officer	5
Administrative grades	4
Secretarial grades	2
1 Includes two on loan to other departments.

The Government Property Lawyers
	Number
Senior civil service	0
Grade 6	0
Grade 7	0
Executive Officer	2
Administrative Grades	0
Secretarial Grades	0

Crown Prosecution Service
	Number
Senior civil service	0
Grade 6	1
Grade 7	0
Crown prosecutor	71
Executive officer	40
Administrative grades	91
Secretarial grades	6

Serious fraud office
	Number
Senior civil service	0
Grade 6	0
Grade 7	0
Executive officer	4
Administrative grades	4
Secretarial grades	0

The figures set out the position at 5 May 1997 except in the case of the Crown Prosecution Service where the figures are based on information provided by staff as at 30 April 1997.

To ask the Attorney-General what proposals he has to increase the number of ethnic minority employees in his Department. [727]

The Departments for which I am responsible, in line with other Government Departments, are equal opportunity employers. They welcome applications from ethnic minorities and recruit staff on the basis of fair and open competition in accordance with the guidelines published in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code "to find the best available person for the job considered on individual merit and regardless of race, gender or disability".A number of initiatives exist designed to increase awareness of race issues and to monitor the effectiveness of equal opportunity policies. In addition the Crown Prosecution Service participates in mentoring and fellowship schemes offering assistance to undergraduates drawn from ethnic minorities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimates he has made of the number of people in Pendle earning less than £3.50 per hour. [205](2) what estimate he has made of the number of persons in employment in

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange a reply to be given.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will issue a separate list of unemployment figures based on the number of people seeking work. [190]

The Director of the Office for National Statistics is responsible for deciding the form, coverage and timing of release of statistics issued by his Office, taking into account the views of customers. ONS is presently consulting customers on the future presentation of labour market statistics; the consultation exercise was launched through an article in the Labour Market Trends published on 8 May. Comments on the proposals should be sent to ONS by 14 June.The proposals set out for consultation reflect the House of Commons Employment Select Committee recommendation that more prominence should be given to the measure of unemployment which is based on the internationally agreed ILO definition.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the current level of unemployment in the United Kingdom (a) numerically and (b) in percentage terms. [296]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange a reply to be given.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of extending payment of the widows bereavement allowance to widowers. [592]

Reliable estimates are not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to increase the number of ethnic minority employees in the Treasury. [729]

All recruitment to the Treasury is done on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Treasury participates in the Windsor Fellowship in an attempt to attract applications from suitably qualified ethnic minority candidates, and advertise itself as an equal opportunities employer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants, of each grade, in the Treasury, were of Asian origin, on 5 May. [728]

Following the introduction on 1 April 1996 of a new departmental pay and grading structure all Treasury staff transferred from the old civil service grades, into new broad pay ranges. As at 5 May 1997, the number of staff in post in the Treasury who declared themselves to be of Asian origin was 50, distributed within the Pay Ranges as follows:

Pay range	Staff of Asian origin within pay range
A	9
B	33
C	4
D	1
E	2
F	1
G	0
H	0

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of children aged (a) five, (b) six and (c) seven in each year between 1997 and 2001. [644]

The information requested is shown for the United Kingdom in the following table:

			Mid-year		thousands
Age last birthday	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Children aged 5	790	761	761	736	727
Children aged 6	797	790	761	762	736
Children aged 7	780	797	791	761	762

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total revenue raised by the landfill tax to date. [615]

[holding answer 21 May 1997]: As at Friday, 16 May, total revenue raised by the landfill tax is £174 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to alter the methodology currently used to calculate unemployment figures to reflect more accurately the numbers of people seeking work; and if he will made a statement. [751]

[holding answer 21 May 1997]: The Director of the Office for National Statistics is responsible for statistical methodology. He is currently reviewing the presentation and dissemination of labour market data. A consultative article has been published in the May 1997 edition of Labour Market Trends.The proposals set out for consultation reflect the House of Commons Employment Select Committee recommendation that more prominence should be given to the measure of unemployment which is based on the internationally agreed ILO definition.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of domestic heating oil currently subject to a VAT rate of 8 per cent. is accounted for by (a) purchases by VAT-registered businesses and (b) uses other than space heating. [180]

[holding answer 21 May 1997]: (a) Neither the suppliers of heating oil nor Customs and Excise keep records which would enable them to specify the proportion of domestic heating oil purchased by VAT-registered businesses and which is taxed at 8 percent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average value of inheritances for the most recent year for which figures are available. [696]

I have been asked to reply.The average value of inheritances other than of surviving spouses and excluding all inheritances of under £1,000 in England in the years 1993 to 1995 is estimated at £18,600. Figures for individual years are subject to too largeamarginofuncertaintytobemeaningful.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures she plans to introduce to ensure that the poorest members of society in recipient countries benefit from British aid programmes. [812]

We are reviewing all our existing spending programmes to ensure resources are directed towards tackling poverty. The White Paper will set out our strategy whereby through coherent policies in areas such as trade, environment, debt, as well as in our bilateral programmes, we can make a real impact on poverty eradication.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what provision is being made for the emergency provision of humanitarian relief in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [1036]

The needs are unclear. An international assessment will be needed but UN agencies and NGOs report that aid supplies in the region are adequate to cover immediate needs. The airlift of Rwandan refugees from the Kisangani area is ongoing. Thirty-three thousand five hundred refugees have been repatriated so far. The UK has provided finance and personnel to help. I am ready to consider further assistance as needs are identified.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will consider having the barriers and gates to Downing street removed. [994]

Security measures at Downing Street are kept under constant review and our advice is at present they should remain.

To ask the Prime Minister what consideration he gave to the experience and views of voluntary organisations and charities before he transferred ministerial interest from National Heritage to the Home Office. [959]

The move of responsibility from the Department of National Heritage to the Home Office has been widely welcomed within the sector and will be seen as the first step to taking forward the positive change in relationships between government and the voluntary sector which we have promised.The Labour Party consulted widely with the voluntary sector. The policy document, published in March. "Building a Future Together" was circulated to several thousand voluntary organisations inviting views on the location of departmental responsibilities in government.

To ask the Prime Minister which department has ministerial responsibility for motor racing. [957]

The Department of National Heritage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children left primary school in 1996 able to read and write to their chronological age. [209]

Fifty eight per cent. of pupils reached level 4 and above—the level expected for 11 year olds—in English in the 1996 National Curriculum tests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the number of extra teachers which will be required by his proposals on reducing class sizes. [211]

The number of extra teachers will depend on how individual LEAs and schools implement reductions in class sizes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his target for reducing class sizes in schools and his estimate of the cost. [212]

Our pledge is to phase out classes of over 30 for all five, six and seven year olds during the lifetime of this Parliament. Detailed costs will depend on how LEAs and schools implement reductions in class sizes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the cost of reducing class sizes to 30 or below for five, six and seven-year-olds. [985]

The detailed costs of achieving that objective will depend on how LEAs and schools implement those reductions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many primary schools in (a) Hull and (b) Kingston upon Hull, North have class sizes of 30 and over for five, six and seven-year-olds; and how many have over (i) 35 pupils and (ii) 40 pupils. [163]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: The information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will list by each primary school in each local education authority the current numbers in each class at ages (a) five, (b) six and (c) seven years respectively; [571](2) if he will list by local education authority the average class size for five, six and seven-year-olds. [505]

[holding answer 20 May 1997]: The information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he plans to take to guarantee a nursery place for every four-year-old; and how long this will take. [214]

The Government is committed to providing good quality nursery education for all four-year-olds by April 1999 at the latest. Local authorities will be required to establish Early Years Forums, which will draw up Early Years Development Plans outlining how places will be secured.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many extra nursery places have been created since the introduction of the nursery voucher scheme. [220]

Assessment of Phase 1 of the nursery education voucher scheme shows too few places have been created. The Government's proposals for early years development plans to replace vouchers will be more effective.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to visit Hackney town hall to discuss education policy in respect of under achieving young males. [215]

Ministers from this Department intend to meet with representatives of Hackney Town Hall in the foreseeable future in order to discus a range of educational issues, in particular concerning Hackney schools under special measures. Under achievement of young males will be one such issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the future of job clubs. [216]

We are already committed to an ambitious and radical welfare to work programme for unemployed people. We will review all existing provisions to assess the extent of their contribution to this policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the number of additional places in the state sector that will be required as a result of the ending of the assisted places scheme. [217]

There are over 800,000 empty places within existing LEA provision so there is ample scope available to accommodate the 10,000 or so pupils who would otherwise have entered the assisted places scheme each year. Phasing out the scheme will lead to savings of about £100 million in total by the year 2000 which will be used to reduce class sizes for 5, 6 and 7 year olds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much it will cost to return all assisted places scheme pupils back into the state sector; and how much money will be released to spend on the state sector. [221]

I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Townend).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Education and Employment how many pupils are currently in receipt of support from the assisted places scheme. [224]

Participating schools' estimates show that there are some 33,140 children holding assisted places in England in the current academic year 1996–97. Final figures will be available by the end of the current school term. The number of such children in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children in Worcestershire are currently receiving assisted places. [227]

Information on the local education authority area from which assisted pupils are drawn is not collected centrally. At the 9 schools currently participating in the assisted places scheme in the Hereford and Worcester area, 1,039 children hold assisted places.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what expenditure is planned to support the assisted places scheme in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99. [770]

Current plans, already announced, for expenditure on the assisted places scheme in financial year 1997–98 amount to £140 million. Provision for 1998–99 will be reviewed in the light of our commitment to phase out the scheme from September 1998 while allowing existing assisted place holders to continue their education at participating schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the average cost per assisted place in the year 1996–97. [766]

The average cost of an assisted place in the current academic year 1996–97 is estimated to be £3,916.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many assisted places are due to be made available in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99. [767]

Some 10,700 new entry places will be made available in academic year 1997–98. We intend to introduce legislation this Summer which will stop new pupil intakes in 1998–99.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the expected annual saving which will accrue from the abolition of the assisted places scheme. [984]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given earlier today by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, East (Ms Griffiths).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his policy in respect of children midway through their GCSEs and A levels who are currently receiving assistance from the assisted places scheme. [986]

We shall honour commitments to existing holders of assisted places at age 11 or above to complete their education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many places, at what schools and at what cost were provided under the assisted places scheme in North Yorkshire in 1995–96 and 1996–97. [969]

The number of assisted places taken-up and the cost of those places for each participating school in North Yorkshire, including the City of York, in academic years 1995–96 and 1996–97 are given in the following table:

Assisted places scheme: North Yorkshire
	Academic year 1995–96	1996–96
Ampleforth College1
Number of assisted pupils	—	23
Cost of places £000s	—	121
Ashville College
Number of assisted pupils	20	36
Cost of places £000s	93	157
Bootham School, York
Number of assisted pupils	33	41
Cost of places £000s	153	197
Giggleswick School
Number of assisted pupils	26	34
Cost of places £000s	121	153
Harrogate Ladies' College
Number of assisted pupils	25	35
Cost of places £000s	119	168
Mount School, York
Number of assisted pupils	35	46
Cost of places £000s	180	225
Scarborough College
Number of assisted pupils	42	75
Cost of places £000s	181	340
St. Peter's School, York
Number of assisted pupils	108	128
Cost of places £000s	480	586
1 Participating in the scheme for first time from 1996–97.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to receive the Dearing report on matters relating to higher education. [218]

The Dearing Inquiry is expected to report this summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will assess the impact of the jobseeker's allowance on rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [219]

A full evaluation of JSA policy has been commissioned from the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University. The Employment Service itself will be carrying out local monitoring of delivery.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what role he proposes local education authorities will have in supporting schools to raise standards. [222]

The Government sees a fundamental role for local education authorities in a partnership to raise standards. The forthcoming White Paper will set out the Government's proposals for LEA Development Plans which will specify how each LEA will provide local leadership focused on raising standards in all its schools. The role will include: providing the data schools need to set challenging but realistic improvement targets; monitoring performance; working with schools before they develop serious weaknesses; taking decisive action where necessary; and promoting good practice by providing effective advisory and other professional support services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what timetable he plans for the setting up of a general teaching council. [223]

Our forthcoming White Paper will mark the start of wide ranging consultations on our plans for establishing a general teaching council. We will bring forward enabling legislation later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to change the rules governing student entitlement to social security benefit. [225]

We shall keep this issue under review as we develop our package of Welfare to Work reforms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the application for grant-maintained status by Ashford high school in Middlesex. [226]

The Department has received a complaint from the Local Education Authority about the conduct of the parental ballot on grant-maintained status for Ashford high school. That complaint is currently being investigated in accordance with established procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will require colleges of further education to consult the Further Education Funding Council in advance of restructuring leading to redundancies. [284]

My right hon. Friend does not consider that such a requirement should be introduced, since the Further Education Funding Council does not have a specific role in advising colleges on their management processes. Colleges are statutorily bound to notify my right hon. Friend where they intend to make redundant 20 or more employees and to consult with representatives of the employees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement about the Government's plans for the nursery voucher scheme. [591]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will announce details of, and a timetable for, his abolition of the nursery voucher scheme in England. [868]

I refer the hon. Members to the reply given earlier today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member of Forest of Dean (Mrs. Organ).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on his plans for nursery provision for the under fives and the nursery voucher scheme. [1294]

The Government will replace the previous Government's voucher scheme from the autumn term. The voucher scheme will not meet the need for high quality, accessible early years education.The Government will consult during the summer on proposals for the preparation of full Early Years Development Plans to take effect in all areas from April 1998. In addition, we will be inviting proposals for the development of pilot early excellence centres to demonstrate our commitment to bringing nursery education and childcare closer together.For the autumn and spring terms, local education authorities will be invited to submit an interim Early Years Development Plan. This will set out the way in which they will provide places for four year olds in their area. They will be expected to consult and co-operate with the private and voluntary sectors in these arrangements.Where interim Early Years Development Plans are approved, recognised places in all sectors filled by eligible four year olds will be funded by grant provided by the Secretary of State paid through LEAs or direct in the case of GM schools. Where LEAs are unable to bring forward an acceptable interim plan, recognised places chosen by parents in the private and voluntary sectors will be funded by grant from the Secretary of State by reference to certificates of eligibility issued to those parents.Information about arrangements for the remainder of 1997–98 will be sent to LEAs and other interests shortly, and to parents of four year olds and providers as soon as practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will increase the education element of the standard spending assessment for Staffordshire relative to that of other shire counties. [762]

Education SSAs reflect cost variations such as different wage levels across the country and different levels of deprivation. We are currently reviewing the SSA methodology for 1998–99 in consultation with local authority representatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what estimate he has made of the number of additional teachers required to reduce class sizes for all five, six and seven-year-old pupils to below 30 pupils; [768](2) what estimate he has made of the capital expenditure required to enable class sizes for all five, six and seven-year-old pupils to be reduced to below 30 pupils in three years. [769]

Our policy is to phase out classes of over 30 for all five, six and seven-year-old pupils during the lifetime of this Parliament. The detailed costs of achieving that objective, including the cost of any additional teachers and any capital expenditure required, will depend on how LEAs and schools implement those reductions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what are (a) the latest figures and (b) the figures for a year earlier from the TfW Leavers Survey for the number and proportion of leavers who (i) had been entered for vocational qualification, (ii) had obtained a vocational qualification, had failed to obtain a vocational qualification, and were awaiting their results in (1) the North London TEC area, (2) London and (3) Great Britain as a whole; how many of the TfW leavers in the relevant period had completed their training; what was the average time they had spent on TfW training; and if he will make a statement; [836](2) what are

I will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and place a copy of my reply in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to review the changes to the teachers' superannuation scheme made by the previous Government with special reference to teachers and lecturers retiring after 31 August 1997 having to wait until the age of 60 years to receive their pension. [987]

The changes made by the previous Government were necessary because of the escalating cost of teachers' premature retirement, to which the Public Accounts Committee drew attention. Employers will still be able to grant premature retirement to teachers under 60.Consultation is proceeding on further changes designed to enhance the flexibility of teachers' pension arrangements. My right hon. Friend will make an announcement about this in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of secondary places available in Hillingdon. [1296]

The Funding Agency for Schools will be consulting on the establishment of a new GM school in Hillingdon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if the Government will continue to fund further education through the FEFC with the proposed reduction in funding next year. [988]

Following the Further Education Funding Council's notification of provisional funding allocations on 4 April, the Council will shortly be notifying colleges of their final funding allocations for the 1997–98 academic year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the Government's policy in respect of the present system of colleges employing casual agency labour through (a) ELS and (b) other agencies. [989]

As from incorporation on 1 April 1993, further education colleges assumed responsibility for their own finance and organisation, including the appointment, dismissal, redundancy and conditions of service generally of their staff. As a result, any decisions on whether to employ staff through an employment agency, and if so which agency to use, are for the college concerned to make.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to review the six-bed rule for bed and breakfast accommodation. [1070]

While I am aware that the level at which non-domestic rates apply is a matter of concern to some tourism businesses, the policy responsibility for the six-bed rule lies with the Department of the Environment. Should there be any review of that policy, the impact on tourism would be taken into account.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment he has made of the consistency of the application of the six-bed rule for bed and breakfast accommodation by valuation officers; and if he will make a statement. [1069]

None. It is the responsibility of Inland Revenue local Valuation Officers (VOs) to maintain local non-domestic rating lists. Guidance has been issued to all VOs concerning the rating of bed and breakfast accommodation to ensure a consistent nation-wide approach. I am aware that the level at which non-domestic rates apply is a matter of some importance to small businesses in tourism.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many civil servants at each grade within his Department were of Asian origin on 5 May. [239]

The number of staff in my Department (excluding its Agencies) who have declared the ethnic group to which they belong as being Asian, as at 5 May, is as follows:

Grade	Number
Asian
A(L)	1
B	1
C	3
D(U)	4
D(L)	2
Total	11

The 1996 Department of National Heritage Pay and Grading review made the following changes to "traditional" Civil Service grades. Grades 6 and 7 were merged to form A(U) and A(L) respectively. Grades SEO and HEO were merged to form grade B. Grade EO became C, and AO and AA were merged to form D(U) and D(L) respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will introduce regulations making it easier for concessionary television licences to be obtained for pensioner tenants, other than those in warder-controlled accommodation, who are visited by officials. [82]

[holding answer 19 May 1997]: The Government have no current plans to extend the scope of the concessionary scheme.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many small business organisations have made representations (a) supporting and (b) opposing the Government's proposals for a statutory right to interest on late payment; and if she will make a statement. [848]

I have had representations from two small business organisations, one of whom was in favour of legislation for a Statutory Right to Interest and the other one of whom was opposed.It is clear that late payment continues to cause concern to small businesses. Business surveys consistently show that over 60 per cent. of small firms support the introduction of legislation for a Statutory Right to Interest. It is in direct response to these concerns that the Government will introduce the Fair Payment of Commercial Debts Bill.Representations from small business organisations will be sought in response to the Green Paper on a statutory right to interest that we plan to publish in the summer.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to stop proposed Post Office Counters Ltd. franchise transfers, with special reference to Southport general post office. [835]

In announcing on 16 May a comprehensive review of options for implementing the Government's election manifesto pledge to grant the Post Office greater commercial freedom, I also announced that, at my request, the Post Office had agreed to suspend its programme of converting Crown post offices to agency status—except where irreversible commitments already exist—until we are in a position to make informed decisions. The proposal to convert the Crown post office in Southport has been suspended.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the Government's policy towards small businesses. [703]

The Government firmly believes that small businesses form the bedrock of a successful economy and is determined to work with them to address their needs and priorities.We are developing a range of imaginative proposals which will address the needs of the 90s and beyond. Our plans include improving the quality and effectiveness of business support; introducing the Enterprise Zone; cutting unnecessary red tape and introducing a new legal right to interest on commercial debt.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the outcome of the EU Research Council on 14 and 15 May. [1426]

I represented the UK at the meeting of the EU Research Council on 14–15 May 1997 at which the European Commission's proposals for the Fifth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP5) were the chief item for discussion. I underlined the need for FP5 to be strongly focused on Europe's economic and social challenges and deliver real results. The whole programme must be focused on well defined objectives, be tightly managed and involve the users of research.Following an exchange of views, a worthwhile measure of agreement was reached on a number of key issues relating to the shape and structure of FP5. All Member States subscribed to these except Spain, which withheld agreement because it was unable to secure acceptance that financial commitments on FP5 should be delayed. Conclusions adopted by the Presidency reflect the areas of agreement on FP5, which include the need to improve the coherence of the proposed thematic programme structure while still limiting programme numbers to a range of broadly 4–6; the need for additional 'key actions' (targeted R&D directed at specific social and economic goals) within a limit of broadly 25; commitment to keeping to the timetable for the introduction of FP5; and agreement to procedures for taking forward work on the scientific and technological content of FP5, and tackling the management questions. I consider this a very useful outcome that will give an impetus to further preparatory work before the next Council in November.I also addressed research ministers from the EU's Central and East European Associates in the context of the "Structured Dialogue" preparing for the enlargement of the European Union. I emphasised the UK's strong support for enlargement and the valuable contribution that strengthened scientific and technological co-operation could make to prospects for accession.The Council also approved conclusions on the European Commission's Action Plan for Innovation and received a report on the progress of negotiations on the EC/US Science and Technology Co-operation Agreement.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many bottles of champagne were imported from France in each year since 1992. [1104]

The number of bottles of champagne the UK imports from France is not available. The volumes, in millions of litres, are given in the following table.

Year	Millions litres
1992	11.1
1993	14.3
1994	17.8
1995	14.0
1996	15.5

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what measures would be necessary to extend the scope of the non-fossil fuel obligation to include other forms of energy; [1009](2) what plans she has to review the non-fossil fuel obligation; [1003](3) what plans she has to extend the scope of the non-fossil fuel obligation. [1010]

I anticipate initiating shortly a consultation exercise with the relevant trade bodies of the renewable energy industry, OFFER, and the Regional Electricity Companies on a fifth non-fossil fuel obligation (NFFO) Order for renewable energy in England and Wales, leading to an announcement later in the year. I am currently considering the options for the longer term future of the NFFO, and I will make a further announcement in due course. Extending the scope of NFFO to include other forms of energy will need primary legislation and clearance from the European Commission.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to introduce measures to ensure that goods imported to Britain have not been produced by child labour. [814]

The Government will use every endeavour to protect and promote human rights in the work place and support the eradication of all forms of exploitative and abusive labour (including child labour) as part of our wider effort to reduce global poverty and promote sustainable human development. We will be meeting the CBI, TUC and the British Retail Consortium on 23 May to discuss practical ways forward and the purpose to meet relevant non-government organisations in the near future to progress these discussions further.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of the increased economic co-operation and free trade in the south Asian region and their impact on the United Kingdom's trade and investment with and in the countries concerned. [743]

I believe that the commitment of the countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation to introduce a free trade area by 2001 will give a considerable boost to trade within the region. This should create significant opportunities for UK companies. I will ensure that my Department does all that it can to help UK companies to take advantage of these opportunities.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she plans to take to promote further the contribution made by Britain's Chinese community to the balance of payments through enhanced trade with the countries of east and south and east Asia. [710]

Britain's Chinese community already makes an important contribution to the nation's commercial success at home and overseas. I would be happy to consider ways in which the community might be more actively involved in our trade promotion activities.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she plans to lead a trade mission to the People's Republic of China. [279]

My forward travel programme is currently under consideration and no plans have yet been made for a visit to China.