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Channel Tunnel

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Prime Minister what assurances were given by his predecessor regarding the financing of the channel tunnel; and what information he has about assurances offered by the French Government. [10116]

The Prime Minister: I am not aware that any assurances were given by my predecessor or by the French Government. From the start it was always envisaged that the channel tunnel would be an entirely private sector project, and that the concessionaires would have no recourse to Government funds or guarantees of a financial or commercial nature. That remains the position of both Governments.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

European Union

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to publish as a Command Paper the current treaty provisions and inter-institutional agreements governing the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union. [9839]

Mr. David Davis: A Command Paper containing the current provisions of the European Community treaty and the treaty on European Union is in preparation and will be published shortly.

Inter-institutional agreements are published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Endangered Species

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the items from endangered species seized by the Hong Kong authorities in each of the last three years. [8764]

Mr. Hanley: In the last three years, most of the seizures involved (a) tourists arriving in Hong Kong or residents returning from neighbouring countries bringing stuffed specimens, tonic cuisine, pets and controlled medicines; and (b) local shops offering for sale medicines claimed to contain rhino or tiger ingredients.

Ceremonial Dress

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the cost of ceremonial dress for Her Majesty's representatives

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abroad in (a) 1993-94, (b) 1994-95 and (c) 1995-96 to date; and which countries were involved. [8767]

Mr. Hanley: Diplomatic uniform is provided to HM representatives where required by local custom and tradition.

Expenditure on diplomatic uniform in the years specified was as follows:

1993-94: £14,775
1994-95: £8,935
1995-96: £19,879 to date

The countries and dependent territories involved were Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Japan, Luxembourg, Montserrat, the Netherlands, Spain, Swaziland, Thailand and Turks and Caicos.

Mr. Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what items of ceremonial dress are required for Her Majesty's representative at the Holy See; and what are the itemised costs. [9176]

Mr. Hanley: Local custom requires HM representatives to the Holy See to wear full diplomatic uniform on frequent occasions.

At present, HM ambassador to the Holy See is a woman and is not required to wear uniform. Accordingly, current costs for this uniform are not available.

Scott Inquiry

Mr. Robin Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total cost of salaries since 1992 paid to persons in his Department employed on a part-time or full-time basis in any connection whatsoever in relation to the Scott inquiry. [10214]

Mr. Hanley: The direct salary cost of officials within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wholly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry since 1992 is approximately £197,627.00. Other officials will inevitably be involved from time to time; their direct salary cost is unquantifiable.

Mr. Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has (a) read, collated or received and (b) authorised civil servants or any other persons to read, collate or receive copies of draft sections of Sir Richard Scott's report circulated by Sir Richard Scott to Government Ministers, civil servants and other persons. [10216]

Mr. Hanley: The handling of extracts of Sir Richard's draft report, subject to the wishes of the inquiry, is at the discretion of those to whom they are sent. The Government do not disclose details of correspondence between the inquiry and individual witnesses.

Mr. Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide a breakdown of the spending by his Department on external advice in relation to the Scott inquiry; and how much has been spent on legal advice and for whom. [10215]

Mr. Hanley: The amount so far spent by my Department on external advice in relation to Sir Richard Scott's inquiry is £318,165.46. The names of the individuals and their legal advisers are confidential to them.

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Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give an itemised breakdown of the costs relating to the marshal of the diplomatic corps in 1994-95. [8910]

Mr. Hanley [holding answer 17 January 1996]: These costs are shared between the FCO and Buckingham palace. The costs of the marshal, his staff and office borne by the FCO in 1994-95 were:

	£
Salaries, national insurance contributions	51,110.00
Transport, travel and entertainment	14,148.13
Office equipment, supplies and sundries	4,731.22
Total	69,989.35

Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance he intends to issue to (a) departments, (b) executive agencies, (c) non-departmental public bodies and (d) outside bodies and arm's-length organisations which he has responsibility for, or an interest in, regarding the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9220]

Mr. Hanley [holding answer 17 January 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Social Security and Disabled people on Monday 15 January, Official Report, column 417.

I will ensure that this Department and any bodies for which it is responsible will be made aware of their responsibilities under the Act.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Pre-school Provision

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the number and percentage of four-year-olds in (a) maintained nursery schools and nursery classes, (b) reception classes in primary schools, (c) private or voluntary sector provision and (c) pre-school provision overall. [9059]

Mr. Robin Squire: The following table shows the breakdown between schools for four-year-olds born between 1 January 1990 and 31 August 1990. It excludes both those children who were three years old on 31 August 1994 but who were four years old on 1 January 1995, and those who were four years old on the 31 August 1994 but who were five years old on 1 January 1995--the rising fives.

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A separate estimate of all children who were four years old on 1 January 1995 suggests that at that time 517,000 four-year-olds--78 per cent. of all children aged four--were attending maintained schools. We estimate that approximately 125,000 more--19 per cent. of all children aged four--were in some form of private or voluntary provision.

Pupils aged four years of age in schools in England: January 1995

School type	Pupils	Percentage of population(6)
Maintained nursery schools and nursery classes	46,058	10
Infant classes in primary schools(7)	342,395	78
Independent schools(8)	18,893	4
All schools(9)	409,451	93

(6) Full-time and part-time pupils aged four years of age at 31 August 1994 excluding pupils of compulsory school age in January 1995--the rising fives--expressed as a percentage of the relevant portion of the population aged four at 31 August 1994.

(7) Includes reception and other classes.

(8) Incudes pupils in direct grant nursery schools.

(9) Includes pupils in maintained nursery, primary and special schools, non-maintained special schools and independent schools.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance she intends to issue to (a) Departments, (b) executive agencies, (c) non-departmental public bodies and (d) outside bodies and arm's-length organisations which she has responsibility for, or an interest in, regarding the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if she will make a statement. [9232]

Mr. Paice: A brief guide to the Disability Discrimination Act was issued in November 1995 and further information material on the provisions of the Act will follow. We are currently consulting on a draft code of practice relating to the employment provisions in the Act and statutory guidance related to the definition of disability. Consultation on proposals for regulations under the education, employment and definition provisions of the Act is also currently underway.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security will be asking the National Disability Council, when it first meets, to produce and consult on a code of practice relating to the rights of access to goods and services. At the same time he will consult on associated regulations. All these items will be published in plenty of time to allow those with duties under the Act to prepare themselves for the introduction of the new rights. I shall ensure that the Department and any bodies for which it is responsible will be made aware of their responsibilities under the Act.

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