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Museums and Galleries

Sir Patrick Cormack: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list those museums and galleries which form part of universities in the United Kingdom and for which they have financial responsibility, direct or indirect, indicating the location, date of foundation, nature of governing body or bodies, name of the director, number of permanent staff, total annual running cost, number of visitor admissions per year, and any admission charge made, at the most recent convenient date. [8078]

Mr. Forth: The Higher Education Funding Council for England--HEFC--provides financial support for 23 museums, galleries and collections at 13 universities. In addition, it provides financial support for earth sciences collections at four of these institutions. The table lists the higher education museums, galleries and collections that receive support.

"The Museums Yearbook", published by the Museums Association gives details of location, date of foundation, nature of governing body, name of director, permanent staff, number of visitor admissions each year and

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admission charge made for museums and galleries across the UK. It is available in the Library. Details of the annual running costs are held by individual museums and galleries.

Higher education museums, galleries and collections receiving HEFCE non-formula funding 1996-97

Museum, gallery or collection	Higher education institution
Holburne Museum and Crafts Study Centre	University of Bath
Barber Institute of Fine Art	University of Birmingham
Earth Sciences Collection	University of Birmingham
Fitzwilliam Museum	University of Cambridge
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology	University of Cambridge
Whipple Museum of the History of Science	University of Cambridge
Earth Sciences Collection	University of Cambridge
Oriental Museum	University of Durham
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts	University of East Anglia
University of Leeds Art Collections and Gallery	University of Leeds
Courtauld Institute Galleries	University of London
SOAS--Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art	University of London
Witt and Conway Photographic Collection	University of London
College Art Collection	University College London
Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology	University College London
Manchester Museum	University of Manchester
Whitworth Art Gallery	University of Manchester
Earth Sciences Collection	University of Manchester
Silver Studio Collection	University of Middlesex
Museum of Antiquities	University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Hancock Museum	University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology	University of Oxford
Pitt Rivers Museum	University of Oxford
Museum of the History of Science	University of Oxford
Oxford University Museum (Scientific Collections)	University of Oxford
Earth Sciences Collection	University of Oxford
Museum of English Rural Life	University of Reading

Free School Meals

Mr. Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will update her answer of 11 December 1995, Official Report, columns 536-38, indicating the number of children in receipt of free school meals, by region, in each of the last five years. [8184]

Mrs. Gillan: Information on the take-up of free school meals in maintained schools in England in the years 1992 to 1996 is shown in the table.

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Pupils taking free school meals in maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools by region in England 1991 to 1996Position in January each year

	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
North	88,703	95,102	99,500	101,456	100,589
North West	191,052	207,690	217,154	218,516	226,072
East Anglia	27,657	33,369	35,868	36,607	37,019
Yorkshire and Humberside	120,243	130,571	136,066	137,382	140,239
West Midlands	133,311	148,944	155,509	154,062	154,677
East Anglia	68,415	78,212	83,624	85,763	86,604
Greater London	169,787	196,965	219,229	230,650	241,705
Other South East	134,528	167,783	184,492	185,469	186,062
South West	68,272	82,690	85,684	84,932	87,459
England	1,001,968	1,141,326	1,217,126	1,234,837	1,260,426

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Overnight Accommodation

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he will list the locations of the space set aside for overnight accommodation; what facilities are provided; what was the number of times the facilities have been used in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [8299]

Mr. Michael J. Martin: This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend.

DEFENCE

Cyprus

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the units of British forces in Cyprus, indicating their combat capability. [7658]

Mr. Soames: The units of British Forces Cyprus are as listed. All are assessed as achieving a satisfactory level of combat capability.

Headquarters British Forces Cyprus
Headquarters Episkopi Garrison
Headquarters Dhekelia Garrison
62 Support Squadron Royal Engineers
9 Signal Regiment
259 Signal Squadron Royal Signals
1st Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
1st Battalion The Kings Regiment
16 Flight Army Air Corps
Cyprus Logistic Unit
The Princess Mary's Hospital
Episkopi Garrison Medical Centre
Medical Reception Centre Dhekelia Garrison
RAF Akrotiri Medical Centre
Joint Services Health Unit
Cyprus Engineering Unit
Dhekelia Garrison Workshop
Command Pay Office
Headquarters Education and Training Services
54 Army Education Centre
55 Army Education Centre
Cyprus Defence Animals Support Unit
Royal Military Police Cyprus
11 Dental Group
Cyprus Joint Security Unit
Cyprus Joint Services Adventure Training Centre
Troodos Station
RAF Akrotiri
12 Signals Unit RAF
33 Signals Unit RAF
84 Squadron RAF
Provost and Security Services Cyprus
Defence Fire Service
Security Force Police.

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Mr. McShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent contacts he has had with representatives of the Greek Cypriot Government in London. [7669]

Mr. Soames: During the course of this year, the Secretary of State for Defence has had discussions in London with President Glavkos Clerides, Foreign Minister Michaelides, and High Commissioner Markides.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what overseas visits he has made in an official capacity since June. [7670]

Mr. Soames: Since 1 June 1996, the Secretary of State for Defence has visited the following countries in his official capacity:

Australia
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Denmark
France
Indonesia
Kuwait
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Malaysia
Norway
Oman
Poland
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Singapore
Slovenia
United Arab Emirates
USA.

RAF Logistics Support Service

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about defence agency status for the Royal Air Force Logistics Support Service.[8296]

Mr. Arbuthnot: The RAF Logistic Support Services will become an agency from 9 December 1996.

The agency will provide a comprehensive logistic service to a range of customers including all three services, the procurement executive and the aerospace industry. This will include policy advice; the introduction to service and in-service support of aircraft and associated equipments; logistics consultancy and information technology services. The agency will employ approximately 1,100 staff, comprising RN and RAF personnel and civil servants.

The first chief executive will be Air Commodore Ian Sloss who will be afforded the powers, responsibility and flexibility to build on the current organisation's expertise and high performance standards. The chief executive will

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be directly accountable to the Secretary of State for Defence and to Parliament for the conduct and performance of the agency.

The agency has been set the following key targets for the first year of operation:

(1) To produce 95 per cent. of task reports, within aerospace maintenance development and support and information date management, by the target dates agreed with the sponsor and to acceptable quality.


(2) To evaluate 95 per cent. of all tasks within 25 days of receipt of the initial tasking documentation.


(3) The logistics computer centre will process 95 per cent. of all business system changes within the timescale agreed with the originator of the request and to acceptable quality.


(4) To develop a task and resource accounting management system--TRAMS--by 31 March 1997 to measure the delivery of logistics support service in peace and for operations as specified by the customer.


(5) To implement TRAMS across the agency by 31 March 1998.


(6) To establish baseline management metrics by 31 March 1998.


(7) To implement a personnel strategy plan from 31 March 1997 and to achieve accreditation to Investors in People by 31 March 1998.


(8) To meet an efficiency target of 3 per cent. for the financial year 1996/97.


(9) To meet a proposed efficiency target of 3 per cent. for the financial year 1997-98.


(10) To undertake, starting in April 1997, the British Quality Foundations' business excellence model self-assessment and to have a numerical assessment upon which to base future high level benchmarking exercises by November 1997.


(11) To achieve BS EN ISO 9001:1994 certification for all departments outstanding by 31 March 1997; and to maintain BS EN ISO 9001: 1994 certification for those departments already certified for the period 1997-98.

Copies of the agency's framework document and corporate plan will be placed in the Library of the House.

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