Written Answers of 13 February 1989

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Overseas Students
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to increase the number of students from west Africa who are offered places in further education or higher education in the United Kingdom; what is the present total of such students; and if he has any target figures for future years.

  Mr. Eggar
  In 1986–87, the latest year for which there are complete figures, there were almost 4,000 students from west African countries studying at universities and public sector institutions of higher and further education in the United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Government gave, under various schemes, financial support to a large proportion of these students. The number of students receiving such support will he nearly 1,700 in the current financial year. We expect this figure to increase in future years.

  Rudolf Hess
  Sir Michael McNair-Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in full all post mortem reports on the body of Rudolf Hess.

  Mrs. Chalker
  No. Publication is a matter for Hess's family.

PRIME MINISTER

  Meetings
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Prime Minister how many times she has met Mr. Rupert Murdoch at 10 Downing street in the last 12 months.

  The Prime Minister
  As I have told the House before, my normal practice is neither to confirm nor deny whether meetings with private individuals have taken place, even in those cases where no such meeting has occurred.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Top-up Loans
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will put his proposals for a student top-up loan scheme out for competitive tendering by banks and building societies.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  I am exploring with a variety of private sector financial institutions and other potential agents the most cost-effective approach to the administration of top-up loans. The scheme offers the financial institutions access to over 2 million graduate accounts: I expect there to be competition for this opportunity.

  Creche Service
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the number of children of pre-school age in inner London cared for in a creche within an ILEA adult education institute; and what plans have been made to ensure that resources are made available to individual boroughs to maintain and expand this service.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The information requested is not available centrally. The provision of creches for adult education students and staff will be a matter for the inner London boroughs to consider, in the light of the overall resources available to them.

  National Curriculum (Documents)
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the standing arrangements for the distribution of documents relating to the national curriculum to(a) schools, (b) parents and (c) others; and whether he has any plans to change those arrangements.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  Arrangements for the distribution of particular documents are made in the light of their nature and status. Circulars, statutory orders and regulations which concern the curriculum responsibilities of head teachers and school governing bodies are sent direct to all schools. Under regulations to be made under section 22 of the Education Reform Act, parents will have access at the school to all such documents. Copies are sent to LEAs and representative bodies, which are also consulted on draft documents; such drafts are available to others on request.

  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the titles of documents relating to the national curriculum which have been made available to schools; and in respect of each document (a) how many have been sent to each school and over what period following publication, (b) whether any charge has been made, and (c) whether any delays in dispatch have occurred.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  My Department has sent out two final circulars relevant to chapter 1 of the ERA—circular 1/89 on local arrangements for the consideration of complaints, and circular 3/89 on religious education and collective worship. Both were sent free of charge to all maintained schools—two copies to every head teacher and one for each governing body. The full circulation took just over two weeks in each case, because of heavy pressure on the dispatch services. The National Curriculum Council is responsible for the distribution of proposals for statutory attainment targets and programmes of study. It has sent copies of such proposals covering mathematics, science and primary English to all maintained schools.

  A number of draft documents and consultation papers relevant to chapter 1 of the ERA have been sent to LEAs and representative organisations, but made available free of charge to schools and others on request. There have been no delays in dispatching these documents, but postal delays may have affected delivery of some.

  Grant-Maintained Schools Trust
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the non-financial assistance being given to the Grant-Maintained Schools Trust.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My Department provides information on the Government's grant-maintained schools policies to anyone who seeks it: the Grant-Maintained Schools Trust has from time to time sought and received such information.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has made any representations to the Charity Commission about the application by the Grant-Maintained Schools Trust for charity status.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  No.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has given any financial support to the Grant-Maintained Schools Trust.

  Secondary schools in England—1986–87

  Examination results

  Expenditure per pupil £

  percentage of leavers attaining 5+ higher grades at O-level/CSE

  Ranking

  Local education authorities

  ILEA

  2,345

  14·7

  88

  Waltham Forest

  1,915

  6·2

  96

  Brent

  1,805

  19·6

  69

  Manchester

  1,660

  13·6

  92

  Ealing

  1,650

  21·3

  56

  Harrow

  1,600

  31·0

  11

  Croydon

  1,535

  19·6

  68

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  1,530

  32·6

  6

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  1,530

  17·4

  78

  Hillingdon

  1,520

  18·3

  74

  Knowsley

  1,515

  8·2

  95

  Barnet

  1,510

  41·4

  2

  Havering

  1,510

  23·7

  45

  Hounslow

  1,505

  23·5

  47

  Sheffield

  1,490

  17·8

  75

  Coventry

  1,485

  20·5

  61

  Barking

  1,470

  10·7

  94

  Redbridge

  1,465

  28·0

  17

  Rochdale

  1,460

  17·5

  77

  Wigan

  1,460

  28·5

  14

  North Tyneside

  1,455

  24·0

  42

  Liverpool

  1,445

  15·9

  84

  Walsall

  1,430

  19·3

  70

  South Tyneside

  1,430

  15·4

  87

  Bromley

  1,420

  33·2

  4

  Sandwell

  1,410

  12·5

  93

  Wolverhampton

  1,395

  17·1

  79

  Leicestershire

  1,390

  24·0

  43

  Salford

  1,385

  20·3

  62

  Enfield

  1,380

  20·1

  64

  Bexley

  1,370

  27·1

  23

  Nottinghamshire

  1,365

  21·0

  58

  Gateshead

  1,360

  19·8

  67

  Cleveland

  1,355

  27·9

  8

  Dudley

  1,350

  20·8

  59

  Hertfordshire

  1,350

  28·7

  13

  Oxfordshire

  1,350

  26·6

  26

  Birmingham

  1,345

  15·5

  86

  St. Helens

  1,340

  23·1

  50

  Bury

  1,340

  32·6

  5

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  1,330

  27·1

  22

  Calderdale

  1,330

  16·3

  81

  Barnsley

  1,325

  16·6

  80

  Merton

  1,325

  24·3

  41

  Tameside

  1,325

  24·3

  40

  Doncaster

  1,325

  19·0

  72

  Buckinghamshire

  1,320

  31·8

  9

  4
  Mrs. Rumbold
  No. My right hon. Friend is, however, currently considering an application by the Grant-Maintained Schools Trust for financial support in connection with the provision or proposed provision of educational services in grant-maintained schools.

  Examinations
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all local education authorities in England in rank order of expenditure per secondary pupil per year, starting with the highest spending authority, together with their position in the table of examination results for school leavers achieving five or more O-levels at grade A to C or CSE grade 1, in the latest year for which figures are available and in which these examinations were sat.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The information is as follows
  5

  Examination results

  Expenditure per pupil £

  percentage of leavers attaining 5+ higher grades at O-level/CSE

  Ranking

  Trafford

  1,315

  32·1

  8

  Cumbria

  1,315

  25·9

  30

  Avon

  1,310

  24·7

  38

  Sunderland

  1,305

  19·3

  71

  Derbyshire

  1,305

  20·6

  60

  Sutton

  1,300

  42·3

  1

  Wakefield

  1,290

  17·7

  76

  Shropshire

  1,285

  28·1

  16

  Wirral

  1,280

  23·8

  44

  Solihull

  1,280

  32·1

  7

  Berkshire

  1,280

  27·8

  19

  Sefton

  1,275

  24·7

  39

  Stockport

  1,270

  25·1

  33

  Humberside

  1,270

  21·9

  53

  Gloucestershire

  1,260

  27·6

  20

  Surrey

  1,260

  36·5

  3

  Essex

  1,255

  23·6

  46

  Oldham

  1,255

  14·4

  89

  Staffordshire

  1,255

  23·0

  51

  Lancashire

  1,255

  23·1

  49

  Kirklees

  1,250

  23·4

  48

  Northamptonshire

  1,250

  18·4

  73

  Bedfordshire

  1,250

  26·0

  29

  North Yorkshire

  1,240

  30·4

  12

  Bradford

  1,235

  16·1

  83

  Cheshire

  1,235

  26·7

  25

  East Sussex

  1,235

  24·7

  37

  Leeds

  1,230

  19·9

  66

  Norfolk

  1,230

  20·3

  63

  Rotherham

  1,230

  15·7

  85

  Bolton

  1,230

  25·2

  32

  Wiltshire

  1,230

  20·0

  65

  Northumberland

  1,230

  28·4

  15

  Devon

  1,225

  22·9

  52

  Durham

  1,225

  21·0

  57

  Hampshire

  1,220

  27·4

  21

  Warwickshire

  1,220

  24·8

  36

  West Sussex

  1,220

  31·5

  10

  Cambridgeshire

  1,205

  24·9

  35

  Somerset

  1,195

  21·9

  54

  Dorset

  1,190

  26·5

  27

  Lincolnshire

  1,185

  26·2

  28

  Hereford and Worcester

  1,180

  26·7

  24

  Cornwall

  1,175

  25·0

  34

  Suffolk

  1,165

  21·4

  55

  Isle of Wight

  1,150

  16·2

  82

  Kent

  1,145

  25·8

  31

  Haringey

  n/a

  13·7

  91

  Newham

  n/a

  14·0

  90

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list the number of children sitting(a) CSE exams, (b) O-level exams, and (c) A-level exams in each local education authority in England as a percentage of the total number in the relevant year groups in each authority for the latest available year in which their examinations were sat;

  (2) if he will list by each local education authority in England the total number of children achieving (a) CSE grades 2–5, (b) O-level grades A-C and CSE grade 1, and (c) A-level grades A to E as a percentage of the total number of pupils in the relevant year group in each authority, for the latest available year in which these examinations were sat.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The information is not available.

WALES

  Hospital Waiting Lists
  Mr. Rowlands
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will list the average waiting times for the following operations at each of the district general hospitals in Wales(a) hip and knee replacements, (b) hernias, (c) cataracts, (d) ear, nose and throat and (e) varicose veins.

  Mr. Grist
  Information is not available for patients currently on waiting lists. The average waiting times given in the table relate to patients admitted on waiting list and booked or planned cases, and discharged during 1987. Information is given for each of the main general acute hospitals and each of the teaching hospitals in Wales.
  7

  Average Waiting Time (days)

  Hip or Knee replacements

  Hernias1

  Cataracts

  Ear, Nose and Throat

  Varicose Veins

  Ysbyty Glan Clwyd

  2

  83

  —

  154

  —

  Maelor General

  110

  122

  121

  144

  284

  Bronglais

  129

  98

  2

  50

  2

  West Wales General

  267

  85

  53

  112

  92

  Nevill Hall

  156

  178

  —

  2

  2

  Royal Gwent/St. Woolos

  355

  112

  179

  110

  194

  Ysbyty Gwynedd

  139

  65

  105

  102

  96

  Princess of Wales

  54

  78

  2

  2

  84

  East Glamorgan

  2

  109

  —

  212

  227

  Prince Charles

  2

  209

  88

  220

  254

  Morriston

  186

  96

  —

  2

  2

  Singleton

  —

  72

  228

  106

  250

  Neath General

  2

  2

  —

  2

  2

  Withybush

  2

  209

  2

  147

  464

  University Hospital of Wales

  274

  129

  131

  124

  501

  Cardiff Royal Infirmary

  —

  48

  —

  2

  2

  Llandough

  —

  120

  —

  2

  242

  1 Includes inguinal and femoral hernias, abdomial operations on diaphragmatic hernias, abdomial hernias and secondary repairs

  2 Average waiting times have not been calculated for hospitals with less than 50 cases

  Surplus Food
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report details of the localities and the numbers of each qualifying group which obtained free butter and beef under the European Community free food scheme in each year during which the scheme was operated.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  The EC surplus food scheme has operated for one year and a list of the organisations designated to operate the scheme was placed in the Library of the House on 21 April 1988 by the then Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer). The information on numbers of each qualifying group is not available.

  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the allocation to Wales of free butter and beef under the European Community free food scheme in each of the years during which the scheme operated.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  In Wales 176 tonnes of butter and 332 tonnes of beef were allocated to and distributed by designated organisations under the EC surplus food scheme in 1988.

  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in the Official Report the names and locations of charitable organisations who applied for free butter and beef under the European Community free food scheme in each year during which the scheme was operated and those who were designated to operate the scheme.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  Charitable and non-profit-making organisations were invited to apply to operate the EC surplus free food scheme in 1988 and 1989. The list of designated organisations has been placed in the House. As organisations and individuals submitted applications on a confidential basis it is not possible to release details of those who were unsuccessful.

  Examinations Expenditure
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all local education authorities in Wales in rank order of expenditure per secondary pupil per year,8
  starting with the highest spending authority, together with their position in the table of examination results for school leavers achieving five or more O-levels at grades A to C or CSE grade 1 in the latest available year for which figures are available and in which these examinations were sat.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  The information requested is available for the 1986–87 financial and academic years and is as follows:

  Expenditure per secondary school pupil (£)

  Examination result position1

  West Glamorgan

  1,507

  4

  Gwent

  1,363

  6

  Powys

  1,332

  1

  Gwynedd

  1,296

  7

  Dyfed

  1,283

  2

  Clwyd

  1,282

  5

  Mid Glamorgan

  1,268

  8

  South Glamorgan

  1,268

  3

  1 Ranked in order of the percentage of school leavers with five or more O levels at grade A to C or CSE grade 1.

  Urban Investment Grant
  Mr. Raffan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make an announcement about his plans to introduce a new urban investment grant in Wales.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  The consultation exercise which we conducted recently prompted a positive response from the public and private sectors alike. With very few exceptions, the proposal to simplify the grant regime aimed at stimulating private sector investment in rundown sites in all deprived urban areas of Wales was welcomed. As a result of the views expressed I have decided that the threshold for the new grant will be set at the lower level of £150,000 when the grant is introduced in April of this year. Detailed guidance notes setting out arrangements for the new scheme are now available. Copies of the notes have today been sent to all those who responded to the consultation.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  North Africa (Desertification)
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's contribution to the combating of desertification in north Africa.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  We contribute to the fight against desertification through our participation in the work of a number of multilateral institutions. We also support measures to combat desertification in countries bordering the Sahara through our contribution to the European development fund; our share of projects that have been approved so far under the sixth EDF amounts to some £24 million.

  Zambia (Ministerial Visit)
  Mr. Franks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, during the recent ministerial visit to Zambia, he held discussions regarding British aid.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  During her recent visit my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs held discussions which included reference to present and future British aid.

  Pest Control
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure co-operation between the Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute and national institutions concerned with pest control.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  The ODNRI has a long history of collaboration with centres of pest expertise in Britain and abroad. The role of such links is carefully considered when customer divisions in the ODA commission work from the institute. The £7 million special programme to support pest control in Africa, on which I instructed the institute to embark in 1987, is an excellent example. Under it the ODNRI is collaborating with eight institutions in Britain and 12 in developing countries.

  Somalia
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what practical steps are being taken by the Department to offer an aid package to help resettlement of refugees and economic recovery in northern Somalia in the light of Government moves to encourage an end to internal hostilities in Somalia.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  We have given some £275,000 in support of the relief activities of British voluntary agencies in the wake of the civil conflict in northern Somalia. We stand ready to give prompt and sympathetic consideration to further requests from such organisations for humanitarian assistance.

  IMF and World Bank
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the managing director of the International Monetary Fund and the president of the World Bank; and what matters they propose to discuss.
  10
  Mr. Chris Patten
  Relations with the International Monetary Fund are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. As regards a meeting with the president of the World Bank, I can add nothing to the reply which I gave to the hon. Lady on 23 January, at column 370.

  Caribbean Countries
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British aid to the Caribbean countries.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  In the most recent year for which figures are available (1987), British bilateral aid to the Caribbean amounted to £29·06 million. I recently visited several countries in the Caribbean and heard for myself the appreciation with which our aid programme is received.

  Bangladesh
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current level of official development assistance to Bangladesh.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  Net official development assistance from the United Kindom to Bangladesh in 1987—the latest year for which figures are available—was £34·8 million. I anticipate that in the current financial year total expenditure will be about £50 million.

  International Fund for Agricultural Development
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current United Kingdom contribution to the international fund for agriculture development, and on current negotiations on future funding.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  Since its establishment in 1977, the United Kingdom has committed some £47 million to IFAD, including £7 million to its special programme for sub-Saharan African countries affected by drought and desertification. Disbursements against these pledges total roughly £28 million to date. Negotiations for the third replenishment of IFAD's resources are in progress. A statement is awaited from OPEC donors on their intended level of support.

  Malawi
  Dr. Michael Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will indicate the assistance offered to Malawi during the last three years and how it was used.

  Mr. Couchman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British aid to Malawi.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  British bilateral aid to Malawi in the latest three years for which figures are available was as follows:

  £000

  1985

  1986

  1987

  Total

  14,008

  15,019

  24,868

  Projects

  3,134

  3,168

  2,342

  Aid and Trade Provision

  143

  87

  1,657

  11

  1985

  1986

  1987

  Programme Aid and Debt Relief

  3,153

  2,657

  7,573

  Commonwealth Development Corporation

  1,092

  1,976

  5,478

  Technical Cooperation

  6,486

  7,131

  7,807

  Disaster Relief

  —

  —

  11

  Southern Africa Development Co-ordination Conference
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the annual meeting of the Southern Africa Development Co-ordination Conference.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I attended the annual consultative conference of the Southern Africa Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) in Luanda on 2 and 3 February. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, informed the House on 2 February, at column 333, I was able to announce continued British support for SADCC. Both SADCC member states and donor representatives considered the conference a success.

  Overseas Development Administration (Relocation)
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is considering the relocation of further London-based posts with the Overseas Development Administration to the administration's offices in East Kilbride.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I have recently decided that 15½ posts concerned with personnel issues and the engagement of consultants should be relocated from London to East Kilbride. I have at present no plans for the relocation of further London based posts, although the position will be kept under review.

  The Overseas Development Administration already has over 40 per cent. of its headquarters staff in East Kilbride and by the end of 1990 will have nearly 60 per cent. of its total staff outside London.

  Lomé IV
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current progress on the Lome IV negotiations.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  Negotiations on a successor to the third Lome convention, which expires in February 1990, were opened formally in October last year. The first EC-ACP ministerial negotiating meeting, which I shall be attending, is in Brazzaville later this week.

  Tropical Rain Forests
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further assistance he is giving to efforts to preserve the tropical rain forest in Brazil.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  We are supporting research in forest regeneration through the Maraca rain forest project. As I told the hon. Member for Glasgow, Provan (Mr. Wray) on 19 January, we also support the efforts of the World Bank and other international organisations to strengthen the application of environmental considerations in Brazil.

  Colombia (Rural Development)
  Sir Russell Johnston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he plans to meet representatives of the Colombian Government to discuss rural development programmes involving alternative crops for areas where narcotics are grown.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I have no plans to do so. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed the problem of drug control with Colombian Ministers and officials during his visit to Colombia last August. Her Majesty's Government are already assisting Colombia in the control of drugs.

  Aid Projects (Assessment)
  Mr. Patrick Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the field tests of the new manual to help project managers decide how much environmental assessment is required in the case of each aid project.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  The draft manual was field tested by Overseas Development Administration staff on visits to a number of countries and was found to be a useful tool for helping to assess environmental concerns. Comments and suggestions for improvements in substance and format, from staff and from over 50 international bodies and non-governmental organisations, are being incorporated in the final version.

  Tanzania (Aid)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met Ministers of the Tanzanian Government to discuss future aid projects in that country; and what projects were discussed.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  My right hon. and learned Friend visited Tanzania last September. He discussed a number of potential aid projects in the transport and natural resources sectors. He also signed an agreement for a further £6 million of project aid. He stressed the importance of Tanzania's economic reform programme in support of which Britain has pledged over £80 million in the last two years.

  Development Assistance
  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to announce the 1988 level of United Kingdom official development assistance as a proportion of gross national product.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I hope to be able to provide this information before the end of June.

  Crown Agents
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Crown Agents holding and realisation board last met, and what was discussed.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  The Crown Agents holding and realisation board last met on 27 April 1988. At that
  13
  meeting, members noted a report on the status of CAHRB loans and investments and approved the annual accounts for 1987.

  Conservation
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he gives, when allocating aid, to projects which safeguard and provide for the development of natural resources.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  Helping to develop natural resources has long been an important part of our aid programme, the prime aims of which are poverty alleviation and sustainable development. We are currently pursuing an initiative to commit more of our resources to forestry.

ODA

  Voluntary Agencies (Funding)
  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to increase the financial support available to voluntary agencies for their long-term development work.

  Mr. Christ Patten
  Subject to parliamentary approval, I propose to make a total of £16 million available to British voluntary agencies in 1989–90 under our joint funding scheme. This represents an increase of 43 per cent. on this year's allocation of £11·2 million. Our total support for the voluntary agencies last year came to more than £42 million, approximately half of which was spent on long-term development work. The increases I am announcing today are in recognition of the important role that many voluntary agencies play in promoting economic and social development at a grassroots level amongst some of the poorest communities in developing countries.

  AIDS
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research his Department has commissioned into the socio-economic impact of AIDS on developing countries.

  Mr. Christ Patten
  My Department has commissioned three research projects into the socio-economic impact of AIDS in developing countries: "A review of sources on sexual behaviour"; "Traditional Health practitioners and the spread of the HIV virus"; and "Community coping mechanisms in circumstances of exceptional demographic change". In addition, we are funding a major research project on the demographic and economic impact of AIDS in developing countries.

EMPLOYMENT

  Restart
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment why the restart interview form in section 7 dealing with qualifications ignores Scottish educational qualifications.

  Mr. Lee
  Question 7 of the restart interview form contains a space in which details can be inserted of qualifications held which are not included on the form.
  14
  Scottish educational qualifications can be shown in this box. The hon. Member's point about Scottish educational qualifications will be considered when the form is reviewed.

  Adjudication Officers
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what number of adjudication officers were in post at the end of each reporting year since 1983; and what proportion of such officers had over 12 months' experience of adjudication work.

  Mr. Lee
  Three annual reports of the chief adjudication officer have been published, covering the years 1984–85, 1985–86 and 1986–87. The information given in these reports is as follows:

  Year

  Adjudication officers in post

  1984–85

  334

  1985–86

  345

  1986–87

  505

  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 26 January 1988 at column 159, showing 524 adjudication officers in post at that time.

  Information about the levels of experience amongst adjudication officers is not routinely collected.

  Child Employees
  Mr. Archer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he proposes to ratify International Labour Organisation convention No. 138 on the minimum age for the employment of children.

  Mr. Nicholls
  No. The Government have no intention of introducing legislation to effect the changes that ratification of this convention would require.

  Benefit Office (Durham)
  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people use the unemployment benefit office in Langley park, Durham, and with what frequency.

  Mr. Lee
  There are 245 people registered a s unemployed at Langley park part-time unemployment benefit office, of whom 185 attend fortnightly and 60 attend quarterly.

  International Labour Organisation
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill of 3 February, what considerations of policy led to the conclusion that the amendments to legislation required to give further effect to the provisions of the International Labour Organisation convention No. 111 are unnecessary and undesirable.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The main consideration is the difference between United Kingdom law and the terms of the convention concerning the Civil Service and armed forces. Nationality rules for these two groups are specifically excluded from the scope of the Race Relations Act 1976.
  15
  The Government consider the maintenance of these rules essential to ensure the close identification of the personnel concerned with the United Kingdom.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Lindholme Prison
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present establishment figure for prisoners at Lindholme prison; what are the actual figures for prisoners held at the latest available date; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The certified normal accommodation at Her Majesty's prison Lindholme is 1,001. Two

  North Yorkshire Police—Richmond Division

  Main Police Stations

  Village Police Stations

  Northallerton Sub-Division

  Richmond Sub-Division

  Ripton Sub-Division

  Bedale

  Borrowby

  Askrigg

  Bagby

  Catterick Garrison

  Brompton

  Aysgarth

  Coxwood

  Legburn

  Crakehall

  Barton

  Dishforth

  Northallerton

  Great Broughton

  Catterick Village

  Kirkbymalzeard

  Richmond Divisional Headquarters

  Great Smeaton

  Colburn

  Kirklington

  Richmond Sub-Divisional Headquarters

  Hutton Rudby

  Eppleby

  Masham

  Ripon

  Leeming

  Gilling West

  North Stainley

  Scorton

  Norton on Swale

  Hawes

  Thornton le Moor

  Stokesley

  Osmotherley

  Hunton

  Topcliffe

  Thirsk

  Swainby

  Middleham

  Wath

  Middleton Tyas

  Redmine

  Reeth

  Details of the police stations which have opened and closed since 1979 are as follows:

  (i) In 1986, the police station at Great Ayton was closed and replaced with a police office;

  (ii) In 1988, the police house and office at Crathorne was closed and replaced with one at Hutton-Rudby;

  (iii) In the same year, the police station at Racecourse Lane, Northallerton was closed and replaced with one in Northallerton High Street; and a police office was opened at North Stainley.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report the number of police employed to cover the Richmond division of the North Yorkshire police area annually from 1979 to the latest available date.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The information is as follows:

  Year

  Police strength at 31 December

  1979

  209

  1980

  190

  1981

  193

  1982

  193

  1983

  203

  1984

  205

  1985

  220

  1986

  215

  1987

  230

  1988

  226

  Immigration
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice or training his 16
  hundred and fifty of these places have been taken out of use for refurbishment and upgrading of physical security standards. The establishment's population on Tuesday 7 February was 723.

  North Yorkshire (Police)
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report the village and main police stations in the Richmond division of the North Yorkshire police area in the latest year for which figures are available; and which have opened and closed since 1979.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The current list of main and village police stations is as follows:

  Department offers to airlines on United Kingdom immigration legislation and rules; and if he will encourage airlines to ensure that their staff at ports outwith the United Kingdom are made aware of current legislation and rules.

  Mr. Renton
  Advice and training is provided to airlines, on request, in the context of the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 1987. Our policy is to encourage carriers to take advantage of such advice and training which, subject to the payment of travelling and subsistence costs by the airline, extends to their staff outside the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list for every week of 1988 the number of(a) notices served, (b) representations made, (c) cases where discretion was exercised, (d) demands made, (e) payments made and (f) payments waived under the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 1987;

  (2) if he will list for each week in 1988 the number of persons and their nationality refused entry on arrival at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick and (c) Dover.

  Mr. Renton
  I will write to the hon. Member.

  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for every week in 1988 the average occupancy and the number of nights that accommodation was full at(a) Harmondsworth, (b) Annexe (building JA), (c) Queen's building, (d) Beehive and (e) Latchmere.

  Mr. Renton
  The available information is as follows:
  17

  Average occupancy figures with numbers of nights that accommodation was full in parenthesis

  Week ending

  (a)

  (b)

  (c)

  (d)

  (e)

  Harmondsworth

  Annex (building JA)

  Queen's building

  Beehive

  Latchmere

  9 January 1988

  61·0

  (1)

  26·0

  (0)

  10·5

  (4)

  8·0

  (0)

  96

  (1)

  16 January 1988

  57·0

  (0)

  23·0

  (0)

  10·0

  (4)

  6·7

  (0)

  97

  (1)

  23 January 1988

  59·5

  (0)

  28·1

  (0)

  10·5

  (4)

  9·7

  (0)

  97

  (4)

  30 January 1988

  62·0

  (1)

  29·0

  (3)

  —

  8·4

  (0)

  97

  (3)

  6 February 1988

  60

  (0)

  29

  (1)

  —

  10·0

  (1)

  96

  (2)

  13 February 1988

  62

  (0)

  29

  (6)

  —

  14·0

  (7)

  97

  (5)

  20 February 1988

  62

  (0)

  29

  (4)

  —

  8·0

  (1)

  98

  (7)

  27 February 1988

  61

  (0)

  30

  (7)

  ——

  10

  (4)

  98

  (7)

  5 March 1988

  61

  (0)

  29

  (2)

  —

  12

  (0)

  93

  (0)

  12 March 1988

  57·4

  (1)

  28·7

  (2)

  —

  7·9

  (2)

  98

  (7)

  19 March 1988

  60·7

  (2)

  27·8

  (2)

  —

  10·4

  (3)

  97

  (6)

  26 March 1988

  57·8

  (4)

  29·4

  (5)

  —

  11

  (2)

  98

  (7)

  2 April 1988

  65

  (7)

  29·2

  (4)

  —

  11

  (2)

  98

  (7)

  9 April 1988

  63·5

  (2)

  30

  (6)

  —

  13

  (4)

  98

  (7)

  16 April 1988

  64·5

  (3)

  28·5

  (4)

  —

  14

  (7)

  96

  (1)

  23 April 1988

  64·5

  (3)

  28·5

  (4)

  —

  8

  (1)

  94

  (1)

  30 April 1988

  62

  (1)

  26

  (1)

  —

  8

  (1)

  98

  (7)

  7 May 1988

  61·7

  (1)

  15·8

  (0)

  —

  11

  (2)

  97

  (1)

  14 May 1988

  55·8

  (0)

  25·8

  (2)

  —

  11

  (2)

  96

  (2)

  21 May 1988

  56

  (0)

  26

  (2)

  —

  9

  (1)

  97

  (3)

  28 May 1988

  49

  (0)

  21

  (0)

  —

  7

  (1)

  95

  (1)

  4 June 1988

  55

  (0)

  27

  (1)

  —

  8

  (2)

  95

  (0)

  11 June 1988

  65

  (0)

  25

  (0)

  —

  12

  (5)

  93

  (0)

  18 June 1988

  63·1

  (1)

  26·8

  (0)

  —

  11

  (2)

  89

  (0)

  25 June 1988

  63

  (0)

  28

  (1)

  —

  13

  (5)

  93

  (0)

  2 July 1988

  59

  (0)

  27

  (I)

  —

  13

  (3)

  97

  (5)

  9 July 1988

  49

  (0)

  25

  (0)

  14

  (4)

  12

  (3)

  95

  (1)

  16 July 1988

  56

  (1)

  27

  (0)

  13

  (2)

  10

  0)

  96

  (2)

  23 July 1988

  62

  (0)

  26

  (1)

  15

  (4)

  10

  (2)

  96

  (2)

  30 July 1988

  59

  (0)

  24

  (0)

  12

  (3)

  11

  (2)

  94

  (1)

  6 August 1988

  62

  (1)

  26

  (0)

  15

  (6)

  8

  (0)

  90

  (0)

  13 August 1988

  58

  (1)

  31

  (3)

  14

  (5)

  12

  (2)

  71

  (0)

  20 August 1988

  61

  (1)

  28

  (4)

  14

  (5)

  7

  (0)

  60

  (0)

  27 August 1988

  56·3

  (0)

  25·7

  (1)

  12

  (2)

  23

  (7)

  63

  (0)

  3 September 1988

  60

  (1)

  26

  (0)

  12

  (1)

  11

  (2)

  84

  (0)

  10 September 1988

  58

  (0)

  25

  (1)

  14

  (4)

  13

  (4)

  89

  (0)

  17 September 1988

  58

  (0)

  27

  (1)

  13

  (4)

  14

  (6)

  92

  0)

  24 September 1988

  63·5

  (2)

  28

  (3)

  14·5

  (5)

  14

  (7)

  90

  (0)

  1 October 1988

  59

  (0)

  25

  (1)

  14

  (5)

  14

  (5)

  96

  (4)

  8 October 1988

  62

  (3)

  28

  (1)

  14·5

  (5)

  13

  (5)

  97

  (3)

  15 October 1988

  61

  (1)

  27

  (2)

  15

  (5)

  12

  (4)

  91

  (0)

  22 October 1988

  52

  (0)

  28

  (1)

  14

  (5)

  12

  (3)

  90

  (0)

  29 October 1988

  60

  (0)

  25

  (0)

  14

  (4)

  7

  (1)

  86

  (0)

  5 November 1988

  59

  (0)

  25

  (0)

  14

  (2)

  11

  (2)

  91

  (0)

  12 November 1988

  60

  (1)

  29

  (3)

  15

  (5)

  12

  (5)

  91

  (0)

  19 November 1988

  60

  (1)

  29

  (3)

  13

  (5)

  11

  (2)

  91

  (0)

  26 November 1988

  62

  (1)

  27

  (3)

  11

  (2)

  11

  (3)

  93

  (1)

  3 December 1988

  53

  (1)

  28

  (2)

  11

  (3)

  13

  (5)

  90

  (0)

  10 December 1988

  61

  (1)

  26

  (0)

  15

  (6)

  13

  (5)

  90

  (0)

  17 December 1988

  61·0

  (2)

  33·0

  (0)

  14·0

  (6)

  14·0

  (6)

  93

  (0)

  24 December 1988

  650

  (4)

  300

  (7)

  150

  (5)

  170

  (7)

  94

  (0)

  31 December 1988

  65·0

  (7)

  30·0

  (7)

  15·0

  (7)

  17·0

  (7)

  94

  (3)

  Note:—The Queen's Building detention accommodation was closed for refurbishment from 19 January 1988 until June 1988.

  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what record is maintained of applications made by persons arriving at(a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick and (c) Dover claiming political asylum; what records are maintained as to the action taken on each request; whether records are maintained as to the initial destination of persons removed from the United Kingdom at the time of seeking asylum; and if such information is made available to (i) any other Government or agency within the European Economic Community and (ii) any other Government; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will list for each week in 1988 (a) the number of persons arriving at (i) Heathrow, (ii) Gatwick and (iii) Dover and claiming asylum, (b) of which countries they were nationals and (c) how many were (1) refused leave to enter and removed, (2) refused leave to enter and
  18
  were detained, (3) refused leave to enter and granted temporary admission and (4) granted temporary admission pending a decision;

  (3) what information on persons seeking asylum in the United Kingdom is made available to Governments and agencies of (a) countries within the European Economic Community and (b) other countries; and if he will make a statement;

  (4) what information on persons or groups of persons seeking (a) leave to enter the United Kingdom and (b) asylum in the United Kingdom is made available to Governments within the Trevi group; and if he will make a statement;

  (5) what information is held on immediate action taken on persons seeking asylum within the United Kingdom; and to whom it is made available.
  19
  Mr. Renton
  Some information on applications for asylum is collected at Heathrow, Gatwick and Dover for inclusion in a weekly return providing management information for internal use. I will write to the hon. Member giving the numbers and nationalities of persons arriving at these ports and claiming asylum in each week in 1988.

  The limited information on outcomes of cases contained in the weekly returns is accurate only for the time at which the returns are compiled. It is not updated to take account of subsequent action and is not aggregated, since it would not give a meaningful picture. Information from the weekly returns is not made available systematically to any other Government or agency.

  Comprehensive published statistics on asylum applications and on outcomes are derived from the refugee index computer which is maintained centrally and includes details of all asylum applications made at ports, from within the United Kingdom and from abroad; however, full details of detention, temporary admission and removals are held only on individual files.

  In advance of the published statistics, provisional information on applications received and decisions taken is made available quarterly to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. These returns are produced from the refugee index. Copies are placed in the Library. Similar information is given quarterly to the European Community working group on immigration. Information is not sent to Governments within the Trevi group as such or to other countries or agencies.

  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each week in 1988 the number of passengers and of which country they were nationals arriving and claiming United Kingdom citizenship and who were refused entry or who were requested to submit to further examination at(a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick and (c) Dover, in each case showing the action taken in respect of the passengers.

  Mr. Renton
  Information in the form requested has not been collected centrally since September 1988. Between 1 January and 3 September 1988, a total of 129 passengers claiming British citizenship on arrival were either refused entry or were required to submit to further examination.

  Catholic Marriage Advisory Council
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Government funds are currently allocated to the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council; and upon what conditions those funds are made available.

  Mr. John Patten
  Home Office grant in aid to the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council in 1988–89 is £121,910. One condition of the grant in aid is that it be used in support of the headquarters unit of the organisation in order to encourage voluntary work. The other conditions are standard for Government grants and seek to ensure probity and the effective, efficient and economic use of resources.

  Marion Gaima
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he received with regard to the case of Marion Gaima; and how many replies or acknowledgements were sent.
  20
  Mr. Renton
  Just over 1,000 letters, plus a small number of petitions, have been received about this case. Replies have been sent to 85 Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, and Members of the European Parliament; two letters from Members of Parliament, which were received recently, have not yet received replies. Some of the correspondence from members of the public registering support for Miss Gaima did not call for a specific reply. One hundred and fifty-three acknowledgements and 131 replies to other official correspondence have been sent so far. We hope to reach a decision on the case shortly, and at that stage replies will be sent to the remaining letters as necessary.

  Broadcasting (Deaf and Hard of Hearing People)
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he has received any representations on the White Paper, "Broadcasting in the '90s", regarding the provision of broadcasting services to Scottish viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what discussions have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and representatives of deaf and hard of hearing people with regard to the White Paper, "Broadcasting in the '90s"; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Renton
  We have received a number of representations in connection with our broadcasting proposals from hon. Members on behalf of constituents who are deaf or hard of hearing. Careful account will be taken of these comments and we would welcome any further comments during the consultation period which ends on 28 February.

  London Fire Brigade
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has regarding the steps taken by the London fire brigade to implement recommendations 30 and 31 of the Fennell report.

  Mr. John Patten
  I am informed by London fire brigade that it has reviewed and strengthened its instructions and training arrangements for command and control on the fireground at both junior and senior officer level. The brigade has also completed its review of protective clothing. As a result, a new fire tunic is currently being introduced; provision of the new tunic should be completed by the end of June. In addition, new improved gloves are being purchased, the delivery of which is expected before the end of March.

  Mr. Abdullah Hassan Yousef
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take in the case of Mr. Abdullah Hassan Yousef following the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Mr. Berrehab.

  Mr. Renton
  I wrote to the hon. Member on 8 February and I have subsequently arranged to meet him on 15 February.

  Prisons
  Ms. Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are currently being
  21
  held in each prison in England and Wales, and in total, and how many prison officers are currently in each prison in England and Wales, and in total.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  [holding answer 6 February 1989]: The latest available information is given in the table.

  Population of and prison officers in post in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales: by establishement

  Total population on 31 December 1988

  Total grade VI-VIII officers1on 1 January 1989

  Acklington

  425

  155

  Albany

  384

  321

  Aldington

  119

  47

  Ashford

  202

  116

  Ashwell

  365

  84

  Askham Grange

  109

  39

  Aylesbury

  280

  154

  Bedford

  316

  172

  Birmingham

  1,013

  408

  Blantyre House

  78

  42

  Blundeston

  410

  134

  Bristol

  566

  252

  Brixton

  1,048

  717

  Brockhill

  237

  110

  Buckley Hall

  73

  42

  Bullwood Hall

  147

  64

  Camp Hill

  494

  157

  Campsfield House

  58

  37

  Canterbury

  328

  171

  Cardiff

  465

  201

  Castington

  233

  116

  Channings Wood

  522

  131

  Chelmsford

  399

  206

  Coldingley

  297

  156

  Cookham Wood

  121

  52

  Dartmoor

  626

  217

  Deerbolt

  383

  134

  Dorchester

  180

  92

  Dover

  183

  95

  Drake Hall

  209

  64

  Durham Male

  1,027

  354

  Durham Female

  36

  26

  East Sutton Park

  84

  24

  Eastwood Park

  75

  41

  Erlestoke

  211

  85

  Everthorpe

  358

  104

  Exeter

  387

  199

  Featherstone

  538

  119

  Feltham

  666

  354

  Ford

  493

  72

  Foston Hall/Sudbury

  496

  81

  Frankland

  395

  384

  Full Sutton

  256

  370

  Garth

  336

  190

  Gartree

  309

  287

  Glen Parva

  604

  275

  Gloucester

  247

  128

  Grendon/Spring Hill

  429

  165

  Guys Marsh

  108

  69

  Haslar

  49

  39

  Hatfield

  170

  58

  Haverigg

  275

  98

  Hewell Grange

  116

  43

  Highpoint

  794

  187

  Hindley

  342

  140

  Hollesley Bay

  385

  183

  Holloway

  467

  286

  Hull

  651

  266

  I-1 untercombe/Finnamore Wood

  268

  84

  Kirkham

  537

  69

  Kirklevington

  90

  42

  Lancaster

  258

  86

  Latchmere House

  166

  69

  Leeds

  1,212

  384

  Leicester

  383

  216

  Lewes

  559

  197

  Leyhill

  370

  70

  Lincoln

  620

  246

  Lindholme

  702

  225

  Littlehey

  441

  130

  Liverpool

  1,323

  388

  Long Lartin

  401

  323

  Lowdham Grange

  222

  65

  Low Newton Male

  184

  88

  Low Newton Female

  30

  25

  Maidstone

  540

  175

  22

  Total populationon 31 December 1988

  Total grade VI-VIII officers1 on 1 January 1989

  Manchester

  1,652

  514

  Morton Hall

  155

  27

  The Mount

  324

  156

  New Hall

  92

  84

  Northallerton

  164

  74

  Northeye

  223

  70

  North Sea Camp

  89

  36

  Norwich

  588

  232

  Nottingham

  295

  119

  Onley

  402

  137

  Oxford

  206

  108

  Parkhurst

  235

  320

  Pentonville

  897

  277

  Portland

  480

  145

  Portsmouth

  143

  61

  Preston

  575

  159

  Pucklechurch Male

  103

  75

  Pucklechurch Female

  42

  42

  Ranby

  344

  100

  Reading

  257

  143

  Risley Male

  553

  392

  Risley Female

  110

  110

  Rochester

  325

  175

  Rudgate

  306

  54

  Send

  102

  44

  Shepton Mallet

  239

  73

  Shrewsbury

  290

  114

  Stafford

  798

  210

  Standford Hill

  387

  87

  Stocken

  294

  104

  Stoke Heath

  409

  119

  Styal

  268

  110

  Swaleside

  392

  168

  Swansea

  286

  144

  Swinfen Hall

  143

  93

  Thorn Cross

  198

  77

  Thorp Arch

  155

  59

  Usk/Prescoed

  129

  67

  The Verne

  594

  133

  Wakefield

  729

  421

  Wandsworth

  1,506

  440

  Wayland

  475

  123

  Wellingborough

  326

  110

  Werrington

  93

  42

  Wetherby

  139

  65

  Whatton

  164

  67

  Winchester

  596

  277

  Wormwood Scrubs

  1,083

  502

  Wymott

  726

  195

  Total

  47,961

  19,649

  1 Include in all discipline and specialist Grade VI-VIII prison officers.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  International Organisations
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those international organisations on which his Department is represented and the total cost of these commitments.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The Department is represented on a large number of international organisations and associated committees, and no central register of such bodies is maintained. Some of these give rise to identifiable membership costs, and the forecast total for these membership costs for 1988–89 is some £9 million. Nearly half of this total arises from membership of two organisations: these are the International Telecommunications Union and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

  Freight Forwarders
  Mr. Ashby
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many foreign-controlled freight forwarders were being used in 1988 by all Government Departments; and how many British ones were used.

  Mr. Atkins
  This information is not held centrally. My Department does not have co-ordinated arrangements for employing freight forwarders and is not a substantial user of their services.

  Post Offices
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list in the Official Report (a) the main post offices and (b) the sub-post offices in the Hambleton and Richmondshire areas, and in North Yorkshire as a whole in the latest year for which figures are available; and which have opened or closed since 1979.

  Mr. Forth
  I have consulted the Post Office, which has supplied the following information. There are currently 18 main and sub-post offices in the Hambleton and Richmondshire areas, and 527 in North Yorkshire as a whole. There has been no change in the provision of main post offices in these areas since 1979. During the same period, two sub-offices have opened in North Yorkshire and 38 have closed. These sub-offices are as follows:

  Hambleton

  Opened—0

  Closed—3

  Chopgate

  Danby Wiske

  Londonderry

  Richmondshire

  Opened—0

  Closed—5

  Patrick Brompton

  Keid

  Harwood

  Thwaith

  Moulton

  North Yorkshire

  Opened—2

  Blight street

  Nether Poppleton

  Closed—30

  Fewston

  Kettlesing

  Merchanted vessels built overseas for United Kingdom registration By type of vessel

  Number

  Year

  Tanker

  Bulk carrier

  Cargo

  Supply vessels

  Container ship

  Other

  Total

  1979

  6

  1

  13

  6

  2

  6

  34

  1980

  12

  —

  7

  5

  —

  5

  30

  1981

  4

  10

  2

  —

  1

  3

  20

  1982

  4

  5

  5

  3

  1

  4

  22

  1983

  —

  1

  2

  2

  —

  5

  11

  1984

  —

  3

  2

  2

  —

  3

  11

  1985

  2

  —

  1

  3

  —

  2

  8

  1986

  —

  —

  1

  3

  —

  3

  7

  1987

  —

  —

  —

  1

  —

  5

  6

  11988

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  1 First nine months.

  24

  Cromer street

  Heslington road, York

  Lawrence road, York

  Lineman road, York

  Popleton road, York

  Barlby road, Selby

  Askham Bryan

  Ellerton

  Hutton le Hole

  Poppleton

  Skipton Bridge

  Thornton-Le-Street

  Upsall

  East Cottingwith

  Thormanby

  Acklam

  Appleton-Le-Street

  Butlin's Holiday Camp (Filey)

  Scagglethorp

  Scampston

  West Lutton

  Wretton

  Yedingham

  Egton Bridge

  Fearby

  Appletreewick

  Conistone

  Burnside

  National Girobank
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when his Department expects to announce a buyer for National Girobank.

  Mr. Forth
  Discussions with potential purchasers are continuing and we have set no timetable for completing the sale.

  Shipbuilding
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many merchant vessels of more that 500 gross registered tonnage were built outwith the United Kingdom for United Kingdom shipping firms in each of the past 10 years; what types they were; and in which countries they were built.

  Mr. Atkins
  The information available, which relates to vessels built overseas for United Kingdom registration, is shown in the table.
  25

  By country of build

  Number

  Year

  Japan

  Denmark

  Netherlands

  Poland

  Germany

  Other

  Total

  1979

  17

  3

  —

  2

  2

  10

  34

  1980

  11

  6

  4

  —

  4

  5

  30

  1981

  6

  —

  5

  3

  —

  6

  20

  1982

  4

  2

  4

  2

  1

  9

  22

  1983

  1

  2

  —

  —

  1

  7

  11

  1984

  2

  —

  1

  —

  1

  7

  11

  1985

  1

  2

  1

  —

  —

  4

  8

  1986

  —

  4

  3

  —

  —

  —

  7

  1987

  1

  —

  —

  —

  3

  2

  6

  1988

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  1 First nine months.

  Note:

  Only vessels of over 500 gross tonnes are included.

  Mr. McCrindle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will press for international action to eliminate excessive shipbuilding credit arrangements and for the rationalisation of the world shipping industry; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Government's objective is to achieve a reduction in subsidies across the range of officially supported export credits on a multilateral basis. Any consequent reduction in shipbuilding credits should contribute to the rationalisation of world shipping.

  Fur and Fur Products
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Caerphilly,Official Report, 12 January, column 733 (a) what were the species whence the fur and fur products were derived, and (b) what were the quantities of red fox pelts involved.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The species were:—

  mink

  rabbits and hares

  Persian, Astrakhan, Caracul and similar lambs

  Indian, Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan lambs

  sea-lions. fur seals and other seals

  sea otters, nutria and beaver

  musk-rats and marmots

  wild felines

  sheep

  other animals.

  The quantities of red fox pelts are not identified separately in the "Statistics of Overseas Trade".

  Post Office Board (Bonuses)
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much has been paid as profit-related bonuses to the chairman and members of the Post Office Board; and if he will list such payments.

  Mr. Forth
  In 1987–88 performance-related bonuses were paid to the chairman and members of the Post Office Board against a range of targets including profit. Profit-related payments amounted to £11,240.

  UK Goods
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he has taken to encourage people to purchase goods made in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  Ministers repeatedly point out the advantages of buying United Kingdom goods where they 26
  are well designed, of good quality and competitively priced. My Department's policies are geared to helping businesses achieve this.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Industrial Development (Grants)
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the terms of the package of grant assistance promoted by the Industrial Development Board, Northern Ireland, available to investors in Northern Ireland and the investment grants available in all other regions of the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Viggers
  A wide range of support is available to companies and individual investors in Northern Ireland including:

  Accommodation:—Stocks of land and industrial premises for purchase or lease.

  Capital Grants:—Up to 50 per cent., depending on location within Northern Ireland, of the cost of new buildings, machinery and equipment whether purchased or leased.

  Employment Grants:—Paid on a per capita basis over, typically, 3–5 years.

  Rent Grants:—Paid for up to five years towards the cost of renting privately-owned industrial premises or property leased on commercial terms from the IDB.

  Interest Relief Grants:—In respect of loans obtained from the private sector.

  Loans:—Against approved security.

  Share Capital:—Through ordinary or preference shares, often with a buy-back option or redemption terms.

  Management Incentive Grants:—Paid to help companies overcome exceptional management recruitment problems.

  All of the above assistance is subject to certain limits and to constraints applied by the European Commission.

  In addition, eligible companies can apply for the following assistance:
  R and D Grants:—Up to 50 per cent. of expenditure on approved projects for research and development work related to new products or processes for manufacture or application in Northern Ireland.
  Marketing Development Grants:—Grant can amount to 40 per cent. of eligible marketing costs incurred in implementation of a marketing plan, up to a maximum of £60,000 in one year.
  Alternatively, companies may receive 40 per cent. of eligible identifiable costs, up to a maximum of £30,000, to help develop a strategic approach to their marketing planning and implementation.

  Grants available to industry in Great Britain are the
  responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry, Wales and Scotland.

  St. Vincent de Paul Society
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will raise the subject of support by the Republic of Ireland Government for the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Northern Ireland at the next meeting of the Anglo-Irish Conference.

  Mr. Ian Stewart
  No. I do not regard this as a matter which falls within the scope of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

  Water Courses
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under what circumstances a designated water course is de-designated; and in what state of maintenance such water courses are handed over to those landowners with riparian rights.

  Mr. Viggers
  Water courses are de-designated by the Northern Ireland Drainage Council in circumstances where their maintenance at public expense is no longer justified. Such water courses become the responsibility of the riparian landowners in their existing condition.

ENVIRONMENT

  Local Authority Finance
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities which have received allocations under the Estate Action funding scheme for 1988–89 and the proposals for 1989–90; and if he will indicate the figures in each case.

  Mr. Trippier
  At 23 January 1989, the following local authorities in the regions indicated had received allocations of extra resources under the Department's Estate Action programme for 1988–89.

  For 1989–90, local authorities are currently working up their detailed proposals and allocations have not yet been made.

  Figures

  North-West

  Allerdale

  451,000

  Barrow-in-Furness

  1,920,000

  Blackburn

  1,460,000

  Blackpool

  270,000

  Bolton

  17,000

  Bury

  100,000

  Chorley

  200,000

  Copeland

  387,000

  Hyndburn

  750,000

  Lancaster

  1,558,000

  Manchester

  3,816,000

  Oldham

  1,802,000

  Pendle

  1,001,000

  Preston

  1,919,855

  Rochdale

  5,634,000

  Rossendale

  1,671,000

  Salford

  4,716,932

  Stockport

  2,470,000

  Trafford

  264,000

  Vale Royal

  750,000

  Warrington

  751,701

  West Lancashire

  1,264,000

  Wigan

  3,586,042

  London

  Brent

  289,000

  Camden

  632,000

  28

  Figures

  Enfield

  790,000

  Greenwich

  4,490,690

  Hammersmith

  141,000

  Haringey

  1,585,000

  Islington

  850,000

  Kensington

  1,228,000

  Lewisham

  1,985,379

  Newham

  3,712,545

  Southwark

  3,257,500

  Tower Hamlets

  4,073,000

  Waltham Forest

  1,460,000

  Wandsworth

  781,000

  Westminster

  61,530

  East Midlands

  Bassetlaw

  193,581

  Chesterfield

  175,000

  Derby

  2,478,909

  High Peak

  152,000

  Leicester

  2,236,769

  Mansfield

  1,347,027

  Nottingham

  962,688

  South Holland

  422,000

  South Kesteven

  641,269

  West Midlands

  Birmingham

  690,000

  Bromsgrove

  200,000

  Cannock

  881,000

  Coventry

  2,856,890

  Dudley

  1,733,500

  East Staffordshire

  433,000

  Redditch

  554,500

  Solihull

  644,560

  Stoke

  1,076,000

  Walsall

  1,292,000

  Wolverhampton

  714,000

  Worcester

  528,000

  Wyre Forest

  825,133

  Northern

  Chester-le-Street

  277,550

  Derwentside

  446,333

  Easington

  433,318

  Gateshead

  2,307,343

  Hartlepool

  1,446,107

  Langbaurgh

  474,000

  Middlesborough

  810,177

  Newcastle

  2,144,547

  North Tyneside

  569,723

  South Tyneside

  744,650

  Stockton

  472,000

  Sunderland

  1,224,654

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  Barnsley

  927,358

  Bradford

  2,595,632

  Calderdale

  76,500

  Hull

  1,307,227

  Kirklees

  840,000

  Leeds

  820,825

  Sheffield

  5,780,357

  Wakefield

  730,161

  Merseyside

  Halton

  1,162,245

  Knowsley

  3,201,411

  Sefton

  617,048

  St. Helens

  1,330,633

  Wirral

  3,052,400

  South East

  Brighton

  343,000

  Spelthorne

  1,772,000

  Eastern

  Harlow

  222,000

  Milton Keynes

  430,000

  29

  Figures

  South West

  Salisbury

  264,000

  Geomorphological Surveys
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the geomorphological surveys for(a) Ventnor and (b) Luccombe; and whether he intends to publish the findings.

  Mr. Chope
  I expect to receive a report of geomorphological studies for Luccombe in mid-March and for Ventnor in January 1990. The results will be published as soon as possible thereafter.

  Chief Officers
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he gives to local authorities on the extent to which more than one chief officer post should be held by the same individual.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Subject to a few statutory exceptions, local authorities are free to appoint such officers as they think necessary for the proper discharge of their functions. The Government propose in the Local Government and Housing Bill to require each council to appoint a head of its paid service, who will be responsible for advising the council on the organisation, appointment and proper management of the council's staff.

  Chandeliers
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North of 1 February,Official Report, column 212 regarding chandeliers, when he anticipates (a) completing the research necessary and (b) forwarding his advice to the Select Committee.

  Mr. Chope
  I expect that the results will be available by Easter.

  Warrington and Runcorn New Town
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether details of changes in the cost-floor calculations have been made available for Warrington and Runcorn new town development corporation.

  Mr. Trippier
  No changes have yet been made. Section 122 of the Housing Act 1988 is to be brought into effect shortly.

  Brodsworth Hall
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list his full day's itinerary during his recent visit to Brodsworth hall, near Doncaster, in South Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ridley
  I paid a private visit to Brodsworth hall on 4 January when passing through the area.

  Council House Sales (Torbay)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation in respect of 30
  the sale of council housing stock, in the light of Torbay council's decision to reject his advice to hold another ballot.

  Mr. Trippier
  We have no plans to do so.

  Yorkshire Water Authority (Chairman)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement as to what performance targets the chairman of the Yorkshire water authority achieved to receive a bonus for the year 1987–88; if he will list for the four previous years the annual bonus the chairman received; and if he will list by year for the past five years his basic salary.

  Mr. Moynihan
  In response to the first and second parts of the hon. Member's question I refer him to the answer I gave to his earlier question on 7 February at column 598.

  The basic salary of the chairman of the Yorkshire water authority in each of the past five years has been as follows:

  Year

  Salary (£)

  1 July–30 June

  1984–85

  26,093

  1985–86

  35,424

  1986–87

  37,548

  1987–88

  41,724

  1988–89 (up to 30 September 1988)

  45,900

  1988–89 (from 1 October 1988)

  51,000

  The chairman increased his time input on 1 July 1985 and has served on a full-time basis since 1 October 1988.

  Archaeology
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the current archaeological funding being paid to archaeological societies in the three counties of Yorkshire; what was the comparable figure(a) five and (b) 10 years ago; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  This is a matter for English Heritage.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the level of funding provided to English Heritage for rescue archaeology; if he has any proposals o increase funding; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: I am aware of no recent specific representations concerning the level of funding to English Heritage for rescue archaeology. It is for English Heritage to determine priorities within its overall resources.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to introduce legislation to enable him to serve an order prohibiting development on sites of archaeological significance.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: Provision already exists, under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to schedule any monument which appears to him to be of national importance. The provisions of that Act also control

  31
  development by making it an offence for any person to execute or cause to execute specified works to a scheduled ancient monument without the written consent of the Secretary of State.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what archaeological mapping vertical aerial photographs have been taken in the three counties of Yorkshire; where these are stored; and what facilities are available for members of the public and students of archaeology to study them.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: An extensive collection of archaeological aerial photography material is held by the Royal Commission on historical monuments of England and is available for public consultation at the commission's London headquarters. I have asked the secretary to the commission to write to the hon. Member to explain what material is available on Yorkshire.

  Football Clubs (Membership Scheme)
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations his Department has received from (a) Darlington football club, (b) Leeds United football club, (c) Middlesbrough football club and (d) York City football club concerning the proposed football identity card scheme.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have not received any direct written representation from these football clubs. However, a letter from the chairman of Darlington football club to the Football League expressing concern about the proposed national membership scheme for football spectators was brought to my attention by my hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Mr. Fallon). I have replied to him. The chairmen of Darlington, Leeds United and York City attended a meeting which the Secretary of State for the Environment and I held with Football League club chairmen in the House on 17 January.

  Water Pollution (North Yorkshire)
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the location and ownership of all boreholes on agricultural land in North Yorkshire that have been shut by his Department as a result of excess nitrates in the water supply.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I understand from the Yorkshire water authority that the only public water supply boreholes which it has closed on the grounds of high nitrate concentrations are Kirby Hill borehole, Boroughbridge, in 1985; Baldersby-St-James borehole, Baldersby, early in 1988.

  Use Classes Order
  Sir Neil Macfarlane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the workings of the Use Classes Order between his Department and planning authorities; and if he will make a statement on any callings currently before his Department.

  Mr. Howard
  We propose to commission research later this year on the impact of the Use Classes Order 1987, and I am interested to receive any relevant information about 32
  its effects. I cannot comment on individual planning applications called in for my right hon. Friend's decision; applications are normally called in only if they raise planning issues of more than local importance.

  Disconnections
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about disconnections from households with persons of pensionable age and young children.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux has made representations on how customers, particularly the elderly and those with young children, could be further protected from any risk of disconnection of water supply for non-payment of bills. Since then the water industry has announced important additional customer safeguards in its proposed revised code of practice on disconnections, to which my hon. Friend the Minister for Water and Planning referred in his parliamentary answer of 9 February at columns 772–73.

  Private Sewers
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has made any assessment of the potential costs to water authorities of being obliged to adopt private sewers connected to a public main in cases where the private sewers have proved to be defective, and no liability can be exercised upon the original construction.

  Mr. Moynihan
  No precise estimate of these costs would be practicable, but the results of a sample survey of private sewers in one water authority area suggest that if water authorities were required to adopt all private sewers, they would incur annual renewal costs, excluding normal maintenance, in the region of £75 million.

  67 Tufton Street
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the increase in the weekly rent paid by the Property Services Agency to Bourne Association Ltd. for the lease of 67 Tufton street, Westminster, which resulted from the new letting agreement, reached during August 1979, that the Property Services Agency should pay an increased rent of £10 per sq ft per week.

  Mr. Chope
  The rental charges paid by the PSA on leasehold buildings are determined on a strictly commercial, and therefore confidential, basis.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the unexpired term of the leasehold agreement made between the Property Services Agency and Bourne Association Ltd. for the rent of 67 Tufton street, Westminster, in August 1979 before new terms were negotiated.

  Mr. Chope
  There was no unexpired term of the leasehold agreement in August 1979. At that time, negotiations were in progress about the renewal of the previous lease which had expired in June that year.

  Homelessness
  Sir Antony Buck
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when Birmingham university research report on local authority policy and practice on homelessness will be published; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  Copies of the report have been placed in the Library today. It highlights the variation between authorities, both in how they interpret the legislation and in the efficiency and procedures they adopt in providing assistance to the homeless.

  The research shows that people applying to local authorities for help find the system bewildering and often feel they are kept in the dark about what is happening. Some authorities take an excessive time to process applications, which sometimes become entangled in long-drawn-out and complicated checking processes. Others deal with applicants quickly, thus reducing the time that families spend in temporary accommodation.

  In some cases, staff have genuine difficulties in interpreting the legislation. This can lead to uneven treatment, so that households with similar problems may be dealt with in a completely different way in one part of the country compared with another.

  There is also room for improvement in the allocation of permanent housing. Systems for allocating homes for homeless people are not always properly integrated into general allocation and waiting list systems, meaning that people in the greatest housing need sometimes have to wait longer in temporary accommodation. Nor is best use made of housing association properties, and there are problems in fitting in with their allocation systems.

  The report identifies a number of key areas in which local authorities could improve their performance to provide a more consistent and efficient service to the homeless. The research findings provide a valuable input into our current review of the homelessness legislation.

  New Housing (North-West)
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average cost of building a new two-bedroom two-storey house in the north-west during 1987, and estimated for 1988 by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  [holding answer 3 February 1989] : Information provided by those local authorities in the north-west region which have so far made returns to the Department show that the average of tenders accepted for the building of new two-storey two-bedroom houses, including all works but excluding professional fees and land, was £17,546 in the financial year 1987–88 and £20,816 in the first half of the financial year 1988–89.

  Comparable information for housing associations is not available.

  Water
  Mr. Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) under what arrangements and for what purpose the Southern water authority has purchased shares in the Folkestone water company;

  (2) under what arrangements and for what purpose the Southern water authority has purchased shares in the Eastbourne water company;
  34
  (3) under what arrangements and for what purpose the Southern water authority has purchased shares in the West Kent water company;

  (4) under what arrangements and for what purpose the Southern water authority has purchased shares in the Mid Sussex water company.

  Mr. Moynihan
  [holding answer 3 February 1989]: Southern water authority purchased shares in these companies under the powers available to it under the Water Act 1973. I understand that Southern hopes to use its shareholding to promote co-operation with the companies to reduce costs.

  Legionella
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the findings for the last time that the water systems of the Houses of Parliament were tested for legionella.

  Mr. Chope
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: The cooling towers for the air conditioning system and the standby generator serving the underground car park are dosed regularly to minimise microbiological contamination, and the water quality is bacteriologically tested every month by an approved specialist contractor. The most recent sample, taken on 9 January 1989, was satisfactory. No separate routine testing is undertaken specifically for legionella alone.

  Landfill
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will revoke the licences of Colliers Industrial Waste in the light of evidence of unauthorised dumping of unsuitable waste at landfill sites.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: Revocation of any disposal licence is a matter for a waste disposal authority to decide under section 7(4) of the Control of Pollution Act 1974.

  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what monitoring arrangements are in place to regulate the disposal of clinical wastes in private sector landfill.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: Monitoring arrangements for the disposal of controlled waste, including clinical waste, are matters for waste disposal authorities under part I of the Control of Pollution Act 1974, with advice and guidance from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

  Water Charges
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, what representations he has received about arrangements for rebate of water charges and standing charges for those on low incomes.

  Mr. Cohn Moynihan
  We have had no recent formal representations from consumer groups about rebates on water charges for people on low incomes.

  Football Grounds (Minister's Visits)
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the Football League

  35
  grounds, and (b) the Football League matches visited by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State since his appointment in his capacity as the Minister with responsibility for sport.

  Mr. Moynihan
  [holding answer 19 January 1989]: I have attended the following Football League matches since my appointment as Minister for Sport:

  Charlton Athletic v. Arsenal—3 October 1987

  Tottenham Hotspur v. Wimbledon—31 October 1987

  Charlton Athletic v. Chelsea—20 December 1987

  Manchester United v. Charlton—I January 1988

  36

  Luton Town v. Derby County—16 January 1988

  Charlton Athletic v. Liverpool—23 January 1988

  Hartlepool United v. Crewe Alexandra—27 February 1988

  Derby County v. Arsenal—26 March 1988

  Charlton Athletic v. Newcastle United—23 April 1988

  Millwall v. Newcastle United—19 November 1988

  Charlton Athletic v. Luton Town—14 January 1989

  I have also attended international matches and a
  number of matches between league clubs in other
  competitions.

  In addition I have visited the grounds of Reading FC, Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC on non-match days.

ENERGY

  Wind Energy
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made at the experimental wind turbine sites at (a) Langdon common, (b) Capel Cynon and (c) Cold Northcott.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  At the proposed experimental wind turbine site at Cape! Cynon, developments are proceeding and an anemometry mast is expected to be erected on the site before the end of this month. Negotiations are also proceeding between the CEGB and the landowners and it is expected that section 2 consent under the Electric Lighting Act 1909 will be sought later this year.

  At the Langdon common and Cold Northcott sites, negotiations are continuing between the CEGB, local landowners and other interested parties, in relation to planning permission.

  Uranium
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will set out his policy towards the flag-swapping and origin-swapping of uranium, with regard to the application of international safeguards; and if he is satisfied with the interpretation of flag and origin-swapping made by (a) the Euratom supply agency in Brussels and (b) the Euratom safeguards divison in Luxembourg.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  We follow internationally accepted practices of accounting for nuclear material. These reflect the fact that conversion and fabrication of uranium oxide is a continuous process in which materials of different origin are routinely blended and lose their identity and that it is not therefore feasible to trace the origin of any particular batch of nuclear material. Moreover, exchanges of safeguards obligations (flag-swapping) do not affect the origin of nuclear material.

  The Euratom supply agency and the Euratom safeguards office do not accept origin swaps but accept that the established practice of exchanging safeguards obligations in respect of nuclear material is compatible with proper safeguards. The Government share this view.

  Wave Energy
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many navigation lights and radar reflectors could be mounted on an offshore wave device.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The number of navigation lights and radar reflectors which could be mounted on an offshore wave energy device would depend upon the size of the device.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the impact of the reported increase in Atlantic wave amplitudes on the economics of wave energy.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  Any established trend in changes to Atlantic wave amplitudes would need to be taken into account when assessing the economics of wave energy. Wave conditions affect both device productivity and capital cost.
  38
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will list those contracts on wave energy research in which final signatures of the papers by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority officials was more than six months after the start of the contract and if he will give the length of delay in each instance;

  (2) if he will list the number and amounts of payments for work on wave energy in which the settlement of the invoice by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority was more than six months after the submission of the invoice; and if he will give the length of delay in each case.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will explain his Department's concern about the risks which could be posed to shipping by offshore wave power devices;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the environmental problems associated with offshore wave devices on water of 100 m depth off the west coast of Scotland; and whether such devices would be visible from the shore.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The possible risks to shipping and environmental aspects including visual amenity of offshore wave energy devices were discussed in section 13 of the report on wave energy by the energy technology support unit, ETSU R26. This report was published in 1985 and copies were placed in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will compensate wave energy researchers for the consequences of any inaccurate comments by his officials concerning their work.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The wave energy programme was redirected as part of the Department of Energy's continuing assessment of the priorities for renewable research and development and no question of compensation arises.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what length would be required of the most productive type of offshore wave device, as identified by his Department's consultants in their report of June 1983 and by subsequent analysis of reliability by Dr. Taylor at ETSU, to generate electricity output equivalent to that of Sizewell B on the basis of (a) peak output and (b) mean annual output, on the assumption that Sizewell B will operate on a capacity factor equivalent to that of existing Central Electricity Generating Board nuclear plant.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  If such an offshore wave device could be developed and if such a comparison were meaningful the approximate lengths would be:

  (a) 25 km.

  (b) 50 km.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for East Lothian, 20 January,Official Report, column 343, if he will publish the recent correspondence between the manager of his Department's wave programme, Mr. Peter Davies, and Professor Salter, relating to the circulation of papers to the wave energy steering committee.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  My Department is not aware of any recent correspondence between Mr. Peter Davies and Professor Salter.

  North Sea Oil
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy at what date he expects the North sea oil industry to be back to full production; what efforts he is taking to overcome the loss of output due to recent accidents; what measures he is taking to encourage the economic replacement of this lost production; what has been the cost to date to the Exchequer; what is the estimated total cost; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Morrison
  The Government have created the conditions which encourage the exploration and development of our North sea. Despite low oil prices, commitment to new investment is at its highest level for more than four years, and exploration activity is currently at a record level. Up to the end of January production of some 9·5 million tonnes, worth some £670 million at today's prices, has been deferred as a result of the recent accidents. It is too early to say when all this production will be resumed and hence to estimate the final cost.

  CEGB (South Yorkshire)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will ask the Central Electricity Generating Board to list by location and type its total landholdings in the county of South Yorkshire to date.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  I refer to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member on 3 February at column 424.

  Hinkley Point
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, what policy considerations underlay his decision not to present evidence to the Hinkley Point C public inquiry on (a) plutonium production and end use, (b) radioactive waste management and (c) safeguarding of nuclear materials arising from Hinkley Point C, if built.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  My right hon. Friend made an official witness available to the Hinkley Point C inquiry to provide any necessary clarification of Government policy as set out in his answer of 17 December 1987 to my hon. Friend the Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory) and in the White Paper "Privatising Electricity" (Cm. 322), in particular paragraphs 44–49. Such clarification therefore formed the basis of the departmental witness's proof of evidence.

  At the inquiry and in correspondence arising from his appearance, the departmental witness answered questions on a wide range of issues including on matters raised at (a) and (c) in the question.

  Radioactive waste management is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment on whose behalf evidence is being separately presented to the inquiry by an official witness from the Department of the Environment.

  Greenhouse Effect
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, if he will obtain a copy of the report by Bill Keepin and Gregory Kats entitled "Greenhouse Warning: A Rationale for Nuclear Power", for his Department's library; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Parkinson
  The Department's library has made arrangements to obtain a copy of the report.

  Electricity Prices
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what were electricity prices for consumers of 40 MW/8,000 hours supply, 10 MW/6,000 hours supply and 4 MW/4,000 hours supply, expressed in pence/kWh, in each European Community country in each quarter of 1988;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the competitive position of United Kingdom electricity consumers of 40 MW/8,000 hours supply and 10 MW/6,000 hours supply, in relation to similar consumers in other European Community countries;

  (3) what is his policy with regard to future electricity price increases affecting United Kingdom consumers of 40 MW/8,000 hours supply and 10 MW/6,000 hours supply and the effect on the United Kingdom's competitive position.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The Department does not collate information in the form requested. The following table shows industrial electricity prices in the European Community for a range of consumption patterns. It shows that industrial electricity prices in England and Wales are in the mid-range of prices in the European Community. After privatisation large industrial consumers will be able to take advantage of the new competitive environment to purchase electricity from the cheapest available source.

  Prices in pence/k Wh as at I July 1988

  Maximum demand Load factor

  2·5MW

  10MW

  40 per cent.

  60 per cent.

  80 per cent.

  Belgium

  4·07

  3·09

  2·59

  Denmark

  2·38

  2·00

  1·71

  France

  3·72

  2·85

  2·57

  Germany

  6·23

  4·90

  4·34

  Greece

  4·46

  3·89

  3·42

  Ireland

  4·23

  3·47

  3·22

  Italy

  4·57

  3·23

  2·61

  Luxembourg

  3·96

  3·27

  2·90

  Netherlands

  3·14

  2·84

  2·55

  Portugal

  4·78

  4·02

  3·76

  Spain

  4·76

  4·35

  3·86

  England and Wales

  4·20

  3·61

  3·37

  Source International
  Electricity Prices Quarterly, Electricity Council, October 1988.

  Open University
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when his Department obtained the two Open university documents which he agreed to procure in his reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy,Official Report, 12 February 1988, column 394; and what cost was incurred by his Department in their procurement.

  Mr. Parkinson
  The Department's library acquired a copy of Open university research group report, "Reflections on Britain's Nuclear History, A conversation with Lord Minton" by David Lowry, in February 1988 at a cost of £9. Dr. Lowry's thesis, "Nuclear Powers—An Assessment of Nuclear Decision Making, 1932–1979, with Special Reference to the Anglo-American Atomic Relationship", is not commercially published. It is available on loan from the Open university and was borrowed by the Department's library in March 1988.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Legal Profession (Green Paper)
  Mr. Favell
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the response to the Green Papers on the legal profession.

  The Attorney-General
  No. The papers are discussion documents, on which comments have been invited by 2 May 1989. These responses will be considered once the consultation period has elapsed.

  George Blake (Escape)
  Mr. Bowis
  To ask the Attorney-General what discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding the escape from prison of George Blake and the subsequent confessions by named individuals.

  The Attorney-General
  The matter is under investigation by the police at the request of the director, who is keeping me informed.

SCOTLAND

  Crossroad Attendant Schemes
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total number of crossroad attendant schemes payments and plans available in(a) August 1988, (b) January 1989 and (c) estimated for March 1989 or on similar dates for which information is readily available.

  Mr. Lang
  Comprehensive information on payments to crossroads care attendant schemes is not available. Some crossroads schemes participate in employment training as sub-contractors. Some previously participated in the community programme on the same basis. The Training Agency is not directly involved in funding arrangements between training managers and sub-contractors. However, under the community programme payments totalling £77,615 were made in August 1988 to nine crossroads schemes directly contracted to the Training Agency.

  Health boards and local authorities have powers to make grants to voluntary organisations such as crossroads but no records are held centrally of the sums paid by them to individual recipients.

  Employment Training
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the organisations which have made representations about the impact of employment training on voluntary sector projects.

  Mr. Lang
  The organisations which have made representations about the implications of employment training for voluntary sector projects are set out below:

  Aberdeen District Council

  Aberdeen Youth Information Centre

  Age Concern Scotland

  A & M Projects

  Apex Trust, Glasgow

  Bearsden and Milngavie District Council

  Beith Pre-School Nurseries

  Bonhill Community Organisation

  Brechin Day Centre

  Castlemilk Family Support Group

  42

  Central Edinburgh Resource Team

  Charities Experiment and Church Action with the Unemployed

  Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

  Crossroads Care Attendant Schemes

  Dalmuir Day Centre

  Disablement Income Group

  Dumfries and District Women's Aid

  Dundee Association for Social Services

  Dundee District Council

  Dundee Liaison Committee on Homelessnes

  East Irvine Nursery Action Group

  Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce

  Edinburgh District Council

  Educational Institute of Scotland

  Erskine Community Council

  Forfar Day Centre

  George Inn Lane Centre

  Gingerbread

  Girvan Community Council

  Glasgow Council for Voluntary Services

  Glasgow District Council

  Glencryan Resource Centre, Cumbernauld

  Gourock Community Organisation

  Gourock Day Centre

  Hamilton Organisation Platform for the Elderly

  Heatsave

  Heatwise

  Heckling Shop, Irvine

  Inverurie Advice and Information Centre

  Kilbirnie Pre-School Nurseries

  Kilmacolm Day Centre

  Kinross Day Centres

  Kirriemuir Day Centre

  Liberton Area Handicapped Association

  Lochaber District Council

  Montrose Day Centre

  Murray Community Transport, East Kilbride

  National Association of Local Government Officers

  National Schizophrenia Fellowship

  Old Kilpatrick Community Council

  Open Door Club Lodging House, Glasgow

  Possilpark Anti Vandalism Project

  Renfrew District Council

  Renfrew District Disability Council

  Royston Youth Action Committee, Glasgow

  Scottish Association for Mental Health

  Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

  Scottish Trades Union Congress

  Springburn Single Parent Association

  Standing Forum on Special Employment Measures

  Strathclyde Elderly Forum

  Strathclyde Regional Council

  Tayside Services Liaison Committee on Alcohol

  Tidy Britain Group

  Training Services Ayrshire Ltd

  Transport and General Workers Union

  Wester Hailes Representative Council

  Whiteinch Day Centre

  Wintercare Scheme, Inverclyde

  Wishart Centre, Dundee

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide a breakdown of the unemployment statistics for Cunninghame, North constituency by local electoral division, or on another convenient basis.

  Mr. Lang
  On 8 December 1988 (the latest date for which information is available) the number of unemployed claimants in each electoral ward of the Cunninghame, North parliamentary constituency was as shown in the table below.
  43

  Ward

  Unemployed claimants

  Ardrossan North

  315

  Ardrossan South

  416

  Arran

  240

  Beith

  215

  Dalry

  217

  Fairlie, Skelmorlie and Cumbrae

  197

  Garnock East

  192

  Kilbirnie North

  229

  Kilbirnie South

  256

  Largs North

  239

  Largs South

  124

  Saltcoats East

  281

  Saltcoats North

  306

  South Beach

  352

  West Kilbride

  198

  Constituency Total

  3,777

  This information is available in the Library.

  Education Survey
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the terms of reference for the survey of parents' views on school education being carried out by the MVA consultancy; when it is expected to report; whether that report will be published in full; and what is the total cost of the operation to the Scottish Office.

  Mr. Rifkind
  The terms of reference for the market research survey of parents' views on school education in Scotland are to carry out a survey of parents' attitudes towards, and perceptions of, school education; and to ascertain parents' experience of, and opinions on, the education provided by the schools their children attend.

  The MVA consultancy is due to report in June 1989 and I envisage that the main findings would be made public.

  The cost of the survey is £121,715.

  Child Care Workers
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of his Department's appropriate grant aid budget has been allocated to the training of child care workers over the last five years to date.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Provision of social work services in Scotland is primarily a responsibility of local authorities. Information is not available on the level of expenditure incurred by local authorities in training child care workers.

  Over the last five years the Scottish Office has paid to voluntary social work agencies in the child care sector, training grants under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 totalling approximately £0·5 million and representing some 30 per cent. of the grant scheme budget. Section 9 expenditure in 1988–89 also includes the initial instalment of a grant of £60,000 annually for three years in the first instance awarded to the university of Dundee for the setting up of a programme of training for social workers handling child abuse cases.

  Caravan Sites
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of caravan sites not licensed by local authorities operated under the auspices of voluntary organisations in Scotland.
  44
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Thirty-eight sites are operated in Scotland by organisations holding certificates of exemption from the Secretary of State issued under paragraph 12 of the first schedule to the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960.

  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of caravan sites licensed under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 by local authorities in Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Health Boards (Press Releases)
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether health boards must clear their press releases with his Department before release to the press.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  No.

  Inverclyde Royal Hospital
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the average waiting times at the Inverclyde royal hospital over the past five years for(a) hip and knee operations, (b) hernia operations, (c) cataract operations, (d) ear, nose and throat operations, (e) gynaecological operations and (f) varicose veins operations.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The table sets out the information requested for patients discharged from the hospital during the calendar years listed.

  Inverclyde Royal Hospital Mean Waiting Time in Days

  Specialty or Operation

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  (a) Hip and knee operations

  315·2

  295·6

  296·5

  170·8

  174·0

  (b) Hernia

  193·7

  274·1

  221·1

  334·5

  328·3

  (c) Cataract

  177·5

  211·1

  228·2

  220·4

  180·3

  (d) ENT

  117·3

  115·5

  108·5

  92·0

  105·9

  (e) Gynaecology

  100·5

  71·3

  53·1

  49·4

  57·6

  (f) varicose Veins

  480·9

  572·0

  692·7

  918·1

  1,003·0

  Consultants
  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the total number of consultants employed by the National Health Service in Scotland who also undertake private work in the specialties of ear, nose and throat, orthopaedics and obstetrics and gynaecology.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Hospital Building
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the building costs estimated and actual for hospitals started since 1979.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Details of all hospital developments are not held centrally as minor capital projects are delegated to health boards and the Department only keeps records of all projects over £1 million.

  The relevant information is detailed below:
  45

  Projects started since 1979

  £ million

  Total tender cost

  Total cost1

  Argyll and Clyde

  Dunoon and District General Hospital

  0·9

  1·0

  Ayrshire and Arran

  Biggart Hospital

  1·2

  1·2

  Borders

  Hay Lodge, Peebles

  2·3

  2·4

  Borders General, Huntlyburn

  23·7

  30·5

  Dumfries and Galloway

  Annan Hospital

  1·1

  1·l

  Fife

  Whytemans Brae, Kirkcaldy

  3·6

  5·6

  West Fife District General Hospital

  8·7

  10·5

  Forth Valley

  Bonnybridge

  3·3

  3·3

  Royal Scottish National Hospital

  2·4

  2·5

  Sauchie Hospital

  1·0

  1·2

  Falkirk Royal Infirmary

  7·9

  8·5

  Stirling Royal Infirmary

  11·4

  18·1

  Greater Glasgow

  Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow

  1·5

  1·6

  Gartloch Hospital, Glasgow

  2·0

  2·2

  Leverndale Phase I

  4·6

  4·5

  Lennox Castle

  2·4

  2·6

  Highland

  Raigmore Hospital, Inverness

  17·2

  31·0

  Caithness Phase II

  7·3

  9·1

  Lanarkshire

  Kirklands Residential, Bothwell

  1·1

  1·0

  Kirklands Phase I

  1·9

  2·4

  Kirklands Phase I

  1·8

  2·3

  Lothian

  Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh

  1·6

  2·0

  Hermanflat Hospital, Haddington

  2·4

  2·7

  Royal Victoria Hospital, Edinburgh

  5·9

  7·0

  Western General Phase II

  7·4

  7·7

  Shetland

  Montfield Hospital

  2·3

  2·6

  Tayside

  Murray Royal, Perth

  0·9

  12

  Perth Royal Infirmary, geriatric assessment

  0·9

  1·4

  Royal Liff, Dundee

  1·0

  1·0

  1 The total column represents the most up-to-date information available. Building contracts lasting more than 2 years are subject to variation of price clauses; costs therefore increase in line with inflation in the building industry.

  Department of Registers
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether there has been any change in his policy with

  Table 1: Estimates and projections of the Scottish civilian labour force 1985–891 2

  thousands

  Mid-1985

  Mid-1986

  Mid-1987

  Mid-1988

  Mid-1989

  16 years and over

  Males

  1,419

  1,403

  1,418

  1,436

  1,435

  Females

  1,015

  1,008

  1,021

  1,044

  1,049

  Total

  2,434

  2,411

  2,439

  2,481

  2,484

  46
  respect to the conversion of the department of the registers for Scotland into an agency; and whether a date has been set for the establishment of such an agency.

  Mr. Rifkind
  The possibility that the department of the registers of Scotland might become a next steps agency remains under consideration. No date for its establishment as an agency has therefore been fixed.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give an estimate of the number of people in Scotland with more than one job for 1975, 1979, 1983, 1986 and 1988.

  Mr. Lang
  The information available from the labour force surveys is given below.

  Persons in employment with second jobs

  Scotland

  Thousands

  1979

  33

  1983

  52

  1986

  47

  1987

  54

  These estimates are based on samples of some 5–6,000 private households in Scotland and are subject to substantial sampling error.

  The results of the 1988 survey are not yet available.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide figures for each parliamentary constituency giving the retrospective estimates for unemployment for the second quarter of 1979, 1983 and 1986 calculated on a comparable basis to the current unemployment claimant count.

  Mr. Lang
  This information is not available.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give figures on(a) the estimated or projected size of the civilian labour force in Scotland, males and females aged 16 years or above, on a quarterly basis between mid-1985 and mid-1989 and (b) the recorded size of the civilian work force in Scotland, employees in employment, self-employed, participants in Government work-related trading schemes without contracts of employment, unemployed, on a quarterly basis between mid-1985 to the most recent date for which the information is available.

  Mr. Lang
  Estimates and projections of the civilian labour force in Scotland are available only at mid-year. Subject to this qualification information on(a) is set out in table 1 and on (b) in table 2. Considerable uncertainty surrounds estimates of labour force and employment growth, particularly at regional level. Revised estimates of employment growth await the results of the 1987 census of employment and the 1988 labour force survey later this year.
  47
  1The figures for 1985–1987 are estimates, and for 1988 and 1989 are projections by Department of Employment.

  2Estimates of the civilian labour force at the end of June each year are produced by combining activity rate estimates and projections with mid-year estimates and projections of the resident population of Scotland produced by the general register office. Activity rate estimates projections are based on sample estimates from the annual labour force surveys. All estimates are subject to sampling and other errors and although estimates are given to the nearest thousand, they are not accurate to this degree. Estimates for individual years must be treated with extreme caution.

  Table 2: Scottish civilian workforce and its constituent parts June 1985 to September 1988 (unadjusted for seasonal variation)

  thousands

  June 1985

  September 1985

  December 1985

  March 1986

  June 1986

  September 1986

  December 1986

  March 1987

  June 1987

  September 1987

  December 1987

  March 1988

  June 1988

  September 1988

  Employees in employment1

  1,904

  1,912

  1,897

  1,875

  1,887

  1,886

  1,874

  1,862

  1,886

  1,879

  1,877

  1,868

  1,888

  1,884

  Self employed2

  200

  201

  203

  204

  205

  202

  200

  197

  194

  196

  198

  200

  202

  203

  Work-related Government training programmes

  21

  24

  21

  22

  24

  28

  27

  30

  34

  40

  37

  40

  41

  45

  Civilian workforce in employment

  2,125

  2,137

  2,121

  2,100

  2,117

  2,116

  2,101

  2,089

  2,113

  2,115

  2,113

  2,108

  2,131

  2,132

  Unemployed3

  346

  356

  353

  359

  351

  363

  365

  364

  340

  333

  324

  316

  289

  285

  Civilian workforce

  2,471

  2,493

  2,474

  2,459

  2,468

  2,479

  2,466

  2,453

  2,453

  2,448

  2,437

  2,424

  2,420

  2,417

  1 Recent Department of Employment quarterly estimates of employees in employment are based upon the results of the 1984 Census of Employment and include an allowance based on the annual Labour Force Surveys to compensate for persistent undercounting in the regular quarterly sample surveys of employers. Individuals with two jobs as employees of different employers are counted twice. These estimates are subject to revision when subsequent information from the 1987 Census of Employment becomes available later this year.

  2 Estimates of the self-employed up to mid-1987 are based on the 1981 Census of Population and the results of the 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987 Labour Force Surveys. The provisional estimates from September 1987 are based on the assumption that the average rate of increase between 1981 and 1987 has continued subsequently. The Scottish sample from the Labour Force Survey is small and results are subject to relatively large sampling errors. Estimates for recent quarters are subject to revision when information from the 1988 Labour Force Survey becomes available later this year.

  3 The unemployment figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation and do not allow for changes in the coverage of the unemployment statistics over the period.

  Water Supplies
  Mr. Graham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what action he intends to take to bring up to the standard required by the European Community the drinking water of Strathclyde regional council; and if he will will make a statement;

  (2) what action he intends to take to bring up to the European Community standard the public water supplies which are at present above the European Community recommended limits for aluminium, manganese, iron and lead;

  (3) what action he intends to take to reduce the aluminium content in the water supplied to consumers in Gourock/Linwool, and surrounding areas of Renfrew.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Responsibility for the quality of public drinking water supplies lies with the water supply authorities, the regional and islands councils. Improvement works covering public water supplies which do not yet comply fully with the relevant EC directive (80/778/EEC) are in progress in Strathclyde region and elsewhere and programmes are reviewed regularly by the Scottish Development Department. Supply areas where the aluminium or lead standards may be exceeded are included in such programmes. The directive allows derogation for naturally occurring iron or manganese but in such cases water authorities make improvements whenever possible. Reduction of the aluminium content of supplies in the areas mentioned will be achieved by the introduction of new treatment works and refurbishment of others over the next few years. Water authorities were recently asked to provide updated programmes, with costs, of works required to bring all supplies up to EC standards.

  Mr. Graham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will name the water reservoirs which supply drinking water in Scotland which at present cannot meet European Community standards;
  48
  (2) if he will name the water reservoirs in Scotland which supply drinking water and have received additional time to bring their water up to European Community required standards.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  All public water supply reservoirs in Scotland meet the requirements of the European Community directive (75/440/EEC) on the quality required of surface water intended for the abstraction of drinking water. For details of water supplies which are the subject of derogation from, or delay in, compliance with the directive (80/778/EEC) relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption, I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Gateshead, East (Ms. Quinn) on 7 February 1989, columns 555–59.

  Mr. Graham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he intends to take in response to the report submitted to Strathclyde regional council water and sewerage committee on 24 January on the capital expenditure required to overcome the deficiencies regarding the aluminium parameters in accordance with the requirements of the European Community directive and the possibility of completing the necessary works within the requisite time scale of the present level of capital spending.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The Scottish Development Department wrote on 31 January to all regional councils asking them to submit up-to-date programmes, with costs for individual schemes, of works to bring all supplies up to the standard required. Aluminium features prominently in these plans.

  The need for improvements is taken into account in setting the capital expenditure allocations for authorities each year. On 12 December 1988 I announced a 14 per cent. increase in the planned provision for capital expenditure on water and sewerage services in 1989–90. The allocations shortly to be announced will enable faster progress to be made.

  Pupil Numbers
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total number of pupils in independent/non-maintained schools in each of the years 1979–80 to 1987–88, identifying separately those granted aid school pupils before 1984–85.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The numbers of pupils at September each year in independent and in grant aided schools are set out in the table below.

  Independent

  Grant aided

  1979

  16,364

  18,931

  1980

  16,044

  18,652

  1981

  15,831

  18,186

  1982

  15,160

  17,901

  1983

  14,977

  17,850

  1984

  15,396

  17,882

  1985

  31,899

  1,506

  1986

  32,218

  1,484

  1987

  32,510

  1,470

  1–2 Highers

  3–4 Highers

  5+ Highers

  Number

  per cent

  Number

  per cent

  Number

  per cent

  1982–83

  600

  17

  900

  24

  1,400

  38

  1983–84

  600

  18

  800

  24

  1,300

  38

  1984–85

  600

  17

  800

  23

  1,400

  38

  1985–86

  600

  16

  800

  22

  1,300

  37

  1986–87

  600

  16

  800

  20

  1,500

  38

  Departmental Offices (Public Meetings)
  Mr. Doran
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what guidelines exist concerning the use of public offices owned or occupied by his Department for the purposes of political meetings;

  (2) whether he authorised the meeting of Scottish Conservatives which took place at Dover house on Wednesday 8 February;

  (3) whether an account for the let of the building will be submitted to the Scottish Conservative party in respect of the meeting of Scottish Conservatives held at Dover house on Wednesday 8 February; and how much the let will cost.

  Mr. Rifkind
  I invited a number of Members of Parliament and Members of the European Parliament together with several others to meet my ministerial colleagues and myself on 8 February in Dover house. No departmental accommodation was made available to anyone and the question of a let does not arise.

  Lurcher's Gully
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his latest inquiry into Lurcher's Gully.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The last public local inquiry into proposals to expand skiing facilities at Cairngorm, including development at Lurcher's Gully, was held in 1982. Planning permission was subsequently refused. Highland regional council has published a consultative draft of a proposed new structure plan, which contains a proposed policy on development at Lurcher's Gully, but there is no proposal for such development before my right hon. and learned Friend at present.

  Employment Training
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total number of community 50
  Block grant under the Grant-Aided Secondary Schools Regulations ceased in 1985 when the schools concerned became independent.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number of pupils in independent/non-maintained schools who obtained(a) six or more higher, (b) three or more higher and (c) one or more highers, and as a percentage of S4, S5, S6 in that section for each of the years 1982–83 to 1987–88 inclusive.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information relating to the number of pupils in each stage in independent schools is not available. Readily available information relating to the number and percentage of all school leavers from independent and grant-aided schools who obtained highers is shown in the table below.

  programme support projects which have (a) closed down as being unsuitable for transfer to employment training, (b) been transferred to employment training, (c) will close down at the end of the project life on 31 March because of their unsuitability for employment training and the total number of places involved in each category for the most recent date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 7 February 1989]The Government do not accept that former community programme projects were unsuitable for transfer to employment training. A number of community programme sponsors chose not to participate in employment training: no count was made of the number of projects and places affected. Nor was a count made of the number of former community programme projects that joined employment training or the places they offered. A count now could be made only at disproportionate cost. However, by the end of March 1989, 21 community programme projects which did not transfer to employment training and which have contracts which are not yet completed will close down. These projects currently provide 260 places.

DEFENCE

  Nuclear Weapons (Transport)
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list details of all accidents on roads in Scotland involving a transporter vehicle carrying(a) nuclear warheads, (b) defence nuclear materials or (c) rocket or missile delivery vehicles.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  There have been no incidents during the movement of nuclear warheads or defence nuclear materials in the United Kingdom which have given rise to a radiological risk to members of the public. For security reasons, however, I cannot comment on whether
  51
  nuclear weapons or defence nuclear materials are present in particular vehicles at particular times, and therefore I cannot comment on whether there have been any road accidents involving such vehicles. The Ministry of Defence has no record of any road accidents in Scotland involving transporter vehicles carring unarmed nuclear delivery vehicles.

  Low Flying
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to monitor the effects of noise from low-flying jets on expectant mothers.

  Mr. Neubert
  No. I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for East Kilbride (Mr. Ingram) on 23 January 1989 at column 450.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to reduce the number of low-flying jets over north Yorkshire.

  Mr. Neubert
  No.

  Aircraft Noise
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will extend the area around RAF Leeming within which residents are able to claim compensation for aircraft noise.

  Mr. Neubert
  Later this year when two squadrons of Tornado aircraft are operational and the level of flying is representative of the eventual total station activity, a further full noise survey will be undertaken. If the results of this show that the occupants of additional homes in the vicinity of RAF Leeming are subject to the qualifying level of noise, arrangements will be made to extend the area of entitlement to noise insulation grants.

  Lockerbie Air Disaster
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the involvement of service personnel stationed at Catterick garrison in the clear-up operation in the wake of the Lockerbie air disaster.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Assistance from the Catterick garrison was provided by 29 Royal Army Medical Corps personnel from the Duchess of Kent military hospital, who deployed on 21 December 1988 and returned on 22 December, and by 70 personnel from the 1st Battalion, the Prince of Wales' Own Regiment, who deployed on 11 January to help with aircraft salvage and returned on 17 January.

  NHS Endurance
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the collision on 7 February between HMS Endurance and an iceberg, and the subsequent holing of that ship.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  At 16.10 GMT on 6 February 1989 HMS Endurance struck an iceberg while manoeuvring at low speed in very confined waters near Cape Scrymgeour in Antarctica. The ship suffered damage below the waterline which was quickly contained by temporary repairs carried out by the crew. There were no 52
  casualties and no pollution resulted from the accident. Subsequent examination has revealed that the damage may be more serious than initially thought. The ship is currently carrying out limited operations from Hope bay and will shortly be returned to the Falkland Islands for further examination and repair.

  Deployment (Europe)
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average number of(a) British land forces, (b) British main battle tanks, (c) British armoured personnel carriers, (d) British anti-tank guided missile systems and (e) British tracked surface-to-air missile systems stationed on the mainland of Europe in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  For numbers of land force personnel stationed on the mainland of Europe, I refer the hon. Member to page 24 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1988, Part 2" (Cm. 344-II) which details the totals of European theatre ground forces in BAOR and Berlin since 1982. The balance of strengths to 1980 can be found on page 24 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1986 Part 2" (Cmnd. 9763-I). For numbers of equipments in use on 1 January 1988, I refer the hon. Member to pages 6, 10, 14 and 16 of the NATO publication "Conventional Forces in Europe: The Facts", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. This document was first published on 25 November 1988 and comparable figures for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the effective strength of British land forces on the continent of Europe in 1987.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 17 January 1989 at column 130.

  BAOR (Training)
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average amount of time spent by each British Army of the Rhine infantry battalion on(a) battalion level training and (b) company level training in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 17 January 1989, at columns 131–32. It is not possible to provide the detailed information requested for years prior to 1987 except at disproportionate cost. Such figures are, however, unlikely to differ significantly from those for 1987.

  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average amount of time spent by each British Army of the Rhine armoured regiment on(a) regimental training and (b) squadron/troop training in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to him on 17 January 1989, at column 132. It is not possible to provide the detailed information requested for years prior to 1987 except at disproportionate cost. Such figures however, are unlikely to differ significantly from those for 1987.
  53
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average number of miles travelled annually by each British Army of the Rhine vehicle during training in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  It is not possible to derive the information requested from existing records.

  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average amount of fuel consumed annually by each British Army of the Rhine vehicle during training in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  It is not possible to identify fuel consumed specifically during training. The figures detailing the total British Army of the Rhine fuel consumption for all types of vehicles by financial year are as follows:

  Financial year

  Cubic Meters

  1979–80

  70,213

  1980–81

  64,422

  1981–82

  64,674

  1982–83

  68,839

  1983–84

  69,169

  1984–85

  175,735

  1985–86

  68,400

  1986–87

  66,768

  1987–88

  67,720

  1 The major reinforcement exercise, exercise Lionheart, was held during this financial year.

  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average amount of training ammunition used annually by(a) British Army of the Rhine infantry battalions and (b) British Army of the Rhine armoured regiments in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Armoured Personnel Carriers
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 17 January to the hon. Member for Knowsley, South,Official Report, column 130, what percentage of British armoured personnel carriers stationed on the mainland of Europe in 1987 were non-troop carrying vehicles.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Around one quarter of British armoured personnel carriers stationed on the mainland of Europe in 1987 were defined as non-troop carrying.

  Courts Martial
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British Army personnel were convicted by courts martial for offences of(a) absent without leave, (b) desertion, (c) assaults on superior officers, (d) possession of drugs and (e) disorderly behaviour within the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr Neubert
  During 1988 the following convictions from courts martial were recorded;

  Soldiers

  Officers

  Absent without leave

  137

  1

  Desertion

  31

  0

  Assaults

  13

  0

  54

  Soldiers

  Officers

  Possession of Drugs

  65

  0

  Disorderly

  3

  0

  Notes: A soldier convicted at a court-martial of more than one of the same category of offence would only count as one conviction. In the case of a soldier who faced court martial on more than one occasion for the same offence then each conviction would count. For a soldier convicted at a court-martial of more than one of the offences listed above, each offence would count. "Superior Officers" are taken to be those of superior rank to their assailant.

  Warstocks
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Army meets the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation requirements for the maintenance of warstocks.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, North (Mr. Wilson) on 22 December 1988 at column 371.

  Firing Ranges
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the annual expenditure on clearing(a) the Okehampton range and (b) all Army firing ranges of ammunition after firing practice in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Neubert
  The clearance of ammunition from ranges is the responsibility of the units using the facilities together with the range commandant, who has overall responsibility for range safety. When necessary an explosive ordnance disposal unit will be called in to deal with specific items of live ammunition. Costs specific to range clearance are not separately recorded.

  Helicopters
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) anti-tank helicopters and (b) troop-carrying helicopters are permanently assigned to 24 Infantry brigade.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  It is not our practice to give details of the number of operational aircraft in specific units or formations.

  Married Quarters (Woolwich)
  Mr. Cartwright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in the disposal of surplus married quarters in the Woolwich area; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neubert
  We are currently negotiating the sale of 27 surplus married quarters in the Woolwich area to the London borough of Greenwich, and a further 67 quarters and civilian houses are expected to be offered for sale on the open market over the next 15 months. In addition, two civilian houses will be offered for sale to sitting tenants.

  Wormhoudt Massacre
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement setting out actions taken by his Department since April 1988 in respect of the Wormhoudt massacre, giving details of how many civil servants are working on the matter.
  55
  Mr. Neubert
  I have nothing to add to previous statements on the actions of my Department. A number of officials from different branches are working on this matter and we are giving full co-operation to the German authorities who have jurisdiction in the case.

  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any officials from the Federal Republic of Germany have visited his Department in respect of the inquiries into the Wormhoudt massacre.

  Mr. Neubert
  A formal invitation has been issued to the public prosecutor in Lubeck to visit this country and his reply is awaited.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  One-parent Families
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the number and proportion of one-parent families in receipt of family income supplement in April 1987 headed by (i) a female and (ii) a male head of household; and if he will give the equivalent data for the family credit, at the end of November 1988.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The information for one-parent families in receipt of family income supplement is as follows:

  Number

  Percentage

  i. Female head of household

  88,000

  96·0

  ii. Male head of household

  4,000

  4·0

  The equivalent information for family credit is not available.

  Redundancy (Benefit Appeals)
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he proposes to take following the number of successful appeals by ex-shipyard workers who had been denied benefit for 13 weeks after being made

  1985–861

  1986–872

  1988–893

  Department of Social Security local offices

  Number of claimants

  Amount paid£

  Number of £5 payments

  Amount paid£

  Number of claims refused

  Number of claims refused

  Accrington

  429

  8,535·56

  2,406

  12,030

  502

  3

  Ashton under Lyne

  677

  18,037·14

  4,749

  23,745

  467

  —

  Barrow

  262

  5,657·95

  3,340

  16,700

  735

  2

  Birkenhead North

  1,750

  56,685·65

  7,098

  35,490

  1,028

  —

  Birkenhead South

  867

  20,056·83

  4,007

  20,035

  657

  1

  Blackburn

  1,098

  36,890·45

  4,579

  22,895

  703

  —

  Bolton

  1,248

  35,672·03

  5,702

  28,510

  1,645

  —

  Burnley

  1,072

  27,332·81

  6,709

  33,545

  1,093

  —

  Bury

  463

  11,536·25

  7,256

  36,280

  619

  —

  Buxton

  102

  2,089·93

  1,343

  6,715

  267

  —

  Carlisle

  277

  5,651·64

  2,743

  13,715

  679

  —

  Chester

  763

  19,199·82

  3,414

  17,070

  723

  1

  Crewe

  1,012

  25,260·35

  4,603

  23,015

  1,052

  —

  Ellesmere Port

  967

  27,277·75

  2,234

  11,170

  440

  —

  Farnworth

  323

  9,097·51

  5,125

  25,625

  902

  1

  Fylde North

  1,090

  27,106·06

  5,861

  29,305

  492

  3

  Fylde South

  382

  9,715·83

  2,251

  11,255

  289

  —

  Hyde

  765

  19,987·69

  5,281

  26,405

  799

  —

  Kendal

  64

  1,462·82

  968

  4,840

  127

  —

  Lancaster

  598

  15,809·26

  3,583

  17,915

  633

  1

  Leigh

  665

  17,430·85

  4,486

  22,430

  740

  12

  Liverpool:

  56
  redundant, in respect of workers in other trades who have been made redundant in similar circumstances; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The decision of the independent adjudication authority in relation to a redundant shipyard worker relates specifically to that particular worker and his terms of redundancy. This decision has implications for other British Shipbuilders workers whose circumstances were identical, and we have taken steps to bring this to their attention.

  The decision has no direct effect on workers made redundant in other industries.

  Industrial Deafness
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list, for each year from 1979, the numbers of appeals from residents in Derbyshire concerning industrial deafness that have been considered by medical appeals tribunals, and the annual success rates of such appeals.

  Mr. Scott
  I regret that this information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Cold Weather Payments
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants in the north-west of England and each of the metropolitan boroughs inside the north-west were paid under the cold weather payments scheme for the last five years; how much benefit has been paid in each of the last five years; and how many claims were refused.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Information is not collected separately for metropolitan boroughs. The table shows the information for each local office in the Department's north-west region for the winters of 1985–86 and 1986–87.

  No cold weather payments were made by those offices in the winters of 1984–85 and 1987–88 nor has the trigger temperature (an average of 0 deg. C. over a seven-day period) been reached in the north-west so far this winter.
  57

  1985–861

  1986–872

  1988–893

  Department of Social Security local offices

  Number of claimants

  Amount paid£

  Number of £5 payments made

  Amount paid£

  Number of claims refused

  Number of claims refused

  Belle Vale

  1,359

  31,527·53

  6,135

  30,675

  619

  —

  Bootle

  958

  26,190·26

  6,556

  32,780

  825

  1

  Breckfield

  1,242

  37,904·06

  5,796

  28,980

  1,090

  —

  City

  862

  22,668·39

  4,109

  20,545

  324

  —

  Crosby

  773

  24,339·32

  4,732

  23,660

  661

  —

  Garston

  537

  17,200·37

  3,714

  18,570

  534

  —

  Huyton

  1,129

  36,292·10

  7,560

  37,800

  865

  5

  Kirkby

  2,801

  85,462·72

  8,470

  42,350

  1,336

  —

  Norris Green

  1,043

  35,251·65

  2,784

  13,920

  761

  —

  Toxteth

  1,225

  30,022·44

  9,276

  46,380

  674

  —

  Edgehill

  410

  10,655·45

  2,926

  14,630

  687

  —

  West Derby

  950

  33,159·44

  3,814

  19,070

  580

  —

  Macclesfield

  241

  6,975·00

  1,569

  7,845

  277

  —

  Manchester:

  Central

  241

  8,093·77

  1,700

  8,500

  350

  —

  Cheetham

  695

  24,330·33

  4,749

  23,745

  1,192

  —

  Chorlton

  413

  18,257·00

  2,224

  11,120

  323

  1

  Failsworth

  1,015

  31,247·75

  5,642

  28,210

  1,245

  —

  Longsight

  422

  13,118·85

  3,715

  18,575

  751

  —

  Middleton

  917

  26,263·70

  3,395

  16,975

  1,020

  —

  Openshaw

  377

  9,204·40

  4,671

  23,355

  719

  3

  Rusholme

  355

  3,911·83

  3,362

  16,810

  446

  —

  Sale

  1,188

  36,707·47

  5,072

  25,360

  1,169

  1

  Wythenshawe

  1,471

  63,054·91

  7,154

  35,770

  1,587

  —

  Northwich

  640

  18,655·60

  2,626

  13,130

  618

  —

  Oldham

  618

  21,020·26

  5,569

  27,845

  1,479

  —

  Penrith

  136

  3,646·92

  654

  3,270

  94

  1

  Preston North

  544

  11,958·55

  4,222

  21,110

  487

  —

  Preston South

  364

  10,273·30

  3,533

  17,665

  430

  —

  Rochdale

  1,106

  25,078·26

  4,960

  24,800

  1,074

  —

  Rossendale

  257

  7,300·41

  2,022

  10,110

  401

  —

  Salford North

  727

  24,699·78

  6,358

  31,790

  1,932

  6

  Salford South

  532

  15,253·97

  3,944

  19,720

  759

  —

  Skelmersdale

  355

  9,081·44

  3,110

  15,550

  428

  —

  Southport

  371

  7,841·02

  2,517

  12,585

  420

  —

  St Helens

  2,290

  49,553·00

  7,557

  37,785

  1,600

  —

  Stockport North

  844

  27,663·24

  4,023

  20,115

  841

  —

  Stockport South

  883

  32,426·03

  3,677

  18,385

  536

  —

  Wallasey

  1,341

  46,500·00

  5,423

  27,115

  834

  2

  Warrington

  1,362

  32,315·81

  8,951

  44,755

  1,141

  —

  Whitehaven

  913

  25,080·00

  2,360

  11,800

  536

  —

  Widnes

  1,891

  49,040·36

  6,117

  30,585

  1,210

  8

  Wigan

  1,375

  26,766·00

  8,389

  41,945

  1,489

  2

  Wilmslow

  352

  8,001·13

  1,000

  5,000

  245

  1

  Workington

  240

  6,317·68

  2,817

  14,085

  353

  —

  Total

  52,639

  1,490,805·68

  286,692

  1,433,460

  49,534

  55

  1 The number of claims refused is not known·

  2 It is estimated that 143,000 claimants received payment·

  3 Details of the number of claims refused in 1984–85 and 1987–88 are not available·

  Benefit Payments (South Yorkshire)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each benefit office in South Yorkshire the number of people in receipt of unemployment benefit for(a) less than two weeks, (b) between two weeks and six months and (c) for over six months, at the latest available date; and what are the comparable figures for 1979 as a percentage of (a), (b) and (c).

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The information requested is not available for individual benefit offices.

  War Pensioners (Housing Benefit)
  Mr. Gow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many district and borough councils operate a disregard in excess of £5 a week for war pensioners when calculating entitlement to housing benefit; and what rate of weekly disregard is applied by each of those councils.
  58
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Local schemes for disregarding war pensions in excess of the statutory £5 are entirely at the discretion of individual authorities.

  The following authorities operate such schemes, but I regret that information on the extent to which individual
  schemes enhance the statutory disregard is not available.

  Local authorities operating a local scheme

  Aberdeen

  Adur

  Amber Valley

  Angus

  Annandale and Eskdale

  Argyll-Bute

  Ashfield

  Aylesbury Vale

  Badenoch

  Banff and Buchan

  Barking

  Barnet

  Basingstoke

  Bearsden and Milngavie

  Berwickshire

  59

  Bexley

  Birmingham

  Blaby

  Blackburn

  Blackpool

  Borders

  Boston

  Bournemouth

  Bracknell

  Bradford

  Braintree

  Breckland

  Brent

  Brentwood

  Brighton

  Bromley

  Broxbourne

  Broxtowe

  Burnley

  Bury

  Caithness

  Calderdale

  Cambridge

  Camden

  Canterbury

  Cardiff

  Carlisle

  Castle Point

  Central

  Ceredigion

  Charnwood

  Chelmsford

  Cheltenham

  Chester

  Chesterfield

  Chiltern

  Chorley

  Christchurch

  Clackmannan

  Clydebank

  Clydesdale

  Congleton

  Corby

  Coventry

  Craven

  Crawley

  Crawley New Town

  Crewe and Nantwich

  Cumbernauld

  Cumbernauld Development Corporation

  Cumnock and Doon

  Cunninghame

  Dacorum

  Darlington

  Dartford

  Daventry

  Delyn

  Derby

  Doncaster

  Dover

  Dudley

  Dumbarton

  Dundee

  Dunfermline

  Durham

  Dwyfor

  Ealing

  East Cambridgeshire

  East Devon

  East Hampshire

  East Hertfordshire

  East Kilbride

  East Kilbride Development Corporation

  East Lothian

  East Staffordshire

  Eastleigh

  Eastwood

  Edinburgh

  Ellesmere Port

  Elmbridge

  60

  Enfield

  Epsom and Ewell

  Ettrick and Lauderdale

  Exeter

  Falkirk

  Fareham

  Fenland

  Fife

  Forest of Dean

  Gedling

  Glanford

  Glasgow

  Glenrothes

  Gloucester

  Gordon

  Gosport

  Great Yarmouth

  Guildford

  Hackney

  Hambleton

  Hamilton

  Hammersmith

  Harborough

  Haringey

  Harlow

  Harrow

  Hart

  Hartlepool

  Havant

  Havering

  Hereford

  Hertsmere

  High Peak

  Highlandv

  Hillingdon

  Hinckley and Bosworth

  Horsham

  Hounslow

  Huntingdon

  Inverclyde

  Islington

  Kennet

  Kilmarnock

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  Kingswood

  Kirkcaldy

  Kirklees

  Knowsley

  Kyle and Carrick

  Lambeth

  Lancaster

  Langbaurgh

  Leeds

  Leicester

  Lewes

  Lewisham

  Lincoln

  Livingston

  Lliw Valley

  Lochaber

  Lothian

  Luton

  Macclesfield

  Maidstone

  Maldon

  Medina

  Meirionnydd

  Mendip

  Merton

  Mid Bedfordshire

  Middlesbrough

  Midlothian

  Milton Keynes

  Mole Valley

  Monklands

  Montgomery

  Moray

  Motherwell

  Nairn

  Neath

  61

  New Forest

  Newark

  Newbury

  Newhamv

  Newport

  Nithsdale

  North Bedfordshire

  North Cornwall

  North Dorset

  North East Fife

  North Hertfordshire

  North Kesteven

  North Shropshire

  North Tyneside

  North West Leicester

  North Wiltshire

  Northampton

  Nottingham

  Oadby and Wigston

  Ogwr

  Oldham

  Orkney

  Penwith

  Perth and Kinross

  Peterborough

  Peterborough Development Corporation

  Plymouth

  Poole

  Port Talbot

  Portsmouth

  Radnor

  Redditch

  Reigate and Banstead

  Renfrew

  Rhondda

  Rhuddlan

  Ribble Valley

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  Richmondshire

  Ross and Cromarty

  Rossendale

  Rother

  Roxburgh

  Rugby

  Runnymede

  Rushcliffe

  Ryedale

  Salford

  Sandwell

  Scarborough

  Scottish Special Housing Association

  Sedgefield

  Sefton

  Selby

  Shepway

  Shetland

  Skye and Lochalsh

  Slough

  Solihull

  South Bedfordshire

  South Buckinghamshire

  South Cambridgeshire

  South Holland

  South Lakeland

  South Norfolk

  South Northampton

  South Ribble

  South Staffordshire

  South Tyneside

  South Wight

  Southampton

  Southend on Sea

  Southwark

  Spelthorne

  St. Helens

  Staffordshire Moorlands

  Stevenage

  Stewartry

  Stirling

  Stockton on Tees

  62

  Stratford-on-Avon

  Strathclyde

  Strathkelvin

  Stroud

  Surrey Heath

  Sutherland

  Sutton

  Swale

  Swansea

  Tameside

  Tandridge

  Tayside

  Tendring

  Test Valley

  Tewkesbury

  Three Rivers

  Thurrock

  Tonbridge and Mailing

  Tower Hamlets

  Tunbridge Wells

  Tweeddale

  Vale of Glamorgan

  Vale of White Horse

  Vale Royal

  Wakefield

  Walsall

  Waltham Forest

  Wandsworth

  Watford

  Waverley

  Wealdon

  Welwyn Hatfield

  West Derbyshire

  West Lothian

  West Norfolk

  West Somerset

  West Wiltshire

  Western Isles

  Westminster

  Weymouth and Portland

  Wigan

  Wigtown

  Wimborne

  Winchesterv

  Windsor and Maidenhead

  Wirral

  Woking

  Wokingham

  Wolverhampton

  Woodspring

  Worthing

  Wycombe

  York

  Total: 308

  Source Based on 1988 returns provided by 474 of the 483 local authorities in Great Britain.

  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether those in receipt of a war pension which prior to the April 1988 social security changes was disregarded in the calculation of housing benefit(a) were, and (b) are entitled to transitional protection; what rights of appeal are open to those pensioners so affected; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The housing benefit transitional payments scheme is intended to provide help to vulnerable groups of claimants who experienced reductions in their housing benefit as a result of changes introduced by the Government in April 1988. Those in receipt of a war pension are eligible to receive help in the same way as all other applicants except that transitional payments do not cover losses of housing benefit incurred as a result of a local authority limiting the scope of its discretionary scheme in April 1988.

  The statutory disregard on war pensions in the housing benefit scheme was increased at the time of the April

  63
  reforms from £4 to £5 a week and also local authorities retained the right to provide additional help for war pension recipients should they wish to do so. War pension recipients are able to request reviews of their awards of transitional protection by a more senior officer in the same way as all other applicants.

  Adjudication Officers
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many adjudication officers were in post at the end of each reporting year since 1983; and what proportion of such officers had over 12 months' experience of such work.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Statistics are not collected on the information requested. It is regretted therefore that the information could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

  Mobility Allowance
  Mr. Ken Hargreaves
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to review the procedure for assessing the eligibility of children to mobility allowance; and will he make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  We shall be considering the whole structure of the mobility allowance scheme in the context of the findings of the OPCS disability surveys.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he has any plans to increase the age limit of below 66 years for people claiming mobility allowance;

  (2) if he has any plans to increase the mobility allowance age ceiling of 75 years.

  Mr. Scott
  We shall be considering the age limits for mobility allowance in the context of the findings of the OPCS disability surveys, but, as an interim measure, we are proposing the extension of the upper age limit from 75 to 80 in the Social Security Bill currently before the House.

  Social Fund
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in(a) Greenock and Port Glasgow and (b) Strathclyde have (i) claimed and (ii) received a crisis loan from the social fund.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Such information is available in the Library.

  Pensions
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his policy on the extent to which employers should offer their staff an occupational pension scheme or a suitable alternative.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  It is our policy to encourage employers to set up occupational pension schemes so that their employees will have the widest possible range of options from which to choose the most appropriate means of providing for their retirement. The changes brought about last year as a result of the Social Security Act 1986 made it easier for employers to use their occupational pension schemes for contracting out of the state earnings-related pension scheme (SERPS).

  Young People in Care
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received regarding the situation of young persons leaving care during the period since the April 1988 changes in social security provisions.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  We have received a number of representations on this subject. Most recently my right hon. Friend met with my noble Friend the Baroness Faithfull and representatives of various organisations involved with young people. In addition I have met with representatives of the Church of England Children's Society and officials have met with representatives of the Association of County Councils and the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities.

  Income-related Benefits
  Mr. Clay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to publish the new take-up figures for income-related benefits.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sir I. Gilmour) on 8 February at column 713.

  Child Benefit
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of potential recipients of child benefit earn more than the average wage; and if he will provide the statistical details on which his calculation is arrived.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Among those families who stand to gain from an increase in child benefit (because they do not receive any income-related benefit) around 70 per cent. have incomes above average earnings. I am writing to the hon. Member giving details of the calculation.

  War Widows
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the annual cost of making an ex gratia weekly payment of(a) £10, (b) £20, (c) £30, (d) £40 and (e) £50 to pre-1973 war widows; and what that cost would be at current values in each of the next 10 years assuming an annual increase of 10 per cent. in the current annual death rate of such widows.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Based on the latest information available about the number and projected numbers of pre-1973 war widows, which is subject to considerable uncertainty, the estimated gross costs (excluding reductions in entitlement to income-related benefits) rounded to the nearest £1 million are as follows:

  £ million

  Ex-gratia weekly payment of

  £10

  £20

  £30

  £40

  £50

  1989

  28

  57

  85

  113

  141

  1990

  26

  52

  78

  104

  129

  1991

  25

  49

  74

  98

  123

  1992

  24

  47

  71

  94

  118

  1993

  22

  45

  67

  89

  111

  1994

  21

  42

  64

  85

  106

  1995

  20

  40

  60

  80

  100

  1996

  19

  38

  57

  76

  95

  65

  Ex-gratia weekly payment of

  £10

  £20

  £30

  £40

  £50

  1997

  18

  36

  54

  72

  90

  1998

  17

  34

  51

  68

  84

  1999

  16

  32

  48

  63

  79

  The estimated projected number of widows on which the costs are based takes into account the mortality rates of war widows.

HEALTH

  Emergency Provision
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the current projected National Health Service bed requirement for armed forces casualties arising from future war in Europe;

  (2) what recent steps he has taken to assess the adequacy of existing arrangements for the reception by the National Health Service of armed forces casualties arising from any future war in Europe.

  Mr. Freeman
  The projected workload for the National Health Service in the event of war in Europe is the subject of continuing joint civil/military medical planning between officials of the Department, the Minister of Defence and Health Service emergency planning staff. Details of military casualty estimates are classified.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place a copy of his guidance to the National Health Service on stockpiling medical supplies for emergencies and war in the Library.

  Mr. Freeman
  As indicated at paragraph 3.14 of health circular HC(88)31, "Emergency Planning in the NHS: Health Service Responsibilities in Civil Defence," possible arrangements for stockpiling against emergencies—in addition to existing holdings—taking account of shelf life, location and transport are currently being examined with a view to rationalisation and the issue of further guidance. Officials will report when details have been fully worked out.

  Trent Regional Health Authority (Nurses)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each of the last five years for each hospital in each area health authority in the Trent regional health authority, the number of nurses engaged in educational medicine and the care of children.

  Mr. Freeman
  The information requested is not held centrally. I therefore suggest that the hon. Member contact the chairman of Trent regional health authority for an answer to his question.

  Military Exercises
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Don Valley of 20 June 1988,Official Report, column 415, if he will provide details and costs of the National Health Service participation in the military home defence exercises Eastern Shield, Capital Guard, Drake's Drum, Autumn Tiger, Northern Crusade, Western Encounter, Triple Crown and Strong Link.
  66
  Mr. Freeman
  Certain NHS authorities participated to a limited extent and on a voluntary basis in some of these exercises, Participation mainly involved ambulance services, some hospital accident and emergency departments and emergency planning staff. The costs were contained within NHS budgets. The exercises provided health authorities with useful insight into NHS civil defence planning problems as well as valuable major accident practice.

  Legionnaire's Disease
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to include Legionnaire's disease as a notifiable infectious disease.

  Mr. Freeman
  There is already an adequate surveillance programme organised by the communicable disease surveillance centre whereby cases of legionnaire's disease are reported to them.

  The list of notifiable diseases is kept actively under review.

  Control of Diseases Act
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many outstanding applications there are by local authorities under section 16 of the Control of Diseases Act awaiting his approval.

  Mr. Freeman
  One, from Lambeth borough council in respect of legionnaire's disease, which is being considered.

  Aluminium
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the effect on babies of water supplies containing levels of aluminium above the level provided for in EEC directives.

  Mr. Freeman
  No disease is known to be caused in babies by aluminium present in the public water supply in the United Kingdom from natural sources or as a result of the normal use of aluminium compounds in water treatment. Gross contamination of water with aluminium sulphate renders the water unpalatable and would cause milk feeds prepared with this water to coagulate. Such water, if drunk, would be expected to cause vomiting and diarrhoea.

  Hampstead and Haringey Health Authorities
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the initial paper on the consultation into the merger of Hampstead and Haringey health authorities produced within the department of community medicine at North East Thames regional health authority and the paper presented to the regional health authority members by the regional health authority management.

  Mr. Freeman
  Copies of the following documents have been placed in the Library:

  1."Proposals for the amalgamation of Hampstead and Haringey Health Authorities"—paper presented to the July 1988 meeting of North East Thames regional health authority;

  2."The proposed amalgamation of Hampstead and Haringey Health Authorities"—North East Thames regional health authority consultation document issued in August 1988;

  67

  3."The proposed amalgamation of Hampstead and Haringey Health Authorities"—North East Thames regional health authority information leaflet issued in August 1988;

  4."Results of consultation on the proposed amalgamation of Hampstead and Haringey Health Authorities"—paper presented to the January 1989 meeting of North East Thames regional health authority;

  5."Proposed amalgamation of Hampstead and Haringey Health Authorities: responses to consultation"—Appendix to (4) above.

  Radiation
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what additional or revised guidance was issued on the use of radiation medicines on patients in the National Health Service between 1972 and 1988; and if he will provide an estimate of the number of radiation medicines in use in each of those years;

  (2) which of the recent recommendations of the International Committee on Radiological Protection on the use of radiation physics medicines he proposes to accept and which he does not.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Medicines (Administration of Radioactive Substances) Regulations 1978 regulate the administration of radioactive substances to patients or volunteers (which I assume to be what is meant by the term radiation physics medicines) used by the hon. Member. The Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee (ARSAC) was established in 1980 to advise Health Ministers on the granting of authorisations for the use of such substances.

  ARSAC produce "Notes for Guidance on the Administration of Radioactive Substances to Persons for Purposes of Diagnosis, Treatment or Research", first published in 1980, and subsequently revised in 1984 and 1988. A copy is issued to each applicant.

  The most recent publications of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) dealing with radioactive medicinal products were ICRP publication 52 "Protection of the Patient in Nuclear Medicine" (1987) and ICRP publication 53 "Radiation Dose to Patients from Radiopharmaceuticals" (1988). Both these documents were taken into account when the 1988 revision of the "Notes for Guidance" was produced. This publication gives details of effective dose equivalents which are in line with those recommended by the ICRP. Exceptionally on the advice of ARSAC the Secretary of State may authorise procedures resulting in higher effective dose equivalents.

  Additional guidance on the use of radioactive medicinal products was given in the "Code of Practice for the Protection of Persons against Ionizing Radiations arising from Medical and Dental Use" (1972), and is included in the "Guidance Notes for the Protection of Persons Against Ionising Radiation arising from Medical and Dental Use" (1988).

  Some aspects of the administration of radioactive medicinal products are also subject to the Ionising Radiations (Protection of Persons undergoing Medical Examinations or Treatment) Regulations 1988, issued to all health authorities under cover of health circular HC(88)29.
  68
  Information is not held centrally as to the number of radioactive medicinal products in use prior to 1980. While a breakdown cannot be given of the radioactive medicinal products in use in any given year since the establishment of ARSAC in 1980, authority has been given for the use of 876 different radioactive medicinal products at various times in the eight years since its inception.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new courses of treatment using radiation physics medicines within the National Health Service were begun in each year since 1983; and what was the total caseload in each year.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have taken the term "radiaction physics medicines" to mean radioactive medicinal products. I regret that information about the number of treatments using radioactive medicinal products, and the total caseloads for each year, is not held centrally.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical physicists were working in radiotherapy in the National Health Service in each of the last five years; and how many of those were on the basic grade.

  Mr. Freeman
  I regret we do not collect this information centrally.

  Placental Tissue
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if health authorities sell placental tissue without the consent of the woman concerned.

  Mr. Freeman
  We do not collect information about the arrangements made by individual health authorities although we should expect them to respect any views expressed by patients on this matter.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are regulations governing the fate of the placental tissue after(a) an abortion and (b) a normal delivery of a child; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  There are no such regulations.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the sale of placental tissue to the Institut Merieux by British health authorities.

  Mr. Freeman
  There is a long-standing arrangement under which health authorities can make available placenta to the Institut Merieux. I understand this is used for therapeutic purpose (for example the manufacture of albumen and gamma globulin) and that a small handling charge is paid to the participating health authorities to cover storage costs. We understand from the Institut Merieux that it does not collect from National Health Service hospitals placenta which becomes available as a result of abortions.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money passed between Liverpool health authority and the Institut Merieux in France in the last financial year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Freeman
  I regret this information is not held centrally. I would advise the hon. Member to write directly to the chairman of Liverpool health authority if he wishes to pursue this matter.

  Office of Population Censuses and Surveys
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will list the grades of civil servants employed by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys employs civil servants of the following grades:

  Grade 2 (Deputy Secretary)

  Grade 3 (Under Secretary)

  Senior Medical Officer

  Grade 5 (Assistant Secretary, Chief Statistician, Chief Social Survey Officer 'A')

  Grade 6 (Senior Principal, Chief Social Survey Officer 'B')

  Grade 7 (Principal, Statistician, Principal Social Survey Officer, Principal Research Officer, Principal Information Officer)

  Senior Executive Officer

  Senior Social Survey Officer (departmental grade)

  Senior Information Officer

  Higher Executive Officer

  Social Survey Officer (departmental grade)

  Senior Assistant Statistician

  Librarian

  Executive Officer

  Assistant Social Survey Officer (departmental grade)

  Assistant Statistician

  Assistant Librarian

  Administrative Officer

  Administrative Assistant

  Senior Personal Secretary

  Typing Manager

  Personal Secretary

  Typist

  Support Manager 2

  Support Manager 3

  Support Grade Band 1

  Support Grade Band 2

  Museum Technician 3

  Porter/Cleaner

  Counsellor

  Patrolman

  Grading
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the appeals procedure to be completed within the Rotherham area health authority on the current National Health Service regrading structure.

  Mr. Freeman
  We do not hold this information centrally.

  Trent Regional Health Authority
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the closure of all National Health Service hospitals and other National Health Service properties in the Trent regional health authority area since 1979.

  Mr. Freeman
  It is important to note that closures are very often balanced by openings or other reprovision elsewhere. The hospitals or units approved for total or partial closure from 1979 to end 1987 in the Trent regional health authority are in the table.

  Hospital and District

  Partial or total closure

  1979

  Nightingale, Derbyshire

  tc

  Wales Court, Sheffield

  tc

  1980

  Newstead, Nottinghamshire

  pc

  70

  Hospital and District

  Partial or total closure

  Middlewood, Sheffield

  pc

  Adbolton Hall, Nottinghamshire

  tc

  1981

  Skegness and District, Lincolnshire

  pc

  Highbury, Nottinghamshire

  pc

  Smedley Memorial, Derbyshire

  tc

  Parwich, Derbyshire

  tc

  Tuxford Hostel, Nottingham, Lincolnshire

  tc

  Firs Maternity, Nottinghamshire

  tc

  Nottingham Womens, Nottinghamshire

  tc

  Thornbury, Sheffield

  tc

  St. Josephs, Sheffield

  tc

  Hallwood Isolation, Sheffield

  tc

  1982

  Markfield, Leicestershire

  tc

  Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital, North Derbyshire

  tc

  Alexandra Woodhall Spa, North Lincolnshire

  tc

  Foxby Hill, Gainsborough, North Lincolnshire

  tc

  1983

  Walton, North Derbyshire

  pc

  Ellen Towle, Leicestershire

  pc

  Leicestershire Royal Infirmary, Leicestershire

  pc

  Groby Road, Leicestershire

  pc

  Zachary Merton Recovery Home, Leicester

  pc

  Ashgate Maternity Home, North Derbyshire

  tc

  Ashgate Annexe E, North Derbyshire

  tc

  Blakely, South Derbyshire

  tc

  Morton, North Derbyshire

  tc

  Draycott, South Derbyshire

  tc

  The Retreat Hostel, South Derbyshire

  tc

  Boston General, North Lincolnshire

  tc

  1984

  Forest, Central Nottinghamshire

  pc

  Victoria, Central Nottinghamshire

  pc

  Debdale Hall Recovery Home, Central Nottinghamshire

  tc

  Lawn Hospital, North Lincolnshire

  tc

  Swallownest, Doncaster

  tc

  Darley Hall Maternity, North Derbyshire

  tc

  Corbar Hall Maternity, North Derbyshire

  tc

  Coppice Hospital, Nottingham

  tc

  Aughton Court Hospital, Rotherham

  tc

  Scott Road and Commonside Hostels, Sheffield

  tc

  Derwent Hospital, South Derbyshire

  tc

  1985

  Carey House, South Lincolnshire

  tc

  1986

  Pastures Hospital, The Grange Childrens Unit, Southern Derbyshire

  pc

  Pastures Hospital, Beech House, Southern Derbyshire

  pc

  Pastures Hospital, Masson Ward, Southern Derbyshire

  pc

  Market Harborough and District, Leicestershire

  pc

  Rutland Memorial Leicestershire

  pc

  St. Marys Hospital, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

  pc

  Ashby de la Zouch and District, Leicestershire

  pc

  Ridgeway, North Derbyshire

  tc

  Moorfield, North Derbyshire

  tc

  Rykneld Hospital, South Derbyshire

  tc

  Queen Mary Maternity House, South Derbyshire

  tc

  Etwall Hospital, South Derbyshire

  tc

  Glengate, Leicestershire

  tc

  Kibworth Hall, Leicestershire

  tc

  1987

  Buxton Cottage, North Derbyshire

  pc

  Manor, Southern Derbyshire

  tc

  Makeney, Southern Derbyshire

  tc

  71

  Hospital and District

  Partial or total closure

  Bosworth Park Infirmary, Leicestershire

  tc

  Chest Clinic, Leicestershire

  tc

  Foetal Tissue
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to publish the report of his Department's inquiry into the use of foetal tissue for transplant operations.

  Mr. Freeman
  We expect to receive the report in the next few months.

  Elderly Persons
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking as a result of the recommendations concerning the discharge of elderly persons from hospital contained in the recent joint statement published by the Association of Directors of Social Services and the British Geriatrics Society, a copy of which he has been sent.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Department plans to issue, in the next few weeks, a booklet entitled "The Discharge of Patients From Hospital", which covers discharge arrangements for all patients, including elderly persons. This booklet will be circulated to all health authorities under a health notice. The statement the hon. Gentleman refers to will be included in the list of further reading on questions of good practice which is to be given as an appendix to the booklet.

  Care in the Community
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his latest estimate of the annual saving to the Government as a result of informal carers looking after the sick, elderly and handicapped in the community.

  Nursing Staff in Post12 in Mental Illness Area of Work—England by Regional Health Authority—at 30 September 1987

  Wholetime equivalents5

  Qualified Nurses3

  Learners4

  Region

  Registered (First Level)

  Enrolled (Second Level)

  Students

  Pupils

  Northern

  1,470

  920

  460

  100

  Yorkshire

  1,740

  890

  570

  60

  Trent

  2,040

  1,120

  690

  120

  East Anglian

  810

  440

  220

  40

  North West Thames

  1,730

  930

  510

  90

  North East Thames

  1,770

  950

  470

  90

  South East Thames

  1,320

  670

  160

  40

  South West Thames

  1,670

  700

  640

  80

  Wessex

  1,270

  580

  390

  40

  Oxford

  790

  290

  210

  10

  South Western

  1,390

  730

  460

  5O

  West Midlands

  2,080

  1,230

  920

  130

  Mersey

  1,280

  910

  370

  5O

  North Western

  1,830

  1,110

  510

  50

  London Post Graduate Special Health Authorities

  290

  90

  70

  —

  England

  21,480

  11,570

  6,630

  930

  1 Excludes administrative nursing staff, agency staff and unqualified nursing staff. Includes staff working in the hospital and community services.

  2 Due to occupation coding problems the 1987 figures for some regions, and therefore England, are not comparable with those for previous years.

  3 Includes qualified staff who do not hold the RMN or EN(M) qualification.
  72
  Mr. Freeman
  The Government recognise the valuable contribution made by informal carers looking after sick, elderly and handicapped people in the community. There is no reliable basis on which to quantify that contribution.

  London Ambulance Service
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has regarding the steps being taken by the London ambulance service to implement recommendations 32, 33, and 34 of the Fennell report.

  Mr. Freeman
  The information is as follows:

  Recommendation 32: The LAS has brought forward to the current year (1988–89) the purchase of equipment which will improve its ability to monitor the position and timing of front line ambulances.

  Recommendation 33: The LAS has revised its major accident plan which will ensure that the emergency control vehicle will be mobilised immediately whenever four or more ambulances are sent to an incident.

  Recommendation 34: An on-call roster for senior officers will be introduced in place of the present voluntary arrangement.

  The LAS is also discussing with the London emergency services liaison panel what further action is necessary to strengthen the links between all emergency services.

  Psychiatric Nurses
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will list by region the numbers of qualified first and second-level psychiatric nurses, and the number of qualified learners.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answer 31 January 1989]: Information on the numbers of nurses employed in the mental illness area of work in each region at 30 September 1987 is shown in the table.
  73
  4 Includes qualified staff undertaking a further basic nurse course.

  5 Figures independently rounded to nearest ten (10) wholetime equivalents.

  Source: Department of Health: Annual Census of NHS Non-Medical Manpower.

  Organ Donations
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many organs have been donated for transplantation in the North West regional health authority area during each of the last five years; and how many transplant operations have taken place.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answer 31 January 19891]: According to information reported to the United Kingdom transplant service, the number of organs retrieved from, and transplants performed in, hospitals in the North Western regional health authority during the last five years is as follows:

  Cadeveric organs retrieved

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  Kidney1

  94

  87

  84

  93

  119

  Heart and heart/lung

  —

  7

  9

  20

  28

  Liver

  —

  6

  9

  11

  23

  Transplants performed, NHS entitled recipients only

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  Kidney

  77

  81

  107

  81

  130

  Heart and heart/lung

  —

  —

  —

  10

  29

  Liver

  —

  —

  1

  2

  —

  1 A donor has been counted twice if both kidneys were donated. 1988 figures are provisional.

  NHS Trusts
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those hospitals which he considers eligible for National Health Service hospital trust status as set out in the White Paper, "Working for Patients".

  Mr Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 19891]: Any hospital which meets the criteria in chapter 3 of the White Paper would be eligible. I do not understand why the hon. Member recently produced a list, readily and publicly available, of the 320 largest acute hospitals in the NHS and claimed that they were the only eligible hospitals.

  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether National Health Service hospital trusts will be allowed to buy their interest-bearing debt from the Government.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 19891: I propose that National Health Service hospital trusts will be given an interest-bearing debt equal to the value of their initial assets. The terms, including repayment provisions, will be set by the Government at the time.

  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether hospitals currently under special health authorities will be eligible for status as a National Health Service trust.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: Yes, if they meet the criteria in the White Paper "Working for Patients".

  Resource Management Initiative
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish his Department's evaluation of the resource management initiative in hospitals.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: I will consider whether to publish the evaluation of the resouce management initiative at the first six sites when I have received it. That evaluation will of course be used to improve the detailed implementation of resource managment systems in other hospitals.

  Out-of-area Health Care
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) where a district health authority, under the White Paper on the National Health Service, has contracted with an out-of-district hospital for a particular service, whether patients will have the choice of getting treatment for that service within the district;

  (2) where, under the White Paper on the National Health Service, a district health authority has contracted with a hosiptal outside its district to provide a particular service, whether patients from that district health authority will have to travel to the out-of-district hospital for that service.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: Hospital patients are not necessarily best or most conveniently treated within the administrative boundaries of their district health authorities. The White Paper's proposals will make it possible for NHS funds to cross those boundaries when patients and GPs choose treatment elsewhere—for example, because waiting times are shorter. When placing contracts each DHA will need to take account of the existing referral patterns of local GPs, and will be free to place contracts with more than one hospital. They will need to discuss with GPs the possibility of changing existing patterns of referral if they believe that better value for money can be obtained by doing so. DHAs will also need to allow for referrals by GPs to hospitals with which no contracts have been placed, keeping some funds in reserve for this purpose.

  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how health authorities are to be reimbursed for accident and emergency admissions from patients outside their own district of residence under the proposals in the National Health Service White Paper.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: My proposals on meeting the costs of accident and emergency admissions will be spelt out in a working paper on funding and contracts to be issued shortly.

  Waiting Lists
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, under the White Paper, what information he has about the relationship between waiting list time and the unit cost of treatment.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: There is no necessary relationship between the length of time a patient waits for treatment and the unit cost of that treatment.

  Surgery (Costs)
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, under the White Paper, whether the cost of treatment will be a factor in determining where health authorities place contracts for surgical operations.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: In all decisions about surgical treatment now, as throughout the history of the NHS, and in every health care system the cost of treatment is a factor, but by no means the only one.

  Health Authorities (Membership)
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether non-executive members of the new health authorities proposed by the National Health Service White Paper will be drawn exclusively from people who live in the area covered by the authority.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: I would normally expect them to live, work or have some other connection with the area covered by the health authority.

  White Paper (Costs)
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will break down by available categories on what the money allocated to the National Health Service White Paper launch has been spent.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 9 February 1989]: The estimated £1,250,000 cost of the launch of the review includes the total cost of the nationwide teleconference and follow-up regional meetings; the communications packs containing videotape programmes, other visual aids and speaking notes; and associated printed material. It is not possible at this stage to put precise costs on each.

  I am sure it has been well worth the cost and effort to explain to 1 million NHS employees, responsible for £18 billion expenditure in England alone, what the White Paper proposals mean for their jobs, careers and their patients.

  Former Ministers (Facilities)
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if any office and other facilities are provided by his Department for former Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he is providing(a) office accommodation and (b) privileged access to Government records to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South (Mrs. Currie).

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  By convention, former Ministers are allowed reasonable access to the papers which they handled when they were in office. Departments make suitable arrangements for this on request. The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, made such a request and has been given the temporary use of a room in the Department and the part-time assistance of an administrative officer to manage and safeguard the papers. I understand that several former Ministers of this and former Governments have been given similar facilities in various Departments in recent years.

THE ARTS

  Northern Ballet Theatre
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will meet the chairman of the Arts Council to discuss funding of the Northern Ballet theatre.

  Mr. Luce
  I meet the chairman of the Arts Council on a regular basis. He keeps me appraised of all Arts Council business, although questions of funding for individual arts bodies are matters for the council.

CIVIL SERVICE

  Government Forms
  Mr. Steel
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will consider the possibility of having Government forms printed in black rather than in pale blue, to make them more easily legible.

  Mr. Luce
  The design of Government forms is a matter for individual Departments, many of which have adopted their own distinctive styles and colours. Since the Government's forms initiative began in 1982, Departments have made good progress in producing forms and leaflets which are more attractive, easier to understand and simpler to complete. Government forms now regularly win awards from the plain English campaign. I am committed to continue this work until every form is a good form. If the right hon. Member has a particular form in mind, and will write to me, I shall bring it to the attention of the Minister concerned.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Textile Firms, Leicester
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to make available to hon. Members the report of the revenue special investigation team into tax evasion by textile firms in Leicester.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  Details of Inland Revenue investigations are not published.

  Composite Rate Tax
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people pay composite rate tax on investment income(a) in total, (b) who have a tax liability and (c) who do not have a tax liability.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  I regret that information is not available in the form requested. There were some 64 million accounts subject to composite rate and which earned over £1 interest in 1986–87, some of which were held by clubs or other non-individuals. Of these accounts, it is provisionally estimated that 49 million were held by investors whose composite rate interest would be wholly liable to tax in the absence of a composite rate system, and 13 million by investors none of whose composite rate interest would be liable. The balance of about 2 million accounts was held by investors, part of whose interest would be liable to tax if there were no composite rate system.

  Mortgage Tax Relief
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the total value of mortgage tax relief by planning region in each of the past 10 years.

  Cost of mortgage interest relief (£ million)

  1979–80

  1980–81

  1981–82

  1982–83

  Northern

  60

  80

  70

  95

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  110

  155

  150

  160

  North West

  135

  200

  180

  215

  East Midlands

  85

  115

  110

  130

  West Midlands

  145

  160

  190

  170

  East Anglia

  45

  50

  60

  75

  Greater London

  235

  280

  290

  260

  Other South East

  375

  555

  600

  650

  South West

  110

  140

  170

  140

  Wales

  45

  65

  80

  80

  Scotland

  85

  125

  120

  140

  Northern Ireland

  20

  35

  30

  30

  United Kingdom

  1,450

  1,960

  2,050

  2,150

  Following the introduction of MIRAS in April 1983, regional information on the cost of mortgage interest relief cannot be extracted from Inland Revenue records. The regional distribution of mortgage interest can be estimated from the family expenditure survey (FES) but, as the sample size for the FES is relatively small, it is not possible to provide robust estimates of regional trends for the period after 1982–83. Accordingly, the following tables show the cost of mortgage interest relief in the United Kingdom from 1983–84 to 1988–89 with the percentage distribution of the relief by region, based on FES data from 1984 to 1986.

  Cost of mortgage interest relief

  (£ million)

  1984–85

  3,580

  1985–86

  4,750

  1986–87

  4,670

  1987–88

  14,800

  1988–89

  15,500

  1 Provisional.

  Regional share of mortgage interest relief based on FES data for 1984 to 1986

  per cent.

  Northern

  3·8

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  7·2

  North West

  9·3

  East Midlands

  6·3

  West Midlands

  7·8

  East Anglia

  3·5

  Greater London

  14·1

  Other South East

  26·6

  South West

  8·5

  Wales

  4·2

  Scotland

  7·4

  Northern Ireland

  1·3

  United Kingdom

  100·0

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the additional annual cost to the Exchequer in tax relief on mortgage interest payments of every 1 per cent. rise in mortgage interest rates.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Mrs. Michie) on 12 December 1988 at column 426.
  78
  Mr. Norman Lamont
  Estimates for the years 1979–80 to 1982–83 have been derived from the results of the survey of personal incomes and are given in the table.

  Mr. Soley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the saving to the Exchequer of paying mortgage income tax relief at the standard rate of tax only.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The direct Revenue yield in a full year, at 1988–89 income levels, from restricting mortgage interest relief to the basic rate is estimated to be £330 million. No allowance has been made for the effect of any consequential changes to the distribution of outstanding mortgages.

  Tax Fraud
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the names and addresses of those prosecuted and convicted of tax fraud in 1987–88; and if he will make it his policy to categorise future prosecutions by locality or region.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  No. Names and addresses of those prosecuted and convicted of tax fraud are already released to the press by the Inland Revenue with details of the offences.

  Tax Avoidance and Evasion
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to carry out investigations to establish how much revenue is lost each year through tax avoidance and evasion.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The Inland Revenue is already alert for areas where tax is lost through avoidance and evasion. Precise quantification of the total tax involved each year would be impracticable.

  Spending Plans
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will provide a table giving for 1987–88 the difference between spending plans, as given in the public expenditure White Paper, Cm. 56 and estimated outturn(a) due to capital receipts, (b) resulting from current spending of Departments and (c) resulting from classification changes;

  (2) if he will provide a table giving for 1988–89 the difference between spending plans, as given in the public expenditure White Paper, Cm. 288. and estimated outturn

  79
  (a) due to capital receipts, (b) resulting from current spending of Departments and (c) resulting from classification changes;

  (3) if he will provide a table giving for 1989–90 the difference between spending plans, as given in the public expenditure White Paper, Cm. 288. and estimated outturn (a) due to capital receipts, (b) resulting from current spending of Departments and (c) resulting from classification changes.

  Mr. Major
  The available information is given in the table. Full information on capital receipts, other than for local authorities, is not available.

  Differences between public expenditure figures in the 1989 public expenditure White Paper and plans in previous White Papers

  £ million

  11987–88

  21988–89

  21989–90

  Differences arising from

  (a) Local authority capital receipts

  -1,286

  -1,733

  -2,105

  (b) Changes in current expenditure

  + 2,677

  + 1,494

  +4,199

  (c) Classification changes

  + 94

  + 64

  -38

  1 Comparison with 1987 public expenditure White Paper.

  2 Comparison with 1988 public expenditure White Paper.

  Company Cars
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give for 1987–88 and 1988–89 the number of tax units liable for tax on a company car, the amount of tax for which they are liable and the total tax yield.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  Provisional estimates based on projections from the 1985–86 survey of expenses and benefits are given in the table.

  1987–88

  1988–89

  Number of directors and higher paid employees with private use of a company car

  1·2 million

  1·3 million

  Tax liability on this benefit

  £280 million

  £530 million

  ACT (Dividends)
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the number of zero rate taxpayers reclaiming advance corporation tax on dividends and the amount of tax reclaimed in 1988–89.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  I regret that the information is not available centrally.

  Year

  Total (£ million)

  of which ACT (£ million)

  Total index (1984–85 = 100)

  ACT index (1984–85 = 100)

  1978–79

  3,940

  1,380

  47·2

  43·8

  1979–80

  4,646

  1,831

  55·7

  58·1

  1980–81

  4,645

  1,823

  55·7

  57·9

  1981–82

  4,930

  1,993

  59·1

  63·3

  1982–83

  5,677

  2,222

  68·1

  70·6

  1983–84

  6,184

  2,118

  74·1

  67·3

  1984–85

  8,341

  3,149

  100·0

  100·0

  1985–86

  10,708

  3,808

  128·4

  120·9

  1986–87

  13,495

  4,456

  161·8

  141·5

  1987–88

  15,734

  4,939

  188·6

  156·8

  Taxation
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will give for 1988–89(a) the composite rate tax paid by zero rate taxpayers on interest from bank and building society accounts, (b) the number of zero rate taxpayers who are paying composite rate tax, (c) the total amount of composite rate tax paid by basic rate taxpayers and (d) the number of basic rate taxpayers paying composite rate tax on bank and building society accounts.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  In 1987–88, the latest year for which information is available, about £450 million of the composite rate tax accounted for by building societies, banks and other deposit takers was due in respect of interest that would not have been liable to tax in the hands of its recipients in the absence of a composite rate scheme, and about £3,050 million was due in respect of interest that would have been liable to tax.

  I regret that the remainder of the information is not available in the form requested. But of accounts earning more than £1 interest in 1986–87, some of which were held by clubs or other non-individuals, 49 million are provisionally estimated to have been held by investors whose composite rate interest would be wholly liable to tax in the absence of a composite rate scheme, and 15 million to have been held by investors at least part of whose composite rate interest would be non-liable.

  Public Appeals
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will specify each donation made by his Department in response to public appeals for financial aid during each financial year since 1979–80.

  Mr. Brooke
  Since 1979–80 no donations in response to public appeals for financial aid have been made directly by Her Majesty's Treasury.

  Corporation Tax
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the revenue from corporation tax from 1978 onwards, distinguishing wherever possible between corporation tax and advance corporation tax; and if he will express such revenues in index form taking 1984–85 tax year's revenues as the base.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The information requested is as follows:

  One-parent Families
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many one-parent families benefit from the additional personal allowance.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  About half a million one-parent families benefit from the additional personal allowance. This estimate is based on a projection of the 1986–87 survey of personal incomes and is provisional.

  Pension Schemes
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide his best estimate of expenditure in 1988 on devolved public service pension schemes.

  Mr. Brooke
  Of the main public service superannuation schemes, only those covering local government employees and the police and fire services are not centrally administered. For the financial year 1987–88, the most recent period for which information is available, the estimated net expenditure by employing authorities in Great Britain on those schemes is:

  £ million

  Local government

  895

  Police

  259

  Fire service

  70

  Information on expenditure on the smaller schemes operated by non-departmental public bodies for their staff is not held centrally. It could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any guidance is given to Departments on the procedures for answering parliamentary questions for written answer.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  No. The procedure adopted is essentially a matter for the departmental Minister concerned. Guidance, reflecting the recommendations of the Select Committee on Parliamentary Questions of Session 1971–72, can be found in "Erskine May" (20th edition, pages 331–47).

  Departments have been given an advisory level at which the cost of answering a parliamentary question should be referred to Ministers; that level is currently £250 and was announced in a written answer on 14 March 1988 by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General at column 429. This does not, however, alter the discretion of individual Ministers to decide that a particular question should be answered partially or in full, regardless of cost.

  Credit Cards
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the present charges to credit card holders by each one of the credit card companies operating in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Lilley
  This is a matter for the companies concerned.

  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list each of the credit card companies operating in the 82
  United Kingdom; and, as far as the information is available to him, the names of those operating in (a) Austria, (b) each one of the European Community countries, (c) Sweden, (d) Canada and (e) the United States of America.

  Mr. Lilley
  This information is not held.

  Civil Service Pension Scheme
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will list the grades of civil servants who are currently not members of the principal Civil Service pension scheme.

  Mr. Brooke
  Membership of the principal Civil Service pension scheme does not depend upon the grade of the civil servant. Most civil servants are eligible for membership. The exceptions are:

  staff covered by another occupational scheme

  those who work less than fifteen hours a week

  staff employed on a casual, fee-paid, or sessional basis

  some staff engaged locally overseas

  staff specifically engaged on terms that exclude PCSPS membership

  staff who exercise their right to opt out of the scheme

  Seal Products (Illegal Trading)
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the prosecutions for the illegal importation of harp and hooded seal skins since the implementation of the ban on imports; and if he will list the numbers of cases in which charges were preferred. and convictions obtained.

  Mr. Lilley
  None.

  Charities (Payroll Giving)
  Ms. Mowlam
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide figures for(a) the total number of employees currently making donations to charity under the payroll deduction scheme introduced in the 1987 Budget, (b) the total number of companies from which employees are currently making donations to charity under the payroll deduction scheme, (c) the amount of money raised in the financial year 1987–88, under the scheme, (d) the total amount of money that has been raised to date for charities under the payroll deduction scheme and (e) the estimated amount of money that will have been raised for charities under the payroll deduction scheme by 1 April 1989.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  [holding answer 8 February 1989]: In 1987–88 it is estimated that about 60,000 employees participated in the scheme and £1 million was donated. The number of participants and the amount of donations are expected to be considerably higher in 1988–89. Current indications are that about 100,000 employees are participating, but it is not possible to provide a reliable forecast at this stage for the year as a whole. About 3,400 schemes have been set up to date, but a figure for the number of separate companies participating in the scheme is not available. Public authorities and other employers may also operate schemes and one company may register separate schemes for different payrolls; conversely a single scheme may cover a group of companies.

  EC (Contributions)
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what part of the receipts recorded in the White Paper on European Economic Community contributions, Cm. 603, relates to sums paid to British traders to subsidise the export of food to third countries under the common agricultural policy arrangements.

  Mr. Brooke
  [holding answer 7 February 1989]: The proportion of the receipts from the EC budget recorded in the White Paper, Cm. 603, which relate to export refunds paid to United Kingdom traders are as follows:

  Per cent.

  1983–84

  18·6

  1984–85

  20·5

  1985–86

  19·0

  1986–87

  14·5

  1987–88

  27·7

  1988–89

  20·0

  1989–90

  21·5

  1990–91

  23·0

  1991–92

  22·0

  Industrial Trust
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Inland Revenue will investigate companies making donations to the Industrial Trust and claiming tax relief; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  [holding answer 6 February 1989]: The Inland Revenue is responsible for determining taxpayers' tax liabilities, and any reliefs they may be entitled to, in accordance with the law, and subject to the taxpayers' rights of appeal to independent appeal commissioners and the courts.

  I regret that I cannot comment on the affairs of any taxpayer.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Horticulture R and D
  Mr. Cran
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to modify the proposed reduction in research and development funding in near market research in horticulture.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The planned reduction in Government expenditure on near-market research and development announced last autumn related to agriculture, fisheries and food as a whole. Consultations with industry organisations on the funding of near market work in individual sectors are continuing. Final decisions on the reductions in funding for horticulture and other sectors have not yet been taken.

  Fraud
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to detect and prosecute cases of agricultural fraud.

  Mr. MacGregor
  All agricultural subsidies paid in the United Kingdom are subject to pre or post-payment verification, by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, IBAP or Agriculture Departments as appropriate.
  84
  Any suspicious or irregular payments are investigated, and recovery action is taken. When justified by the evidence available, prosecutions are brought (19 in the period 1984–88).

  Set-aside Scheme
  Dr. Michael Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the take up of the set-aside proposals; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. MacGregor
  Over 1,800 farmers in the United Kingdom are setting aside nearly 58,000 hectares (143,000 acres) of arable land in the current crop year. I shall shortly be publishing full details of the analysis of this years response.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farms have taken the option of the set-aside scheme for agricultural land; and what effect this has had on the number of employees working on those farms.

  Mr. Ryder
  Over 1,800 farmers in the United Kingdom are setting aside arable land in the current crop year. It is too early to assess the impact on agricultural employment.

  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farms have taken the option of the set-aside scheme for agricultural land in(a) Suffolk and (b) Norfolk; and what is the total acreage involved.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The information is as follows:

  Number of farms

  Acreage of set-aside land

  Suffolk

  83

  4,723

  Norfolk

  65

  4,355

  NFU (Meeting)
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the president of the National Farmers Union; and what they discussed.

  Mr. MacGregor
  I meet the president of the National Farmers Union on various occasions to discuss agricultural matters.

  Chickens and Eggs
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he received a report following the meeting at the central veterinary laboratory on 4 February 1988 called to discuss infections in chickens and eggs.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  No meeting took place at the central veterinary laboratory on 4 February 1988 about infections in chickens and eggs.

  Covent Garden
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Covent Garden market authority last met; and what was discussed.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The Covent Garden market authority is an independent statutory body. My responsibilities in relation to this body are laid down by statute, and I have no role at the authority's meetings, which are matters for the authority itself.

  Surplus Food
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the current arrangements for the distribution of surplus European Economic Community food to pensioners and others; and how they differ from previous years.

  Mr. Ryder
  In the United Kingdom, 127 charitable and non-profit making organisations were designated in 1988 to distribute surplus beef and butter during 1988 and 1989. The definition of those eligible to receive produce is restricted to those receiving income support or family credit and those of no fixed abode or living in welfare hostels. Detailed distribution arrangements are a matter for designated organisations to determine according to local needs and the resources available, but the organisations have to follow the conditions attached to their participation in the scheme. They are entitled to reimbursement of transport and administration costs

  Butter

  Concentrated butter

  Cheese

  Whole milk

  Semi-skimmed milk

  Beef

  19821

  Quantity (tonnes)

  23,197

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Value (£)

  16,895,739

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  19832

  Quantity (tonnes)

  39,144

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Value (£)

  39,930,292

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1986–873

  Quantity

  13,624 tonnes

  113 tonnes

  8,558 tonnes

  8,637,975 pints

  2,559,924 pints

  974 tonnes

  Value (£)

  26,602,197

  99,622

  19,660,197

  1,963,767

  537,404

  2,140,865

  19884

  Quantity (tonnes)

  2,463

  —

  —

  —

  1,775

  Value (£)

  5,049,583

  —

  —

  —

  4,385,385

  1 "Christmas Butter Scheme"—subsidised butter was sold to the general public through retail outlets at a maximum cost of 44p per 250 grams.

  2 "Christmas Butter Scheme"—subsidised butter was sold to the general public through retail outlets at a maximum cost of 42p per 250 grams.

  3 "Cold Weather Aid"—free produce distributed by charitable organisations was made available to the most needy. Butter and beef were made available from intervention stores. Whole milk, semi-skimmed milk, cheese and concentrated butter were purchased on the open market.

  4 "EC Surplus Food Scheme"—butter and beef from intervention stores were made available for distribution by designated organisations only to those on Income Support or Family Credit and to those of no fixed abode or living in welfare hostels. Produce made available free or at a nominal charge (not exceeding 20p per kilogramme).

  Source: IBAP.

  Bee Products
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if bee products have ever been distributed under the EEC surplus food distribution; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ryder
  If the hon. Member is referring to the current EC surplus food scheme, which is aimed at reducing stocks held in intervention, bee products are not subject to intervention arrangements and are not covered by this scheme.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what EEC policies currently pertain towards bee products; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ryder
  The only EC controls in this area are those contained in Council directive 74/409/EEC on the harmonisation of the laws of the member states relating to honey.
  86
  within the limits laid down in the European Community legislation. The scheme first operated in 1988 and the rules are not expected to be changed for 1989.

  There have been no directly comparable schemes in previous years. During the winter of 1986–87, arising from severe weather throughout Europe, a number of products were distributed to the most needy by charitable organisations; and at Christmas time in both 1982 and 1984, subsidised butter was sold to the general public through retail outlets.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the(a) quantity and (b) cost of each foodstuff distributed under arrangements for surplus EEC food distribution for each year since accession to the EEC.

  Mr. Ryder
  Since accession to the European Community, the quantity and value of each foodstuff distributed in the United Kingdom under various arrangements for surplus EC food distributions is as follows:

  Meat Products
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what regulations there are requiring cooked food retailers and caterers to specify the meat content of meat-style products;

  (2) what requirements there are for indicating to consumers the levels of mechanically recovered meat within overall meat contents.

  Mr. Ryder
  The Meat Products and Spreadable Fish Products Regulations 1984 require most meat products to be marked or labelled with a declaration of their minimum meat content. These regulations do not require the presence of mechanically recovered meat to be indicated separately.

  However, the Food Labelling Regulations 1984 require food treatments and/or the names of ingredients to be appropriately indicated where an omission to do so could mislead purchasers. Both sets of regulations apply to retail sales and sales to caterers.
  87
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what regulations there are to control the production of mechanically recovered meat in terms of hygiene and safety.

  Mr. Ryder
  All mechanically recovered meat is produced from carcases which have been inspected and passed as fit for human consumption.

  In England and Wales, the Slaughterhouse (Hygiene) Regulations 1977, as amended, apply to the production of mechanically recovered red meat in cutting plants attached to slaughterhouses. The Poultry Meat (Hygiene) Regulations 1977, as amended, apply to mechanically recovered poultry meat produced in licensed cutting premises. Mechanically recovered meat produced in other premises is subject to the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970.

  Similar legislation applies in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

  Farm Incomes
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table in the Official

  £ million

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  Gross regional output

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  1,026

  1,056

  1,189

  1,110

  1,132

  United Kingdom

  11,334

  11,763

  12,818

  12,211

  12,504

  Gross Product

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  470

  441

  574

  500

  543

  United Kingdom

  5,299

  5,105

  6,024

  5,389

  5,836

  Farming Income

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  183

  137

  258

  140

  175

  United Kingdom

  1,730

  1,339

  2,061

  1,053

  1,470

  No regional figures for agriculture are available for years before 1982. The purchasing power of farming income (which is pre-tax) may be derived by deflating the series by the retail price index. The values of this (1985 = 100) for each year are 1982—85·8; 1983—89·7; 1984—94·3; 1985—100 and 1986—103·4. Separate price indices do not exist for each region.

  Milk
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to bring goat milk production under legislative control.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) on 8 February.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food(a) whether he has any proposals to extend regulations governing milk production to goats' milk and ewes' milk and (b) whether he proposes to support the goat producers association's clean milk production scheme.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  As regards goats' milk I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) on 8 February. This referred to the Ministry's code of practice which has objectives similar to the clean milk producton scheme. The legal position of ewes' milk is the same as that of goats' milk, and a code of practice is being prepared.
  88
  Report giving details of (a) pre-tax net farm income and (b) gross output in current prices and in real terms for each year since 1979 (i) for each of the three counties of Yorkshire and (ii) nationally; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ryder
  Information on farm output and incomes is not available by county. However estimates of gross output, gross product and farming income by standard statistical region have been published for 1984 and 1985 in the annual reports on farm incomes in the United Kingdom. Corresponding figures for 1986 will be provided in the next report due to be published in the spring. These reports also include estimates of net farm income by farm type but by the (different) farm business survey regions.

  The figures provided in these reports are however subject to revision and the best estimates which are currently available (consistent with the United Kingdom figures recently published in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1988") are as follows:

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will bring forward proposals to reduce the incidence of contamination of goat and cows' milk.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Windsor and Maidenhead (Dr. Glyn) on 10 February.

  Mr. Key
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will seek to extend legislative control over production of cows' milk to cover goats and sheep.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  As regards goats' milk, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) on 8 February. The legal position of sheep's milk is the same as that of goats' milk, and a code of practice is being prepared.

  Mrs. Rosie Barnes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether there are any plans to bring all milk production under legislative control.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  Cows' milk is already comprehensively regulated. The position on goats' milk was described in the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) on 8 February. The legal position of sheep milk is similar to that of goats' milk, and a code of practice is being prepared.

  Consumers Association
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Consumers Association; and what was discussed.

  Mr. Ryder
  The most recent ministerial meeting was held on 12 October, at our request. A wide range of matters of mutual concern were discussed.

  River Esk (Pollution)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has made any assessment of the study undertaken by Friends of the Earth of the potential radioactive pollution of the River Esk by Americium 241, caesium 137 and other radioisotopes released from Sellafield.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  My officials have only just received a copy of the report in question from Friends of the Earth and are studying this. I have, however, seen various press reports referring to statements by Friends of the Earth about radioactivity in the area of the river Esk. These reports refer to comparisons between measured levels of radioactivity and the generalised derived limits (GDLs) recommended by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB). Such comparisons are not valid. The GDLs provide a simple but crude way of demonstrating the environmental acceptability of given levels of radioactivity, but they do not provide means of calculating dose. The GDLs are intended for situations where no information is available on land usage, local habits and other factors relevant to the radiation exposure of people in the area. This is patently not the case around the river Esk. On the basis of extensive monitoring conducted by my scientists, British Nuclear Fuels plc and others, it has been clearly established that there is no risk of unacceptable exposure of man from these contamination levels.

  Sheepmeat Premium
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department plans to support the introduction of draft EEC regulations to phase out the variable sheepmeat premium.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  In the negotiations on the review of the EC sheepmeat regime, which have made little progress so far, I will be seeking to ensure that the United Kingdom sheep industry can, at reasonable cost, continue to capitalise on its natural advantages and superior efficiency. It is too early to judge which means of support will be most effective in achieving this.

  Environmentally Sensitive Areas
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total area of land covered by agreements in the Suffolk environmentally sensitive areas; how many farms are covered; and how he intends the scheme to progress in the future.

  Mr. Ryder
  The table shows the total number of agreements and the area of land covered so far in the Broads, Breckland and Suffolk River Valleys ESA.
  90

  ESA

  Number of agreements

  Area of land covered in hectares

  Broads

  624

  11,990

  Breckland

  82

  3,100

  Suffolk River Valley

  273

  6,130

  Information on the number of farms covered is not readily available. I intend to carry out a policy review of ESAs in 1991–92 to determine how the scheme will progress.

  High Grade Land (Warrington)
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of agricultural land within Warrington, South is high-grade agricultural land.

  Mr. Ryder
  The area has not been surveyed in detail and the published 1:63,360 scale agricultural land classification map gives only a generalised indication of land quality. It shows approximately one third of the agricultural land as grade 2, and almost all of the remaining land as grade 3.

  Salmonella (Working Group)
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he received the report of the joint Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Health and British Egg Industry Council working group on salmonella and eggs; and at what exact time he placed a copy in the Library.

  Mr. MacGregor
  I received the report of the joint Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Health and British Egg Industry Council working group on salmonella and eggs on 10 January 1989 and placed a copy in the Library at about 10.45 on Tuesday 7 February 1989.

  Aluminium
  Mr. Sayeed
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what levels of aluminium are contained in the following soya milks(a) Wysoy by Wyeth Nutrition in powder form, (b) Granose produced in West Germany in liquid form and (c) White Wave produced by Unisoy Milk in the United Kingdom; what evidence he has on the effect of such levels of aluminium on infants and young children; and if he will publish the results of research showing the levels of aluminium in the most popular brands of soya milk sold in this country.

  Mr. Ryder
  It is not our policy to publish details o f individual brands sampled under the food surveillance programme.

  The Department of Health's independent committee on. toxicity chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment has considered the results of analyses carried out by my Department and has advised that no action is needed to reduce the aluminium intakes from infant formulae. That Department's expert advisory committees will keep under review the results of research in this area.

TRANSPORT

  Channel Tunnel
  Mr. Henderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about British Rail's proposed routes for the Channel tunnel link.

  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about British Rail's proposed routes for the Channel tunnel link.

  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about British Rail's proposed routes for the Channel tunnel link.

  Mr. Portillo
  I have received a large number of representations about British Rail's proposals for rail links to the Channel tunnel.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the proposed Channel tunnel fixed lines to Waterloo and Charing Cross; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  I have received a large number of representations about British Rail's proposals for rail links to the Channel tunnel. It is not envisaged that Channel tunnel trains will use Charing Cross.

  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further plans he has to encourage improvements to the road and rail network to enable the north of England to benefit from the Channel tunnel.

  Mr. Portillo
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Western Isles (Mr. Macdonald) today.

  Sir John Stanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to British Rail's proposals for a new high-speed line between London and the Channel tunnel; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  I am in regular contact with British Rail about the progress that it is making with the development of its proposals. I set out the Government's position in my response to the Adjournment debate initiated by my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone (Miss Widdecombe) on 2 December 1988 at columns 1025–32.

  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to meet the chairman of British Rail to discuss links from Scotland, Wales, the north, midlands and south-east of England to the Channel tunnel; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  Not at present. British Rail is still consulting widely in preparation for the plan which it will be publishing later this year in accordance with section 40 of the Channel Tunnel Act 1987.

  London Underground (Exit Barriers)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will undertake an inquiry into safety implications of automatic exit barriers in London Underground stations.
  92
  Mr. Portillo
  In response to my request London Regional Transport has already commissioned independent consulting engineers to review the working of automatic ticketing systems. It expects to receive the consultants' report by the end of April 1989.

  M40
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he expects the M40 to link the motorway boxes surrounding London and Birmingham.

  Mr. Roger King
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest completion date for the M40.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The M40 between the M42 and Warwick and between Warwick and Wendlebury should be completed by autumn 1989 and the end of 1990, respectively. Completion of the section between Wendlebury and Waterstock will depend on the statutory procedures. We hope to make an announcement shortly.

  London Regional Transport
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet the chair of London Regional Transport; and what matters they will discuss.

  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet the chair of London Regional Transport; and what matters they will discuss.

  Mr. Portillo
  I meet London Regional Transport's chairman regularly to discuss a range of matters and will next do so on 6 March.

  Central London Rail Study
  Dr. Twinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the new tube lines recently mentioned in the central London rail study.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the central London rail study.

  Mr. Forman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the central London rail study.

  Mr. Portillo
  In the short time since the report was published we have received a small number of responses from the public.

  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he plans to have with user groups and local transport about the options contained in the central London rail study.

  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next proposes to meet the expert advisory groups to discuss the proposals for underground rail tunnels in Greater London.

  Mr. Portillo
  I intend to consider the written representations received before arranging discussions with interested parties.

  Glasgow Airport
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to give gateway status to Glasgow airport.
  93
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  My right hon. Friend is considering a request from BAA plc, as owners of Prestwick and Glasgow airports, for a review of the 1986 traffic distribution rules for Scotland, which restrict intercontinental traffic to Prestwick. He will make an announcement in due course.

  Road Casualties
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further measures he is taking to reach his target of reducing road casualties by one third by the year 2000.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Our short-term target is to reduce the annual number of road fatalities below 5,000, as well as to bring about a sharp decline in injuries. Since 1986 there has been a 5 per cent. reduction in fatalities and a 6 per cent. reduction in serious injuries.

  Over the year ahead, we will be concentrating our efforts on vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, as well as on dangerous groups such as drinking drivers and selfish and aggressive road users.

  Overall we have the best record in the EC for road deaths. We must now aim for the same position on each of the vulnerable road user groups.

  Engineering, education, enforcement, exhortation and example will all play their part.

  Civil Aviation Authority
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, met the chairman of the authority on 19 January 1989 to discuss a number of issues of mutual interest.

  Heathrow Airport (Security)
  Mr. Prescott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will next meet the chairman of BAA further to discuss security at Heathrow airport.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to his reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, on 16 January, on security at Heathrow airport, he will now make a further statement on any developments since then.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  There is nothing to add to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (Mr. Dicks) on 31 January at column 146.

  Al
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has received the reports of the studies conducted by his Department and the Scottish Office on the future of the Al; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Discussions have taken place and further meetings are planned between officials of the Department's northern regional office and the Scottish Development Department about a proposed improvement scheme on the A 1 near the English/Scottish border at Marshall meadows. An announcement on a preferred route is expected by early summer 1989.
  94
  The report of an independent study being carried out by the Scottish Development Department is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what date he expects work to start on upgrading to three lanes the section of the M1 between Dishforth and Scotch Corner.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Subject to the satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures, we hope to start construction in the mid-1990s.

  Motorway Lighting
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of motorway is at present unlit.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  A total of 74 per cent.

  London Underground Ltd (Crime)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussion he is having with officials of London Underground Ltd. on the level of crime taking place on the Underground.

  Mr. Portillo
  I and my Department maintain close contact with London Underground Ltd. on the action that it and the police forces concerned are taking against crime on the Underground.

  West Sussex (Infrastructure)
  Mr. Soames
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on transport infrastructure investment in West Sussex.

  Mr. Portillo
  Actual and planned expenditure on the A23 and A27 trunk roads since 1979 amounts to about £95 million at November 1985 prices.

  Over the past five years £14 million has been macle available to the county council through transport supplementary grants for the local road network.

  Road Haulage Industry (Safety)
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to uphold safety standards in the road haulage industry after 1992 and the introduction of the single European market.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The Government are determined to ensure that regulations, which are necessary for safety, but which do not restrict trade, are applied throughout the Community.

  Scottish Airports (Review)
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his review of Scottish airports will be complete; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  My right hon. Friend is considering a British Airports Authority plc request to review the 1986 traffic distribution rules for Scotland. He will make an announcement in due course.

  MI. (Relief Plans)
  Mr. Fry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has apart from the extension of the M40, for the relief of the MI between junction 1 and its junction with the M6.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  We are planning improvements at junction 1 and a climbing lane at junction 9. Schemes planned for the A5 will also help to relieve the M1. The trunk road programme is currently under review. We expect to make an announcement in the spring.

  British Rail
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet the chair of British Rail; and what matters they will discuss.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet the chair of British Rail; and what matters they will discuss.

  Ms Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet the chair of British Rail; and what matters they will discuss.

  Dr. Reid
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet the chair of British Rail; and what matters they will discuss.

  Mr. Portillo
  My right hon. Friend plans to meet the chairman of British Rail on 16 March to discuss a variety of railway matters.

  Traffic Congestion
  Mr. Cran
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies have been undertaken by his Department as to the current extent of traffic congestion in urban areas in Britain; and whether he has any information as to the comparable situation 10 and 20 years ago.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Average vehicle speeds are taken as an indicator of urban traffic congestion. In London surveys have been maintained since 1968. The results were published recently by my right hon. Friend in his "Statement on Transport in London." Copies have been placed in the Library. Comparable information is not available for other urban areas in Britain, though the Department carried out a series of studies of traffic speeds in 13 urban areas outside London in the 1960's and 1970's. The results showed the importance of limiting on-street parking density in the interest of securing good average traffic speeds during peak and non-peak hours.

  Docklands
  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much central Government are spending on transport in the docklands in the financial years 1987–88 and 1988–89.

  Mr. Portillo
  Central Government expenditure on transport which serves docklands was £143 million in 1987–88 and is estimated at £127 million in 1988–89.

  Transport in London (Document)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport from what bodies he has requested formal 96
  responses to the document entitled "Statement on Transport in London" which he published on Thursday 26 January.

  Mr Portillo
  The statement on transport in London is not a consultation document. It is a technical publication prepared for the London local authorities and other interested bodies to provide them with a framework within which they can plan their own transport related decisions.

  Crises (Shipping)
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the NATO study on supply and demand for shipping in crisis and war commissioned by the senior civil emergencies planning committee at the request of the planning board for ocean shipping, is expected to be completed; if there will be any intermediate report; and when and in what form the results will be published.

  Mr. Portillo
  The study is expected to be completed in early 1990. No intermediate report is planned, and no decision has yet been reached about the form of the final report.

  Rochford
  Dr. Michael Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for visiting the Rochford constituency in order to review road traffic problems.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  My right hon. Friend has no official plans to visit Rochford.

  TALLS
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has now completed his consideration of the proposed British Rail line known as TALIS; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  This is not a matter for me, but I understand that British Rail will be considering this alternative before reaching a decision on its preferred route between London and the Channel tunnel.

  Bypasses
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bypasses have been completed since 1979.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  A total of 96 bypasses and relief roads have been completed since 1979, representing 40 per cent. of new national road mileage.

  Other trunk road schemes, although not denoted bypasses, have a bypassing effect.

  Railway Works (Environmental Protection)
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to seek powers to provide funds for environmental protection on any railway works which he has approved.

  Mr. Portillo
  It is normal practice for British Rail to take appropriate environmental protection measures when they undertake new railway works. The costs involved form part of the total cost of the project for the purposes of establishing the case for the investment, and are financed in the same way as the rest of the project.

  M1 Air Crash
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the report from the accident investigator on the M I air crash; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Reports by the air accidents investigation branch concerning major accidents generally take some 15 to 18 months to produce.

  The AAIB's practice is to communicate important findings, as it reaches them, to the Civil Aviation Authority or other relevant quarters, without waiting for completion of the full report.

  A590 Dalton-in-Furness Bypass
  Mr. Franks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many objections have been received

  Scheme

  Works cost £ million

  A361 North Devon link road stage 1 (M5 Sampford Peverell to Tiverton)

  17·3

  Completed March 1984

  A361 North Devon link road stage 2A (Tiverton to Newtown)

  27·6

  Completed November 1988

  A361 North Devon link road stage 2B (Newtown to Barnstaple)

  25·3

  Started October 1987

  A39 Barnstaple bypass

  20·5

  Started August 1987

  A39 Bideford bypass

  18·3

  Completed May 1987

  The cost of connecting roads are included.

  Al-M1 (Lighting)
  Mr. Holt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve and extend lighting on the A 1 -Ml.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  On the Al it is proposed to replace the existing lighting between Astwick and the Edworth turn in Bedfordshire (2·4 km), and to extend lighting between Biggleswade and Beeston also in Bedfordshire (3·2 km). It is also planned that 8·8 km of the Newcastle western bypass, which will be designated part of the Al when complete, will be lit.

  On the MI it is planned to replace the existing lighting between the Scratchwood service area and junction 5 (9·5 km) and to extend lighting from junction 17 to junction 20 (14·5 km).

  Subject to the availability of funds, it is hoped that these proposals will have all been implemented by 1990–91.

  Estuarial Crossings (Tolls)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all organisations that have made representations in favour of increasing tolls across estuarial crossings to his Department since 1979.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The information requested is not readily available.

  Uniform Driver licensing System
  Mr. Robert Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the proposals of the European Community 98
  regarding the preferred route for the A590 Dalton-in-Furness bypass in Cumbria; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The objection period for the published orders end on the 28 February. So far four objections have been received. A public inquiry may be necessary if these and any further objections are not withdrawn.

  Road Construction (North Devon)
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the road construction projects, together with their cost, which have been approved, started or completed since 1979 in north Devon from M5-Tiverton to South Molton, Barnstaple area and the River Torridge, together with connecting roads.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Some £109 million worth of new trunk road construction schemes have been approved, started or completed as follows:

  Commission to introduce a uniform driver licensing system, with specific reference to the position of drivers who operate voluntary community transport schemes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The consultation document on proposals for a new unified driver licensing system published by the Department in January 1988 outlined the likely impact of the EC initiatives. Some 480 responses were received. A total of 84 per cent. of these expressed concern at the adverse effects that tighter controls on minibus drivers would have on Community and charitable organisations. Some 148 letters have also been received from hon. Members on this issue.

  The Government have expressed their strong concern about these proposals not only to the Commission but to other member states and the European Parliament. We shall continue to stress the importance of not damaging the mobility of individuals and groups, including disabled and elderly people, children, and community groups. The latest statistical evidence about the good safety record of minibuses in Britain is being made available to the Commission, other member states, and the European Parliament. Our aim in the negotiations is to secure the flexibility that is needed.

  Airlines (Licence Applications)
  Mr. Favell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information was given to him by the airlines concerned at the time of application for licence as to the anticipated passenger loads of(a) American

  99
  Airlines on its Manchester/Chicago route and (b) British Airways on its Manchester/New York route; and what steps he takes to monitor the accuracy of those estimates.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  There is no requirement for United States airlines to provide information on anticipated passenger loads in respect of their services to the United Kingdom. The licence for British Airways to serve the Manchester/New York route was granted prior to the establishment of the Civil Aviation Authority in 1972; any information provided at the time on anticipated passenger loads is not readily available. The Civil Aviation Authority collects and publishes operating and traffic statistics in respect of all carriers serving United Kingdom airports, and provides reports to the Department in appropriate circumstances.

  Passenger Ferries (Fires)
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fires were reported on board passenger ferries in 1988; what was the comparable figure for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  Thirteen fires on board passenger ferries were reported to the Department in 1988. For the previous five years the figures are:

  Year

  Number

  1983

  5

  1984

  3

  1985

  6

  1986

  4

  1987

  2

  Moray Maritime Rescue Subcentre, Peterhead
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the proposed closure of the Moray maritime rescue subcentre at Peterhead.

  Mr. Portillo
  My right hon. Friend announced the closure on 31 January. Both he and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy are confident that the closure will not affect the coastguards' ability to handle any future incidents in the offshore oil fields, and moreover that the associated reinforcing of the Aberdeen maritime rescue co-ordination centre will in fact enhance the coastguards' capability to deal with such incidents. The closure of the Moray MRSC will take place on 30 March.

  Bedfordshire (Road Grant)
  Mr. Madel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to be able to announce the 1989–90 100 per cent. grants to Bedfordshire county council for roads; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  We expect to announce a decision soon.

  Local Rail Networks
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to give encouragement and support to the increasing use of local rail networks in city areas and between major cities and their hinterlands.
  100
  Mr. Portillo
  We are prepared to support investment in urban rail services wherever it offers value for money. The Government's policies on the funding of such investment are set out in their observations on the third report of the Transport Committee (1986–87 Session)—HC 420, annex C.

  Random Breath Testing
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received from the north-east region in favour of random breath testing.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Current pressures for the introduction of random breath testing reflect society's hardening attitude towards the drinking driver.

  The Association of Chief Police Officers has said that it would like to be given wider powers to stop and test drivers. On 1 February, at column 251, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in answering a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Derby, North (Mr. Knight), set out the three options under consideration in response to the police request and invited views by 30 April.

  We are now bringing the amount of drinking and driving down more effectively in this country than is the case elsewhere. What matters is that we should continue to change public attitudes and behaviour.

  M25
  Mr. Higgins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will install on the central reservation of the M25 motorway appropriate traffic lights and gates at suitable intervals which can be opened by the police to allow vehicles in major traffic jams on one carriageway to enter the carriageway going in the opposite direction in order to leave the motorway.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Any benefit from such an arrangement would be outweighed by the practical difficulties of establishing and operating it, and by the adverse safety implications to which it would give rise.

  East London River Crossing
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement concerning his conclusions following receipt of the study of alternative designs for the proposed east London river crossing bridge; and if he will place a copy of the study in the Library.

  Mr. Channon
  I expect to receive the consultant's report later this month. I shall make an announcement as soon as possible. I shall then place a copy of the report in the Library of the House.

  London Underground (Security)
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many transport police are assigned to the(a) District, (b) Central, (c) Northern, (d) Bakerloo, (e) Metropolitan, (f) Piccadilly, (g) Victoria, and (h) Jubilee lines of the London Underground at the latest available date; and what were the figures for (i) 1985, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1987.

  Mr. Portillo
  Officers of the British Transport police are not assigned to specific lines of the London Underground.
  101
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway staff with security responsibilities are assigned to the(a) District, (b) Central, (c) Northern, (d) Bakerloo, (e) Metropolitan, (f) Piccadilly, (g) Victoria, and (h) Jubilee lines of the London Underground at the latest available date; and what were the figures for (i) 1985, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1987.

  Mr. Portillo
  All railway staff of London Underground Ltd. have security responsibilities as part of their general duties.

  Transport and Road Research Laboratory
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding his decision to shut down the Transport and Road Research Laboratory database on bus services; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  None. The database has served a useful purpose in providing speedy information during the first 18 months of deregulation but it would be unduly costly to continue. The Department receives regular statistical returns from bus operators which enable it to monitor longer term changes in the bus industry. TRRL continues to conduct studies into specific aspects of deregulation.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory database on bus services in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Portillo
  Work on the database began towards the end of the financial year 1985–86. The costs are as follows:

  £

  1985–86

  50,000

  1986–87

  250,000

  1987–88

  250,000

  1988–89

  150,000

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had regarding the possibility of saving the Transport and Road Research Laboratory database on bus services.

  Mr. Portillo
  None. The database is not to be extended but it will be retained as a source of information for TRRL's studies on deregulation and to deal with requests for information. In addition, the database is to be published in April and will be available, on tapes, for research purposes.

  Roads (Nottinghamshire)
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to develop a primary road network in Nottinghamshire suitable for the advent of the Channel tunnel and the European single market.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The primary road network in the county has been agreed between the Department and the county council. Nottinghamshire is well served by trunk roads such as MI and Al. There is already a full programme of national and regional trunk road schemes in the county.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the stretch of the M I which runs through Nottingham, North constituency was last repaired; and when it is next due for repair.
  102
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Major repairs to the MI motorway between the Trowell service area and junction 26 at Nuthall were carried out in 1985. Further major repairs are unlikely to be required before the year 2000. If the hon. Member believes that we have missed a stretch, perhaps he would let me know.

  Airports (Facilities)
  Mr. Allen Adams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will conduct an inquiry into the back-up facilities at Glasgow, Belfast, Prestwick and Campbeltown airports;

  (2) who directs to what airport an aircraft in distress should be directed;

  (3) if he will list the relative lengths of the airstrips at Glasgow, Campbeltown and Belfast; and what hack-up facilities exist at each airport;

  (4) what criteria are used in an on-board emergency as far as the direction of the aircraft to a suitable airport is concerned;

  (5) what emergency facilities exist at Glasgow airport;

  (6) what emergency facilities exist at Aldergrove airport;

  (7) what emergency facilities exist at Prestwick and Campbeltown airports;

  (8) what role the Civil Aviation Authority plays in the laying of ground rules for the direction of air traffic;

  (9) what criteria exist to enable air traffic controllers to direct any aircraft in distress away from populated areas.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  These matters concerning aviation safety are the statutory responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority and have been drawn to the attention of the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority.

  European Transport Systems
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he intends to take in respect of the proposal of the European Economic Community transport commissioners for high-speed rail links from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cardiff via London through the Channel tunnel to western Europe; what discussions he has with the Community of European Railways in respect of all these proposals; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the proposals recently published by the Community of European Railways. We are not aware of any proposals by the European Commission. It is for British Rail to bring forward any proposals for further investment which it considers appropriate in the light of the CER report. The Government are always happy to approve proposals by British Rail for rail investment which is commercially justified.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the expected cost to public funds of the northern Europe sub-committee of the Planning Board for European Inland Surface Transport at the civil defence college this spring; and what subjects will be discussed.

  Mr. Portillo
  No additional staff costs will be incurred. Expenses to be incurred against public funds are expected to be about £900. Details of the proceedings are classified.

  NATO (ACTICE Study)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost to public funds of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's ACTICE study held at the civil defence college in April 1988.

  Mr. Portillo
  No additional staff costs were incurred. Expenses associated with hosting the study came to £6,495.

  Air Navigation Orders
  Mr. Warren
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce legislation to provide that all air navigation orders affecting changes in the use of United Kingdom airspace be approved by Parliament before they come into force.

  Mr. Bottomley
  This would not be practicable. Many of the changes have to be made at short notice and are of temporary duration.

  Light Dues
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he intends to publish the feasibility study into extending light dues to yachts and pleasure craft being undertaken by the British Ports Authority at his request on its completion.

  Mr. Portillo
  Yes.

  Port State Control
  Mr. McCrindle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures are being taken to ensure port state control is vigorously enforced to eliminate sub-standard ships and crews from United Kingdom and European Economic Community ports; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  All European Community coastal states have signed the Paris memorandum of understanding on port state control, agreeing to inspect 25 per cent. of foreign merchant ships visiting their ports. The United Kingdom has inspected more than 25 per cent. in each of the past five years.

  High Speed Rail Link (London-Liverpool)
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on the progress of plans to build a high-speed rail link between London and Liverpool.

  Mr. Portillo
  The west coast main line already offers a high-speed service, and further improvements over the next few years will raise the maximum line speed further on much of the route. Journey time will also be reduced as a result of revised maintenance procedures. I am not aware of any plans to build a new line.

  Motorway Verges
  Sir Charles Morrison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to clean up motorway verges.
  104
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Cleaning of verges is one of the tasks carried out by the local authorities and consultants who act as the Department's agents for motorway maintenance. Standards for this are laid down in a code of practice for routine maintenance.

  We are currently considering what further action may be needed to deal with litter on motorways.

  Fennell Report
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps are being taken to strengthen the links between the British Transport police and other emergency services in London in accordance with recommendation 28 of the Fennell report;

  (2) what steps are being taken to review the performance and training of British Transport police officers in accordance with recommendations 99 and 108 of the Fennell report.

  Mr. Portillo
  I understand that the chief constable of the British Transport police has submitted to the police committee a report of the action he has taken in the light of the Fennell report. I expect to have the committee's views shortly.

  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has made to the board of London Regional Transport or London Underground Limited to improve enforcement of the smoking prohibition on the London Underground in accordance with recommendation 101 of the Fennell report.

  Mr. Portillo
  The enforcement of the smoking prohibition on the Underground is the responsibility of London Underground Ltd. and the British Transport police. London Regional Transport in its response to the Fennell report, a copy of which is available in the Library, has accepted recommendation 101. British Transport police officers have been instructed to enforce the smoking prohibition and are instituting a campaign to secure prosecution of smoking offences using video recording equipment to identity offenders. I understand that the British Transport police are discussing the criteria for prosecutions with the Crown prosecution service.

  Road Accidents
  Mr. David Young
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will give statistics for the accident and safety record of(a) motorways and (b) other roads, over the last five years;

  (2) what proposals he has to improve the safety of motorways in the future.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The following table shows the number of accidents occuring on motorways, and on all roads, for each of the years 1983 to 1987.
  105

  Accidents and accident rates per 100 million vehicle kilometers: Motorways and other roads: 1983–1987

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  Motorways

  Fatal

  152

  172

  192

  202

  212

  Fatal and serious

  1,152

  1,151

  1,171

  1,295

  1,349

  All severities

  3,857

  4,412

  4,651

  5,162

  5,526

  Rate

  12

  13

  12

  12

  11

  Other roads

  Fatal

  4,875

  4,966

  4,576

  4,693

  4,482

  Fatal and serious

  63,896

  66,035

  63,883

  61,787

  57,697

  All severities

  239,019

  248,771

  240,994

  242,692

  233,537

  Rate

  100

  102

  98

  94

  86

  The Casuality and Casuality rates per 100 million vehicle kilometers

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  Motorways

  Fatal

  187

  211

  241

  248

  283

  Fatal and serious

  1,604

  1,585

  1,695

  1,829

  1,866

  All severities

  6,360

  7,217

  7,658

  8,516

  9,080

  Rate

  21

  21

  20

  20

  19

  Other roads

  Fatal

  5,258

  5,388

  4,924

  5,134

  4,842

  Fatal and serious

  74,464

  77,073

  74,450

  72,305

  67,552

  All severities

  302,224

  317,097

  309,866

  312,935

  302,393

  Rate

  127

  130

  126

  121

  111

  Further information about motorways safety can be found in "Road Accidents Great Britain 1987", a copy of which is available in the Library.

  A comprehensive package of measures to improve motorway safety was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last April. Pamphlets giving fuller details were placed in the Library of the House. Most of
  106
  the proposed measures have been implemented; others involving technological and regulatory changes will be phased in over several years.

  ETHIOPIA: UK SHARE OF EC AID
  ETHIOPIA: UK SHARE OF EC AID
  ELECTRICITY GENERATION: PAYMENT FOR ANTI-POLLUTION MEASURES
  ELECTRICITY GENERATION: PAYMENT FOR ANTI-POLLUTION MEASURES
  SALMONELLA: SLAUGHTER OF LAYING FLOCKS
  SALMONELLA: SLAUGHTER OF LAYING FLOCKS
  HOMELESSNESS: REPORT ON LOCAL AUTHORITY ASSISTANCE
  HOMELESSNESS: REPORT ON LOCAL AUTHORITY ASSISTANCE
  PASSENGER SECURITY SURVEY AT LONDON STATIONS
  PASSENGER SECURITY SURVEY AT LONDON STATIONS