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Private Investigators

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what use his Department has made of private detective agencies or investigators during 1995-96 and 1994-95; what agencies have been employed; for what purposes; and what cost to his Department. [30565]

Sir John Wheeler: During 1995-95 and 1994-95, the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments have used detective agencies or investigators on the following occasions:

(1) serving six debt enforcement orders;

(2) gathering evidence in relation to an enforcement action against the unauthorised change of use of a property;
(3) investigating seven public or employers liability claims;
(4) investigating two industrial injury claims;
(5) work in relation to an appraisal of a project for which grant assistance had been sought;
at a total cost of £17,861.

Names of the detective agencies have not been disclosed on grounds of confidentiality and security.

Hydroelectricity

Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make available to the Lough Neagh and Maine System Game Anglers Association the contents of letters exchanged between a member of the

4 Jun 1996 : Column: 370

fishery division of the Department of Agriculture and hydro-electric consultant of Dougal Billie Associates.[31224]

Mr. Ancram: No. Release of this information would adversely affect the Department's ability to secure the best possible fishery protection measures in water abstraction situations related to hydroelectric projects.

WALES

Forest Enterprise

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many parcels of forestry are currently being offered for sale by Forest Enterprise Wales; and if he will make a statement. [29633]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The subject of the question relates to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise. I have asked its acting chief executive, Mr. Gordon M. Cowie, to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Gordon M. Cowie to Mr. Elfyn Llwyd, dated 31 May 1996:

You asked the Secretary of State for Wales the following question:
"how many parcels of forestry are currently being offered for sale by Forest Enterprise Wales: and if he will make a statement."
The question relates to an issue that is my responsibility, as Acting Chief Executive of Forest Enterprise, so I have been asked to respond. The information you require is as follows:-
There are currently 34 woodlands totalling 1,242 hectares being offered for sale, by Forest Enterprise Wales. As set out in the Government's Expenditure Plans 1996-97 to 1998-99 Forest Enterprise plans to sell 40,000 hectares of forest land in the next three years and expects to receive about £60 million from the sale of forest land and surplus properties during that period. Some 15 per cent of these sales will be in Wales.

Local Government Re-organisation

Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the local authorities which will cover all or part of each of the parliamentary constituencies which will come into existence at the end of the present Parliament. [30353]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The information is set out as follows:

Constituency	Unitary Authority
Aberavon	Neath Port Talbot
Alyn and Deeside	Flintshire
Blaenau Gwent	Blaenau Gwent
Brecon and Radnorshire	Powys
Bridgend	Bridgend (part); Vale of Glamorgan (part)
Caernarfon	Gwynedd
Caerphilly	Caerphilly
Cardiff Central	Cardiff
Cardiff North	Cardiff
Cardiff South and Penarth	Cardiff (part); Vale of Glamorgan (part)
Cardiff West	Cardiff
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr	Carmarthenshire
Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire	Carmarthenshire (part); Pembrokeshire (part)
Ceredigion	Ceredigion
Clwyd South	Wrexham (part); Powys (part); Denbighshire (part)
Clwyd West	Denbighsire (part); Conwy (part)
Conwy	Conwy (part); Gwynedd (part)
Cynon Valley	Rhondda Cynon Taff
Delyn	Flintshire
Gower	Swansea
Islwyn	Caerphilly
Llanelli	Carmarthenshire
Meirionnydd Nant Conwy	Gwynedd (part); Conwy (part)
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney	Merthyr Tydfil; Caerphilly (part)
Monmouth	Monmouthshire; Torfaen (part)
Montgomeryshire	Powys
Neath	Neath Port Talbot
Newport East	Monmouthshire (part); Newport (part)
Newport West	Newport
Ogmore	Bridgend (part); Rhondda Cynon Taff (part)
Pontypridd	Rhondda Cynon Taff (part); Cardiff (part)
Preseli Pembrokeshire	Pembrokeshire
Rhondda	Rhondda Cynon Taff
Swansea East	Swansea
Swansea West	Swansea
Torfaen	Torfaen
Vale of Clwyd	Denbighshire
Vale of Glamorgan	Vale of Glamorgan
Wrexham	Wrexham
Ynys Mon	Isle of Anglesey

4 Jun 1996 : Column: 371

Organochlorines

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has evaluated concerning production and discharge as waste of chlorinated organic compounds from industrial establishments in south Wales since 1966; and if he will make a statement. [30484]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: A number of sources of information and reviews are available relating to the emission of certain chlorinated organic compounds from industrial sources. These include "The Chemical Release Inventory", first published by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution in 1994, which includes detailed analyses of emissions both by local authority area and by industrial sector.

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has evaluated on the level of organochlorines in the aerial environment of Cardiff as compared with other urban centres in the United Kingdom. [30485]

Mr Jones: Organochlorines in air, including dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides, are currently monitored at three urban and four rural sites throughout the United Kingdom as part of the Department of the Environment's national air quality monitoring network. It should be noted that not all the pollutants are monitored at every site. Between January 1991 and September 1993 one site was located in Cardiff. A summary of data from these sites is presented each year in the "Digest of Environmental Statistics", copies of which have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

4 Jun 1996 : Column: 372

Local Government Archives

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to ensure that arrangements entered into between two or more authorities on archive services offer an adequate and stable framework for the delivery of services. [30690]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The details of joint arrangements are a matter for the councils concerned. In considering the draft schemes on which councils consulted him under section 60 of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, my hon. Friend looked for evidence that joint arrangements would exist for a reasonable period beyond April 1996 and that adequate staffing and other resources would be provided.

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of whether archive services are being provided at the same standards as the previous local authorities by the new unitary authorities under section 60 of the Local Government Act (Wales) 1994. [30689]

Mr. Jones: It is too early to make any such assessment. Eighteen county and county borough councils have still to send to my right hon. Friend the final versions of the schemes which they are required to prepare under section 60 of the 1994 Act.

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of whether existing collections of archive records are being maintained intact by the new unitary authorities; and what arrangements are in place to monitor the operation of the archive schemes by the new authorities. [30691]

Mr. Jones: My right hon. Friend has made no such assessment. Section 60 of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 imposes duties on county and county borough councils to prepare and maintain archive schemes; and, before making or modifying a scheme, to consult my right hon. Friend and to have regard to his advice.

Pharmacy Contractors

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many pharmacy contractors there are in each of the local authority areas of Wales. [30590]

Mr. Hague: The information is not available in the form requested. The number of pharmacy contractors in each health authority area is as follows:

Area	Number
Bro Taf	190
Dyfed Powys	122
Gwent	121
Morgannwg	129
North Wales	152

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received from pharmacy contractors concerning the late payment of remuneration; how many payments of remuneration have been delayed more than 120 days; and if he will make a statement. [30588]

4 Jun 1996 : Column: 373

Mr. Hague: There are no identified cases of agreed payments of salary, overtime or allowances to Welsh Office staff being delayed for more than 120 days.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he will adopt to assist the cash flow problems of pharmacy contractors with regard to their need to pay their suppliers. [30589]

Mr. Hague: The present system of reimbursement is being considered as part of the 1996-97 pay negotiations for pharmacists' fees and allowances. As the negotiations are not completed, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received from pharmacy contractors concerning the late payment of remuneration. [30587]

Mr. Hague: One from a pharmacy contractor, and eight from hon. Members writing on behalf of a constituent.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to retain retail price maintenance for medicines; and if he will make a statement. [30601]

Mr. Hague: The decision to review retail price maintenance for pharmacy products was made by the Office of Fair Trading. I understand that the review is looking closely at the possible effects which abolition may have on the viability of the independent pharmacy sector.

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