---

Victim Support Groups

Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the victim support groups in Wales that his Department supports financially; what level of support was given in (a) 1994-95 and (b) 1995-96; and what is the estimated support for each group in 1996-97; [38640]

(2) how many victim support groups in Wales have paid members on their staff; [38641]

23 Jul 1996 : Column: 183

(3) what percentage increase there has been on the number of victims referred to each victim support group in Wales; and what was the percentage increase compared with the increase in funding for these groups during the last three years. [38642]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 22 July 1996]: The Home Office local funding grant is channelled though the Victim Support national office and is allocated to local schemes and branches by the local funding panel, a sub-committee of the national council. Applications from local schemes are considered in accordance with criteria

23 Jul 1996 : Column: 184

agreed with the Home Office, but the allocation of funds to particular schemes and the priorities which guide that funding are matters for Victim Support, not the Home Office.

The table summarises the available information. It is based on data supplied by Victim Support. Some reorganisation of schemes have occurred in the period, and not all schemes have received Home Office grant throughout it.

In 1995-96, 19 victim support schemes in Wales had paid members on their staff.

23 Jul 1996 : Column: 183

Victim support schemes in Wales

	1993-94			1994-95			1995-96				1996-97
Scheme	Grant	Referrals	Grant	Percentage increase	Referrals	Percentage increase	Grant	Percentage increase	Referrals	Percentage increase	Estimated grant
North Wales	32,430	573	32,754	1.0	4,526	689.9	40,634	24.1	--	--	27,509
Dyfed and Powys
Cardigan and Carmarthen	16,906	2,669	--	--	2,520	-5.6	17,246	--	1,868	-25.9	17,677
Llanelli/Ammanford	27,335	--	27,581	0.9	2,770	--	27,857	1.0	2,250	-18.8	27,857
Pembrokeshire	16,221	2,338	16,356	0.8	2,153	-7.9	16,520	1.0	1,776	-17.5	16,520
Brecon	16,906	1,459	--	--	1,332	-8.7	17,246	--	1,158	-13.1	17,677
Montgomeryshire	16,906	1,800	17,075	1.0	1,584	-12.0	17,246	1.0	1,379	-12.9	17,677
Radnorshire	15,378	1,070	17,054	10.9	936	-12.5	17,246	1.1	708	-24.4	17,677
Ystradgynlais	16,906	899	17,075	1.0	802	-10.8	17,246	1.0	677	-15.6	17,677
Gwent	61,717	--	62,334	1.0	--	--	62,958	1.0	--	--	64,532
South Wales
Bridgend	24,420	2,822	24,638	0.9	4,502	59.5	31,364	27.3	4,537	0.8	32,148
Caerphilly and District	22,531	1,646	22,705	0.8	197	-88.0	22,932	1.0	1,173	495.4	23,505
Cynon Valley	7,872	1,653	15,880	101.7	2,732	65.3	16,039	1.0	2,294	-16.0	16,440
Merthyr Tydfil	22,602	2,285	22,802	0.9	792	-65.3	23,007	0.9	2,825	256.7	23,582
Rhondda	--	1,305	--	--	726	-44.4	--	--	1,708	135.3	--
Taff Ely	26,336	2,717	26,472	0.5	1,001	-63.2	26,736	1.0	2,041	103.9	30,644
Upper Rhymney Valley	14,008	2,218	14,148	1.0	150	-93.2	14,238	0.6	1,335	790.0	14,594
Barry and Vale of Glamorgan	20,904	2,068	22,815	9.1	531	-74.3	23,225	1.8	2,745	416.9	23,806
Cardiff Greater	--	1,090	4,000	--	485	-55.5	4,000	0.0	1,396	187.8	--
Central Cardiff	4,000	1,422	4,000	0.0	542	-61.9	4,000	0.0	1,050	93.7	4,000
South Glamorgan	4,000	283	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Neath and District	23,488	4,602	21,016	-10.5	291	-93.7	21,226	1.0	1,082	271.8	26,240
Port Talbot	16,906	4,804	17,075	1.0	302	-93.7	17,246	1.0	1,413	367.8	17,677
Swansea and Lliw Valley	32,210	1,668	32,838	1.9	1,311	-21.4	33,034	0.6	2,627	100.4	33,860

23 Jul 1996 : Column: 183

Tobacco Smuggling

Mr. David Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what increase there has been in recorded tobacco smuggling-related crime since the inception of the single market. [38818]

Mrs. Angela Knight: I have been asked to reply.

Detections by the excise verification officers employed by Custom to combat smuggling of excise goods within the European Union for the first three years of the single market are shown in the table.

Calender year	Number of detections	Total revenue involved (£ million)
1993	813	1.2
1994	2,059	3.6
1995	3,429	6.9

23 Jul 1996 : Column: 184

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

Foreign Aid

Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) tenurial, (b) land ownership, (c) land use and (d) land management conditions he has attached to foreign aid packages since 1992; and if he will make a statement. [38192]

Mr. Hanley: Where issues of rights and occupancy access to land are important, these are one of several key criteria we take into account when planning and implementing aid projects in both rural and urban areas. The conditions that ODA attaches to such projects vary depending on the nature of the project and the needs of the recipient country.

Ms Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much financial assistance has been given to foreign aid projects to assist

23 Jul 1996 : Column: 185

with (a) alterations to rural land use, (b) alterations to rural land ownership patterns and (c) land management projects since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [38190]

Mr. Hanley: ODA does not maintain data covering expenditure on land issues in the form requested. It would therefore not be possible to provide a detailed answer without disproportionate cost. However, in the years 1989-90 to 1994-95, ODA support in the general area of land development/reclamation amounted to over £20 million; over £43 million was spent on rural development in the same period. A wide range of developing countries have benefited from such assistance, particularly the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia.

Yemen (Disaster Relief)

Sir Robert Hicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the projects assisted, indicating the financial amounts involved, in respect of United Kingdom disaster relief for Yemen following the recent severe flooding; and if he will make a statement. [38473]

Mr. Hanley: The UK responded swiftly and generously to the plight of flood affected populations following the severe flooding in Yemen last month. The UK's response has been as follows:

Response	Channel	Value
		£
Relief flight with consignment of tents and plastic sheeting.	British Red Cross Society	202,076
Consignment of drugs.	British Red Cross Society	1,271
Provision of technical expert for disaster assessment and coordination.	UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs	50,000
Recruitment of planning specialists, and monitoring and supervision of field operations.
Assistance to the Health	Merlin	100,000
Sector Emergency well	Care	70,000
rehabilitation Water tankering	Oxfam	70,000
operations
Total		493,347

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Law of the Sea Convention

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer from the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Energy of 15 July, Official Report, columns 360-61, if he will set out the considerations as a result of which the United Kingdom has not yet ratified the UN law of the sea convention of 1982; and when the United Kingdom ratification is expected to take place. [38862]

Sir Nicholas Bonsor: It is the Government's intention that the United Kingdom will accede to the United Nations convention on the law of the sea in due course. In the light of a number of continuing uncertainties in the international situation with regard to fisheries issues, the Government have concluded that now is not an

23 Jul 1996 : Column: 186

appropriate time to accede to the convention. The timing of accession remains under review and Parliament will be informed as soon as the Government have taken a decision.

---