Written Answers of 19 January 1988

DEFENCE

  Hospitals
  Mr. Warren
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many beds there are in service hospitals in the United Kingdom; what is the current percentage of their occupancy by patients; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Mr. Jessel) on 13 January 1988,Official Report, columns 200–202.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many beds there were in service hospitals in 1979 and in the latest year for which information is available.

  Mr. Freeman
  The information requested for the United Kingdom, which is based on average figures of beds available in 1979 and the current actual figures for beds available on 6 January 1988 is:

  Beds available for use in Military hospitals

  1979

  1988

  RNF Haslar

  365

  228

  RNH Plymouth

  209

  98

  BMH Aldershot

  229

  261

  Princess Louise unit Aldershot1

  64

  —

  BMH Catterick

  170

  130

  BMH Woolwich

  458

  427

  RAF(H) Ely

  142

  170

  RAF(H) Halton

  170

  170

  RAF(H) Wroughton

  280

  238

  Military wing Belfast2

  68

  58

  RAF(H) Nocton Hall3

  142

  —

  1 This unit is now incorporated in the BMH Aldershot facilities.

  2 This unit is attached to Musgrave Park civilian hospital.

  3 This unit is now closed.

  Tyneham
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his intention to restore the village of Tyneham to those remaining of its original inhabitants; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answer 13 January 1988]: There are no plans to review the use of Lulworth training area which encompasses Tyneham village.

PRIME MINISTER

  Windscale Fire
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Prime Minister if, pursuant to her answer of 11 January,Official Report, column 2, she will give the number of papers on the Windscale fire in 1957 withheld under the terms of the Public Records Act.

  The Prime Minister
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) on 14 January at column 353.

  European Court of Justice
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to the European Court of Justice.

  The Prime Minister
  I have at present no plans to do so.

  Bilton
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to make an official visit to Bilton, near Rugby.

  The Prime Minister
  I have at present no plans to do so.

  Efficiency Unit (Progress Reports)
  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will give the title of each progress report that has been made to her by the efficiency unit since its inception; and, in each case, when she received the report and whether it was subsequently published.

  The Prime Minister
  The efficiency unit reports to me from time to time on a variety of matters. The unit's reports "Consultancy, Inspection and Review Services in Government Departments", which I received in July 1984, and "Making Things Happen: a report on the implementation of government efficiency scrutinies", which I received in May 1985, were published. The unit also keeps me in touch with progress on the central scrutiny programme: topics included are listed annually, most recently in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Howarth) on 6 April 1987 at column 23.

  Engagements
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Prime Minister to list her official engagements for Tuesday 19 January.

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister to list her official engagements for Tuesday 19 January.

  Mr. Andrew MacKay
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 19 January.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 19 January.

  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 19 January.

  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 19 January.

  The Prime Minister
  This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later this afternoon. This evening I am speaking at the Britain-Australia Society's bicentennial celebration at the Guildhall.

  Inner Cities
  Mr. Heddle
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will publish in the Official Report details of measures which the Government have introduced since May 1979 to deal with urban dereliction and inner city decay; and what further measures the Government propose to introduce to improve the quality of the environment, the opportunity for employment and the encouragement of the private sector to invest in inner urban areas.
  599
  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I have been asked to reply because of my responsibility, under the Prime Minister, for the coordination of Government action on inner cities and for its presentation.

  Since 1979 the Government have developed a range of policies and initiatives to deal with urban dereliction and inner city decay through encouraging development and raising business confidence. The following measures cover initiatives in England; my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales have also developed a range of programmes and initiatives to encourage urban regeneration.

  Urban Development Corporations
  Urban development corporations have been set up with powers to acquire, reclaim and service land, bring land and buildings into effective use, promote new development and housing and support community facilities. The London Docklands and Merseyside development corporations have been in operation since 1981. Four more were set up in 1987: Trafford Park, Teesside, Tyne and Wear and the Black Country. The London and Merseyside corporations have helped to create or retain nearly 14,000 jobs.
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment announced on 7 December 1987 three new urban development corporations — in Bristol, Leeds and Central Manchester, and the extension of the Black Country development corporation to Wolverhampton;

  Derelict Land Grant
  Derelict land grant encourages the reuse of land which has been so damaged by former industrial or other development that it cannot be used without treatment. In assisted areas and derelict land clearance areas grants for reclamation are paid at 100 per cent to local authorities and at 80 per cent. to private sector owners. Elsewhere the rate is 50 per cent. for all applicants. Priority is given to schemes which will provide land for housing, industry and commerce. Through derelict land grant over 1,000 hectares are reclaimed every year;

  Land Registers
  Land registers of unused and underused land owned by public authorities are held by the Department of the Environment to help prospective developers to obtain the release of particular sites. The Department has powers to direct public owners to sell land which is registered on the open market. The land registers currently contain some 40,000 hectares; over 20,000 hectares have been removed from the registers since they were introduced in 1981;

  Urban Development Grant
  The Government introduced urban development grants in late 1982 to encourage the economic and physical regeneration of inner urban areas by attracting private sector investment in projects which would not otherwise take place in these areas. Nearly £130 million in urban development grants have been approved which will lever at least £526 million of private investment;

  Urban Regeneration Grant
  Urban regeneration grant, introduced under the Housing and Planning Act 1986, promotes the economic and physical regeneration of older urban areas affected by urban change, by enabling the private sector to redevelop large sites and refurbish large groups of buildings. Grant is paid direct to private sector owners and developers;

  Estate Action
  Estate Action was launched in June 1985 to work with local authorities to develop innovatory solutions to problems arising on their rundown housing estates. They included new ways of running estates such as tenant management cooperatives or trusts, measures to diversify tenure, involving private sector finance and estate-based management initiatives to give tenants greater involvement and control. Over 100 new schemes were launched in 1987/88;

  Task Forces
  600
  In 1986 the Government launched inner city task forces in inner city areas to encourage local enterprise and initiatives and motivate communities. Sixteen task forces, which are currently the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry, are now operating. More than 200 companies are already working with the task forces whose business development funds, aimed at new and small businesses, have so far assisted over 160 businesses;

  Enterprise Zones
  As an experiment to encourage development by deregulation, 17 enterprise zones have been set up in England since 1981. These help to unlock land for industry and commerce by removing tax burdens and relaxing administrative and planning controls. The zones have led to the development of 700 hectares of land. A total of £90 million has been spent to improve their infrastructure and release their potential;

  Local Enterprise Agencies
  In co-operation with Business in the Community, the Government support a network of local enterprise agencies, with special emphasis on developing those inner city areas.
  Since 1979 the Government have recast the interdepartmental urban programme, which supports some 12,000 inner city projects annually, to give priority to area-based regeneration involving the private sector. They have also strengthened the Government's contribution to local regeneration by the formation, in 1985, of city action teams to bring together the relevant programmes of the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Employment and Manpower Services Commission and the Department of the Environment. Other Departments' programmes, for example, Home Office crime prevention and ethnic community initiatives and inner city school-employer and adult training initiatives supported by the Department of Education and Science, have contributed significantly to inner city regeneration.
  The Government intend to build on these substantial achievements by taking further steps to involve the private sector in inner city regeneration and widen the choice and opportunities open to inner city residents. The measures proposed in the White Paper "DTI—the department for Enterprise" (Cmnd. 278), laid before the House on 12 January, include significant proposals to encourage enterprise and industry in inner city areas. For example, the new consultancy initiatives will offer higher levels of grant in urban areas to encourage the growth and development of small firms.

ENVIRONMENT

  Ettingshall Park Farm Estate
  Mr. Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the residents of Ettingshall Park Farm estate in Wolverhampton will receive information about the results of the investigation of old limestone workings in the area; and what advice he will give the residents about the long-term stability of their homes and the effect on property values of these investigations.

  Mr. David Trippier
  The Department recently approved 100 per cent. derelict land grant to enable Wolverhampton metropolitan borough council to undertake further site investigations of the abandoned limestone mines which underlie parts of Ettingshall Park Farm estate. The results will be available this summer. It will be for the borough council to assess them and keep local residents informed. What happens next will depend on the outcome of the site investigations. However, the Department secured an agreement last year that insurance cover and mortgage lending will be available on normal terms for properties in
  601
  limestone areas. This should help to protect the confidence of householders concerned. Further details are set out in the DOE news release of 6 April 1987.

  Local Authorities (Disposal of Land)
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Burnley on 12 January, if he will list in the Official Report those authorities directed to dispose of land under section 98 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 in the last 12 months.

  Mr. Chope
  The authorities are:

  Barking and Dagenham LB

  Barrow-in-Furness BC

  Blackburn BC

  Burnley BC

  Cheshire CC

  Doncaster MBC1

  Kingston upon Hull City Council2

  Kingston upon Thames LB

  Kirklees MBC1

  Leicestershire CC

  Macclesfield BC

  Mansfield DC

  North Hertfordshire DC

  Rotherham MBC

  Sheffield City Council

  Southwark LB

  Sutton LB1

  York City Council1

  Notes:

  1 Two directions.

  2 Four directions.

  Rating Reform
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what sources, other than the electoral register, will be available to those responsible for compiling the register of those liable to pay the community charge.

  Mr. Howard
  Each community charge registration officer will be able to require other registration officers, his own and other local authorities, and electoral registration officers to supply information from their records. In addition, CCROs will be able to obtain information from a responsible person at each address and from persons subject to the community charge.

  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if(a) service personnel or (b) students who use a parental address as a home base and electoral address are to be liable for the community charge.

  Mr. Howard
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: United Kingdom service personnel will generally be liable to pay the personal community charge at their sole or main residence. A minority of service men—those who reside in properties designated in the interests of national security or because the turnover is too rapid to make registration for the personal charge practical — will pay a contribution, similar to that paid by residents of properties designated for the collective community charge, which will be passed on by the Government to the relevant local authority.

  Full-time students will be liable to pay 20 per cent. of the personal community charge at their term-time address.

  Water (Privatisation)
  Mr. Gow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has for the future of the water companies after the water authorities have been privatised.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The Government intend to bring the statutory water companies under the same system of regulation as the privatised water utilities and to remove current controls over dividends and related restrictions. It is also proposed to give the companies the option of becoming public limited companies. Last year the Department sent the Water Companies' Association two consultation papers on these matters:

  (i) Statutory water companies: removal of financial controls

  (ii) Statutory water companies: conversion to public limited companies.

  Copies of these papers have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Nature Reserves
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is his policy to direct the Nature Conservancy Council to sell off its holdings in the three national nature reserves at Whitford, Gower Coast and Oxwich.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have asked the Nature Conservancy Council to consider whether there is greater scope for national nature reserves to be held in private ownership under conservation safeguards. The council's advice is expected later this year. The council does not own the reserves at Whiteford or Gower Coast, and owns only part of the reserve at Oxwich.

  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a list of each national nature reserve in (a) Wales, (b) England and (c) Scotland, indicating for each reserve its total area and the proportion (i) owned by private landowners, (ii) owned by the Nature Conservancy Council and (iii) owned by other public bodies.

  Mr. Moynihan
  Some of this information is available in the NCC's published annual report, though not in this precise form. It will take a little time to produce the full information requested, but I will do this as soon as possible.

  Merseyside Residuary Body
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present situation respecting the Merseyside residuary body; how long it is expected to remain in existence; how much it has cost in each year of its existence; what its budget is expected to be in 1988–89; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  The Merseyside residuary body and other residuary bodies are required to use their best endeavours to secure that their work is completed as soon as practicable and in any event within five years of the date of abolition of the Merseyside county council.

  The cost of the Merseyside residuary body since its inception in 1985 is shown in its annual statements of accounts for 1985–86 and 1986–87, published on 18 November 1986 and 25 November 1987 respectively.

  603
  Copies of these documents are available in the Library of the House. Costs in respect of 1987–88 will not be known until the 1987–88 accounts have been audited and certified. Budget estimates for 1988–89 are matters for the residuary body.

  Croxteth Hall Country Park, Liverpool
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress towards the setting up of the trust to administer Croxteth hall country park, Liverpool.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I am still considering this matter.

  Docklands (London)
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of unemployed in the three docklands boroughs in July 1981 and at the latest available date; and what is the change as a percentage.

  Mr. Cope
  I have been asked to reply.

  On 10 December 1987 the number of unemployed claimants in the London boroughs of Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Newham were 18,737, 14,243 and 14,405 respectively. Unemployment figures for London boroughs are derived from the ward-based system and are available only from June 1983.

  Fuller Peiser
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all consultancies carried out by the London-based agents Fuller Peiser since 1983 on behalf of his Department.

  Mr. Chope
  [pursuant to his reply, 14 January 1988, c. 358]: Fuller Peiser was commissioned in September 1985 to schedule and value the assets to be licensed by the Ministry of Defence to the commercial contractors of the royal dockyards at Devonport and Rosyth; that commission was let by the Property Services Agency on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. The commercial contractors began their operations in the dockyards on 1 April 1987 and Fuller Peiser completed its commission in December 1987.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on the housing benefit system; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Secretary of State is required formally to consult only the local authority associations and we have received representations from all six of the associations on the housing benefit reforms. In addition, many comments and suggestions have been received during the process of reform from other organisations and individuals. All of these were considered carefully in the context of finalising the details of the new scheme.

EMPLOYMENT

  Manufacturing Industry
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present average number of hours overtime a week worked per operative in British manufacturing industry, ignoring short-time working.

  Mr. Cope
  The average number of hours of overtime per operative in manufacturing industries in Great Britain in November 1987 was 3·7, seasonally adjusted.

  YTS
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how often, on average, a YTS scheme may expect to be inspected by the Training Standards Advisory Services.

  Mr. Cope
  There are currently 3,150 organisations approved by the Manpower Services Commission to organise and deliver YTS training programmes. The Training Standards Advisory Service expects to visit every approved training organisation at least once within a five-year period. The comprehensive inspections which the service carries out are additional to the regular monitoring of YTS delivery carried out by MSC area and regional office staff.

  Work Accidents
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many reported accidents at work there have been in each year since 1979 in(a) Waltham Forest, (b) London and (c) nationally.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The available information for accidents to employees is as follows:

  Reported accidents to employees at work, resulting in:

  Death

  Major injury1

  Over three day absence2

  (a) in Waltham Forest3

  1981

  ֵ

  15

  747

  1982

  0

  15

  777

  1983

  ֵ

  11

  ֵ

  1984

  1

  10

  ֵ

  1985

  0

  15

  ֵ

  19866

  0

  5

  ֵ

  1986–875

  0

  47

  345

  (b) in London4

  1981

  ֵ

  7

  1,021

  33,609

  1982

  ֵ

  1,210

  32,234

  1983

  ֵ

  1,168

  ֵ

  1984

  ֵ

  1,104

  ֵ

  1985

  ֵ

  1,175

  ֵ

  19866

  ֵ

  264

  ֵ

  1986–875

  19

  1,774

  13,303

  (c) in Great Britain reported to all Enforcing Authorities

  1979

  492

  ֵ

  509,000

  1980

  440

  ֵ

  407,000

  1981

  449

  12,312

  422,028

  1982

  469

  12,286

  377,038

  1983

  463

  12,453

  ֵ

  1984

  437

  12,494

  ֵ

  1985

  399

  13,176

  ֵ

  19866

  91

  3,871

  ֵ

  1986–875

  357

  19,927

  155,751

  605

  ֵ not available.

  1 Major injuries were first defined under the Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurences Regulations (NADOR), 1980. Data are therefore not available before 1981. The definition was widened from April 1986 with the introduction of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurences Regulations (RIDDOR), 1985. Figures for 1986–87 are therefore not comparable with those for earlier years.

  2 For 1979–80, over three day absences leading to claims for industrial injury benefit from DHSS, years starting on 1st Monday in June; for 1981–82 these claims as notified to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for calendar years. This source was effectively abolished in 1983. From April 1986 the information is reported to enforcing authorities under RIDDOR. It is not comparable with that for the earlier years and may be subject to under-reporting. Data for 1986–87 exclude over three day injuries reported to Her Majesty's Mines and Quarries Inspectorate, other than those reported to them by British Coal. They also exclude such injuries reported to the Petroleum Engineering Division.

  3 Those injuries reported to the London borough of Waltham Forest (data not available for 1981 and 1983). Non fatal injuries also include those reported to Her Majesty's Factory and Agricultural Inspectorates, and known to have occurred in Waltham Forest.

  4 Those injuries known to have occurred in any of the London boroughs and reported to them or to Her Majesty's Factory and Agricultural Inspectorates. Local Authority figures are based on voluntary returns from the 33 London boroughs. Not all the London boroughs return figures in each year.

  3 and4 Fatal and major injuries reported to Local Authorities will include a relatively small number of injuries to the self employed. These could not be distinguished from injuries suffered by employees, without disproportionate cost.

  5Provisional data for the year 1 April to 31 March.

  6 January to March.

  7Total 192.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been unemployed for more than one year in the Peterlee and Seaham areas.

  Mr. Lee
  On 8 October 1987, the numbers of unemployed claimants in the local authority wards1 which most closely correspond to the Peterlee and Seaham areas, who were unemployed for one year or more were 1,426 and 873 respectively.

  1 Note—The wards which cover Peterlee are Shadforth, Acre Rigg, Blackhalls, Dene House, Easington Colliery, Easington Village, Eden Hill, Haswell, Hordern North, Hordern South, Howletch, Passfield, Shotton, South Hetton. The wards which cover Seaham are Dawdon, Deneside, High Colliery, Murton East, Murton West, Park, Seaham, South.

  Jobcentres
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy regarding the provision of jobcentre facilities via other agencies in communities not served by jobcentres; and will he list such agents.

  Mr. Lee
  My Department's policy is to provide jobcentre facilities for everybody who needs them. In some parts of the country, especially rural areas, a community may be served by a jobcentre which is some distance away. Very often in these circumstances, arrangements have been made to provide a service to the community through initiatives such as local displays of vacancies and information, the use of freefone, mobile jobcentres, and the payment of interview fares for all unemployed people who travel more than three miles to attend an interview at their jobcentre.

  The employment service is also seeking to provide
  606
  jobclub services in such areas through agents normally chosen by competitive tender. Such agents include chambers of commerce, local education authorities and private training providers.

  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the jobcentres which have closed in Wales in each year since 1979, and those which have moved from their own premises to be administered by other agencies.

  Mr. Lee
  The following jobcentres have closed in Wales since 1979:

  1980

  Abergele1

  Burry Port1

  Rhos1

  1982

  Pembroke Dock site office1

  1983

  Bethesda

  Llandovery

  Swansea (Castle street merged with Swansea, Grove House jobcentre)

  Cardiff (St. Mary street merged with Cardiff, The Friary jobcentre)

  1985

  Bridgend industrial estate (merged with Bridgend jobcentre)

  1Employment office offering service similar to those provided by jobcentres.

  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those agencies used by the Manpower Services Commission in Wales which offer on behalf of the Manpower Services Commission those services usually available at jobcentres; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lee
  The Manpower Services Commission ceased to have responsibility for jobcentres from 26 October 1987. From that date the employment service of the Department of Employment took control of the operations of the jobcentres as well as the unemployment benefit offices.

  There are no agencies used by the employment service or the Manpower Services Commission in Wales which offer the full range of services usually available at jobcentres. There are currently 37 jobclubs in Wales which are operated by agents on a contract basis. Arrangements are being made for a list of these to be forwarded to the hon. Member separately. Jobclubs are also situated in jobcentres and operated by jobcentre staff. The employment service offers a wide range of services, of which jobclub is only one.

ENERGY

  Alternative Sources of Energy
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what funding is currently provided towards research into renewable energy; and whether he has plans to increase such levels of funding in the future.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  Nearly 250 research, development and demonstration projects on renewable energy valued at
  607
  over £60 million are currently in progress. In the financial year 1987–88 the estimated outturn of spend in this area is about £19 million. This includes external contributions from the private and public sectors and the European Commission. In 1988–89 my Department plans to increase its expenditure on renewables R and D by 15 per cent.

  Nuclear Fuel
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what criteria he uses in deciding the appropriateness of taking safeguards issues into account in relation to considerations of security and commercial sensitivity over the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and the handling of plutonium.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply from my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad) to the then hon. Member for Walthamstow, Mr. Deakins, on 23 July 1985 at column 474.

  CEGB (Privatisation)
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he next intends to meet the chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board to discuss privatisation.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  My right hon. Friend and I meet Lord Marshall, the chairman of the CEGB, regularly to discuss our proposals for the privatisation of the electricity supply industry.

  Coal Industry Dispute
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will reconsider his decision not to undertake discussions with the chairman of British Coal regarding the reinstatement of the more than 200 miners sacked during the 1984–85 coal strike; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  No. The dismissal and re-employment of mineworkers is a matter for the management of the British Coal Corporation.

  Fast Breeder Reactor Programme
  Mr. John M. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what forward plans exist for a fast breeder reactor programme in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The commercial ordering of fast breeder reactors is a matter for the Central Electricity Generating Board. I will ask the chairman to write to my hon. Friend.

  British Coal Enterprise
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what loans British Coal Enterprise has given to operators of licensed mines and private opencast site operation in the county of Durham over the last two years; and if he will indicate to whom the assistance was made and the location of the mines and opencast sites.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  This is a matter for British Coal Enterprise Ltd., and I am asking the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

  Nuclear Power Station (Hinkley Point)
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many objections to the proposed nuclear power station at Hinkley Point have been received from(a) Northern Ireland and (b) outside the United Kingdom; when he expects the public inquiry into the station at Hinkley Point to be held; and whether objectors from outside the United Kingdom will be allowed to participate at any public formal hearings into the Hinkley Point proposal.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The objections to Hinkley Point C received by my Department pursuant to section 34 of the Electricity Act 1957 include three from outside the United Kingdom, all from the Republic of Ireland. None has been received from Northern Ireland.

  Details of the public inquiry into the proposal will be announced in due course. Overseas individual objectors have no entitlement to appear at the inquiry, but the inspector may decide that they should be allowed to do so.

  British Nuclear Technology
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he was consulted on the formation of the consortium British Nuclear Technology; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  British Nuclear Fuels plc consulted my Department before the consortium was formed.

WALES

  Sexual Harassment
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his Department's policy on sexual harassment at work; whether guidance on reporting complaints has been issued to all staff; how many complaints have been reported in the past five years; and what disciplinary action has been taken.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  My Department's policy is that sexual harassment at work is not tolerated and is dealt with as a disciplinary matter through the usual Civil Service complaints procedures. Guidance on reporting complaints has been issued to my staff. No complaints have been reported in the past five years.

  Employment Statistics
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are at present employed in the coal industry in Wales; and what are the corresponding figures for 1978, 1968 and 1958.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  Available data are National Coal Board/British Coal estimates of the average numbers on colliery books in Wales.

  (thousands)

  1958

  108

  1968

  52

  1978–1979

  29

  1986–1987

  13

  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are at present employed as farm labourers in each county in Wales; and what are the corresponding figures for 1978, 1968 and 1958.
  609
  Mr. Peter Walker
  Figures for family and hired workers in each county in Wales are shown in the following table. Fully consistent data are not available for each of the years requested.

  Clwyd

  Dyfed

  Gwent

  Gwynedd

  Mid Glamorgan

  South Glamorgan

  West Glamorgan

  All Glamorgan

  Powys

  Wales

  1958

  Regular Workers

  5,835

  10,495

  2,765

  5,303

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  3,074

  5,876

  33,348

  Seasonal and Casual Workers

  764

  2,266

  612

  787

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  659

  887

  5,975

  Total

  6,599

  12,761

  3,377

  6,190

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  3,733

  6,663

  39,323

  1968

  Regular Workers

  3,167

  6,068

  1,544

  2,522

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  1,658

  3,461

  18,420

  Seasonal and Casual Workers

  540

  1,971

  441

  475

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  626

  651

  4,704

  Total

  3,707

  8,039

  1,985

  2,997

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  2,284

  4,112

  23,124

  1978

  Regular Family Workers

  960

  2,277

  494

  896

  219

  115

  160

  494

  1,264

  6,385

  Regular Hired Workers

  1,637

  2,134

  588

  957

  178

  288

  161

  627

  1,101

  7,044

  Total

  Regular Workers

  2,597

  4,411

  1,082

  1,853

  397

  403

  321

  1,121

  2,365

  13,429

  Seasonal and Casual Workers

  1,257

  3,829

  614

  1,018

  434

  285

  352

  1,071

  1,276

  9,065

  Total

  3,854

  8,240

  1,696

  2,871

  831

  688

  673

  2,192

  3,641

  22,494

  1986 (Latest Available)

  Regular Family Workers

  763

  1,966

  460

  791

  171

  108

  163

  442

  1,095

  5,517

  Regular Hired Workers

  1,061

  1,760

  512

  773

  152

  287

  124

  563

  1,030

  5,699

  Total

  Regular Workers

  1,824

  3,726

  972

  1,564

  323

  395

  287

  1,005

  2,125

  11,216

  Seasonal and Casual Workers

  1,100

  3,301

  649

  1,093

  409

  212

  391

  1,012

  1,514

  8,669

  Total

  2,924

  7,027

  1,621

  2,657

  732

  607

  678

  2,017

  3,639

  19,885

  Notes:

  1. Figures are for June each year and relate to main holdings only. However, from time to time, particularly between 1958 and 1968, the definition of a main holding has changed slightly.

  2. Regular workers includes those working full-time and part-time.

  3. Figures are not available prior to 1970 showing family and hired workers separately.

  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are employed in the iron and steel industries in Wales; and what are the corresponding figures for 1978, 1968 and 1958.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  Figures for 1978 and 1987 are given in the following table. Comparable figures for earlier dates are not available.

  Date

  British Steel Corporation Manpower

  Private Sector Manpower

  September 1978

  51,840

  16,567

  September 1987

  18,550

  2,379

  1 At the end of December. All other figures relate to September.

  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are employed in transport in Wales at present; and what are the corresponding figures for 1978, 1968 and 1958.
  610
  Mr. Peter Walker
  The data available are shown in the following table. "Transport" has been defined for 1978 as minimum list headings 701–707 and 709 in the 1968 standard industrial classification (SIC), and for 1984 as classes 71–77 in the 1980 SIC (full details of SICs can be obtained from CSO publications). An indication of the effect of these differences of definition is given by figures from the 1981 census of employment.

  1968 SIC

  1980 SIC (thousands)

  June 1978

  42·1

  (September 1981

  37·6

  36·8)

  September 1984

  —

  31·2

  Welsh Language
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects the new working party on the Welsh language to meet for the first time; and when he expects they will be in a position to report.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  The first meeting of the working party will be held on 25 January, and we will report as soon as is practicable.

  Acute Services
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now answer the question asked by the right hon. Member for Swansea, West Official Report, column 4, 7 December 1987 as to what action has been taken about the requirement that Welsh health authorities save 0·5 per cent. a year on spending on acute services in hospitals; and when.

  Mr. Grist
  Health authorities in Wales are required to increase significantly the efficiency of all their activities, and not only those in the acute sector. Since 1983 there has been a specific requirement that the proceeds of the first 0.5 per cent. of cash releasing efficiency savings, as a proportion of recurrent revenue budgets, should be reinvested to develop services for elderly people, those with mental handicaps and those suffering from mental illness. £6 million is to be redeployed in 1987–88 as a result of this initiative.

  From 1988–89 no minimum level of redeployment of efficiency savings will be stipulated by the Department. However, health authorities will be expected to continue to maintain a high standard of services for these patient groups and the Department will continue to monitor as part of the annual review process the extent to which health authorities have been able to continue a measure of redeployment of efficiency savings.

  Welsh Health Promotion Authority
  Mr. Raffan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what allocation of resources is to be made to the Welsh Health Promotion Authority for the financial year 1988–89.

  Mr. Grist
  Subject to parliamentary approval, we propose to allocate £1·792 million in 1988–89 to the Welsh Health Promotion Authority in support of its existing functions and of its strategy development in the context of annual review. This will represent a further and substantial additional commitment of resources to the WHPA over the £1·198 million allocated in 1987–88.

  Written Questions
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the 21 written questions on the Order Paper for Thursday 14 January for answer by him on that date were answered on that date; if he will distinguish between(a) questions for written priority answer and (b) questions for ordinary written answer; and if he will further indicate how many questions received (i) holding answers and (ii) substantive answers.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  Of the 21 written questions tabled for answer on Thursday 14 January, 13 questions were for 612
  priority written answer and eight were for ordinary written answer. Twelve of the priority written questions received substantive replies and one a holding reply.

  A full answer in relation to the holding reply was sent on Monday 18 January.

  Welsh Development Agency
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what, at 1988 prices, has been the level of Government subvention to the Welsh Development Agency in each year since its establishment.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: The mainstream subvention to the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) at 1987–88 prices is as follows:

  £ million

  1976–77

  24·0

  1977–78

  52·5

  1978–79

  46·7

  1979–80

  36·3

  1980–81

  63·4

  1981–82

  57·6

  1982–83

  52·9

  1983–84

  46·0

  1984–85

  46·7

  1985–86

  35·7

  1986–87

  36·7

  1987–88 budget

  46·4

  1988–89 plan

  62·0

  Special provision of about £120 million was also made available to the WDA to tackle the needs of Wales arising from the steel closure. The annual additional expenditure was as follows:

  £ million

  Cash

  1987–88 prices

  1978–79

  15·5

  31·4

  1979–80

  27·5

  47·7

  1980–81

  22·3

  32·6

  1981–82

  33·2

  44·9

  1982–83

  13·8

  17·2

  1983–84

  5·6

  6·7

  Direct subvention is only part of what the Government make it possible for the WDA to spend. The agency's budget is enhanced by capital and current receipts, mainly from the factory rents and sales. It is the combination of direct subvention and the use of receipts that provides the important figure of how much the Government approve for the WDA to spend each year.

  The gross mainstream expenditure is as follows:

  £ million

  Cash

  1987–88

  1976–77

  22·8

  58·3

  1977–78

  33·3

  74·8

  1978–79

  36·7

  74·5

  1979–80

  35·1

  60·9

  1980–81

  65·7

  96·2

  1981–82

  54·4

  72·5

  1982–83

  62·4

  77·6

  1983–84

  61·9

  73·6

  1984–85

  74·7

  85·1

  1985–86

  66·7

  71·6

  1986–87

  72·9

  76·0

  1987–88

  86·5

  86·5

  1988–89

  113·0

  108·1

  613

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Environmentally Sensitive Areas
  Mr. John Garrett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has plans to monitor the condition of environmentally sensitive areas; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  We are in the process of establishing a monitoring programme for environmentally sensitive areas. This will collect and analyse data on landscape, wildlife, historic features, farming practices and socio-economic developments. Our objective will be to assess the scheme's effects of these inter-related items. I hope to publish a first report, as required by section 18(8) of the Agriculture Act 1986, during the course of 1988.

  Beef (Intervention Stocks)
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the present extent of overhang of beef intervention stocks; how this compares with the situation at this time in 1986 and 1987; and what are the prospects for 1988.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  A note setting out the volume of intervention stocks in the EC and the United Kingdom on the latest available dates, which includes figures for beef, is deposited in the Library of the House and is updated monthly. Prospects for 1988 will depend on the development of the market, Commission proposals for stock disposal and sales opportunities.

  Farm Incomes
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food what was the percentage change in farm incomes in the United Kingdom for the

  Percentage changes in net value added at factor cost in EC Member States

  1979 to 1980

  1980 to 1981

  1981 to 1982

  1982 to 1983

  1983 to 1984

  1984 to 1985

  1985 to 19861

  Belgium

  +6

  +12

  +10

  +15

  0

  0

  -3

  Denmark

  +11

  +20

  +29

  -10

  +37

  -5

  -2

  Federal Republic of Germany

  -10

  +8

  +22

  -18

  +17

  -11

  -11

  Greece

  +30

  +24

  +28

  +6

  +32

  +18

  - 19

  France

  -4

  +7

  +32

  0

  +8

  -1

  +2

  Ireland

  -9

  +16

  +23

  +13

  +17

  -9

  -5

  Italy

  +14

  +8

  +13

  +21

  +2

  +2

  +6

  Luxembourg

  -6

  +13

  +47

  -10

  +3

  +1

  +2

  Netherlands

  +1

  +27

  +11

  +1

  +6

  -4

  +1

  Spain

  +9

  -5

  +20

  +14

  +19

  +4

  +1

  United Kingdom

  +8

  +16

  +18

  -5

  +21

  -14

  +6

  EC 112

  +4

  +7

  +18

  +2

  +10

  -2

  +3

  Source: Eurostat.

  1 Provisional estimates.

  2 Data for Portugal not yet available.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the percentage change in farm incomes in England and in each of the standard English regions for the most recent 12-month period for which information is available; and what were the corresponding figures for each year since 1979.
  614
  most recent 12-month period for which information is available; and what were the corresponding figures for each year since 1979.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  The information requested is set out in the table:

  Percentage changes in United Kingdom farm income 1978–79 to 1985–86

  Percentage

  1978 to 1979

  -9

  1979 to 1980

  -9

  1980 to 1981

  +30

  1981 to 1982

  +28

  1982 to 1983

  -19

  1983 to 1984

  +46

  1984 to 1985

  -48

  1985 to 1986

  +31

  A White Paper will be published shortly giving data for 1987.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the percentage change in farm incomes in the European Community and each of the member states for the most recent 12-month period for which information is available; and what were the corresponding figures for each year since 1979.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  Comparable estimates of net farm income as defined in the annual review of agriculture White Paper are not available from all EC member states. The table gives net value added at factor cost in agriculture (net product): which includes incomes accruing to all agricultural workers, whether principals or hired, landlords or commercial debt holders.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  The percentage changes in the estimated farm income in England for the period 1978–79 to 1985–86 are as follows:

  Percentage

  1979

  -1

  1980

  -4

  1981

  +22

  615

  Percentage

  1982

  +25

  1983

  -17

  1984

  +41

  1985

  -43

  1986

  +28

  The percentage changes to the estimates of farm income attributed to each of the eight English regions for the years 1983–85, the only data readily available, are set out in the table:

  Percentage changes in farm income of English regions 1982–83 to 1984–85

  1982 to 1983

  1983 to 1984

  1984 to 1985

  Northern

  -10

  +41

  +47

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  -21

  +78

  +45

  East Midlands

  -11

  +100

  -49

  East Anglia

  -25

  +100

  -46

  South East

  -32

  +40

  -34

  South West

  -14

  -55

  -13

  West Midlands

  -12

  +27

  -66

  North West

  +2

  -22

  0

  Milk
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many dairy farmers in England do not produce milk up to their allocated quota; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  Levy liability is calculated on the basis of the net excess over quota in the England and Wales Milk Marketing Board area as a whole, and separate figures for England are not available. In the 1986–87 quota year 16,611 dairy farmers in England and Wales produced less than their allocated quota.

  At the end of each quota year, unused quota is utilised mainly to offset the supplementary levy liability of over-quota producers, and thereby provides an important element of flexibility within the system.

  Horse Markets and Sales
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Farm Animal Welfare Council to improve conditions at horse markets and sales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: The Government response to the report on the welfare of livestock at markets, announced in October, accepted that legislation should be introduced to cover horse markets and other sales. Proposals for a new order and code of practice will be issued for consultation later this year.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Aberdeen University
  Mr. Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received concerning the funding of Aberdeen university; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  We have received many representations about the funding of Aberdeen university. The university is in discussion with the University Grants Committee 616
  about the careful planning needed for the transition to the funding levels indicated by the committee's more objective resource allocation model introduced in 1986–87.

  Education Councils (Representation)
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he will take to ensure that women are properly represented on the proposed National Curriculum Council and the National Exams and Assessment Council.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Our first priority must be to appoint as members people with the relevant knowledge and experience so that the councils undertake effective, informed and independent roles. In doing so, we shall apply Government policy, which is that women are to be considered equally with men when appointments are made to public bodies; and we therefore expect several of their members to be women.

  Education Reform
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received concerning the changes in funding for higher education contained in the Education Reform Bill.

  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received concerning the Education Reform Bill as it affects higher education.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  We have received a number of comments on various aspects of the higher education provisions.

  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has to ensure that any programme of national assessment in state schools is free from sex bias; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The report of the task group on assessment and testing, published last week, includes recommendations on ways of dealing with gender bias in the proposed assessment arrangements within the national curriculum. We have welcomed the broad framework of the report and will be considering its detailed recommendations, together with any comments received on them.

  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received concerning the opting-out proposals in the Education Reform Bill.

  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received on the opting-out proposal in the Education Reform Bill; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Bob Dunn
  I refer hon. Members to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Kent (Mr. Rowe) earlier today.

  Mr. Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received seeking further detail on the proposed foundation subjects in secondary schools in the Education Reform Bill.
  617
  Mrs. Rumbold
  The overwhelming majority of the responses we have received were in favour of the fundamental principles of breadth and balance in the school curriculum. These principles were first set out by the Government in the White Paper "Better Schools"; the Education Reform Bill will guarantee them through the requirement for all pupils to study the national curriculum foundation subjects.

  Mr. Clelland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received with regard to the proposed national core curriculum and the promotion of equal opportunities for girls and boys in schools and colleges.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Several responses to the consultation document on the national curriculum have referred to the promotion of equal opportunities for girls and boys. Many have welcomed our proposals as a means of ensuring that all pupils, regardless of sex, experience the same broad, balanced and relevant curriculum.

  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to ensure that schools will be provided with sufficient resources in order to pursue the national curriculum to which he is committed.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  It will be for local authorities and schools to ensure that their spending is directed towards implementing the national curriculum within planned overall levels of resources. The Government will also assist the development of aspects of the national curriculum through the education support grants and in-service training grants programme.

  Mr. Andrew MacKay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has received further representations about the Education Reform Bill; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend welcomes the fact that he continues to receive many representations from organisations and the general public on the proposals in the Bill. To date, the Department has received more than 20,000 responses, all of which, except those from members of the public, are lodged in the Libraries of the House.

  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further representations he has received on the national curriculum since the Education Reform Bill was published.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, South (Mr. Yeo) earlier today.

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received on the religious education provision of the Education Reform Bill; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend has received some 50 letters commenting on the position of religious education in the Education Reform Bill. The Government believe strongly that religious education must continue to be taught in our schools in accordance with the relevant provisions of the 1944 Education Act. The Education Reform Bill reinforces these provisions and generally strengthens the position of religious and moral education in the school curriculum.
  618
  Sir John Biggs-Davison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidelines have been issued for the establishment of temporary governing bodies for schools to be formed as the result of reorganisation.

  Mr. Dunn
  Annex 1 of circular 7/87, issued by the Department in August last year, gives guidance on the provisions of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986 relating to the establishment of temporary governing bodies for new and newly-maintained schools, including new schools formed as a result of statutory reorganisations.

  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how the development of the technical and vocational education initiative curriculum will be reconciled with the core curriculum.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  TVEI will operate within the framework of the national curriculum, and the continuing updating of the TVEI curriculum criteria will take account of that framework. Within both TVEI and the national curriculum there will be much scope for innovative curricular planning and development, nationally and locally, in what is taught and how.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are his proposals in respect of schools with units for those with partial hearing which choose to opt out of the state system under the proposals in the Education Reform Bill as to how far they will be required to maintain the level of special provision.

  Mr. Dunn
  The Education Reform Bill provides that a school which becomes grant maintained may not undergo a significant change of character as part of the process of changing its status. My right hon. Friend would regard any proposal to cease existing provision for the partially hearing as a significant change of character. The admissions policies of grant-maintained schools will require the Secretary of State's approval and there will be arrangements for dealing with complaints if parents feel that these policies are not being complied with. The school's grant will equate to funding it would have received had it remained within local authority control. Additional costs incurred in respect of children with special needs will therefore be taken into account in exactly the same way as for a similar LEA-maintained school.

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Paddy Ashdown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received concerning the composition of governing bodies for grant-maintained schools.

  Mr. Dunn
  A number of respondents to our consultation paper on grant-maintained schools commented upon the proposed composition of the schools' governing bodies. We have not received any more recent representations.

  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will issue guidelines to schools on the requirements of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 for admission and selection procedures for grant-maintained schools.

  Mr. Dunn
  The relevant provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 will be extended to cover the
  619
  governing bodies of grant-maintained schools. Schools applying to become grant-maintained will be advised of this and of the requirement to agree their admissions arrangements with the Secretary of State.

  Overseas Students
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many overseas students attended British universities on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what was the comparable figure 10 years previously.

  Mr. Jackson
  In autumn 1986 there were 42,000 overseas students at universities in Great Britain. In 1976 the comparable figure was 35,600.

  Teachers (In Loco Parentis)
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy towards the responsibilities and role of teachers in loco parentis; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend's policy is to support governing bodies, head teachers and teachers in exercising their responsibility for maintaining discipline in schools.

  Universities (Women Entrants)
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will meet the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals to discuss recruitment and promotion prospects for women within British universities.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will consider meeting the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals to discuss the problems of women academic staff who are employed on short-term and temporary contracts.

  Mr. Jackson
  No. Universities are autonomous institutions. Matters relating to the employment of women academic staff are, within the law, entirely for them.

  Disabled Students
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met representatives of disablement organisations to discuss his Department's policy towards disabled school children and students.

  Mr. Dunn
  On 1 December 1987 my right hon. Friend, and my hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and the Disabled, met the Prince of Wales and members of His Royal Highness's advisory group on disability to discuss the further and continuing education of people with special needs.

  City Technology Colleges
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local education authorities have now shown interest in the establishment of city technology colleges.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Discussions have been held with a number of local education authorities about the establishment of city technology colleges.
  620
  Dr. Michael Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received on city technical colleges; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The Department frequently receives letters or arranges discussions about various aspects of the city technology colleges programme. The majority of approaches are constructive.

  Teachers (Pay)
  Miss Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the submissions to the interim advisory body on teachers pay and conditions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the submissions to the interim advisory body on teachers pay and conditions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eastham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the submissions to the interim advisory body on teachers pay and conditions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  A number of submissions from different bodies have been made to the interim advisory committee on teachers' pay and conditions. It is for the committee to consider whether to make them more widely available. I understand that the committee has decided that the principal consultees should have the opportunity to consider each other's submissions.

  Mr. Madel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he expects to receive any interim report from the Chilver committee inquiry into teachers' pay, with particular reference to hours worked by teachers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The interim advisory committee on school teachers' pay and conditions has been asked to submit its advice by 31 March 1988. I have no indication that the committee intends to submit an interim report in advance of that date.

  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase the money available for the current year's teachers' pay award; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend has asked the interim advisory committee to make recommendations about teachers' pay in 1988 which do not cost more than an additional £300 million in the 1988–89 financial year and he has no plans to change that remit.

  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now take steps to restore teachers' negotiating rights on pay and conditions of service; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The Government published a Green Paper, "Teachers' Pay and Conditions: A Consultative Document" (Cm. 238) last autumn which proposed the establishment of a teachers' negotiating group which would provide for future negotiations for teachers' pay and conditions. Comments on the proposals in the Green Paper were requested by the end of this month.

  Kingshurst, Solihull
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many applications for admission have been received by the new city technology college in Kingshurst, Solihull; how many places are available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  More than 700 inquiries were received about the 180 places available in September 1988 at the city technology college, Kingshurst. By the closing date of 21 November 1987, 315 firm applications had been made and offers of places have now been made.

  Nursery Education
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the numbers of children receiving nursery school education, expressed as a percentage of the nursery school child population, in(a) Gwent, (b) Wales and (c) Great Britain.

  Mr. Dunn
  The numbers of full-time and part-time pupils under five in January 1986, the latest year for which comparable figures are available, attending nursery schools in Gwent, Wales and Great Britain expressed as a percentage of the estimated 3 and 4-year-old population are as follows:

  Percentage

  Gwent

  10·0

  Wales

  5·6

  Great Britain

  6·6

  Some children aged under five are educated in nursery classes in primary schools. They are not included in the above figures.

  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of children under five years with working mothers received nursery education provision between 1980–81 and 1986–87; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dunn
  This information is not available.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when his Department intends to update its January 1986 statistics on the provision of education for the under-fives.

  Mr. Dunn
  It is hoped to publish the statistical bulletin on "Pupils Under Five Years in Each Local Education Authority in England—January 1987" in April.

  Teachers (Women)
  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the proportion of(a) secondary teachers and (b) secondary head teachers who are women; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  In March 1986, the latest date for which figures are available, 46·5 per cent. of full-time teachers and 16·8 per cent. of full-time head teachers in maintained secondary schools in England and Wales were women.

  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidelines his Department issues to education authorities to encourage back into teaching those women who have taken a career break; and if he will make a statement.
  622
  Mrs. Rumbold
  None. I am giving further consideration to the use of career breaks to improve the opportunities for women to return to teaching in consultation with the Equal Opportunities Commission, Engineering Council and the local authority associations. The teaching unions will also be consulted.

  Mr. Patchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will give the proportion of(a) primary teachers and (b) primary head teachers who are women.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  In March 1986, the latest date for which figures are available, 78·7 per cent. of full-time teachers and 46·2 per cent. of full-time head teachers in maintained nursery and primary schools in England and Wales were women.

  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of teachers qualified to teach mathematics, physics and craft design and technology is women; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Information from the 1984 sample survey of staffing in maintained secondary schools in England indicated that of the full-time teachers having a post-A-level qualification in mathematics, physics and CDT, the following were women:

  Percentage Women

  Mathematics

  34

  Physics

  21

  CDT (design based)

  8

  CDT (craft based)

  3

  Corresponding information for primary schools is not currently available. Data from the primary school staffing survey which was carried out by the Department in March 1987 are expected to be available shortly.

  Education Standards
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further plans he has to raise standards in education.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  All the Government's policies are designed to raise standards in education. In particular, the Education Reform Bill contains provisions to raise standards in schools, further and higher education.

  Undergraduates (Female)
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of part-time undergraduates are female: and whether he has any proposals to seek to increase that proportion.

  Mr. Jackson
  In 1986–87, the latest year for which figures are available, about 45 per cent. of part-time students taking first degree courses were women. The Government encourage all women and men to make the most of the extensive higher education opportunities open to them.

  Full-time Education
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of girls stay in full-time education after the age of 16 years, by local education authority; and if he will make a statement.
  623
  Mr. Dunn
  The percentage of 16-year-old girls in full-time education at maintained schools and further education establishments in the academic year 1986–87 in each English local education authority was as follows:

  Academic year 1986–87

  16-year-old girls in full-lime education (percentage of age group)1

  Local education authority

  percent.

  Barking

  29

  Barnet

  71

  Bexley

  49

  Brent

  67

  Bromley

  62

  Croydon

  53

  Ealing

  62

  Enfield

  56

  Haringey

  55

  Harrow

  81

  Havering

  45

  Hillingdon

  48

  Hounslow

  60

  Kingston upon Thames

  67

  Merton

  55

  Newham

  48

  Redbridge

  53

  Richmond upon Thames

  66

  Sutton

  63

  Waltham Forest

  47

  Inner London

  55

  Birmingham

  46

  Coventry

  43

  Dudley

  40

  Sandwell

  35

  Solihull

  52

  Walsall

  40

  Wolverhampton

  38

  Knowsley

  37

  Liverpool

  44

  St. Helens

  43

  Sefton

  56

  Wirral

  50

  Bolton

  42

  Bury

  54

  Manchester

  46

  Oldham

  33

  Rochdale

  37

  Salford

  41

  Stockport

  48

  Tameside

  45

  Trafford

  46

  Wigan

  47

  Barnsley

  39

  Doncaster

  34

  Rotherham

  44

  Sheffield

  40

  Bradford

  38

  Calderdale

  45

  Kirklees

  48

  Leeds

  43

  Wakefield

  40

  Gateshead

  34

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  38

  North Tyneside

  50

  South Tyneside

  36

  Sunderland

  37

  Avon

  48

  Bedfordshire

  55

  Berkshire

  57

  Buckinghamshire

  58

  Cambridge

  51

  Cheshire

  53

  Cleveland

  45

  Cornwall2

  56

  Cumbria

  47

  Derbyshire

  47

  Devon

  52

  624

  Local education authority

  per cent.

  Dorset

  50

  Durham

  42

  East Sussex

  58

  Essex

  46

  Gloucestershire

  49

  Hampshire

  57

  Hereford and Worcester

  55

  Hertfordshire

  58

  Humberside

  38

  Isle of Wight

  60

  Kent

  54

  Lancashire

  46

  Leicestershire

  49

  Lincolnshire

  49

  Norfolk

  48

  North Yorkshire

  57

  Northampton

  48

  Northumberland

  46

  Nottinghamshire

  41

  Oxfordshire

  56

  Salop

  54

  Somerset

  49

  Staffordshire

  45

  Suffolk

  43

  Surrey

  69

  Warwickshire

  58

  West Sussex

  56

  Wiltshire

  56

  1 The number of 16-year-old girls expressed as a percentage of the total number of 15-year-old girls in maintained secondary schools one year earlier.

  2 Including Isles of Scilly.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to meet the Association of Metropolitan Authorities to discuss the staying-on rate in education at the age of 16 years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to meet the Association of Metropolitan Authorities to discuss the staying-on rate in education at the age of 16 years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to meet the Association of Metropolitan Authorities to discuss the staying-on rate in education at the age of 16 years. But he is always willing to receive representations from the association, whether on that or other issues.

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to meet the Association of County Councils to discuss the staying-on rates in education at the age of 16 years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to meet the Association of County Councils to discuss the staying-on rate in education at the age of 16 years. But he is always willing to receive representations from the association, whether on that or other issues.

  Children (Special Education Needs)
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase the level of expenditure on the teaching of children with special educational needs; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dunn
  My right hon. Friend announced last November that the Government would be providing for
  625
  local education authorities to spend nearly £13·9 billion on education in 1988–89. Within this figure some £570 million is being provided for special education. We also announced recently an increase in the amount of Government grant available to local education authorities in 1988–89 to support in-service training for teachers and others in the education service. With that support, LEAs propose to spend £9·8 million next year on training to meet the needs of pupils with disabilities of sight and of hearing and severe learning difficulties, and training for "designated" teachers to meet special educational needs in ordinary schools. The comparable figure for 1987–88 is estimated at £7·1 million.

  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase the level of funding for the integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream school classes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dunn
  My right hon. Friend does not determine the level of funding for children with special educational needs who are integrated into mainstream classes. That is a matter for individual local education authorities. Where the child has a statement, the authority is under a duty to provide for all the identified educational needs of that child. In general, resource allocation is a matter for local priorities.

  Schools (Ministerial Visits)
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many school visits he has made over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dunn
  During 1987 my right hon. Friend visited some 44 schools, including four independent schools, in 24 local education authorities. He also saw schools in the United States of America and France. My right hon. Friend is grateful to all those who welcomed him to their schools and thus enabled him to broaden his knowledge of their work and circumstances.

  Scottish Universities
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to meet the University Grants Committee to discuss the future of the Scottish universities; and if he will make a statement.

  Dr. Moonie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to meet the University Grants Committee to discuss the future of the Scottish universities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  There is no need for such a meeting. The Government fully support the University Grants Committee's more objective approach for allocating recurrent grant. The impact of standard criteria on individual universities has varied depending on their previous funding level and their research record.

  Dyslexia
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what resources his Department devotes to monitoring the incidence of dyslexia.

  Mr. Dunn
  The Department does not monitor the incidence of particular learning difficulties. It is for local 626
  education authorities to assess the needs of children in their areas who are experiencing learning difficulties and to ensure that provision is available for their educational needs.

  Higher Education
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on information available to him on the financial position of students in higher education in(a) Britain and (b) other European Economic Community countries.

  Mr. Jackson
  Students in higher education in Great Britain are more dependent on maintenance grants than those in other European Community countries. But a precise comparison of financial circumstances is very difficult because of the variety of forms that student support may take. The student support review group, under my chairmanship, is examining the available evidence.

  University Grants Committee
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he next expects to meet the chairman of the University Grants Committee; and what subjects he anticipates will be discussed.

  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he next expects to meet the chairman of the University Grants Committee; and what subjects he anticipates will he discussed.

  Mr. Andrew Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he next expects to meet the chairman of the University Grants Committee; and what subjects he anticipates will be discussed.

  Mr. Jackson
  My right hon. Friend meets the chairman of the University Grants Committee frequently in the course of normal business.

  School Inspectors
  Mr. Jim Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many of Her Majesty's inspectors for schools and colleges are women; and what proportion of the total this represents.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  As of 1 January 1988 there were 113 women HMIs in post, representing 24 per cent. of the total.

  Education Fees
  Mr. Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is yet in a position to make a statement on his plans to introduce the charging of fees for areas of educational provision; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Flannery
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is yet in a position to make a statement on his plans to introduce the charging of fees for areas of educational provision; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  We are considering the points made in response to the consultation document "Charging for
  627
  School Activities" by some 450 organisations and individuals, and will bring forward proposals as soon as possible.

  Academic Staff
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take steps to increase the proportion of academic staff in each of the following categories(a) women, (b) blacks, and (c) those from a working class background; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  The Government are not involved in the recruitment of staff. That is a matter for the employers. Between 1982 and 1986 the number of women academic staff employed full-time in universities, polytechnics and other colleges of higher and further education increased by about 20 per cent., or some 5,000 teachers. The overall proportion of full-time academic staff who were women increased during this period from 19·2 per cent. to 22·3 per cent. Statistics on the ethnic origins and social background of academic staff are not collected centrally.

  Teachers (Recruitment)
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he plans to introduce any initiatives to assist teacher recruitment in the Greater London area.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Yes. We are planning, in conjunction with the teaching as a career unit (TASC), to mount a special careers fair to attract more people into teaching in London and the south-east, particularly in shortage areas. We are in close touch with the local authority associations and with individual LEAs involved over teacher recruitment problems in Greater London. We and TASC already have an energetic national publicity campaign, involving advertising, conferences and exhibitions to promote the attractions of teaching and to improve recruitment to initial teacher training. Its impact can be measured by the fact that recruitment to initial teacher training courses is up this academic year by 13 per cent.

  Private Schools
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his latest estimate of the proportion of secondary children in private schools.

  Mr. Dunn
  The number of pupils in England aged 11 to 15 attending independent schools as a proportion of the pupils in this age group in school in January 1987 was 7·7 per cent.

  Adult Education Bursary Scheme
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will amend the adult education bursary scheme on mature students' additional payments to enable mature students who have been unemployed for a considerable period of time to be eligible for this payment.

  Mr. Jackson
  Bursaries for students resident in England and attending long-term residential colleges are made in accordance with the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations. Bursary-holders are therefore eligible for the 628
  older students allowance only if they satisfy the relevant requirements of those regulations. The regulations are reviewed annually, but I cannot yet say whether there will be any change in the conditions of eligibility for the older students allowance for the next academic year.

  Schoolgirls (O-levels)
  Mr. Sedgemore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the percentage of girls who received five or more O-levels, by local education authority, at the latest date available.

  Mr. Dunn
  The proportion of girls leaving local authority maintained schools with five or more higher grades at O-level or CSE are shown in the table.

  Girl leavers from maintained schools percentage achieving five or more higher grades1 at GCE O level or CSE data averaged over the academic years 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1985–86

  Percentage

  Barking

  9·4

  Barnet

  42·0

  Bexley

  26·3

  Brent

  19·1

  Bromley

  31·1

  Croydon

  25·0

  Ealing

  19·8

  Enfield

  25·7

  Haringey

  18·9

  Harrow

  39·7

  Havering

  24·6

  Hillingdon

  27·7

  Hounslow

  20·2

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  38·6

  Merton

  25·0

  Newham

  12·2

  Redbridge

  26·1

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  27·2

  Sutton

  35·2

  Waltham Forest

  14·4

  ILEA

  17·6

  Birmingham

  19·3

  Coventry

  21·6

  Dudley

  23·7

  Sandwell

  14·9

  Solihull

  29·4

  Walsall

  19·0

  Wolverhampton

  17·6

  Knowsley

  11·0

  Liverpool

  19·3

  St. Helens

  23·1

  Sefton

  25·2

  Wirral

  25·0

  Bolton

  28·6

  Bury

  27·6

  Manchester

  18·6

  Oldham

  19·9

  Rochdale

  20·2

  Salford

  17·6

  Stockport

  25·5

  Tameside

  25·4

  Trafford

  34·5

  Wigan

  26·8

  Barnsley

  17·0

  Doncaster

  19·0

  Rotherham

  19·4

  Sheffield

  19·8

  Bradford

  16·8

  Calderdale

  22·2

  Kirklees

  26·2

  Leeds

  23·0

  Wakefield

  16·2

  Gateshead

  17·3

  629

  Percentage

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  17·2

  North Tyneside

  23·1

  South Tyneside

  21·1

  Sunderland

  21·5

  Avon

  25·4

  Bedfordshire

  27·5

  Berkshire

  27·8

  Buckinghamshire

  32·9

  Cambridgeshire

  27·1

  Cheshire

  28·1

  Cleveland

  26·5

  Cornwall

  26·7

  Cumbria

  25·0

  Derbyshire

  23·2

  Devon

  24·4

  Dorset

  29·7

  Durham

  20·2

  East Sussex

  28·0

  Essex

  26·5

  Gloucestershire

  29·3

  Hampshire

  27·0

  Hereford and Worcester

  28·8

  Hertfordshire

  31·8

  Humberside

  20·8

  Isle of Wight

  19·3

  Kent

  28·3

  Lancashire

  25·8

  Leicestershire

  23·3

  Lincolnshire

  25·1

  Norfolk

  24·1

  North Yorkshire

  34·2

  Northamptonshire

  20·6

  Northumberland

  31·3

  Nottinghamshire

  19·8

  Oxfordshire

  28·2

  Shropshire

  29·6

  Somerset

  24·1

  Staffordshire

  24·6

  Suffolk

  22·4

  Surrey

  35·3

  Warwickshire

  27·7

  West Sussex

  32·9

  Wiltshire

  24·3

  Total England

  24·7

  1 Higher grades defined as O-level grades A to C and CSE grade 1.

  Source: School leavers Survey—data subject to sampling error.

  Teachers (Training)
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the initial training of teachers.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I recognise the importance of initial teacher training for the quality of teaching in schools. We are therefore concerned to develop a high quality, robust and cost-effective training system.

  In 1984, the then Secretaries of State published detailed criteria against which initial teacher training courses would be assessed for approval, and established the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education to review initial teacher training courses and advise on whether they met the criteria. In carrying out its task, the council is able to take into account reports of Her Majesty's inspectorate which are being made on all the initial teacher training institutions concerned.

  I have recently asked the members of the council to continue to serve until the end of 1989. I shall be considering what arrangements should thereafter be made for the approval of initial teacher training courses.
  630
  My right hon. Friend and I periodically review the total numbers of students to be admitted to initial teacher training courses, and the distribution of these numbers between the university sector and the polytechnics and colleges sector, between primary and secondary courses and, within secondary courses, between different subjects taking into account inter alia the pattern of the existing teaching force and the forecast requirements of the maintained system. The most recent review covered intakes for the period 1987–89.

  Target entry numbers for initial teacher training institutions in England and Wales have already been established for 1988 and 1989. For later years, my right hon. Friend and I propose that intakes for 1990 should be determined for that year alone in order to allow for the conduct of a major planning exercise to cover intakes for the three years 1991 to 1993. This arrangement will allow fuller account to be taken of the teacher requirements of the national curriculum in the light of consultation on the attainment targets and programmes of study for the core and foundation subjects which may be recommended by subject working groups as and when they are established. It will also ensure that the new Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council and Universities Funding Council., as well as the Wales Advisory Body, will be able to play their appropriate parts.

  My right hon. Friend and I plan to bring forward early next year proposals for intakes to initial teacher training for the year 1990 which will then be subject to discussion with those concerned, including teacher training institutions, the funding councils and the Wales Advisory Body as appropriate. We would expect to bring forward proposals for the three-year period 1991 to 1993 as a basis for consultation early in 1990.

  Design and Technology (Girls' Schools)
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he will take to improve facilities for the study of design and technology in single sex girls' schools.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced last November a very large increase in allocations to local education authorities for capital expenditure in maintained colleges and schools—some 24 per cent. over the current year. It will be for local education authorities to decide how they will use these resources having regard to the particular needs of their area, which might include the provision of improved facilities for design and technology in single-sex schools.

  School Transport
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will change the regulations concerning school transport; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dunn
  My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to amend the existing legislation on school transport.

  Special Schools
  Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how special schools, currently financed by the Inner London education
  631
  authority, will be controlled if the Inner London education authority's responsibilities have been transferred to other authorities.

  Mr. Dunn
  Under clause 114 of the Education Reform Bill, inner London boroughs applying to become LEAs will be required to demonstrate that they can secure adequate educational provision for all pupils and students in their area, including those with special educational needs. With their applications, boroughs will have to provide a list of the property they consider necessary to carry out this responsibility. This would normally include all the ILEA schools, including special schools, within the area of the borough, plus ILEA establishments elsewhere which provide a major service to residents of the borough. When an order is made transferring educational functions to a borough, the council of that borough will become the local education authority for the purposes of the Education Acts.

  Departmental Staff
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of civil servants at grade 5 level and above in his Department is female.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The proportion of women at grade 5 level and above, including Her Majesty's inspectorate, is approximately 13 per cent.

  Schools (Opting Out)
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many representations he has received from local education authorities concerning his proposals for schools to opt out of local education authority control.

  Mr. Dunn
  My right hon. Friend has received formal responses from 70 local education authorities to his consultation paper on grant-maintained schools.

  Maintained Schools
  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many surplus places there are in maintained schools in the primary and secondary sectors, in each local education authority.

  Mr. Dunn
  The Department does not routinely collect information about the number of surplus places in individual local education authorities.

  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library the relevant standard number for entry into each maintained school in 1979, and the admissions limit of each maintained school for 1986–87.

  Mr. Dunn
  The Department does not have a central record of standard numbers or planned admissions limits for individual schools. LEAs and governors have a duty annually to publish planned admissions limits in respect of each school in their literature for parents, and some of this information is available to the Department. I would not consider it sufficiently complete to justify placing in the Library.

  Children (Secondary Schools)
  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children did not obtain their first choice of secondary schools in each of the last three years, in each local education authority.

  Mr. Dunn
  Information is not available in the form requested. From informal inquiries made of local education authorities in 1983, I understand that about 10,000 parental appeals were heard against a decision not to offer a place at the school of their choice. Similar inquiries conducted in 1985 suggested a figure of 9,000 appeals. These figures did not however differentiate between appeals in respect of primary and secondary school admissions. Nor did they reveal how many parents did not get their first choice for their child, but decided not to appeal.

  Maintained Catholic Schools
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the full-year cost to his Department of increasing the grant to maintained Catholic schools to 100 per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dunn
  My right hon. friend pays maintenance contribution to the governors of voluntary aided and special agreement schools in England in respect of their expenditure on both repairs to the school buildings and capital projects. It is not possible to show separately the contribution made to the governors of Roman Catholic aided schools. Contributions are not made by my right hon. Friend in respect of voluntary controlled schools; these are wholly maintained by local education authorities.

  Maintenance contribution at the rate of 85 per cent. is paid on governors' eligible expenditure. An increase in the rate to 100 per cent. for the forthcoming financial year would require provision to be increased from £74·1 million to £87·2 million, a rise of £13·1 million.

  Secondary Schools, Cumbria
  Mr. Jopling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all secondary schools in Cumbria, stating how many pupils are currently in each school and how many empty places exist in each school.

  Mr. Dunn
  The local education authority informs me that there are 44 maintained secondary schools in Cumbria. The numbers on roll as at 1 January 1987, the number of empty places and the capacities based on the DES work station method were:

  School name

  Number on roll as at 1 January 1987

  Capacity

  Empty places as at 1 January 1987

  1 Alston, Samuel King's

  114

  177

  63

  2 Appleby Grammar

  564

  540

  -24

  3 Aspatria, Beacon Hill

  314

  451

  137

  4 Barrow, Alfred Barrow

  663

  972

  309

  5 Barrow, Sixth Form College

  485

  491

  6

  6 Barrow, Parkview

  1,277

  1,637

  360

  7 Barrow, St. Bernard's

  745

  737

  -8

  8 Barrow, Thorncliffe

  941

  1,267

  326

  9 Barrow, Walney

  828

  1,004

  176

  633

  School name

  Number on roll as at 1 January 1987

  Capacity

  Empty places as at 1 January 1987

  10 Brampton, William Howard

  920

  1,269

  349

  11 Cleator Moor, Ehenside

  536

  578

  42

  12 Carlisle, Harraby

  611

  1,120

  509

  13 Carlisle, Morton

  1,286

  1,467

  181

  14 Carlisle, Newman

  609

  657

  48

  15 Carlisle, St. Aidan's

  911

  1,243

  332

  16 Carlisle, Trinity

  1,672

  1,747

  75

  17 Cartmel Priory

  379

  443

  64

  18 Cockermouth

  1,007

  1,303

  296

  19 Coniston, John Ruskin

  230

  258

  28

  20 Dalston, Caldew

  984

  1,101

  117

  21 Dalston, Dowdales

  730

  821

  91

  22 Carlisle, Eden

  295

  232

  -63

  23 Egremont, Wyndham

  1,131

  1,618

  487

  24 Kirkbie Kendal

  1,019

  1,051

  32

  25 Kendal, Queen Katherine

  1,167

  1,288

  121

  26 Keswick

  797

  842

  45

  27 Kirkby Lonsdale Queen Elizabeth

  617

  721

  104

  28 Kirkby Stephen Grammar

  408

  469

  61

  29 Longtown, Lochinvar

  289

  399

  110

  30 Maryport, Netherhall

  1,061

  1,332

  271

  31 Millom

  800

  1,090

  290

  32 Milnthorpe, Dallam

  598

  1,496

  898

  33 Penrith, Queen Elizabeth Grammar

  594

  629

  35

  34 Penrith, Ullswater

  1,290

  1,364

  74

  35 Sedbergh, Settlebeck High

  203

  218

  15

  36 Silloth, Solway

  243

  335

  92

  37 Ulverston Victoria High

  1,536

  1,613

  77

  38 Whitehaven

  1,778

  2,023

  245

  39 Whitehaven, St. Benedicts

  832

  917

  85

  40 Windermere, The Lakes

  880

  922

  42

  41 Wigton, Nelson Thomlinson

  951

  1,080

  129

  42 Workington, St. Joseph's RC

  502

  589

  87

  Number of classes of 31 or more pupils in maintained primary schools and expressed as a percentage of all classes in these schools

  1979

  1983

  1987

  January of each year

  Classes

  Percentage

  Classes

  Percentage

  Classes

  Percentage

  Barking

  113

  19·7

  36

  6·7

  21

  3·9

  Barnet

  226

  25·1

  78

  8·9

  70

  8·3

  Bexley

  264

  37·4

  188

  31·4

  118

  19·6

  Brent

  120

  13·2

  58

  7·3

  27

  3·6

  Bromley

  220

  24·6

  151

  19·8

  132

  18·6

  Croydon

  270

  25·4

  171

  18·5

  137

  16·1

  Ealing

  190

  17·5

  83

  8·7

  89

  10·5

  Enfield

  355

  41·7

  165

  21·0

  155

  21·9

  Haringey

  108

  14·2

  6

  0·9

  7

  1·1

  Harrow

  183

  25·6

  97

  14·9

  112

  19·7

  Havering

  250

  29·2

  98

  12·9

  103

  15·3

  Hillingdon

  193

  26·3

  146

  21·7

  93

  14·3

  Hounslow

  157

  23·5

  97

  15·0

  96

  15·6

  Kingston upon Thames

  105

  26·9

  88

  24·7

  82

  25·1

  Merton

  90

  25·2

  57

  18·1

  58

  19·7

  Newham

  95

  11·3

  37

  4·8

  18

  2·6

  Redbridgc

  215

  32·9

  169

  29·0

  224

  41·3

  Richmond upon Thames

  100

  27·2

  42

  11·9

  40

  12·0

  Sutton

  159

  33·5

  132

  33·6

  99

  26·5

  Waltham Forest

  184

  22·7

  103

  15·6

  65

  11·4

  634

  School name

  Number on roll as at 1 January 1987

  Capacity

  Empty places as at 1 January 1987

  43 Workington, Southfield

  1,201

  1,219

  18

  44 Workington, Stainburn

  917

  1,128

  211

  43, 44 (Workington, 6th form)

  105

  —

  -105

  Totals

  35,020

  41,858

  6,838

  Disruptive Pupils
  Mr. Madel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those education authorities in England which provide special schooling for disruptive pupils who have been suspended from their usual school, and those education authorities which provide no alternative to the usual school and instead suspend disruptive pupils.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  As local education authorities have a variety of ways in which to provide for the educational needs of disruptive pupils, I will write to my right hon. Friend explaining the position.

  Primary Schools (Class Sizes)
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the number of classes of 31 pupils and over in the maintained primary sector in each education authority for each year since 1979, showing what percentage such classes are of the total number of classes in each authority.

  Mr. Dunn
  The information requested for each local education authority in England for the years 1979, 1983 and 1987 is given in the table. Information for all of the other years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The analyses relate to classes taught by one teacher on a selected period within the day of the census count in January of each year and may not be representative of the pattern of classes over the academic year as a whole.
  635

  1979

  1983

  1987

  January of each year

  Classes

  Percentage

  Classes

  Percentage

  Classes

  Percentage

  Inner London

  840

  11·1

  199

  3·0

  99

  1·7

  Birmingham

  1,496

  38·6

  1,242

  38·0

  867

  27·1

  Coventry

  308

  24·3

  243

  24·1

  155

  16·5

  Dudley

  497

  46·5

  219

  21·9

  215

  22·4

  Sandwell

  457

  35·9

  242

  21·6

  196

  19·3

  Solihull

  264

  30·4

  148

  21·9

  157

  25·7

  Walsall

  217

  19·1

  73

  7·1

  97

  10·9

  Wolverhampton

  217

  21·0

  57

  5·9

  86

  9·9

  Knowsley

  224

  29·5

  123

  20·0

  59

  9·8

  Liverpool

  335

  15·6

  230

  12·8

  186

  10·8

  St. Helens

  259

  32·6

  156

  22·8

  112

  19·2

  Sefton

  399

  34·6

  175

  17·8

  175

  19·7

  Wirral

  382

  29·8

  268

  23·0

  140

  13·3

  Bolton

  456

  46·1

  280

  33·0

  276

  34·4

  Bury

  212

  31·4

  141

  24·5

  121

  23·1

  Manchester

  283

  15·1

  274

  18·7

  201

  14·5

  Oldham

  340

  40·7

  227

  29·2

  219

  31·2

  Rochdale

  196

  25·7

  127

  18·4

  148

  25·9

  Salford

  279

  28·6

  97

  11·4

  111

  14·7

  Stockport

  498

  50·4

  194

  22·1

  187

  22·3

  Tameside

  322

  37·8

  178

  23·2

  155

  23·4

  Trafford

  193

  24·3

  155

  25·5

  164

  28·7

  Wigan

  385

  29·0

  226

  20·7

  215

  22·8

  Barnsley

  230

  25·2

  66

  8·3

  55

  7·7

  Doncaster

  171

  14·3

  82

  7·7

  85

  9·0

  Rotherham

  324

  31·6

  147

  16·3

  68

  7·8

  Sheffield

  370

  17·0

  131

  7·4

  100

  6·4

  Bradford

  209

  14·4

  121

  9·9

  130

  11·1

  Calderdale

  240

  30·3

  99

  13·4

  129

  20·0

  Kirklees

  509

  36·6

  300

  23·9

  200

  16·5

  Leeds

  787

  37·9

  432

  24·2

  311

  19·4

  Wakefield

  317

  29·2

  170

  19·1

  139

  15·5

  Gateshead

  103

  11·7

  36

  4·5

  23

  3·1

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  62

  6·3

  32

  3·8

  101

  14·2

  North Tyneside

  69

  10·3

  39

  6·5

  13

  1·9

  South Tyneside

  62

  9·1

  24

  4·3

  41

  7·6

  Sunderland

  321

  26·1

  156

  14·4

  114

  10·7

  Isles of Stilly1

  1

  10·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Avon

  1,059

  37·3

  898

  34·2

  976

  39·0

  Bedfordshire

  316

  19·3

  266

  19·9

  248

  19·0

  Berkshire

  671

  29·4

  479

  23·1

  512

  27·0

  Buckinghamshire

  645

  28·0

  598

  27·8

  717

  36·9

  Cambridgeshire

  542

  25·5

  468

  24·5

  448

  24·1

  Cheshire

  1,027

  29·1

  722

  23·1

  875

  30·6

  Cleveland

  550

  24·0

  230

  11·0

  241

  12·4

  Cornwall

  477

  32·2

  381

  28·0

  355

  26·6

  Cumbria

  391

  21·7

  174

  10·6

  180

  11·9

  Derbyshire

  1,020

  30·9

  642

  21·8

  556

  20·3

  Devon

  923

  31·5

  637

  23·7

  526

  20·0

  Dorset

  536

  33·6

  388

  28·1

  412

  31·7

  Durham

  454

  18·4

  361

  17·7

  358

  18·9

  East Sussex

  520

  27·7

  291

  17·0

  420

  26·2

  Essex

  1,753

  35·0

  1,114

  24·4

  968

  22·2

  Gloucestershire

  604

  34·4

  416

  27·0

  397

  27·6

  Hampshire

  1,795

  34·2

  1,367

  29·9

  1,031

  23·6

  Hereford and Worcester

  611

  32·5

  555

  33·7

  409

  24·7

  Hertfordshire

  824

  24·7

  646

  21·6

  529

  18·6

  Humberside

  544

  17·6

  272

  9·9

  309

  12·3

  Isle of Wight

  82

  32·3

  44

  19·5

  54

  24·3

  Kent

  1,668

  34·4

  1,374

  33

  1,234

  30·6

  Lancashire

  1,844

  37·8

  1,260

  29·3

  1,249

  31·2

  Leicestershire

  684

  21·5

  489

  17·1

  412

  15·1

  Lincolnshire

  574

  28·0

  521

  30·2

  511

  31·5

  Norfolk

  545

  20·6

  394

  16·1

  368

  16·7

  North Yorkshire

  554

  23·6

  429

  20·9

  340

  17·3

  Northamptonshire

  561

  29·9

  298

  17·1

  315

  19·2

  636 637

  1979

  1983

  1987

  January of each year

  Classes

  Percentage

  Classes

  Percentage

  Classes

  Percentage

  Northumberland

  257

  31·5

  193

  27·2

  220

  31·1

  Nottinghamshire

  1,291

  37·4

  403

  12·5

  225

  7 8

  Oxfordshire

  394

  26·2

  339

  26·2

  251

  19·4

  Shropshire

  422

  30·3

  203

  15·5

  165

  13·6

  Somerset

  463

  36·2

  395

  34·7

  324

  27·9

  Staffordshire

  1,017

  26·5

  439

  13·1

  523

  18·0

  Suffolk

  404

  22·8

  205

  12 6

  186

  11·9

  Surrey

  777

  22·4

  522

  17·6

  430

  16·2

  Warwickshire

  527

  26·2

  412

  23·6

  335

  22·3

  West Sussex

  660

  34·4

  462

  25·6

  366

  20·6

  Wiltshire

  482

  26·2

  394

  24·4

  266

  17·1

  England

  44,899

  27·4

  28,792

  19·9

  25,837

  19·2

  1 In 1983 and 1987 there were no classes of 31 or more pupils.

  Capital Expenditure Allocation (Leicestershire)
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the proposed capital expenditure allocation for 1988–89 for the Leicestershire local education authority, in the light of discussions on 17 November 1987 between his Department, the hon. Member for Wantage (Mr. Jackson), and representatives of the authority.

  Mr. Dunn
  I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry) on 18 December. Leicestershire's allocation for 1988–89 is 34 per cent. higher than its initial allocation for 1987–88. Allocations in respect of prescribed expenditure are unhypothecated and it is for Leicestershire LEA to decide how to use the resources available to it for capital expenditure.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Mrs. Eugenia Lutskaya
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Russians about the plight of Mrs. Eugenia Lutskaya of Leningrad, who first applied in 1973 to go to Israel, where her daughter and grandchildren live, and of her husband Mikhail, who has been told he can leave Russia but without his wife.

  Mr. Mellor
  We regularly make representations to the Soviet authorities on behalf of divided Soviet families. My right hon. and learned Friend last raised these issues with the Soviet Foreign Minister at Brize Norton on 7 December, when he handed over lists of cases about which representations had been made to the Government, including that of Mrs. Eugenia Lutskaya Kalendarev.

  Nuclear Reprocessing Equipment and Technology
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on the export of nuclear reprocessing equipment and technology;

  (2) whether the Government intend to adhere to the agreements reached in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and published by the International Atomic Energy Authority as Infcirc 254; and if he will make a statement;
  638
  (3)if he will make a statement on Government policy on the export of nuclear material and equipment.

  Mr. Mellor
  We subscribed formally to the Nuclear Suppliers Group guidelines in January 1978.

  Our current policy on exports of nuclear equipment, material or technology remains as set out in the answer given on 31 March 1976 to the then hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Carter), at columns 514–16. This policy is based on the Nuclear Suppliers Group guidelines. It applies equally to nuclear reprocessing equipment and technology.

  Detention Without Trial (Malaysia)
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Malaysia concerning the detention of prisoners without trial.

  Mr. Eggar
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Norwood (Mr. Fraser) on 13 January at column 289.

  Children's Rights
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement outlining the progress which has been made concerning the rewording of the United Nations declaration on the rights of the child; and why such a rewording is necessary;

  (2) if he will make it his policy that any reworded declaration on the rights of the child should retain within its preamble a statement on the need to provide legal protection before as well as after birth;

  (3) if he will make it his policy that any reworded declaration on the rights of the child should reaffirm the principle which the current declaration contains that the best interests of the child shall be the paramount consideration in the enactment of laws;

  (4) if he will make it his policy that any reworded declaration on the rights of the child should reaffirm the principle which the current declaration contains that the child who is physically, mentally or socially handicapped shall be given the special treatment, education and care required by his particular condition;

  (5) on what date the declaration on the rights of the child was ratified by Her Majesty's Government:
  639
  (6) what steps he has taken to ensure that the United Nations declaration on the rights of the child is consistent with Her Majesty's Government's policy on abortion.

  Mr. Eggar
  The declaration of the rights of the child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1959. As a declaration, it is not open for signature or ratification, and there are no moves to reword or amend it. However, the UN Commission on Human Rights is currently engaged in drafting a convention on the rights of the child. This will be binding on those states which ratify it.

  In our approach to the draft convention, which is still undergoing its first reading, we shall have both our national policies and the principles of the declaration firmly in mind. Much work remains to be done before negotiations can be completed.

  East Timor
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to ensure that the United Kingdom vote in the United Nations will be used to support the decision taken by the United Nations sub-commission on the prevention of discrimination to include the situation on East Timor on the Commission's agenda for its February meeting.

  Mr. Eggar
  We do not yet know whether member states of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights will wish to take up the sub-commission's recommendation that East Timor be included on the Commission's agenda in February. Our practice since 1982 has been to abstain on resolutions on East Timor whilst expressing support for the Secretary General's role in encouraging a settlement between the parties.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Lever Brothers
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what contracts Her Majesty's Government have with Lever Brothers for the supply of its products in Northern Ireland; and what is his estimate of the effect on his Department's budget of the price increases recently announced by the company.

  Mr. Stanley
  None of the major public sector organisations in Northern Ireland has direct contracts with Lever Brothers. Where Lever Brothers products are used they are purchased through local suppliers on a competitive tender basis. If, as a result of this recent price increase, Lever Brothers products cease to be competitive, alternatives are readily available and these will be purchased. I do not therefore expect the Lever Brothers decision to have any material effect on my Department's budget.

  Nuclear Explosions (Emergency Plans)
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what emergency plans exist in Northern Ireland in the event of an explosion at a nuclear installation in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  Contingency plans provide for continuous monitoring to identify any potential hazard, to 640
  determine the appropriate remedial measures, and to provide advice and information to the public. These plans were reviewed following the Chernobyl incident. Improvements are being made where necessary, in particular to effect full integration within the national radiation monitoring system now being upgraded throughout the United Kingdam.

  Potato Cyst Nematodes
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what period for consultation will be provided in connection with the proposed new draft plant health order in relation to potato cyst nematodes (eelworms).

  Mr. Viggers
  Proposals for a draft plant health order were sent to interested organisations on 27 November 1987 with a request for comment by 22 December. A meeting between the Department of Agriculture and those organisations which have expressed reservations on the proposals has been arranged for 29 January. The Department will then consider the contents of the order in light of views expressed.

  Mr. Desmond O'Hare
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has received the bill from the Republic of Ireland authorities for the cost of hospital care for Mr. Desmond O'Hare, following his injuries as a result of being shot by the Southern Irish police; whether Her Majesty's Government are responsible for the payment of health and hospital charges for United Kingdom citizens wounded as a result of terrorist activity in the Republic of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the claim by the Republic of Ireland that the United Kingdom will have to pay about £10,000 towards Mr. O'Hare's hospital bill.

  Mr. Needham
  A bill has not been received from the Republic of Ireland in respect of the recent medical treatment provided for Mr. O'Hare. Citizens of the United Kingdom are entitled under EC regulations to obtain free medical treatment in the Republic of Ireland as a result of an accident or emergency while on a temporary visit there.

  The costs incurred by each country in treating the others' nationals are calculated annually on the basis of average costs and average numbers of people moving between the two countries. A cash settlement is made to balance the account. The calculation of the amount to be paid is not based on the cost of treatment in individual cases.

  Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in which daily newspapers (1) in the United Kingdom and (2) outside the United Kingdom the vacancies for(a) a senior house officer in anaesthetics and (b) a senior house officer in accident and emergency at the Royal Victoria hospital, Belfast, were advertised; what was the reason for spending public money on such advertisements outside the United Kingdom; and what assessment was made, before advertisements were placed outside the United Kingdom, as to whether there was a shortage of qualified persons in the United Kingdom for such posts.
  641
  Mr. Needham
  In deciding the extent to which any posts should be advertised, Health and Personal Social Services employing authorities in Northern Ireland act in accordance with the Department of Health and Social Service's guidelines on recruitment advertising. These guidelines, which are similar to those which apply in the National Health Service, permit an employing authority to determine the most cost-effective way of advertising posts. The two cases referred to by the hon. Member fall within the jurisdiction of the Eastern health and social services hoard. I am assured that the board took full account both of responses to previous advertisements and of its knowledge of the likely availability of candidates locally in deciding to advertise these two posts. The posts were advertised in the Belfast Telegraph, the British Medical Journal, and the Irish Times.

  Bypass (Glynn)
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make financial provision for a bypass at Glynn, Larne, in accordance with the Department of the Environment's 1978 10-year plan for such a scheme.

  Mr. Needham
  The Glynn bypass was included in the East Antrim area plan 1975–95, which was adopted by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland in 1979. However, the intervening years have seen a reduction in the funding available for capital roads projects. It is not now anticipated that a bypass to Glynn will be constructed in the foreseeable future.

  Housing Executive (Expenditure)
  Mr. Jim Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the likely effect on employment levels in the Northern Ireland construction industry of the new expenditure limits set for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

  Mr. Needham
  Until the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the other housing agencies have determined the distribution of resources available to them in 1988–89 over their capita] and revenue programmes, it will not be possible to estimate the number of jobs in the construction industry being supported by the housing programme.

  Harland and Wolff
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funds will be made available to Harland and Wolff in 1987–88.

  Mr. Viggers
  The Government have set the company's external financing limit for 1987–88 at £63.2 million, made up of direct cash support amounting to £58.6 million supplemented by external borrowings of up to £4.6 million to cover any work in progress costs incurred on the AOR contract.

  Rating Reform
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the implications for ratepayers in Northern Ireland of the proposal to introduce the poll tax in Humberside.

  Mr. Stanley
  None. There has been no linkage between the levels of rates in Northern Ireland and Humberside since 1976–77.

  Written Questions
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the 12 written questions on the Order Paper for Thursday 14 January for answer by him on that day were answered on that date; if he will distinguish between(a) questions for written priority answer and (b) questions for ordinary written answer; and if he will further indicate how many questions received (i) holding answers and (ii) substantive answers.

  Mr. Tom King
  None receive a substantive answer. Interim replies were sent to the three questions tabled for priority written answer. Substantive answers to two of these were sent on 15 January and the third received a substantive answer on 18 January.

  The nine questions for ordinary written answer are being dealt with within the normal time scale for such questions.

  Elected Representatives
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list in the Official Report the individuals and organisations from which representations were received in relation to the discussion paper "Elected Representatives and the Democratic Process in Northern Ireland", indicating in each case whether they supported or opposed the proposal for a declaration on proscribed organisations.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: Reponses to the discussion paper have been received from the following organisations: the Alliance party of Northern Ireland, Antrim borough council, Ards borough council, the Association of Local Authorities of Northern Ireland, Ballymena borough council, Ballymoney borough council, Banbridge district council, Belfast city council, Carrickfergus borough council, Coleraine borough council, the Committee on the Administration of Justice, Cookstown district council, Down district council, the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, the Labour party, Labour party 87 (Newtownabbey branch), Limavady district council, Magherafelt district council, Newry and Mourne district council, Newtownabbey borough council. North Down borough council, Omagh district council, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Quaker Peace and Service, the Social Democratic and Labour party, the South Antrim Unionist Association (Glengormley branch), the South West Herts Labour party, the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights, the Ulster Unionist party, and the Workers' party. In addition, we have received 21 letters from individuals, whose names it would be inappropriate to list.

  A wide range of views have been offered on the proposed non-violence declaration to be made by district council candidates. Some 22 of the comments from organisations and individuals broadly support such a declaration, while 19 are broadly opposed and 11 offer no clear view. We are still analysing these comments however, and no decision on the proposal has yet been reached.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Criminal Injuries Compensation Board
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take to reduce the backlog of applications at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

  Mr. John Patten
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Darling) on 20 November 1987 at columns 716–7.

  Breath Tests
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report from each chief constable in England and Wales of(a) the number of breath tests administered between 20 December and 2 January, for such other dates over the Christmas period for which figures are available, (b) the number of such tests which proved positive, (c) the number of positive tests as a percentage of total tests administered and (d) the number of road accidents recorded in the same periods, for each of the last five years up to 1987–88; and if he will also provide this information for the Metropolitan police area;

  (2) if he will call for a report from each chief constable in England and Wales of (a) the number of breath tests administered in each of the past five years, (b) the number of such tests which proved positive, (c) the number of positive tests as a percentage of total tests administered, (d) the number of road accidents recorded in these years and (e) the number of fatal road accidents recorded in these years; and if he will also provide this information for the Metropolitan police area;

  (3) if he will call for a report from each chief constable in England and Wales as to the number of fatal road accidents in their police authority area between 20 December and 2 January, or such other dates over the Christmas period for which figures are available, for each of the last five years up to 1987–88.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Information on breath tests required and results, by police force area, is published annually in a Home Office statistical bulletin "Statistics of Breath Tests—England and Wales", copies of which are in the Library.

  Statistics on road accidents in the past 10 years are contained in the Department of Transport's publication "Road Accidents Great Britain 1986 — The Casualty Report", a copy of which is in the Library.

  The official breath test and road accident statistics for 1987 will not be available until the second half of this year.

  The Association of Chief Police Officers has, however, collated provisional figures for the number of positive breath tests in the Christmas period, and the number of road accidents involving death or serious injury, in each police force area. These are given in the table:

  Police force area

  Number of positive breath tests (19 December to 1 January)

  Number of road accidents involving death or injury (same period)

  Avon and Somerset

  100

  117

  Bedfordshire

  51

  52

  Cambridgeshire

  44

  56

  Cheshire

  88

  97

  644

  Police force area

  Number of positive breath tests (19 December to 1 January)

  Number of road accidents involving death or injury (same period)

  City of London

  19

  8

  Cleveland

  60

  43

  Cumbria

  44

  40

  Derbyshire

  63

  81

  Devon and Cornwall

  134

  138

  Dorset

  60

  36

  Durham

  57

  44

  Dyfed-Powys

  33

  40

  Essex

  149

  195

  Gloucester

  82

  80

  GMP

  303

  246

  Gwent

  50

  20

  Hampshire

  152

  163

  Hertfordshire

  72

  102

  Humberside

  95

  97

  Kent

  126

  154

  Lancashire

  155

  141

  Leicestershire

  53

  68

  Lincolnshire

  48

  72

  Merseyside

  110

  141

  Metropolitan

  1,124

  1—

  Norfolk

  38

  68

  Northamptonshire

  26

  53

  Northumbria

  111

  112

  North Wales

  91

  45

  North Yorkshire

  60

  55

  Nottinghamshire

  97

  96

  South Wales

  140

  104

  South Yorkshire

  121

  66

  Staffordshire

  78

  115

  Suffolk

  45

  85

  Surrey

  86

  74

  Sussex

  148

  108

  Thames Valley

  243

  154

  Warwick

  21

  63

  West Mercia

  93

  83

  West Midlands

  268

  214

  West Yorkshire

  212

  183

  Wiltshire

  59

  49

  Total

  5,259

  13,958

  1 Accident figures for Metropolitan police not yet available.

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers were breathalysed in England and Wales in(a) the four weeks to Christmas and (b) the week up to and including new year's day; how many of those tested were over the legal limit; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given earlier today to the questions from the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett).

  Firemen
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when retained firemen were first required to train for a minimum of two hours per week.

  Mr. John Patten
  Responsibility for determining nationally the hours of attendance for training for retained firefighters lies with the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades. I understand from the council that retained firefighters had an obligation to attend for training and maintenance duties for an average of two hours a week from at least the early 1960s, and probably from well before then. But the obligation on retained
  645
  firefighters to attend for an average of two hours per week was, in fact, increased to three hours (though at the discretion of the fire authority) in 1987.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the training hours for retained firemen were last reviewed.

  Mr. John Patten
  In 1987, and by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades. The council notified fire authorities in October 1987 that the obligation of retained firefighters to attend for training and maintenance duties for an average of two hours a week had been increased by an additional hour per week on average at the discretion of the fire authority.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost per hour nationally of training retained firemen.

  Mr. John Patten
  This information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Sexual Harassment
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's policy on sexual harassment at work; whether guidance on reporting complaints has been issued to all staff; how many complaints have been reported in the past five years; and what disciplinary action has been taken.

  Mr. Hurd
  The Civil Service policy on sexual harassment is set out in the programme of action to achieve equal opportunities for women in the Civil Service which was published by the Cabinet Office (Management and Personnel Office) in 1984. Sexual harassment at work is not tolerated and is dealt with as a disciplinary matter through the usual civil service complaints procedures.

  All Home Office staff have been advised that complaints should normally be made to their head of division or, where that is not appropriate, to the head of their personnel management division. Two complaints have been reported to personnel management divisions. One led to a formal reprimand and transfer to other duties, the other was found to be unsubstantiated. No central records are kept of complaints resolved by local management.

  Firearms
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which overseas Governments he has consulted on his proposals to change the law on firearms.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  None.

  Police National Computer
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make an announcement about plans for a replacement police national computer; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The outdated mainframe computers presently providing the PNC service are about to be replaced by two new processors which will run the existing applications on the basis of the existing software. This new equipment will secure the present PNC service 646
  to the police until the work now in hand on the next generation PNC has been completed. This work includes a comprehensive survey of both user requirements and available computer technlogy as well as the implementation of a new packet-switched network.

  Lindholme Prison
  Mr. Michael Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any prisoners, other than those in categories C and D, have been sent to Her Majesty's prison, Lindholme, for training or for other reasons; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  No prisoners in categories other than C and D have been sent to HMP Lindholme.

  Police (Durham)
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Durham as to police manning levels in the sub-divisions of Seaham and Peterlee over the last three years.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  I understand from the chief constable of Durham that the information requested is as follows:

  Seaham

  Peterlee

  On 31 December

  Establishment

  Strength

  Establishment

  Strength

  1985

  59

  57

  117

  115

  1986

  59

  56

  117

  112

  1987

  59

  57

  117

  118

  Malicious Food Contamination
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Metropolitan police commissioner on the procedures which are followed by the Metropolitan police for investigating reports of malicious contamination of food products and for alerting other police forces about such cases.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that as soon as a case of malicious contamination of food products is reported to the police, it is immediately brought to the attention of the Deputy Assistant Commissioner (Operations), specialist operations. He is responsible for deciding what action should be taken, for co-ordinating the investigating and deciding whether other police forces should be alerted.

  Alcohol Misuse
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the ministerial group on alcohol misuse has made, with particular reference to young people and alcohol; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John Patten
  The group has agreed on a wide range of measures to tackle alcohol misuse. Account was taken of the views of the working group on young people and alcohol, chaired by the noble Baroness, Lady Masham of Ilton, which reported to the Standing Conference on
  647
  Crime Prevention last November. The measures planned include legislative changes as well as steps to secure better health education and more effective local action.

  The main legislative proposals are to amend the Liquor Licensing Bill to tighten the offence of selling alcohol to under-age drinkers, to increase penalties for those found guilty of doing so and to make it an offence for wholesalers to sell alcohol to people under 18. There are also plans to require both pre-packaged and dispensed drinks to be labelled with their alcoholic strength and draft regulations will be circulated shortly. The Government welcome efforts already being made to promote non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beers and wines, but will be asking the industry to do more as well as to play its part in helping people understand the relative strengths of different drinks.

  The Government will be asking the IBA and the Advertising and Cinema Advertising Standards Authorities in conjunction with the industry to re-examine their codes of practice on advertising alcohol. We see no need for a voluntary ban on advertising alcohol if these codes are tightened up and more effectively applied. We shall also be asking the BBC and IBA to review the way alcohol is presented to television viewers, both in individual programmes and cumulatively.

  Effective health education is a priority. The health education bodies for England, Scotland, Wales and the Department of Health and Social Security, Northern Ireland will be taking the lead on this. But other Government Departments will also be playing their part; for example, the Department of Education and Science will shortly be launching a pack to help youth workers advise young people on substance misuse, including alcohol, and, with the Health Education Authority, considering a pack for use in schools.

  Another major aim is to encourage effective local action. We look to local services and organisations to work together, identifying particular problems in their area and working out a programme for dealing with them. This is not just a matter for the health services. The social services, education and youth services, police, probation and magistrates all have an interest as do local businesses, the local drinks industry and many voluntary organisations. A great deal is already being done, but there is scope for better co-ordination and targeting of resources.

  Our programme includes both steps which can be taken now and longer term measures. It links in with other Government policies on health education and the health service, on crime prevention and on drinking and driving to which both the Government and the police are devoting considerable resources with encouraging results. It is also consistent with our policies that consumers should be able to have greater freedom to make informed choices about what they are buying.

  Radio Broadcasting
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement on the Government's plans for the future of radio broadcasting.

  Mr. Hurd
  In February 1987 we published a Green Paper entitled "Radio: Choices and Opportunities". It set out, as a basis for public discussion, proposals for the development of new and less-regulated radio services with the aim of broadening the range of choice for listeners.648
  There were more than 500 responses, most from individual members of the public. I am grateful to all those who contributed their comments and ideas.

  The response to the Green Paper confirms our view that the time is now right for major change. We have been well served by radio broadcasters. Standards have been high. But we have less radio than other countries. In many parts of the country listeners have no service other than the BBC. There are many tastes and interests which existing services can at best satisfy only to a limited extent. New frequencies will soon be available for broadcasting. In due course several hundred new stations are in prospect. We need to have a framework in place within which opportunities for new and more diverse services can be taken up, and existing commercial broadcasters can be given much greater freedom to develop their services.

  We shall accordingly bring before Parliament legislative proposals based on the Green Paper. We aim to provide, alongside the existing BBC services, opportunities for national commercial radio and for the expansion and deregulation of local radio. All these services will be free of the existing constricting statutory requirements which have applied to independent local radio. They will instead be subject to light regulation designed to protect the consumer rather than direct the broadcaster. Programme operators, at the national and the local level, will be responsible for their own services, subject to requirements of accuracy, balance and decency. The key test which stations will have to pass to obtain a licence to broadcast is that of widening the range of consumer choice. They will have to live up to their promises to their audiences if they want to keep those licences. Radio stations will also be able to organise their own transmission arrangements, rather than having them provided by the IBA under the constraints imposed by the 1981 Act. In doing so they will be required to meet certain technical standards to ensure that they do not cause interference to other radio services.

  At the national level, a spectrum will be available for at least three services operating alongside the BBC. Each service will be expected to provide a diverse programme service calculated to appeal to a variety of tastes and interests and not limited to a single format. They will provide the BBC with the stimulus of competition on a broad range of its services. We propose that these licences should be assigned by competitive tender, between those applicants whose programme plans would, in the authority's judgment meet the test already described. As envisaged in the Green Paper, a new VHF frequency will be available for one of these services; for the other two, frequencies will need to be reassigned from the BBC.

  So far as local and community services are concerned, deregulation will have two effects. First, existing independent local radio stations will be given, on the basis canvassed in the Green Paper, the freedom to develop new styles of broadcasting which they have sought. Second, new local and community services will be given the opportunity to start broadcasting, to enhance the range of programming and the diversity of consumer choice. The number of services, and their scale, will depend on local demand and wishes. We want the authority to operate flexibly, encourage partnership and frequency sharing where this seems sensible.

  Many people were disappointed last year when we did not proceed with an experiment on community radio in advance of legislation. Our proposals now will provide the

  649
  basis for a lively future for community radio, to strengthen that combination of local identity and cultural diversity which lies at the heart of a flourishing community.

  There will be a continuing need for an authority to issue licences and supervise performance. The Green Paper identified a number of options for its constitution. After careful thought we have concluded that it would be right to establish a new Radio Authority, with radio at the centre of its attention. The IBA has earned our respect and gratitude for its development of local radio services under the duties laid upon it 15 years ago. But it has major challenges ahead of it in the field of television. We have judged that it would not be sensible to ask the IBA at the same time to take on the task of developing a new and greatly expanded radio system, operating under a new and much lighter set of rules.

  The authority will be assigned frequencies suitable for sound broadcasting. On the basis of these frequencies it will invite applications for licences to broadcast at national and local levels. To ensure that that spectrum is used efficiently, and that listeners have as wide a choice as possible, stations will in general be expected to broadcast on single frequencies and use equipment which meets a good technical specification. The Radio Authority will inspect equipment as necessary.

  So far as the BBC is concerned, the Green Paper proposed that the corporation should continue to decide how best to meet its public service broadcasting obligations within the resources at its disposal. I can confirm that it remains our policy. We expect that BBC services, too, will increasingly in future be broadcast on single frequencies.

  Our proposals are, above all, intended to benefit the listener. It may take a little time for the public to become accustomed to new kinds of service and to single frequency broadcasting. But we believe that the expansion of radio which I have outlined can only be to the good of broadcasters and listeners alike.

  Passports
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the immigration and nationality department began to issue applicants with documents confirming that their passports had been submitted to the Department and could not immediately be traced.

  Mr. Renton
  It has been the practice for some years to issue such a letter to an applicant whose passport cannot immediately be traced. The purpose is to help the applicant, where necessary, to obtain an emergency or replacement travel document.

  Public Inquiry Office, Lunar House
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he estimates to be the number of people who attended the public inquiry office at Lunar house in December 1987; and how many of those were seeking the return of passports sent to the immigration and nationality department.

  Mr. Renton
  In December last, 50,569 people attended the public inquiry office at Lunar house, Croydon. Of the 19,978 people who made inquiries about immigration matters, 2,865 sought the return of their passports for 650
  urgent travel. The remaining 30,591 made inquiries about citizenship but corresponding figures for those seeking return of passports are not available.

  Registration and Naturalisation
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many application forms for(a) registration of adults, (b) registration of children and (c) naturalisation were (i) sent out and (ii) returned in each month of 1987 to the latest available date.

  Mr. Renton
  Figures for issue of application forms are in table 1. Monthly figures of bulk issues from store are available only in respect of forms affected by the 31 December 1987 deadline. For other forms, totals for the year 1987 are given where available. Figures for form B (registration of British Dependent Territories Citizens etc.) are not available at present.

  Table 1

  Adult registration1

  Registration of minors

  Naturalisation

  Form R

  Form W1

  Form MN1

  Form AN

  January

  4,500

  1,500

  February

  10,000

  3,000

  March

  7,000

  4,000

  April

  12,000

  4,000

  May

  30,000

  10,000

  June

  13,000

  6,000

  July

  53,000

  6,000

  August

  50,000

  6,000

  September

  25,000

  17,000

  October

  30,000

  10,000

  November

  60,000

  3,000

  December

  50,000

  15,000

  TOTAL

  344,500

  85,500

  29,500

  1,53,500

  1 Form R is for registration by virtue of residence since 1 January 1973; Form WI is for registration by virtue of marriage.

  Figures for applications received in case-working groups are in table 2:

  Table 2

  Adult registration1

  Registration of minors

  Naturalisation

  January

  2,368

  662

  1,557

  February

  3,306

  777

  420

  March

  3,274

  678

  523

  April

  2,649

  473

  430

  May

  1,394

  500

  2,401

  June

  2,003

  610

  2,256

  July

  3,985

  781

  1,773

  August

  4,669

  1,008

  2,939

  September

  4,007

  873

  2,190

  October

  4,397

  878

  2,282

  November

  9,495

  1,782

  4,235

  December

  5,890

  863

  1,690

  TOTAL

  59,034

  9,885

  22,696

  These figures do not include an estimated 210,000 applications received since mid-September 1987 which are being sorted and prepared for consideration.

  Mail
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he estimates that mail received by his Department in mid-December will be dealt with.

  Mr. Renton
  The time taken to deal with correspondence overall in the immigration and nationality
  651
  department varies considerably according to the nature of the subject matter. It will, however, be some time before all the very large intake of mail received by mid-December is processed.

  Departmental Expenditure
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the budgeted expenditure on salaries for(a) the immigration and nationality department and (b) the immigration service for 1987–88; and what was the actual expenditure under both of those headings between 1 April and 31 December 1987.

  Mr. Renton
  The budgeted expenditure on salaries in the financial year 1987–88 for the immigration and nationality department as a whole, and for the immigration service, and actual expenditure from 1 April 1987 to 31 December 1987, are set out in the table:

  Salaries expenditure in the immigration and nationality department 1987–88

  (£000)

  Immigration and nationality department

  Immigration service

  Budget

  42,791

  30,629

  Outturn to 31 December

  1987

  32,222

  23,113

  Incoming Mail, Lunar House
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the procedure for dealing with and recording incoming mail at Lunar house; and at what stage applications for British citizenship are separated from applications for variation of immigration leave.

  Mr. Renton
  On receipt at Lunar house the IND post room separates the mail by appearance and form of address into broad categories of general letters, applications for variation of leave, and applications for citizenship. Mail sent by recorded delivery or registered post is recorded on receipt; other mail is recorded when opened and separated into categories.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff, of what grade and at what salary, were employed at Lunar house to deal with incoming mail on(a) 1 June 1987 and (b) 1 December 1987; how many extra staff were employed for this purpose between 1 June and 31 December 1987; on which date and at what grades.

  Mr. Renton
  Separate information about staff in the immigration nationality department post room dealing with incoming mail is not readily available. The number, grading and salaries of staff involved in all aspects of mail handling was:

  Number

  Salary Range £

  1 June 1987

  Executive Officer

  1

  5,550–9,854

  Administrative Officer

  3

  3,664–7,091

  Administrative Assistant

  31

  3,314–5,799

  Senior Paperkeeper

  1

  5,747–6,590

  Paperkeeper

  5

  5,832–6,141

  Total

  41

  652

  Number

  Salary Range £

  1 December 1987

  Executive Officer

  1

  5,820–10,100

  Administrative Officer

  3

  3,664–7,247

  Adminstrative Assistant

  42

  No change

  Senior Paperkeeper

  1

  6,047–6,890

  Paperkeeper

  5

  No change

  Total

  52

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of letters which had been received but not opened at Lunar house on(a) 1 November 1987, (b) 1 December 1987 and (c) 21 December 1987; what is his estimate of how many such letters are applications for variation of leave; what was the date of receipt of mail being dealt with at Lunar house on 21 December 1987; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Renton
  The estimated number unopened items of mail is as follows. The estimated number of such letters which relate to applications for variations of leave is shown in brackets.

  1 November 1987: 65,500 (16,000)

  1 December 1987: 92,500 (24,000)

  21 December 1987: 145,000 (30,500)

  The date of receipt of mail being dealt with on 21 December by the immigration and nationality department post room varied, according to the nature of the correspondence, between the end of September and early December.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Developing Countries (Loans)
  Mr. Steel
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the repayment period on official loans to developing countries from 10 years to 20 years.

  Mr. Lawson
  The United Kingdom has almost completed its programme of converting old aid loans into grants to the least developed countries. To date seven sub-Saharan African countries have been granted repayment periods of between 15 and 20 years on their officially guaranteed debts when rescheduling through the Paris club.

  VAT (Education)
  Mr. Michael Marshall
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the value of staff time or secondments to either a city technology college or local education authority school is calculated for value added tax purposes.

  Mr. Lilley
  A taxable person who supplies such services free of charge and without conditions or contractual obligations is supplying free services which are outside the scope of the tax. If the recipient educational establishment pays for the services, the value for tax is the monetary consideration. If there were any form of obligation on the recipient (whether or not there were also a monetary consideration), this would be seen as a non-monetary consideration whose value for tax purposes would be the open market value of the services.

  Mr. Michael Marshall
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the value of donation of computer
  653
  equipment by the manufacturer or user to either a city technology college or local education authority school is calculated for value added tax purposes.

  Mr. Lilley
  If a taxable person donates equipment without conditions or contractual obligations, the value for tax is the cost of the equipment—that is, either the price at which the donor bought it or the full cost of its manufacture by him. If, however, there were any form of obligation on the recipient of the donated equipment, this would be seen as a non-monetary consideration and the value for tax would be the open market value of the equipment.

  Mr. Michael Marshall
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the value of donation of computer software by the author or user to either a city technology college or local education authority school is calculated for value added tax purposes.

  Mr. Lilley
  A taxable person who donates, without conditions or contractual obligations, computer software which has been individually commissioned by the recipient educational establishment is supplying free services which are outside the scope of the tax. The donation of other software is a supply, the value of which for tax purposes is the cost—that is, either the price at which the donor bought the software or the full cost of its production by him.

  If, however, there were any form of obligation on the recipient of the donated software (whether the latter were individually commissioned or not) this would be seen as a non-monetary consideration and the value for tax would be the open market value of the goods or services involved.

  Overseas Debt
  Mr. Corhyn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what have been the levels of repayment of debt to British(a) Government and (b) non-Government institutions for Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Chad, by each year since 1979.

  Mr. Lilley
  The amounts paid directly to the United Kingdom Government by Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and Chad for aid loans made by the Overseas Development Administration are listed in the table. Information on amounts paid to non-Government institutions is not available.

  Repayment of Overseas Development Administration Loans 1979–86

  Ethiopia £

  Sudan

  Somalia

  Chad

  1979–80

  35,625

  —

  —

  —

  1980–81

  71,250

  —

  —

  —

  1981–82

  90,247

  —

  —

  —

  1982–83

  90,250

  —

  —

  —

  1983–84

  90,250

  —

  —

  —

  1984–85

  9,500

  —

  —

  —

  1985–86

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Share Schemes
  Mr. Grylls
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many independent unquoted companies, which are not subsidiaries of public limited companies, have introduced Finance Act 1978 or 1984 share schemes.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  One hundred and fifty one unquoted companies which are not subsidiaries of public 654
  limited companies have introduced share schemes approved under the Finance Act 1978. I regret that this information is not readily available in relation to Finance Act 1984 schemes.

  United States Dollar
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further measures he will be prepared to take if the actions already taken fail to reduce the decline of the US dollar.

  Mr. Peter Lilley
  Since the beginning of the year, the dollar has risen against all the major currencies, including sterling.

  Civil Servants (Merit Payments)
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the number of civil servants receiving merit payments in 1986–87.

  Mr. Brooke
  A total of 3,828 civil servants received merit payments in the financial year 1986–87 under the performance bonus experiment.

  This scheme was introduced for grades 3–7 in 1985 as a three-year experiment. It has already been partly replaced by newly developed performance related pay arrangements for grades 2 and 3 and an interim scheme for grades 4–7.

  We believe that the link between pay and performance in the Civil Service should be strengthened. When the flexible pay system for scientific, professional and technical grades comes into effect this year over 80,000 staff will be covered by performance-related pay arrangements. We hope that it will be possible to bring other groups into such schemes in due course.

  Building Societies Commission
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what since its inception has been the total cost of administering the Building Societies Commission.

  Mr. Lilley
  Between 25 September 1986, when the Building Societies Commission was constituted, and 31 March 1988, it is estimated that gross expenditure by the Commission will be about £3 million. This cost is met by a general charge levied on building societies together with fees for specific activities.

  Business Expansion Scheme
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his reply of 18 December 1987,Official Report, column 847, he will indicate the grounds on which the names of companies obtaining assistance under the business expansion scheme are regarded as being confidential; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The Inland Revenue has a statutory duty not to disclose any information concerning the affairs of a taxpayer. It is for this reason that 1 am unable to identify the companies which have obtained assistance under the business expansion scheme.

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the change in Treasury
  655
  income during the 1988–89 financial year resulting from raising value added tax to (a) 16 per cent. and (b) 20 per cent.

  Mr. Lilley
  The estimated net additional revenue in 1988–89 would be:

  Rate of value-added tax Per cent.

  £ million

  16

  945

  20

  4,560

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the revenue during the 1988–89 financial year which would result from imposing value added tax on(a) new building work and (b) publications, other than books, where the use of new paper is greater than 80 per cent.

  Mr. Lilley
  (a) It is estimated that the net additional revenue in a full year at 1988–89 prices from the imposition of value added tax at the standard rate on new building work would be £1,250 million. Because of the uncertainties involved in estimating the effects of such a change on the construction sector, this estimate should be taken as no more than an indicator of the order of magnitude.

  (b) I regret the information is not available.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in the light of the recent pronouncement by Lord Cockfield regarding proposed European Commission measures for the completion of the internal market in the EEC, he will make a statement on his policy towards imposing value added tax on books, newspapers and periodicals.
  656
  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: Decisions on changes in value added tax are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget judgment. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has already made it clear that the United Kingdom will not accept proposals which restrict our right to apply zero-rating.

  Sporting Rights (Revaluation)
  Mr. Onslow
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the likely cost to public funds of the current revaluation of sporting rights in England and Wales; and what proportion of this is attributable to the revaluation of riparian rights.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The information available at present is not sufficient for an estimate to be made of the likely costs of revaluing either sporting or riparian rights.

  Tobacco (Taxation and Pricing)
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis he has agreed to meet representatives of the tobacco industry to discuss tobacco taxation and pricing policy; and why he refused to meet representatives of the medical profession to discuss the same issue.

  Mr. Lilley
  Treasury Ministers generally meet a number of representative bodies to discuss their representations in the run-up to the Budget, including one representing the tobacco industry. I am to meet representatives from the British Medical Association shortly.

  Oil Prices
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will indicate the effect on projected Government oil revenue resulting from a fluctuation in oil prices per barrel of(a) 5 cents, (b) 15 cents, (c) 50 cents, (d) $1 and (e) $5 above and below a price of $18 per barrel;

  (2) if he will indicate the effect on projected Government oil revenues resulting from a fluctuation in the price of the United States dollar against the £ sterling by (a) 1 cent, (b) 5 cents, (c) 15 cents and (d) 50 cents above and below the exchange rate assumed in his Autumn Statement of 3 November 1987.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: The effects on oil tax revenues of different oil prices and dollar exchange rates are subject to wide margins of error. On the basis of forecasts prepared for the 1987 Autumn Statement, a sustained change of $1 a barrel with a constant exchange rate would lead to a change of about £0·3 billion in North sea tax revenues for 1988–89. A 10 per cent. change in the exchange rate with a constant dollar oil price would give a change of about £0·5 billion. Smaller changes in prices or exchange rates would lead to approximately pro rata effects, but the results of larger changes would depend on their effect on other factors such as oil companies' exploration and investment decisions.

  Taxes (European Community)
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has as to the standard rate of income tax in each of the 12 European Community countries and as to the corporation tax rate in each of the 12 European Community countries.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: A standard or basic rate of income tax is found only in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, where the rates are 35 per cent. and 27 per cent respectively. In the other European Community countries the scales of income tax rates do not include a standard or basic rate. The current ranges of nominal income tax rates are set out in Table 1:

  Table 1

  Range of nominal income tax rates

  percentage

  Belgium

  24·71

  Denmark

  22·40

  France

  5·57

  Germany

  22·56

  Greece

  10·63

  Italy

  12·62

  Luxembourg

  10·56

  Netherlands

  14·72

  Portugal

  6·58

  Spain

  25·56

  Notes:

  1 These rates are from the central government income tax scales on employment income.

  2 There are also local income taxes on individuals in Belgium and Denmark.

  3 The rates shown are the latest enacted rates.

  Table 2 sets out the corporation tax rates in each of the 12 European Community countries.
  658

  Table 2

  Corporation tax rate

  Percentage

  Belgium

  43

  Denmark

  50

  France

  42

  Germany

  56

  Greece

  49

  Ireland

  50

  Italy

  36

  Luxembourg

  36

  Netherlands

  42

  Portugal

  35

  Spain

  35

  United Kingdom

  35

  Notes:

  1. Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, have lower rates or special reliefs for smaller companies.

  2. There are also local income taxes on companies in Germany, Italy and Luxembourg.

  3. The following countries have different rates for distributed profits: Germany (36 per cent.); Greece (Nil); Portugal (35 per cent.).

  4. Ireland has a 10 per cent. rate for manufacturing companies.

  5. Greece has a 44 per cent. rate for industrial companies.

  6. The rates shown are the latest enacted rates.

  National Insurance
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated full-year revenue effect in 1987–88 and 1988–89 of(a) abolishing the upper earnings limit for employees' national insurance contributions, (b) allowing personal allowances against such contributions and (c) (a) and (b) together.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  [holding answer 17 December 1987]: Estimates given in the table are based on projections of the 1984–85 survey of personal incomes and are therefore provisional.

  Full Year Reduction (-)—Increase (+) in Yield from Employees National Insurance Contributions (£ million)

  At income levels of

  1987–88

  1988–89

  (a) Abolition of upper earnings limit

  1,200

  1,400

  (b) Charge contributions above personal allowances only

  -4,100

  -4,400

  (c) (a) and (b) together

  -2,900

  -3,000

  These estimates make no allowance for behavioural or other changes.

  Exchange Rate
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what dollar—£ sterling exchange rate he assumed when making his Autumn Statement of 3 November 1987.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: The Autumn Statement forecast assumed that sterling would remain close to its then recent levels.

SCOTLAND

  NHS (Administration)
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the percentage change in the number of administrative staff in the National Health Service in Scotland since 1979; and if he will make a statement.
  659
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information held centrally is not in precisely the form requested. Data on administrative and clerical staff are subdivided by pay scale, which does not coincide in all cases with grade. The available information is published in "Scottish Health Statistics", copies of which are held in the Library.

  Prison Population
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the rise in prison population which took place between 1980 and 1987 was the result of increases in the number of prisoners on remand.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Prison population figures for 1987 are not yet available. Figures for earlier years are given in the Scottish Home and Health Department statistical bulletins "Prison Statistics Scotland", copies of which are in the Library.

  Rating Reform
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what specific factors or formulae he has decided to use in order to calculate the amount of revenue support grant to be paid to particular local authorities when the poll tax is introduced in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  The Government have proposed to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities that the distribution of revenue support grant should be based on the client group assessments of relative expenditure need, which are presently used for rate support grant distribution, estimates of authorities' non-domestic rate income and estimates of adult population. It is also proposed to have grant safety nets to phase in gradually some of the changes in the distribution of grant which may arise from the move to the new grant system. The details of these arrangements are subject to the outcome of discussions with COSLA, which are continuing.

  Fines
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he has given to the implementation of the recommendations contained within the Association of Directors of Social Work report on fines and fine default, with particular reference to(a) the introduction in Scotland of a day fines system and (b) the provision of alternative means of enforcement of payment of fines.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave him on 11 January 1988, at column 149.

  Sentencing Statistics
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of those remanded in custody by Scottish courts in 1986 subsequently received a custodial sentence.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  This information is not available.

  Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to issue a code of practice relating to the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984.
  660
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  My right hon. and learned Friend appointed a working group last year to produce a draft code of practice. I expect to receive it shortly and it will be issued for comment in due course.

  Operating Theatres
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what percentage of operating theatre time on a weekday basis is used in each health board in Scotland; and what proposals he has for improvement on this figure;

  (2) what estimates are available to him on the extent to which full use of operating theatres in National Health Service hospitals is inhibited by lack of properly qualified nursing staff and the money to pay for them;

  (3) if he will take steps to increase the number of beds and staff in National Health Service hospitals to increase operating theatre utilisation and throughput;

  (4) what estimates are available to him as to the extent to which loss of operating theatre time in Scotland is due to (a) lack of surgeons, (b) lack of anaesthetists, (c) lack of operating theatre staff, (d) lack of beds, (e) cash restrictions on health boards and (f) other causes;

  (5) if he will take steps to reduce the power or influence of consultants in the use of operating theatre time in Scotland.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information about theatre utilisation and the causes of any underutilisation is not held centrally. Efficiency in the use of clinical resources including theatres is a matter for individual health boards and their staff. The output of the acute hospital services has increased markedly in recent years and levels of efficiency are now much greater. The recent report from the National Audit Office on the use of operating theatres in the NHS in England indicates, however, that significant improvements could be made. I shall continue to encourage health boards in Scotland to further efforts.

  Remand Statistics
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list, for each sheriff court district in Scotland, the percentage of those remanded by the sheriff who are remanded on bail, excluding motoring offences.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  This information is not available.

  Garnock Valley
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he or any of his ministerial colleagues have any plans to visit the Garnock Valley.

  Mr. Lang
  Neither my right hon. and learned Friend, nor I, nor any other of our ministerial colleagues have plans for such a visit at present, although I hope to meet the Garnock Valley development executive later in the year.

  Farm Incomes
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give(a) the total income of Scottish farmers in each of the past five years and (b) the equivalent income which would have been achieved in the event of the green pound being brought to parity.
  661
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information about the total incomes of Scottish farmers, including income from nonagricultural activities is not available for this period. However, the aggregate net agricultural income of Scottish farmers between 1982 and 1986 was as follows:

  £ million

  1982

  140

  1983

  96

  1984

  186

  1985

  36

  1986

  91

  An estimate for 1987 and possible revisions to 1986 and 1985 will emerge from this winter's annual review of agriculture, which is now in its late stages.

  The effect of the green pound on farmer's incomes is to a large extent indirect and no estimates are available of the effects of different rates on income levels for the five-year period, during which time sterling's green rate has been both above and below its market rate.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the percentage change in farm incomes in Scotland for the most recent 12-month period for which information is available; and what were the corresponding figures for each year since 1979.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Farm income figures are published in the form of aggregate net agricultural income, excluding income from non-agricultural activities. The following are the percentage changes in aggregate net agricultural income in Scotland between calendar years from 1979 to 1986. An estimate for 1987 will emerge from this winter's annual review of agriculture, which is in its late stages.

  Percentage

  1979 to 1980

  -61

  1980 to 1981

  +185

  1981 to 1982

  +65

  1982 to 1983

  -31

  1983 to 1984

  +93

  1984 to 1985

  -80

  1985 to 1986

  +152

  Sexual Harassment
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his Department's policy on sexual harassment at work; whether guidance on reporting complaints has been issued to all staff; how many complaints have been reported in the past five years; and what disciplinary action has been taken.

  Mr. Rifkind
  The Civil Service policy on sexual harassment is set out in the programme of action to achieve equal opportunities for women in the Civil Service which was published by the Cabinet Office (Management and Personnel Office) in 1984. Sexual harassment at work is not tolerated and is dealt with as a disciplinary matter through the usual Civil Service complaints procedures. My Department's staff have been informed of this and also about how to make complaints of sexual harassment.

  In the past five years seven complaints have been reported in my Department. Where the complaint has been substantiated, disciplinary action has ranged from a formal warning to forfeiture of pay.

  Salmon
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will describe the formula used to assess those rating values which are based upon the annual statistical returns on Scottish salmon and sea trout catches.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Determination of rateable values is the statutory responsibility of assessors who operate independently of central and local government and who must be prepared to justify the valuations they make before the courts. Information about individual valuations is not held centrally.

  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to check the accuracy in the annual statistical returns on Scottish salmon and sea trout catches prior to their being used to assess future rating values; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Forms are checked to ensure that relevant parts have been completed and that there are no inconsistencies in the entries, for example between numbers and weights of fish reported as caught. As the statistics are published by salmon fishery region and statistical district it is unlikely that the information could be used by assessors to assist in the determination of the rateable value of individual fisheries.

  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any information which might explain the annual variations in statistical returns on salmon catches over the past five years in the Scottish salmon fishery statistical districts of(a) the Isle of Lewis, (b) Harris and (c) the Uists; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information available to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland is not sufficient to give specific reasons for the variations in the salmon catches for the salmon fishery statistical districts specified. Fluctuations in reported annual salmon catches can occur for a number of reasons. These include variations in the abundance of salmon, salmon runs not conforming with the fishing seasons, variations in the fishing effort throughout the fishing season or from one fishing season to another, changes in climatic conditions and variations in completeness of reported catch statistics.

  Free Milk
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children under five years of age and cared for by recognised childminders are currently in receipt of free milk; and how many childminders are involved.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information available for the quarter August to October 1987 is as follows:Number of children in Scotland under five years of age receiving free milk while cared for by a childminder: 576.
  Number of registered childminders in Scotland claiming reimbursement for cost of milk supplied: 232.

  Midwifery Students
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many intakes of midwifery students were cancelled in Scotland in each year ended 30 September in 1985, 1986 and 1987; and what are the most recently available staffing figures.
  663
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  In the years mentioned only one course, at Glasgow Northern College of Nursing and Midwifery in August 1987, was cancelled. That was because of a lack of numbers The number of qualified midwives, including community midwives and community nurses with combined duties, in the NHS in Scotland at 30 September 1987 (provisional figure) was 4,115 (3,504 whole-time equivalent) and the number of student midwives was 988.

  Rural Transport
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the uptake of rural transport innovation grants, showing the number of applications, the number and value of grants paid, and the reasons for any refusals, in each region; how much of his budget for this scheme has not been used; and if he has any plans to promote public transport in rural Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information about the uptake of rural transport innovation grant is set out in the table. Grant totalling £39,601 was approved on rural transport schemes in 1986–87 and a further £41,099 has been approved in the current financial year to date. Provision of £170,000 has been available in both 1986–87 and 1987–88.

  Since the scheme began in June 1986, 10 applications for grant assistance have been rejected because they did not meet the criteria. Applications were mainly rejected because the service was already operating, or duplicated an existing service, or was not in a rural area.

  In an effort to encourage further interest in the scheme a publicity leaflet/poster was widely distributed in August 1987 to regional and islands councils, district and community councils and to various voluntary organisations. Further promotion of the scheme will be considered as appropriate.

  Regional/Islands council

  No. of applications received1

  No. of Grants Approved

  Value of Grants Approved £

  Borders

  1

  1

  2,000

  Central

  —

  —

  —

  Dumfries and Galloway

  5

  3

  32,330

  Fife

  —

  —

  —

  Grampian

  —

  —

  —

  Highland

  3

  —

  —

  Lothian

  1

  —

  —

  Strathclyde

  5

  1

  12,250

  Tayside

  3

  2

  32,000

  Orkney

  —

  —

  —

  Shetland

  —

  —

  —

  Western Isles

  2

  1

  2,120

  1 Includes two applications (one in Strathclyde, one in Western Isles) which are under consideration.

  Written Questions
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of the 20 written questions on the Order paper for Thursday 14 January for answer by him on that date were answered on that date; if he will distinguish between(a) questions for written priority answer and (b) questions for ordinary written answer; and if he will further indicate how many questions received (i) holding answers and (ii) substantive answers.
  664
  Mr. Malcolm Rifkind
  Of the 20 written questions for answer by me on the Order Paper for Thursday 14 January, 16 questions for written priority answer were answered on that day. Ten of these received substantive replies and six holding replies were issued. Four questions for ordinary written answer were not answered. In addition, a question for ordinary written answer by the Secretary of State for the Environment was answered by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for home affairs and the environment.

  Rescue Archaeology
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of Government expenditure on rescue archaeology over the past five years has been spent on the Western Isles; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Figures are available only from 1984–85. Since then, and including estimated expenditure in 1987–88, 3·6 per cent. of Scottish Office expenditure on rescue archaeology has been on projects in the Western Isles.

  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent from Government funds on rescue archaeology in(a) the Orkneys and (b) the Western Isles over the last five years.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Figures are available only from 1984–85. Since then, and including estimated expenditure in 1987–88, Scottish Office expenditure on rescue archaeology projects has been £573,000 (Orkney) and £109,000 (the Western Isles).

  Catering and Domestic Service Contractors (Meeting)
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meeting held on 2 October 1987, attended by representatives of the trade associations for catering and domestic services contractors and by health board chairmen and general managers, referred to in paragraph 1 of the letter issued by the Scottish Home and Health Department to health board general managers under the signature of Hugh Morrision, dated December 1987.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The meeting on 2 October 1987, which I inaugurated, was a seminar of which no formal minutes were made. The subsequent discussion at the seminar was reported to me by my officials.

  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which companies and health boards were represented, and by whom, at the meeting on 2 October 1987 attended by representatives of the trade associations for catering and domestic services contractors and by health board chairmen and general managers.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  All Scottish health boards and the Common Services Agency were represented by their chairmen and general managers or other senior health board managers. Presentations were made by the trade associations representing the catering and domestic services sectors and by Grant Thorton Management Consultants.

  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has as to who called the
  665
  meeting on 2 October 1987, attended by representatives of the trade associations for catering and domestic services contractors and by health board chairmen and general managers.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The seminar held on 2 October 1987 was organised by the Scottish Home and Health Department.

  Health Board General Managers (Correspondence)
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the intended status of the letter from his Department to health board general managers, dated 10 December 1987, and issued over the signature of Hugh Morrison.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The letter of 11 December 1987 conveyed to boards and the Common Services Agency the action which boards are required to take to invite competitive tender for certain NHS support services. The letter makes it abundantly clear that boards are to comply with its terms.

  Nurses
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what conveniently available figures he has for the shortage of paediatric intensive care nurses in Scotland.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  No information is routinely collected centrally on paediatric intensive care nurses as a separate group. There is no evidence from health boards of any shortage.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Rolls-Royce (Seminar)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will provide a list of personnel from his Department attending the lunch and cocktail party and winter seminar organised by Rolls-Royce plc on 13 January; and what was the purpose of their attendance.

  Mr. Butcher
  Two officials from the Department attended the winter seminar as part of their responsibilities for maintaining contacts with companies in the aerospace sector.

  Yorkshire and Humberside (Aid)
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total expenditure on(a) regional development grant and (b) selective assistance to (a) Grimsby travel-to-work area, (b) county Humberside and (c) Yorkshire and Humberside, in each year from 1978–79.

  Mr. Atkins
  Expenditure under the regional development grant and regional selective assistance schemes was as follows:

  Regional development grant (RDG)1

  £ million

  Grimsby2 3 travel-to-work-area (TTWA)

  Humberside2 county

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  1978–79

  1·9

  11·3

  30·2

  1979–80

  1·3

  6·3

  21·5

  666

  Grimsby2 3 travel-to-work-area (TTWA)

  Humberside2 county

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  1980–81

  2·1

  10·3

  38·7

  1981–82

  3·3

  18·1

  47·1

  1982–83

  2·3

  20·0

  36·4

  1983–84

  2·5

  16·5

  23·5

  1984–85

  3·8

  16·2

  26·8

  1985–86

  1·2

  9·4

  24·2

  1986–87

  4·1

  15·4

  27·1

  1 Consists of the original RDG scheme and the revised scheme introduced in November 1984·

  2 The original RDG scheme element of these data includes only individual payments of over £25,000: payments below this size cannot be attributed to geographical areas smaller than planning regions·

  3 Data for the original scheme only· Grimsby TTWA was downgraded from Development Area to Intermediate Area in November, 1984 and thus there have been no payments to this area under the revised RDG scheme·

  Regional selective assistance1

  £ million

  Grimsby travel-to-work-area (TTWA)

  Humberside county

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  1978–79

  0·1

  0·7

  5·2

  1979–80

  0·2

  0·8

  6·8

  1980–81

  0·3

  0·8

  6·6

  1981–82

  0·1

  0·7

  7·1

  1982–83

  0·1

  1·0

  10·6

  1983–84

  0·2

  1·8

  8·8

  1984–85

  0·2

  3·0

  9·7

  1985–86

  0·2

  2·7

  8·3

  1986–87

  2·2

  3·7

  10·1

  1 Industrial and training grants only. Details of expenditure under the business improvement services and exchange risk guarantee schemes are not available at TTWA, county or regional level.

  Corby (Grants)
  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the total payments made of regional development grants (new scheme) in each year since 1980 to companies in the Corby travel-to-work area.

  Mr. Atkins
  Payments made to applicants in the Corby travel-to-work area under the regional development grant scheme introduced in November 1984 were as follows:

  £ million

  1985

  0·8

  1986

  4·7

  1987

  5·7

  The 1987 figure is provisional.

  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the total payments made of regional development grants (old scheme) in each year since 1980 to companies in the Corby travel-to-work area.

  Mr. Atkins
  Payments made to applicants in the Corby travel-to-work area under the original regional development grant scheme in each year since 1980 were as follows:

  £ million

  1980

  —

  1981

  2·4

  1982

  6·1

  1983

  6·5

  667

  £ million

  1984

  3·3

  1985

  1·8

  1986

  3·3

  1987

  0·6

  The figures quoted are the totals of individual payments of over £25,000 since payments below this size cannot be attributed to a geographical area smaller than a planning region. The 1987 figure is provisional.

  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what are the total payments made under the investment support scheme for microelectronics each year since 1980 within the Corby travel-to-work area;

  (2) what are the total payments made under the investment support for microelectronics 2 scheme in the Corby development area in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Atkins
  No such payments have been made in the period since 1980.

  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what were the total payments made of assistance under section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 in each year to companies in the Corby travel-to-work area.

  Mr. Atkins
  Such information is available for assistance under section 8 of the Industry Act 1972 and section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 through support for major projects; investment support for fibre optics and opto-electronics; investment support for microelectronics; support for advanced manufacturing project planning and implementation; the microelectronics industry support scheme; computer aided design and test equipment support for the innovation-linked investment scheme.

  Payments in respect of projects located in the Corby travel-to-work area were:

  £

  1984

  39,317

  1986

  20,320

  1987

  2,835

  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the total payments made of selective financial assistance under section 7 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 in each year to companies in the Corby travel-to-work area.

  Mr. Atkins
  Payments of regional selective assistance under section 7 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 (and previously under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972) in the Corby travel-to-work area have been as follows:

  £ million

  1980

  —

  1981

  0·3

  1982

  1·7

  1983

  6·3

  1984

  7·0

  1985

  3·3

  1986

  2·2

  11987

  2·0

  1 Provisional.

  Notes:

  1.The figures comprise industrial grant payments and expenditure
  668
  under the business improvement services scheme.

  2. The figures exclude expenditure on the exchange risk guarantee scheme as it is not possible to provide details on a travel-to-work area basis.

  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the total payments made under parts I, II and III of the Industrial Development Act 1982 and parts 1(2) and II of the Industry Act 1972, in each year since 1980 to recipients in the Corby travel-to-work area.

  Mr. Atkins
  Total payments made under the relevant schemes in the Corby travel-to-work area were:

  £ million

  1980

  —

  1981

  2·7

  1982

  7·8

  1983

  12·8

  1984

  10·3

  1985

  5·9

  1986

  10·2

  1987

  18·4

  1 Provisional.

  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the total payments made under the innovation-linked investment scheme in the Corby development area in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Atkins
  There have been no such payments.

  Private Mines (Durham)
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what regional development grants and regional selective assistance grants have been made to operators of licensed mines and private opencast site operations in the county of Durham over the last three years; and if he will indicate to whom the grants have been paid and the location of the private mines and opencast sites.

  Mr. Atkins
  Mining is not a qualifying activity for reginal development grant. One offer of regional selective assistance has been made to the mining sector in the county of Durham over the past three years: an offer of £940,000 to Weardale Holdings. In addition some payments have been made in this period as a result of offers made in earlier years.

  Durham (Regional Aid)
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will indicate the amount of regional development grants and regional selective assistance grants made in(a) the county of Durham, (b) the new town industrial estate of Peterlee and (c) the Easington district council area over the last five years.

  Mr. Atkins
  The amount of regional support made available in county Durham, Peterlee and Easington between January 1983 and December 1987 is as follows:

  £ million

  County Durham

  Peterlee

  Easington

  Regional Selective Assistance offered

  26·1

  6·3

  8·8

  669

  County Durham

  Peterlee

  Easington

  Payments under original Regional Development Grant Scheme (RDGI)

  22·1

  10·2

  —

  Approvals under revised Regional Development Grant Scheme

  32·4

  6·5

  8·1

  The RDG I figures relate to published information for employment office areas and identify individual payments in excess of £25,000. The Department does not maintain more detailed statistics. Since Easington falls within the Sunderland employment office area a breakdown of RDG I is not available. Likewise specific records are not available on the industrial estate mentioned and therefore the figures quoted relate to Peterlee new town.

  British Steel Corporation
  Mr. Allan Stewart
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will list the intended capital expenditure of the British Steel Corporation by plant over each of the next three years;

  (2) if he will list the following figures for the British Steel Corporation's financial performance for each year

  1979–80

  1980–81

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  Turnover £ million

  3,105

  2,954

  3,443

  3,231

  3,358

  3,736

  3,735

  3,461

  Net profit (loss) £ million

  (1,784)

  (1,020)

  (504)

  (869)

  (256)

  (383)

  38

  178

  Liquid steel production (million tonnes)

  14·1

  11·9

  14·1

  11·7

  13·4

  13·0

  14·0

  11·7

  Number of United Kingdom employees at year end (000's)

  166·4

  120·9

  103·7

  81·1

  71·1

  64·5

  54·2

  52·0

  Productivity (man hours per tonne liquid steel)

  13·2

  14·5

  9·4

  9·3

  7·1

  7·0

  6·3

  6·2

  Capital expenditure £ million

  261

  148

  164

  122

  164

  210

  220

  269

  Further to the above table, on 3 December 1987 BSC announced a half-year profit for 1987–88 of £190 million. The corporation is currently planning capital expenditure of £256 million in 1988–89, £274 million in 1989–90 and £288 million in 1990–91.

  Easington
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals he has to encourage the development of high technology industry in the district of Easington following the winding-up of the Peterlee and Aycliffe development corporation.

  Mr. Butcher
  Industry in Easington will be greatly encouraged by the enterprise initiative, with major new inititatives on design, marketing, quality, manufacturing technology, business planning, business information systems, exports, research and technology and business education backed up by investment and innovation grants for small firms (with fewer than 25 employees) and regional selective assistance where clearly necessary to bring about good projects.

  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will visit Easington to meet those industrialists whose firms have benefited from regional development grants.
  670
  since 1978–79 in turnover, net profit or loss, liquid steel production, numbers employed, productivity in terms of man hours per tonne and capital expenditure;

  (3) if he will detail capital expenditure in each or the British Steel Corporation's integrated steel plants in each year since 1978–79;

  (4) if he will list the following figures for each of the British Steel Corporation's integrated plants for each year since 1978–79 in turnover, net profit or loss, liquid steel production, number employed, productivity in terms of man hours per tonne and capital expenditure.

  Mr. Atkins
  BSC publishes capital expenditure and performance figures for the corporation as a whole. A more detailed breakdown by plant is unavailable since this information is commercially confidential. The same is true of plans for future capital expenditure at individual plants. The table gives the figures since 1978–79 for the corporation as published in the report and accounts for 1986–87:

  Mr. Atkins
  I shall be pleased if it proves possible for me to revisit Easington, where industrialists retain access to regional selective assistance, where clearly necessary, to bring about good projects.

  Libya
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the value of exports to Libya from the United Kingdom during 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987 to date.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  United Kingdom exports to Libya for 1985, 1986 and 1987 are £237·2 million, £260·5 million and £202·8 million respectively.

  Higher Educational Establishments (Equipment)
  Sir Fergus Montgomery
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps have been taken to encourage companies to donate equipment to higher educational establishments; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Butcher
  The Government look to higher educational establishments to increase their links with companies and encourages industry to further those links and donate cash, equipment or staff time. There are a
  671
  number of tax incentives available to encourage company donations, including donations of equipment, to higher education.

  BSC (Land Holdings)
  Mr. Gow
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much land surplus to operational requirements is owned, whether freehold or leasehold, by the British Steel Corporation.

  Mr. Atkins
  At the end of December 1987, the British Steel Corporation owned 1,200 acres of land which were recorded as unused or underused under part X of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980.

  Regional Selective Assistance
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if Her Majesty's Government's provision for regional selective assistance paid from 31 March onwards includes any assessment in respect of money obtained from the EEC European regional development fund.

  Mr. Atkins
  In setting the levels of public expenditure on regional selective assistance, Her Majesty's Government take into account the amount of support expected from the European regional development fund. The Supply Estimates to be published in March will give details of the receipts forecast from the fund in 1988–89.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the forecast for regional selective assistance for the years 1988–89 and 1989–90, and the latest forecast outturn for 1987–88.

  Mr. Atkins
  Expected expenditure by my Department on regional selective assistance in 1988–89 and 1989–90 is £161·5 million and £147·6 million, respectively. The decline between the two years is mainly due to an expected reduction in expenditure on the temporary scheme of assistance for small and medium-sized firms and on the exchange risk guarantee scheme. Provision for expenditure on RSA in 1987–88 currently stands at £121·6 million.

  Notes:

  (1) All figures are not of recoveries and domestic receipts but gross of expected EC receipts.

  (2) The following items are included in RSA for the purpose of departmental expenditure estimates:

  — project and training grants.

  — assistance for small and medium-sized enterprises in certain areas affected by rundown in steel, shipbuilding, textile fisheries and tin mining.

  — guarantees for loans from the European Investment Bank and European Coal and Steel Community.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish the criteria under which assessments for regional selective assistance(a) are, and (b) will be, made.

  Mr. Atkins
  The criteria against which applications are appraised are set out in my Department's booklet "The Regional Initiative: Guide to Regional Selective Assistance", copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any account of the size of an applicant firm will be taken in assessing eligibility for regional selective assistance.
  672
  Mr. Atkins
  Applications from firms of all sizes are considered against the same criteria but simplified procedures apply to grants of £25,000 and under.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what percentage of decisions on eligibility for regional selective assistance it is contemplated will be based on advice from(a) private consultants or (b) Department of Trade and Industry officials;

  (2) whether he will list the types of private sector organisations that will be eligible to receive public money in order to give advice on eligibility for regional selective assistance.

  Mr. Atkins
  There are no present plans to submit applications to private consultants for advice. However, proposed offers of £100,000 and over are submitted for advice to the relevant regional industrial development board or to the industrial development advisory board, which consist of people from the private sector with relevant experience. Large applications are appraised by the Department's industrial development unit which consists mainly of private sector secondees.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will make an estimate of the proportion of regional selective assistance recouped by the Inland Revenue as taxable profits.

  Mr. Atkins
  No. This will depend on the tax position of companies in receipt of regional selective assistance, which is likely to vary widely.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many successful applications for regional selective assistance were made in the United Kingdom in each year from 1979–80 to 1986–87; and how many are forecast for 1987–88.

  Mr. Atkins
  The number of successful applications for regional selective assistance in Great Britain in each full year from 1979–80 was as follows:

  Number

  1979–80

  1,055

  1980–81

  382

  1981–82

  830

  1982–83

  1,011

  1983–84

  1,097

  1984–85

  897

  1985–86

  1,012

  1986–87

  1,388

  Note: These figures are for successful applications for industrial and training grants only.

  The number in 1987–88 is expected to be around 1,600.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of the successful applications for regional selective assistance in 1986–87 were for sums in excess of £100,000.

  Mr. Atkins
  A total of 303 successful applications made during 1986–87 in Great Britain received offers of regional selective assistane of over £100,000.

  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the total value of regional assistance given to companies in the Castleford travel-to-work area for each year since 1979.
  673
  Mr. Atkins
  Payments of grant under the regional selective assistance and original regional development grant schemes to companies in the Castleford and Pontefract travel-to-work area since 1979 were:

  £'000

  1979

  275

  1980

  1,173

  1981

  534

  1982

  423

  1983

  43

  1984

  139

  1985

  17

  1986

  12

  1987

  —

  Noses:

  1. The regional development grant element of these data is comprised of individual payments of over £25,000; payments of smaller amounts cannot be attributed to a geographical area smaller than a planning region.

  2. Castleford and Pontefract ceased to be an assisted area in 1982.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what checks will be made under his proposed new regional investment grant to ensure that firms achieve the promised number of jobs; and how this system of monitoring will compare with the existing procedures for monitoring regional selective assistance.

  Mr. Atkins
  The creation of jobs will not be a condition of the new regional investment grant but the scheme is expected to have a beneficial effect on employment and we shall be setting up arrangements to evaluate this on a sampling basis.

  Under regional selective assistance companies in receipt of offers of assistance are required to submit annual audited reports on the progress of the project and to inform the Department if they fail to reach or maintain the level of jobs specified in the offer. Projects benefiting from regional selective assistance are normally visited at least once during the period in which these conditions apply.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many posts at each regional office in England, Scotland and Wales will be redundant as a result of the recently announced changes in regional policy.

  Mr. Atkins
  The number of posts devoted to the administration of the revised regional development grant scheme in my Department's regional offices is approximately 160. The need for work on regional development grants will gradually cease over a number of years. Depending on their terms and conditions of employment, staff will either be redeployed, where possible, or found alternative posts.

  The administration of the scheme in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales respectively.

  Pens (Safety)
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) whether he will introduce legislation to ban pen tops of the type that caused the death of Billie Walker of Braunstone, Leicester;

  (2) whether he will institute research into the safety of pens available to schoolchildren;
  674
  (3) whether he will consult Biro Bic Ltd. to seek the voluntary withdrawal by it from the market of pens with the type of tops which caused the death of Billie Walker of Braunstone, Leicester.

  Mr. Maude
  [pursuant to his reply, 13 January 1988, c. 318]: Following the completion, in September 1986, of research initiated by my Department which concluded that the risk of asphyxiation of children due to the inhalation of pen tops could be reduced by a design modification, officials met representatives of the major pen manufacturers and other interested organisations. The findings of the report were discussed and details of the type of design identified as safer were made available. It is encouraging that some manufacturers have already modified their products and that the others intend to do so when the next generation of pens is introduced. My Department has taken the opportunity recently to remind suppliers, through the relevant trade associations, of their responsibilities under the general safety requirement of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

  As manufacturers appear to be acting voluntarily I do not consider further action is necessary at this stage. The research findings have also been made available to the authorities concerned with consumer product safety in a number of overseas countries.

  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the criteria that constitutes identifiable and significant benefits for eligibility for regional selective aid as from April; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: In order to qualify for regional selective assistance projects must create or safeguard employment in the assisted areas. They should have good prospects of achieving commercial viability so that the employment benefits are durable. They should also strengthen the regional and national economy, for example by improving productivity, increasing exports or introducing new technology. Any adverse impact on employment in other firms is taken into account. Service sector projects which serve only a local market do not generally qualify for RSA.

  The full list of criteria is set out in the Department's booklet "The Regional Initiative: Guide to regional selective assistance" and in the guidance notes issued with the application form. The RSA scheme has operated successfully against these requirements for a number of years.

  National Girobank
  Mr. Harry Ewing
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in what form he proposes to seek parliamentary approval for any change in the status or ownership of national Girobank.

  Mr. Butcher
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: I would naturally expect to inform Parliament of any decision to change the status or ownership of Girobank. Parliamentary approval would be sought if required.

  Regional Policy
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list, for development and intermediate areas, the various schemes that will apply as from April for
  675
  the promotion of regional policy and the encouragement of business enterprise, together with details of the level of financial assistance and any associated conditions.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: From April 1988 the following schemes of assistance will apply under the DTI regional initiative:

  Regional Selective Assistance, available in development and intermediate areas:

  (a) Project grants based on the fixed capital costs of a project and the number of jobs expected to be created or safeguarded. The level of grant is negotiated, within certain EC and national limits, as the minimum necessary for the project to proceed.

  (b) Training grants at up to 80 per cent. of eligible costs.

  To be eligible for assistance projects should be viable, create or safeguard employment, offer regional and national economic benefits, and need assistance to go ahead.
  Consultancy Assistance

  (a) A free 2-day Business Review.

  (b) Assistance for consultancy projects of 5–15 man days on:

  marketing

  design

  quality

  manufacturing strategy and systems

  business planning

  financial and information systems.

  Assistance is normally at the rate of half of the agreed consultancy cost. But in the development and intermediate areas, and in urban programme areas, the assistance is at the rate of two thirds of the agreed consultancy cost to reflect the particular need to stimulate increased use of consultancy in those areas. This assistance is available to independent firms or groups with fewer than 500 employees.

  Investment grants of 15 per cent. of the cost of fixed assets up to a maximum grant of £15,000, and innovation grants of 50 per cent. of the agreed project cost up to a maximum grant of £25,000, will be available to independent firms with fewer than 25 employees in development areas. These two schemes are being targeted at the development areas in recognition of the particular difficulties in those areas in raising finance for business development and stimulating innovation. Further details of these two new grants will be published nearer the date of their introduction on 1 April.

  In certain parts of the assisted areas (and some non-assisted areas) the following are also available:

  (a) Exchange risk cover on foreign currency reconversion loans from the European Coal and Steel Community up to a maximum of £500,000 per project; and

  (b) Temporarily, business improvement service grants to help support the development of small firms.

  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the reforms of regional policy which he announced on 12 January require the prior approval of the European Commission before they are implemented; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: The regional policy changes which were announced on 12 January included plans to grant or alter state aid, of which the European Commission must be informed in accordance with article 93(3) of the EC treaty. The Commission has been informed of these plans and has decided to raise no objections to them.

  Regional Assistance (Sunderland)
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the total value of regional assistance given to companies in Sunderland for each year since 1979.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]:The total value of regional assistance given to companies in Sunderland for each year since 1979 is as follows:

  £ million

  RSA offered

  RDG I paid

  RDG II offered

  1979

  1·1

  1·5

  —

  1980

  3·6

  1·2

  —

  1981

  2·2

  2·6

  —

  1982

  1·8

  2·7

  —

  1983

  2·5

  1·6

  —

  1984

  38·0

  2·1

  —

  1985

  1·6

  1·6

  3·1

  1986

  2·5

  1·2

  5·8

  1987

  3·3

  1·2

  6·8

  The RSA figure for 1984 includes the £35 million offered in respect of the Nissan project. The RDG I figures relate to published information for the Sunderland employment office area and identify individual payments in excess of £25,000. The Department does not maintain more detailed statistics. The RDG II scheme commenced in November 1984 and there were no offers in that year.

SOCIAL SERVICES

  British Paediatric Association
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the British Paediatric Association to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

  Mrs. Currie
  I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Services Committee, arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall during the week commencing 22 February.

  Registration of Deaths
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to introduce legislation to permit registration of death to be made either at the place of death or at the place of normal residence; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  At present, information for the registration of a death may be given only to the registrar of the sub-district in which the event occurred.

  A change similar to the one which my hon. Friend is seeking has been considered on a number of occasions, most recently in the efficiency scrutiny into the registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales which reported in 1985. The scrutiny favoured the introduction of a system which would enable a death in England or Wales to be notified to any registrar of deaths in those countries, provided that certain other associated changes affecting death registration and the reporting of deaths to a coroner could also be made.

  As my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State announced in the other place on 3 December 1987

  677
  —Official Report, House of Lords, column 1230—the Government intend to legislate along the lines of the scrutiny proposals in the present Parliament should a suitable opportunity occur. To that end, consultations have been opened on the scrutiny recommendations including those on death registration. It is as yet too early to predict the outcome of those consultations.

  Hip Replacement Operations (Barnet)
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many hip replacement operations have been carried out in the Barnet health authority since 1978.

  Mrs. Currie
  I regret that this information can be produced centrally only at disproportionate cost. My hon. Friend may wish to write to the chairman of the health authority for the information he requires.

  Obstetric Units
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a list of each obstetric unit for each health authority in England and if he will indicate for each unit (a) whether there is a designated consultant anaesthetist whose duties include the organisation of an obstetric anaesthetic service and ensuring that the health authority is fully aware of any deficiencies in this service, (b) whether there is a consultant anaesthetist on call and readily available on a 24 hour, seven day a week basis, (c) whether suitable facilities for the storage of blood exists, (d) whether a quantity of Group 0 Rh-ve blood is held, (e) whether there exists a 24 hour on-request epidural service, (f) whether an anaesthetic audit is undertaken; and (g) whether the equipment required in the labour suite and the obstetric theatre include an emergency electricity supply;

  (2) if he will indicate for each obstetric unit in England whether the anaesthetic equipment includes (a) an anaesthetic machine, (b) difficult intubation kit, (c) a DC defibrillator, (d) anaesthetic gas scavenging facilities, (e) an automatic pulmonary ventilator with disconnect alarm and (f) refrigerator for the storage of drugs;

  (3) if he will indicate for each obstetric unit in England whether there is (a) an ECG monitor with recorder, (b) an inspired oxygen concentration meter, (c) an automatic blood pressure measuring device, (d) an end tidal carbon dioxide meter, (e) a peripheral nerve stimulator, (f) apparatus for measuring central venous pressure, (g) pulse aximeter, (h) blood storage refrigerator, (i) pressure infusion bags, (j) a blood warming device, (k) blood filters, (l) neonatal resuscitation equipment that includes a temperature measuring device; and (m) neonatal equipment for maintaining the temperature of the neonate.

  Mrs. Currie
  The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Maternity Services Advisory Committee in 1984 provided guidance to health authorities on the equipment to be included in new delivery suites and in the upgrading of existing buildings. This guidance, which has been commended to health authorities, is followed wherever possible. The functioning of obstetrics departments is a matter for the health authority concerned.

  Hospital Broadcasting Services
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will meet the chairman of British Telecom to discuss the threat to hospital broadcasting services from substantial increases in British Telecom line charges.

  Mrs. Currie
  No. The organisation of hospital broadcasting services is for local decision. I understand there have been no significant changes in British Telecom charges likely to affect hospital broadcasting services since November 1986.

  Lloyd George Stationery
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if his Department has reviewed the use, size and availability of Lloyd George stationery for recording medical histories by family practitioners; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  In 1974 a joint working party of the Health Departments for England, Wales and Scotland, health authorities and general medical practitioners recommended the replacement of the A5 size medical record envelope (familiarly known as the "Lloyd George envelope") in general practice by an A4 size folder. Since then some practices have converted their records to A4 size. Supplies of the A5 envelope continue to be available to practices which have not converted their records.

  Medical Professionals
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will review the current level of integration of medical professionals into the general management system; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  We have no plans to carry out a review. A considerable number of medical staff have become general managers and we welcome the contribution which they are making to the Health Service.

  Consultants
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidance is issued to employing authorities regarding the negotiation of contracts with consultants.

  Mr. Newton
  Guidance on the contracts of consultants is contained in "Personnel Memorandum PM(79)11", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy on the payment of different rates to consultants employed by the National Health Service in different geographical areas.

  Mr. Newton
  Consultants working in the London area receive London weighting. Apart from this, all consultants are paid on a single national scale, which is the subject of a recommendation by the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration.

  Supplementary Benefit
  Mr. Rogers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people claimed supplementary benefit in Rhondda constituency in(a) 1979 and (b) 1985; what

  679
  percentage change that represents; and what was the percentage change in (i) staff handling supplementary benefit and (ii) all staff at local offices of his Department for the same period.

  Mr. Portillo
  Information is not available in the precise form requested. The Rhondda constituency is served by Porth and Rhondda, West local offices of the Department, although the boundaries are not conterminous.

  The number of people in receipt of supplementary benefit, and the percentage increase between the years requested, is as follows:

  Porth

  Rhondda West

  Totals

  Percentage increase

  1979

  2,984

  5,150

  8,134

  —

  1985

  4,227

  7,825

  12,052

  48

  Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action in May of each year.

  The staffing figures for 1979 are no longer available. Details of the percentage change in staffing cannot therefore be supplied.

  Severe Weather Payments
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer of 18 December 1987,Official Report, column 935, if he will publish a similar table of severe weather payments which includes figures for the Castle Gate office of his Department in proportion to its Nottingham, North constituency clients.

  Mr. Scott
  The total and weekly number of exceptionally cold weather payments made by the Castlegate office last winter is as follows. Information on what proportion of those payments was made to claimants in the Nottingham, North consituency is not available but is likely to be very small, since only a small part of that constituency lies within the area covered by the Castlegate office.

  The figures given are for the statitical weeks ending on the dates specified. I regret that my reply on 18 December, at column 935, in relation to the local offices which cover most of the Nottingham, North constituency, wrongly stated that the figures were for the weeks commencing on those dates.

  Number of exceptionally cold weather payments made by Nottingham Castlegate office by week of payment in the winter of 1986–87

  Payment made in week ending

  Number of £5 weekly payments made

  20 January 1987

  200

  27 January 1987

  1,957

  3 February 1987

  1,115

  10 February 1987

  363

  17 February 1987

  252

  24 February 1987

  137

  3 March 1987

  139

  10 March 1987

  46

  17 March 1987

  64

  24 March 1987

  22

  31 March 1987

  —

  7 April 1987

  20

  14 April 1987

  18

  21 April 1987

  —

  28 April 1987

  8

  5 May 1987

  6

  19 May 1987

  —

  26 May 1987

  —

  680

  Payment made in week ending

  Number of £5 weekly payments made

  2 June 1987

  4

  TOTAL

  4,351

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer of 18 December 1987,Official Report, column 935, which were the two weeks for which help in the form of severe weather payments was available in the Nottingham area.

  Mr. Scott
  Exceptionally cold weather payments were available in the Nottingham area for the weeks commencing 12 and 19 January 1987.

  Nurses
  Mr. Sayeed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list those(a) health authorities and (b) teaching hospitals which are running courses designed to retrain and possibly re-employ previously qualified nurses who wish to return to the nursing profession, giving in each case the number of places and applicants for each year since such courses have been in operation, and the steps taken to advertise the availability of the courses.

  Mr. Newton
  The information is not available centrally.

  It rests with health authorities to match the provision of courses for those wishing to return to nursing with the service need. Every encouragement is given to health authorities to attract qualified nurses to return. Planning and organisation of these courses is a matter for individual health authorities, depending on their staffing needs.

  Such courses are usually publicised within the community.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services on what principles area allocations of money to the social fund were decided; and for what reasons some areas have received smaller allocations than are being disbursed at the present time.

  Mr. Scott
  An explanation of the basis of social fund allocations to local offices for 1988–89 is available in the Library.

  Mentally Handicapped People (Board and Lodging)
  Mr. Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make it his policy to make the levels of board and lodging allowance for the mentally handicapped more flexible to take account of the variety of support needs of the mentally handicapped: and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  Supplementary benefit assistance with residential care and nursing home fees does not, and was never intended to, provide help with all levels of needs. It is not the only source of support for mentally handicapped people. Health and local authorities have powers and duties to help where particular needs arise.

  Sir Roy Griffiths has been asked to conduct an overview of community care and to make recommendations on the most effective use of public resources. His conclusions are expected shortly.
  681
  Mr. Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make it his policy to ensure that the growth in board and lodging allowances for the mentally handicapped will allow for inflation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  People in homes for the mentally handicapped who are entitled to supplementary benefit (from next April income support) can receive help in full with any increase in charges, subject to national limits on the overall weekly charge which can be met, which from next April will be £200 per week (nursing homes) and £160 per week (residential care homes). This represents increases of 14 per cent. and 19 per cent. respectively since April 1985 when the present system was introduced, reflecting the fact that we already take movements in homes' costs and charges into account when setting limits. The increase in the retail prices index since April 1985 has been 9 per cent.

  Prescriptions (Cost of Items)
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to introduce legislation to make it a requirement for pharmacists to inform patients when an item ordered by prescription is cheaper when bought over the counter.

  Mr. Newton
  We have no plans to do so.

  General Practice Finance Corporation
  Mrs. Rosie Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussions he has had with the general medical services committee of the British Medical Association, and the General Practice Finance Corporation, about changing the constitution of the General Practice Finance Corporation to allow the maximum use of private sector funds; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Tony Newton
  In the past year, I have met representatives of the General Medical Services Committee of the British Medical Association (GMSC) on three occasions and representatives of the General Practice Finance Corporation (GPFC) on five occasions, which included two meetings jointly with the GMSC, to discuss changing the constitution of the GPFC to allow the maximum use of private sector funds. As I said in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood (Mr. Hayward) on 25 November 1987, at columns 248–49, we shall be carrying forward this proposal in further

  Yorkshire Region Net revenue expenditure1 (£ thousands)

  Pontefract District Net revenue expenditure1 (£ thousands)

  1986–87 prices

  1986–87 prices

  Cash

  Using gross domestic product deflator

  Using HCHS pay and price deflator

  Cash

  Using gross domestic product deflator

  1978–79

  311,657

  606,348

  692,814

  ֵ

  —

  1979–80

  377,972

  629,188

  696,980

  ֵ

  —

  1980–81

  490,154

  688,216

  706,312

  ֵ

  —

  1981–82

  542,779

  694,082

  722,982

  ֵ

  —

  1982–83

  578,533

  690,126

  723,166

  20,046

  23,913

  1983–84

  613,596

  699,773

  730,179

  21,299

  24,290

  682
  discussion with the GPFC and the GMSC. Powers to enable such a change to take place are included in clauses 1 to 3 of the Health and Medicines Bill.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services on what date he received the annual report of the General Practice Finance Corporation; and why it has not yet been laid before Parliament.

  Mrs. Currie
  A copy of the corporation's annual report was received on 1 December. The report is being studied prior to arranging for it to be laid before Parliament.

  Invalid Care Allowance (Seaham and Peterlee)
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will indicate the number of people within the area covered by his Department's Peterlee office and Seaham office who are in receipt of invalid care allowance.

  Mr. Scott
  I regret that the information requested is not available.

  Emphysema
  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has now received the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council's report on its investigation into the cause of emphysema among coal miners; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  We have not yet received this report. I am advised that it will now be submitted in February. Careful consideration will then be given to its recommendations.

  NHS Funding (Yorkshire)
  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the amount of Government funding for each year since 1979 to(a) Pontefract district health authority and (b) the Yorkshire regional health authority, based on (i) actual amounts, (ii) in real terms at the current year's prices and (iii) in real terms at the current year's prices based on information he may have for National Health Service inflation costs.

  Mrs. Currie
  The available information is shown in the table. Information is not available on a district basis for the years prior to the 1982 reorganisation of the National Health Service. Comparable information for 1987–88 will not be available until after the end of the financial year.

  It is inappropriate to revalue district health authority expenditure by reference to centrally assessed movements in hospital and community health services pay and prices as the local composition of that expenditure can differ significantly from the national average.
  683

  Yorkshire Region Net revenue expenditure1 (£ thousands)

  Pontefract District Net revenue expenditure1 (£ thousands)

  1986–87 prices

  1986–87 prices

  Cash

  Using gross domestic product deflator

  Using HCHS pay and price deflator

  Cash

  Using gross domestic product deflator

  1984–85

  651,050

  711,173

  732,431

  22,644

  24,735

  1985–86

  694,253

  715,172

  742,156

  24,249

  24,980

  1986–87

  742,884

  742,884

  742,884

  26,375

  26,375

  1 As shown in health authorities' summarised accounts.

  ֵ Not available.

  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the sum to be allocated to the Yorkshire regional health authority out of the additional funds made available in the financial year 1987–88; and how much of that sum is to be allocated to the Pontefract district health authority.

  Mrs. Currie
  Yorkshire regional health authority has been allocated £4·7 million from the additional £75 million available this year. It is for the region to decide how to distribute these funds amongst its districts.

  Pontefract Health Authority
  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has received from the Pontefract district health authority about its projected deficits from 1987–88 and 1988–89; and what action he proposes to take in response.

  Mrs. Currie
  I am fully aware of Pontefract's financial position. I am sure the hon. Member will have welcomed

  Manned Vehicles

  Shift period

  Division

  Total

  North East

  North West

  South East

  South West

  Regional training center

  London ambulance service

  Early

  31 December 1987

  44

  44

  31

  34

  6

  169

  1 January 1988

  40

  45

  29

  33

  6

  162

  2 January 1988

  38

  39

  28

  31

  6

  142

  3 January 1988

  36

  37

  23

  30

  3

  129

  4 January 1988

  45

  47

  32

  37

  6

  167

  5 January 1988

  44

  45

  29

  36

  6

  160

  6 January 1988

  44

  46

  31

  37

  6

  164

  7 January 1988

  43

  46

  32

  37

  8

  164

  Late

  31 December 1987

  32

  40

  23

  31

  6

  132

  1 January 1988

  38

  44

  29

  31

  6

  148

  2 January 1988

  38

  43

  23

  31

  6

  141

  3 January 1988

  29

  39

  23

  28

  3

  122

  4 January 1988

  40

  44

  27

  30

  6

  147

  5 January 1988

  41

  44

  29

  32

  6

  152

  6 January 1988

  41

  43

  29

  32

  8

  151

  7 January 1988

  37

  42

  30

  30

  6

  146

  Night

  31 December 1987

  25

  21

  12

  14

  6

  178

  1 January 1988

  23

  26

  15

  13

  6

  89

  2 January 1988

  25

  24

  14

  12

  6

  81

  3 January 1988

  25

  26

  16

  15

  6

  88

  4 January 1988

  23

  26

  17

  16

  6

  88

  5 January 1988

  22

  26

  17

  17

  6

  88

  6 January 1988

  23

  27

  17

  16

  6

  89

  7 January 1988

  24

  26

  17

  17

  6

  90

  1 Plus preplanned support of 20 ambulances provided by St. John Ambulance Association giving a total of 98.

  684
  my right hon. Friend the Minister for Health's announcement on 16 December of an additional £75 million for health authorities in England for this financial year. £4·7 million of this has been allocated to Yorkshire regional health authority. Distribution of this money and of the annual allocation for 1988–89 to district health authorities in Yorkshire are matters for the regional health authority. The hon. Member may therefore wish to approach the chairman of Yorkshire regional health authority for further information.

  Ambulances
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many ambulances of the London ambulance service, per sector, were available for emergency duty on 31 December 1987, 1 January 1988 and each subsequent day until 7 January.

  Mrs. Currie
  The information requested is as follows:

  Social Security Reform
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services which voluntary organisations he intends to consult about the need to assist those severely disabled people who will receive reduced benefit from April 1988; what he will be asking them to do; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  I have had a number of informal and exploratory talks. Those who gave me their views did so in confidence. I shall make a further announcement when the details of the scheme have been decided.

  Cleveland County Council (Letters)
  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for 582Social Services when his housing benefit department at New court, Carey street, will be able to reply to the letters from Cleveland county council welfare rights department dated 8 May 1987, 3 July 1987, 15 July 1987 and 4 November 1987, all of which related to housing benefit circulars.

  Mr. Portillo
  A reply has now been sent to Cleveland county council welfare rights department in response to its letters about housing benefit circulars.

  AIDS
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will respond to the Advisory Council on Drug Abuse's report on drug addiction and AIDS.

  Mr. Newton
  We have very recently received the first report of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on drug misuse and AIDS. We expect to respond shortly, after appropriate consideration.

  Efficiency
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) when he will publish the statistics comparing efficiency and performance between hospitals and health authorities;

  (2) if he will list the top 10 health districts in the United Kingdom for efficiency in ear, nose and throat surgery.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 14 January 1988]:The Department will publish the annual set of performance indicators based on 1986–87 data in February 1988. This set, like those for earlier years, will be available in the Library. Performance indicators address some but not all aspects of efficiency. Since there is no one measure of the efficiency of a service, it is not therefore possible to publish a ranking list. Efficiency can be characterised only by analysis of a range of local data such as cost per case; manpower, capital and bed utilisation; percentage of day cases. Of these data only a few, for example bed utilisation and day cases, are available nationally at the ear, nose and throat specialty level, and these form part of the performance indicator set.

  Children in Care
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children were in care by local authority area in 1986, or the most recent year available; how many 686
  of these children are available for adoption; and how many children in care were adopted in each of the last five years.

  Mrs. Currie
  [holding answer 15 January 1988]:The information available is given in the tables. Information is not collected centrally on the number of children in care available for adoption.

  Table 1

  Children in care of local authorities in England by local authority area, at 31 March 1986

  3Number

  England1

  66,700

  Cleveland

  979

  Cumbria

  493

  Durham

  894

  Northumberland

  325

  Gateshead

  338

  Newcastle Upon Tyne

  826

  North Tyneside

  372

  South Tyneside

  332

  Sunderland

  389

  Humberside

  1,348

  North Yorkshire

  755

  Barnsley

  273

  Doncaster

  272

  Rotherham

  255

  Sheffield2

  820

  Bradford

  948

  Calderdale

  357

  Kirklees

  541

  Leeds

  1,453

  Wakefield

  389

  Cheshire

  1,017

  Lancashire

  2,328

  Bolton

  395

  Bury

  271

  Manchester

  1,555

  Oldham

  321

  Rochdale

  495

  Salford

  534

  Stockport

  352

  Tameside

  309

  Trafford

  298

  Wigan

  333

  Knowsley

  383

  Liverpool

  1,281

  Sefton

  406

  St. Helens

  284

  Wirral

  503

  Hereford and Worcester

  674

  Shropshire

  569

  Staffordshire

  1,199

  Warwickshire

  535

  Birmingham

  2,218

  Coventry

  578

  Dudley

  296

  Sandwell

  463

  Solihull

  262

  Walsall

  393

  Wolverhampton

  585

  Derbyshire

  1,174

  Leicestershire

  1,050

  Lincolnshire

  832

  Northamptonshire

  796

  Nottinghamshire

  1,821

  Bedfordshire

  787

  Berkshire

  794

  Buckinghamshire

  613

  Cambridgeshire

  852

  Essex

  1,189

  Hertfordshire

  892

  Norfolk

  795

  Oxfordshire

  572

  Suffolk

  507

  Camden

  344

  687

  3Number

  Greenwich

  383

  Hackney

  755

  Hammersmith

  404

  Islington2

  769

  Kensington

  278

  Lambeth

  810

  Lewisham2

  587

  Southwark

  643

  Tower Hamlets2

  915

  Wandsworth

  572

  Westminster

  260

  City of London

  5

  Barking

  228

  Barnet

  132

  Bexley

  196

  Brent

  355

  Bromley

  245

  Croydon

  456

  Ealing

  363

  Enfield

  254

  Haringey

  411

  Harrow

  91

  Havering

  176

  Hillingdon

  166

  Hounslow

  289

  Kingston upon Thames

  143

  Merton

  175

  Newham

  438

  Redbridge

  256

  Richmond upon Thames

  103

  Sutton

  185

  Waltham Forest

  320

  Dorset

  631

  Hampshire

  2,270

  Isle of Wight

  124

  Kent2

  1,681

  Surrey

  797

  East Sussex

  790

  West Sussex

  776

  Wiltshire

  694

  Avon

  1,172

  Cornwall

  357

  Devon2

  897

  Gloucestershire

  521

  Somerset

  445

  1 Figures are provisional and subject to revision.

  2 Figures estimated using returns for earlier years.

  3 Rounded to nearest hundred.

  Table 2

  Children in care in England who were adopted during the year ended 31 March, 1982–1986

  Year

  Number

  1982

  1,828

  1983

  2,044

  1984

  1,912

  1985

  1,905

  11986

  1,916

  1 The figure for 1986 is provisional and subject to revision.

  Central Nottinghamshire Health Authority
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will itemise all closures of all National Health Service psychiatric establishments from 1979 to 1987, inclusive, in both the Central Nottinghamshire area health authority and Trent regional health authority areas.

  Mrs. Currie
  [holding answer 15 January 1988]:The information requested is given in the table. There were no closures of psychiatric hospitals in Central Nottinghamshire.
  688

  Mental Illness hospitals closed since 1979 in Trent Regional Health Authority

  District and Hospital

  Date of Closure

  Southern Derbyshire

  Blakely

  1984

  Rykneld

  1986

  Grange Childrens Unit

  1987

  Etwall

  1987

  North Lincolnshire

  Lawn

  1984

  Nottingham

  Coppice

  1984

  Rolherham

  Swallow Nest

  1985

  Mentally Handicapped People
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the levels of mentally handicapped patients registered in the Central Nottinghamshire health authority area for each year 1979 to 1987, inclusive.

  Mrs. Currie
  [holding answer 15 January 1988]: The numbers of people in National Health Service mental handicapped hospitals and units in the Central Nottinghamshire health authority on 31 December are given in the table. The people concerned are not registered and may not have been resident in the area of the health authority before their admission as patients. Figures for 1987 are not yet available.

  Numbers of people in mental handicapped hospitals and units in Central Nottinghamshire Health Authority at 31 December.

  Year

  Number

  1979

  497

  1980

  463

  1981

  451

  1982

  426

  1983

  418

  1984

  390

  1985

  377

  1986

  362

  Efficiency Savings
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will tabulate in the Official Report the respective sums for each financial year since 1980–81 described, or having effect, as efficiency savings for each regional health authority in England and Wales, together with the respective regional and global totals expressed, in actual money terms and in 1988 purchasing power, respectively.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]: The tables show for each regional health authority in England, the totals of achieved efficiency savings and cash-releasing cost improvements expressed both in cash terms and at 1986–87 price levels (the latest available) for each year from 1981–82. Figures for 1980–81 are not available centrally. Information on the savings achieved in 1987–88 will be available later this year. The information for Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
  689

  Efficiency savings and cash releasing cost improvements at cash prices

  £ million

  Region

  11981–82

  11982–83

  21983–84

  11984–85

  11985–86

  11986–87

  Northern

  1·20

  2·10

  2·70

  4·00

  5·20

  8·90

  Yorkshire

  0·60

  2·00

  3·10

  7·10

  10·00

  11·80

  Trent

  1·50

  2·10

  3·70

  8·00

  13·20

  12·10

  East Anglian

  0·80

  0·60

  1·60

  3·30

  2·90

  4·50

  North West Thames

  1·20

  1·80

  3·30

  10·60

  14·30

  15·80

  North East Thames

  1·50

  4·10

  420

  11·70

  17·10

  16·40

  South East Thames

  2·10

  3·00

  3·60

  14·00

  14·30

  12·70

  South West Thames

  1·20

  1·20

  2·80

  6·90

  8·50

  10·90

  Wessex

  0·20

  1·30

  2·20

  4·20

  4·70

  8·50

  Oxford

  0·20

  0·60

  1·80

  3·70

  4·80

  4·60

  South Western

  1·00

  1·00

  2·70

  4·70

  6·20

  6·60

  West Midlands

  1·30

  1·40

  4·20

  13·50

  12·00

  13·70

  Mersey

  1·10

  2·00

  2·30

  6·00

  8·40

  10·70

  North Western

  1·30

  2·30

  3·80

  7·50

  13·60

  14·10

  Total new savings (in cash terms)

  15·20

  25·50

  42·00

  105·20

  135·20

  151·30

  Cumulative savings (in cash terms)

  —

  40·70

  82·70

  187·90

  323·10

  474·40

  1 Cash savings reported by regions.

  2 In 1983–84, regional health authorities were expected to achieve the efficiency savings shown, equivalent to some 0·5 per cent. of their cash allocations, but detailed returns were not requested.

  Efficiency savings and cash releasing cost improvements at constant prices

  £ million

  Region

  11981–82

  11982–83

  21983–84

  11984–85

  11985–86

  11986–87

  Northern

  1·60

  2·63

  3·21

  4·50

  5·56

  8·90

  Yorkshire

  0·80

  2·50

  3·69

  7·99

  10·69

  11·80

  Trent

  2·00

  2·63

  4·40

  9·00

  14·11

  12·10

  East Anglian

  1·07

  0·75

  1·90

  3·71

  3·10

  4·50

  North West Thames

  1·60

  2·25

  3·93

  11·93

  15·29

  15·80

  North East Thames

  2·00

  5·13

  5·00

  13·16

  18·28

  16·40

  South East Thames

  2·80

  3·75

  4·28

  15·75

  15·29

  12·70

  South West Thames

  1·60

  1·50

  3·33

  7·76

  9·09

  10·90

  Wessex

  0·27

  1·63

  2·62

  4·73

  5·02

  8·50

  Oxford

  0·27

  0·75

  2·14

  4·16

  5·13

  4·60

  South Western

  1·33

  1·25

  3·21

  5·29

  6·63

  6·60

  West Midlands

  1·73

  1·75

  5·00

  15·19

  12·83

  13·70

  Mersey

  1·47

  2·50

  2·74

  6·75

  8·98

  10·70

  North Western

  1·73

  2·88

  4·52

  8·44

  14·54

  14·10

  Total

  20·25

  31·88

  49·98

  118·35

  144·53

  151·30

  Cumulative savings (constant prices)

  —

  52·12

  102·10

  220·45

  364·98

  516·28

  1 Cash savings reported by regions.

  2 In 1983–84, regional health authorities were expected to achieve the efficiency savings shown, equivalent to some 0·5 per cent. of their cash allocations, hut detailed returns were not requested.

  Mr. B. Ingram, South Tyrone Hospital
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services for what reason he has not replied to the letter of 7 July 1987 addressed to the Parliamentary Secretary on medical laboratory scientific officers from the Chief Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer, Mr. B. Ingram, of South Tyrone hospital.

  Mrs. Currie
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]:Mr. Ingram's letter was one of 620 received as part of a coordinated campaign during the period of the medical laboratory scientific officers' pay negotiations in 1987. Ministers were fully aware of the issues involved and official replies to those letters were sent out on their behalf. The response to Mr. Ingram was sent by an executive
  690
  officer in the health authority personnel division in July 1987 and Mr. Ingram responded to such a reply in a further letter dated 31 July 1987.

  Chorion Villus Sampling
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many district health authorities in England provide chorion villus sampling to pregnant women; and under what circumstances;

  (2) what information on chorion villus sampling and amniocentesis is available for pregnant women who wish to have screening; and through what channels the information is made available.

  Mrs. Currie
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]:The information requested is not held centrally. Facilities for amniocentesis testing are available through all consultant

  691
  units. The decision to offer chorion villus sampling and aminiocentesis to a pregnant woman is a matter of clinical judgment, and will depend on the risk in her particular case of the foetus having a detectable abnormality. The Medical Research Council, which receives its grant from the DES, is conducting a randomised controlled trial comparing amniocentesis with chorionic villus sampling; twenty-three centres in the United Kingdom are participating. An information booklet is available to participants and I will arrange for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member. The Department's view is that the procedures and their implications should be fully explained to the mother to enable her to make an informed decision. She should also be told who will give her the results and when she can expect to be notified.

  Day Nurseries
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to the percentage of(a) three-year-olds and (b) four-year-olds who have places in local authority day nurseries.

  Mrs. Currie
  [holding answer 18 January 1988]:Information is not collected centrally on the individual age of children using local authority day nurseries. Over the period 1982–86, the number of children on the registers of local authority day nurseries increased from 31,700 to 34,900 an increase from 1·1 per cent. to 1·2 per cent. of the population aged under five years.

  Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors (Review Body Membership)
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the current membership of the Independent Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives and Health Visitors, showing the nominating or originating body and period of tenure in each case.

  Mr. Newton
  Members of the Independent Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives and Health Visitors are appointed by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. The current membership of the review body is shown in the table:

  Name

  Appointed

  Appointed Ends

  Sir James Cleminson, MC, DL,(Chairman)

  1987

  1989

  Sir John Herbecq, KCB, (Deputy Chairman)

  1983

  1990

  Miss Beryl Cooper, QC

  1983

  1990

  Mrs. Suzette Harold

  1983

  1988

  Principal Graham Hills

  1983

  1988

  Mrs. Jennifer Hughes

  1983

  1988

  Mr. Ian Phillips, F. Eng

  1983

  1990

  Professor George Thomason, CBE

  1983

  1688

  Grade

  Number of staff

  Civil Service equivalent

  Salary range £

  Above £22,548·00

  Clerk of the House

  1

  Grade 1

  65,000

  Clerk Assistant

  1

  Grade 2

  43,500–45,500

  Clerk of Committees

  1

  Grade 2

  43,500–45,500

  Speaker's Counsel

  2

  Grade 3

  34,000–37,000

  Principal Clerks (I)

  7

  Grade 3

  34,000–37,000

  Serjeant at Arms

  1

  Grade 3

  34,000–37,000

  Librarian

  1

  Grade 3

  34,000–37,000

  Nurses (Overtime)
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what he estimates to be(a) the percentage of nurses working overtime, and (b) the cost of this work to the National Health Service.

  Mr. Newton
  [pursuant to his reply 16 December 1987, c. 598]:Nurses who are graded up to and including senior nurse 7 are entitled to recompense for overtime worked. Of these nurses, 38 per cent. received at least one payment during the year 1986–87 at a total estimated cost to the National Health Service in Great Britain of £47·1 million.

  Benefits (Rhondda)
  Mr. Rogers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people claimed supplementary benefit in Rhondda constituency in(a) 1979 and (b) 1985; what percentage change that represents; and what was the percentage change in (i) staff handling supplementary benefit and (ii) all staff at local offices of his Department for the same period.

  Mr. Portillo
  Information is not available in the precise form requested. The Rhondda constituency is served by Porth and Rhondda West local offices of the Department, although the boundaries are not conterminous.

  The number of people in receipt of supplementary benefit, and the percentage increase between the years requested, is as follows:

  Porth

  Rhondda West

  Totals

  Percentage Increase

  1979

  2,984

  5,150

  8,134

  —

  1985

  4,227

  7,825

  12,052

  48

  Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action in May of each year.

  The staffing figures for 1979 are no longer available. Details of the percentage change in staffing, cannot therefore be supplied.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Parliamentary Salaries
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will give figures and grades, titles and ranks for all Officers of the House of Commons whose salaries are(a) higher and (b) lower than those of hon. Members.

  Mr. Beith
  The information requested is set out in the following table:
  693

  Grade

  Number of staff

  Civil Service equivalent

  Salary range £

  Head of Administration

  1

  Grade 3

  34,000–37,000

  Principal Clerks (II)

  2

  Grade 4

  30,344–31,844

  Accountant

  1

  Grade 4

  30,344–31,844

  Editor

  1

  Grade 4

  30,344–31,844

  Deputy Principal Clerks

  16

  Grade 5

  24,765–28,215

  Deputy Serjeant at Arms

  1

  Grade 5

  24,765–28,215

  Deputy Librarian

  1

  Grade 5

  24,765–28,215

  Assistant Librarian

  2

  Grade 5

  24,765–28,215

  Head of Establishments Office

  1

  Grade 5

  24,765–28,215

  Deputy Accountant

  1

  Grade 5

  24,765–28,215

  Speaker's Secretary

  1

  Grade 5

  24,765–28,215

  Computer Officer

  1

  Grade 5

  24,765–28,215

  Below £22,548.00

  Deputy Assistant Librarian

  9

  Grade 6

  18,786–25,335

  Deliverer of the Vote

  1

  Grade 6

  18,786–25,335

  Deputy Head of Establishments Office

  1

  Grade 6

  18,786–25,335

  Senior Assistant Accountant

  1

  Grade 6

  18,786–25,335

  General Manager RD

  1

  Grade 6

  18,786–25,335

  Deputy Editor

  1

  Grade 6

  18,786–25,335

  95 per cent.

  Assistant Serjeant at Arms

  1

  Grade 6

  17,847–24,068

  93 per cent.

  Principal Assistant Editors

  4

  Grade 6

  17,471–23,562

  83 per cent.

  Assistant Editors

  4

  Grade 6

  15,592–21,028

  Senior Clerks

  22

  Grade 7

  15,030–20,292

  Deputy Assistant Serjeant at Arms

  2

  Grade 7

  15,030–20,292

  Senior Library Clerks

  12

  Grade 7

  15,030–20,292

  Assistant Accountants

  4

  Grade 7

  15,030–20,292

  Internal Auditor

  1

  Grade 7

  15,030–20,292

  Staff Inspector

  1

  Grade 7

  15,030–20,292

  Deputy General Manager RD

  1

  Grade 7

  15,030–20,292

  Catering Accountant RD

  1

  Grade 7

  15,030–20,292

  90 per cent.

  Deputy Deliverer of the Vote

  1

  Grade 7

  13,527–18,263

  Assistant Clerks (A)

  7

  HEO (D)

  10,900–13,900

  Assistant Library Clerks

  4

  HEO (D)

  10,900–13,900

  Assistant Clerk (T)

  1

  AT

  8,000–10,150

  Assistant Library Clerk (T)

  3

  AT

  8,000–10,150

  Speaker's Chaplain

  1

  SEO (9½ hours)

  3,656

  Notes:

  1. The above salaries which were effective from 1 April 1987, do not include Inner London Weighting (£1,527 per annum).

  2. Where the mean of the salary scale quoted above is greater than £22,548 (basic salary of a Member) the recipient is deemed to have a higher salary than that of a Member. If the mean of the scale is less than £22,548 the recipient is deemed to be paid less than a Member.

TRANSPORT

  Sexual Harassment
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his Department's policy on sexual harassment at work; whether guidance on reporting complaints has been issued to all staff; how many complaints have been reported in the past five years; and what disciplinary action has been taken.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The Civil Service policy on sexual harassment is set out in the programme of action to achieve equal opportunities for women in the Civil Service which was published by the Cabinet Office, Management and Personnel Office, in 1984.

  Sexual harassment at work is not tolerated and is dealt with as a disciplinary matter through departmental complaints procedures. Guidance on reporting complaints has been issued to all staff. I am arranging for a copy of the Department's guidance to be placed in the Library. No central record of complaints was kept until mid-1986. Since then there has been one complaint which has been fully investigated.
  694
  It is not the Department's practice to publish the disciplinary action taken in individual cases.

  National Dock Labour Scheme
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the number of ports in the national dock labour scheme in 1958, 1968, 1978 and each year since 1983, and the percentage of all United Kingdom ports those figures represent in each of these years.

  Mr. David Mitchell
  The scheme, when first made in 1947, listed 80 ports in Great Britain to which it applied. One port has been added to the list and one deleted from it. Over time several of the other listed ports have fallen into disuse, have ceased to handle cargo, or have been amalgamated. There are now about 60 ports within the scheme. In total there are around 300 harbours or ports in Great Britain. Cargo is handled at about one third of them.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list by each port in the United Kingdom(a) the total value of imports; (b) the total value of exports; (c) the total tonnage of imports and

  695
  (d) the total tonnage of exports, in 1958, 1968, 1978 and for the latest available date; and if he will sub-divide the list into those parts within the national dock labour scheme and those outside it and show the total figures for each category in each of the above years in each sub-division;

  (2) if he will give the percentage of traffic handled by (a) national dock labour scheme ports and (b) non-national dock labour scheme ports, as a percentage of total British foreign trade in 1958, 1968, 1978 and each year since 1983.

  Mr. David Mitchell
  Information on value is available only for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise trade ports which in many cases include both national dock labour scheme and non-scheme components.

  Tonnages of export, import and coastal traffic are published annually, for each port in Great Britain with significant freight traffic, in "Port Statistics", copies of which are in the Library. In the latest volume, table 1.3 gives the total traffic through each port for 1965, 1970, 1975 and 1980 to 1986. Table 1.6 provides the import and export detail for the latest year.

  Details for earlier years, and for the intervening years of table 1.3, can be found in earlier editions. Prior to 1980, corresponding information was published by the National Ports Council in the "Annual Digest of Port Statistics", but there are no data prior to 1965. In these tables the following are scheme ports:

  London

  Medway

  Whitstable

  Southampton

  Poole

  Plymouth

  Fowey

  Par

  Falmouth

  Bristol

  Gloucester and Sharpness

  Newport

  Cardiff

  Penarth

  Barry

  Port Talbot

  Swansea

  Liverpool

  Garston

  Manchester

  Fleetwood

  Barrow

  Passenger Mileage on Public Transport within London and the South East

  LRT Tube

  LRT Bus

  BR NSE

  bn miles

  Percentage increase over 1980

  bn miles

  Percentage increase over 1980

  bn miles

  Percentage increase over 1980

  1980

  2·6

  2·6

  8·1

  1981

  2·5

  -4

  2·5

  -4

  8·0

  -1

  1982

  2·3

  -12

  2·3

  -12

  7·0

  -14

  1983

  2·7

  4

  2·4

  -8

  7·8

  -4

  1984

  1984–85

  3·3

  27

  2·6

  —

  7·5

  -7

  1985

  1985–86

  3·7

  42

  2·6

  —

  7·8

  -4

  1986

  1986–87

  3-9

  50

  2-6

  —

  8·3

  2

  696

  Whitehaven

  Workington

  Silloth

  Ayr

  Clyde (including Ardrossan and Greenock)

  Aberdeen

  Dundee

  Forth

  Blyth

  Tyne

  Sunderland

  Seaham

  Tees and Hartlepool

  Hull

  Goole

  Grimsby and Immingham

  Boston

  Wisbech

  Kings Lynn

  Great Yarmouth

  Lowestoft

  Ipswich

  The percentage of all non-fuel seaport traffic (including coastal) tonnage handled by the ports listed above in 1965, 1968, 1978 and 1986 was 92, 89, 77 and 70 per cent. respectively.

  Carlisle to Settle Railway
  Mr. Tom Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to complete his review of the Carlisle to Settle railway line.

  Mr. David Mitchell
  As soon as we are clear about the extent of any local authority and private sector funding that may be offered to help with the cost of repair of the Ribblehead viaduct or revenue support for services on the line.

  Passenger Miles (Greater London)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will tabulate in the Official Report any official estimate of the numbers of passenger miles travelled within the Greater London area for each of the principal modes of private and public transport for each of the years since 1980, showing for each the percentage variation from that or other convenient base year.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The information requested is as follows:
  697
  Reliable estimates of overall traffic levels in London are not currently available. What evidence there is suggests that car passenger mileage has changed little since 1980.

  Air Traffic (London)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he, or the Civil Aviation Authority, possesses concerning the amount, categories and general monitoring of all air traffic in uncontrolled air space below and surrounding the London terminal control area.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Civil aviation safety regulation is wholly the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority. There is no requirement for pilots of aircraft flying in uncontrolled air space to inform air traffic services units of their presence or of their intended routings. I understand that the authority has no comprehensive information of the amount and categories of aircraft flying in the uncontrolled air space below and surrounding the London terminal control area, but that the authority monitors air traffic in uncontrolled air space on a sample basis so as to establish requirements for specific air traffic services.

  Civil Aviation Authority (Air Traffic Control Services)
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is advised by the Civil Aviation Authority of the scale of charges for air traffic control services provided by them; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  My right hon. Friend promulgates the Civil Aviation Authority's charges by statutory instrument for the following air traffic control services:

  1. En-route navigation services.

  2. Shanwick oceanic control area navigation services.

  3. Navigation services for helicopter flights from any place in the United Kingdom to offshore installations in the North sea area.

  4. Aerodrome navigation services at BAA plc airports.

  At other airports where the Civil Aviation Authority provides air traffic control services under contract, the charges are covered by contracts and are confidential to the airports and the authority.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current annual value of contracted air traffic approach control services provided by the Civil Aviation Authority.

  Motor Cycles

  Heavy Goods and Public Service Vehicles

  Cars and Light Goods Vehicles

  Total

  1983

  93,132

  2,182,551

  10,303,544

  12,579,227

  1984

  96,365

  2,240,980

  10,641,587

  12,978,932

  1985

  90,212

  2,270,545

  10,928,451

  13,286,208

  1986

  72,575

  2,383,008

  12,017,349

  14,472,932

  1987

  55,712

  2,633,202

  12,954,154

  15,643,068

  Note: The above figures are based on toll records: the statistics for 1983 and 1985 include estimated figures for the days on which tolls were not collected.
  698
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to table 5.1 in the Civil Aviation Authority's annual report and accounts for 1986–87.

  London City Airport
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid and by whom, for the land upon which the London City airport was constructed.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  London City airport is privately owned. The terms on which the land was made available are a commercial matter between the airport and the landowners.

  Road Dressing
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investigations have been undertaken by his Department into alternative methods of surface dressing of roads, so as to minimise or avoid inconvenience to road users caused by flying chippings; and with what result.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Research into road surface dressing has been carried out by the Department's Transport and Road Research Laboratory. The results are incorporated into Road Note 39 "Recommendations for Road Surface Dressing". Trials of new techniques and materials are continuing and the recommendations contained in the above document may be reviewed in the light of the results obtained.

  Severn Bridge
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what will be the effect on the traffic capacity of the Severn bridge of the strengthening work thereon.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Completion of the strengthening work will permit the removal of the traffic restrictions that had to be imposed on the crossing. For example, single-lane operation in the eastbound direction in the early mornings will no longer be necessary. As a result there will be some increase in the traffic capacity.

  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the statistics for traffic utilisation of the Severn bridge, for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The traffic figures on the Severn crossing for the last five years are as follows:

  Belfast Pilotage Authority
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the state of working arrangements between pilots and the Belfast Pilotage Authority.

  Mr. David Mitchell
  I understand that there has been disagreement between the Belfast Pilotage Authority and the pilots about the extent to which standby time should be reflected in pilots' earnings and about rota arrangements.

  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he intends to take to ensure that the Belfast Pilotage Authority promotes appropriate byelaws under section 16 of the Pilotage Act 1983 for duty requirements for pilots;

  (2) if he will exercise his powers under section 16(2)(b) of the Pilotage Act 1983 to direct the Belfast Pilotage Authority to submit appropriate byelaws to formalise its requirements for pilots in respect of hours of duty and terms of service.

  Mr. David Mitchell
  Section 16 of the Pilotage Act 1983 empowers the Secretary of State to direct a pilotage authority to submit a byelaw to him for confirmation only where a body or persons set out in section 16(1) of the Act have made representation to him that such a byelaw should be brought into force. The Secretary of State has received no such representation for a byelaw to define terms of service, hours of duty or other duty requirements for Belfast pilots.

  Belfast Harbour
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the proposal of the competent harbour authority in Belfast to move the boarding and landing station from its present location to a position in the main navigation channel; and if he will take steps to ensure that the competent harbour authority consults all interested parties before any action is taken.

  Mr. David Mitchell
  I have received no representations on this matter. Following implementation of the Pilotage Act 1987, the location of boarding and landing stations, and the extent to which there should be consultation on the matter, will be for the competent harbour authority to decide, subject only, where boarding and landing requirements are to be contained in a pilotage direction concerning compulsory pilotage, to the statutory obligation on the authority to consult shipowners and any other local harbour operators before giving such a direction.

  British Rail (Surplus Land)
  Mr. Gow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much land, surplus to operational requirements, was owned by British Rail on 30 September 1987; and what discussions he has had with the chairman of British Rail concerning progress in selling such land.

  Mr. David Mitchell
  I understand from the BR Property Board that the total was some 17,300 acres. We have asked British Rail to dispose of all its surplus land and property as rapidly as possible. I discussed a variety of matters with 700
  the chairman of the BR Property Board in December, including progress in this area. I will write to my hon. Friend with further information.

  Heavy Lorries
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the total amount of fuel tax on dery collected from operators of all heavy goods vehicles above 3·5 tonne gross vehicle weight for each of the years 1984–85, 1985–86 and 1986–87; and the amount of vehicle excise duty collected from operators of vehicles between 36 and 38 tonnes for each of these years.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Following is the information for the United Kingdom:

  Motoring taxes on licensed heavy goods vehicles

  £ million

  Fuel tax (on derv) on goods vehicle over3.5 tonnes gvw

  Vehicle excise duty on vehicles between 36 and 38 tonnes

  1984–85

  816

  55

  1985–86

  866

  77

  1986–87

  959

  95

  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost of the additional amount of road damage which will occur in a year as a result of the raising of the gross weight limit for two-axled rigid vehicles from 16·26 tonnes to 17·00 tonnes.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  This change in gross weight comes into effect on 1 April 1988. The effect on road wear and tear will depend on the number of vehicles authorised for use at the higher weight, their mileage and lading. The Department will be monitoring this. The information will become available in due course.

  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish in the Official Report, classified in convenient groups, the total amount of vehicle excise duty collected for lorries exceeding 3·5 tonnes, for the last three years for which the information is available.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Following is the information for the United Kingdom:

  Vehicle excise duty on lorries over 3£5 tonnes gvw

  £ million

  Rigid lorries

  Articulated lorries

  1984–85

  188

  206

  1985–86

  220

  213

  1986–87

  223

  220

  Rural Transport Development Fund
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many inquiries from prospective operators have been received in respect of grants from the rural transport development fund; how many applications have been made, how many grants have been given; and of what amounts.

  Dr. David Mitchell
  Since the fund was set up in 1986 the Development Commission, which administers it on behalf of the Department of Transport, has received 794 inquiries and 187 applications. A total of 110 grants have been approved, of which 95 have been paid so far. The
  701
  average grant approved for 81 scheduled services, mainly by minibuses and taxis, is about £8,500. Additionally, 18 county transport advisers have been appointed with help from the fund at an average grant of £6,250 pa for up to three years, and 11 other projects, such as publicity and surveys, have been approved at an average of £4,000. The commission has made grants of £650,000 so far, but has a total commitment of over £1 million.

  Roads Maintenance (Statistics)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide statistics of the total cost of motorway and other roads repairs and maintenance during the years 1981 to 1986 with estimates of the percentage of roads deterioration attributable to(a) wear and tear, (b) damage caused by lorries, (c) damage caused by cars and light vehicles and (d) damage caused by other transport modes.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Expenditure on carriageway maintenance in recent years has been as follows:

  £ millions, at 1985–86 prices (England only)

  National roads (motorway and trunk)

  Other roads

  1981–82

  1

  390

  1982–83

  147

  412

  1983–84

  125

  386

  1984–85

  149

  370

  1985–86

  123

  379

  1 Not available.

  The percentages of road deterioration due to weathering and traffic wear (or "damage") are not known.

  Traffic wear is due mostly to vehicles with high axle loadings. These are mostly heavy goods vehicles, but also include some public service vehicles. On trunk roads the heaviest vehicles with four or more axles are responsible
  702
  for three quarters of the damage. On principal roads the proportion is about one half, and on other roads about one third.

  Traffic Statistics
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide details of the increased totals in road traffic in the years from 1981 to 1986 for(a) lorries, (b) cars and (c) other transport modes and his forecast of the likely future trends in increased traffic for the next five years.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The information requested can be obtained from table 2.1 and table 2.42 of "Transport Statistics Great Britain 1976–86", a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

  Traffic (Damage)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide details of recent assessments of the damage caused to the environment by the impact of various modes of transport, lorries, cars and other road users.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The information is not readily available. A further response will be provided shortly.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the most recent estimates of the cost of damage to sewers and other underground services caused by the impact of various transport modes, specifying separately lorries and cars and other road users.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  No estimates have yet been made of this. It is difficult to assess the contribution which lorries make to the failure of underground services. Evidence to date suggests that this occurs only exceptionally and where apparatus is in a poor condition. A research project is in preparation to establish whether a significant relationship exists between failure rates and levels of traffic.

  CALVES: 1987 EXPORT FIGURES
  CALVES: 1987 EXPORT FIGURES