Written Answers of 5 May 1988

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Channel Islands
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the right of the individual petition has yet been ratified in accordance with article 63 of the convention with regard to the first protocol of the European convention on human rights for(a) the Bailiwick of Guernsey, (b) the Bailiwick of Jersey and (c) the Isle of Man; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The right of individual petition in accordance with article 25 of the European convention on human rights was renewed by Guernsey and Jersey for a period of five years with effect from January 1986. The first protocol to the convention was extended to Guernsey and Jersey in February 1988.

  The Isle of Man Government decided, in 1976, not to renew the right of individual petition and reaffirmed this decision on subsequent occasions. They are currently considering whether to have the first protocol to the convention extended to the island.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement regarding negotiations between Her Majesty's Government and the authorities in(a) Jersey and (b) Guernsey, concerning procedures relating to presentation of petitions from these islands and certain orders of the Privy Council of 1679; and if he will seek assurances that the procedure with regard to the registration of Acts of Parliament orders or letters of the Privy Council in those islands will not be changed without prior approval of Parliament.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Informal discussions on clarifying the procedures for appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council have taken place with the Attornys-General of Jersey and Guernsey. Any changes relating to the registration of Acts of Parliament, Orders or letters of the Privy Council would be matters requiring the approval of Her Majesty The Queen in Council.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the judges rules remain applicable in(a) the Channel Islands and (b) the Isle of Man where the Police and Criminal Evidence Act does not apply; whether the judges of the courts in those islands are empowered to alter or amend the judges rules; and what proposals there are to extend the Police and Criminal Evidence Act to those islands.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The judges rules, which have been replaced by the code of practice issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, do not apply in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and the courts in those islands have no power to amend or alter these rules. Principles similar to those laid down in the code of practice have been adopted in the islands. There is no provision whereby the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 could be extended to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
  532
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to whether legislation has yet been introduced in(a) the Channel Islands and (b) the Isle of Man to prevent discrimination on the basis of racial or ethnic origin or sex; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  No. But I have no doubt that the island authorities will be prepared to consider such legislation if circumstances required it.

  Gillow v. United Kingdom
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the financial costs incurred by the United Kingdom Government in the case of Gillow v. United Kingdom before the European Commission and Court of Human Rights; what part of those costs shall be borne by the island of Guernsey; and what measures have been taken by Her Majesty's Government as high contraction party to the convention for the island of Guernsey, to secure the rights and freedoms protected by the convention in that island in relation to the future application of the Housing Control of Occupation (Guernsey) Laws.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The sum of £12,869, agreed as compensation and costs to the plaintiff, has been paid by the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The Bailiwick will also he asked to reimburse the United Kingdom for costs to cover the employment of counsel at Strasbourg when these have been determined. Her Majesty's Government are satisfied that Guernsey will take full cognisance of its obligations under the convention in the application of the Housing Control of Occupation (Guernsey) laws.

  British Telecom (Telephone Logs)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with British Telecom to ensure that logs of telephone calls are in a form that can easily be used, if necessary, by the police and security services; whether he is satisfied with the established procedures for allowing access to such logs; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hurd
  I am not aware of problems arising in this area.

PRIME MINISTER

  Kilmarnock
  Mr McKelvey
  To ask the Prime Minister when she next intends to visit Kilmarnock.

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

  Ramsbottom
  Mr. Burt
  To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to pay an official visit to Ramsbottom.

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

  Prime Minister of Iceland
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to meet the Prime Minister of Iceland.

  The Prime Minister
  I have no plans to meet the Prime Minister of Iceland in the near future.

  Cyprus
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Prime Minister what discussions she had during her recent meeting with the President of Cyprus as to the future of British bases in Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  It is not my normal practice to give details of such discussions. President Vassiliou and I dealt with a number of matters of interest to both countries.

  Engagements
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  Mr. Leigh
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

  The Prime Minister
  This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today, including one with the Prime Minister of Hungary.

SCOTLAND

  Free School Meals
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the numbers of children in each local education authority who received free school meals(a) because their parents were on family income supplement and (b) at the discretion of the local education authority at the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  This information is not held centrally.

  NHS Nurses
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many(a) full-time and (b) part-time nurses work in the National Health Service in Scotland.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The latest information, which is provisional and relates to 30 September 1987, is as follows:534

  Nursing staff in the NHS in Scotland

  Whole-time

  Part-time

  Qualified

  26,756

  14,183

  In training

  10,805

  40

  Unqualified

  8,743

  13,170

  Total

  46,304

  27,393

  Rating Reform
  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, further to his written answer on 28 January,Official Report, column 325, he will clarify the circumstances in which health boards could be designated responsible persons for the purposes of the community charge; about whom the information will he requested; and what kinds of information health boards would be required to provide.

  Mr. Lang
  Under section 17(6) of the Abolition of Domestic Rates Etc. (Scotland) Act 1987 the responsible person who is required to supply information in respect of premises for community charge registration purposes is defined as the owner-occupier or tenant-occupier of the premises or, where there is no such person, the owner or any tenant who has a lease of 12 months or more. The Act also provides that any other person may be designated as a responsible person by the community charges registration officer. In the case, for example, of nurses' homes, it is therefore possible that health boards, or one of their officers, would be, or would be designated as, responsible persons. The responsible person is required to provide the information about persons solely or mainly resident on the premises requested in the inquiry form or the supplementary inquiry form prescribed in schedules 3 and 4 of the Community Charges (Registration) (Scotland) Regulations 1988.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether any official publicity material in relation to the community charge, that either has been given to members of the public on request, or has appeared in the Scottish newspapers, informs future community charge payers that their name and address may be sold without their consent or knowledge;

  (2) whether any official publicity material in relation to the community charge, that either has been given to members of the public on request, or has appeared in the Scottish newspapers, informs future community charge payers that their name and address on the register may be inspected by police, Inland Revenue, the Department of Health and Social Security and other organisations without their consent or knowledge.

  Mr. Lang
  No.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will ensure that any future official publicity material in relation to the community charge will inform future community charge payers that their name and address may be sold without their consent or knowledge, and that their name and address on the register may be inspected by police, Inland Revenue, the Department of Health and Social Security and other organisations without their consent or knowledge.

  Mr. Lang
  My right hon. and learned Friend is considering whether any restriction should be put on the
  535
  availability for sale of the publicly available parts of the community charges register. It is made clear in the notice to be sent to registered persons informing them of their entry in the community charges register (schedule 1 to the Community Charges (Registration) (Scotland) Regulations 1988) that the parts of the register showing names, addresses and collective community charge mulipliers applying to certain premises will be made publicly available. My right hon. and learned Friend will consider in due course whether any further publicity should be given to these points.

  Laboratories
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all the laboratories now operating in Scotland with their respective specialities and the number of(a) specialised, (b) auxiliary and (c) ancillary staff, at each establishment.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  In respect of the National Health Service information is not held centrally in precisely the form requested. The available information, including manpower, is contained in "Laboratory Statistics" published by Information and Statistics Division, Scottish Health Service Common Services Agency. The information relates to individual laboratories at each establishment, in the following groups: clinical chemistry, haematology, microbiology and pathology. Copies of the latest edition, for the year ending 31 March 1985, are held in the Library.

  Retail Developments
  Mr. Carrington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many retail developments are currently the subject of planning appeals before him; and what is(a) their total square footage, (b) the number with a square footage at or above 100,000 sq ft and (c) the total square footage of the appeals in (b).

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  It is estimated that there are over 60 current appeals with a retail element of which about half are likely to have a floor area in excess of 100,000 sq ft.

  Student Fees
  Mr. Allan Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will announce the fees to be charged to students attending Scottish institutions other than universities in the academic year 1988–89.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  For the academic year 1988–89 my right hon. and learned Friend has prescribed the following fee levels for home students and for students from other European Community (EC) countries on full-time advanced courses in the central institutions and colleges of education (fees for 1987–88 are shown in brackets):

  £

  Postgraduate courses

  1,800 (1,730)

  Undergraduate and equivalent courses

  578 (556)

  For non-advanced courses, the central institutions and colleges of education will be invited to set their own fees, by having regard to fees charged for comparable courses at local authority further education colleges.
  536
  Fees for home and other EC students on courses at local authority colleges are the responsibility of the local authorities. I understand that the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has decided to recommend fees for such students as follows:

  £

  Postgraduate courses

  1,800(1,760)

  Advanced full-time courses

  578 (556)

  Non-advanced full-time courses

  440 (360)

  For overseas students the Government's policy is that students should pay fees that cover the cost of their education. Local authorities and institutions are free to determine the fees to be charged in accordance with that policy, and in the light of their own circumstances. I understand that COSLA has decided to recommend to local authorities the following fees for students at local authority colleges paying the overseas rate who began their courses on or after 1 September 1980:

  £

  Advanced courses

  3,890 (3,720)

  Non-advanced courses

  2,145(2,055)

  Bathing Waters
  Sir Hector Monro
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will announce the results for the 1987 season of monitoring the Scottish bathing waters identified under the European Community's bathing waters directive; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The monitoring results for 1987 are set out in summary form in the table. Nineteen out of 23 waters monitored met the directive's standards. My Department expects to publish shortly a full report on the quality of the bathing waters during the 1986 and 1987 seasons, and I shall make a further statement at that time.

  Result table

  Nairn

  Pass

  Cullen

  Pass

  Fraserburgh

  Pass

  Aberdeen

  Pass

  Montrose

  Pass

  Arbroath

  Pass

  Carnoustie

  Pass

  St. Andrews

  Pass

  Kinghorn

  Pass

  Aberdour

  Pass

  Gullane

  Pass

  North Berwick

  Pass

  Yellowcraigs

  Pass

  Dunbar

  Pass

  Pease Bay

  Pass

  Sandyhills

  Pass

  Girvan

  Fail

  Turnberry

  Fail

  Ayr

  Fail

  Prestwick

  Pass

  Troon (South)

  Pass

  Irvine-Gailes

  Fail

  Saltcoats/Ardrossan

  Pass

EMPLOYMENT

  Information Technology Centres
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average cost per trainee at an information technology education centre; and how long does the course last.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Information technology centres provide a range of training, most of it under YTS. In 1987–88 the annual cost to the Manpower Services Commission per YTS trainee was £4,224. As with all YTS schemes, information technology centres provide up to two years of vocational training for unemployed 16-year-olds and up to one year of training for unemployed 17-year-olds.

  Job Training Scheme
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many filled places were there on the new job training scheme on 31 March.

  Mr. Nicholls
  At 25 March 1988, the latest date for which figures are available, 30,435 formerly unemployed people were participating in the new job training scheme.

  Disposable Income
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the aggregate disposable income in 1979, showing the median, the lowest and highest deciles, and the lower and upper quartiles, for(a) all households in the United Kingdom and (b) Greater London, in an adjusted form on the current basis, as if the housing benefit scheme had applied at that date, as provided for 1983 in the answer in the Official Report, 22 July 1987, columns 211–12.

  Mr. Lee
  It is not possible to produce estimates from the 1979 family expenditure survey on the same basis as those provided for 1983 in the Official Report, 22 July 1987, columns 211–12.

WALES

  Housing
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many dwellings have been purchased by each of the local housing authorities in Wales from the private housing sector in each of the past five years.

  Mr. Grist
  The information requested is given in the following table:

  Acquisition of Dwellings by Local Authorities 1983–87

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  Aberconwy

  1

  3

  4

  0

  2

  Alyn and Deeside

  15

  2

  12

  3

  2

  Arfon

  9

  18

  7

  4

  1

  Blaenau Gwent

  3

  5

  0

  4

  32

  Brecknock

  0

  0

  2

  5

  21

  Cardiff

  5

  0

  3

  5

  4

  Carmarthen

  0

  0

  5

  12

  7

  Ceredigion

  4

  7

  3

  0

  0

  Colwyn

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Cynon Valley

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Delyn

  0

  0

  1

  0

  1

  538

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  Dinefwr

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Dwyfor

  5

  0

  0

  4

  9

  Glyndwr

  0

  1

  1

  0

  0

  Islwyn

  1

  0

  4

  1

  1

  Llanelli

  0

  1

  0

  1

  0

  Lliw Valley

  2

  0

  0

  0

  9

  Meirionnydd

  3

  0

  0

  1

  1

  Merthyr Tydfil

  0

  4

  0

  62

  1

  Monmouth

  0

  0

  5

  12

  19

  Montgomeryshire

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Neath

  14

  0

  5

  40

  26

  Newport

  10

  4

  1

  61

  89

  Ogwr

  6

  3

  44

  39

  67

  Port Talbot

  0

  7

  0

  0

  0

  Preseli

  15

  26

  17

  12

  3

  Radnor

  0

  0

  0

  2

  4

  Rhondda

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Rhuddlan

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  Rhymney Valley

  6

  3

  6

  11

  64

  South Pembrokeshire

  0

  1

  2

  0

  0

  Swansea

  7

  2

  1

  3

  9

  Taff-Ely

  3

  0

  0

  15

  3

  Torfaen

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Vale of Glamorgan

  0

  0

  2

  5

  7

  Wrexham

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Ynys Mon

  4

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Total

  113

  88

  126

  302

  384

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide additional finance for Alyn and Deeside district council for housing repairs, maintenance and rehabilitation schemes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Grist
  Alyn and Deeside district council receives an appropriate share of the capital allocation which we make to housing authorities, and resources are also made available towards the activities of the housing associations in the area. The authority has not bid against additional resources the Department has available for enveloping and block repair schemes.

  Free School Meals
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the number of children in each local education authority who received free school meals(a) because their parents were in receipt of family income supplement and (b) at the discretion of the local education authority, at the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  In September 1987 an estimated 82,236 children received school meals because their parents were in receipt of supplementary benefit or family income support. But information about the numbers in each category is not available. A further 7,314 children received free school meals at the discretion of the local education authority.

  Nurses and Midwives
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list for each year since 1981 the number of whole-time equivalent qualified nurses working in Wales in(a) hospital maternity units and (b) special care baby units;

  (2) if he will list for each year since 1981 the number of whole-time equivalent qualified midwives working in Wales (a) in hospital maternity units, (b) in special care baby units, (c) in education and (d) as community midwives.
  539
  Mr. Grist
  [holding answer 26 April 1988]: Information taken primarily from the NHS payroll is not sufficiently detailed to distinguish reliably between the occupational categories of nurses and midwives requested.

  Tropical Woods
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advice his Department is giving to local authorities and other institutional users of tropical woods in Wales about the use of wood from unsustainable sources; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  [holding answer 3 May 1988]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley) by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Industry on 21 April, at column 534.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Crown Prosecution Service
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Attorney-General if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Birkenhead on 26 April,Official Report, column 64 he will set out the criteria the Crown Prosecution Service uses in judging whether time occupied by earlier court proceedings has occasioned staleness of a significance sufficient for criminal proceedings not to be instituted.

  The Attorney-General
  Each case will be viewed in the light of its particular circumstances and of the considerations set out in paragraph 8, in particular, of the code for Crown prosecutors to which my previous answer referred.

  The code for Crown prosecutors may be found in the annual report made by the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Attorney-General. Copies of the director's first report were placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 13 August 1987. This was announced on 21 October 1987, at column 743.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Pupil-Teacher Ratios
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present pupil-teacher ratio for(a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England and Wales.

  Mr. Dunn
  In January 1987 the pupil-teacher ratios in maintained primary and secondary schools in England were 21·9 and 15·6, respectively. Information for schools in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Polytechnics
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those colleges which have given a definite indication of their intention to apply to join the Polytechnics Central Funding Council sector by 30 April and whose full-time equivalent enrolment numbers for courses of advanced further education on 1 November 1985 did not exceed 55 per cent. of their total full-time equivalent enrolment numbers on that date.

  Mr. Jackson
  The following colleges have given a provisional indication of their wish that the Secretary of 540
  State should exercise the power conferred by clause 106(1) of the Education Reform Bill to incorporate them within the PCFC sector with effect from 1 April 1989, subject to the Bill's obtaining the Royal Assent:

  Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education

  Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology

  Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology

  Harrow College of Higher Education

  Luton College of Higher Education

  Further Education Colleges
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will issue guidance on the way in which the governing bodies of further education colleges should be reformed so as to meet the requirements of clauses 132 and 133 of the Education Reform Bill; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  I am today issuing draft guidance which sets out how I would expect college governing bodies to be reformed and their instruments of government revised in order to meet the requirements of clauses 132 and 133 of the Education Reform Bill if it receives Royal Assent in its present form. The draft guidance is being issued now in order to inform discussion of the further education clauses during the remaining stages of the Bill's passage through Parliament, to help local education authorities, colleges and others to prepare for the reconstitution of governing bodies as envisaged by the Bill, and to give all concerned an early opportunity to comment. Draft guidance on the provisions I would expect to see contained in the planning and delegation schemes envisaged by clause 121 of the Bill was issued on 21 April.

  Copies of the draft guidance have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and in the Vote Office. They are also being sent to local education authorities, further and higher education colleges, and a range of interested bodies, with a request for any comments by 22 July 1988.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Regional Development Grant
  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many applications were awaiting determination on 1 April for(a) regional development grant and (b) RSFA in the Corby development area.

  Mr. Atkins
  The number of applications awaiting determination on 1 April 1988 for the Corby development area was:

  Number

  (a) Regional Development Grant

  245

  (b) RSA

  9

  Consumer Protection
  Dr. Reid
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received seeking new legislation to protect consumers; and how he intends to respond.

  Mr. Butcher
  Suggestions for new legislation to protect consumers are received from a wide group of organisations and individuals. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 February to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Darling), which set out information on plans for new legislation for the protection of consumers.

  Copyright, Designs and Patents Bill
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps are being taken to extend the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Bill[Lords] to (a) the Channel Islands and (b) the Isle of Man: and what other measures are being taken to ensure that the intended purposes of this legislation are not avoided by persons or businesses in the United Kingdom, based in those island territories.

  Mr. Butcher
  Part I of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Bill contains provision under which it may be extended to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man by Order in Council. In accordance with normal practice it will be for the islands themselves to decide if and to what extent it should be so extended. The Isle of Man is understood to be considering introducing new legislation of its own on copyright, in parallel with the United Kingdom Bill, and in this event extension of the provisions of the Bill is unlikely to be appropriate.

  Financial Services Act 1987
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions have taken place with the authorities of(a) the Channel Islands, and (b) the Isle of Man regarding the implementation of the Financial Services Act in those territories; and if he will make a statement on the nature of these discussions in respect of (i) investment businesses and (ii) other businesses.

  Mr. Maude
  Guernsey and the Isle of Man have been designated under section 130 of the Financial Services Act as having a law in relation to insurance companies which affords adequate protection to policyholders and potential policyholders. My Department has also had discussions with the authorities of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man regarding the possible designation of those territories under section 87 of the Financial Services Act in relation to collective investment schemes.

  Businesses (Houghton and Washington)
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what figures are available for the growth in the number of businesses in Houghton and Washington.

  Mr. Atkins
  Comprehensive information on the lines requested is not available. However, data collected on the setting up of new manufacturing firms employing more than 10 people show that 20 such firms have opened since January 1985 currently employing more than 1,600 people. The full employment implications of these openings, particularly the inward investment cases, have yet to fully work through. For example, excluded from this data is the forecast of an additional 2,400 jobs at Nissan to bring the total employment to 3,500 by 1992.

  Manufacturing Investment (North-East)
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the figures for manufacturing investment in the north-east for each year since 1979.

  Mr. Atkins
  The available information is shown in the following table:542

  Net capital expenditure1 in manufacturing industry in the North-East2 at 1980 prices

  Year

  Net capital expenditure £ million

  1979

  600

  1980

  396

  1981

  254

  1982

  247

  1983

  247

  1984

  281

  1985

  350

  1986

  297

  1 Excluding leased assets.

  2 The North-East comprises Cleveland, Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.

  Source: Annual Census of Production.

  Technology Industries (North-East)
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to encourage the growth of new technology industries in the north-east of England.

  Mr. Atkins
  Industry in the north-east will be greatly encouraged by the enterprise initiative, with major new initiatives covering 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, and regional selective assistance where clearly necessary to bring about good projects.

  New and existing high technology firms and industries will also be encouraged by the work of other organisations in the region receiving support from DTI and from other Government Departments, including the Northern Development Company, English Estates North and the urban development corporations. Taken together with the priority given to new technology by the city action team and the task forces, and the work of others in the region involved in technology transfer and industry/education, this represents a strongly supportive environment and infrastructure for high technology industry to succeed in the north-east.

  Gross Domestic Product
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the increase for domestic product per capita in each of the regions of the United Kingdom since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  Estimates of gross domestic product per capita in each of the regions of the United Kingdom were published in the November 1987 edition of Economic Trends, a copy of which is available in the House Library.

  Increases in gross domestic product per capita between 1979 and 1986 are provided for the specified regions in the table:

  Gross domestic product1 per capita from 1979 to 19862

  1979

  19862

  Increase £/head

  Increase per cent.

  North

  2,701

  5,142

  2,441

  90

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  2,754

  5,215

  2,461

  89

  East Midlands

  2,840

  5,378

  2,538

  89

  East Anglia

  2,778

  5,643

  2,865

  103

  543

  1979

  19862

  Increase £/head

  Increase per cent.

  South East

  3,417

  6,575

  3,158

  92

  South West

  2,749

  5,380

  2,631

  96

  West Midlands

  2,828

  5,069

  2,241

  79

  North West

  2,854

  5,232

  2,378

  83

  Wales

  2,618

  4,795

  2,177

  83

  Scotland

  2,829

  5,234

  2,405

  85

  Northern Ireland

  2,316

  3,889

  1,573

  68

  United Kingdom3

  2,964

  5,597

  2,633

  89

  1 Gross domestic product at factor cost, current prices.

  2 1986 figures are provisional.

  3 Excluding Continental Shelf.

  Steel and Aluminium Forgings Industry
  Mr. Leigh
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the output of the steel and aluminium forgings industry in(a) 1987 and (b)

  Mr. Atkins
  The figures are as follows. Separate figures are not available for aluminium forgings.

  Deliveries of forgings

  000's tonnes

  Steel forgings

  Other forgings

  1986

  19·7

  174·3

  1987

  23·3

  223·2

  Source: ISSB (steel forgings).

  British Forgings Industry Association (other forgings).

  Opportunity Japan Campaign
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on his Department's Opportunity Japan campaign.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The Opportunity Japan campaign is being mounted by senior British business men with the support of the Department of Trade and Industry and the British Overseas Trade Board. It will aim to heighten United Kingdom companies' awareness of the increasing opportunities offered by the strategically important Japanese market and will stress the arguments for tackling it now with the appropriate long-term commitment.

  This message will be elaborated by His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, vice chairman of the British Overseas Trade Board, Cabinet Ministers and business men experienced in Japan at briefing meetings for targeted company chief executives. These will be held in June and July at venues throughout the country.

  Scottish and Newcastle Brewery plc
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Scottish and Newcastle company has filed accounts and an annual return for the last financial year with Companies House.

  Mr. Maude
  Scottish and Newcastle Brewery plc filed accounts made up to 3 May 1987 with Companies House, Edinburgh, on 8 September 1987 and an annual return made up to 10 September 1987 on 22 October 1987.

  These documents are available for inspection.

DEFENCE

  Heanor Hospital, Derbyshire
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received any representations regarding the status of Heanor hospital, Derbyshire, as a war memorial.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have recently received a letter from my hon. Friend about this and I will write to him shortly. No other representations have been received to date.

  Israel
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military assistance has been given to Israel by the United Kingdom since 1982; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ian Stewart
  Military assistance for Israel has been limited since the imposition of arms sales restrictions in 1982. Israel continues to pay for some places on United Kingdom training courses. All requests for training and exchanges of information are considered on a case-by-case basis.

  Gibraltar (Shootings)
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his negotiations with the Gibraltar coroner on how three SAS men will give their evidence into the deaths of three IRA terrorists without revealing their identities at the inquest.

  Mr. Ian Stewart
  No discussions about arrangements for military personnel to give evidence to the inquest have yet taken place.

  Chemical Warfare Establishments
  Mr. Page
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has yet made arrangements for the exchange of visits between the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down and the Soviet chemical warfare facility at Shikhany.

  Mr. Ian Stewart
  An exchange of visits between the Chemical Defence Establishment (CDE) at Porton Down and the Soviet chemical warfare facility at Shikhany was originally suggested by the United Kingdom in 1986. At that time the Soviet Union had not yet acknowledged that it possessed chemical warfare (CW) stocks, but it did so in early 1987. It accepted the idea of an exchange of visits in principle towards the end of last year.

  Arrangements have now been made for the Soviet Union to send an official team to visit Porton Down from 24 to 26 May, as the first part of the exchange of visits. In return, a United Kingdom team will visit Shikhany in July for an equivalent period. These visits are designed to improve confidence and understanding between Britain and the USSR in the context of the continuing negotiations of the conference on disarmament in Geneva for a comprehensive and global ban on chemical weapons, which is one of NATO's arms control priorities. They will involve the exchange of scientific, technical and military information on CW-related matters.

  Since the United Kingdom abandoned its chemical weapons capability in the 1950s, the role of the CDE is

  545
  research into protective measures for United Kingdom armed forces for defensive purposes. The Soviet CW complex at Shikhany, on the other hand, is part of their substantial capability for the research, development and production of chemical weapons.

  The programme at Porton Down will be designed to maximise the opportunities for the exchange of information and for building confidence between the two sides. In addition to the visit to CDE, it will include a tour of the other facilities and organisations at Porton Down, including the United Kingdom defence nuclear biological and chemical centre and the DHSS public health laboratory service centre for applied micro-biological research. At CDE the facilities to be visited will include research and trials units, and the recently constructed facility for the destruction of old CW agents. It is intended that the full range of CW-related issues should be discussed during the visit, including production, assessment of the CW hazard, storage, trials, detection, protection, monitoring, decontamination, medical countermeasures and disposal.

  NHS directly employed staff

  Trent Regional Health Authority

  Whole-time equivalents1

  District health authorities

  Ancillary

  Nursing2 and midwifery

  Medical3 and dental

  Administrative4 and clerical

  Others5

  Total

  At 30 September 1982

  North Derbyshire

  722

  1,875

  84

  293

  320

  3,294

  South Derbyshire

  1,672

  3,939

  202

  891

  1,216

  7,920

  Leicestershire (T)

  2,803

  6,176

  574

  1,479

  1,573

  12,604

  North Lincolnshire

  1,103

  2,272

  123

  515

  794

  4,807

  South Lincolnshire

  813

  1,803

  96

  384

  334

  3,431

  Bassetlaw

  219

  591

  35

  139

  124

  1,107

  Central Nottinghamshire

  1,113

  2,019

  99

  440

  489

  4,160

  Nottingham (T)

  2,702

  5,181

  557

  1,510

  1,938

  11,887

  Barnsley

  623

  1,445

  109

  389

  329

  2,896

  Doncaster

  778

  2,311

  126

  457

  392

  4,063

  Rotherham

  712

  1,563

  87

  361

  344

  3,068

  Sheffield (T)

  3,183

  6,092

  629

  1,507

  1,554

  12,964

  RHA HQ and HQ units

  122

  90

  *780

  656

  830

  2,477

  Regional total

  16,564

  35,354

  63,500

  9,019

  10,237

  74,674

  At 30 September 1983

  North Derbyshire

  729

  1,913

  83

  315

  342

  3,383

  South Derbyshire

  1,619

  3,860

  208

  839

  1,249

  7,774

  Leicestershire (T)

  2,727

  6,065

  596

  1,411

  1,619

  12,419

  North Lincolnshire

  1,052

  2,260

  110

  537

  800

  4,759

  South Lincolnshire

  809

  1,874

  98

  401

  354

  3,536

  Bassetlaw

  219

  597

  35

  144

  126

  1,120

  Central Nottinghamshire

  1,116

  2,038

  101

  435

  501

  4,191

  Nottingham (T)

  2,590

  5,168

  564

  1,412

  1,949

  11,684

  Barnsley

  604

  1,454

  111

  373

  328

  2,869

  Doncaster

  766

  2,318

  125

  444

  409

  4,061

  Rotherham

  708

  1,532

  93

  348

  352

  3,033

  Sheffield (T)

  3,101

  6,068

  649

  1,431

  1,573

  12,822

  RHA HQ and HQ units

  118

  85

  *815

  930

  826

  2,774

  Regional total

  16,158

  35,230

  63,586

  9,020

  10,428

  74,423

  At 30 September 1984

  North Derbyshire

  788

  1,964

  91

  356

  404

  3,602

  South Derbyshire

  1,479

  3,867

  214

  860

  1,325

  7,744

  Leicestershire (T)

  2,580

  6,017

  592

  1,488

  1,765

  12,442

  North Lincolnshire

  945

  2,293

  111

  541

  820

  4,710

  South Lincolnshire

  744

  1,905

  95

  422

  380

  3,546

  Bassetlaw

  207

  624

  32

  149

  152

  1,163

  Central Nottinghamshire

  1,026

  2,071

  108

  474

  550

  4,229

  SOCIAL SERVICES
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his departmental budget includes any sums earmarked for HIV testing of pregnant mothers.

  Mr. Newton
  No. However, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his announcement on 3 November 1987 about future spending plans for health and personal social services, the additional money for AIDS over £50 million was intended, among other things, to help develop preventive, counselling and diagnostic services. A copy of the announcement has been placed in the Library.

  Staffing (Trent Region)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the staffing levels in each health authority within the Trent region for the last five years in the categories(a) ancillary posts, (b) nursing, (c) medical dental, (d) administration and clerical, and (e) other grades, including ambulance staff and technicians.

  Mr. Newton
  The information requested is shown in the tables.
  547

  District health authorities

  Ancillary

  Nursing2 and midwifery

  Medical3 and dental

  Administrative4 and clerical

  Others5

  Total

  Nottingham (T)

  2,299

  5,251

  554

  1,449

  2,026

  11,579

  Barnsley

  556

  1,474

  108

  371

  344

  2,853

  Doncaster

  711

  2,301

  129

  439

  434

  4,012

  Rotherham

  648

  1,593

  87

  354

  377

  3,058

  Sheffield (T)

  2,851

  6,098

  668

  1,473

  1,646

  12,736

  RHA HQ and HQ units

  110

  86

  *870

  952

  800

  2,818

  Regional total

  14,942

  35,545

  63,656

  9,328

  11,020

  74,492

  At 30 September 1985

  North Derbyshire

  729

  2,052

  97

  383

  439

  3,700

  South Derbyshire

  1,377

  3,876

  203

  825

  1,328

  7,609

  Leicestershire (T)

  2,454

  6,289

  636

  1,456

  1,819

  12,654

  North Lincolnshire

  854

  2,247

  123

  497

  850

  4,570

  South Lincolnshire

  702

  1,965

  98

  430

  400

  3,596

  Bassetlaw

  194

  664

  36

  154

  165

  1,213

  Central Nottinghamshire

  966

  2,136

  109

  452

  557

  4,220

  Nottingham (T)

  2,151

  5,506

  581

  1,387

  2,096

  11,721

  Barnsley

  505

  1,551

  107

  348

  353

  2,863

  Doncaster

  667

  2,325

  117

  422

  442

  3,973

  Rotherham

  623

  1,668

  105

  332

  390

  3,118

  Sheffield (T)

  2,672

  6,307

  662

  1,444

  1,677

  12,763

  RHA HQ and HQ Units

  97

  85

  *885

  885

  819

  2,770

  Regional total

  13,990

  36,671

  63,759

  9,014

  11,335

  74,768

  At 30 September 1986

  North Derbyshire

  624

  2,128

  107

  402

  492

  3,752

  South Derbyshire

  1,284

  3,855

  203

  830

  1,335

  7,506

  Leicestershire (T)

  2,196

  6,349

  640

  1,440

  1,838

  12,463

  North Lincolnshire

  828

  2,316

  114

  499

  867

  4,623

  South Lincolnshire

  637

  2,022

  93

  422

  423

  3,597

  Bassetlaw

  190

  687

  37

  134

  161

  1,210

  Central Nottinghamshire

  885

  2,193

  101

  449

  573

  4,200

  Nottingham (T)

  1,976

  5,339

  586

  1,247

  2,053

  11,200

  Barnsley

  488

  1,614

  102

  330

  367

  2,901

  Doncaster

  631

  2,432

  103

  427

  464

  4,057

  Rotherham

  584

  1,768

  101

  332

  412

  3,197

  Sheffield (T)

  2,555

  6,327

  684

  1,448

  1,729

  12,743

  RHA HQ and HQ Units

  97

  93

  *907

  940

  827

  2,864

  Regional total

  12,973

  37,122

  63,778

  8,900

  11,539

  74,313

  Source: DHSS annual censuses of NHS medical and non-medical manpower.

  1 All figures are independently rounded to the nearest whole-time equivalent.

  2 Includes agency staff.

  3 Includes permanent paid, honorary and locum staff. Excludes consultants from non-teaching districts and senior registrars from all districts—these staff have their contracts with the regional health authority and are shown at * above.

  4 Includes general managers.

  5 Professional and technical, works, maintenance and ambulance staff.

  6 Includes senior staff (see note 3) whose contracts are held by the regional health authority.

  Waltham Forest (Hospital Beds)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the numbers of(a) acute and (b) care of the elderly beds in each hospital in the Waltham Forest district in 1975 and in each year since 1979.

  Mrs. Currie
  The information requested is given in the table.

  The average daily number of available beds for the acute and geriatric specialties in each hospital in Waltham Forest DHA

  Average available beds

  Name of hospital

  Year

  Acute

  Geriatric

  Chingford Hospital

  1975

  79·8

  5·4

  1979

  78·2

  20·1

  1980

  56·1

  50·9

  1981

  44·4

  61·1

  1982

  42·0

  59·3

  1983

  40·3

  41·6

  548

  Average available beds

  Name of hospital

  Year

  Acute

  Geriatric

  1984

  32·6

  43·8

  1985

  33·0

  45·0

  1986

  19·0

  45·7

  Connaught Hospital (closed 1977)

  1975

  111·5

  —

  Harts Hospital(closed 26 May 1984)

  1975

  62·0

  —

  1979

  15·4

  52·8

  1980

  14·3

  47·4

  1981

  17·4

  57·4

  1982

  20·0

  58·0

  1983

  20·0

  58·0

  1984

  3·2

  18·4

  Langthorne Hospital

  1975

  —

  460·5

  1979

  —

  350·4

  1980

  —

  356·6

  1981

  —

  359·6

  1982

  —

  339·6

  549

  Average available beds

  Name of hospital

  Year

  Acute

  Geriatric

  1983

  —

  296·9

  1984

  —

  222·0

  1985

  —

  213·5

  1986

  —

  194·8

  Wanstead Hospital

  1975

  158·1

  —

  1979

  150·6

  —

  1980

  146·7

  —

  1981

  134·7

  —

  1982

  120·4

  —

  1983

  134·1

  —

  1984

  82·4

  22·5

  1985

  98·3

  23·5

  1986

  106·2

  21·3

  Whipps Cross Hospital

  1975

  680·0

  82·6

  1979

  645·0

  83·0

  1980

  644·5

  64·4

  1981

  636·3

  54·3

  1982

  659·7

  49·9

  1983

  640·4

  70·1

  1984

  589·5

  116·0

  1985

  572·7

  114·8

  1986

  568·7

  121·5

  Woodford Jubilee Hospital (closed August 1986)

  1975

  45·0

  —

  1979

  46·4

  —

  1980

  45·1

  —

  1981

  29·2

  —

  1982

  46·1

  —

  1983

  46·4

  —

  1984

  35·0

  —

  1985

  21·0

  —

  Forest Hospital

  1975

  39·8

  —

  1979

  39·1

  —

  1980

  37·2

  —

  1981

  39·6

  —

  1982

  36·6

  —

  1983

  14·8

  —

  1984

  34·0

  —

  1985

  29·7

  —

  1986

  19·2

  —

  Lugano Nursing Home (closed 31 May 1983)

  1975

  26·0

  —

  1979

  26·0

  —

  1980

  26·0

  —

  1981

  26·0

  —

  1982

  24·7

  —

  1983

  10·8

  —

  NHS Property
  Mr. Ernie Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the total cost of the work requiring to be carried out on National Health Service properties identified by the National Audit Office report of 28 March, HC 405.

  Mrs. Currie
  The notional cost of bringing all National Health Service properties in England up to an adequate condition is estimated to be of the order of £1·8 billion. It would be wasteful to devote resources to bring every property to an adequate condition, since some are empty and awaiting disposal and some are planned for replacement. In England the NHS target is to have 70 per cent. of properties in an adequate condition and at present 68 per cent. are considered to be so.

  Social Security Reform
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give details of the changes to social security benefits which were announced on 27 April.

  Mr. Scott
  The measures announced last week included changes to the rules of the housing benefit, income support and family credit schemes and arrangements to provide transitional protection to those claimants in vulnerable groups who have lost significant sums at the point of change to the new schemes.

  First, we propose to increase the limit on the amount of capital which renders a claimant ineligible for receipt of housing benefit to £8,000. Subject to the necessary consultation with local authorities and others, this change will be made as soon as possible to take effect from the date when the regulations become effective.

  Secondly, some minor changes are being made to the detailed rules of income support and, where applicable, housing benefit and family credit. In particular, we are amending the procedures for taking account of the value of a home no longer occupied by a claimant: for example, because the claimant has been admitted to long-term residential care or has left the marital home because the marriage has broken down. There will now be a period of 26 weeks to allow for the disposal of the property, with provision for extension in exceptional cases of genuine difficulty. Other detailed changes, including those to provide transitional protection to people affected by the changes in rules relating to full-time work, are described in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Saffron Walden (Mr. Haselhurst) on 28 April. at columns 253–54.

  The third main change is the introduction of a measure of transitional protection for pensioners, including those in receipt of a widow's pension, long-term sick and disabled people (including those in receipt of industrial injuries benefit), lone parents and families with children who have lost significant sums in housing benefit as a result of the changes introduced on 1 April. The scheme will include those in the relevant groups with capital between £6,000 and £8,000 who will have lost all entitlement to housing benefit between 1 April and the operative date of the change to the capital rule.

  The precise way in which assessments will be carried out will be decided in the light of detailed discussions with the representatives of local authorities about the information that can readily be provided. The main basis for payments will be a comparison between the cash sum received by claimants as housing benefit and housing benefit supplement immediately before 1 April and their present cash amount of housing benefit. For those affected by the change to the capital rules the comparison will be with the cash entitlement after the new limit of £8,000 is applied. The comparison will be adjusted to take account of the minimum contribution claimants are required to make to domestic rates which will not be eligible for any protection beyond that already included in the personal allowances. Transitional payments will be designed to ensure that the resulting cash difference does not exceed £2·50 a week. Payments of family income supplement and family credit will be taken into account in making the comparison, with an allowance for the loss of entitlement to free school meals.

  These transitional payments will be made from a new departmental central unit to be located in Glasgow.

  551
  Payments will be made monthly, or less frequently for small amounts, continuing unless there is a significant change in the claimant's circumstances. They will not be uprated and, as is usual with transitional arrangements, will be phased out as increases in benefits and other changes reduce the necessity for them. The period of phasing will vary from case to case, but for the larger losses protection may be necessary for some time. The new unit will not be fully operational for some weeks, but detailed procedures for claiming these payments will be announced as soon as possible and payments will be backdated to 1 April.

  We estimate that the full benefit cost of these measures will be some £100 million in the current financial year. Parliamentary approval for the payments will be sought in a Supplementary Estimate; pending that approval, urgent expenditure of up to £25 million will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund. The provision for administrative costs of local authorities in paying housing benefit will also be adjusted as necessary to reflect additional work arising from these changes.

  Family Credit
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received about the introduction of family credit.

  Mr. Scott
  The introduction of family credit has been widely welcomed.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the administrative arrangements to be used to implement the amendments to the housing benefit regulations announced by him on 27 April; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 3 May, at column 424.

  South Manchester Community Health Council
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will be responding to the correspondence sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, on matters raised by the South Manchester community health council; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moore
  I replied to the right hon. Member on 28 April.

  Community Care
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received on the implications of the Griffiths report on care in the community.

  Mr. Newton
  We have received a number of comments on Sir Roy Griffiths' report and will take account of them in framing our own proposals.

  Rating Reform
  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, after the introduction of the proposed community charge, claimants will be informed 552
  when their names and addresses are passed to the community charge registration officer of the local authority area in which they live.

  Mr. Scott
  Yes. Detailed arrangements are still being developed in consultation with the local authority associations, but the intention is that the letters and forms that are to be given to income support claimants will make clear the circumstances in which a claimant's name and address are passed to the community charge registration officer.

  Mr. Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement outlining the guidelines to his local offices for deciding eligibility to benefits for those claimants whose previously owned capital sum is held in trust; and if he will indicate specifically whether such guidelines take account of any legal variations pertaining to the laws of trust between Scotland and England.

  Mr. Portillo
  The Chief Adjudication Officer is responsible for providing guidance to local adjudication officers who decide claims for income support. Guidance on the treatment of capital held in trust is contained in volume 3, paragraphs 30401 to 30464, of the Adjudication Officers' Guide, a copy of which is in the Library. Paragraphs 30421 to 30428 of the AOG contain advice about the different rules of intestacy in Scotland and England.

  Office of Population Censuses and Surveys
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list each Office of Population Censuses and Surveys monitor published since 1 January 1987, giving the title, date and numbers of copies distributed to date; how many have been distributed free of charge to(a) Government, National Health Service and other users and (b) press; and how many have been sold so far and at what price.

  Mrs. Currie
  Up to 31 December 1987. OPCS monitors were available free of charge. Following a review of published statistical data, with effect from 1 January 1988, some of the monitors were discontinued and a charging system for the continued monitors was introduced. A copy of the new arrangements has been placed in the Library.

  The information requested is as follows. The sales figures are the numbers sold between 1 January and 29 April 1988.

  Monitor Reference No. WR Series

  Title: Registrar General's Weekly Return for England and Wales

  Date published: Weekly

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,415 approx. weekly

  (b)The Press: 10

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. VS Series

  Title: Live births, Stillbirths, and Deaths: Registrations Date published: Monthly

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 3,550 approx. monthly

  (b)The Press: Nil

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH3 87/1

  Title: Infant and Perinatal Mortality 1985 Birthweight

  553

  Date published: 3 February 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,750 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 110

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH3 87/2

  Title: Infant and Perinatal Mortality 1985: DHAs

  Date published: 3 February 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,850 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH3 87/3

  Title: Infant and Perinatal Mortality 1985: RHAs

  Date published: 3 February 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,800 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 110

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. FMI 87/1

  Title: Live births during 1986

  Date published: 3 March 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 3,800 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 70

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH2 87/1

  Title: Deaths by cause: June quarter 1986

  Date published: 10 March 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a) Government-NHS and others: 3,200 (approx.)

  (b) The Press: 110

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH4 87/1

  Title: Deaths from accidents and violence June quarter 1986 Registrations

  Date published: 10 March 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a) Government/NHS and others: 2,400 (approx.)

  (b) The Press: 110

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH4 87/2

  Title: Fatal accidents occurring during sporting and leisure activities 1984 and 1985

  Date published: 10 March 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,150 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 75

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. AB 87/1

  Title: Legal abortions September quarter 1986

  Date published: 10 March 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,750 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 75

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MN 87/1

  Title: International migration 1985

  Date published: 17 March 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 3,100 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MB2 87/1

  Title: Infectious diseases December quarter 1985 Date published: 7 April 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,520 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: Nil

  554

  Monitor Reference No. MN 87/2

  Title: Recorded internal population movements in the United Kingdom Mid 1985-mid 1986

  Date published: 12 May 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,820 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 430

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MB4 87/1

  Title: Hospital In-patient Enquiry (England) Trends 1979–1985

  Date published: 19 May 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,340 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 110

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH2 87/2

  Title: Deaths by cause, September quarter 1986

  Date published: 26 May 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 3,170 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH4 87/3

  Title: Deaths from accidents and violence September quarter 1986

  Date published: 26 May 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,540 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. AB 87/2

  Title: Legal abortions, December quarter 1986

  Date published: 9 June 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a) Government-NHS and others: 3,240 (approx.)

  (b) The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. AB 87/3

  Title: Legal abortions 1986

  Date published: 9 June 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 3,340 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. PP1 87/1

  Title: Mid 1986 population estimates for England and Wales

  Date published: 16 June 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 4,660 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 390

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MN 87/3

  Title: International migration: mid 1985 to mid 1986

  Date published: 30 June 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 3,180 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. AB 87/4

  Title: Legal abortions 1986; residents of regional and district health areas

  Date published: 30 June 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,730 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 370

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MB2 87/2

  Title: Infectious diseases, March quarter 1986

  Date published: 21 July 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  555

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,690 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. FM3 87/1

  Title: Adoptions in England and Wales notified during 1985 and 1986

  Date published: 11 August 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a) Government/NHS and others: 1,490 (approx.)

  (b) The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MB4 87/2

  Title: Hospital In-patient Enquiry (England): Maternity statistics 1982 (revised), 1983 and 1984

  Date published: 18 August 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,440 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. AB 87/5

  Title: Legal abortions, March quarter 1987

  Date published: 2 September 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a) Government/NHS and others: 3,140 (approx.)

  (b) The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. FM1 87/2

  Title: Trends in conceptions to women residents in England and Wales 1975–85

  Date published: 2 September 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 3,800 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MB2 87/3

  Title: Infectious diseases, June quarter 1986

  Date published: 2 September 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a) Government/NHS and others: 2,590 (approx.)

  (b) The Press: 110

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH2 87/3

  Title: Deaths by cause 1986

  Date published: 8 September 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 3,140 (approx.)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH4 87/4

  Title: Deaths from accidents and violence 1986

  Date published: 8 September 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,560 (approx)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MB3 87/1

  Title: Congenital malformations and monitoring system 1986

  Date published: 22 September 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,590 (approx)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. FM1 87/3

  Title: Births by birthplace of mother, 1986: local authority areas

  Date published: 13 October 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 3,760)

  (b)The Press: 340

  Numbers sold: Nil

  556

  Monitor Reference No FM2 87/1

  Title: Marriages in England and Wales during 1986

  Date published: 13 October 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,490 (approx)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. FM2 87/2

  Title: Divorces in England and Wales during 1986

  Date published: 13 October 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,540 (approx)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH2 87/4

  Title: Deaths by cause, March quarter 1987 registrations Date published: 17 November 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 3,240 (approx)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH4 87/5

  Title: Deaths from accidents and violence: March quarter 1987 registrations

  Date published: 17 November 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government/NHS and others: 2,390 (approx)

  (b)The Press:60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MB2 87/4

  Title: Infectious diseases, September quarter 1986

  Date published: 24 November 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,440 (approx)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MB4 87/3

  Title: Hospital In-patient Enquiry (England) Day case statistics 1985

  Date published: 1 December 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2.090 (approx)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. AB 87/6

  Title: Legal abortions, June quarter 1987

  Date published: 8 December 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a) Government-NHS and others: 3,340 (approx)

  (b) The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. MB2 87/5

  Title: Infectious diseases, December quarter 1986

  Date published: 15 December 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,610 (approx)

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. DH3 87/4

  Title: Infant and perinatal mortality 1986 DHAs

  Date published: 15 December 1987

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,800 (approx)

  (b)The Press: 65

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Monitor Reference No. WR

  Title: Registrar General's Weekly Return for England and Wales

  Date published: Weekly

  Number of copies distributed to—

  557

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,261

  (b)The Press: 20

  Numbers sold: 338

  Price: £1·00*

  Monitor Reference No. MB4 88/1

  Title: Hospital In-patient Enquiry (England) Maternity statistics 1985

  Date published: 18 January 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 2,400

  (b)The Press: 60

  Numbers sold: Nil

  Price: Unpriced

  Monitor Reference No. PP3 88/1

  Title: Mid 1985-based population projections for authority areas in England

  Date published: 19 January 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,762

  (b)The Press: 360

  Numbers sold: 762

  Price: £2·00*

  Monitor Reference No. SS 88/1

  Title: Cigarette smoking 1972 to 1986

  Date published: 9 February 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,232

  (b)The Press: 120

  Numbers sold: 507

  Price: £2·00

  Monitor Reference No. DH4 88/1

  Title: Deaths from accidents and violence, June quarter 1987 registrations

  Date published: 9 February 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,423

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: 578

  Price: £1·00*

  Monitor Reference No. DH2 88/1

  Title: Deaths by cause, June quarter 1987 registrations

  Date published: 9 February 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,423

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: 578

  Price: £1·00*

  Monitor Reference No. PP3 88/2

  Title: Mid 1985-based population projections for health authority areas in England

  Date published: 8 March 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,762

  (b)The Press: 360

  Numbers sold: 762

  Price: £1·50

  Monitor Reference No. AB 88/1

  Title: Legal abortions, September quarter 1987 Date published: 8 March 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,452

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: 574

  Price: £1·00*

  Monitor Reference No. MB2 88/1

  Title: Infectious diseases, March quarter 1987

  Date published: 29 March 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,432

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: 509

  Price: £2·50*

  558

  Monitor Reference No. DH4 88/2

  Title: Deaths from accidents and violence. September quarter 1987 registrations

  Date published: 12 April 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,423

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: 578

  Price: £1·00*

  Monitor Reference No. DH2 88/2

  Title: Deaths by cause, September quarter 1987 registrations

  Date published: 12 April 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a) Government-NHS and others: 1,423 local

  (b) The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: 578

  Price: £1·00*

  Monitor Reference No. EL 88/1

  Title: Electoral statistics 1988, local government areas Date published: 26 April 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,106

  (b)The Press: 480

  Numbers sold: 528

  Price: £2·00

  Monitor Reference No. DH3 88/1

  Title: Infant and perinatal mortality 1986 Birthweight

  Date published: 26 April 1988

  Number of copies distributed to—

  (a)Government-NHS and others: 1,456

  (b)The Press: 80

  Numbers sold: 535

  Price: £1·50

  * Also available on subscription.

  Petroleum Licences
  Sir Gerard Vaughan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) on what basis since 1979 his Department has granted licences to search and bore for petroleum under section 2 of the 1934 Act;

  (2) what method has been used to allocate individual petroleum licences since June 1979.

  Mr. Parkinson
  Since 1979 licences have mainly been issued on a discretionary basis, in which the applicant's financial and technical competence and his ability to meet other aims of Government policy, notably his readiness to pursue a comprehensive exploration of the licensed area, have been the major factors in deciding whether or not to grant a licence. A small number of offshore production licences have been awarded by a sealed-bid cash tender system.

  Sir Gerard Vaughan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if, before granting licences to search and bore for petroleum, his Department informs the freehold owners of land affected of the intention to issue such licences.

  Mr. Parkinson
  Freehold owners of land affected are not informed of the intention to grant licences, because the award of a petroleum licence by itself does not confer on the licence holder any rights over the freeholder's land.

  Sir Gerard Vaughan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how his Department notifies freehold owners of
  559
  land to be affected that it is the intention to grant licences under the Petroleum (Production) Regulations 1976 (S.I. 1976 No. 1129).

  Mr. Parkinson
  The 1976 regulations referred to by my hon. Friend have now been superseded by other regulations and licences are no longer awarded under them.

  Sir Gerard Vaughan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what rights are conferred on an operator granted a petroleum production licence in relation to land the operator does not own.

  Mr. Parkinson
  The grant of a petroleum licence confers on the licensee the rights to search for and get petroleum in the licensed area, depending on the precise type of licence he holds, irrespective of the ownership of the land in question. However, it does not by itself confer any other rights, and so he would have to obtain permission to enter the land before he could exercise his rights under the petroleum licence.

  Sir Gerard Vaughan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many petroleum licences have been issued by his Department in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Parkinson
  The figures for all types of licences issued, both offshore and onshore, are as follows:

  Year

  Number of licences issued

  1979

  44

  1980

  138

  1981

  61

  1982

  61

  1983

  127

  1984

  26

  1985

  128

  1986

  94

  1987

  68

  11988

  67

  1 To date.

  Sir Gerard Vaughan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will set out the criteria laid down for determining the price to be paid for petroleum licences.

  Mr. Parkinson
  Licences are awarded in return for initial application fees and subsequent periodic rental payments. Application fees are set to cover the administrative costs of dealing with the application. The rental payments on various types of licences are designed to be sufficiently low in the early years of the licence to encourage exploration. In the longer-term licences, once the exploration phase has been completed the general principle is to increase the rental year by year in order to encourage the licensee to surrender any areas not required for petroleum development.

  Sir Gerard Vaughan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy in what circumstances it is possible to vary the terms of a petroleum licence.

  Mr. Parkinson
  The petroleum licence is a contractual document and it is not possible to vary any of its terms except by agreement between the parties.

  Sir Gerard Vaughan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many petroleum licences have been granted, withdrawn or given up, amended or varied, in each year since 1979.
  560
  Mr. Parkinson
  I refer my hon. Friend to the figures given to him today for the issue of petroleum licences. The figures for surrendered licences of all types are as follows:

  Year

  Number of licences surrendered

  1979

  6

  1980

  7

  1981

  9

  1982

  25

  1983

  31

  1984

  21

  1985

  27

  1986

  27

  1987

  65

  11988

  7

  1 To date.

  Notes:

  1. Figures do not include licences expiring at the end of the term.

  2. Some of the surrendered licences were replaced with different types of licences.

  Each licence contains an agree work obligation which is commercially confidential to the licensee. It is not uncommon for these obligations to be varied or amended. Likewise, assignments of licence interests and changes of company names are frequently the reasons for licence changes. Records on amendments to the licences are not kept in a readily available form and the amount of work involved in compiling such statistics would he disproportionate to the value of the information obtained.

  Sir Gerard Vaughan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the companies to which petroleum licences have been granted since June 1979 and the price paid for each licence.

  Mr. Parkinson
  The companies granted petroleum licences since 1979 are published in the London Gazette and Edinburgh Gazette, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. The fees and charges for petroleum licences are detailed in the gazette notices inviting applications and in the relevant regulations governing the award of each type of licence, which are also available in the Library of the House. It is not possible to give a total price for every licence awarded as the majority of licences issued since 1979 are still in existence, and the total consideration for the licence will depend on future unknown events, such as whether the licence is voluntarily surrendered before it reaches its full term.

  British Coal (Investment)
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what recent discussions he has had with the management of British Coal concerning future investment in the regions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  British Coal's agreed capital allocation for 1988–89 is £650 million. How this is allocated between coalfields is a management matter for the corporation.

ENVIRONMENT

  Land Availability
  Mr. Heddle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a summary on a regional basis of household projections to

  561
  the latest available date and, in each case, indicate the monitoring and verification procedures his Department adopts with the county planning authorities as to their returns on land availability.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  A regional breakdown of household projections was included in the recently published DOE booklet "1985 Based Estimates of Numbers of Households in England etc, 1985–2001", which is available in the Library. I am sending my hon. Friend the relevant extract.

  In planning policy guidance note 3 we have recently repeated our advice to local planning authorities that, in consultation with housebuilders, they should undertake regular studies of land availability, to ensure that land supplies match the five-year requirement indicated by the provisions of the development plan. The results of such studies are reported to my Department and (as from 1987) are published in annual progress reports.

  Environmental Assessment
  Mr. Heddle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement following his consultation paper setting out proposals for the implementation of the European Community directive on environmental assessment.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  We are giving careful consideration to the responses to the consultation paper. We intend to lay before Parliament regulations under the European Communities Act 1972 in order to comply with the directive's requirement that member states shall take the necessary measures by 3 July 1988.

  Water Pollution
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) on how many occasions for the last year for which figures are available local water authority consents, as specified under the Control of Pollution Act 1974, were broken in Great Britain;

  (2)how many private companies broke water authority consents, as laid down under the Control of Pollution Act 1974, during 1987; and which were the companies concerned;

  (3)on how many occasions in the last year for which figures are available the River Calder in West Yorkshire suffered from pollution beyond the agreed consents as laid down by Yorkshire water authority; and if he will list the companies and organisations involved and the frequency of the said polluting;

  (4)on how many occasions in the last year for which figures are available consents for suspended solids in British waterways were breached by private companies; on how many occasions consents for monohydric phenols were breached by private companies and on how many occasions consents for ammonia were breached by private companies in respect of consents set by water authorities in the British Isles as laid down by the Control of Pollution Act 1974; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  This information is not held centrally, but the public registers which all water authorities are required to maintain contain details of all authorised discharges, including particulars of effluent samples taken.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions when water 562
  authority consents were breached by polluters legal action was taken by water authorities and convictions achieved; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  Information collected by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department shows that there were about 35 convictions in 1986 following action by water authorities for breaches of discharge consents. The figures for 1987 are not yet available.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the total amount of fines collected during 1987 following prosecutions under the Control of Pollution Act 1974, in respect of breach of water authority consents;

  (2) on how many occasions during 1987 the maximum fine of £2,000 was levied by a magistrates' court against an offender under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 in respect of water pollution due to the breach of water authority consents.

  Mr. Moynihan
  Information about penalties imposed following prosecutions under part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 is collected by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. I understand, however, that information for 1987 is not yet available.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) on how many occasions British water authorities have been in breach of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 in respect of breach of consents for water pollution as agreed with his Department;

  (2) which water authorities broke water pollution consents as laid down by the Control of Water Pollution Act 1974 during 1987; and what was the frequency of such breaches.

  Mr. Moynihan
  In 1986, the first year for which comprehensive data are available, 965 sewage treatment works breached their consents on more than 5 per cent. of occasions for which samples were taken. These works were spread across all water authorities in England and Wales. The final figures for 1987 are not yet available.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the volume of raw human sewage which is allowed to find its way into British estuaries for the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  Figures are not held centrally. However, most sewage now receives treatment before being discharged to estuaries. As a result, the quality of water in a number of estuaries—including the Humber, Mersey, Tees, Thames and Tyne—has improved in recent years.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many prosecutions have been taken out against water authorities by his Department due to breach of consents and what was the total sum of fines for the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Moynihan
  No prosecutions have so far been taken out against water authorities by the Department for breaches of consents. However, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution, in examining detailed reasons for non-compliance, will continue to consider whether prosecution is justified in individual cases.

  Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre
  Mr. Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what public money has been committed by his Department to the setting up of the Greater Manchester exhibition centre (G-MEC); what information he has about the project's other sources of funding; and what steps he has taken to ensure that this expenditure is cost-effective.

  Mr. Trippier
  The former central station train hall was converted into the GMEX centre and opened in March 1986. Public sector input to the conversion cost totalled about £13·5 million, of which the urban programme contributed £9·4 million and the European regional development fund provided £4 million. The private sector contribution was approximately£11 million.

  At the abolition of the Greater Manchester county council the liabilities and rights in GMEX were transferred to the Greater Manchester Residuary Body. The district council has generally been content for the residuary body to deal with the complex GMEX issues and to protect the interests of the ratepayers, and it remains with the residuary body to continue to handle these matters.

  Water Rates
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the combined standing charge to domestic ratepayers for water and sewerage in each of the English water authority areas in 1985, 1986, and 1987.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The information requested is set out in the accompanying table.

  Water authority average household bills 1975–76 to 1987–88

  Water authority

  1975–76 £·p

  1976–77 £·p

  1977–78 £·p

  1978–79 £·p

  1979–80 £·p

  1980–81 £·p

  1981–82 £·p

  1982–83 £·p

  1983–84 £·p

  1984–85 £·p

  1985–86 £·p

  1986–87 £·p

  1987–88 £·p

  Combined all services

  North West

  25·28

  29·56

  32·02

  34·62

  37·90

  46·80

  54·69

  59·86

  63·16

  68·25

  77·57

  85·19

  91·12

  Northumbrian

  27·34

  36·40

  30·55

  32·06

  33·94

  41·95

  49·19

  56·86

  64·52

  75·22

  80·38

  84·34

  88·63

  Severn Trent

  26·63

  36·30

  35·67

  35·95

  40·51

  48·99

  56·78

  62·44

  64·63

  67·88

  76·16

  83·55

  89·53

  Yorkshirc

  25·26

  31·37

  33·02

  35·60

  39·36

  49·04

  57·21

  65·30

  68·78

  72·64

  82·30

  90·96

  97·72

  Anglian

  31·12

  43·48

  46·12

  45·02

  48·83

  63·01

  75·08

  82·66

  87·80

  93·96

  105·98

  116·69

  124·03

  Thames

  21·80

  28·15

  29·31

  34·66

  38·62

  47·82

  54·47

  60·77

  66·74

  73·41

  80·75

  83·09

  87·74

  Southern

  35·42

  36·68

  40·40

  42·20

  43·80

  56·60

  67·00

  74·40

  79·20

  83·84

  93·76

  102·78

  109·10

  Wessex

  31·23

  42·05

  45·23

  47·27

  57·22

  65·44

  72·87

  78·49

  81·56

  85·59

  95·35

  107·09

  114·45

  South West

  35·01

  45·41

  48·26

  49·68

  54·57

  66·72

  75·22

  81·24

  87·96

  93·48

  104·59

  110·90

  116·08

  English averages

  26·65

  33·90

  35·13

  37·50

  41·47

  51·37

  59·47

  66·01

  70·92

  75·73

  84·56

  91·25

  97·18

  London Residuary Body
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West of 14 April,Official Report, column 234, if he will name the member of the London Residuary Body whose remuneration was reduced.

  Mr. Chope
  Mr. Jack Esling.
  564

  Water Authority standing charges 1985–86 to 1987–88

  Standing charges Water and Sewerage comhined

  Water authority

  1985–86 £·p

  1986–87 £·p

  1987–88 £·p

  North West

  14·50

  16·00

  17·00

  Northumbrian

  20·00

  21·00

  22·00

  Severn Trent1

  0·00

  0·00

  0·00

  Yorkshire

  9·00

  10·00

  11·00

  Anglian

  30·30

  33·30

  35·10

  Thames

  24·00

  24·00

  24·00

  Southern

  22·30

  24·10

  26·00

  Wessex1

  0·00

  0·00

  0·00

  South West

  31·20

  32·00

  33·0

  Notes:

  1 Severn Trent and Wessex both have minimum charges.

  Source: Water Authority annual charges returns to DOE.

  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report figures showing the average annual payments in water rates per household in each of Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, in each year since 1982.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The information requested is not available for individual local authorities.

  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to what water rate was charged by(a) the South Western water authority and (b) the Wessex water authority in each year since 1974.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The information on water rates requested is set out in the accompanying table for each of the English water authorities. The table shows the average household bill for customers connected to both water and sewerage and being charged on the basis of rateable value. Information on average bills for 1988–89 is still being analysed by the Department and is not yet available for publication.

  Winget-type Houses
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many Winget type houses are still in existence in Great Britain; how many have been privately purchased by tenants since the Housing Defects Act 1984; and how many applications for repurchase under the Act have been made by Winget-type householders to local authorities in Great Britain.
  565
  Mrs. Roe
  Four local authorities in Great Britain have reported 3,836 Winget-type houses, of which 175 were sold to tenants. No information is available on numbers sold since 1984, but these are likely to be small. The authorities have reported 27 applications for assistance under the housing defects legislation, though that figure is not comprehensive. No information is readily available on applications specifically for repurchase on hardship grounds.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made towards a satisfactory method of structural repair for Winget-type houses with the national house building certificate and local authorities in consultation with his Department; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Roe
  No repair system for Winget houses has yet been submitted to PRC Homes Ltd. Repairs are not likely to be easy, given the structure of the house and the small numbers sold.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of the housing investment programme was allocated to the repurchase of Winget-type houses within England and Wales in the last available financial year; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Roe
  Local authorities are free to determine their own expenditure priorities within the resources available to them, including their housing investment programme allocations. For 1988–89, £20 million of additional allocations will shortly be distributed to authorities with particular difficulties in meeting their obligations under the housing defects legislation. The allocations will not be made in respect of specific designated house types.

  Brentwood (Rates)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what percentage level Brentwood local authority is above his Department's target in the current financial year; and whether it falls within the current criteria for possible rate capping.

  Mr. Chope
  The setting of expenditure targets has not applied since the financial year 1985–86. Under section 2 of the Rates Act 1984, as modified by the Rate Limitation (Designation of Authorities) (Exemption) Order 1988, made on 13 April, an authority cannot be designated for rate limitation for 1989–90 if its total expenditure in 1988–89 is likely to be less than £13·1 million. Brentwood has reported budgeted total expenditure for 1988–89 of £12·138 million.

  Football League
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now seek a meeting with the 92 Football League chairmen to ensure a discussion on matters including crowd safety and English participation in European football; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have no immediate plans for a meeting with the 92 Football League chairmen. As I told the hon. Member in my answer on 20 April, I hold regular meetings with the president of the League and other football authorities to discuss counter-hooliganism measures.

  Home Extensions
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to allow grants to residents for domestic extensions to their home in an effort to ease overcrowding; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Roe
  Improvement grants can already be paid at the discretion of local authorities towards the cost of domestic extensions in certain circumstances, including exceptionally where additional living or bedroom space is required.

  Urban Development
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the grant memoranda for urban development corporations.

  Mr. Trippier
  Payments of grant-in-aid to urban development corporations, in common with payments of grant-in-aid to other non-departmental bodies, are governed by memoranda which set out the terms and conditions on which such payments are made.

  Mr. Heddle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the amount made available by his Department under the urban development grant programme for each year since the introduction of the grant in 1982.

  Mr. Trippier
  The following table shows the urban development grant outturn figures for years since the scheme began.

  Urban development grant expenditure

  £ million

  1983–84

  7

  1984–85

  15

  1985–86

  22

  1986–87

  22

  1987–88

  125

  1 Estimated.

  Mr. Heddle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the amount received by each parliamentary constituency under the urban development grant programme since 1982.

  Mr. Trippier
  The information requested is not readily available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Unified Business Rate
  Mr. Heddle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the manner in which new commercial and industrial premises, either presently unassessed or yet to be built, will be treated when the transitional arrangements for the introduction of the unified business rate are implemented.

  Mr. Howard
  The transitional arrangements are designed to protect those ratepayers who would otherwise face large rate increases between 1989·90 and 1990·91: where there is no liability to rates in the earlier year, transitional protection would be inappropriate. We therefore intend that transitional arrangements should
  567
  apply to property which is in rateable occupation before 1 April 1990, even if a rateable value has not been entered in the valuation list on that date.

  Housing Defects
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government have completed their consultations on the proposed new expenditure limits for grant eligible reinstatement works under the housing defects legislation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  I am most grateful to all those who responded to our consultation proposals. We have, as a result, been able to settle the final figures for each designated house type. Our suggestion that the limits should be revised within a structure of four main costs bands was widely welcomed, as indeed were most of the details. Some concern was expressed on whether £27,000 would be sufficient for repairs to the "Reema Hollow Panel" house and we have therefore decided instead to place that type within the top £31,000 cost band.

  The new limits will therefore be as follows:

  House type

  New limit £

  Present limit £

  Local designations and any new designations

  14,000

  14,000

  Cornish Unit: 1 storey PRC

  17,000

  14,000

  Dorran: 1 storey PRC

  —

  16,000

  Gregory

  —

  14,000

  Myton: I storey PRC

  —

  16,000

  Newland: 1 storey PRC

  —

  16,000

  Tarran: 1 storey PRC

  —

  14,000

  Unity and Butterley: 1 storey PRC

  —

  20,000

  Wessex: 1 storey PRC

  —

  24,000

  Cornish Unit: 2 storey PRC

  23,000

  16,000

  Stent

  —

  20,000

  Unity and Butterley: 2 storey PRC

  —

  20,000

  Airey

  27,000

  16,000

  Boswell

  —

  14,000

  Dorran: 2 storey PRC

  —

  16,000

  Dyke

  —

  24,000

  Myton: 2 storey PRC

  —

  16,000

  Newland: 2 storey PRC

  —

  16,000

  Schindler and Hawksley SGS

  —

  24,000

  Smith

  —

  20,000

  Stonecrete

  —

  16,000

  Tarran: 2 storey PRC

  —

  14,000

  Underdown

  —

  20,000

  Waller

  —

  24,000

  Wates

  —

  20,000

  Winget

  —

  20,000

  Boot

  31,000

  20,000

  Orlit

  —

  24,000

  Parkinson

  —

  20,000

  Reema Hollow Panel

  —

  20,000

  Wessex: 2 storey PRC

  —

  24,000

  Woolaway

  —

  20,000

  These new limits should enable local authorities themselves to decide the appropriate level of grant, in the majority of cases, without further reference to the Department.

  The parliamentary order implementing these new limits has now been made by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales and, provided Parliament is content, will come into operation on Tuesday 31 May. My officials will be writing to local authorities, home owners groups and repairers to make sure that all those with an interest are fully aware of the changes.

  Trafalgar Square (Statue)
  Mr. Bowis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on plans for the erection of a statue on the empty plinth in the north-west corner of Trafalgar square.

  Mr. Moynihan
  There are no such plans before me.

  Rating Reform
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will ensure that any future official publicity material in relation to the community charge will inform future community charge payers that their name and address may be sold without their consent or knowledge and that their name and address on the register may be inspected by police, Inland Revenue, the Department of Health and Social Security and other organisations without their consent or knowledge.

  Mr. Howard
  Paragraph 16 of schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Bill would allow regulations to be made requiring the sale of extracts from community charges registers. No decision has yet been taken to make use of that regulation-making power.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what basis he has concluded that it is in the public interest for the extract of names and addresses from the community charge register to be open for public inspection; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ridley
  It is in the public interest that the community charges register should be accurate and up to date. The availability of the extract for public inspection will be of assistance in achieving that aim.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the circumstances in which it will constitute a reasonable step, under clause 6(8) of the Local Government Finance Bill, for the staff of the community charge registration officer to question individuals about their neighbours for the purposes of compiling the community charge register.

  Mr. Ridley
  It will be for the registration officer to decide, in the first instance, what constitutes a "reasonable step" in each case for the purposes of obtaining information.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether data held by district health authorities will be prescribed information under paragraph 9(2)(D) of schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Bill;

  (2)whether Inland Revenue records will be prescribed information under paragraph 9(2)(D) of schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Bill;

  (3)whether data held by family practitioner committees will be prescribed information under paragraph 9(2)(D) of schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Bill.

  Mr. Ridley
  Data held by family practitioner committees, the Inland Revenue and district health authorities will not be required to be supplied to community charge registration officers under schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Bill.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether local authorities' records on their
  569
  own employees and their records on job applicants will be prescribed information under paragraph 9(2)(D) of schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Bill; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ridley
  We are considering whether names and addresses from local authorities' employment records should be made available to community charges registration officers.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether the police will be permitted to pass any information on individuals, whether in writing or orally, to the community charge registration officer; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) whether all information held by the police will be prescribed information under paragraph 9(2)(D) of schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Bill.

  Mr. Ridley
  Information to be supplied to community charges registration officers will be governed by regulations to be made under schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Bill. Those regulations will exclude police information from the information to be supplied by precepting authorities.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has consulted the Law Society about his proposal made in Standing Committee E, on 11 February,Official Report, column 619, that solicitors will inform the community charge registration officer of an individual's change of address.

  Mr. Ridley
  No. I assume that those moving house will want their solicitors to notify local authorities of the change of address, as is normal practice now with rates.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether all information held by local authority social services departments will he prescribed information under paragraph 9(2)(D) of schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Bill.

  Mr. Ridley
  The information to be supplied to a community charges registration officer by a charging or precepting authority will be limited to the name and address of the person concerned and the dates on or 570
  between which he was known to the authority. It will not include the reason for his being known to the authority, or the source of the information within the authority.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether there are any circumstances in which health authorities will be required to provide information to the community charge registration officer; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ridley
  There are no circumstances in which health authorities will be required to provide information to community charges registration officers.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the individuals and organisations from whom he has received representations advocating that local authorities should be required to make available for sale the list of names and addresses from the community charge register.

  Mr. Ridley
  The Government have received representations in favour of the sale of the extract of addresses and names from the Guild of British Newspaper Editors and the Retail Credit Group.

  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the community charge registration officer will he permitted to collect any information on children under 17 years.

  Mr. Ridley
  It will be for each registration officer to decide, in the first instance, what information he needs in order to compile and maintain the register. There is no reason to believe that it will generally be necessary to collect information on children under 17.

  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the level of community charge which will apply in the Metropolitan borough of Rotherham.

  Mr. Howard>
  [holding answer 3 May 1988]: The community charge applying in any area will depend on a number of factors, in particular, the level of spending in that area at that time. On the basis of 1987·88 spending, I estimate the community charge in Rotherham would have been £189 in the first year of the new system and £252 once the new arrangements were fully in place.

  Bathing Water (Survey)
  Mrs. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now announce the results of the survey of bathing water quality in 1987.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the 1987 bathing season are set out in summary form.

  The 1987 results show that 262 out of 374 bathing waters in England, Wales and Northern Ireland—70 per cent.—were considered to meet the directive's mandatory bacteriological standards. This shows a significant improvement over 1986, when only 62 per cent.

  Bathing waters survey—1987 results (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) Compliance with bathing water directive (76/160/EEC): coliform standards

  Full sampling and analysis

  Partial sampling and/or analysis

  No sampling

  Total

  pass

  fail

  pass

  fail

  Northumbrian Water Authority

  9

  10

  0

  0

  0

  19

  Yorkshire Water Authority

  20

  2

  0

  0

  0

  22

  Anglian Water Authority

  18

  10

  0

  0

  0

  28

  Thames Water Authority

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  2

  Southern Water Authority

  38

  27

  0

  0

  0

  65

  Wessex Water Authority (South Coast)

  26

  1

  0

  0

  0

  27

  South West Water Authority

  96

  12

  0

  1

  0

  109

  Wessex Water Authority (Bristol Channel)

  6

  5

  0

  0

  0

  11

  Welsh Water Authority

  28

  19

  0

  0

  0

  47

  North West Water Authority

  10

  20

  0

  0

  0

  30

  Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland

  11

  3

  0

  0

  0

  14

  Totals

  262

  111

  0

  1

  0

  374

  Bathing Waters Survey—1987 Results (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)

  Compliance with Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC): Coliform Standards

  1987 Result

  1986 Result

  Northumbrian Water Authority

  Spittal

  Fail

  Fail

  Bamburgh/Seahouses

  Pass

  Pass

  Beadnell

  Pass

  Pass

  Low Newton

  Pass

  Pass

  Alnmouth

  Fail

  Pass

  Warkworth

  Pass

  Pass

  Druridge Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Newbiggin

  Fail

  Fail

  South Beach/Seaton Sluice

  Pass

  Fail

  Whitley Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Tynemouth

  Pass

  Fail

  South Shields

  Pass

  Fail

  Marsden

  Fail

  Pass

  Roker/Whitburn

  Fail

  Pass

  Seaham

  Fail

  Fail

  Crimdon

  Fail

  Fail

  Seaton Carew

  Fail

  Fail

  Redcar

  Fail

  Fail

  Saltburn

  Fail

  Fail

  Yorkshire Water Authority

  Staithes

  Pass

  No Survey

  Runswick Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Sandsend

  Pass

  Pass

  Whitby

  Pass

  Pass

  Robin Hood Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Scarborough North Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Scarborough South Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Cayton Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  572
  met these standards. The results have been calculated on the same basis in the two years, although a small number of additional waters were included in the 1987 survey.

  These results are encouraging and show that good progress is being made in bringing all our identified bathing waters up to EC standards. This is being done through a major programme of capital spending to improve bathing water quality, mainly through the construction of long sea outfalls, and we are currently reviewing this programme with water authorities.

  I shall arrange for a more detailed summary of the results to be placed in the Library. The results will also be sent to the Commission in accordance with article 13 of the bathing water directive.

  1987 Result

  1986 Result

  Filey

  Pass

  Pass

  Reighton

  Pass

  Pass

  Flamborough North Landing

  Pass

  Pass

  Flamborough South Landing

  Pass

  Fail

  Bridlington North Beach

  Pass

  Pass

  Bridlington South Beach

  Pass

  Pass

  Wilsthorpe

  Pass

  Pass

  Fraisthorpe

  Pass

  Pass

  Earls Dyke

  Pass

  Pass

  Barmston

  Pass

  Pass

  Skipsea

  Pass

  Pass

  Hornsea

  Pass

  Pass

  Tunstall

  Pass

  Pass

  Withernsea

  Fail

  Fail

  Anglian Water Authority

  Cleethorpes

  Fail

  Fail

  Mablethorpe Town

  Fail

  Pass

  Sutton-on-sea

  Fail

  Fail

  Moggs Eye

  Pass

  Pass

  Anderby

  Pass

  Pass

  Chapel St. Leonard

  Fail

  Pass

  Ingoldmells South

  Fail

  Pass

  Skegness

  Pass

  Pass

  Heacham

  Pass

  Pass

  Hunstanton Beach

  Pass

  Pass

  Wells

  Pass

  Fail

  Sheringham

  Fail

  Fail

  Cromer

  Fail

  Pass

  Mundesley

  Pass

  Pass

  Great Yarmouth North

  Pass

  Pass

  Great Yarmouth Pier

  Pass

  Fail

  Great Yarmouth South

  Pass

  Fail

  Lowestoft North

  Pass

  Fail

  Lowestoft South

  Pass

  Pass

  573

  1987 Result

  1986 Result

  Felixstowe North

  Pass

  Pass

  Felixstowe South

  Pass

  Fail

  Dovercourt

  Fail

  Pass

  Walton

  Fail

  Pass

  Frinton

  Pass

  Pass

  Holland

  Pass

  Pass

  Clacton

  Pass

  Pass

  Jaywick

  Pass

  Pass

  Brightlingsea

  Fail

  Pass

  Thames Water Authority

  Southend Thorpe Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Southend Westcliffe Bay

  Fail

  Pass

  Southern Water Authority

  Leysdown

  Pass

  Fail

  West Beach

  Pass

  Pass

  Herne Bay

  Fail

  Pass

  Minnis Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  St. Mildreds Bay

  Fail

  Pass

  The Bay Margate

  Pass

  Pass

  Margate Fulsam Rock

  Pass

  Fail

  Joss Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Broadstairs

  Fail

  Fail

  Ramsgate

  Fail

  Pass

  Sandwich Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Deal Castle

  Fail

  Fail

  St. Margarets Bay

  Pass

  Fail

  Folkestone

  Fail

  Fail

  Sandgate

  Fail

  Fail

  Hythe

  Fail

  Fail

  Dymchurch

  Fail

  Fail

  St. Marys Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Littlestone

  Pass

  Fail

  Camber

  Fail

  Pass

  Winchelsea

  Pass

  Pass

  Hastings

  Fail

  Pass

  Bexhill

  Pass

  Pass

  Normans Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Pevensey Bay

  Fail

  Pass

  Eastbourne

  Pass

  Pass

  Seaford

  Fail

  Fail

  Newhaven

  Fail

  Pass

  Saltdean

  Pass

  Pass

  Brighton

  Pass

  Pass

  Hove

  Fail

  Fail

  Southwick

  Fail

  No Survey

  South Lancing

  Fail

  Fail

  Worthing

  Fail

  Fail

  Littlehampton

  Fail

  Pass

  Middleton-on-sea

  Pass

  Pass

  Bognor Regis

  Pass

  Pass

  Pagham

  Pass

  Pass

  Selsey

  Fail

  Pass

  Bracklesham Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  West Wittering

  Pass

  Pass

  West of Eastoke

  Pass

  Pass

  West Hayling

  Pass

  Pass

  Eastney

  Pass

  Pass

  Southsea

  Pass

  Pass

  Stokes Day

  Pass

  Pass

  Lee-on-Solent

  Pass

  Pass

  Calshot

  Pass

  Pass

  Lepe

  Pass

  Pass

  Milford-on-sea

  Fail

  Pass

  Christchurch Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Highcliffe

  Pass

  Pass

  Compton Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Totland Bay

  Pass

  Fail

  Colwell Bay

  Pass

  Fail

  Gurnard

  Fail

  Fail

  Cowes

  Pass

  Fail

  Ryde

  Fail

  Fail

  Seagrove

  Pass

  Pass

  St. Helens

  Pass

  Pass

  Bembridge

  Fail

  Fail

  Whitecliff Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  574

  1987 Result

  1986 Resuit

  Sandown

  Pass

  Pass

  Shanklin

  Pass

  Pass

  Ventnor

  Pass

  Fail

  Wessex Water Authority (South Coast)

  Christchurch, Highcliffe Castle

  Pass

  Pass

  Christchurch, Avon Beach

  Fail

  Pass

  Christchurch, Mudeford Sandbank

  Pass

  Pass

  Bournemouth, Hengistbury

  Pass

  Pass

  Bournemouth Pier

  Pass

  Pass

  Poole, Shore Road Sandbanks

  Pass

  Pass

  Poole Harbour Sandbanks

  Pass

  Pass

  Poole Harbour Lake

  Pass

  Pass

  Poole Harbour, Rockley Sands

  Pass

  Fail

  Shell Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Studland

  Pass

  Pass

  Swanage

  Pass

  Pass

  Kimmeridge Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Lulworth Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Durdle Door East

  Pass

  Pass

  Durdle Door West

  Pass

  Pass

  Ringstead

  Pass

  Pass

  Bowleaze Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Church Ope Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Weymouth, Lodmoor

  Pass

  Pass

  Weymouth Central

  Pass

  Pass

  Portland Harbour, Castle Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Portland Harbour, Sandsfoot Castle

  Pass

  Pass

  West Bay (west)

  Pass

  Pass

  Eypemouth

  Pass

  Fail

  Seatown

  Pass

  Pass

  Charmouth West

  Pass

  Fail

  Souih West Water Authority

  Lyme Regis

  Pass

  Fail

  Seaton (Devon)

  Pass

  Pass

  Beer

  Pass

  Pass

  Sidmouth

  Pass

  Pass

  Ladram Bay

  Pass

  No Survey

  Budleigh Salterton

  Fail

  Pass

  Sandy Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Exmouth

  Pass

  Fail

  Dawlish Warren

  Pass

  Pass

  Dawlish

  Pass

  Pass

  Teignmouth

  Fail

  Pass

  Shaldon

  Pass

  Fail

  Ness Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Maidencombe

  Pass

  Pass

  Watcombe

  Pass

  Pass

  Oddicombe

  Pass

  Pass

  Babbacombe

  Pass

  Pass

  Redgate

  Pass

  Pass

  Meadfoot

  Pass

  Pass

  Beacon Cove

  Pass

  No Survey

  Torre Abbey

  Pass

  Pass

  Hollicombe

  Pass

  Pass

  Paignton

  Pass

  Pass

  Goodrington

  Fail

  Pass

  Broadsands

  Pass

  Pass

  Shoalstone

  Pass

  No Survey

  St. Mary's Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Dartmouth Castle and Sugary Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Blackpool Sands

  Pass

  Pass

  Slapton Sands

  Pass

  Pass

  Mill Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Salcombe North Sands

  Pass

  Fail

  Salcombe South Sands

  Pass

  Fail

  Hope Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Thurlestone Incomplete Returns

  Fail

  Fail

  Bantham

  Pass

  Pass

  Bigbury-on-Sea

  Pass

  Pass

  Challaborough

  Pass

  Pass

  Mothecombe

  Pass

  Pass

  Wembury

  Pass

  Pass

  Bovisand

  Pass

  Pass

  Plymouth Hoe

  Pass

  Fail

  Portwrinkle

  Fail

  No Survey

  575

  1987 Result

  1986 Result

  Downderry

  Pass

  No Survey

  Seaton (Cornwall)

  Pass

  Fail

  Millendreath

  Pass

  No survey

  East Looe

  Pass

  Pass

  Readymoney

  Fail

  Fail

  Polkerris

  Pass

  Pass

  Par

  Pass

  Fail

  Crinnis

  Pass

  Pass

  Charlestown and Duporth

  Pass

  Pass

  Porthpean

  Pass

  Pass

  Pentewan

  Fail

  Fail

  Polstreath

  Pass

  Pass

  Port Mellon

  Pass

  Pass

  Gorran Haven

  Pass

  Pass

  Porthluney

  Pass

  Pass

  Pendower

  Pass

  Pass

  Gyllyngvase

  Pass

  Pass

  Swanpool

  Pass

  Pass

  Maen Porth

  Pass

  Pass

  Porthallow

  Fail

  Fail

  Porthoustock

  Pass

  Pass

  Coverack

  Pass

  Pass

  Kennack Sands

  Pass

  Pass

  Pollurian Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Poldhu Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Gunwalloe Cove

  Pass

  Pass

  Porthleven

  Pass

  Fail

  Praa Sands

  Pass

  Pass

  Perran Sands

  Pass

  Pass

  Marazion and Mounts Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Porthcurno

  Pass

  Pass

  Sennen

  Pass

  Pass

  Porthmeor

  Pass

  Pass

  Porth Gwidden

  Pass

  Fail

  Porthminster

  Pass

  Pass

  Carbis Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  The Towans

  Pass

  Pass

  Portreath

  Pass

  Pass

  Porthtowan

  Pass

  Pass

  Trevaunance Cove

  Pass

  Fail

  Perranporth

  Pass

  Pass

  Holywell Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Crantock

  Pass

  Pass

  Fistral

  Pass

  Pass

  Towan

  Pass

  Pass

  Watergate

  Pass

  Pass

  Mawgan Porth

  Pass

  Fail

  Treyarnon Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Constantine Bay

  Pass

  No Survey

  Mother Ivey's Bay

  Pass

  No Survey

  Harlyn Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Trevone Bay

  Pass

  Fail

  Rock

  Pass

  Fail

  Daymer Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Polzeath

  Pass

  Pass

  Widemouth Sand

  Pass

  Pass

  Bude

  Fail

  Fail

  Hartland Quay

  Pass

  Pass

  Westward Ho!

  Pass

  Pass

  Instow

  Fail

  Fail

  Saunton Sands

  Pass

  Pass

  Croyde Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Woolacombe

  Pass

  Pass

  Ilfracombe

  Fail

  Fail

  Combe Martin

  Pass

  Fail

  Lynmouth

  Fail

  Fail

  Wessex Water Authority (Bristol Channel)

  Porlock Weir

  Pass

  Pass

  Minehead Terminus

  Fail

  Fail

  Dunster North West

  Fail

  Fail

  Blue Anchor West

  Pass

  Pass

  Burnham Jetty

  Fail

  Pass

  Berrow

  Pass

  Pass

  Brean

  Pass

  Pass

  Weston-super-mare Uphill Slipway

  Pass

  Pass

  Weston-super-mare Grand Pier

  Fail

  Fail

  576

  1987 Result

  1986 Result

  Weston-super-mare Sand Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Clevedon Swimming Pool

  Fail

  Fail

  North West Water Authority

  Dove Point, Meols

  Pass

  Fail

  Pasture Road, Moreton

  Pass

  Pass

  New Brighton

  Pass

  Fail

  Formby

  Pass

  Pass

  Ainsdale

  Pass

  Fail

  Southport

  Fail

  Fail

  St Annes

  Fail

  Fail

  Blackpool (Squires Gate—South Shore)

  Fail

  Fail

  Blackpool (South Shore—Central Pier)

  Fail

  Fail

  Blackpool (Central Pier—North Shore)

  Fail

  Fail

  Blackpool (North Shore—Cleveleys)

  Fail

  Fail

  Cleveleys

  Fail

  Fail

  Fleetwood

  Fail

  Fail

  Heysham—Half Moon Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Morecambe (West End Pool— Sandylands

  Fail

  Fail

  Morecambe (WEP—Leisure Park)

  Fail

  Fail

  Morecambe (Town Hall—Leisure Park)

  Fail

  Fail

  Morecambe (Bare Pool—TH Slipway)

  Fail

  Fail

  Bardsea

  Fail

  Fail

  Walney Island Biggar Bank

  Pass

  Pass

  Walney Island Sandy Gap

  Pass

  Pass

  Walney Island West Shore

  Pass

  Fail

  Roanhead

  Pass

  Fail

  Askam-in-Furness

  Fail

  Fail

  Haverigg

  Fail

  Fail

  Silecroft

  Pass

  Fail

  Seascale

  Fail

  Fail

  St Bees

  Fail

  Fail

  Allonby

  Fail

  Fail

  Silloth

  Fail

  Fail

  Welsh Water Authority

  Jacksons Bay, Barry

  Fail

  Fail

  Whitmore Bay, Barry

  Fail

  Fail

  Cold Knap, Barry

  Fail

  Fail

  Southerndown

  Pass

  Fail

  Trecco Bay, Porthcawl

  Fail

  Fail

  Sandy Bay, Porthcawl

  Fail

  Fail

  Rest Bay, Porthcawl

  Pass

  Fail

  Aberafan

  Pass

  Fail

  Swansea Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Bracelet Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Limeslade Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Langland Bay

  Pass

  Fail

  Caswell Bay

  Fail

  Pass

  Oxwich Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Port Eynon Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Rhossili

  Pass

  Fail

  Pembrey

  Pass

  Pass

  Pendine

  Pass

  Pass

  Amroth

  Fail

  Fail

  Saundersfoot

  Fail

  Pass

  Tenby, North

  Fail

  Pass

  Tenby, South

  Pass

  Fail

  Broadhaven

  Pass

  Fail

  Newgale

  Pass

  Fail

  Whitesands

  Pass

  Pass

  Newport

  Pass

  Pass

  Newquay

  Pass

  Pass

  Aberystwyth, South

  Fail

  Fail

  Aberystwyth, North

  Pass

  Pass

  Borth

  Pass

  Pass

  Tywyn

  Pass

  Fail

  Fairbourne

  Pass

  Pass

  Barmouth

  Pass

  Pass

  Llandanwg

  Pass

  Pass

  Harlech

  Pass

  Pass

  Morfa Bychan

  Fail

  Fail

  Criccieth

  Fail

  Pass

  Pwllheli

  Pass

  Pass

  577

  1987 Result

  1986 Result

  Abersoch

  Pass

  Pass

  Trearddur Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Benllech

  Fail

  Pass

  Llandudno, West Shore

  Fail

  Fail

  Llandudno, North

  Pass

  Pass

  Colwyn Bay

  Pass

  Pass

  Kinmel Bay

  Fail

  Fail

  Rhyl

  Fail

  Fail

  Prestatyn

  Pass

  Fail

  Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland

  Magilligan

  Pass

  No survey

  Castlerock

  Pass

  No survey

  Portstewart

  Pass

  Pass

  Portrush

  Pass

  Pass

  Ballycastle

  Fail

  No survey

  Browns Bay

  Pass

  No survey

  Helens Bay

  Pass

  No survey

  Crawfordsburn

  Pass

  No survey

  Ballyholme

  Fail

  Fail

  Groomsport

  Pass

  Pass

  Millisle

  Pass

  No survey

  Tyrella

  Pass

  No survey

  Newcastle

  Fail

  Fail

  Cranfield

  Pass

  No survey

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Middle East
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has been in contact with any international human rights organisations in order to ascertain the current situation of the Palestinian population in the occupied territories during the period of restrictions on journalists' freedom of movement and reporting.

  Mr. Mellor
  We maintain contacts with a number of bodies, including human rights organisations, who monitor developments in the occupied territories.

  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement about the Palestinian uprising in the Israeli occupied territories.

  Mr. Mellor
  Unacceptable actions by the Israeli military and settlers are exacerbating the violence in the West Bank and Gaza. The status quo, characterised by violence and repression, offers no way forward. We urge all concerned to join in the search for a political settlement.

  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further representations he has made to the Israeli Government on the situation in the occupied territories; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Mellor
  We and our European partners regularly make clear to the Israeli authorities our concern at many aspects of the situation in the occupied territories.

  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government have made or intend to make any representations to the Israeli Government about the closure of Palestinian academic institutions on the West Bank and Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Mellor
  Yes. We have made regular representations to the Israelis about collective punishments, including the closure of educational institutions.
  578
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government have made representations to the Israeli Government in respect of the difficulties Palestinian farmers have had in exporting agricultural produce to the European Community.

  Mr. Mellor
  Yes. We have repeatedly stressed to the Israeli Government the importance that we attach to the full implementation of the EC's measures to allow Palestinians in the occupied territories to export direct to the EC, in accordance with the Israeli Government's undertaking of 7 December 1987. Most recently we were fully associated with the representations which the Presidency and Commission made on this subject to Mr. Peres on 31 March.

  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will make representations to the Israeli Government to allow the population of the occupied territories to hold free elections to choose their representatives at any future peace conference.

  Mr. Mellor
  Elections in the occupied territories are foreseen in the current United States peace proposals, to which we hope Israel will respond constructively.

  Swaziland
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of the implications of Swaziland's departure from the Rand monetary agreement and participation in the tripatrite monetary area agreement.

  Mr. Mellor
  The Rand monetary area agreement was renogotiated in April 1986 and became the common monetary area agreement or Tripartite monetary agreement. Under the terms of the new agreement Swaziland has been free to conduct an independent exchange rate policy. In practice, however, she has not felt the need to pursue such a policy and the Swazi currency has remained pegged at par with the rand. The new agreement also frees Swaziland from the need to place rand holdings in a special account in South Africa against the issue of Swazi currency notes and coins. This gives Swaziland flexibility in the management of foreign reserves and in the control of monetary policy.

  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for United Kingdom policy on the maintenance of stability in southern Africa of the Republic of South Africa's policy towards Swaziland.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We shall continue to urge South Africa to co-operate peacefully with all its neighbours and to refrain from the use of force.

  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to, or received from, the Swaziland Government with regard to Swaziland's relations with the Republic of South Africa.

  Mrs. Chalker
  None.

  Palestinian Liberation Organisation
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations
  579
  Her Majesty's Government have made to the United States Government about the closure of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation office in Washington DC; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Mellor
  None.

  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek a meeting with representatives of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation to seek clarification of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's position regarding participation in any peace conference; and if he will take such an opportunity to further British-Arab understanding of the Palestine problem.

  Mr. Mellor
  No. My right hon. and learned Friend does not propose to meet PLO leaders as long as their policy remains ambiguous on renunciation of the use of violence, acceptance of United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and recognition of Israel's right to secure existence.

  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the United States Government about the closure of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation observer office at the United Nations.

  Mr. Mellor
  We and our European partners have on several occasions made clear to the United States Administration our view that the PLO observer mission to the United Nations should be allowed to remain open.

  US-USSR Naval Forces
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his NATO allies on the conditions considered necessary for acceptance of the proposal made by Fleet Admiral Vladimir Chesnavia, Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy, that the Soviet Union and the United States cut their naval forces in the Mediterranean to 15 warships and 10 support vessels for each side; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Mellor
  There have so far been no discussions within the Alliance about this proposal.

  Fiji Ambassador
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 12 April,Official Report, column 30, what information he has as to by whom the credentials of the ambassador of Fiji expected shortly in this country are to be signed.

  Mr. Eggar
  None. It is normal practice for ambassadors to present to Her Majesty a Letter of Credence signed by their Head of State.

  South Africa (Imports Ban)
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the African countries which enforce an import ban on South African goods.
  580
  Mr. Mellor
  A number of African countries have undertaken to impose import bans on certain South African goods. Details of how such bans have been implemented are not available.

  "Death on the Rock"
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what outside advice was obtained by Her Majesty's Government in relation to the decision not to ask for an injunction against the Thames Television programme "Death on the Rock".

  Mr. Mellor
  None.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons his Department denied the request of Thames Television for information in relation to the Gibraltar killings.

  Mr. Mellor
  The inquest will be the proper place to provide information relating to the deaths of the terrorists.

  Foreign Compensation (Czechoslovakia) Order
  Mr. Bowis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in implementating the Foreign Compensation (Czechoslovakia) Order 1982.

  Mr. Eggar
  The Foreign Compensation Commission has now completed the determination and evaluation of claims against the Czech fund. It is hope to make a payout of 100 per cent. of the assessed value of claims to all successful claimants by the end of May. This will exhaust the balance in the Czech fund of approximately £4 million on the assumption that all applicants accept payment.

  Intergovernmental Organisations
  Mr. Harry Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will list in the Official Report the intergovernmental organisations. excluding the European Communities, of which the United Kingdom is a member, the amount of the United Kingdom's annual contribution to each organisation, the percentage of each organisation's budget which this represents and which Government Department accounts for each contribution.

  Mr. Eggar
  [pursuant to his reply, 29 April 1988, c. 312]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office holds no complete record of the intergovernmental organisations of which the United Kingdom is a member. The 1988–89 provision and United Kingdom percentage contribution to the organisations for which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office pays the British subscriptions are set out in the following table:

  Organisation

  1988–89 Provision £000

  United Kingdom Percentage Contribution

  Subscriptions Paid from Class II, Vote 2, Other External Relations

  UN Regular Budget

  21,929

  4·860

  Commonwealth Secretariat

  2,123

  30·000

  581

  Organisation

  1988–89 Provision £000

  United Kingdom Percentage Contribution

  Council of Europe: General Expenses

  7,149

  16·710

  Council of Europe: Buildings

  361

  17·700

  Council of Europe: European Youth Foundation

  181

  18·500

  Western European Union

  1,409

  20·000

  Organisation of Economic Co-operation & Development

  4,442

  6·930

  North Atlantic Treaty Organisation: Civil Budget

  12,833

  18·820

  NATO: International Staff Secretariat

  144

  19·990

  South Pacific Commission

  330

  12·176

  Commonwealth Foundation

  483

  30·000

  Co-ordinating Committee, Paris

  109

  10·250

  International Institute for the Unification of Private Law

  48

  8·430

  International Exhibitions Bureau

  7

  5·210

  Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

  2

  4·430

  Permanent Court of Arbitration

  7

  6·660

  Commission for the Conservation of

  19

  4·940

  Antarctic Marine Living Resources

  Subscriptions Paid from Class II, Vote 5, Overseas Aid

  International Development Association

  168,900

  16·700

  International Finance Corporation

  3,526

  26·960

  Asian Development Bank:

  703

  22·250

  Capital Subscription

  Asian Development Fund

  12,500

  23·800

  African Development Bank:

  1,541

  21·390

  Captial Subscription

  African Development Fund

  8,500

  13·030

  Inter-American Development Bank:

  1,776

  20·980

  Capital Subscription

  Fund for Special Operations

  7,842

  13·460

  Caribbean Development Bank: Capital Subscription

  334

  212·900

  Special Development Fund

  1,618

  112·650

  International Fund for Agricultural Development

  4,992

  34·790

  Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

  —

  4—

  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Capital Subscription

  —

  5—

  UN Development Programme (UNDP)

  613,000

  n/a

  UN Children's Fund

  7,500

  n/a

  Food and Agricultural Organisation

  8,424

  75·830

  UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)

  1,624

  74·820

  UN Education and Training Programme for Southern Africa

  50

  n/a

  UN Development Fund for Women

  50

  n/a

  UNIDO Industrial Development Fund

  600

  n/a

  International Atomic Energy Agency

  500

  n/a

  UN Centre for Human Settlements

  70

  n/a

  Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-Operation

  7,500

  30·000

  Commonwealth Youth Programme

  465

  30·000

  Commonwealth Media Development Fund

  150

  n/a

  Commonwealth Secretariat—Nassau Fellowship

  50

  n/a

  Commonwealth Science Council

  159

  29·000

  UN Fund for Population Activities

  5,250

  n/a

  International Planned Parenthood Federation

  6,750

  n/a

  582

  Organisation

  1988–89 Provision £000

  United Kingdom Percentage Contribution

  World Health Organisation (WHO): Special Programme for Prevention and Control of AIDS

  6,000

  n/a

  WHO Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction

  2,200

  n/a

  WHO Onchocerciasis Control Programme

  750

  n/a

  UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases

  650

  n/a

  WHO Action Programme on Essential Drugs and Vaccines

  450

  n/a

  WHO Diarrhoeal Disease Control Programme

  350

  n/a

  International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research

  150

  n/a

  Pan American Health Organisation: Caribbean Epidemiology Centre

  75

  n/a

  WHO Cold Chain Support Unit

  64

  n/a

  Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)

  226

  6·950

  International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, Rome

  69

  n/a

  UN High Commissioner for Refugees

  3,500

  1·670

  UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

  5,250

  4·570

  1 Share of last approved replenishment.

  2 Share of capital stock.

  3 Share of the OECD contributors' total.

  4 £2·8 million approx. being 4·86 per cent. of total subscription.

  5 A General Capital Increase is expected to be approved shortly by the Bank's Governors. The United Kingdom intends to subscribe, subject to Parliamentary approval; our share will be 4·955 per cent.

  6 Total for 1988 £24·5 million.

  7 Assessed contribution level.

  n/a = 1988 budget not yet available.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  European Finance Ministers
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met his counterparts from European Community countries; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Brooke
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Chancellor gave on 22 April, at column 580, to my hon. Friend the Member for Beaconsfield (Mr. Smith).

  Tax and Prices Index
  Mr. Leigh
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the rise in the tax and prices index in the 12 months to March.

  Mr. Lilley
  In the 12 months to March 1988 the tax and prices index rose by 1·6 per cent.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Monetary Compensatory Amounts
  Mr. David Davis
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest position on monetary compensatory amounts in the intensive livestock sector.

  Mr. MacGregor
  In the price fixing I am seeking to reduce MCAs for all commodity sectors, and to abolish them in the pigmeat sector, on which there are separate technical issues.

  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current level of negative monetary compensatory amounts faced by the pigmeat sector; and what it was six months ago.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The United Kingdom MCA for pigmeat currently stands at —4·9 per cent. as compared to—10·9 per cent. at the beginning of November 1987.

  Sheepmeat
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current position on the implementation of a sheepmeat stabiliser.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the position on the introduction of a stabiliser to the sheepmeat regime.

  Mr. Knapman
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures have been taken to introduce a stabiliser mechanism into sheepmeat support.

  Mr. MacGregor
  Following European Council decisions the Community has agreed on a stabiliser for the sheepmeat sector based on maximum guaranteed quantities of 18·1 million ewes for Great Britain and 45·3 million ewes for the rest of the European Community, including Northern Ireland, which are the latest available figures. Sheepmeat support prices will be reduced for the 1988 marketing year from 23 May by the extent to which the maximum guaranteed quantities are exceeded, with separate calculations for Great Britain and the European Community-11 plus Northern Ireland so long as we operate variable premium.

  A 1 per cent. overrun will trigger a 1 per cent. price cut. On the basis of Commission estimates of ewe flock sizes in 1988, we expect a 3 per cent. cut in Great Britain prices.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement regarding the latest developments in the sheepmeat regime.

  Mr. MacGregor
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson). I expect discussions on the Commission's proposals for reform of the Community's sheepmeat regime to take place after the price-fixing proposals have been agreed.

  Food Aid
  Mr. Irvine
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to implement the European Community free food scheme.

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made on developing a scheme for free food for the needy.
  584
  Mr. Gummer
  As announced on 21 April, butter and beef are being allocated to 127 charitable organisations and local authorities up to the limit of £10·4 million made available to us by the Commission for 1988. The timing and method of distribution to the needy are matters for the individual organisations concerned.

  Breeding Ewes
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current number of breeding ewes in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  From the December 1987 census returns, the figure is put at 19·139 million.

  Single European Market
  Mr. Ian Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps are being taken to reduce trade barriers in the food industry in preparation for the single European market.

  Mr. Gummer
  The European Commission proposed a detailed legislative programme for food law in its 1985 White Paper "Completing the Internal Market." A number of measures are already under discussion in the Council, of which the most important relate to food additives and labelling, foods for particular nutritional uses and food contact materials. We are working for early agreement on these. A number of further proposals remain to be tabled by the Commission.

  Mr. Watts
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress is being made by the food industry in anticipation of unrestricted trade within the European Community from 1992.

  Mr. Gummer
  I know that the industry is aware of the challenge posed by the creation of a single market by the end of 1992 and is preparing itself in a variety of ways to take advantage of the new opportunities that are opening up. I intend to do everything I can do to encourage it to do so.

  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his assessment of the implications for United Kingdom agriculture of the creation of a single European Community market in 1992.

  Mr. MacGregor
  In common with other sectors of the United Kingdom economy, agriculture should stand to benefit from the opportunities created by the completion of a single market of 320 million people, provided that we remain competitive and conscious of the marketing opportunities for selling the output of the British agriculture and food industries. A key factor will be that monetary compensatory amounts represent an important obstacle to a single market. I therefore strongly support the Commission's aim of abolishing them by the end of 1992.

  Apple and Pear Development Council
  Mr. Moss
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the chairman of the Apple and Pear Council; and what they discussed.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  My noble Friend the Parliamentary Secretary last met the chairman of the
  585
  Apple and Pear Development Council on 3 May, when she attended a meeting of the council. At the meeting, the council's proposed advertising plans for 1988–89 were discussed.

  Pig Farmers
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he proposes to take to help overcome the problems facing United Kingdom pig farmers.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Bosworth (Mr. Tredinnick) earlier today.

  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has had from pig farmers on monetary compensatory amounts and on the green pound; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. MacGregor
  I have received a substantial number of representations on this subject. I have made clear in the Agriculture Council my commitment to fight for the abolition of our MCAs in the pigmeat sector.

  Bovine Somatotrophin
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in the trials at present being conducted, any consideration has been given to whether bovine somatotrophin products could be labelled as such at the point of sale.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  Milk from cows involved in the trials is identical over the lactation to that from untreated cows. It is not necessary to treat it differently from other milk.

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from consumer organisations concerning the use of bovine somatotrophin in the dairy herd; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  I have received a considerable number of letters from both consumer organisations and individuals who are generally opposed to the use of BST. The product was fully assessed for safety before the current trials were authorised. I see no justification for any ban on its use.

  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on criteria for the approval of farms for the bovine somatotrophin trial in the British dairy industry.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  That is a matter for the holder of the animal test certificate and the farmer concerned.

  Green Pound
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received on the value of the green pound.

  Mr. MacGregor
  I have received a number of representations on this subject. The majority have sought a devaluation for pigmeat. Some have concerned all or a number of sectors and supported a measure of devaluation this year. Consumers' representatives have opposed devaluation.

  Farm Diversification Scheme
  Mr. Moate
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he is taking to encourage farmers to diversify their activities.

  Mr. Gummer
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, North-East (Mr. Kirkhope).

  Dairy Industry
  Mr. Knox
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will be meeting the chairman of the Milk Marketing Board to discuss the dairy industry.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  My right hon. Friend the Minister and I have regular contacts with the chairman of the Milk Marketing Board to discuss various issues affecting the dairy industry.

  Sea Fish Industry Authority
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he proposes any increase in funding for the Sea Fish Industry Authority for grant assistance towards new vessels.

  Mr. Gummer
  No.

  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the chairman of the Sea Fish Industry Authority; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Gummer
  My right hon. Friend met the chairman of the Sea Fish Industry Authority last December and I met him informally in April, when a number of matters concerning the activities of the authority were discussed.

  Cod Fishing Ban
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received concerning the recent cod fishing ban from Cornish fishermen; and what was his response.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have not received any such representations.

  Cereals
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will remove oats from the cereal co-responsibility scheme.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  The coverage of the cereals co-responsibility levy is a matter for the Agriculture Council. We fully appreciate the arguments for exempting oats from the levy and my right hon. Friend is continuing to argue for this in the current price-fixing negotiations.

  Agricultural Land Classification
  Mr. Chapman
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received following the publication of his consultation document on agricultural land classification in February; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The closing date for responses to the consultation document was 25 April and we have received
  587
  a number of comments of a technical nature. I am looking at these carefully and will be making a statement in due course.

  Horticultural Development Council
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress of the Horticultural Development Council.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  Full details of the progress made by the Horticultural Development Council in its first 15 months are given in its first annual report, which was laid before the House on 28 April 1988.

  Whales
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken to improve the conservation of whales.

  Mr. Gummer
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis).

  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the catching of whales for scientific purposes.

  Mr. Gummer
  It is the firm view of the Government that all proposals for the taking of whales for research purposes should be thoroughly examined by the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission, which is the body responsible for the conservation of whale stocks. Only when this body is fully satisfied that the research programme will not endanger the whale stocks concerned, has valid objectives and is properly designed to achieve those objectives, and that these cannot be obtained through benign methods, should such research be undertaken.

  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in the protection of whales from hunting.

  Mr. Gummer
  In 1985 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) introduced a moratorium on all commercial whaling operations. The United Kingdom has been a leader in this as in other subsequent efforts to stop countries using questionable scientific arguments in order to continue whaling. We shall continue with these efforts in order to ensure the proper conservation of all whale species.

  Fish Farms (Pollution)
  Mr. Graham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received regarding the issue of pollution from fish farms; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have received no recent representations about pollution from fish farms.

  Radioactivity (Farming Losses)
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further steps the Government are taking to ensure that farmers do not continue to lose income due to effects of Chernobyl fall out in north Wales, northern England and Scotland.
  588
  Mr. Donald Thompson
  Following detailed discussions with the farmers unions we introduced four separate compensation schemes to help those sheep producers whose enterprises were affected by the restrictions introduced following the Chernobyl incident. Two of these schemes are still operating. One provides full compensation for any market price losses on sheep that have to be marked on their release from the remaining restricted areas: the second offers a payment of £1·30 per head for each sheep monitored and moved out of the restricted area. Both schemes will continue so long as the movement and slaughter restrictions apply.

  Research and Development
  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received on the Barnes review of agricultural research and development.

  Mr. Gummer
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo) on 25 April, at column 42.

  NFU (Derbyshire Branch)
  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to meet the Derbyshire branch of the National Farmers Union.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have visited the branch on two occasions and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Secretary plans to visit the Derbyshire branch of the National Farmers Union on 14 September 1988.

  Horses
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to restore the role of the horse as an agricultural animal; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  Traditionally, those horses used in agricultural operations have always been regarded as agricultural animals. It follows that there has been no change in their status, so the question of restoring their role does not arise. I am, however, anxious that horses and ponies used for other purposes should play a full part in revitalising the rural economy and I hope that advantage will be taken of the inclusion of pony trekking and livery in the list of activities qualifying for grant under the farm diversification scheme. There is little doubt that opportunities exist for the development of businesses associated with the breeding, rearing and keeping of horses in rural areas. But, as with other small rural businesses, this calls for a spirit of enthusiasm, dedication and enterprise.

  Sheep Farming
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the current state of the sheep farming sector.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  The sheep sector is buoyant, returns are good and exports are encouraging.

  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he intends to encourage the recent trend towards sheep farming in the lowland areas of Britain.
  589
  Mr. MacGregor
  Farmers must make their own decisions about sheep farming in the context of the sheepmeat regime.

  Aerosols
  Mr. Allan Roberts
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if there are any plans to ban the use of aerosols in his Department's buildings; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  No. I am not aware of any such plans.

  Nuclear Waste
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many separate sets of permission he has granted in the past 10 years for the dumping of sewage sludge, capital spoil or other materials such as low-level waste products from nuclear plants in the Bristol Channel within 20 miles of the north Devon coastline.

  Mr. Gummer
  Licences under the Dumping at Sea Act 1974 and its successor legislation, the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, have been issued from 1978 to date in the area specified as follows:

  a. Two licences, renewed annually, for disposal of sewage sludge;

  b. Three licences, each for one year, for disposal of dredged spoil arising from new works;

  c. Seven licences, each for one year, and one renewed for a total of four years, for disposal of spoil arising from maintenance dredging;

  d. 12 licences for disposal of liquid industrial waste; most were renewed for more than one year; all have now terminated.

  Five disposal sites have been approved over the period.

  Authorisations have been granted jointly with the Secretary of State for the Environment under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 for the discharge by pipeline of low-level liquid radioactive waste into the Bristol channel from the Hinkley Point nuclear power stations and from Amersham International plc.

  Trade Barriers (Removal)
  Mr. Mans
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the benefits for Britain's food industry of the removal of trade barriers within Europe in 1992.

  Mr. Gummer
  A wide range of benefits are likely to flow from free access to a single market of 320 million people by the end of 1992, though some of these will, of course, arise from proposals still under consideration. I am sure that the industry itself will be making a detailed assessment of the prospective benefits.

  Channel Islands (Fishing Rights)
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on progress on negotiations relating to the Channel Islands with particular regard to the right of Channel Islands—registered fishing vessels to operate within(a) British waters, and (b) EEC waters.

  Mr. Gummer
  There are no negotiations to change the rights of such vessels.

  Lowestoft Fishermen
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the prospects for Lowestoft inshore fishermen for the rest of the current year in the light of the quota and licensing restrictions on the industry.

  Mr. Gummer
  Provisional figures for 1987 show a 39 per cent. increase in the value of landings of all species compared with 1986, including a corresponding increase of 36 per cent. for cod. Data for the first two months of 1988 show a 29 per cent. increase for all species over the same period last year, including a 6 per cent. increase for cod.

  The figures show that our quota management and restrictive licensing systems are working well for the Lowestoft inshore fleet.

  Cod and Plaice
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has had on total allowable catches for cod and plaice; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have had no recent representations on total allowable catches for cod and plaice in the North sea or off the west of Scotland. Fishermen's representatives have, however, been in touch with my officials to express their concern at the level of the precautionary total allowable catch for Channel cod (ICES areas VII excluding VIIa, VIII, IX and X). In consultation with the area VII industry advisory committee the fishery was closed on 11 April in the light of catch statistics up to that date.

  The ICES advisory committee on fisheries management meets next month and we shall press for a review of the total allowable catch for any stock of importance to the United Kingdom should the committee's scientific assessment indicate that there is any scope to do so.

  Dairy Farmers
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has had from dairy farmers about their industry in general and European competition in particular; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  I receive frequent representations from dairy farmers about their industry. Some are concerned about the prospect of imports of pasteurised milk, but there is increasing confidence that we can compete effectively and that the consumer will continue to favour the freshness and quality of the domestic product.

  Cereal Farmers
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has had from cereal farmers about their industry in general and European competition in particular; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  I receive frequent representations from cereal farmers on a wide range of issues, including their competitive position.

  Price Fixing
  Mr. Leigh
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on what recent discussions he has held with his counterparts in the European Community in respect of the annual price fixing for agricultural commodities.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The Commission's proposals relating to cereals, fruit and vegetables, sugar, beef and agrimonetary matters were discussed at the Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting on 18–19 April.

  Chernobyl Nuclear Accident (Effects)
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he proposes to take in the light of the report on his Department's response to the effects of the Chernobyl disaster by the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark), a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  The Government have already taken action to reflect the experience gained as a result of the Chernobyl accident, through the new national response plan announced on 30 June 1987. As hon. Members will be aware, the Agriculture Committee of this House is currently examining the Government's response to the accident in the light of detailed evidence submitted by my Ministry, amongst others. I shall give careful consideration to the Committee's report.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of current agricultural research and development is funded by the industry; and what is his estimate for 1988–89.

  Mr. MacGregor
  Our best estimate is that industry funds about two thirds of the country's total agricultural R and D effort. But many companies do not disclose details of their spending and there are also problems in assessing the contribution of multinationals to the total United Kingdom picture.

TRANSPORT

  Settle-Carlisle Railway Line
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is yet in a position to indicate his policy towards acceptance of the conditions laid down by the contributing local authorities to the Settle-Carlisle railway line.

  Mr. David Mitchell
  No. My right hon. Friend will indicate his views on this when he announces his conclusions on the future of the line generally.

  Icelandair Boeing 727
  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which an undercarriage door fell off an Icelandair Boeing 727 and landed in a garden in Southbourne close, Pinner, on 2 May.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The Civil Aviation Authority has said that a main undercarriage door fell from an Icelandair Boeing 727 aircraft approaching Heathrow when the door-to-fuselage hinge failed. The airworthiness of Icelandair aircraft is a matter for the authorities in Iceland, who will 592
  be responsible for taking any necessary safety action. Section 76(2) of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 provides for the recovery of damages in respect of any material loss or damage caused by an article falling from an aircraft.

  Cyclists
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evidence he has about the dangers caused by irresponsible behaviour by pedal cyclists to themselves and to other road users; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Pedal cyclists are one of the most vulnerable road user groups. In 1986, 271 pedal cyclists were killed and a further 25,858 were injured. Although this is less than in 1985, the casualty rate per mile travelled worsened in 1986.

  The Department and local highway authorities work hard to try to reduce these appalling casualties. Many of the accidents to cyclists are caused by other road users.

  There is scope for cyclists to do more to help themselves, for example, by wearing conspicuity aids and safety helmets.

  The majority of cyclists are sensible law-abiding citizens. There are some who seem to think they are above the law. For instance, there is no excuse for not using lights at night, nor for riding on the pavement or in pedestrian-only areas, which causes particular distress to many elderly and disabled persons.

  I am concerned at cyclists ignoring traffic signals and directions. These cyclists should realise that such irresponsible behaviour can increase significantly their chances of being involved in an accident. Cyclists are not above the law. The police can and do take action to. prosecute.

  Parents have a particular responsibility to ensure that their children know just how dangerous roads can be if not treated with respect. They should encourage their children to take proper training, through the excellent schemes run by RoSPA. The local road safety officer can give advice.

  Older cyclists can obtain help and advice on a wide range of issues, including defensive riding techniques and machine maintenance, by joining cycle clubs locally, or by subscribing to a national organisation like the Cyclists' Touring Club.

  Many cycling accidents are caused by other road users. The Highway Code now includes much more advice aimed at ensuring that motorists are more aware of cyclists and the problems they face. As part of our current road safety publicity programme, we are also distributing relevant material to local authority road safety officers.

  Air Services
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what new proposals he has to encourage the development of air services from the regional airports of the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  It is not our policy to subsidise air services. We will continue to approve capital allocations to increase regional airport capacity where this is justified. In international negotiations over traffic rights we aim to facilitate air services between regional airports and overseas, provided British interests are safeguarded. In particular, the EC air transport "package", which came
  593
  into force on 1 January, gives airlines the automatic right to provide services between any United Kingdom regional airport and most major airports in the Community.

  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to support financial and other links between British and European airlines where this reflects EEC policy.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The establishment of financial and other links between British and European airlines is a commercial matter for the airlines themselves. We would be involved only if advised by the CAA that such a link would result in a British airline becoming foreign controlled. We would treat each case on its merits.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Pigs
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the state of the pig industry in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Viggers
  The pig industry in Northern Ireland, in common with the remainder of the United Kingdom and the European Community, is going through a difficult period due to an over-supply of pigs and poor prices for pigmeat.

  To help ease the situation an aids to private storage scheme was introduced throughout the Community in February 1988 to remove surplus pigmeat from the market. To date just over 200 tonnes have been put into store in Northern Ireland.

  Furthermore, the level of monetary compensatory amount paid on bacon exported to the United Kingdom has, due to the increasing strength of sterling, fallen from 15·8 per cent. in October 1987 to 6·1 per cent. at the end of April 1988.

  Road Repairs
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has to repair the footway and roadway between the Millifle end of Donaghadee and the bends at Croaghpatrick; when will this road towards Ballyvester be realigned; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has no proposals at present to improve any of these roads as their condition is not considered to justify such works.

  Potatoes
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the state of the seed potato and ware potato industry.

  Mr. Viggers
  Total shipments of seed potatoes from the 1987 crop are in excess of 50,000 tonnes compared with just over 52,000 tonnes at the corresponding time from the 1986 crop. This has been achieved in spite of a 3 per cent. fall in the area of seed potatoes planted in 1987 and some problems with seed exported.

  Ware potato prices for the 1987 crop have been lower than for the 1986 crop, but the cumulative average grower's price at 15 April was £62·06 per tonne. This is
  594
  well in excess of the target price of £46 per tonne set under the market support arrangements. Prices have been easing back over recent weeks, but this has had only a marginal effect on the cumulative average grower's price for the crop.

  Retail Prices Index (Error)
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements have been made for the allocation of money to charities in Northern Ireland in respect of the retail prices index understatement on social security benefits and centrally administered pensions.

  Mr. Needham
  The balance remaining out of the savings attributable to the RPI error in the social security uprating in Northern Ireland, after allowing for the compensatory payments to individual beneficiaries, is about £250,000. This will be made available to voluntary organisations, and particularly to those whose work would benefit the groups affected by the error.

  To ensure as wide and as equitable a distribution as possible, I have decided that the money should be available to regional voluntary organisations and to local groups. The Department of Health and Social Services will administer part of the new fund, in the form of grants to individual regional bodies for specific purposes, and the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, which has a well-proven track record in this field, will distribute the balance in the form of grants to more localised community projects serving the same target groups.

  The Department of Health and Social Services will now be inviting applications for a share of the available money, and the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust will be announcing details of how local groups should apply.

  The savings accruing to the superannuation schemes for Northern Ireland civil servants, teachers and health and personal social services staff amount to about £158,000. In the case of the Civil Service, payments totalling £52,500 were made by the Department of Finance and Personnel to the Civil Service retirement fellowship, the Civil Service benevolent fund and the Northern Ireland Civil Service sports association in the financial year 1987–88. In the case of retired teachers and health and personal social services staff consideration is being given to identifying the most appropriate arrangements for distributing the sums involved for the benefit of the groups of staff concerned.

  Police (Complaints)
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints have been made against police officers in each of the Royal Ulster Constabulary sub-divisions controlled from the divisional headquarters at Strand road, Londonderry in each of the last five years; what was the result of the cases in each of those sub-divisions; and how often more than one complaint was made against the same officer and with what result.

  Mr. Stanley
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, information about complaints in the police division controlled from Strand road, Londonderry in each of the past five years is as follows:
  595

  Complaints against the police—RUC "N" division

  Complaints

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  Received

  207

  255

  365

  336

  265

  Finalised

  196

  243

  350

  294

  95

  Substantiated

  2

  1

  3

  5

  2

  Not substantiated

  58

  51

  101

  87

  18

  Withdrawn by complainant

  102

  127

  125

  97

  46

  Non co-operation by complainant

  33

  64

  117

  104

  28

  Not proceeded with

  1

  0

  4

  1

  1

  Job Seekers (Travel to London)
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show for the last 12 months for which figures are available (a) how many persons from Northern Ireland have received assistance from public funds to travel to London to seek work, and (b) how many families and individuals from Northern Ireland have had to be given accommodation in London at public expense while seeking work in London; what is the average period such accommodation was occupied; and what was the cost.

  Mr. Viggers
  Under the travel-to-interview scheme the Department of Economic Development assisted a total of 275 people to travel to interviews in London during the 12 months ended 31 March 1988.

  Under the supplementary benefit scheme, which ceased on 11 April, help was available in limited circumstances to people on supplementary benefit to enable them to find work within the United Kingdom provided they did not qualify for assistance under the travel-to-interview scheme. information is not held centrally about the numbers of persons assisted and could be obtained only at disaproportionate cost.

  Information is not available about the numbers of families or individuals from Northern Ireland who had to be given accommodation in London at public expense while seeking work there.

  Brussels (Ministerial Visit)
  Sir John Biggs-Davison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the 596
  official visit to Brussels by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers).

  Mr. Viggers
  I visited Brussels on 20 and 21 April, where I had discussions with the Commissioner for Regional Policy and senior officials of the Commission. Our discussions covered Northern Ireland economic issues, ways in which the Province might benefit to an increased extent from the reformed structural funds, the pathfinder initiative, our approach to preparing Northern Ireland for the completion of the single European market by 1992 and the European enterprise conference scheduled to be held in Northern Ireland from 28 September to 1 October next.

  I was encouraged by the Commission's recognition of the Province's particular problems and its willingness to be as flexible as possible in assisting future developments.

  Irish Institute for European Affairs
  Sir Biggs-Davison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the extent of the Northern Ireland participation in the Irish Institute for European Affairs in Leuven; what is the cost to public funds; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Viggers
  Construction trainees from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland participated in the renovation of the institute's buildings. Since 1985 the Department of Economic Development and AnCO (the industrial training authority in the Republic) have jointly sponsored a series of European export marketing programmes training unemployed graduates to become export marketing managers. In addition, the institute is used for a variety of seminars, conferences, public lectures and business receptions by both the private and public sectors.

  The cost of the institute to Northern Ireland funds in the year ended 31 March 1988 was £90,255, including annual subvention of £20,000 payable by the Department of Economic Development over a period of three years, matching a corresponding sum paid by the authorities in the Republic of Ireland.

  SCHOOL NURSING SERVICE: ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT
  SCHOOL NURSING SERVICE: ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT
  CANCER PATIENTS: DHSS GUIDELINES
  CANCER PATIENTS: DHSS GUIDELINES
  COMMUNITY CARE REPORT: CONSULTATIONS
  COMMUNITY CARE REPORT: CONSULTATIONS
  CYPRUS: FINANCIAL AID
  CYPRUS: FINANCIAL AID
  BATHING WATERS SURVEY
  BATHING WATERS SURVEY