---

Natural Environment Research Council

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Natural Environment Research Council's terrestrial initiative in global environmental research--TIGER--programme; and what plans he has to commit new resources to the initiative. [4126]

Mr. Clappison: The terrestrial initiative in global environmental research--TIGER--is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. It is, therefore, for the council to assess the effectiveness of its own programme, and to consider the case for supporting further work in the same field.

15 Nov 1996 : Column: 379

Local Government Boundaries

Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue a reworked index of local conditions to cover authorities which have had major boundary changes. [4052]

Mr. Clappison: The Department intends to let a contract in December of this year which will include adjusting the index of local conditions to reflect all major local authority boundary changes. The work will also involve updating the non-census-based indicators where more up-to-date statistical information is available. The results of this work will be available in the Summer 1997.

Capital Challenge

Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the local authority associations concerning capital challenge; and if he will make a statement. [3087]

Sir Paul Beresford: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Urban Regeneration met the leaders of the local authority associations on 18 March to discuss their response to the Government's proposals for a pilot scheme. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State holds regular meetings with the local authority association chairmen, at which progress with the capital challenge pilot has been raised.

North Sea Conference

Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made in ensuring that

15 Nov 1996 : Column: 380

(a) fisheries conservation and (b) industrial fishing in particular is put on the agenda of the intermediate ministerial meeting of the North sea conference. [4102]

Mr. Clappison: The North sea intermediate ministerial meeting is to consider all aspects of fisheries and the environment. The UK delegation to the preparatory meetings has made it clear that both fisheries conservation and industrial fisheries should be specifically considered.

Public Income and Expenditure (London)

Mr. Cyril D. Townsend: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to publish the consultation paper on public income and expenditure in London. [4998]

Mr. Gummer: I have today placed a copy of this consultation paper entitled "Public Finances in London--Methods and Estimates" in the Library of the House. Copies have been sent to a number of London organisations for comment.

SCOTLAND

Knives (Assaults)

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many assaults with knives there were in Scotland in the last five years. [3384]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Information on the total number of assaults with knives in that period is not available. The combined number of recorded victims of homicide and in-patient discharges from Scottish hospitals as a result of assaults with a knife or pointed article in the five years from and including 1991 was 6,664. The table gives a breakdown of this figure.

15 Nov 1996 : Column: 379

	In-patient discharges from Scottish hospitals with a diagnosis of injury (excluding death) resulting from an assault by a cutting or piercing instrument	Number of victims of homicide recorded by the police in Scotland in which a knife or sharp instrument was used	Total
1991	1,208	34	1,242
1992	1,486	70	1,556
1993	988	44	1,032
1994	1,191	58	1,249
1995	1,526	59	1,585
Total	6,399	265	6,664

15 Nov 1996 : Column: 379

EDS Ltd.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many contracts his Department, agencies and associated bodies have had with EDS for each year since 1985; what was the value of each contract; if he will indicate for each contract (a) if it was completed, (b) what modifications were made at the request of (i) the company and (ii) the Department and (c) if work under contract is being undertaken in-house; and if he will make a statement on the number of job reductions in his Department arising from the contracting out of work by EDS. [3818]

Lord James Douglas Hamilton: The Scottish Office has had no contracts with EDS since 1985.

15 Nov 1996 : Column: 380

Argyll and the Islands Enterprise

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the total number of (a) grants and (b) loans paid to Mondial Business Information Systems and Channel 11 Ltd. by Argyll and the Islands Enterprise; and when these sums were paid; [4176]

(2) what conditions were attached to the (a) grants and (b) loans paid to Mondial Business Information Systems and Channel 11 Ltd. by Argyll and the Islands Enterprise;[4175]

(3) what measures were undertaken by Argyll and the Islands Enterprise to assess the suitability of Mondial Business Information Systems and Channel 11 Ltd. to receive public money; and if he will make a statement.[4178]

15 Nov 1996 : Column: 381

Mr. Kynoch: Argyll and the Islands Enterprise operates under contract with Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I shall ask the chairman of the latter organisation to write to the hon. Member.

Enterprise Companies

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what standard guidelines are in place for Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the local enterprise companies regarding the assessment of (a) the suitability of companies for public investment and (b) the safeguards which should be taken when investing in ventures considered high risk. [4177]

Mr. Kynoch: Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and its network of local enterprise companies, are required to operate in accordance with a management statement and a manual of project and programme rules which offer guidance on the financial, strategic and operational framework within which the organisations operate. The importance of appraisal, including--where the success of a case or project depends upon the commercial viability of an enterprise--the need to undertake a separate financial appraisal of that enterprise and its prospects, as well as the need for an assessment of the risks and uncertainty associated with particular cases or projects, is emphasised in various parts of these documents.

Scottish Enterprise and its network of local enterprise companies operate under a similar regime.

Sandeels

Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the answer of 7 November, Official Report, column 661, when he expects the research project into industrial sandeel fisheries to report. [4160]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The international research project to study the impact of industrial sandeel fisheries on predator species off the east coast of Scotland is expected to take three years. A report to the European Commission is likely to be made in the latter half of 1999.

BSE

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the desirability of providing financial aid and incentives to encourage rural local authorities to set up specific local exchange trading schemes to help farmers during the BSE crisis; and if he will make a statement. [2311]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson [holding answer 7 November 1996]: We have received no representations to set up local exchange trading schemes. We would expect rural local authorities to take the initiative themselves if they considered there was a need in their areas.

15 Nov 1996 : Column: 382

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Rabies

Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment his Department has made of the potential rabies threat to the United Kingdom arising from changes in the regulations to control rabies in France. [3448]

Mrs. Browning: New regulations in France provide for a programme of oral vaccination of foxes which, in practice, has been operational for the past seven years. The number of French departments deemed infested with rabies has fallen from 36 in 1991 to 22 in 1996. The Government note however that rabies is still present in France and believes that measures to keep the UK rabies-free remain essential.

Mr. Shaw: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will assess the implications for United Kingdom rabies control policy of trends in the import of domestic dogs and cats into Sweden since 1994.[3449]

Mrs. Browning: We will be taking account of the trends in the import of domestic dogs and cats into Sweden since 1994 as part of the review of rabies policy, announced in my reply of 5 November 1996 to the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley), Official Report, column 488.

---