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A570
Mr. Matthew Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made concerning the A570 Ormskirk bypass ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key [holding answer 21 February 1994] : We are considering the large response to the public consultation. I shall announce a preferred route shortly.
Marine Traffic
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made by the European Union in (a) identifying sensitive areas which are at high risk from marine traffic and (b) developing measures to protect these areas ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : I have been asked to reply.
The Council of Ministers--Environment--on 28 June 1993 invited member states to identify environmentally sensitive areas at high risk from marine traffic, on the basis of criteria circulated by the Commission. The Commission is currently studying member states' responses. A joint meeting of Environment and Transport Ministers on 24 March, during the Environment Council, will review progress on this and other Community maritime safety and pollution initiatives.
North Sea
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the Dutch Government's proposals for a system of marine protected areas for the recovery of sections of the marine ecosystem in the North sea ; and if he will make it his policy to support their creation.
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Mr. Atkins : I have been asked to reply.
Proposals to designate areas of the sea which would be required to remain undisturbed, in order to assess the way in which damaged marine ecosystems might recover, were considered at the intermediate meeting of North sea Ministers in Copenhagen in December 1993. The meeting, which included United Kingdom Ministers, invited the European Commission to collaborate with the International Council for Exploration of the Sea to investigate suitable scientific criteria for the establishment of such areas on an experimental basis.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Staff Loans
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the schemes his Department operates to assist staff facing financial hardship following a transfer, showing (a) the particular criteria and rules applying to each one, including the circumstances under which any loans can be written off, (b) the total amount loaned or granted under the schemes in 1992-93 and so far in 1993-94 and (c) the number of staff assisted in 1992-93 and so far in 1993-94.
Mr. Hague : Two schemes address financial difficulties brought about by the fall in house prices since 1989.
1. Bridging Loans
The Department may assist a member of staff transferred at the public expense who is in severe and immediate financial difficulties as a result of taking out a bridging loan which now exceeds the selling price of property.
Provided the member of stafff cannot make good the shortfall of funds from his or her own resources and, that a value for money case can be clearly established, the Department can offer :
An interest-free advance of up to 12 months salary repayable over 15 years ; and/or
An additional housing cost allowance to cover the interest charges on extra mortgage borrowing ; and/or
As a last resort where other options are not possible, to write off up to £5,000 of the bridging loan. Amounts in excess of this require Treasury approval.
2. Mortgage Redemption (Negative Equity)
Where staff transferred at the public expense face genuine financial hardship an advance of up to 12 months salary may be made, repayable over 15 years.
The total amounts loaned or granted and the number of staff assisted are as follows :
|Bridging loan|Mortgage
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1992-93
Total amount loaned or granted (£) |805,865 |192,000
Number of staff assisted |65 |23
1993-94 (to date)
Total amount loaned or granted (£) |188,983 |123,000
Number of staff assisted |18 |21
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Occupational Pensions
Mr. Channon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what consideration the Government are giving to the question of occupational pension rights on divorce ; and when he proposes to make a definitive statement of the Government's policy on this issue.
Mr. Hague : The Pension Law Review Committee considered the question of occupational pension rights on divorce as part of its wide-ranging review of pensions issues. We shall announce the results of our consideration of all the PLRC proposals in due course.
War Disablement Pensions
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give details of the newspapers and broadcasting advertisement campaigns undertaken by his Department in the last 10 years to make service men and former service personnel aware of their discharge rights to a war disablement pension.
Mr. Hague : None. There is no need for such publicity when arrangements exist for service men and women to receive full information about the war pensions scheme on their discharge from service. In addition, those invalided from service are automatically considered for a pension without having to claim.
Contracting Out (Pension Rights)
Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidance he has issued about the effect of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 on the transfer of pension rights in services in his Department which are subject to contracting out.
Mr. Hague : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 18 February at column 1010.
Income Support
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of income support payments to residents in care or nursing homes with preserved entitlement during (a) the current financial year, (b) 1994-95 and (c) 1996-97 ; and if he will give his estimate of the total number of likely claimants for each year.
Mr. Burt : The latest estimates are :
|Year |Expenditure|Numbers
|£ million
------------------------------------------------------------
(a) |1993-94 |2,330 |246,000
(b) |1994-95 |1,830 |186,000
(c) |1996-97 |1,150 |112,000
These estimates are based on assumed rates of decline and become progressively less reliable.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants were in receipt of income support payments towards the cost of (a) residential care,
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(b) higher rate residental care and (c) nursing homes for each year since 1990 ; and if he will give the annual total for each category.Mr. Burt : The available information is as follows :
Numbers of income support claimants
|Residential|Nursing
|care homes |homes
------------------------------------------------
1990 |127,000 |66,000
1991 |139,000 |94,000
1992 |152,000 |116,000
1993 |159,000 |123,000
Source:
The Income Support Annual Statistical Enquiries
May 1990, May 1991
and May 1992.
The Income Support Quarterly Statistical
Enquiry February 1993.
Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest
thousand.
Pension Funds
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his most recent estimate of the gap between assets and liabilities of (a) the Maxwell pension funds in general and (b) the AGB fund ; and if he will make a statement on current and prospective provision for Maxwell pensioners.
Mr. Hague : On the basis of information supplied by the pension scheme trustees, the Maxwell pensions unit estimates the current overall gap between the assets and liabilities of the Maxwell pension funds to be £380 million. Included within this figure is £25 million in respect of the AGB pension scheme. Some of the scheme trustees are in the process of updating their scheme records and refining their liability figures.
This Department is currently paying over £3 million per annum in guaranteed minimum pensions to Maxwell pensioners. The Maxwell Pensioners Trust has kept pensions in payment while assets recovery work continues.
Child Support
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to revise the current provisions in the Child Support Act 1991 to enable capital settlements to be taken into account in future in the assessments made to determine the financial liability of separated parents ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to the hon. Member for Lewisham, East (Mrs Prentice) on 6 December 1993 at column 109.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many representations he has received to date complaining that capital settlements are not taken into account in determining the liability of separated parents in the child support legislation.
Mr. Burt : Ministers have received representations from hon. Members, organisations and members of the public about various aspects of the child support scheme. Information about how many refer to a particular aspect is not available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Elderly Population
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what change is projected in the population of those aged (a) over 65 years, (b) over 75 years and (c) over 85 years in each of the next 10 years.
Mr. Hague [pursuant to his answer 11 February 1994, col. 499] :] The information provided contained two errors. The estimate of the number of people aged 75 and over in 1994 should read 3,892,000 and the estimate of the number of people aged 85 and over in 1994 should read 1,002,000.
Invalidity Benefit
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of people receiving invalidity benefit or previous comparable benefits for each of the present parliamentary constituencies in Wales and for Wales as a whole.
Mr. Scott : This is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.
Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Mr. Dafydd Wigley, dated 21 February 1994 :
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the number of people receiving Invalidity Benefit or previous comparable benefits for the parliamentary constituencies in Wales and for Wales as a whole. The information is not available in the exact format requested. This is because the Agency's District boundaries do not correspond with parliamentary constituencies.
However, the information for Wales as a whole is available. The number of customers in receipt of Invalidity Benefit in Wales at 4 April 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, was approximately 159,000. The statistics are based on a 1 per cent. sample of claimants.
Within the Wales Area Directorate there are 11 Districts. Appendix 1 shows the number of people claiming Invalidity Benefit at the last working day of April 1992 within each District in Wales. The figures were obtained from a 100 per cent. clerical count of cases in each office within each District and include a small number of people who have claimed but are not receiving Invalidity Benefit, eg. because there is underlying entitlement which has been extinguished by the payment of a higher overlapping benefit.
I have attached at appendix 2 a list of Districts within the Wales Area Directorate and the parliamentary constituencies which fall within each Districts area.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Appendix 1
Number of people claiming invalidity benefit at the last working day of
April 1992
Benefits agency district |Number
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwyneddigion |8,720
North Wales Coast |11,375
Mid Wales and Maelor |8,575
West Wales |17,543
Swansea |15,362
Ogwr Afan Nedd |19,505
South Glamorgan |13,915
South Gwent and Islwyn |12,432
Cynon, Merthyr and
Rhymney Valley |21,063
Taff Rhondda |16,229
North Gwent and Brecon |14,844
|-------
Total |159,563
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Appendix 2
Benefits agency district |Parliamentary constituencies
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwyneddigion |Ceredigion and Pembroke North
|Caernarfon
|Conwy
|Meirionnydd Nant Conwy
|Ynys Mon
North Wales Coast |Alyn and Deeside
|Clwyd North West
|Clwyd South West
|Delyn
|Conwy
|Meirionnydd Nant Conwy
Mid Wales and Maelor |Alyn and Deeside
|Clwyd South West
|Delyn
|Wrexham
|Brecon and Radnor
|Montgomery
|Meirionnydd Nant Conwy
West Wales |Camarthen
|Ceredigion and Pembroke North
|Llanelli
|Pembroke
|Gower
|Neath
Swansea |Gower
|Neath
|Swansea East
|Swansea West
|Brecon and Radnor
Ogwr Afan Nedd |Bridgend
|Ogmore
|Aberavon
|Neath
South Glamorgan |Cardiff Central
|Cardiff North
|Cardiff South and Penarth
|Cardiff West
|Vale of Glamorgan
South Gwent and Islwyn |Islwyn
|Monmouth
|Newport East
|Newport West
Cynon, Merthyr and |Caerphilly
Rhymney Valley |Cynon Valley
|Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
Taff Rhondda |Cynon Valley
|Ogmore
|Pontypridd
|Rhondda
North Gwent and Brecon |Blanau Gwent
|Monmouth
|Torfaen
|Brecon and Radnor
Bronchitis and Emphysema
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many claims have been submitted for disablement benefit for chronic bronchitis and emphysema ;
(2) how many claims for disablement benefit for chronic bronchitis and emphysema have been allowed in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) by region and (c) by social security district.
Mr. Scott : The administration of industrial disablement benefit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.
Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Mr. Allan Rogers, dated 21 February 1994 :
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The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking about the number of claims received nationally for disablement benefit for chronic bronchitis and emphysema and how many have been allowed.Firstly, I would like to explain that there are two stages to the take on of claims for disablement benefit for prescribed disease D12 (chronic bronchitis and emphysema) which has been available since 13 September 1993 for people who have worked at least 20 years underground in a coal mine.
Stage 1 was restricted to claims from people who were aged 70 or over on 13 September 1993 or who had an award of higher rate Disability Living Allowance Care component or higher rate attendance allowance and will end shortly ; stage 2 will commence on 1 March 1994 and is open to anybody to claim. All claims will be considered for payment from 13 September 1993.
As of 13 February 1994, the number of claims received by the Benefits Agency was 23,477 (In addition, there were claims received which were not proceeded with for various reason for example the claim was not appropriate to Stage 1, where the claimant would be advised to reclaim at the proper time).
Column 130
The attached tables show the number of medical assessments which had been carried out at 6 February 1994. The table breaks the assessments of disablement down by 13 per cent. or less, 14-24 per cent., 25-34 per cent., and 35 per cent. or more ; and the total number of assessments. It should be noted that there are a number of the claims stated above which have not reached the assessment stage so the total number of assessments shown will increase in time. As with most prescribed occupational diseases, disablement benefit for chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema is not paid for assessments under 14 per cent. The very few assessments of 13 per cent. or less therefore did not attract an award of disablement benefit, unless it was possible to aggregate them with existing assessments. The Benefits Agency is organised into Areas, each consisting of a number of Districts. In some parts of the country claims for chronic bronchitis or emphysema have been handled at special Centres covering a number of Districts. The tables show totals for each Area and for each Centre or District within the Area.I hope you will find this information helpful.
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|1-13 per cent. |14-24 per cent. |25-34 per cent. |35-100 per cent.|Total
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East Area<1> |0 |1 |1 |18 |20
South Yorkshire and
Humberside Area<1> |0 |27 |50 |270 |347
Tyne Tees Area
Blyth |0 |5 |7 |35 |47
Sunderland North |0 |0 |3 |11 |14
Bishop Auckland |0 |0 |4 |12 |16
Eston |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Houghton-Le-Spring |0 |1 |4 |29 |34
Jarrow |0 |0 |10 |26 |36
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |0 |0 |2 |10 |12
North Durham |1 |3 |19 |121 |144
North Tees |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
North Tyneside |0 |0 |0 |4 |4
Sunderland South |0 |0 |3 |15 |18
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |1 |9 |52 |263 |325
Wales Area
Ammanford |1 |6 |15 |64 |86
Cynon Merthyr and
Rhymney Valley |9 |35 |35 |127 |206
Gwyneddigion |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Mid Wales and Maelor |0 |3 |2 |12 |17
North Wales Coast |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Ogwy Afan Nedd |3 |18 |23 |79 |123
Pontypridd |3 |17 |19 |71 |110
South Glamorgan |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
South Gwent and Islwyn |0 |11 |1 |43 |55
Swansea |0 |5 |9 |38 |52
Cwmbran |1 |8 |6 |20 |35
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |17 |103 |110 |456 |686
West Country Area
Barnstaple |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Bath |0 |1 |0 |0 |1
Gloucester |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Bournemouth |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Bridgewater |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Severnside |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Torbay |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Truro |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |0 |1 |0 |0 |1
West Mercia Area
Cannock |0 |2 |2 |39 |43
Walsall |0 |0 |0 |3 |3
Dudley |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Ilkeston |1 |0 |1 |11 |13
North Staffordshire |0 |11 |10 |86 |107
Shropshire |0 |0 |0 |2 |2
Smethwick |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
South Derbyshire |0 |1 |1 |12 |14
West Bromwich |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Wolverhampton |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |1 |14 |14 |153 |182
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Grand Total |23 |200 |295 |1,603 |2,121
<1> Covered by one centre.
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|1-13 per cent. |14-24 per cent. |25-34 per cent. |35-100 per cent.|Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greater Manchester Area<1> |0 |02 |3 |14 |19
Lancashire and Cumbria Area
Accrington |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Barrow |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Blackpool |0 |0 |0 |2 |2
Bolton |0 |2 |0 |6 |8
Burnley |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Preston |1 |0 |0 |1 |2
Whitehaven |0 |0 |0 |3 |3
Wigan/Leigh |0 |5 |8 |35 |48
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |1 |7 |8 |49 |65
Merseyside Area
Crewe |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Liverpool Edgehill |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Liverpool Kirby |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
South West Lancashire |0 |2 |4 |13 |19
Southport |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |0 |2 |4 |13 |19
Midlands South West Area
Birmingham Edgbaston |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Birmingham Handsworth |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Coventry |0 |1 |0 |4 |5
Nuneaton |0 |2 |0 |23 |25
Redditch |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |0 |3 |0 |27 |30
North and West Yorkshire
Area<1> |1 |21 |25 |134 |181
North, Central and West
Scotland Area
Ayr |0 |0 |1 |8 |9
Kilmarnock |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Clyde Valley |0 |0 |5 |5 |10
Coatbridge |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Highlands and Islands |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Stirling |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |0 |0 |6 |14 |20
<1> Covered by one centre.
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Assessments for chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema (prescribed disease D12)
|1-13 per cent. |14-24 per cent. |25-34 per cent. |35-100 per cent.|Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hertford |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Lowestoft |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Northampton |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Norwich Chantry |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Watford |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total Anglia area |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Euston |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Luton |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Oxford Tyndale |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total Chilterns area |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Chesterfield and Worksop |0 |6 |7 |55 |68
East Nottinghamshire |0 |0 |2 |12 |14
Grantham |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Leicester Tower Hill
Street |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Loughborough |0 |2 |1 |3 |6
North Nottinghamshire |1 |2 |5 |67 |75
Skegness |1 |0 |0 |2 |3
Nottingham David Lane |0 |0 |1 |10 |11
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total East Midlands
area |2 |10 |16 |149 |177
Kirkcaldy |0 |0 |4 |19 |23
Lothian West |0 |0 |0 |7 |7
Lowland East |0 |0 |2 |14 |16
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total Midlands area |0 |0 |06 |40 |46
East Kilbride |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Glasgow Anniesland |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Glasgow City |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Glasgow East |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Glasgow Springburn |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total Glasgow area |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Child Support Agency
Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many male and female employees of the Child Support Agency there are at each of its regional offices.
Mr. Burt : The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Mr. D. Brown to Mr. David Jamieson, dated 22 February 1994 :
In Mrs. Hepplewhite's absence I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about staffing levels in the Child Support Agency's regional offices.
At 31 January 1994, the six regional Child Support Agency Centres have a total of 1,039 male, and 2,308 female employees, distributed as follows :
Centre |Male |Female -------------------------------- Belfast |155 |305 Birkenhead |209 |380 Dudley |177 |436 Falkirk |151 |401 Hastings |206 |387 Plymouth |141 |399
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Crisis Loans
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for crisis loans made at Jubilee house, Stratford, have been refused in the last two years.
Mr. Scott : The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available. Letter from Mr. Michael Bichard to Mr. Tony Banks, dated 21 February 1994 :
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the number of Crisis Loan (CL) applications refused at Stratford Benefits Agency Office in the last two years.
Column 134
The Newham Benefits Agency District is made up of Stratford, Canning Town and Plaistow benefit offices. Statistics are collected on a District basis and so I am unable to give you figures in isolation for Stratford.Details of the number of new CL applications received and refused in the Newham District during the last two financial years (1991-92 and 1992-93) are shown below.
Number of Crisis Loan Applications Received and Refused at Newham
District.
|April 1991 to|April 1992 to
|March 1992 |March 1993
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Crisis Loan applications |3,088 |4,447
Number refused |48 |78
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Personal Pensions
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of individuals who have transferred their assets from one personal pension plan to another provided by a different company.
Mr. Hague [holding answer 15 February 1994] : The estimated number of people who transferred protected rights from one appropriate personal pension plan to another, whether provided by a different company or not, between the financial years 1987-88 and 1991-92 was 16,400.
(Figure based on 1 per cent. sample of the national insurance record system records).
DEFENCE
Reserve Forces
Dr. Liam Fox : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to use members of the reserve forces in support of current operations.
Mr. Hanley : A need has been identified for a further small number of specialist Royal Air Force volunteer reserve personnel to serve on photographic interpretation duties in the United Kingdom in support of operations in Bosnia. One volunteer will be deployed immediately, and additional support will be required as the tasking develops. A maximum of four people will be required. These personnel are all volunteers ; they are being called out under section 11(1) of the Reserve Forces Act 1980. This will be in addition to the seven reserve personnel already called out in support of operations.
Column 135
HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the state of readiness of HMS Intrepid ; and how long it will take to make the vessel operational ;
(2) what is the state of readiness of HMS Fearless ; and how long it will take to make the vessel operational.
Mr. Hanley : HMS Intrepid is at present held in a state of extended readiness at Portsmouth. For operational security reasons, we would not discuss how long it would take to reactivate her from this state, but the planned response time would be consistent with our new assumptions about warning times. HMS Fearless is currently fully operational.
Military Bands
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 10 February, Official Report, column 485, what is his policy towards the attendance of military bands at events organised by political parties ; and if he will list the occasions of such performances over the last two years showing the costs charged to the organisers and the total cost of attendance by military personnel in each case.
Mr. Hanley : Military bands are not permitted to perform at events organised by, or on behalf of, a political party. Individuals may, however, accept engagements in their spare time, provided civilian clothes are worn.
On the occasion referred to in my answer of 10 February, Official Report, column 485, members of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Volunteers) Band did appear at Alton castle in uniform but they were not aware this was a politically sponsored event. However, this was still in breach of regulations and a reminder of the regulations is being sent to all bands as a result.
I am not aware of any other occasion on which members of a military band have attended such an event in uniform.
Britannia Royal Naval College
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much extra public money is being spent to garage the captain of the Britannia royal naval college's car and on building kennels for three dogs at the college in Dartmouth, Devon.
Mr. Hanley : The cost of relocating the commanding officer's garage at Britannia royal naval college will be met from within the existing property maintenance budget. This work has been made necessary by a security audit which recommended that the garage must be more than 75 ft away from the residence. The cost of the work undertaken to prepare the site and to house the five Ministry of Defence police guard dogs at Britannia royal naval college was given in my answer to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Mr. Jamieson) on 7 February 1994, Official Report, column 118.
Arms Sales
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what publications have so far been made under the United Nations agreement to compile a register of arms sales ; and when such publications are expected in future.
Mr. Aitken : The United Nations Secretary-General issued last year a report on the 1992 national returns to the
Column 136
United Nations register of conventional arms. We expect that he will report on the 1993 returns later this year. A copy of the United Kingdom's 1992 return to the United Nations register was placed in the Library of the House in May 1993.Malaysia
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total public funding provided under all the provisions of the memorandum of understanding with Malaysia.
Mr. Aitken : There is no net cost to public funds of services provided under the memorandum of understanding with Malaysia.
EDUCATION
Ethnic Minority Funding
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what adjustment was made in the standard spending assessment for 1994-95 for educational purposes arising from the reduction of section 11 funding ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire : When the additional educational needs index within education standard spending assessments was reviewed, allowance was made for the proposed reduction in section 11 funding in two ways. The weight accorded to the index was increased and, within the index, the weight accorded to the ethnicity factor was increased.
Nursery Education
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to make any changes in the standard spending assessment for education purposes for the provision of nursery education.
Mr. Robin Squire : As part of his consideration of future policy for under-fives, my right hon. Friend will bear in mind possible implications for standard spending assessments.
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