Written Answers of 22 February 1989

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Iraq
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Minister of State during his recent visit to Baghdad raised with the Iraqi Foreign Minister the reported use of chemical weapons by Iraqi forces and the reported repression of the Kurdish population; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 February to the hon. Member for Hamilton (Mr. Robertson). I also discussed the position of the Kurdish population of Iraq and human rights in the country during my visit.

  CSCE
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the forthcoming CSCE forum on information in London, including the membership of the British delegation.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The Information Forum is part of the Helsinki process and will deal with flows of information between East and West. Lord Rees-Mogg will lead the British delegation. We are currently considering the composition of the remainder of the delegation.

  Council of Ministers (Voting)
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, by meeting, date, and policy issue those occasions where the European Community Council of Ministers has reached a decision binding on all by qualified majority vote; and if he will break down the votes cast for and against by member state on each occasion.

  Mrs. Chalker
  I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) on 19 October 1988.

  German Reunification
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government have ever discussed at an official level with the Federal Republic of Germany, the implications of their declaration on the application of the European Community treaties to Berlin, Cmnd. 455, for German reunification.

  Mrs. Chalker
  Discussions between the Three Allied Powers (the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and France) and the Federal Republic of Germany relating to the application of the European Community Treaties to Berlin take place from time to time in the context of Allied rights and responsibilities relating to Berlin and to Germany as a whole.

  EC Treaties (Protocols)
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions on which the United Kingdom has been responsible as principal originator for the addition of protocols to the treaties upon which the European Community is founded, with reasons given for the action.

  Mrs. Chalker
  There have been none.

  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government have, at any time in the past 10 years, discussed at an official level with the Federal Republic of Germany alone, or together with other states, the issue of German reunification.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We have made clear, in contacts with the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, our view that real and permanent stability in Europe will be difficult to achieve so long as the German nation is divided against its will.

  German Reunification
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government policy towards the reunification of Germany.

  Mrs. Chalker
  As my right hon. and learned Friend told my hon. Friend, the Member for Bedfordshire, South-West (Mr. Madel), on 8 February, successive British Governments have taken it as axiomatic that real and permanent stability in Europe will he difficult to achieve so long as the German nation is divided against its will.

  EC (Nationality Discrimination)
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what rules on the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of nationality have been adopted by the Council to give effect to article 7 of the treaty establishing the European Economic Community.

  Mrs. Chalker
  The Treaty provisions on nondiscrimination have been embodied in many Community instruments since 1957. Detailed information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  EC Economic and Social Committee
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the current names, age and categories of United Kingdom members of the European Community Economic and Social Committee.

  Mrs. Chalker
  Following is the information requested:

  Group 1 (Employers):

  Mr. Ian Campbell CVO (66),

  Miss E. G. Dodd (63),

  Mr. K. J. Gardner FRSC (65),

  Mr. C. A. Hancock (53),

  Mr. J. A. de Normann (66),

  Mr. W. G. Poeton (62),

  Mr. K. M. Tamlin (60),

  Mr. F. G. Whitworth (63);

  Group 2 (Employees):

  619

  Mr. J. R. Boddy MBE (66),

  Mr. Campbell Christie (52),

  Mr. E. A. B. Hammond OBE (59),

  Mr. T. Jenkins (42),

  Miss A. Maddocks (61),

  Mr. A. R. Smith (59),

  Mr. L. J. Smith OBE (65);

  Group 3 (Various Interests):

  Mr. W. Aspinall (46),

  Professor W. Black (62),

  Mrs S. Flather JP (55),

  Mr. R. J. Moreland (47),

  Dr. A. Robinson (52),

  Mr. G. Spiers (59),

  Dr. P Storie-Pugh CBE, MC, TD, DL (69),

  Mr. M. P. Strauss (60),

  Mrs A. Williams MBE (60).

  EC (Enlargement)
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the further enlargement of the European Community.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We share in the consensus amongst member states that at least until 1992 the priority for the Community must be consolidation—in particular the completion of the single market and the full absorption of Spain and Portugal—not enlargement.

  EC (Membership)
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many states have formaly indicated a wish to enter into dialogue with the European Community with a view to ultimately becoming members.

  Mrs. Chalker
  Only one country, Turkey, has a formal application to join the European Community on the table. Morocco applied to join the Community in 1987, but the Council of Ministers took the view that this application should not be pursued. Norway completed accession negotiations in 1972, but did not in the event join the Community.

  EC Treaties
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who may submit new protocols to the treaties upon which the European Community has its legal foundation; and what is the procedure for their assessment and final acceptance.

  Mrs. Chalker
  The procedure for amendments to the Treaty of Rome is laid down in article 236 of that Treaty. Similar provisions appear in article 204 of the Treaty establishing the EAEC and in article 96 of the Treaty establishing the ECSC.

  Kampuchea
  Mr. Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, will press for an international peace settlement on Kampuchea.

  Mr. Eggar
  We are already working for a peaceful settlement in Cambodia. We welcome current developments towards that goal.

  Bangladesh
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Government of Bangladesh on human rights issues.

  Mr. Eggar
  We have made clear to the Bangladesh Government the concern felt in this country about human rights issues. They were discussed most recently during the visit of President Ershad. Some hon. Members had the opportunity to raise these issues with President Ershad on 15 February.

  Foreign Affairs Council
  Mr. Cyril D. Townsend
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 20 February.

  Mrs. Chalker
  My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary and I attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 20 February. Much of the day was taken up with discussion in the framework of political co-operation of relations with Iran in the light of the threats against Mr. Salman Rushdie. My right hon. and learned Friend has already reported to the House on this.

  The Council again discussed the dispute with the United States over the EC directive banning imports of meat from animals treated with hormones. The Commission reported agreement with the United States Administration of the establishment of a high-level group to find ways of resolving the dispute within 75 days. To the extent that United States suppliers send hormone-free meat to the EC, United States retaliatory measures would meanwhile be reduced. In view of this progress the Council took no decision to implement counter-retaliation. The Council adopted a regulation requiring national controls on the export of eight key chemical weapons precursors. This followed agreement at the EPC ministerial meeting on 14 February on the case for such a regulation. Though we already have strict controls on these and other CW precursors, the Government welcome this action.

  The Presidency reported on the outcome of the first substantive EC/ACP ministerial negotiating meeting on the renewal of the Lomé convention, which was held in Brazzaville on 16/17 February, and attended by my hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development.

  The Council adopted negotiating mandates for trade and co-operation agreements with Poland and Bulgaria, discussed the Community's relations with Eastern Europe; and agreed a Community position for the San Jose V meeting on 27/28 February with the Central American states in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

  The Council discussed proposals introduced by the Netherlands Foreign Minister for improving coordination between the Community and the Council of Europe. This will be further discussed at the March Foreign Affairs Council.

  An EC/Tunisia Cooperation Council was held in the margins of the Council.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Meat and Bone Meal
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there have been any recent changes in the amount of meat and bone meal exported from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland.

  Mr. Viggers
  I have no evidence of any changes in such exports.

  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there have been any recent changes in the amount of meat and bone meal imported into Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland.

  Mr. Viggers
  I have no evidence of any changes in such imports.

  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show the amounts of meat and bone meal imported into and exported from Northern Ireland, with the countries of origin and destination, in each of the last 12 months or as much of such information as is available to him.

  Mr. Viggers
  The information available from Customs and Excise records relates only to trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and is as follows:

  Imports and exports of meat and bone meal

  1988

  To Northern Ireland Tonnes

  From Northern Ireland Tonnes

  January

  2,252

  149

  February

  2,373

  250

  March

  2,757

  391

  April

  2,118

  142

  May

  1,966

  233

  June

  2,272

  174

  July

  1,776

  153

  August

  2,668

  102

  September

  5,227

  87

  October

  2,160

  278

  November

  1,263

  272

  December

  1,285

  323

  Industrial Development Board
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any persons convicted of fraud have been employed (1) directly or (2) as consultants by the Industrial Development Board.

  Mr. Viggers
  I am not aware of any consultant or person directly employed by IDB who was convicted of fraud.

  School Meals
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table showing the expenditure on school meals for each year between 1978–79 and the latest date available, in current and constant prices.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Net expenditure on school meals and milk is as follows:622

  Financialyear

  Cash£000

  At 1987–88prices £000

  1978–79

  17,031

  34,761

  1979–80

  19,670

  34,537

  1980–81

  18,088

  26,813

  1981–82

  17,381

  23,455

  1982–83

  19,152

  24,121

  1983–84

  21,572

  25,986

  1984–85

  22,417

  25,704

  1985–86

  24,739

  26,913

  1986–87

  25,580

  26,929

  1987–88

  23,950

  23,950

  Note: Expenditure figures for school meals and milk are not recorded separately.

  Emergency Provisions
  Mr. Arbuthnot
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects Lord Colville's report on the operation of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Acts of 1978 and 1987 to be available.

  Mr. Tom King
  I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses today.

WALES

  Water Industry
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has had any indication of the European Commission's view of the Government's proposal to restrict any one shareholding in the privatised water industry in Wales to 15 per cent.

  Mr. Grist
  I refer the hon. Lady to the reply given to the hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Mr. Michael) on 20 February at column 456

  Trunk Road Schemes
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those trunk road schemes in Wales on which he anticipates public inquiries being held during the current year with, where known, the likely date of the inquiry.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  The information is as follows:

  Schemes in respect of which an Inquiry date has been fixed:—

  Scheme

  Date

  A5 Ty-Nant to Dinmael Improvement (Clwyd)

  24–27 January

  A55 Rhuallt Hill Improvement (Clwyd)

  7–17 February

  M4/A4042 Brynglas Tunnels/Malpas Road Relief Scheme (Gwent)

  Commenced 14 February

  A458/A453 Welshpool Relief Roads (Powys)

  Commencing 4 April

  Schemes in respect of which Inquiries are anticipated but no dates yet fixed:

  Scheme

  A465

  Aberdulais to Glynneath Improvement (West Glamorgan)

  A487

  Caernarfon to South of Port Dinorwic Improvement (Gwynedd)

  A4042

  Penperlleni Bypass (Gwent)

  A487

  Pont Seiont to Bontnewydd Improvement (Gwynedd)

  A494

  Mold Bypass (Clwyd)

  A4060

  Pentrebach to Mountain Hare Improvement (Mid Glamorgan)

  A470

  Llanbynmair Improvement (Powys)

  Gross Domestic Fixed Capital Formation
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the present levels of gross domestic fixed capital formation in Wales; and what is the percentage change over(a) 1988 and (b) the period 1978–79 in both cash and real terms, and expressed in real terms as a percentage of gross domestic product on equivalent industries.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  The latest figure for gross domestic fixed capital formation for selected industry groups1 in Wales is £1,505 million in 1986. Comparable figures are not available for 1978–79.

  Note:

  1 The selected industry groups making up the total are: Agriculture; Forestry and Fishing; Energy and Water Supply; Manufacturing; Transport and Communications and Dwellings.

  Gross Domestic Product
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average gross domestic product per head in Wales in each year since 1979, in real terms.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  The information is as follows:

  GDP/Head at 1987 Prices1

  Year

  £

  1979

  4,440

  1980

  4,234

  1981

  4,115

  1982

  4,305

  1983

  4,467

  1984

  4,325

  1985

  4,719

  1986

  4,893

  21987

  4,991

  Source: Central Statistical Office.

  1 These figures have been deflated to 1987 prices using United Kingdom deflators as these are not available on a regional basis.

  2 Provisional data.

  Wages
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average weekly wage of(a) full-time and (b) part-time workers for Wales for (i) males and (ii) females.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  In April 1988 the average gross weekly earnings of full-time adult males and females on adult rates of pay in Wales were £217·80 and £150·30 respectively. The figure for part-time females was £58·70. Data for part-time males is not available.

  Income Statistics
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of people in each income quintile in Wales; and how many(a) families with children, (b) single-parent families, (c) pensioners and (d) disabled people are in each income quintile.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  Information by income quintile is not available.

  School Meals
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the expenditure on school meals for each year between 1978–79 and the latest date available, in current and constant prices.
  624
  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  Expenditure on school meals and milk for the period requested is given in the following table:

  School meals and milk—net current expenditure

  Year

  Cash (£000)

  1986–87 prices (£000)

  1978–79

  24,673

  48,089

  1979–80

  26,066

  43,472

  1980–81

  23,455

  33,026

  1981–82

  24,303

  31,152

  1982–83

  27,008

  32,311

  1983–84

  27,772

  31,778

  1984–85

  29,745

  32,396

  1985–86

  28,535

  29,487

  1986–87

  29,601

  29,601

  11987–88

  30,219

  28,704

  1 Data is provisional

  Note.—Net current expenditure is defined as current expenditure net of non-grant income (eg sales, fees and charges).

  Home Improvement Grant
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give for each Welsh district council for each of the past 10 years(a) the number of home improvement grant applications, (b) the number approved, (c) the total value of the grants applied for, (d) the total value of the grants approved, (e) the percentage that (d) represents of (c) and (f) the total allocation to each authority in each year; and if he will make a statement regarding the likely effect of the proposed charges in the Local Government and Housing Bill on home improvement grants.

  Mr. Grist
  I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.

  Rating Reform
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what a typical ward sister would pay in each Welsh district(a) in rates, (b) in community charge and (c) in a system of capital value rates plus local income tax paid in the proportions of 80–20, respectively, if she lived in a typical house paying at present average rates for the district.

  Mr. Grist
  Illustrative community charge figures and average domestic rates for each Welsh district were published in the Official Report on 29 July 1988 at column 656–58. I have made no detailed estimates of the impact of a system of capital value rates and local income tax in Wales.

  Cash Limits
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if there is to be any change to the cash limit for class XVII vote 2 for the current financial year.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  Yes. The cash limit on class XVII vote 2 is to be reduced from £76,700,000 to £76,525,000 by a reduction of £175,000 in the grant-in-aid provision for the Development Board for Rural Wales. This will enable me to make a corresponding sum available from spare housing subsidy provision in the demand-led class XVII vote 3 to pay a grant to the DBRW under section 11 of the
  625
  Development of Rural Wales Act 1976 towards the cost of making an immediate start on a programme of housing maintenance at Newtown in Powys.

  Examinations Expenditure
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (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 Wales as a percentage of the total number in the relevant year groups in each authority for the latest available year in which these examinations were sat;

  (2) if he will list by each local education authority in Wales 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

  School Leavers 1986–87—Maintained schools only

  Percentages

  Attempting1

  Achieving2

  Total Leavers

  CSE

  'O' Level

  'A' Level

  Lower Grades3

  Higher Grades4

  'A' Level Pass

  Clwyd

  6,260

  88

  84

  16

  87

  56

  15

  Dyfed

  4,675

  75

  78

  21

  75

  56

  19

  Gwent

  6,660

  81

  72

  15

  76

  48

  12

  Gwynedd

  3,725

  82

  80

  16

  82

  56

  14

  Mid Glamorgan

  8,835

  72

  71

  16

  67

  48

  15

  Powys

  1,685

  88

  84

  20

  86

  51

  16

  South Glamorgan

  5,730

  79

  76

  23

  72

  53

  21

  West Glamorgan

  5,200

  81

  82

  13

  78

  55

  12

  Wales

  42,770

  80

  77

  17

  76

  52

  15

  1A candidate attempting more than one type of examination is counted under each type.

  2 Those leavers who gain results in more than one of the categories shown are counted more than once, under each qualification achieved.

  3'O' level grades D-E, CSE grades 2–5.

  4'O* level grades A-C, CSE grade 1

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Polar Platform Satellite
  Mr. Warren
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the negotiations with the European Space Agency concerning United Kingdom industrial participation in the polar platform satellite.

  Mr. Atkins
  The European Space Agency and its member states are currently reviewing alternative concepts for the polar platform in the light of studies led by British Aerospace and Matra respectively. The United Kingdom will be seeking the most cost-effective solution consistent with our objective of securing the progressive commercialisation of earth observation. British industry can expect to play a leading role in the development of whichever platform is selected to meet this end.

  Liquidations
  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what regulations govern the time limits within which liquidations of companies and businesses must be completed.

  Mr. Atkins
  There are no statutory time limits within which a liquidation must be completed but the insolvency rules 1986 provide that when the liquidator in an insolvent liquidation has realised such of the company's assets as he can without needlessly protracting the liquidation he shall declare a dividend, if funds are available for that purpose.626
  number of pupils in the relevant year group in each authority, for the latest available year in which these examinations were sat.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  [holding answer 13 February 1989]: The information is not available in the form requested. It is impossible to identify a relevant year group for each type of examination. Pupils take CSE and o-level examinations in years 4 to 5 and all years of the 6th form. In 1986–87 the number of pupils attempting such exams exceeded the number of pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year (5th formers). Similarly pupils take A-levels in the first, second and third years of the 6th form. The following table is based on a survey of 1987 school leavers. It shows the number of pupils attempting and achieving success in examinations as a percentage of all those who left school. The results will be subject to some sampling errors.

  Franchise Businesses
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to his answer of 15 February to the hon. Member for Devon, North if he will make it his policy to collect statistical and other details on franchise businesses; if he will establish a franchise unit within his Department; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  I am not persuaded that the Government need such data and I am not clear what would be the objectives of a franchise unit.

  British Aerospace (Contract)
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what efforts were made to ensure that the £10 million worth of contracts arising from the construction of the British Aerospace air combat manoeuvering platform went to British fabrication yards.

  Mr. Atkins
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs during oral questions on 15 February 1989 Official Report column 299 and reiterate that it is not for Government to interfere in the commercial decisions of companies.

  Takeover Bids
  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in respect of which takeover bids his Department received three deputations of hon. Members in 1988.
  627
  Mr. Atkins
  Ministers in this Department met approximately 10 deputations of hon. Members in 1988 about takeover bids which included Nestle's bid for Rowntree, Goodman Fielder Wattie's bid for Ranks Hovis McDougall, and Elders IXL's bid for Scottish & Newcastle Breweries.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if, pursuant to his answer of 15 February, he will give further details of the consideration given to early-day motions on takeover bids;

  (2) what weight he gives to the number of hon. Members who have signed an early-day motion on a takeover bid.

  Mr. Atkins
  Due consideration is of course given to all early-day motions. However, the weight attributed to that consideration may vary.

  Furniture (Foam Insulation)
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he has taken to inform furniture retailers of the new foam insulation regulations coming into force on 1 March.

  Mr. Forth
  A total of 1,500 copies of the draft regulations were sent out on 1 March 1988. I then relied upon the usual channels of communication. The final regulations were submitted to Parliament in July, and interested parties were informed. These included the media generally, the trade press, local authority trading standards departments and all relevant trade associations. I am advised that the foam suppliers in particular have been meticulous in advising their customers about how their products comply with the new legal requirements. Guidance notes for the trade, which take account of initial reactions to the regulations, are being prepared and will be widely distributed soon.

  I have not written to every furniture retailer in the country. The Department does not have a list of all such retailers' names and addresses.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what provisions(a) Royal Mail (Letters), (b) Royal Mail (Parcels) and (c) Post Office (Counters) make to accommodate safely registered disabled persons in workplaces; and if there are safe areas of work specifically reserved for their disabled employees;

  (2) how many people who are profoundly deaf are currently employed by Royal Mail (Letters) within the grade of postman/postwoman;

  (3) what is the number of people employed by the Royal Mail (Letters) on permanent sorting duties whose normal mobility is restricted by having to use a wheelchair;

  (4) what is the number of people currently employed by the Post Office within (a) Royal Mail (Letters), (b) Royal Mail (Parcels) and (c) Post Office (Counters);

  (5) what is the number of people currently employed by the Post office within (a) Royal Mail (Letters), (b) Royal Mail (Parcels) and (c) Post Office (Counters) who are registered as disabled within the terms of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Acts 1944 and 1958;

  (6) what numbers of people employed by Royal Mail (Letters) within the grade of (a) postmen, postwomen, (b) postmen, postwomen higher grade, (c) postal assistant,
  628
  (d) postal officer, (e) postal executive class D, (f) postal executive class C, (g) postal executive class B, (h) postal executive class A, (i) doorkeepers and (j) cleaners are registered as disabled within the terms of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Acts 1944 and 1958;

  (7) what are the numbers of people employed by Royal Mail (Letters) in the grades of postal executive class C and above; and how many of the total are (a) women, (b) of ethnic minority origin and (c) registered as disabled;

  (8) if he will list the number of persons who are currently entered in the register of disabled persons within the terms of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Acts 1944 and 1958 who have applied for employment with (a) Royal Mail (Letters), (b) Royal Mail (Parcels) and (c) Post Office (Counters) during (i) 1984, (ii) 1985, (iii) 1986, (iv) 1987 and (v) 1988; and how many of these applicants were subsequently employed.

  Mr. Forth
  Questions of employment in the letters, parcels and counters businesses of the Post Office, including employment of different categories of people and facilities provided for them, are a matter for the Post Office. I am asking the Post Office to contact the hon. Member about these questions.

  Domestic Animals (Pelts and Skins)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will take steps to introduce the separate logging of the quantities of exported dog pelts and cat skins.

  Mr. Forth
  No. There is insufficient trade to justify separate monitoring of such goods.

  Clothing Industry
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will raise in the European Council of Ministers the need for arrangements to be in place before 1992 to prevent knitwear imports from Third world countries entering the Federal Republic of Germany through the German Democratic Republic and purporting to be manufactured in COMECON countries; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 21 February 1989]: Under the terms of inner German trade, goods originating in the German Democratic Republic may enter the Federal Republic of Germany free of import duty. This arrangement does not apply to other member countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON). The Federal authorities monitor consignments of textiles to ensure compliance with the origin requirements, and United Kingdom officials will shortly review these and other procedures with the Economics Ministry in Bonn to minimise the risk of abuse of inner German trade in the run-up to 1992 and beyond. If my hon. Friend is aware of any specific cases arousing concern I should be grateful if he would bring them to my attention.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Estate Agents
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Attorney-General if he has any proposals for the reform of the process of house purchase and the practice of estate agents.
  629
  The Attorney-General
  So far as reform of the process of house purchase is concerned, improvements in practice are needed rather than legislation and I welcome the work of the professions and the conveyancing standing committee of the Law Commission in this area. The practice of estate agents is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. I understand that consultations are continuing with estate agents' representatives and other interested groups.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Government Stocks
  Mr. Higgins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list Government stocks which have sinking funds and are likely to be redeemed ahead of the final date for repayment; and whether he is obliged to redeem such stocks as soon as the sinking fund is sufficient to repay them.

  Mr. Lawson
  [holding answer 20 February 1989]: There are two United Kingdom Government securities with sinking funds:
  3½ per cent. conversion loan (denominated in sterling); and Fifteen year 8 7/8 per cent. Bonds due 1993 (denominated in $ US).

  In addition, guaranteed 4½ per cent. Bonds and Irish Free State 4½ Land Bonds, have a Government guarantee and sinking funds.

  Terms and conditions of these securities are set out in their prospectuses. It is not the Government's practice to comment on any discretion the prospectus may afford.

  Child Benefit
  Sir Ian Gilmour
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the increased revenue in 1988–89 if(a) the personal income tax allowances, (b) mortgage interest, (c) superannuation and personal pension contributions and (d) self-employed retirement annuity premiums were restricted to basic rate tax; by how much child benefit could be increased if all the extra revenue were used for this purpose; what would be the redistributive effects, by family type and income decile; and how many working families with children would be lifted off entitlement to family credit.

  Mr. Lawson
  [holding answer 31 January 1989]: Almost two-thirds of those who would pay more tax as a result of restricting personal allowances and other tax reliefs to the basic rate currently pay tax at the basic rate only: those near the top of the basic rate band would be pushed into paying tax at the higher rate. About 3½ million single people and married couples would pay more income tax: of those, about 2¼ million currently pay tax at the basic rate only.

  Revised estimates of the direct revenue yield in 1988–89 if the allowances and reliefs had been restricted to the basic rate are:

  £ million

  a. Personal allowances

  1,160

  b. Mortgage interest relief

  330

  c. Employees' superannuation and personal pension contributions

  200

  d. Retirement annuity relief1

  100

  630
  1 Including relief for retirement annuity payments made by employees.

  Note: These estimates are based on a projection of the 1986–87 survey of personal incomes. No account is taken of, possible behavioural changes or the effect on receipts of capital gains tax.

  The yield arising from making the changes (a) to (d) simultaneously is £2,100 million, somewhat more than the sum of the yields from the four changes separately, since even more basic rate taxpayers would become higher rate payers. If all this were used to increase child benefit, it could be raised by about £4·40 a week in a full year and at 1988–89 prices. This assumes that child allowances in income support would be unchanged, with child benefit, as now, fully deductible from income support payments; and that there would be compensating reduction in the child additions for family credit.

  Estimates of the effect on family credit case-load are very uncertain. On the basis of the assumptions in "Impact of reformed structure of income-related benefits" (October 1987), the case-load might he reduced by about a third, (around 150,000 families).

  The tables show the combined effect, analysed by type of tax unit and income decile, of the net revenue yield or costs from restricting the allowances and reliefs to the basic rate and increasing child benefit.

  (a) gain to Net effect by type of tax unit tax unit ( + ), loss to tax unit ( - )

  £ million

  With children

  Without children

  Total

  Single

  + 90

  - 210

  - 120

  Married one earner

  + 280

  - 230

  + 50

  Married two earners

  + 770

  - 700

  + 70

  Total

  + 1,140

  -1,140

  0

  (b) Net effect by decile of total income1 gain to tax unit ( + ). loss to lax unit ( - )

  Decile

  £ million

  Lowest

  2

  2

  2

  3

  2

  4

  + 20

  5

  + 40

  6

  + 120

  7

  + 290

  8

  + 470

  9

  + 500

  Highest

  -1,440

  Total

  0

  1 Deciles of income have been defined in terms of total income, including non-taxable benefits, but before the additional £4–40 per week of child benefit. Income has not been adjusted to equivalence levels to take account of the need of different types of tax units.

  2 Under £5 million.

  The gains in the lower deciles from the increase in child benefit are negligible since the families with children in them will generally be entitled to income support or family credit. The increase in child benefit would therefore, in most cases, be offset by a corresponding reduction in income-related benefits.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Lomé 4
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he is able to make to the World Development Movement's charter for Lomé 4, in particular its requirement that Lomé 4 should assist the poorest farmers, support environmentally suitable development, reduce child mortality and improve other key health indicators and assess the impact of all projects on women; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  I welcome the charter's emphasis on support for the poorest, on improvement in environmental monitoring and assessment, on assistance to the health sector and on ensuring that the interests of women are properly taken into account. These are issues to which we attach great importance.

  Bangladesh
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring of British bilateral aid to Bangladesh is undertaken by representatives of Her Majesty's Government.

  Mr. Eggar
  Our aid is monitored through regular visits by Overseas Development Administration staff, from both London and our south east Asia development division in Bangkok. The aid section of the British High Commission in Dhaka is responsible for day-to-day oversight of the programme.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Support Grant
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce the education support grant guidelines for 1989–90.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend announced on 15 December 1988 the allocations to individual LEAs of expenditure to be supported through ESGs in 1989–90. My right hon. Friend yesterday met representatives of the local authority associations for preliminary discussions about the content and scale of the 1990–91 programme. He will be announcing shortly a list of proposed activities for support in 1990–91 in the light of yesterday's discussions.

  School Leavers
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children leave school before they are aged 16 years.

  Mr. Butcher
  It is estimated that, in England, during the academic year 1986–87, some 107,000 pupils left school before their 16th birthday.

  Zidovudine
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will receive copies of all reports given by the independent data and safety monitoring committee to the chairmen of the 632
  MRC/INSERM co-ordinating committee of the trial on the benefits of zidovudine for healthy people who are HIV positive; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) pursuant to his reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, on 7 February, Official Report, column 608, how many participants have been enrolled to date in the Medical Research Council trial on the benefits of zidovudine for healthy people who are HIV positive in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) France.

  Mr. Jackson
  My right hon. Friend does not expect to receive copies of such reports; the conduct of the trial is a matter for the Medical Research Council and INSERM. the number of participants enrolled on the trial up to 15 February 1989 was 218 in the United Kingdom and 84 in France.

  University Lecturers
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science pursuant to his answer of 9 February,Official Report, column 750, if he will express the figures contained in his answer as a percentage of total university lecturing staff for each of the years 1980 to 1987.

  Mr. Jackson
  The information on lecturers leaving universities in Great Britain to take up employment or study abroad as a percentage of lecturers in post in the previous year is as follows:

  Non-clinical

  Clinical

  All

  1980

  0·7

  1·8

  0·8

  1981

  0·6

  1·4

  0·6

  1982

  0·6

  1·4

  0·7

  1983

  0·4

  2·1

  0·5

  1984

  0·5

  1·0

  0·5

  1985

  0·4

  1·1

  0·5

  1986

  0·6

  1·2

  0·6

  1987

  0·5

  1·0

  0·6

  GCSE
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about advice available to students on choosing subjects for the GCSE examination.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Schools are best placed to advise their pupils on choosing appropriate subjects at GCSE. In addition to giving pupils individual advice, many schools issue guidance booklets on their GCSE choices. DES publicity recommends that parents should make sure that their children take English, maths and science at GCSE.

  Animals (Experiments)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which university laboratories concerned with animal experimentation use animals not bred specifically for this purpose; and who supplies the animals concerned.

  Mr. Jackson
  This information is not collected centrally.

  School Meals
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table showing the
  633
  expenditure on school meals for each year between 1978–79 and the latest date available, in current and constant prices.

  Mr. Butcher
  The information is given in the table:

  Net expenditure on school meals and milk1—England

  Cash Terms £ million

  1986–87 Real Terms2 £ million

  1978–79

  388

  756

  1979–80

  422

  704

  1980–81

  397

  559

  1981–82

  397

  509

  1982–83

  411

  492

  1983–84

  427

  489

  1984–85

  432

  471

  1985–86

  435

  450

  1986–87

  459

  459

  1 Net expenditure includes the salaries and wages of staff engaged in the preparation and supervision of the meal, the cost of food and overheads less the income received from pupils and adults who pay for their meals. It does not include any capital or capital financing costs. The figures include the costs of the school milk service which have not been collected separately since 1981–82.

  2 The cash figures for the earlier years have been repriced to 1986–87 real terms using the gross domestic products (market prices) deflator.

  Universities and Polytechnics
  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase the financial independence of universities and polytechnics.

  Mr. Jackson
  Under the Education Reform Act, polytechnics in England are being re-established as institutions independent of local education authorities, with funding from the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council. Following the Act, there is a wide-ranging debate on the funding of higher education which the Government want to see develop and mature further. However, we are actively considering the possibility of some shift in the flow of public funds from the grants to be disbursed by the higher education funding councils towards students' fees met under the mandatory awards arrangements.

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information has been given by his Department or by those acting on its behalf, directly or indirectly, to journalists or others, which has specified in respect of complaints relating to the conduct of ballots for grant-maintained schools, the names of the local education authority concerned and the nature of the complaint; when; by whom; and to whom.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  When asked about concerns relating to the conduct of ballots my Department has referred to reports which have appeared in the media.

  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what decisions he has made on the applications which he has received for grant-maintained status.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  I have today informed the governing bodies of Skegness grammar school, Lincolnshire and Audenshaw high school, Tameside that I have approved their proposals that their schools should become grant-maintained from September 1989.

  Teachers (Shortages)
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the measures which have been taken by Her Majesty's Government since 1985 in respect of teacher shortages; what was the total cost of each measure; and if he will make a statement on their effect.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  The table shows the principal measures taken since the introduction of our action programme on teacher shortages in 1986, and their costs to date.

  Measures

  Total cost £ million

  (i) Bursary scheme for trainee teachers in maths, physics, CDT

  6·381

  (ii) Support for LEAs in-service training in shortage subjects in order to upgrade teachers' skills and conversion of teachers in other subjects to maths, physics and CDT

  35·5

  (iii) Support for new initiatives in higher education institutions and the Open University for new types of initial and in-service training provision, including distance learning packs and more flexible training arrangements

  6·4

  (iv) TASC (Teaching as a Career) Unit to promote teaching as a career and improve recruitment practices among local education authorities and initial teacher training institutions

  0·725

  (v) TASC advertising and publicity campaigns

  1·179

  (vi) Production of video teaching programmes by the BBC, Thames TV and Yorkshire TV for in-service training use

  0·435

  (vii) Pump priming support for local initiatives to improve supply in shortage subjects

  0·050

  (viii) Taster courses for mature people and others to encourage entry or return to teaching

  0·040

  (ix) Regional conferences with the Scientific Technology Regional Organisation (SATRO) on how industry can help to alleviate shortages

  0·010

  It is too early to make a definitive assessment of the effectiveness of the action programme. We have commissioned an independent evaluation of all our teacher shortage initiatives from the University of Bath. The first report of the findings of that study was published last June and is available in the Library. A final reort is due this autumn. I am, however, satisfied that our action programme is effective.

  The bursary has been successful in reversing the decline in recruitment to initial teacher training courses in shortage subjects. Recruitment to maths, physics and CDT has increased by 27·8 per cent., 24·9 per cent. and 38·2 per cent. since 1986. The fall in vacancy figures suggests that our measures generally are having an impact on shortages.

  Residential Special Schools
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has yet decided upon arrangements for the future administration of the Inner London Education Authority's residential special schools located outside Inner London.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend has received the report of the working party that he set up last year to consider the future of ILEA's residential special schools located outside Inner London. A copy has been placed in the Library.
  635
  With the agreement of the inner London boroughs, the report recommends an allocation of the schools to the inner London boroughs, which will become responsible for their maintenance. It also recommends that the boroughs should agree on co-ordinating arrangements for planning and policy issues relating to the schools.

  My right hon. Friend accepts that the recommendations on the allocation of schools provide a secure basis for the future maintenance of these establishments, within the new framework of education in inner London. His final decisions on allocation will be taken in the light of boroughs development plans, which are to be published by the end of this month. He will moreover, wish to consider further the boroughs' proposals for co-ordinating arrangements for these schools. In view of the specalist nature of these schools he is concerned that there should be sound and workable arrangements for ensuring that the future planning and management of these schools will be on a rational and coherent basis. Before taking a final view on that matter the Secretary of State will wish to review the boroughs' proposed arrangements for voluntary coordination and is accordingly inviting the Inner London education advisory committee to inform him of the outcome of its discussions on this subject.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Race Relations
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by his Department to eradicate the circulation of racist literature to black prisoners.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Prison department's race relations policy statement, and other guidance issued to governors, makes it abundantly clear that racist language and literature will not be tolerated. Any governor who becomes aware that racist literature is being circulated in his or her establishment would be expected, with the assistance of the establishment's race relations liaison officer, to ensure that the matter is fully investigated and that, wherever possible, those responsible for its circulation are identified and dealt with appropriately.

  AIDS
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the Government's policy on the confidentiality of a person's HIV status in United Kingdom prisons; if he will outline who is told when a person is diagnosed HIV antibody positive or with AIDS and for what reasons; and what measures are taken regarding a HIV antibody positive prisoner and for what reasons.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The importance of preserving medical confidentiality has been stressed in guidance on the management of prisoners with HIV infection which has been issued to governors, medical officers and prison service staff in England and Wales. However, the Department considers that it has a duty to ensure, on grounds of health and safety, that staff with an operational need to know are informed of the presence and identity of prisoners who are a potential risk to them and to other prisoners.

  We have, therefore, established a system under which such members of staff are informed of prisoners who are
  636
  subject to viral infectivity restrictions (VIR). Since such restrictions, which are at the discretion of the medical officer but will usually determine the prisoner's living accommodation and may limit access to certain regime activities, may be applied to prisoners with HIV or other infective conditions disclosure of VIR status does not entail disclosing a diagnosis.

  Practice elsewhere in the United Kingdom is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.

  Local Government
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was paid to local authorities under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. John Patten
  The amount of grant paid under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 to local authorities in respect of each of the last 10 years for which information is available is given in the table. Grant is paid at the rate of 75 per cent. of an authority's eligible expenditure. Figures for 1987–88 are not yet available as a number of authorities have not yet submitted audited claims.

  Year

  Grant

  1977–78

  24,656,387

  1978–79

  28,273,873

  1979–80

  34,481,552

  1980–81

  45,767,083

  1981–82

  54,754,571

  1982–83

  65,305,918

  1983–84

  174,017,662

  1984–85

  172,819,943

  1985–86

  180,808,402

  1986–87

  187,177,400

  1 Provisional figure.

  NACRO
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials from his Department have acted as observers on the council of the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders and its network of advisory committees since 1979.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The information requested is as follows:

  Home Office observers

  NACRO council

  NACRO advisory committees

  1979–80

  1

  5

  1980–81

  1

  7

  1981–82

  1

  8

  1982–83

  1

  7

  1983–84

  1

  8

  1984–85

  1

  11

  1985–86

  1

  10

  1986–87

  1

  11

  1987–88

  1

  8

  Parole System
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had on the Carlisle report on the parole system; and if he will make a statement.
  637
  Mr. John Patten
  We have received a number of representations. We have asked interested individuals and organisations to send us their comments by 10 March. We shall then consider the recommendations carefully in the light of the responses we have received.

  Probation Officers
  Mr. Wheeler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Office if he will provide the age and service profile of senior probation officers and their position on the salary scale; and what would be the cost of abolishing the first five salary incremental points.

  Mr. John Patten
  The 1,066 senior probation officers in post in April 1988 were distributed across the salary scale as follows:

  Point on scale

  Percentage of SPOS

  1

  4

  2

  4

  3

  8

  4

  8

  5

  9

  6

  8

  7

  5

  8

  4

  9

  3

  10

  47

  If all officers on points one to five were moved to point six, the cost would be £380,000 in the first year—excluding any consequential increase for officers already at or above point six. Information on the age and service profile of senior probation officers is not available centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, if available at all.

  Paddy Armstrong
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what medical attention has been offered to Paddy Armstrong, currently being held in Her Majesty's Prison, Gartree; and if he will make a statement on his medical condition.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Specific clinical information pertaining to individual prisoners is confidential and is not normally disclosed. I have no information which suggests that Mr. Armstrong's general medical condition is other than satisfactory.

  Gerard Conlon
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what medical attention has been offered to Gerard Conlon, currently being held in Her Majesty's Prison, Long Lartin; and if he will make a statement concerning his medical condition.

  Total admissions of passengers excluding those exempt from requiring entry clearance1 by certain nationalities and ports in 1988

  Number of persons

  Nationality

  January

  February

  March

  April

  August

  September

  Heathrow

  India

  7,900

  7,100

  7,400

  5,200

  14,100

  15,600

  Pakistan

  3,600

  3,100

  3,900

  4,900

  8,100

  6,600

  Bangladesh

  900

  800

  1,100

  1,300

  1,800

  1,400

  Ghana

  1,100

  1,100

  1,200

  1,200

  2,200

  2,200

  Nigeria

  4,700

  4,700

  3,500

  1,200

  6,500

  7,200

  638
  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Specific clinical information pertaining to individual prisoners is confidential and is not normally disclosed. I have no information which suggests that Mr. Conlon's general medical condition is other than satisfactory.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times Gerard Conlon, currently being held in Her Majesty's Prison, Long Lartin, has been moved since first being held in 1974.

  Mr. Dougals Hogg
  I shall write to the hon. Member.

  Cat Theft
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what action he intends to take
  following the evidence on cat thefts contained in the recent

  Petwatch special report, a copy of which he has been sent;

  (2) which police forces record reported losses of cats.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  It is for the chief officers to decide how reports of stolen or missing property are recorded. We are not persuaded that the information contained in the National Petwatch report necessitates any new action on cat theft.

  Refugees
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to extend the scope of section II of the Local Government Act 1966 to include within its remit non-commonwealth refugees.

  Mr. John Patten
  The possibility of legislative changes, which would be necessary if the scope of the grant under section II of the Local Government Act 1966 were to be extended to cover communities from outside the Commonwealth, was within the terms of reference of the scrutiny of the grant system which my right hon. Friend announced in reply to a question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Brent, North (Sir R. Boyson) on 26 May 1988 at column 279. My right hon. Friend is at present studying the report of the scrutiny.

  Immigration
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will indicate for each week in 1988 the number of passengers arriving at(a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick and (c) Dover holding entry clearance and arriving from each of (i) India, (ii) Pakistan, (iii) Bangladesh, (iv) Ghana and (v) Nigeria.

  Mr. Renton
  [holding answer 13 February 1989]: The available information is compiled only on a monthly basis and relates to total admissions of passengers excluding those exempt from requiring entry clearance. The data available for 1988 is given in the following table.
  639

  Nationality

  January

  February

  March

  April

  August

  September

  Gatwick

  India

  500

  500

  800

  400

  1,600

  1,400

  Pakistan

  500

  400

  400

  600

  1,100

  1,000

  Bangladesh

  40

  30

  40

  20

  90

  70

  Ghana

  300

  200

  300

  200

  500

  600

  Nigeria

  2,700

  1,700

  2,000

  1,000

  3,700

  3,600

  Dover

  India

  140

  140

  170

  380

  1,510

  920

  Pakistan

  130

  100

  130

  190

  650

  350

  Bangladesh

  20

  20

  10

  60

  120

  70

  Ghana

  20

  30

  30

  30

  90

  80

  Nigeria

  50

  40

  60

  50

  130

  110

  1 Provisional estimates, reasons. Estimates for May, June and July are not yet available due to delays in the counting of landing cards for technical reasons

PRIME MINISTER

  Residents (Registration)
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list the minimum and maximum number of separate registers in which residents of the United Kingdom are given separate numbers; and if she can estimate the cost and number of people needed to maintain all such registers.

  The Prime Minister
  This information is not held centrally.

  General Hershad
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Prime Minister what meetings she has had with General Hershad, President of Bangladesh; and what subjects were discussed.

  The Prime Minister
  I had talks with, and gave dinner for, President Ershad on 16 February. The talks covered both bilateral and regional issues.

ENERGY

  Wave Energy
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for East Lothian on 20 January,Official Report, column 343, he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Advisory Council on Research and Development at which the decision was made concerning the closure of the offshore wave energy programme.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  A copy of a summary of the main conclusions and recommendations of the Advisory Council on Research and Development on the wave energy programme was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 27 April 1982.

  Wind Power
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made by his Department in the consideration of the potential of offshore wind power during the past seven years.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The technical potential of offshore wind power has been estimated at around 140 Twh/year at 640
  an expected cost of electricity in the range 4…2– 7…4 p/kWh. These estimates are based on collaborative studies which were jointly funded by my Department and the CEGB, and have taken into account constraints imposed by other offshore activities. The extent to which any of this resource could be economically exploited will be the subject of further work.

  The United Kingdom has also participated in an International Energy Agency (IEA) study of offshore wind energy conversion systems which considered the technical and economic problems of exploiting this resource.

  Electricity Supply System (Merseyside and North-West)
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated value of the electricity supply system covering(a) Merseyside and (b) the north-west.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  This is a matter for the electricity supply industry. I shall ask the chairman of the Merseyside and North Wales and the North Western Electricity boards to write to the hon. Member.

  Safe Integrated Reactor
  Mr. Greg Knight
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the proposed Anglo-American consortium plans for a safe integrated reactor.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has informed my Department of its interest in developing a 300MWe reactor as a member of the SIR consortium. The consortium's proposals are at an early stage and I shall be kept informed of developments.

  Foreign Coal
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list by year, port and tonnage the amount of foreign coal imported into England and Wales for the last five years.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The information requested is as follows:
  641

  Port

  Quantity (000 tonnes)

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  Middlesbrough

  1,447

  2,352

  2,610

  2,501

  2,878

  Port Talbot

  2,023

  1,834

  1,558

  1,958

  1,997

  Immingham

  225

  615

  1,349

  669

  999

  London (including Tilbury)

  239

  1,515

  404

  538

  743

  Medway

  120

  723

  661

  556

  565

  Sunderland

  23

  88

  243

  198

  418

  Trent

  11,415

  1963

  778

  335

  386

  Hartlepool

  8

  101

  295

  354

  314

  Cardiff

  —

  113

  247

  222

  294

  Goole

  73

  48

  36

  236

  286

  Kings Lynn

  1

  1

  —

  117

  117

  Newport (Gwent)

  32

  181

  83

  5

  116

  Portsmouth

  205

  210

  7

  59

  92

  Swansea

  —

  5

  —

  —

  92

  Grimsby

  —

  —

  —

  —

  88

  Avonmouth

  16

  78

  96

  60

  86

  Colchester

  554

  326

  196

  91

  71

  Liverpool

  38

  371

  143

  65

  31

  Exeter

  134

  70

  14

  10

  18

  Others

  280

  412

  136

  147

  146

  Total

  6,835

  10,006

  8,856

  8,122

  9,739

  1 Imports recorded under port of Scunthorpe.

  Note: Figures may not add due to rounding.

  Source: HM Customs and Excise (port of entry basis).

  Nuclear Power Generation (Yorkshire)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has regarding the likely growth of nuclear power generation in the three counties of Yorkshire over the next 15 years.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  My right hon. Friend has received no application from the CEGB for consent to construct any nuclear power station in Yorkshire. It is for the CEGB to decide whether and when to apply for consent to construct any new power station.

  Yorkshire Coalfields (Employment)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list his latest estimate of the level of employment in British Coal in the Yorkshire coalfields in 1990 and 1995.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  This is a matter for the British Coal Corporation and I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

  Electricity Privatisation
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proposals are being considered for customer rights following the privatisation of electricity.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The Electricity Bill currently before Parliament will create many new customer rights, including an improved right to an electricity supply, protection for consumers who get their electricity from a landlord, protection for the elderly and disabled, help for those having difficulty paying bills and a new system of guaranteed standards of performance with automatic compensation for failures to meet these standards. The director general of electricity supply will have a statutory duty to protect the interests of the consumer, and the new regional consumers' committees will provide him with lay advice on consumer issues.

  Wood Crops
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps(a) he has taken and (b) he will take to promote the use of arable wood crops or wood chips as a fuelstock for conversion into electricity.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  Investigation of the economic prospects for the use of wood crops and wood chip as a fuelstock has formed part of my Department's research, development and demonstration programmes on biofuels for the past decade and just over £1.5 million has been spent in this area.

  Projects so far have looked at the potential for harvesting, processing, storing and transporting of fuel wood as well as investigations of novel systems such as integrated or whole tree harvesting and also combustion trials. In addition, we have supported studies of short rotation energy forestry including the establishment arid development of trial plots and coppice harvesting techniques as well as the possible environmental impact.

  Our intention for the future programme is laid out in energy paper 55, copies of which are in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Within my Department's plans for electricity privatisation, wood crops or wood chip will be eligible to contribute towards the non-fossil fuel obligation.

  Energy Act 1983
  Mr. Ward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what arrangements he proposes to succeed the provisions of sections 5 and 7 of the Energy Act 1983 as they apply in England and Wales.

  Mr. Parkinson
  Our privatisation proposals are designed to increase competition in generation by bringing new entrants into the market. We have not, however, overlooked those independent generators who a re currently supplying area boards.

  We appreciate that there are existing projects where investments have been advanced against the backdrop of the 1983 Energy Act and the obligation under the Act on

  643
  area boards to purchase independently-produced electricity. We wish to ensure that the changes brought about by privatisation do not disadvantage those who have invested in generating plant as a result of the Act and who are currently selling to area boards under its terms. I am therefore pleased to announce that area board chairmen in England and Wales have agreed to transitional arrangements which will safeguard those generators, and leave them no worse off in revenue income terms than at present. Similar arrangements have been agreed in Scotland.

  I can therefore confirm that generators who have entered into arrangements with the area boards to supply electricity since the 1983 Act will, if they choose, be able to continue those arrangements for a five-year transitional period. The boards will maintain energy and capacity payments at comparable levels to those available under the Act. This is a significant commitment by the boards to independent generators and it will assist those whose decisions on plant investment have been influenced by the existence of the provisions of the Energy Act in planning for the future.

  Employment training—Stars and leavers September to December 1988

  September

  October

  November

  December

  Region

  Starts

  Leavers

  Starts

  Leavers

  Starts

  Leavers

  Starts

  Leavers

  South East

  1,633

  —

  2,050

  —

  1,987

  —

  1,707

  —

  London

  2,503

  —

  3,057

  —

  3,110

  —

  2,406

  —

  South West

  1,076

  —

  1,724

  —

  2,023

  —

  1,742

  —

  West Midlands

  2,470

  —

  3,733

  —

  3,829

  —

  3,303

  —

  East Midlands and Eastern

  1,771

  —

  2,728

  —

  2,860

  —

  2,202

  —

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  2,974

  —

  4,523

  —

  5,509

  —

  4,402

  —

  North West

  3,029

  —

  4,962

  —

  5,544

  —

  4,145

  —

  Northern

  2,395

  —

  3,219

  —

  3,546

  —

  2,895

  —

  Wales

  1,381

  —

  1,967

  —

  2,649

  —

  2,172

  —

  Scotland

  2,331

  —

  3,120

  —

  4,045

  —

  3,894

  —

  Great Britain

  21,462

  1,000

  31,083

  5,000

  35,202

  7,000

  28,867

  7,000

  Note:

  The leaves figure are estimated and to trainees who not transferred from privious programmes

  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is(a) the number entering employment training each month, (b) the number of trainees entering practical experience placements each month, (c) the number leaving employment training each month and (d) the reasons given for leaving each month by trainees on (i) a national and (ii) an area office basis.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The information is not available in the precise form requested. The following tables give the number entering employment training each month nationally and by area. Information on the number entering practical placements is not collected. The number leaving employment training is currently only available for Great Britain as a whole and is estimated. Regional and area breakdowns of this information will be available from April of this year. Data on the reasons given by trainees for

  Monthly totals: September 1988 to January 1989

  Area

  September

  October

  November

  December

  January

  Berkshire and Oxfordshire

  106

  207

  156

  182

  320

  Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire

  230

  309

  243

  224

  300

  Essex

  155

  246

  326

  286

  355

  Hampshire and Isle of Wight

  444

  488

  457

  423

  444

  Kent

  259

  429

  475

  336

  503

  Sussex

  218

  241

  224

  188

  259

  Surrey

  121

  131

  106

  68

  125

  North London

  730

  565

  602

  533

  655

  644
  It would be inconsistent with the general thrust of privatising the industry to enshrine in legislation a permanent protection for Energy Act generators. It would also be wrong in principle to extend their transitional arrangements to those who invested in capacity and were supplying area boards before the passage of the 1983 Act.

EMPLOYMENT

  Employment Training
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons have(a) joined and (b) dropped out from the employment training programme each month since the scheme began, both in each region and nationally.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The information requested is given in the table. The number of employment training leavers includes early leavers and those who have completed their training. The figure is estimated and is only available nationally.

  leaving employment training is not currently available but it will be obtained from follow up surveys. The first results should be available by the end of the year.

  Employment training-Stars and leavers Table 1

  Monthly totals: September 1988 to January 1989 Great Britain

  Starts

  Leavers1

  September

  21,462

  1,000

  October

  31,083

  5,000

  November

  35,202

  7,000

  December

  28,867

  7,000

  January

  36,698

  2—

  1 The leavers figures are estimated and relate to trainees who were not transferred from previous programmes.

  2 Leavers figures for January are not yet available.

  645

  Area

  September

  October

  November

  December

  January

  West London

  165

  258

  372

  198

  302

  East London

  268

  382

  432

  329

  488

  South London

  116

  202

  216

  179

  404

  Inner London North

  820

  1,159

  948

  712

  1,314

  Inner London South

  404

  491

  540

  454

  639

  Avon

  156

  329

  385

  339

  437

  Devon and Cornwall

  494

  783

  1,003

  833

  1,178

  Somerset and Dorset

  193

  355

  326

  363

  259

  Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

  232

  257

  309

  207

  274

  Birmingham and Solihull

  465

  1,190

  1,237

  1,051

  1,377

  Coventry and Warwickshire

  334

  378

  448

  320

  423

  Dudley and Sandwell

  480

  521

  444

  436

  705

  The Marches

  318

  419

  448

  489

  558

  Staffordshire

  383

  589

  640

  552

  681

  Wolverhampton and Walsall

  490

  636

  612

  455

  576

  Derbyshire

  358

  594

  620

  386

  540

  Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire

  212

  373

  376

  286

  382

  Leicestershire and Northants

  274

  472

  465

  358

  534

  Nottingham

  356

  643

  659

  501

  762

  Norfolk and Suffolk

  403

  460

  544

  466

  500

  Lincolnshire

  168

  186

  196

  205

  232

  Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees

  454

  706

  1,135

  873

  877

  Sheffield and Rotherham

  679

  1,187

  1,310

  1,079

  1.268

  Wakefield, Barnsley and Doncaster

  513

  788

  1,123

  867

  1,188

  Humberside

  975

  1,127

  949

  828

  1,060

  Leeds/North Yorkshire

  353

  715

  992

  755

  1,059

  Manchester East

  363

  596

  660

  426

  477

  Manchester Central

  545

  738

  899

  608

  828

  Manchester North

  323

  541

  646

  523

  602

  Cheshire

  463

  897

  697

  451

  605

  Lancashire

  599

  891

  882

  797

  960

  Merseyside

  619

  1,137

  1,477

  1,132

  1,694

  Cumbria

  117

  162

  283

  208

  290

  North Tyne

  353

  455

  707

  613

  789

  South Tyne

  706

  1,003

  997

  884

  977

  Durham

  618

  857

  804

  596

  797

  Cleveland

  718

  904

  1,138

  802

  1,074

  Wrexham

  277

  430

  491

  520

  606

  Swansea

  479

  586

  945

  698

  819

  Cardiff

  432

  683

  885

  687

  1,017

  Gwent

  193

  268

  329

  267

  458

  Central and Fife

  344

  337

  497

  478

  514

  Grampian and Tayside

  398

  382

  617

  380

  453

  Lothian and Borders

  394

  683

  787

  679

  601

  Glasgow City

  476

  574

  704

  740

  733

  Renfrew, Dumbarton and Argyll

  153

  286

  417

  552

  392

  Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway

  306

  303

  373

  442

  961

  Lanarkshire

  214

  483

  576

  537

  452

  Highlands and Islands

  46

  72

  84

  86

  121

  Note Figures may not tally with those previously published due to retrospective adjustments at area level.

  YTS
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for.Employment if he will publish for 1988 and to date, for the Doncaster and Mexborough areas of South Yorkshire(a) the number of filled places in YTS by training.

  Table 1 YTS agreed and filled places in Doncaster local authority district January to July 1988

  January Agreed

  1988 Filled

  February Agreed

  1988 Filled

  March Agreed

  1988 Filled

  April Agreed

  1988 Filled

  May Figreed

  1988 Filled

  June Agreed

  1988 Filled

  July Agreed

  1988 Filled

  Administrative and clerical occupations

  814

  235

  814

  248

  814

  255

  814

  265

  796

  274

  804

  359

  830

  443

  Creative, educational and recreational service occupations

  204

  58

  204

  64

  204

  68

  216

  70

  216

  79

  200

  98

  200

  115

  Health, community personal service occupations

  446

  118

  446

  119

  446

  120

  403

  124

  395

  132

  343

  193

  343

  254

  Selling and storage occupations

  858

  163

  858

  172

  858

  180

  847

  195

  796

  206

  837

  286

  837

  327

  Scientific occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Catering and food preparation and processing occupations

  167

  24

  167

  24

  167

  24

  167

  25

  167

  32

  177

  48

  177

  53

  Agricultural and related occupations

  348

  62

  348

  64

  348

  65

  345

  70

  345

  71

  179

  103

  179

  113

  Fishing occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  646
  occupational classification and (b) the number of contracted places in YTS by training occupational classifications.

  Mr. Cope
  Information is not separately available for Doncaster and Mexborough. The following tables give figures for the local authority district of Doncaster which includes Doncaster, Mexborough and Thorne.
  647

  January Agreed

  1988 Filled

  February Agreed

  1988 Filled

  March Agreed

  1988 Filled

  April Agreed

  1988 Filled

  May Agreed

  1988 Filled

  June Agreed

  1988 Filled

  July Agreed

  1988 Filled

  Transport operating occupations

  14

  8

  14

  8

  14

  8

  14

  8

  14

  14

  31

  14

  31

  14

  Construction and civil engineering occupations

  298

  105

  298

  107

  298

  109

  256

  113

  216

  130

  232

  156

  232

  167

  Mining, oil extraction and quarrying occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Electrical and electronic engineering occupations

  79

  20

  79

  20

  79

  21

  79

  21

  79

  21

  80

  31

  70

  33

  Mechanical engineering, and metal production and processing occupations

  454

  107

  454

  110

  454

  110

  404

  116

  404

  125

  347

  152

  347

  178

  Motor vehicle repair and maintenance occupations

  374

  90

  374

  92

  374

  92

  373

  96

  373

  103

  290

  145

  290

  171

  Non-metal processing occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  16

  0

  16

  0

  16

  0

  16

  1

  Printing occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Clothing and textiles manufacturing occupations

  157

  26

  157

  27

  157

  29

  156

  35

  148

  36

  98

  52

  98

  61

  Security service occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Others

  129

  2,108

  129

  1,991

  129

  1,902

  163

  1,834

  223

  1,754

  352

  1,712

  352

  1,448

  TOTAL

  4,342

  3,124

  4,342

  3,046

  4,342

  2,983

  4,253

  2,972

  4,188

  2,977

  3,986

  3,349

  4,002

  3,378

  Note Filled places marginally exceed agreed places on a number of occasions because Managing agents can exceed agreed places by 10 per cent. when required.

  Table 2

  YTS agreed and filled places in Doncaster local authority district September 1988 to January 1989

  August Agreed

  1988 Filled

  September Agreed

  1988 Filled

  October Agreed

  1988 Filled

  November Agreed

  1988 Filled

  December Agreed

  1988 Filled

  January Agreed

  1989 Filled

  Administrative and clerical occupations

  830

  505

  830

  594

  823

  643

  823

  685

  823

  704

  823

  726

  Creative, educational and recreational service occupations

  200

  146

  200

  171

  200

  184

  200

  205

  200

  212

  200

  237

  Health, community and personal service occupations

  343

  271

  343

  297

  343

  314

  343

  337

  343

  347

  343

  356

  Selling and storage occupations

  837

  370

  837

  425

  832

  474

  832

  516

  832

  539

  832

  592

  Scientific occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Catering, food preparation and processing occupations

  177

  55

  177

  63

  177

  68

  177

  74

  177

  75

  177

  78

  Agricultural and related occupations

  179

  118

  179

  133

  179

  139

  179

  148

  179

  149

  179

  154

  Fishing occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Transport operating occupations

  3

  14

  31

  14

  31

  14

  31

  14

  31

  14

  31

  14

  Construction and civil Engineering occupations

  232

  184

  232

  225

  232

  232

  232

  245

  232

  240

  232

  239

  Mining, oil extraction and quarrying occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Electrical and electronic engineering occupations

  70

  33

  70

  46

  70

  47

  70

  49

  70

  49

  70

  51

  Mechanical engineering, and metal production and processing occupations

  347

  199

  347

  246

  347

  266

  369

  275

  369

  280

  369

  285

  Motor vehicle repair and maintenance occupations

  290

  187

  290

  193

  290

  197

  290

  198

  290

  199

  290

  202

  Non-Metal processing occupations

  16

  1

  16

  2

  16

  8

  16

  8

  16

  10

  16

  10

  Printing occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Clothing and textiles manufacturing occupations

  98

  70

  98

  73

  98

  74

  98

  76

  98

  77

  98

  81

  Security service occupations

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Others

  352

  1,171

  391

  888

  403

  648

  403

  496

  403

  343

  403

  268

  TOTAL

  3,974

  3,324

  4,041

  3,370

  4,041

  3,308

  4,063

  3,326

  4,063

  3,238

  4,063

  3,293

  Notes:

  1. Filled places marginally exceed agreed places on a number of occasions because Managing Agents can exceed agreed places by 10 per cent. when required.

  2. The 'Others' Filled Places for August to November 1988 are overstated because the correct TOC was unknown at the time of computer input. Efforts to obtain correct classification have resulted in the data becoming more accurate as the year progressed.

  Health and Safety
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many companies have been convicted of offences under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for 648
  which records are available; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted;

  (2) how many individuals have been convicted of offences under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for which records are

  649
  available; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Centrally available statistics from the records of the Health and Safety Executive's factory and

  Informations laid under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act Great Britain

  HSE's factory and agricultural inspectorates Result

  Local authorities

  Fines

  Informations laid

  Conviction

  Withdrawn

  Dismissed

  Not known

  Lowest1

  Highest

  Average

  Informations laid

  Convictions

  1983

  Number

  345

  276

  22

  28

  19

  50

  3000

  363

  168

  131

  Percentage

  100

  80

  6

  8

  6

  100

  78

  1984

  Number

  328

  275

  24

  24

  5

  20

  12,000

  424

  189

  170

  Percentage

  100

  84

  7

  7

  2

  100

  90

  1985

  Number

  378

  309

  23

  33

  13

  50

  30,000

  618

  142

  124

  Percentage

  100

  82

  6

  9

  3

  100

  87

  1986 Q1

  Number

  85

  74

  2

  7

  2

  25

  2,000

  582

  2—

  2—

  Percentage

  100

  88

  2

  8

  2

  1986–87

  Number

  295

  238

  24

  23

  10

  25

  5,500

  653

  208

  170

  Percentage

  100

  81

  8

  8

  3

  100

  82

  1987–883

  Number

  333

  261

  25

  31

  16

  50

  250,000

  1,609

  2—

  2—

  Percentage

  100

  78

  8

  9

  5

  1 Excludes cases which resulted in conviction but there was no fine.

  2 Not available.

  3 Provisional.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many companies have been convicted of offences under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for which records are available; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted;

  (2) how many individuals have been convicted of offences under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for which records are

  Informations laid under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act Great Britain Great Britian

  HSE's factory and agricultural inspectorates Result

  Local authorities

  Fines

  Informations laid

  Conviction

  Withdrawn

  Dismissed

  Not known

  Lowest1

  Highest

  Average

  Informations laid

  Convictions

  1983

  Number

  140

  115

  7

  15

  3

  40

  2,500

  338

  49

  39

  Percentage

  100

  82

  5

  11

  2

  100

  80

  1984

  Number

  150

  121

  13

  12

  4

  100

  10,000

  493

  40

  35

  Percentage

  100

  81

  9

  8

  2

  100

  88

  1985

  Number

  162

  120

  25

  15

  2

  50

  8,000

  589

  44

  41

  Percentage

  100

  74

  16

  9

  1

  100

  93

  1986 Q1

  Number

  63

  53

  4

  3

  3

  100

  1,250

  404

  2—

  2—

  Percentage

  100

  84

  6

  5

  5

  1986–87

  Number

  186

  135

  21

  22

  8

  50

  5,000

  585

  83

  68

  Percentage

  100

  73

  11

  12

  4

  100

  82

  1987–883

  Number

  195

  158

  16

  7

  14

  20

  500,000

  3,731

  2—

  2—

  Percentage

  100

  81

  8

  4

  7

  1 Excludes cases which resulted in conviction but where there was no fine.

  2 Not available.

  3 Provisional.

  650

  agriculture inspectorates and of local authorities which
  include almost all the relevant proceedings are given in the table these.do.not.distinguish.between companies and individuals but the large majority of proceeding are against companies

  available; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Centrally available statistics from the records of the Health and Safety Executive's factory and agricultural inspectorates and of local authorities which include almost all the relevant proceedings are given in the table. These do not distinguish between companies and individuals but the large majority of proceedings are against companies.
  651
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many individual employees were convicted under section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for which records are available; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Two individual employees have been prosecuted under section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in the last five years—one in 1987 and one in 1985. Both were convicted. The sentences were a £200 fine and a conditional discharge.

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to what percentage of the national average wage the national minimum wage is in(a)France,(b) Netherlands, (c) Spain, (d) Portugal and (e) Luxembourg.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The following is the latest available information:France 58 per cent.; Netherlands (October 1987) 58 per cent.; Spain (December 1987) 40 per cent.; Portugal (March 1988) 63 per cent.; Luxembourg (December 1988) 30 per cent.

  The percentages are based on different datum points and coverage: they are not, therefore, directly related and cannot be taken as a comparative measure between the different countries.

  Benefit Claims (Merseyside)
  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people had unemployment benefit claims disallowed by adjudication officers, in the adjudication area covering Merseyside, on the ground that claimants were not available for work, in each quarter since 1986; and what was the number of claims disallowed as a percentage of total claims.

  Mr. Lee
  The table shows, over the period for which figures are available, the number of persons whose entitlement to unemployment benefit was disallowed because they were considered not to be available for work for the area requested.

  Information requested on the number of claims disallowed as a percentage of the total claims made is not available.

  Quarter ending

  Number disallowed

  31 March 1986

  193

  30 June 1986

  173

  30 September 1986

  292

  31 December 1986

  272

  31 March 1987

  246

  30 June 1987

  183

  30 September 1987

  244

  31 December 1987

  209

  31 March 1988

  186

  30 June 1988

  160

  Training
  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest information available on the number of people who transferred from the 652
  community programme to employment training; and what is this figure as a percentage of community programme participants.

  Mr. Nicholls
  To the end of December 1988, the latest date for which information is available, it is estimated that about 9,000 people had transferred from the community programme to employment training. This is about 5 per cent. of the number on the community programme at 31 August 1988. These figures exclude people who transferred to employment training after completing their work on the community programme.

  Horseracing (Safety)
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many serious accidents at work have occurred at(a) horseracing and (b) equestrian establishments; and how many workers have been permanently disabled in each case for each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Information relating to accidents at horse racing and equestrian establishments is not separately recorded.

  Information on workers permanently disabled as a result of such accidents is not recorded.

  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many visits have been made by Health and Safety Executive inspectors to(a) horseracing and (b) equestrian establishments in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Nicholls
  This information is not separately recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  YTS
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been YTS trainees in(a) the agricultural industry and (b) the horse industry in each of the last five years; how many were involved in accidents in each year; and if he will give a breakdown of the accidents according to severity.

  Mr. Cope
  Figures of the number of individual trainees experiencing YTS in the agriculture and horse industries in each of the last five years are not available in this form.

  Information on fatal, major and minor accidents in the agricultural and the horse industry before 1988 is not available.

  Information for 1988 is as follows:

  1988 Equestrian accidents1

  Fatal

  Major injuries2

  Minor injuries

  Total number reported to the Training Agency

  None

  20

  61

  Number which would not have been reported to HSE

  None

  2

  5

  1988 Agricultural accidents1

  Fatal

  Major injuries2

  Minor injuries

  Total number reported to the Training Agency

  None

  48

  183

  Number which would not have been reported to HSE

  None

  8

  28

  653
  1 Training Agency accident figures for YTS have been compiled on a similar basis to those prepared by the Health and Safety Executive for employed people. However, the Agency's figures include a number of accidents, in particular road traffic accidents during scheme time and accidents to trainees in educational establishments, which may not have been reportable to the Executive had the individuals been employed.

  2 From 1 April 1986 major injuries have been classified according to severity criteria laid down in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR).

  Health and Safety (Agriculture)
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has on the degree of involvement of trade union representatives in health and safety in the agricultural industry; and how many establishments have trade union safety representatives.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Trade union representatives take part in discussions on health and safety issues in the agricultural industry through the Health and Safety Commission's agriculture industry advisory committee and its working parties, and directly with agricultural employers. A survey carried out by the Health and Safety Executive in 1979 found that trade union-appointed safety representatives were present in only 1 per cent. of agricultural establishments. However, as only about 30 per cent. of such establishments have one or more regular employees, this figure covered about 15 per cent of agricultual employees. The Executive is currently updating its 1979 findings by means of a new survey.

  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will introduce legislation to enforce the appointment of appropriate trade union safety representatives in the agricultural industry.

  Mr. Nicholls
  No. The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 allow recognised trades unions to appoint safety representatives in agriculture and in other industries. Trades union are not obliged to appoint safety representatives, nor are employers obliged to recognise trades unions. This is a matter for negotiation between unions and the employers concerned.

  Fraud Investigators
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) from what date it is intended to deploy any fraud investigators at the Borough unemployment benefit office;

  (2) where are the fraud investigators, to be based at the Borough unemployment benefit office, currently based;

  (3) whether fraud investigators to be based at the Borough unemployment benefit office will have access to case files in other local unemployment benefit offices; which other local offices will be visited by the fraud investigators; and for what periods;

  (4) when fraud investigators are based at the Borough unemployment benefit office, how cases will be selected for investigation.

  Mr. Lee
  There is no intention to employ investigators at Borough unemployment benefit office in addition to those already operating there to deal with local fraud cases. As has always been the practice, cases are referred to 654
  investigators because evidence of suspected fraud has come to light including through such means as observation on signing days and investigations with employers.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many fraud investigators are employed in each regional office covering the Greater London area;

  (2) what targets are set by regional offices for individual investigators or teams of investigators.

  Mr. Lee
  There are 109 investigators and no targets are set for these investigators by regional office.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many fraud investigators reporting to the south-east regional office are operating from or are expected to operate from the Borough unemployment benefit office at Keyworth house;

  (2) why fraud investigators are employed at a regional level; and what is their relationship with fraud staff employed at an area level.

  Mr. Lee
  The new inner London fraud team has been set up to investigate the hidden economy in London. It will concentrate on investigating fraud at the place of employment to identify those people who are working and also claiming unemployment benefit. Investigation of individual cases of fraud will be dealt with by existing sector fraud teams who may refer particular cases to the inner London fraud team if, for example, an employer is found to be employing a number of benefit recipients. None of the inner London fraud team will operate from Keyworth house.

  Tourism
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the effects of different per capita rates of public spending on tourism in the constituent parts of the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Lee
  [holding answer 20 February 1989]Government per capita support for tourism through the national tourist boards and the Highlands and Islands development board in 1987–88 was as follows:

  Funding

  Average expenditure per head of population

  £

  £

  England

  23,335,000

  0·5

  Scotland

  17,211,000

  3·4

  Wales

  8,625,000

  3·0

  Northern Ireland

  4,813,000

  3·1

  In addition, the Government provide a wide range of other forms of assistance in support of tourism-related industries. However, differences in the composition of public expenditure in different parts of the United Kingdom mean that information on the effect of this could not realistically be obtained.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) full-time and (b) part-time jobs (i) male and (ii) female there were in March 1979 and

  655
  March 1989 in the (a) industrial (b) nursing (c) agriculture and fishing and (d) service sectors in the (i) United Kingdom and (ii) Scotland.

  Mr. Lee
  [holding answer 20 February 1989]: The available information is given in table A and table B for March 1979 and September 1988 (the latest date for which figures are available) and relates to employees in

  Table A Full-time and part-time employees in employment United Kingdom

  Thousands

  March 1979

  September 1988

  Males

  Females

  Males

  Females

  All industries and services (divisions 0–9)1

  13,401

  9,522

  12,001

  10,204

  of which:

  Production industries (divisions 1–4)1

  5,736

  2,232

  3,952

  1,631

  Coal extraction and manufacture of solid fuels (class 11)12

  287

  12

  122

  4

  Agriculture, forestry and fishing (division 0)1

  291

  84

  252

  90

  Service industries (divisions 6–9)1

  6,268

  7,101

  6,899

  8,362

  1 Division or Class of the 1980 Standard Industrial Classification.

  2 Estimates below national level are subject to considerable estimation error due to the relatively small number of employees in the industry in each English region, Scotland and Wales.

  Table B Full-time and part-time employees in employment Scotland

  Thousands

  March 1979

  September 1988

  Males

  Females

  Males

  Females

  Full-time

  Part-time

  All

  Full-time

  Part-time

  All

  All industries and services (divisions 0–9)1

  1,190

  558

  316

  874

  992

  504

  389

  893

  of which:

  Production industries (divisions 1–4)1

  477

  168

  30

  198

  293

  114

  21

  135

  Coal extraction and manufacture of solid fuels (class 11) 12

  26

  1

  3

  1

  6

  3

  3

  3

  Agriculture, forestry and fishing (division 0)1

  41

  4

  3

  7

  24

  2

  2

  4

  Service industries (division 6–9)1

  532

  379

  279

  658

  545

  382

  362

  744

  1 Division or Class of the 1980 Standard Industrial Classification.

  2 Estimates below national level are subject to considerable estimation error due to the relatively small number of employees in the industry in each English region, Scotland and Wales.

  3 Nil or negligible.

TRANSPORT

  Railways (Electrification)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated cost of electrification of the Cambridge-King's Lynn railway line; what is his estimate of the average numbers of passengers travelling between Ely and King's Lynn in any day or week; and if he will publish the calculations which show the expected return on this investment over the route(a) Cambridge to Ely, (b) Ely to King's Lynn and (c) Cambridge to King's Lynn.

  Mr. Portillo
  The total cost of the project is estimated at £20·1 million, of which £11 million will be spent on the necessary infrastructure. The Department has no separate figures for passenger loadings between Ely and King's Lynn. This project was, as usual, appraised using a 7 per cent. discount rate, and was shown to be the most cost-effective way of continuing to operate this line.

  Trunk Road Schemes
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those trunk road schemes in England on 656
  employment. There are no estimates of full-time and part-time employees in employment in Northern Ireland for these dates, and therefore no estimates for the United Kingdom. The only available information about full and part-time employment in Scotland in March 1979 and September 1988 is for female employees in employment.

  Comparisons between March and September will be influenced by the effects of seasonal variation.

  which he anticipates public inquiries being held during the current year with, where known, the likely date of the inquiry.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  We anticipate that the following public inquiries may be held in February-March 1989, and 1989–90. An inquiry may not be necessary if all objections can be resolved after publication of draft orders.

  1. Schemes where a Public Inquiry has been announced

  Scheme

  Date

  A3

  Milford bypass

  21 March 1989

  A47

  Norwich southern bypass

  Started 21 February 1989

  A49

  Weaverham diversion

  26 April 1989

  2. Schemes where Orders have been published and a Public Inquiry may be held

  Scheme

  Date

  A5

  Telford-Shrewsbury

  April 1989

  A6

  Burton Latimer bypass

  May 1989

  A13

  Thames avenue-Wennington

  September 1989

  A13

  Wennington-Mar Dyke

  September 1989

  A65

  Gargrave bypass

  July 1989

  A339

  Basingstoke northern bypass

  June 1989

  *A435

  Alcester bypass

  April 1989

  A516

  Etwall bypass

  July 1989

  657

  3. Schemes where it is proposed to publish Orders, and where a Public Inquiry may subsequently be held

  Scheme

  M5

  widening Wardon-Strensham

  M65

  Blackburn Southern Bypass

  M66

  Denton-Middleton*

  M1-A1

  Link (6 schemes)*

  A1

  Brownieside Diversion

  A1

  Dishforth-Leeming Phase 1

  A1

  Glatton Grade Separated Junction

  A1

  Marshall Meadows Improvement

  A5

  Fazely, Two Gates and Wilnecote Bypass

  A5

  Little Brickhill Bypass

  A11

  Besthorpe-Wymondham

  A12

  Hackney Wick-M11*

  A16

  Spalding-Sutterton Improvement

  A17

  Leadenham Bypass

  A17

  Wigtoft-Sutterton Bypass

  A23

  Handcross-Pease Pottage

  A27

  Brighton Bypass Contract 4*

  A27

  Westhampnett Bypass

  A30

  Okehampton-Launceston

  A35

  Yellowham-Troytown

  A38

  Dogshead Lane Overbridge

  A39

  Wadebridge Bypass

  A40

  Gipsy Corner Junction Improvement

  A40

  Western Circus Junction Improvement

  A41

  Aston Clinton Bypass

  A41

  Bicester Bypass

  A41

  Whitchurch Bypass

  A43

  Blisworth Bypass

  A47

  East Dereham-North Tudenham

  A49

  Skewbridge at Woofferton Improvement

  A59

  Mellor Brook Bypass

  A65

  Burley Bypass*

  A66

  Bowes-County Boundary Improvement

  A69

  Haltwhistle Relief Road

  A140

  Scole Bypass

  A406

  Pope's Lane-Western Avenue Southern Section

  A423

  Southam Bypass

  A435

  Norton-Lenchwick Bypass

  A523

  Macclesfield Inner Relief Road*

  A568

  Widnes E Bypass (N)

  A590

  Dalton Bypass

  A638

  Doncaster N Bridge

  Schemes marked with an asterisk* are those where a public inquiry to establish the line has already been held, and supplementary orders, side roads orders and/or compulsory purchase orders are under consideration.

  Scheme timings are based on the latest available planning information and may be subject to change.

  A69 (Hexham)
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the traffic flow on the A69 west of Hexham during the past 10 years for which figures are available.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  From information available traffic flows during the period are recorded as follows:

  Location

  Year

  Annual average daily flow

  Between Haydon Bridge and Bardon Mill

  1979

  5,804

  1985

  7,300

  1987

  7,705

  1988

  8,726

  Between Haydon Bridge and Hexham

  1982

  7,705

  1987

  8,308

  Cottingley Bar-Shipley Bypass (Tunnel)
  Mr. Waller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the proposal for a long tunnel between Cottingley Bar and the Shipley eastern bypass, submited as option B in the current public consultation exercise, has been subjected to COBA analysis; and if the will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The tunnel option, included in the recent information brochure issued by the Department, was subjected to COBA analysis.

  Relative to the other options considered, the tunnel schemes would have high constructions costs. This effects the economic return. A single carriageway scheme would have a low positive net present value, and a dual carriageway scheme would be negative. The other effects of the tunnel options were summarised in the framework shown in the brochure.

  London Traffic Model
  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what have been the total costs incurred to his Department in the development and use up until discontinuance of the London area model at the Transport and Road Research Laboratory; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  [holding answer 21 February 1989]: The total cost of the development and use of the London area model, up until the decision to withdraw it from further use, was some £138,000.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the total costs incurred to his Department by the use of the London transportation studies model; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  [holding answer 21 February 1989]: The Department assumed responsibility for the LTS model and databases on the abolition of the GLC. Contracts for the continuation of LTS services were placed first with the London residuary body and then from May 1987 with the MVA consultancy. We intend shortly to invite tenders for a new contract.

  The total costs incurred for the period April 1986 to December 1988 were about £2·1 million. This figure covers development, maintenance and use of both the London transportation studies model and the databases associated with it.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any intentions to utilise a package of models to assist in the analysis of strategic policy options in relation to transport planning in London in view of inherent problems in any such model; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  [holding answer 21 February 1989]: The Department makes considerable use of mathematical transport models in its analytical work and, for London, the LTS is the principal model in use. The output from such models is only one consideration in deciding between policy options. Such models represent a much simplified view of the complex interaction between transport choices made by the individuals and the operational and financial consequences for the various transport modes. Great care has to be taken in interpreting their results.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Wages Board
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will extend the Agriculture Wages Board Order to cover private gardeners, estate workers, gamekeepers and equestrian workers;

  (2) whether grooms who work at establishments which are both equestrian and farms are covered by the agricultural wages board; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ryder
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 10 February 1989 to the hon. Member for Carlisle (Mr. Martlew) at columns 830–31.

  Salmonella and Eggs
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his answer of 13 February to the hon. Member for the Western Isles,Official Report, column 94, whether he placed a copy of the joint Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Health and British Egg Industry Council working group report on salmonella and eggs in the Library at 10.45 am or 10.45 pm on Tuesday 7 February.

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

  Milk Quota
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimates he has made of the amount of additional milk quota agreed at the Council meeting of 23 January which will accrue to United Kingdom producers; what proposals the European Economic community has for uses for the extra milk produced.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  The additional amount of milk quota which will accrue to United Kingdom producers will depend on the number and size of eligible applications received. There are no proposals to divert the increased production to specific uses.

  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will identify the nature of the additional costs of £64 million which will result in the European Economic Community budget in consequence of the decision of 23 January to increase milk quotas by 600,000 tonnes; and if he will indicate the nature of the policy changes also adopted on 23 January which will offset £41 million of this cost.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  EC Commission estimates assume that the additional 600,000 tonnes of milk quota will give rise to a corresponding increase in Community exports of milk products, which would increase expenditure on export refunds by 99 million ecus (£64 million). An additional cost, estimated at 21 million ecus (£14 million), results from a 0·5 per cent. reduction of the milk co-responsibility levy for producers delivering 60,000 kg of milk or less. The 2 per cent. reduction of the butter intervention price yields estimated savings of 85 million ecus (£55 million).

  Food Policy
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what expenditure by the European Economic Community on food policy is permitted under the February 1988 agreement on legally binding spending controls; if possible additional spending on the consequences of exceptional circumstances as determined by the Council falls to be contained within the spending controls; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ryder
  The financial guideline for expenditure in the guarantee section of the CAP covers all expenditure on agricultural market support and 50 per cent. of expenditure on set-aside. The guideline for 1989 is 28,624 million ecu (£18,500 million), which is 1,863 million ecu (£1,200 million) above the corresponding provision in the 1989 Community budget.

  There is no general provision which would permit expenditure to exceed the guideline in exceptional circumstances. However, there is a monetary reserve of 1,000 million ecu (£650 million) to cover additonal expenditure or savings arising from significant movements in the dollar against the ecu. If the dollar falls to such an extent that extra spending of more than 400 million ecu (£260 million) is generated, the excess amount is transferred from the reserve. Conversely savings of more than 400 million ecu resulting from a rise in the dollar are transferred from the agriculture budget into the reserve. If the dollar/ecu exchange rate maintains its current level payments into the reserve will take place in 1989.

  Bovine Somatotropin
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has received from the Veterinary Products Committee concerning the safety of Monsanto's bovine somatotropin for cows; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 6 February at column 573.

  Eggs
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what production standards are required for eggs to be classified as free range.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 20 February 1989]: The relevant production standards are laid down in Commission regulation EEC 95/69, as amended in particular by Commission regulation EEC 1943/85.

  Feedstuffs
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of the European Community states have a mandatory requirement for the sterilisation of animal feedstuffs, particularly poultry.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 20 February 1989]: In the United Kingdom animal protein intended for use in feedingstuffs is heated or otherwise treated in order to destroy salmonella organisms. We do not have precise information on requirements in other member states of the European Community. But the provisions of the EC directives on feedingstuffs require all member states to

  661
  prescribe that animal feedingstuffs may be marketed only if they are wholesome, unadulterated and of merchantable quality.

  Salmonella Enteritidis
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to commission research into the epidemiology of salmonella enteritidis in free-range flocks of laying hens.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  [holding answer 16 February 1989]: Cultural and serological findings from the veterinary laboratory are providing epidemiological information on salmonella enteritidis in poultry. A specific research project at the central veterinary laboratory is being formulated and the results are likely to have application to all laying hens.

SCOTLAND

  Craft Enterprises
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will commission an independent study of the financial and other needs of small craft enterprises working in rural areas in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  Support for the crafts industry in Scotland is provided through the Scottish Development Agency and the Highland and Islands development board. Both bodies provide a range of financial and other support to the industry in line with its support for other types of small businesses. These bodies also fund Craftpoint, a limited company providing marketing services to the crafts industry throughout Scotland. The functions of Craftpoint are shortly to be reviewed and I have asked the agencies to prepare a consultation document on the long-term strategy for the crafts industry in Scotland incorporating the findings of this review.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider increased financial support for craft industries in rural areas in Scotland, and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  The Scottish Development Agency and the Highlands and Islands development board both view support for the crafts industry as a priority function and there is no evidence that viable projects are being lost through lack of funding. Decisions on the level of financial support are for the agencies to make within their overall approved budget provisions.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report those powers that currently exist to provide capital or revenue grants or loans to small craft enterprises in rural areas.

  Mr. Lang
  Under the provisions of their Acts, both the Scottish Development Agency and the Highlands and Islands development board have a wide range of powers which enable them to support the crafts industry through the provision of financial assistance, premises, advisory, marketing and other services.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the initiatives he has taken to promote the interests of small craft businesses in rural areas since 1979.
  662
  Mr. Lang
  The Scottish Development Agency and the Highlands and Islands development board, together with Craftpoint, are actively involved in the promotion of the crafts industry in Scotland. For example, Craftpoint sponsors an annual highland trade fair held each year in Aviemore and the Scottish Development Agency maintains a crafts collection which is used for promotional purposes.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a catalogue of established craft enterprises in Scotland financed by central funds, to be updated on a regular basis.

  Mr. Lang
  The Scottish Development Agency publishes a quarterly news sheet entitled "Crafts News" which includes a list of all crafts enterprises assisted by the agency through grant funding during the previous quarter. Information on assistance provided to crafts enterprises by the Highlands and Islands development board is not available.

  Taxi Licensing
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of taxi operators' licences available for issue by Glasgow district council; how many have been issued; and how many are available for re-issue.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  This information is not held centrally. A forthcoming consultation paper on the review of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 will address, inter alia, the licensing arrangements for taxis and private hire cars.

  Rural Areas (Hospital Beds)
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many beds there were available in hospitals in rural areas in Scotland at the latest date for which figures are available; and how many there were in 1979.

  Mr. Rifkind
  The information requested is not available. There is no satisfactory definition of a rural area in relation to hospitals and their catchment population.

  Rural Areas (General Practitioners)
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many general practitioners there are in rural practices in Scotland at the latest date for which figures are available; and how many there were in 1979.

  Mr. Rifkind
  For statistical purposes medical practices are classified by health boards as urban, semi-urban or rural. At 1 April 1988, the date of the latest information available, the number of medical practices classified as rural was 341; at 1 October 1979 the number similarly classified was 316.

  Health Authorities (Priorities)
  Mr. Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will order the publication of the "Scottish Health Authorities, Review of Priorities for the Eighties and Nineties".

  Mr. Rifkind
  The SHARPEN report was published on 9 November 1988. Copies are available in the Library.

  School Meals
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the expenditure on school meals for each year between 1978–79 and the latest date available, in current and constant prices.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information is as follows:

  Year

  Cash (Net expenditure) £000's

  Adjusted to 1988–89 prices using the GDP deflator £000's

  1978–79

  34,057

  74,244

  1979–80

  37,939

  70,794

  1980–81

  38,495

  60,630

  1981–82

  39,896

  57,211

  1982–83

  40,234

  53,833

  1983–84

  41,828

  53,540

  1984–85

  41,859

  50,984

  1985–86

  42,847

  49,531

  1986–87

  44,638

  49,950

  1987–88

  46,503

  49,433

  Grant-aided Colleges
  Mr. Allan Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will announce the allocations of grant-in-aid for recurrent expenditure to the grant-aided colleges in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I am pleased to announce that the Secretary of State has made the following offers of recurrent grant to the 17 grant-aided colleges for the financial year 1989–90. The offers, which are conditional on parliamentary approval of the Supply Estimates, are as follows:

  Offer 1989–90 £ million

  Per cent. increase

  Central Institutions

  Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art

  3·965

  8·0

  Dundee Institute of Technology

  7·260

  8·0

  Edinburgh College of Art

  4·223

  3·0

  Glasgow College of Technology

  12·916

  8·0

  Glasgow School of Art

  3·795

  3·0

  Napier Polytechnic of Edinburgh

  18·140

  8·0

  Paisley College of Technology

  11·054

  3·0

  Queen Margaret College

  4·591

  8·0

  Queen's College, Glasgow

  3·285

  8·0

  Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology

  12·589

  3·0

  The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

  2·553

  3·0

  Scottish College of Textiles

  2·553

  7·5

  Colleges of Education

  Craigie

  1·570

  4·1

  Jordanhill

  10·299

  3·5

  Moray House

  7·852

  8·0

  Northern

  6·325

  3·0

  St. Andrew's

  3·828

  3·2

  Local Government (Electoral Arrangements)
  Mr. Allan Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects work to begin on the next review of local government electoral arrangements in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland has a statutory duty 664
  to review the electoral arrangements for each region, islands area and district in the period of 10 to 15 years after the commission submitted its report on the initial review of each area. The commission submitted its reports on the islands areas in the period October 1976 to June 1977, on the regions in the period June 1977 to December 1978 and on the districts in the period July 1978 to April 1985.

  My right hon. and learned Friend has approved a proposal by the commission to commence as soon as practicable the next statutory review of local government electoral arrangemens in the same order as that in which the commission submitted its reports on the initial review, i.e. the islands areas, the regions and finally the districts. The review will be conducted in accordance with the rules set out in schedule 6 to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

  Energy Act 1983
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements he proposes to succeed the provisions of sections 5 and 7 of the Energy Act 1983 as they apply to Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  The Government appreciate that there are existing projects in Scotland where investment has been advanced against the backdrop of the rules of the obligation to purchase contained in the Energy Act 1983. We are, therefore, keen to ensure that the changes brought about by electricity privatisation neither disadvantage those who have invested nor materially affect the working of contracts already agreed.

  The two Scottish boards have confirmed that any generator in Scotland whose decision on plant investment has been influenced by the existence of the provisions of the Energy Act 1983 in planning for the future and who has arrangements with a board to purchase electricity generated by him under the provisions of the Act will, if he chooses, be able to continue those for a five-year transitional period following privatisation. In commercial terms this is a significant commitment by the Scottish boards.

  It would be inconsistent with the general thrust of privatising the industry to enshrine in legislation a permanent protection for a specific category of generators. The guiding principle behind our proposals in this area is to ensure that all economic sources will have fair access. The commitment given by the Scottish boards complements our proposals by securing that appropriate transitional arrangements are set in place.

  Education (Parents' Views)
  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list in the Official Report the full list of questions asked in the market research survey conducted by MVA consultants of parents' views on Scottish education;

  (2) what was the total cost of the survey conducted by MVA consultants of parents' views on Scottish education;

  (3) what random process was used in the selection of interviewees for the purposes of conducting the MVA survey of parents' attitudes towards Scottish education;

  (4) what was the total number of people contacted (a) per region and (b) per age group in the course of the MVA survey of parents' attitudes towards Scottish education.
  665
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 20 February 1989]: The main fieldwork on the recently commissioned survey of parents' views on Scottish education has not yet begun and would not be helped by releasing the list of questions before interviews take place. The consultants are an established market research organisation and are responsible for the methodology, including detailed arrangements for organising and conducting the fieldwork.

  As regards the cost of the survey, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 February to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) at column 43.

DEFENCE

  Low Flying
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the speed, height and purpose of the low level flight by three jet aircraft over Whittinghame, East Lothian, at 3.35 pm on Wednesday 8 February.

  Mr. Neubert
  Three Hawk aircraft from RAF Chivenor were authorised to carry out a simulated attack exercise in the area at heights down to 250 ft and under the normal speed restrictions for the aircraft and type of sortie.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the speed, height and purpose of the low level flight by two jet aircraft over Biel, Dunbar, East Lothian, at 12.48 pm on Thursday 2 February.

  Mr. Neubert
  Two F-111 aircraft from RAF Lakenheath were authorised to carry out a routine low-level training sortie over the area at heights down to 250 ft and under the normal speed restrictions for the aircraft and type of sortie.

  YTS Training Centres
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many YTS training centres there are outside Great Britain; where these are located; who is eligible to attend them; and what is the cost per country to the Exchequer for which the most recent figures are available.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  There are two YTS centres overseas, one in Cyprus and one in Hong Kong. All dependants of armed forces and Civil Service personnel in both locations between the ages of 16 and 19½ years of age are eligible to attend. The current staff cost of running the centres is £32,500 per annum in Cyprus and £20,000 per annum for Hong Kong.

  Strategic Defence Initiative
  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many research contracts awarded to his Department's research establishments under the United States strategic defence initiative have been sub-contracted to United Kingdom universities and other such educational establishments; what is the total worth of these sub-contracts; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  None.

  AWRE Burghfield
  Sir Michael McNair-Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he is now able to make a statement about the explosion at atomic weapons research establishment, Burghfield in December during the disposal of potentially explosive material.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  [holding answer 17 February 1989]: This event has been the subject of a thorough investigation and I shall write to the hon. Member in due course when I have the findings.

  Procurement Expenditure
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table indicating the regional breakdown of defence procurement expenditure for each year from 1974, in percentage terms.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  [holding reply 23 January 1989]: The estimates given taken from our computer records, which include for each contract let a single "location of work" code which represents the place at which we expect most of the work to be carried out by the main contractor. These figures do not take account of the different location of subcontractors or of supplies to the main contracts. The latest estimates of regional distribution of the Ministry's United Kingdom equipment expenditure from 1983–84 onwards are as follows:

  Percentages

  Standard Region

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  North

  5

  6

  6

  8

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  1

  2

  3

  3

  East Midlands

  5

  4

  4½

  3

  East Anglia

  3

  3

  1½

  3

  South East

  49

  SO

  47½

  49

  South West

  14

  11

  14½

  13

  West Midlands

  4

  3

  3½

  4

  North West

  12

  12

  10

  9

  Scotland

  5

  6

  6

  5

  Wales

  1

  2

  2

  2

  Northern Ireland

  1

  1

  1½

  1

  Notes:

  1. Estimates of expenditure on equipment are available by region only from 1983–84.

  2. The estimates for 1985–86 and later years are more reliable because of a change in methodology.

  3. The figures for 1986–87 may be subject to minor revision for publication in "Statement on the Defence Estimates (Vol. 2), 1989".

HEALTH

  "Working for Patients"
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of expenditure on information technology he estimates will be necessary to implement the proposals in "Working for Patients"; and what provision has been made in public spending plans to meet this expenditure.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  The NHS needs to invest in modern management. The precise level of the investment required in information technology will depend on the outcome of our discussions with those concerned about
  667
  the detailed implementation of the White Paper's proposals, and, where appropriate, on the outcome of any trials of new systems. The cost will not be met at the expense of plans for patient provision.

  Race Relations
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will describe his Department's principal achievements in respect of race relations and equal opportunity since May 1979.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  My Department is fully committed to achieving equality of opportunity throughout all its activities.

  In the employment field my Department has implemented many of the recommendations of the joint review of policies and procedures on race relations in the Civil Service (1983) and the programme of action for women (1984). The more significant initiatives on race equality which have been carried out include.

  a. the participation in the phased programme of departmental ethnic surveys of staff which was completed last year with the then DHSS response rate averaging 75 per cent.

  b. the introduction of ethnic monitoring of recruitment in 1987 when early surveys indicated a shortfall in ethnic minority recruits compared with the ethnic minority working population, and

  c. following a pilot exercise, ethnic monitoring of promotion and job allocation will be carried out this year. In addition my Department has undertaken to sponsor

  a Windsor Fellow in 1990.

  With regard to sex equality my Department has seen an increasing number of women progressing to middle and senior management grades (14 per cent. of SEOs and above are women). Encouragement is given to part-time working and job sharing with over 3 per cent. of staff (about 200) working part-time. Improved special leave provisions have specifically targeted help for single parents and those caring for elderly or infirm relatives and a "Keeping in Touch" scheme was introduced in 1988 which allows preferential reinstatement for people who have to take a break from work for domestic reasons. A holiday play scheme for the children of staff working in headquarters will run during Easter 1989 and child care provision is one of the areas being examined in a review of opportunities available to women employees in the Department.

  Turning to employment in the NHS, every opportunity has been taken to remind health authorities of their responsibilities under the Race Relations and Sex Discrimination Acts and they have been urged to take account to implement the codes of practice of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission.

  My Department supports the work of the King's fund task force on racial equality and has also established the national steering group on equal opportunities for women in the NHS.

  My Department's social services inspectorate (SSI) is engaged in a programme of work to promote race equality in the provision of social services by local authority social service departments (SSDs). In 1988, the SSI issued a document of guidance on good practice for use by SSDs. Since 1987 we have funded the race equality unit at the National Institute of Social Work. The unit provides independent advice to SSDs on implementing effective race relations policy and practice. Funding to the unit will
  668
  rise from £95,000 in 1988–89 to £127,500 in 1989–90. The SSI is currently running a series of workshops focusing on the professional needs of senior women managers in SSDs.

  In the area of health care services, in 1982 my Department appointed an adviser on ethnic minority health. She had already directed the "Stop Rickets" campaign, designed to explain the nature of the disease and the role of vitamin D in its prevention through material in the major languages of the Indian sub-continent, and through meetings with members of the community. From 1984 she directed the Asian mother and baby campaign, a key feature of which was the appointment of "link-workers" to overcome the barriers of language and culture which often exist between patients from ethnic minorities and health professionals.

  My Department has provided funding for a number of voluntary organisations concerned with ethnic minority health. For example, grants to organisations working with people affected by sickle cell disease and thalassaemia and their relatives amounted in 1988–89 to £15,000 each to the Sickle Cell Society, the Organisation for Sickle Cell Anaemia Research and the Thalassaemia Society. Altogether, we have provided over £¾ million since 1984 for a variety of innovative projects to improve access to health care for ethnic minorities. A further £1 million is being provided over three years from 1988–89 to produce health promotional material in minority languages. In 1987 the Minister for Health chaired a seminar on ethnic minority health for chairmen of regional and district health authorities, and Ministers are monitoring the progress of health authorities and family practitioner committees in this area.

  In 1986 we became the first Government specifically to identify women's health within the responsibilities of a Government Minister. In addition to implementing screening programmes for breast and cervical cancers we are providing funding of almost £½ million in 1988–89 for some 20 voluntary organisations concerned with women's health. The Health Education Authority is planning to give more prominence to women's health and the maternal death rate continues to fall.

  Model guidance on equal opportunities proofing of policy proposals, recommended by the ministerial group on women's issues, covers race and sex discrimination and has been extended in my Department to include disability issues. This guidance will shortly be circulated within the Department and this will direct further attention to equal opportunities issues in all the Department's activities.

  Soft Cheese
  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been given by the Chief Medical Officer about the consumption of soft cheeses.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  The chief medical officer at my Department issued general advice to the public about listeria in food on 10 February 1989. He also gave specific advice to pregnant women and to some patients, who are particularly vulnerable because of their illness or treatment, to avoid eating certain cheeses.

  His advice said that public attention had recently been drawn to findings of the presence of listeria monocytogenes in a number of different food products. It must be remembered that listeria is widely distributed in the environment and some exposure to this organism is

  669
  unavoidable. Indeed at any one time a number of us, perhaps as many as 1 in 20, carry this bacteria in our gut without any ill-effects.

  The disease, listeriosis, caused by infection with this organism is fortunately still quite rare. Last year 287 cases were reported, although it is certain that there were some other unreported cases. When it occurs it can give rise to a mild 'flu-like illness, although more serious cases may develop meningitis and septicaemia. Of considerable concern is the fact that in pregnant women it may also infect the developing baby and lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in the newborn baby.

  Unlike most of the bacteria causing food-related illness that we have been used to dealing with in the past, listeria has the unusual property of being able to multiply at the sort of temperatures which may be found in refrigerators. Fortunately in most foods where it is present, it occurs at very low levels and is killed by adequate cooking.

  However, for some soft cheeses, the situation is different because the method of preparation and the time they may be kept before eating allows listeria to multiply. High numbers of listeria have been found in several varieties of soft cheeses, and a number of cases of listeriosis—both in this country and abroad—have been associated with eating heavily contaminated soft cheese.

  Because of this, having taken the best possible expert advice, the chief medical officer advises that pregnant women should avoid eating certain types of soft cheeses. It is not possible to specify precisely the cheeses in which listeria is likely to grow, but on the basis of current information these are likely to be soft ripened cheeses such as the brie, camembert, and blue vein types. On the other hand, hard cheeses such as the cheddar and cheshire types, processed cheeses, cottage cheeses and cheese spreads have not given cause for concern.

  The levels of listeria that have been found in other foods such as cooked-chilled meals and ready-to-eat poultry have usually been very low. Given the particular risks to the developing foetus the chief medical officer feels that it would be prudent for pregnant women to re-heat these types of food until they are piping hot rather than to eat them cold. Otherwise all that is necessary is for pregnant women to follow the normal, general hygiene precautions summarised here and to take care that they maintain a well-balanced diet during pregnancy.

  Other people who appear to be at special risk and should therefore follow this advice are those with underlying illness which results in impaired resistance to infection, such as patients who have had transplants, those on particular drugs which depress the immune system, and those with leukaemia or cancers of the lymphatic tissues.

  The chief medical officer also said that although the wider public have become worried about reports of listeria contamination of a variety of foods, including salads and some cooked-chilled ready-to-eat foods on sale, the evidence so far is that the amount of listeria in these foods is generally very low. Provided that the good hygiene practices recommended are followed there is no need to change the type of food regularly eaten and enjoyed.

  The general advice to the public is that listeria monocytogenes is widely distributed in the environment, for example, it has been found in vegetation, water, soil and the faeces of man and animals and therefore some exposure to this organism is unavoidable. For the average healthy member of the public the risk of becoming ill with listeriosis from eating food is very small indeed.
  670
  Nevertheless there are a number of simple precautions which the public can take which will reduce their exposures to listeria and other pathogenic bacteria:

  (i) Keep foods for as short a time as possible, follow the storage instructions carefully and observe the "best-by" and "eat-by" dates on the label;

  (ii) do not eat under-cooked poultry or meat products. Make sure you re-heat cooked-chilled meals thoroughly and according to the instructions on the label. Wash salads, fruit and vegetables that will be eaten raw;

  (iii) Make sure your refrigerator is working properly and is keeping the food in it really cold;

  (iv) Store cooked foods in the refrigerator away from raw foods and cheeses;

  (v) When re-heating food make sure it is heated until piping hot all the way through and do not re-heat more than once;

  (vi) When using a microwave oven to cook or re-heat food observe the standing times recommended by the oven manufacturer to ensure that the food attains an even temperature before it is eaten;

  (vii) Throw away left-over re-heated food. Cooked food which is not to be eaten straight away should be cooled as rapidly as possible and then stored in the refrigerator.

  Meningitis
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the localities of any unexplained clusters of cases of meningitis in the three counties of Yorkshire for 1988 and to date; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  The information requested is not available from the notifications of infectious diseases reported to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, as those notifications do not identify clusters.

  Sex-change Operations
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of sex-change operations performed by the National Health Service for(a) male to female and (b) female to male in each area health authority of the Trent regional health authority for each of the last 20 years; and what was the cost to the Exchequer in each case.

  Mr. Freeman
  Such information is not held centrally. The hon. Member may like to write to the chairman of the Trent regional health authority for such information as is held by the region.

  Emergency Services
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reviews are taking place in the various health authorities in the Trent regional health authority of the conduct of accident and emergency services.

  Mr. Freeman
  Trent regional health authority is currently reviewing the accident and emergency services at Newark general hospital, in central Nottinghamshire and at the Montagu hospital, Mexborough, in Doncaster. Sheffield district health authority is reviewing its own accident and emergency services.

  Renal Transplants
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are awaiting renal transplant; and what is the average waiting time for such a transplant.
  671
  Mr. Freeman
  The United Kingdom waiting list for renal transplants, as notified to the United Kingdom transplant service on 16 February 1989, was 3,521.

  Waiting time information is not readily available in the form requested. Of those waiting, 35 per cent. had been on the list for less than one year, 19 per cent. for between one and two years, 12 per cent. for between two and three years, nine per cent. for between three and four years, and 16 per cent. for more than four years. The remaining nine per cent. were not classified. The length of time a patient waits for a transplant depends on a number of factors, the principal one being how difficult it is to find a suitably matched donor organ.

  Renal Dialysis
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are provided with home dialysis treatment through the National Health Service.

  Mr. Freeman
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 30 January at columns 42–44.

  Tampons
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department is aware of into the link between sanitary tampon use and vaginal ulceration.

  Mr. Freeman
  Some reports of research on this matter were published in the United States of America several years ago. Vaginal ulceration was associated with the use of tampons in a small number of women but the ulcers healed when tampons were no longer used. The reports suggested various mechanisms which might have caused the ulcers.

  Cook-chill Food
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any maternity units use cook-chill food.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  Health authorities are responsible for the delivery of catering services which meet the needs of all their patient groups.

  We do not collect centrally information on the production of food for specific categories of patients.

  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals currently use cooked-chilled food; and how many hospitals are intending to use cooked-chilled food under present plans.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  We do not hold centrally information on those hospitals which provide cook-chill catering.

  Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
  Mr. Peter Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has given to district health authorities to ensure the recognition of the problems of sufferers from myalgic encephalomyelitis and the co-ordination of their treatment.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Department has issued no guidance to district health authorities on myalgic encephalomyelitis.
  672
  Mr. Peter Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his Department's latest estimate of the number of persons diagnosed as suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis.

  Mr. Freeman
  I regret that no information is held centrally on which to base an estimate of the number of people diagnosed as suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis.

  Mr. Peter Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research programmes are supported by his Department into the problem of myalgic encephalomyelitis; and what is the the total of financial support in the current financial year.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Department is not funding research into myalgic encephalomyelitis. The Medical Research Council is the main agency through which the Government support clinical research; it receives its grant-in-aid from the Department of Education and Science.

  Rural Dispensing Arrangements
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether, as part of his proposed reforms of the National Health Service, he envisages changing the present arrangements relating to rural dispensing by doctors or rural pharmacies contained in the Clothier regulations; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  The proposed reforms of the NHS set out in the Government's White Paper 'Working for Patients' do not alter the principles underlying the regulations for determining the arrangements for NHS dispensing in rural areas. As a result of the changed composition and responsibilities of family practitioner comittees, however, some changes to the regulations will be necessary. We shall be putting forward detailed proposals later in the year.

  Nurses
  Mr. Conway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health by how many the number of nurses in the National Health Service would have to be increased or cut to achieve the number in the service in 1979.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answer 21 February 1989]: The total number of nursing and midwifery staff (including agency staff) employed in the NHS in England at 30 September 1987–404,000 wholetime equivalents—would have to be reduced by 21,700 wholetime equivalents to achieve the September 1979 level adjusted to take account of the change in the working week from 40 to 37·5 hours introduced in 1980–81. Taking no account of such a reduction in the working week the reduction required would be 45,600 wholetime equivalents to reach the 358,400 employed in 1979.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Benefits (South Yorkshire)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in the Doncaster and Mexborough areas of South Yorkshire were receiving(a)

  673
  attendance allowance at (i) the higher rate and (ii) the lower rate, (b) invalid care allowance, (c) mobility allowance, (d) invalidity benefit, (e) severe disablement allowance, (f) industrial disablement pension, (g) war disablement pension, (h) retirement pension, (i) income support and (j) supplementary benefit at the latest dates for which figures are available; what are those dates; and if he will give comparable figures for five years and 10 years ago.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I regret that information is not available in the precise form requested. Nor are detail

  Doncaster, East

  Doncaster, West

  Mexborough2

  Wath-on-Dearne3

  (d) Invalidity Benefit1

  As at 31 January 1989

  4,461

  5,831

  2,220

  —

  As at 15 January 1985

  3,912

  4,659

  1,562

  —

  (e) Severe Disablement Allowance

  As at 31 January 1989

  701

  933

  239

  —

  As at 15 January 1985

  213

  692

  132

  —

  (i) Income Support

  As at 30 November 1988

  10,164

  12,951

  —

  7,118

  (j) Supplementary Benefit

  As at 18 November 1987

  11,712

  14,559

  —

  7,879

  As at 6 December 1983

  10,269

  12,633

  —

  7,172

  As at 27 November 1979

  5,818

  7,082

  —

  4,170

  1 Includes an unknown number of sickness benefit claimants as separate records of sickness/invalidity benefit claimants are not kept.

  2 Mexborough NIO does not deal with income support/supplementary benefit claims.

  3 Wath-on-Dearne local office deals only with income support/supplementary benefit claims.

  Note: With the exception of supplementary benefit, comparable figures for five years and 10 years ago are no longer held.

  Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action. The figures include a small number of cases not actually in receipt of benefit. The data for 1988 are provisional and subject to amendment.

  Attendance Allowance
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the average and maximum amounts of time taken to process claims for attendance allowance; how many of such claims go to appeal; and what are the average and maximum amounts of time taken to process such appeals in addition to the initial processing of claims.

  Mr. Scott
  The average time taken to decide new claims is currently 7·5 weeks. In the 12 months to 31 December 1988, some 56,000 decisions on new claims were reviewed. The average time taken to process a review is currently 13·3 weeks. Information about the maximum times for deciding claims of processing reviews is not available.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many residents in Liverpool have received overpayments of housing benefit; how much money is involved; how many appeals have been lodged; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I regret that the information requested is not available.

  Private Retirement Homes
  Mr. McCrindle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total amount paid by his Department to support those in private homes for the elderly; and if he will make a statement.
  674
  available of the numbers of people receiving (a) attendance allowance, (b) invalid care allowance, (c) mobility allowance, (f) industrial disablement pension, (g) war disablement pension or (h) retirement pension in the Doncaster and Mexborough areas of South Yorkshire.

  The table gives the information available on the dates shown for the Department's local offices at Doncaster, East, Doncaster, West, Mexborough and Wath-on-Dearne which serve the Don Valley constituency, although their boundaries are not conterminous.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I regret that the information is not available in the form requested. However, relevant information in respect of independent—that is private and voluntary—homes was provided in my reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) on 21 December 1988 at columns 304–06.

  Retirement Age (Statistics)
  Mr. McCrindle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of people over retirement age in the United Kingdom for the latest available date; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The latest available estimate (July 1987) is that there are approximately 10·41 million people in the United Kingdom over state pension age.

  1 Source: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

  Supplementary Benefit (Transitional Protection)
  Mr. Bowls
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to monitor the effects of the social security changes of April 1988; and if he is inviting views from the public.

  Mr. Scott
  I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) on 27 January at columns 802–03. The views expressed by members of the public are carefully considered as part of the monitoring process.

  Retail Prices Index (Error)
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a list of those
  675
  organisations who applied for grants under the retail prices error index fund, the outcome and amounts of any awards; and if he will make a statement about the operation of the fund.

  Mr. Scott
  I refer the hon. Member to my replies to my hon. Friend the Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory) on 3 May 1988 at columns 422–24 and to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxbourne (Mrs. Roe) on 9 February at column 277. A list of the latest organisations to receive payments has been placed in the Library.

  Family Benefits
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown by benefit of the 25 per cent. real increase in family benefits since 1978–79.

  Mr. Moore
  A breakdown by benefit of the 25 per cent. real increase in family support since 1978–79 is provided in the table.

  Since I quoted this figure to the House on 18 January 1989 at column 359 I understand that the Inland Revenue has advised DSS officials that its provisional estimate of the value of child tax allowances in 1978–79 has been revised down from £515 million to £460 million. The effect of this change is to reduce family support in real terms in 1978–89 to £6,741 million; this produces a real increase of 27·3 per cent. between 1978–79 and 1988–89.

  Family support 1978–79 to 1988–89

  £ million

  1978–79 cash

  1978–79 real

  1988–89 cash/real

  Child benefit

  1,776

  3,872

  4,522

  One parent benefit

  22

  48

  174

  Child tax allowances

  515

  1,123

  —

  Additional personal tax allowance (lone parent)

  60

  131

  165

  Family income supplement

  24

  52

  —

  Family credit

  —

  —

  422

  Maternity grant

  16

  35

  —

  Maternity allowance

  105

  229

  27

  Statutory maternity pay

  —

  —

  240

  Supplementary allowance1

  569

  1,241

  —

  Income support1

  —

  —

  2,009

  Housing benefit1 2

  60

  131

  971

  Social Fund

  —

  —

  49

  Total

  3,147

  6,861

  8,579

  1 Supplementary allowance, Income Support and Housing Benefit paid to one parent families and to people looking after elderly persons.

  2 Includes rate rebates.

  Cold Weather Payments
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to enable offices of his Department to use the information provided under the income support scheme to identify which claimants are eligible for cold weather payments and to remove the necessity for claimants to make separate claims for such payments; and if he will give an estimate of the likely effect of such action on the level of take-up.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  No. It would not be possible to identify income support beneficiaries eligible for cold weather payments and thereby remove the need for separate claims to be made unless the same capital limit were to be applied for both purposes.

  Disabled Child Premium
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many dependent children and young persons in households in receipt of income support are currently in receipt of the disabled child premium on the grounds of (i) receipt of attendance allowance, (ii) receipt of mobility allowance and (iii) who are or have recently been registered as blind with the local authority;

  (2) what percentage of all families in receipt of income support with dependent children and young persons those families in receipt of the disabled child premium form;

  (3) how many claimants of income support receive the disabled child premium; how many supplementary benefit claimants received additional requirements in respect of dependent children in 1987–88; and what was the average weekly amount of these additions.

  Mr. Scott
  The information requested for supplementary benefit is not available and that for income support will not be available until later this year.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how his Department is monitoring the withdrawal of additional requirements, previously paid under the supplementary benefits system, where these meet the special needs of children with acute and chronic health conditions in families on income support with a view to extending the qualifying conditions for the disabled child premium.

  Mr. Scott
  Additional requirements ceased from April 1988 when the supplementary benefit scheme was replaced by income support. The impact of the reformed system is being monitored on all groups using information provided by local offices, from the management information system, from expenditure outturn figures and other statistical sources such as the annual statistical inquiry, and the quarterly statistical inquiries. In addition the disabled child premium will be studied in the light of the OPCS reports which deal specifically with disabled children.

  Supplementary Benefit
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether transitional payments to claimants unable to qualify for income support because of the definition of remunerative work will be calculated and withdrawn in accordance with the transitional arrangement regulations 1988.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Since transitional payments made to people unable to qualify for income support because of the definition of remunerative work are discretionary, they are not subject to any regulations. Such payments are eroded by increases in income, such as earnings and other social security benefits.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) claimants who work more than 24 hours per week ceased to qualify for supplementary benefit on 6 April 1988, and (b) how many of those claimants have applied for and been awarded transitional protection under the new arrangements announced earlier this year.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Information about the number of claimants who ceased to qualify for benefit because they worked 24 hours or more a week was not collected. A total
  677
  of 293 people affected by the new rules applied for payments under the arrangements announced last April, of whom 123 were awarded payments. These figures include those claimants whose partners were working 24 hours or more.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action is being taken in his Department's offices to identify claimants who ceased to qualify for supplementary benefit in April 1988 because of the changed definition of remunerative work for the purposes of assessing eligibility for transitional protection.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Whilst local offices were not required to trawl for cases eligible for transitional protection they have been instructed to refer cases of any former supplementary benefit recipients, which come to their attention, to the transitional protection unit (TPU).

  Two campaigns in the national press were initiated in May and July 1988 which publicised TP payments. In addition, stocks of an explanatory leaflet SB22, with attached application form, were issued to local offices, post offices and local authorities. Supplies of an information leaflet (Fig 8) were also issued to local authorities and advisory bodies which outlined the help available from the TPU.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) claimants in receipt of supplementary benefit for the year 1987–88 were (i) in receipt of housing costs for mortgage interest repayments, (ii) were working 24 hours per week or more or (iii) had a partner who was working 24 hours per week or more, and (b) if he will provide this information on the basis of weekly mortgage interest repayments of (1) less than £25, (2) £25 or more but less than £50, (3) £50 or more but less than £75, (4) £75 or more but less than £100 and (5) £100 or more.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I regret that the information is not available in the form requested.

  The latest available data on the amounts included in supplementary benefit assessments for mortgage interest are shown in the table. These are derived from table 7.11 of the May 1987 annual statistical enquiry, a copy of which is in the Library. No information is available on the numbers of supplementary benefit claimants or their partners who were working 24 hours or more a week.

  Numbers of owner occupier supplementary benefit claimants with mortgage interest included in their assessments, May 1987

  Weekly amount included in Supplementary Benefit assessment for mortgage interest

  Numbers of claimants

  Nil to £25·00

  244 633

  £25·01 to £50·00

  72,520

  £50·01 to £75·00

  11,080

  £75·01 to £100·00

  3,773

  £100·01 and over

  1,801

  Total

  333,809

  Income Support and Housing Benefit
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of income support and housing benefit will have no increase in benefit in April due to receipt of transitional protection as a result of the 1988 benefit changes; and how many will receive less than the full increase.
  678
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I regret that precise information for income support and housing benefit is not available. For income support, it is estimated that around 570,000 recipients will have no increase in benefit income in April 1989 and some 530,000 may receive less than the full increase.

  Attendance Allowance
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if there are any plans to extend entitlement to attendance allowance to children under the age of two years.

  Mr. Scott
  We shall look at this feature of the attendance allowance scheme when we consider the future of disability benefits in the light of the results of the OPCS disability surveys.

  Retirement Pension
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the current level of retirement pension for a single pensioner and a pensioner couple if uprated by prices or earnings, whichever was the higher, each year since 1980.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The information requested is as follows:

  Value of Retirement Pension if increased in line earnings with prices or earnings

  Uprating date

  Single

  Couple

  November 1980

  27·45

  43·95

  November 1981

  30·75

  49·25

  November 1982

  33·30

  53·35

  November 1983

  35·80

  57·35

  November 1984

  38·15

  61·10

  November 1985

  41·50

  66·45

  July 1986

  43·80

  70·15

  April 1987

  45·75

  73·25

  April 1988

  49·35

  79·00

  Social Fund
  Mr. Burt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what additional information he proposes to place in the Library concerning the social fund budget allocations to local offices for 1989–90.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I have today placed in the Library details of the 1989–90 social fund allocations in terms of the allocations per head of income support live load in every local office on 30 November 1988, together with a note explaining the basis on which the 1989–90 allocations were made. Details of individual local office activity on the social fund during 1989–90 and a national summary will continue to be placed in the Library at monthly intervals.

ENVIRONMENT

  Urban Development Areas
  Mr. Allen McKay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the governmental expenditure which has taken place in urban development areas since 1981.

  Mr. Ridley
  By the end of March 1989, the Government will have provided over £8,000 million in grant-in-aid to the English UDCs.

  Disabled People (Housing Adaptations)
  Mr. Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to introduce a test of resources for improvement grants for house adaptations for disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  Proposals for a test of resources for all improvement grants, including those for adaptations for the disabled, were published in the consultation paper "Renovation Grants: Proposed Test of Resources", issued on 9 January.

  No-Fines Houses
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on providing financial assistance to owner occupiers of former local authority properties on a no-fines type of construction; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  Owners of houses built before 1961, including those of no-fines construction, may be eligible for discretionary improvements grants from their local authorities. The Local Government and Housing Bill contains our proposals to reform that legislation.

  Football Clubs Membership Scheme
  Mr. Haynes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to meet representatives of firms producing computers to discuss the proposed football club identity card scheme.

  Mr. Allen Adams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to meet representatives of firms producing computers to discuss the proposed football club identity card scheme.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to meet representatives of firms producing computers to discuss the proposed football identity card scheme.

  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to meet representatives of firms producing computers to discuss the proposed football club identity card scheme.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have no further plans to meet computer companies. The football membership authority, in drawing up the scheme for submission to the Secretary of State, will include its preferred choice of technology.

  Mr. Wall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any response to the letter sent by the Minister for Sport, the hon. Member for Lewisham, East (Mr. Moynihan) to hon. Members on 21 December 1988 about the proposed football identity card scheme.

  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any response to the letter sent by the Minister for Sport, the hon. Member for Lewisham, East (Mr. Moynihan) to hon. Members on 21 December 1988 about the proposed football identity card scheme.

  Mr. Henderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any responses to the 680
  letter sent by the Minister for Sport, the hon. Member for Lewisham, East (Mr. Moynihan) to hon. Members on 21 December 1988 about the proposed football identity card scheme.

  Mr. Ashton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any response to the letter sent by the Minister for Sport, the hon. Member for Lewisham, East (Mr. Moynihan) to hon. Members on 21 December 1988 about the proposed football identity card scheme.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have received letters from four hon. Members. Two hon. Members have tabled questions before today.

  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on recent meetings held by the Minister for Sport, the hon. Member for Lewisham, East (Mr. Moynihan) with the chairmen of Football League clubs.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Halifax (Mrs. Mahon).

  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received expressing opposition to part 1 of the Football Spectators Bill.

  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received expressing opposition to part 1 of the Football Spectators Bill.

  Mr. Clelland
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received expressing opposition to part 1 of the Football Spectators Bill.

  Mr. Patchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received expressing opposition to part 1 of the Football Spectators Bill.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have received some 600 representations expressing opposition to the provisions of part 1 of the Football Spectators Bill.

  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received to date about the Government's proposals to introduce a membership registration and identification scheme for football fans.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have received over 2,500 representations relating to the idea of a scheme.

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will next meet the Association of Chief Police Officers to discuss the implications of the Football Spectators Bill.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have no plans at present to meet the Association of Chief Police Officers. My officials and colleagues in the Home Office are in regular contact with the Association.

  Building Land (Prices)
  Mr. Favell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the percentage
  681
  of the cost of a new house attributable to the price of the building land for each region of the country, for the years 1958, 1968, 1978 and 1988.

  Mr. Trippier
  I am pleased to say that according to the latest figures for 1987 land prices in the north-west contributed one of the lowest percentages of the costs of new houses, both in the private sector and those built by local authorities. I am arranging for a table of regional figures to be placed in the Library. Figures for earlier years, back to 1977, are available in the Library.

  Reclamation Facilities
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Government will take action to ensure that reclamation facilities, such as bottle banks, are established at new supermarket sites.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The waste watch organisation, which the Department supports, works with retailers to develop recycling opportunities.

  Rural Housing
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on his policy with regard to the provision of low-cost housing in rural areas.

  Mr. Chope
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the member for Beverley (Mr. Cran) on 8 February (Official Report, columns 726–27). The Government are committed to tackling rural housing need, by enabling housing associations to provide rented accommodation in rural areas and encouraging private landlords and developers to invest in low-cost dwellings.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue new guidelines to local planning authorities on the provision of housing in rural areas.

  Mr. Chope
  New guidance is set out in the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) on February 3 at columns 433–34. The local planning authorities have been notified.

  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received regarding the provision of low-cost housing in rural areas.

  Mr. Trippier
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received representations from a variety of organisations. The Government's response to these representations is summarised in the answer that he gave my hon. Friend the Member for Beverley (Mr. Cran) on 8 February at columns 726–27.

  Water Privatisation
  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has made any decision as to what proportion of water authority stock will be retained by the Government at the proposed flotation of the water industry.

  Mr. Ridley
  No.
  682
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate by how much water prices will rise in the first year after privatisation.

  Mr. Moynihan
  It is too early to anticipate the Values of the price cap ("K") which will govern water charges increases.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has had any recent discussions with the chairpersons of the water authorities on disconnection policy before and after privatisation of the water industry.

  Mr. Moynihan
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets chairmen of the water authorities to discuss a number of issues. My hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Water and Planning has welcomed the recent proposals announced by the water industry to revise their disconnections code of practice. These introduce important new customer safeguards and should assist in keeping disconnection to the absolute minimum of those customers who can pay but refuse to do so.

  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent assessment he has made of the effect of his water privatisation plans on the cost of water to the consumer.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The Department will carry out an assessment of each water authority's and each water company's future financial requirements in the coming months and I will then be in a position to make proposals for the price cap which will be applicable to each appointed undertaking under the Water Bill.

  Chlorofluorocarbons
  Mr. McCrindle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he can report on the reduction of use of chlorofluorocarbons; and if he will estimate the likely effect on the environment.

  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome to date of the proposals to deal with pollution from chlorofluorocarbons.

  Mr. Ridley
  All sectors of British industry are being encouraged to reduce their chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons by at least 85 per cent. by the turn of the century by using alternatives, substitutes or adopting good housekeeping practices. The action of the aerosol industry alone to phase out non-essential uses of CFCs will halve total United Kingdom consumption by the end of the year. Action by the United Kingdom alone is not enough and a major objective of the "Saving the Ozone Layer" London conference, which I shall chair in March, is to persuade more countries to sign up to the Montreal protocol.

  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department proposes to issue advice to owners of domestic appliances which contain chlorofluorocarbons who wish to ensure that chlorofluorocarbons are not released into the atmosphere.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  As noted in the Government's reply to the first report from the Environment Committee, Session 1987–88, HC 270–1—Air Pollution—published in
  683
  December 1988 (Cm. 552) officials of the Department of the Environment and the Department of Trade and Industry are discussing the question of recovery and recycling/destruction of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in redundant appliances. The Government plan to develop advice in the light of these discussions.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the use of chlorofluorocarbon in the manufacture of plastic forms of building insulation; and whether he has any evidence that manufacturers have developed alternatives to these.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  We have recently received a Friends of the Earth report, "Safe as Houses", about the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the insulation of buildings.

  The manufacturers of rigid polyurethane foams are developing materials which use less CFCs as blowing agents. They are also implementing measures to reduce wastage of CFCs, and evaluating ozone-friendly alternatives which should become available during the 1990s, subject to satisfactory toxicological testing. United Kingdom manufacturers of extruded polystyrene insulation board have agreed to introduce this year products which do not contain the CFCs controlled by the Montreal protocol, and to phase out products containing these substances by mid-1990.

  UK Nirex
  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to meet with representatives of UK Nirex Ltd; and what he expects to discuss.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to meet representatives of UK Nirex Ltd; and what he expects to discuss.

  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to meet with representatives of UK Nirex Ltd; and what he expects to discuss.

  Mr. Andrew Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to meet representatives of UK Nirex Ltd; and what he expects to discuss.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I have no plans to meet representatives of Nirex until I have received its proposals for a radioactive waste disposal facility.

  Urban Decay
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps his Department has taken to deal with urban decay in Yorkshire.

  Mr. Trippier
  The Department has committed some £330 million in Yorkshire and Humberside this financial year, as part of the wider Government effort with the private sector and the public authorities to tackle problems of urban decay.

  Housing (Leicester)
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the housing investment programme allocation awarded to Leicester city council for 1989–90.

  Mr. Trippier
  Leicester city council's housing investment programme allocation for 1989–90 will be £8,513 million. In addition, it was allocated £0·4 million to tackle run-down housing under the private sector area renewal initiative. Individual authorities have also been invited to apply for additional resources under the estate action programme and in respect of particularly heavy responsibilities under housing defects legislation.

  Research
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy towards the stimulation of research into environmental matters by(a) his Department, (b) the proposed National Rivers Authority and (c) the water plcs following privatisation.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have today placed copies of a paper in the Libraries of both Houses setting out our proposals for environmental research following privatisation. The paper proposes that it will be for each utility company to decide on its own research needs. The need to fulfil their statutory duties and comply with regulations on water quality and pollution controls will provide the incentives for the water utilities to carry out research. The present statutory duty on the water authorities to make arrangements to carry out research will be replaced by clause 135 of the Water Bill, which places a similar duty on the National Rivers Authority. My Department will continue to manage a substantial programme of research into the water environment.

  Air Pollution
  Mr. Forman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his plans for the introduction of further legislation to control air pollution.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  My right hon. Friend proposes to lay regulations shortly which will give Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution control over air pollution from a limited number of additonal works, will provide for greater public access to information about the control of air pollution from works scheduled for inspectorate control, and will give statutory force to air quality standards for smoke and sulphur dioxide, lead and nitrogen dioxide.

  We intend that the remainder of the proposals in the Government's December 1986 consultation paper on air pollution control should be implemented as soon as a legislative opportunity arises.

  Urban Development Corporations
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further progress he can report on the setting up and activities of urban development corporations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  Bristol development corporation, the tenth English urban development corporation, was set up
  685
  on 19 January. The UDCs are responsible for regenerating more than 40,000 acres, much of which was derelict or underused when they were set up. Although they are at varying stages in their lives, they are all making considerable progress and stimulating major private sector investment interest in their areas.

  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on changing the terms of reference of urban development corporations to provide a more precise definition of regeneration, as recommended by the third report of the Employment Committee.

  Mr. Trippier
  My right hon. Friend's policy is set out in the Government's response to the Employment Committee. I understand that the Committee will be publishing the response today.

  Tree Preservation Orders
  Mr. Lord
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions he has made to involve interested and experienced professional bodies in the proposed review of the procedures covering tree preservation orders.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  James Batho, who is carrying out the review, is having meetings with relevant organisations, including professional bodies, in order to establish their views.

  Association of District Councils
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the officers of the Association of District Councils; and what was discussed.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  My right hon. Friend met representatives of the Association of District Councils and the other authority associations on 29 November last year. The matters discussed were the associations' responses to the consultation papers "Capital Expenditure and Finance" and "Local Authorities' Interests in Companies".

  Business Rate
  Mr. Burt
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effect on businesses in Manchester of the introduction of the unified business rate.

  Mr. Gummer
  The report of a preliminary survey carried out by the Inland Revenue of the effects of the uniform business rate and the 1990 revaluation of business property, which is available in the Library, suggests that rate bills for businesses in the north west region could fall by some £310 million a year once the transition to the new system is complete. Proposals for the transition were announced by my right hon. Friend on 15 February. Separate figures for Manchester are not available. However, if the uniform business rate were introduced today, the effect would be to reduce the rate poundage paid by businesses in Manchester by 27 per cent.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the effect on business costs in Newcastle upon Tyne of the introduction of the unified business rate.
  686
  Mr. Gummer
  The report of a preliminary survey carried out by the Inland Revenue of the effects of the uniform business rate and the 1990 revaluation of business property, which is available in the Library, suggests that rate bills for businesses in the northern region could fall by some £50 million a year once the transition to the new system is complete. Proposals for the transition were announced by my right hon. Friend on 15 February. Separate figures for Newcastle upon Tyne are not available. However, if the uniform business rate were introduced today, the effect would be to reduce the rate poundage paid by businesses in Newcastle upon Tyne by 21 per cent.

  Mr. Greg Knight
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the effect on business costs in Derbyshire of the introduction of the unified business rate.

  Mr. Gummer
  The report of a preliminary survey carried out by the Inland Revenue of the effects of the uniform business rate and the 1990 revaluation of business property, which is available in the Library, suggests that rate bills for businesses in the east midlands region could fall by some £130 million a year once the transition to the new system is complete. Proposals for the transition were announced by my right hon. Friend on 15 February. Separate figures for Derbyshire are not available. However, if the uniform business rate were introduced today, the effect would be to reduce the rate poundage paid by businesses in Derbyshire by between 25 and 31 per cent. depending on the district council area concerned.

  Empty Properties
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many dwellings are vacant in the public and private sector in Liverpool; and what is the annual estimated rent and rates lost.

  Mr. Trippier
  The latest available information on vacant dwellings in both the public and private sectors was provided by Liverpool city council in its 1988 housing investment programme return (HIP 1), a copy of which is in the Library.

  The provisional figure for rent loss on vacant local authority dwellings in Liverpool in 1987–88 as reported on the authority's housing subsidy claim form was £7·4 million. Figures for rate loss on all empty dwellings in Liverpool are available in "Rent Collection Statistics 1987–88 Actuals" published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, a copy of which is in the Library.

  Eastbourne Waterworks Company
  Mr. Gow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what communications he has had with the managing director of the Eastbourne Waterworks Company about the increase in its charges which came into effect on 1 January and the further increase in prospect with effect from 1 April; and if he will make a statement about charges for water made by the statutory water companies.

  Mr. Howard
  I have received a letter from Mr. C. B. G. Turner, chairman of the Eastbourne Waterworks Company indicating that he is unable to reconsider the
  687
  charges implemented from 1 January. I understand that these charges run for three months. I have therefore asked him to come and see me before his board fixes charges for the twelve months from 1 April 1989.

  Sports Council
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next intends to meet the chairman of the Sports Council; and what matters will be discussed.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I meet the chairman of the Sports Council on a regular basis to discuss matters relating to the council. I expect to see him again shortly.

  Rate Support Grant (Brent)
  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the level of rate support grant for the London borough of Brent.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Brent will receive about £86·8 million block grant in 1989–90, £19·5 million (29 per cent.) more than in the current financial year after taking into account the changed arrangements for financing advanced further education.

  Planning Law
  Mr. Patrick Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any proposals to alter the law on planning.

  Mr. Chope
  Proposals to amend planning law are contained in the White Paper on the future of development plans which was published last month. We always keep the need for legislation under review.

  Council House Sales
  Mr. Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses have been sold to sitting tenants in England since May 1979.

  Mr. Trippier
  From April 1979 to December 1988 an estimated 1 million tenants bought their homes from English local authorities and new towns.

  Mr. Flannery
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for the disbursal of the money from the sale of council houses.

  Mr. Trippier
  Under the provisions of part IV of the Local Government and Housing Bill a local authority which sells council houses would be required to set aside part of the receipts to reduce its indebtedness. The balance would be available to the authority without restriction for new capital investment.

  Nature Conservancy Council
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to ensure that the role of the Nature Conservancy Council is adequately sustained in those activities which have been or are to be transferred from the public to the private sector.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The NCC has statutory responsibilities for nature conservation which, for the 688
  most part, are set out in the Nature Conservancy Act 1973, and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The Government are ready to take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that the NCC is able to fulfil its responsibilities in relation to the activities of others, in both the private and public sectors.

  Housing Action Trusts
  Mr. Faulds
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate when tenants in housing action trust areas will be asked to vote on the establishment of housing action trusts.

  Mr. Trippier
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave on 30 January to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman) at column 307.

  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which further housing action trusts he proposes to establish.

  Mr. Trippier
  No housing action trusts have yet been established. When we have considered the consultants' reports on the six areas currently proposed, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will announce his conclusions.

  Environmental Health Officers
  Mr. Litherland
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to increase the number of environmental health officers.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Under section 112 of the Local Government Act 1972, it is for each local authority with responsibilities in this field to decide how many staff it is necessary for them to appoint.

  County Rates
  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which is the highest and lowest precept county rate in England; and what the change has been in the precept of each of these two councils since 1981.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The highest county precept in 1988–89 is 297·5p in Derbyshire and the lowest is 185p in Hereford and Worcester. The change in precept since 1981 is 168 per cent. for Derbyshire and 64 per cent. for Hereford and Worcester.

  Football Supporters' Clubs
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next plans to meet representatives of football supporters' clubs; and what matters will be discussed.

  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to meet representatives of football supporters' clubs; and what matters will be discussed.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I refer the hon. Members to the answer given on 17 February to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Pollock (Mr. Dunnachie) at column 147.

  Simplified-Planning Zones
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many simplified-planning zones are now in operation; and if he will make a statement.
  689
  Mr. Chope
  Last year, simplified planning zones were adopted and brought into operation by Derby and Corby. Five other schemes are in preparation, as noted in the reply to my hon. Friend, the Member for Mid-Staffordshire (Mr. Heddle) at column 304.

  Tyne and Wear UDC
  Mr. Trotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will report on the progress made by the Tyne and Wear urban development corporation.

  Mr. Trippier
  I am pleased to report that the Tyne and Wear development corporation is making excellent progress. It has embarked on a number of major projects and has already had considerable success in encouraging the private sector to invest in Tyne and Wear.

  Grant assistance from the corporation has already helped to attract inward investment from overseas companies such as Mitsumi, Goldstar and Liebherr, securing some £13 million private sector funding and the initial creation of over 600 jobs with the potential for considerable expansion. Work is also now underway at a number of major flagship sites such as Newcastle business park, St. Peters yard, Byker and The Close, Newcastle Quayside. At the business park a 59 acre site is being developed for over 500,000 ft of high quality industrial/ commercial floorspace with the creation of 3,000 permanent jobs. Barratt Newcastle Ltd. is undertaking the development of an imaginative marina village on a 12·5 acre site at St. Peters yard and a prime site at The Close on Newcastle Quayside is being developed for a four-star hotel and offices with the creation of 400–600 permanent jobs. These three projects alone are expected to secure private sector investment of some £78 million..

  Total expenditure by Tyne and Wear development corporation since it was established in May 1987 to the end of the current financial year is forecast at £28 million with some £42·5 million private funding having been secured, 1,200 jobs created and over 200,000 sq ft of floorspace
  provided/refurbished.

  These results are very encouraging for the first two years of the corporation's life and when viewed alongside projects now underway there is no doubt that TWDC is playing a major role in bringing about an increase in business confidence and developer interest through its activities and positive promotion of the area.

  Further information is available in the annual reports of the corporation.

  Heating and Ventilating Contractors Association
  Ms. Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met representatives from the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association; and what was discussed.

  Mr. Trippier
  My right hon. Friend has not met representatives of the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association.

  Urban Grants
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether independent valuation advice is taken when evaluating schemes for urban development grant, urban regeneration grant and city grant.
  690
  Mr. Trippier
  The Department has a team of professional appraisers including secondees from private sector firms. Where appropriate they seek the advice of the district valuer.

  Housing Revenue Accounts (London)
  Mr. Carrington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will identify which London boroughs have a deficit on their housing revenue accounts.

  Mr. Trippier
  Under the Housing Act 1985, local authorities are required to meet any deficit on their housing revenue accounts by a rate fund contribution (RFC) equal to the deficit. The London boroughs estimating they will make RFCs in 1988–89 are as follows:

  City of London

  Camden

  Greenwich

  Hackney

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  Islington

  Kensington and Chelsea

  Lambeth

  Lewisham

  Southwark

  Tower Hamlets

  Westminster

  Barnet

  Brent

  Ealing

  Haringey

  Harrow

  Newham

  Waltham Forest

  No data for 1988–89 have yet been received from Hounslow (which made an RFC in 1987–88) or from Merton (which did not make one).

  Football League
  Mr. Bernie Grant
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent discussions he has had with the Football League.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing) on 20 January.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which Football League grounds he expects to visit in an official capacity in the near future.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which Football League grounds he expects to visit in an official capacity in the near future.

  Mr. Jim Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which Football League grounds he expects to visit in an official capacity in the near future.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I refer the hon. Members to the answer given on 17 February to the hon. Member for Carlisle (Mr. Martlew) at column 424.

  Recycling
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement concerning his Department's plans for future investment in recycling facilities.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to encourage further investment in recycling facilities.
  691
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  All Government Departments with an interest in recycling, are encouraging local authorities and industry to invest in economic recycling facilities.

  Drinking Water
  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the cost of full implementation of the European Economic Community directive on drinking water standards; and when he expects this directive to be fully complied with.

  Mr. Moynihan
  Water authorities are preparing investment programmes for improving water supplies in relation to water quality, pressure and reliability of supply. The full cost and phasing of the required work will be set out in prospectuses when the privatised companies are offered for sale.

  We are committed to achieving compliance with the EC drinking water directive as soon as possible. Good progress has been made and will continue to be made towards this end.

  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the European Commission directives on drinking water standards.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The EC drinking water directive (80/778/EEC) sets standards for 44 parameters. These are to be incorporated into regulations to be made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State under powers contained in the Water Bill 1988. Publication of the proposed contents of the regulations and draft guidance on maintaining the quality of public water supplies was announced on 10 February. Copies of both documents have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Housing (Warrington and Runcorn)
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the future of housing development within the area covered by the Warrington and Runcorn new town development corporation.

  Mr. Trippier
  One of the Government's objectives for Warrington and Runcorn development corporation is to promote and cater for the growth of home ownership by releasing serviced sites for housing development. The areas in which I would expect further housing development to occur include Westbrook, Bridgwater and Sandymoor. The release of housing sites for development will be continued by the Commission for the New Towns and for some time beyond the dissolution of the development corporation this September.

  Bristol UDC
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new economic activity has resulted from the work of the urban development corporation in Bristol.

  Mr. Trippier
  The setting up of Bristol development corporation was held back by a petition against it. It came into legal existence on 19 January 1989 and became the development control authority for its area on 20 February 1989. The corporation has stimulated considerable interest in its area and the inquiries it is receiving promise well for the future.

  Competitive Tendering
  Mr. Waller
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the effect on the cost of providing local government services since 1981 by means of competitive tendering.

  Mr. Gummer
  No precise figures are available but I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Mr. Oppenheim) on 15 February at column 278.

  Compulsory Competition
  Miss Widdecombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the Audit Commission's findings as detailed in its report entitled "Preparing for Compulsory Competition."

  Mr. Gummer
  The Audit Commission's report "Preparing for Compulsory Competition" offers much sound guidance to local authorities on how to meet the challenges of competition introduced by the Local Government Act 1988 and achieve the savings of 20 per cent. or more that are available. We commend the report to the House and are making arrangements for a copy to be sent to all hon. Members.

  Local Government Finance
  Dr. Goodson-Wickes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to exemplify the figures for a system of local government finance based on capital value rates plus local income tax, in the proportions of 80:20, respectively, as they might apply in Merton.

  Mr. Mans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to examine alternative forms on local government finance based on capital value rates plus local income tax, in the borough of Wyre.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to exemplify the figures for a system of local government finance based on capital value rates plus local income tax, in the proportions of 80:20, respectively, as they might apply in Macclesfield borough and Vale Royal borough.

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to examine alternative forms of local government finance based on capital value rates plus local income tax in the London borough of Harrow.

  Mr. Gummer
  I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave on 21 February to my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridgeshire, South-East (Mr. Paice).

  Boxing
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met members of the British Boxing Board of Control and what issues were discussed.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have not attended any formal meetings with the British Boxing Board of Control. However, I frequently meet board members informally and at boxing events.

  Building (Outer London)
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the
  Environment if he will consider new measures to assist local planning authorities to curb excessive building in the outer London boroughs.

  Mr. Chope
  My right hon. Friend issued new guidance to local planning authorities on 30 November 1988. Planning policy guidance (PPG) note 12 on local plans advises authorities of the importance of preparing and adopting local plans and that where"the pressure for development and redevelopment is such as to threaten seriously the character of an established residential area which ought to be protected"
  local authorities
  "may include density and other policies in their local plans for the areas concerned, while avoiding undue rigidity. The scale and character of new development inrelation to existing development are material considerations which should be taken into account in deciding planning applications, and the decisions of local planning authorities will be the more secure where the adopted local plan includes policies designed to protect the environmental character of particular localities."

  Where local plans are up-to-date and consistent with national and regional policies, their provisions will carry considerable weight and the Secretary of State and his inspectors will be guided by them in dealing with planning appeals.

  Water Cooling Systems
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to give environmental research officers increased resources to apply stricter monitoring of water cooling systems.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Decisions on the resources to be devoted to the work on environmental health departments are a matter for local environmental health authorities.

  Black Country UDC
  Mr. Conway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further action has been taken in
  addressing problems or urban decay by the urban development corporation in the Black Country.

  Mr. Trippier
  The Black Country development corporation has continued to provide opportunities for new investment and development in its area. In particular, it has given priority to:

  1. The assembly and reclamation of land to provide sites for development;

  2. The procedures necessary as a preliminary to the construction of the Black Country spine road;

  3. Jointly with Sandwell MBC, marketing and securing a developer for the four million square feet retail and leisure proposal on the former Patent Shaft steelworks site in Wednesbury. It has also assisted by grant aid of £2·5 million, including City Grant, 35 businesses who in turn have invested £12·2 million in the area.

  For further information, I would refer my hon. Friend to the Corporation's annual report.

  Local Authorities (Conduct of Business)
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to review the conduct of local authority business as set out in the White Paper Cm. 433.
  694
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The House has now given a second reading to the Local Government and Housing Bill which will implement most of the proposals in the White Paper that require legislation. I refer the hon. Member to my answer to my hon. Friend, the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Hughes) on Thursday 2 February at column 357, which sets out the points on which we have revised our proposals.

  Urban Grants
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many firms who have received urban development grants and urban regeneration grants have (i) ceased trading subsequently, and (ii) required further financial assistance.

  Mr. Trippier
  A total of 350 projects have received or are receiving urban development grant, urban regeneration grant or city grant. None of the developers involved has ceased trading while the grant-aided project was underway. A total of 190 projects have been completed and many of these have been sold or let. It is not therefore possible to say how many firms ceased trading subsequently. However, I am aware of two cases of business projects which received urban development grant and later ceased trading.

  Urban development grant, urban regeneration grant and city grant are one-off injections of assistance given at the start of a project. The developer then proceeds at his own risk and cannot get second instalments of grant if the project performs below expectations.

  London Docklands Development Corporation
  Mr. Andrew MacKay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further progress has been made, in addressing problems of urban decay, by the urban development corporation in docklands.

  Mr. Trippier
  Impressive progress. LDDC continues to breathe new life into docklands. More than £4 billion of private investment commitments have been secured since 1981. Over 1,200 new companies have been attracted to the area. There are new employment opportunities, with over 20,000 jobs created or attracted. Some 15,000 homes have been provided, along with increased housing choice and opportunity. A variety of projects have been funded to provide community support, refurbish public housing, improve education and training and assist the local voluntary sector. Over 30 miles of roads have been built, and more are under construction. The momentum of regeneration achieved by LDDC will continue, with the Government's firm support.

  Manchester UDC
  Sir Fergus Montgomery
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what ways Manchester has benefited from the establishment of an urban development corporation.

  Mr. Trippier
  The Central Manchester development corporation has been in existence for just over six months. This earlier period has been marked by an enormous boost in developer and investor interest, and general confidence, in central Manchester.

  Proposed grants by the corporation of about £6½ million have let to major development projects, planned or

  695
  underway, involving a total private sector investment of £34 million and giving a gearing ratio of more than 1:4. These schemes are principally residential and commercial developments which will breathe new life into the Whitworth street and Piccadilly areas, and continue the good work done over recent years at Castlefield.

  All these developments and many other proposals already in the pipeline, will revitalise the urban development area and bring investment and jobs to the city centre, to the benefit of the people of Manchester, and indeed, the north-west as a whole.

  Covent Garden Action Area
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress by Westminster council in implementing the Covent Garden action area plan.

  Mr. Chope
  This is a matter for Westminster which has received a report from its consultants who were asked to undertake a review of changes since the adoption of the Covent Garden action area plan in 1978. I am told that Westminster has published draft interim policies for consultation. The public may take this opportunity to make their views known as the policies may have some weight in development control.

  Mr. Soley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those departures to the Covent Garden action area plan made by Westminster city council which have come to him on appeal since 31 March 1986.

  Mr. Chope
  No departures from the Covent Garden action area plan have been referred to the Secretary of State since 31 March 1986.

  Land Markets
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what studies his Department has undertaken into the workings of land markets in the United Kingdom and European Economic Community countries.

  Mr. Chope
  The Department is participating in an international study of urban land markets under the direction of the OECD. The Department's main contribution is a United Kingdom national report that was submitted in 1987 and published by HMSO last September under the title "Urban Land Markets in the United Kingdom". Other EC countries have produced national reports and a final project report with comparative analyses will be available from the OECD later this year.

  Conservation Projects
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to make good the financial loss to conservation projects as a result of the withdrawal of Manpower Services Commission support for such conservation projects.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  We are monitoring the position closely and will consider whether further action would be appropriate. The Training Agency has set up a working party with the Countryside Commission and representatives of voluntary bodies to consider whether more might be done to ensure that ET is used to the fullest extent possible in the countryside.

  Toxic Waste
  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received with regard to Government consultation on toxic waste disposal.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Three consultation papers on waste disposal law have been issued. Two, issued in September 1986 and November 1988, concerned changes to the duties of producers and carriers of waste and the licensing powers of waste disposal authorities. The third, issued last month, concerned the reform of waste disposal authorities themselves. A wide range of interests responded to the first two papers. Consultation on the third is in progress.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Patnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to encourage local authorities to implement the recommendations of the Audit Commission Report on "Housing the Homeless"; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking following the publication of the Audit Commission report on homelessness.

  Mr. Trippier
  The report makes a number of constructive recommendations on ways in which local authorities could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their services to the homeless. We are considering its findings in our current review of the homelessness legislation.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to make any additional moneys available to allow local authorities to implement better practices outlined in the Audit Commission's report on homelessness.

  Mr. Trippier
  Nearly £50 million additional resources have already been made available in 1988–89 to hard-pressed authorities, specifically for schemes to help the homeless. The implications of the recommendations of the Audit Commission's report are being considered as part of the current review of the homelessness legislation.

  Local Authorities (Capital Spending)
  Mr. Janman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to review the present methods of controlling local authority capital spending.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Part IV of the Local Government and Housing Bill provides for a new local authority capital finance system. This would replace the present system of direct controls on capital expenditure by a framework based on control of the use of credit to finance such expenditure.

  Ombudsman's Report (Coventry Council)
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make further representations to Coventry city council on the case of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Quin and Mrs. Hands, née Quin,
  697
  regarding the city council's refusal to implement the recommendations contained in the ombudsman's report about compensation.

  Mr. Gummer
  Following the practice agreed with the local authority associations, my Department has written to Coventry city council to ask for its reasons for not following the recommendation of the Commissioner for Local Adminstration in a case where he has found injustice caused by their maladministration. I am studying its reply.

  Hedgerows
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by the three counties of Yorkshire how many miles of hedgerow have been destroyed in the last 20 years; whether surveys are carried out by air, ground or questionnaire to farmers and landowners; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The sample surveys of landscape change so far completed, which used various methods, have not provided information at the level of individual counties.

  South West Water
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what sums South West Water received from charges for abstractions in each of the last four years.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The income of South West Water in respect of abstraction charges in the last four years is as follows:

  South West Water Authority abstraction charges income

  Financial year

  £ thousand

  1987–88

  242

  1986–87

  230

  1985–86

  249

  1984–85

  247

  These figures exclude internal accounting within the water authority in respect of the water authority's own abstractions for water supply.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from South West Water on its liability to pay abstraction charges to the NRA when using river water to supply water treatment works; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  None.

  Sanitary Towels (Disposal)
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to ensure that the manufacturers of sanitary towels and tampons bear some of the cost currently incurred by the water authorities in the disposal of their products.

  Mr. Howard
  No. It is consumers who dispose of these products, and any costs incurred by the water authorities should be met through charges.

  Peak Park Planning Board
  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has any plans to review the way in which the Peak Park planning board is operating; and whether he will make a statement;
  698
  (2) what information he has as to how many people have been appointed by Derbyshire county council to serve on the Peak Park planning board; and how many of them live in the board's area;

  (3) how much money has been paid by his Department to the Peak Park planning board over the last six years.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I am writing to the local authority associations urging them to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the importance of taking proper account of local interests when making their appointments.

  Water (EC Directives)
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many letters under article 169 of the Rome treaty the British Government have received regarding the implementation of the European Economic Community directives relating to water in the last six months.

  Mr. Moynihan
  One.

  Grants
  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a breakdown of UDG, URG and city grants approvals in the 57 urban programme areas and elsewhere in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  The total number of UDG, URG and city grant approvals made in England to date is 345. The breakdown between authorities is shown in the table.

  Number of grants approved since 1982 by local authority

  Number of grants approved

  UDG

  URG

  City grant

  Authorities currently invited to submit inner area programmes

  Birmingham

  23

  2

  3

  Blackburn

  4

  —

  2

  Bolton

  8

  —

  2

  Bradford

  5

  —

  —

  Brent

  2

  —

  —

  Bristol

  1

  —

  1

  Burnley

  1

  —

  —

  Coventry

  7

  —

  1

  Derby

  —

  —

  1

  Dudley

  10

  2

  1

  Gateshead

  6

  —

  —

  Greenwich

  2

  —

  —

  Hackney

  7

  —

  —

  Haringey

  1

  —

  —

  Hartlepool

  3

  —

  —

  Islington

  3

  —

  —

  Kensington and Chelsea

  2

  —

  —

  Kingston upon Hull

  15

  1

  —

  Kirklees

  —

  —

  1

  Knowsley

  6

  —

  —

  Lambeth

  2

  —

  —

  Langbaurgh

  3

  —

  —

  Leeds

  16

  —

  —

  Leicester

  6

  —

  —

  Lewisham

  6

  —

  1

  Liverpool

  1

  1

  —

  Manchester

  8

  —

  —

  Middlesbrough

  5

  —

  —

  Newcastle

  7

  —

  1

  Newham

  3

  —

  —

  North Tyneside

  4

  —

  1

  Nottingham

  17

  —

  5

  Oldham

  11

  —

  1

  699

  Number of grants approved

  UDG

  VRG

  City grant

  Preston

  1

  —

  —

  Rochdale

  4

  —

  —

  Rotherham

  2

  —

  —

  Salford

  3

  —

  —

  Sandwell

  8

  —

  —

  Sefton

  2

  —

  —

  Sheffield

  7

  —

  —

  South Tyneside

  7

  —

  —

  Southwark

  2

  —

  —

  Stockton on Tees

  2

  —

  —

  Sunderland

  7

  —

  —

  Tower Hamlets

  5

  —

  —

  Walsall

  6

  —

  —

  Wandsworth

  5

  —

  —

  Wigan

  5

  —

  —

  Wirral

  ' 5

  —

  —

  Wolverhampton

  7

  —

  —

  Wrekin

  3

  —

  —

  Other local authorities

  (including those previously invited to submit inner area programmes.)

  Calderdale

  —

  —

  —

  Ealing

  1

  —

  —

  Ellesmere Port & Neston

  1

  —

  —

  Greater London Council

  3

  —

  —

  Greater Manchester MCC

  1

  —

  —

  Gravesham

  1

  —

  —

  Hyndburn

  3

  —

  —

  Merseyside MCC

  5

  —

  —

  Pendle

  1

  —

  —

  Rossendale

  1

  —

  —

  Scunthorpe

  1

  —

  —

  Trafford

  2

  —

  —

  Tyne & Wear MCC

  1

  —

  —

  Wakefield

  9

  —

  —

  West Yorkshire MCC

  1

  —

  —

  TOTALS

  307

  6

  32

  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list schemes which have attracted UDG, URG and city grant which have been used for private industry and office developments since 1982; what percentage of approvals these represent; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  There have been 161 projects approved under the UDG, URG and city grant schemes where the end use has been industrial or office development. These projects represent 47 per cent. of the total approvals to date, and are listed by authority. A copy of the list has been placed in the Library of the House today.

  Land
  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the land holding by hectares which was owned by water authorities and electricity boards in each UDC area at designation; what the total value of this land was; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  My Department does not have this information.

  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land has been sold by water authorities and electricity boards in each UDC area since designation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  My Department does not have this information.

  Urban Development Corporations
  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all past or present appointees to Urban Development Corporation boards who have business interests in the metropolitan area in which the Urban Development Corporation is located, or in other Urban Development Corporation areas; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State considers it desirable to appoint to Urban Development Corporation boards those with relevant experience. This means that members are likely to have connections, whether business or otherwise, in and around the area in which their Urban Development Corporation is located.

  The Department advises Urban Development Corporations how to handle potential conflicts of interest. Chairmen are required to sign undertakings which reflect their particular circumstances. If they are involved with companies that might otherwise operate in the urban development area they will normally be required to confirm that the companies will not so operate during the term of their appointment.

  Other board members must declare to the board their private interests which might give rise to a conflict. If a particular case gives rise to a possible conflict of interest, the member is required to write in advance to the chairman and it is for the other board members to decide what action to take. Unless the interest is trivial, the member would normally withdraw from the discussion and not vote on it.

  If a board member of one Urban Development Corporation has business interests in or near the area of another, no question of conflict of interest arises.

  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the response to his request that Urban Development Corporation's pass on examples of good practice to each other; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  The Department's guidance to Urban Development Corporations asks them to pass on experience which may be useful to other Urban Development Corporations. They are developing their own informal networks. In addition, my Department organises regular seminars for Urban Development Corporation chief executives which provide a forum for exchanging relevant experience and information.

  Landlords
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many landlords have sought approved status from the Housing Corporation since 15 January.

  Mr. Trippier
  I have asked the Housing Corporation to reply to the hon. Member.

  Home Improvement Grants
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount was spent by English local authorities on(a) mandatory home improvement grants and (b) discretionary home improvement grants in the financial years 1978–79 to 1988–89.

  Mr. Trippier
  The information is as follows:
  701

  Local authority capital expenditure on home improvement grants

  England mandatory

  £ million discretionary

  Total

  1978–79

  1..

  1..

  90

  1979–80

  1..

  1..

  120

  1980–81

  1..

  1..

  129

  1981–82

  49

  148

  197

  1982–83

  72

  353

  425

  1983–84

  99

  812

  911

  1984–85

  126

  608

  734

  1985–86

  117

  342

  459

  1986–87

  98

  297

  395

  1987–88

  81

  290

  2371

  1988–89

  97

  286

  3383

  1.. Not available.

  2Provisional.

  3 Estimated by local authorities in April 1988 for HIP2 returns.

  Housing Repair Schemes
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list, on an authority by authority basis, the total expenditure on capitalised housing repair schemes in England in the current financial year; and what percentage of all local authority housing repairs expenditure is accounted for by these schemes in(a) inner London, (b) outer London, (c) London as a whole, (d) the south-east and (e) England.

  Mr. Trippier
  Authority by authority information from the 1988 HIP2 return will be placed in the House of Commons Library in the next few days.

  Capitalised housing repairs account for the following estimated proportions of all local authority housing repairs expenditure both current and capital in 1988–89.

  Per cent.

  (a) Inner London

  30·6

  (b) Outer London

  31·5

  (c) All London

  30·9

  (d) South East

  27·7

  (e) England

  23·1

  Fly-tipping
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to deal with fly-tipping.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Plans to legislate for the registration of waste carriers were announced in June last year. Further proposals for legislation to make the registered keepers of vehicles used in fly-tipping liable to prosecution in certain circumstances are being considered following public consultation.

  Water Pollution
  Dr. John Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the levels of arsenic detected by the South-West water authority in the river Tamar on a regular sampling basis in the vicinity of Gunnislake, Devon, over the last 10 years.

  Mr. Ridley
  The South West water authority has taken frequent samples from the river Tamar at Gunnislake bridge since mid-1984. All 113 samples meeet the "imperative" values for arsenic in the EC directives on the 702
  quality of surface water abstracted for drinking water (75/440/EEC). Indeed, all but one were below the limit of detection.

  Mr. Burt
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what preparations are being made for the introduction of the scheme, as provided for in the Water Bill, which will enable the new National Rivers Authority to make charges in respect of discharges into rivers.

  Mr. Howard
  I have today issued a consultation paper which sets out the basis for a new charging scheme for consents for discharges into rivers, estuaries and other controlled waters. Our proposals for the scheme have been widely accepted as marking an important extension of the principle that polluters should pay for the costs of their activities.

  In future, costs incurred by the proposed National Rivers Authority in granting discharge consents and in monitoring effluent quality and its impact on receiving waters will be met by the dischargers themselves, rather than by water consumers or taxpayers. The dischargers are for the most part water and sewerage undertakings and industrial dischargers of waste water.

  The scheme will come into effect following the establishment of the proposed National Rivers Authority later in the year under the Water Bill currently being considered in Parliament. Details will be finalised by the Department, in conjunction with the National Rivers Authority Advisory Committee, and in the light of the views expressed by interested bodies in response to this consultation paper.

  The Government envisage that a substantial proportion of the NRA's total costs for water quality regulation and pollution control will be recovered through the charging scheme, with charges likely to be set according to the size and type of the discharge.

  Separate provisions already exist to ensure that the cost of cleaning up pollution incidents are recovered from those responsible for them. Similarly, discharges of trade effluents into sewers will continue to be subject to charges by water undertakings under separate provisions.

  A copy of the consultation paper has been placed in the Library.

  Ozone Layer
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the organisations that have been invited to the saving the ozone layer conference on 5 to 7 March 1989; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave on 20 February to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn),Official Report, column 493.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his answer of 25 January,Official Report, column 1010, on the identification of the hole in the ozone layer by the British Antarctic scientific expedition, he will report on progress in ending the use of chlorofluorocarbons in aerosols.

  Mr. Ridley
  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I will be hosting an international conference on 5–7 March in London in order to persuade the world to phase out the use of CFCs for all purposes as soon as practicable, taking account of the availability of safe substitutes.

  Lead-free Fuel
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice is given by his Department to garages to ensure that the correct advice is given to motorists concerning the use of lead-free fuel in different types and makes of vehicles.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  This Department has produced, and is currently updating, the "E" list of cars that can use unleaded petrol without adjustment. This is freely available in booklet and wall chart form.

  The Department of Transport also provides advisory information on the use of unleaded petrol in the "New Car Fuel Consumption" guide.

  We have asked SMMT and MAA to take steps to ensure that their members readily provide necessary information.

  In addition, we also welcome information provided by motoring organisations, oil companies and motor manufacturers.

  Defective Housing
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to give additional assistance to owners and tenants in defective precast reinforced concrete housing.

  Mr. Trippier
  Eligible owners of designated defective properties are entitled to assistance from their local authority under the housing defects legislation. Owners or 704
  tenants could also benefit from our proposed reform of the home improvement grant system, as provided in the Local Government and Housing Bill.

  Radon
  Miss Emma Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to allow local authorities to give home improvement grants to owners of houses for the installation of remedial measures where radon levels are high.

  Mr. Trippier
  The Department has today written to 21 local housing authorities in Cornwall, Devon, Derbyshire and Somerset advising them in what circumstances the Secretary of State is prepared to contribute towards the expense incurred by them in making an improvement grant for radon remedial measures. I am sending a copy of the letter to my hon. Friend.

  Retired People
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider creating a standing committee of representatives of the pensioners' movement together with the Minister and senior civil servants dealing with the areas mainly affecting the retired in housing and environmental matters.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 February 1989]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on Friday 17 February 1989, Official Report, column 404.

  HUMAN RIGHTS: APPLICATIONS TO EUROPEAN COMMISSION
  HUMAN RIGHTS: APPLICATIONS TO EUROPEAN COMMISSION
  RADON REMEDIAL MEASURES: FUNDING
  RADON REMEDIAL MEASURES: FUNDING