Written Answers of 24 May 1989

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Foreign Affairs Council
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 22 May.

  Sir Geoffrey Howe
  The Foreign Affairs Council met in Brussels on 22 May. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State represented the United Kingdom in the Council and at an EC-Israel Co-operation Council later on the same day.

  The council reviewed progress in the Community's negotiations with Poland on a trade and co-operation agreement and agreed on the need for further flexibility in the Community position. In particular, my right hon. Friend the Minister of State pressed for a Community proposal on phasing out quantitative restrictions, which took full account of Polish reform efforts, and for early help with management training. The Commission introduced its draft mandate for negotiations with the USSR on a trade and co-operation agreement and the council agreed to consider it further at its next meeting in June.

  The council discussed the Community's trade relations with the United States. Progress on resolving the dispute over hormones in meat, and setting up GATT panels on soya and sugar, was noted. The council expressed its concern over the implementation of section "Super 301" of the 1988 United States Trade Act, and reaffirmed its intention to refer to GATT any United States action affecting the Community which might appear to be in breach of GATT obligations.

  The council discussed a proposal to complete the annex to the council regulation adopted in December 1987 laying down maximum levels of radioactive contamination of foodstuffs and of feedingstuffs following a nuclear accident or other radiological emergency. A related proposal on the special conditions applying to exports of foodstuffs and feedingstuffs following a nuclear accident was also discussed.

  The Commission reported on the progress in the renegotiation of the Lomé convention and on preparations for the next EC-ACP ministerial meeting in Brussels on 3–5 June.

  The council adopted conclusions on the renegotiation of the international coffee agreement which will form the basis of the Community's position at the special session of the International Coffee Council in London on 5–9 June.

  Remains of General Sikorski
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his 524
  policy to refuse requests that the remains of General Sikorski be removed from the Polish war cemetery at Newark; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The matter is a difficult and delicate one which divides the Polish people, both in Poland and in this country. We periodically receive representations, both for and against the transfer of the remains to Poland, and we review them in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time. The Prime Minister said in Warsaw in November that the time was not yet right for such a transfer.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Vehicle Exports
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his estimate of the import content of United Kingdom exports of (i) cars and (ii) commercial vehicles in 1970, 1979 and 1988.

  Mr. Maude
  The information is not available.

  Weights and Measures (Wine)
  Sir David Price
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he intends to take steps to implement the voluntary code of practice on the sale of wine by the glass in licensed premises.

  Mr. Forth
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone (Mr. McKay) on 16 May at column 115.

  Radio
  Mr. Gale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the review of the civil use of radio frequency spectrum between 470 and 3400 MHz has been completed; and whether he will publish the report.

  Mr. Atkins
  The committee studying civil use of the radio frequency spectrum from 470 to 3400 MHz has completed its review and my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is today publishing the report. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library.

  This review was initiated as part of a rolling programme recommended by the Merriman committee, to audit present use of the radio spectrum, to analyse emerging developments and to assess potential new demands. The report on the corresponding independent review of defence use of this part of the radio spectrum, chaired by Sir Kenneth Corfield, was published in June 1988.

  I am sure that industry and users will welcome this report for its in-depth analysis of the current uses and future demands in this key portion of the radio spectrum. The United Kingdom is already at the forefront in exploring innovative ways of exploiting this crucial, finite, natural resource, and I believe the report makes a significant contribution to the technical base from which United Kingdom can maintain its position at the leading edge of telecommunications exploitation throughout the 1990s and beyond.

  The review was conducted on the basis of existing policy regarding management and allocation of the radio

  525
  spectrum, and is being published in advance of detailed consideration by Government to stimulate interest and to promote discussion.

PRIME MINISTER

  Soviet Diplomats (Expulsion)
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will refer the matters which led to the recent expulsion of Soviet diplomats to the Security Commission.

  The Prime Minister
  No.

  Cabinet Office (Cash Limits)
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Prime Minister if there are any proposals to change the 1989–90 cash limit and running costs limit for the Cabinet Office: other services.

  The Prime Minister
  Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised estimate the cash limit for the Cabinet Office: Other Services (class XX, vote 2) has been reduced by £2,764,000 from £19,403,000 to £16,639,000. This decrease will be offset by a corresponding increase in the cash limit for the Central Statistical Office (class XIX, vote 18) and reflects the transfer of part provision between the Cabinet Office and Central Statistical Office as a result of the reorganisation of the statistical services which I announced on 5 April 1989.

  The running costs limit for the Cabinet Office: Other Services has been reduced by £2,901,000 from £20,984,000 to £18,083,000 in the main as a result of the functions transferred to the Central Statistical Office (£2,898,000) and also to provide £3,000, reclassified from running costs, as a grant in aid to the British national committee for the history of the second world war.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Police Operational Procedures
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the implications for police operational procedures following the conviction of those involved with the killing of PC Frank Mason;

  (2) if he will announce a new inquiry into police operational procedures following the conviction of armed robbers for causing the death of PC Frank Mason;

  (3) whether, in the light of recent experience, new guidelines on stake-out procedures are to be issued to police authorities.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  No. Police operational procedures are a matter for chief officers.

  Woolwich Prison
  Mr. Cartwright
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has received to his invitation to the London borough of Greenwich to suggest a name for the new Woolwich prison; what opportunities will be given to local people to put forward suggestions; and when he expects to announce his decision.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We have not yet received a formal response from the London borough of Greenwich to our 526
  invitation to it to suggest a suitable name for the new prison at Woolwich. We understand that arrangements have been made as is considered necessary. I shall write to the hon. Member once a formal decision has been taken.

  European Elections (Electoral Registers)
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct the election officers, in each of the European election constituencies, to issue to the agents of each prospective candidate a full set of electoral registers for the constituency free of charge; and if he will make a statement on the practice currently being adopted in the north Wales constituency for the June 1989 Euro-elections.

  Mr, Douglas Hogg
  No. The Representation of the People Regulations 1986 (as applied by the European Parliamentary Elections Regulations 1986) include the provision of two free copies of each electoral register in force to each candidate at a European Parliamentary election, and it is the duty of electoral registration officers and acting returning officers to comply with this provision. We are considering the possible need for some further guidance on this point,.

  Barry McKay
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Barry McKay, detained at Risley remand centre, will have his case brought to court; what information he has on(a) this detainee's dietary habits, (b) whether he has lodged any formal complaint and (c) what action has been taken; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Mr. Barry McKay has been at Manchester prison since 29 March and his trial will take place at Chester Crown court on a date yet to be fixed.

  Mr. McKay is a practising Moslem and every effort has been made to meet his dietary requirements since the date of his reception at Risley remand centre on 12 September 1988. However, Mr. McKay refused all food from 27 March until 9 April on which day he requested, and was provided with, food in accordance with the restrictions imposed by Ramadan.

  I understand that Mr. McKay has made no formal complaints about his diet and that he is now accepting food appropriate to the needs of his faith.

  Women Police Officers (South Yorkshire)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of South Yorkshire as to why women police officers in the South Yorkshire police force, who have been on maternity leave or time off to attend to their young children, are reinstated at a lower rank when they return; what is the policy of other police forces in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Under the Police Regulations 1987, women police officers have the right to return to their force after maternity leave (which is limited to nine months after the birth) without any reduction in rank. An officer who has resigned from the service will normally be considered for reappointment only in the rank of constable, although previous service counts for pay purposes.

  Probation Officers
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation officers have been employed in England and Wales during each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. John Patten
  The number of probation officers employed in England and Wales at 31 December in each of the last 10 years was:

  Number

  1979

  5,467

  1980

  5,602

  1981

  5,656

  1982

  5,801

  1983

  5,994

  1984

  6,161

  1985

  6,343

  1986

  6,471

  1987

  6,651

  1988

  6,792

  This is an increase of 1,325, or 24 per cent., in the period in question.

  Hull Prison
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Hull prison was built; what was the originally intended maximum number of prisoners; what is the number on remand or serving custodial sentences there now; and for how many hours daily an inmate is confined to his cell.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Her Majesty's prison Hull was opened in 1870. The accommodation originally comprised 304 single cells (not including those used to house prisoners on reception and undergoing punishment). The establishment's certified normal accommodation is currently 406. On Friday 19 May 621 prisoners were held there, 354 on remand and 267 under sentence.

  The daily routine varies widely as between individual inmates. On average adult inmates at Hull spend at least three and a half hours out of their cells each day for regular purposes such as exercise, ablutions, meals bathing and kit changing, canteen, association and library. The average for young inmates, who receive additional association, is at least four and a half hours. Individual inmates spend additional periods out of their cells for activities such as voluntary education and physical education, work, domestic and official visits and religious services.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people currently at Hull prison have ever been in-patients at a psychiatric hospital or clinic, showing(a) serving a custodial sentence and (b) those on remand.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The information requested is not readily available in respect of the total population of Hull prison and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as records there are not yet computerised. Of the 12 prisoners in the prison hospital on 22 May, five unconvicted prisoners and two convicted prisoners have been in-patients in a psychiatric hospital.

  Horse Race Reporting
  Mr. Henderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to seek 528
  power to enable him to ensure that the BBC and independent television spread out their horse racing coverage evenly throughout the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Renton
  No. It is a long-standing principle that the Government do not intervene in programming matters. Subject to the obligations placed on them by Parliament, it is for the broadcasting authorities to decide which programmes to broadcast and from which locations.

  Litter Act
  Mr. Heddle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will discuss with representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers the practicalities of introducing legislation to allow the police to levy on-the-spot fines for breaches of the Litter Act.

  Mr. John Patten
  We are currently considering a number of proposals for dealing with the litter nuisance. The results of the year-long fixed penalty scheme in Westminster will be available soon, and we shall want to consider these before contemplating the introduction to an on-the-spot fine regime nationally.

  Latchmere House (Detainees)
  Mr. Hanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement on his proposals to transfer detainees from Latchmere house to Haslar in Gosport; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We intend to relocate Immigration Act detainees from Latchmere house remand centre to the prison service establishment at Haslar, Gosport as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made, probably in early July.

  We are taking great care to ensure that facilities a t Haslar adequately meet the needs of the detainees. Haslar will offer a better regime in more suitable premises and will cater for the inmates' religious and welfare meeds.

  The accommodation at Latchmere house will be used to hold remand prisoners from the London area. This measure will make a substantial contribution to our aim of clearing remand prisoners from police cells.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received concerning the imposition of value added tax on pitch fees for static caravans; and if he will make it his policy to achieve consistency between the exemption from value added tax of retired people staying at hotels for periods in excess of four weeks, and such people staying at static caravans for similar periods of time.

  Mr. Lilley
  I have received a number of representations via right hon. and hon. Members and I met representatives of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association and the National Caravan Council on 3 May. There is no direct connection between the long-stay VAT relief for retired people living in hotels and VAT on static caravan pitch rentals at seasonal sites. The relief was introduced to protect retired people living in hotels as their permanent accommodation. There is no VAT at all on pitch rentals in
  529
  non-seasonal caravan sites which may be used as permanent accommodation. Moreover, VAT on seasonal caravan sites applies not to the accommodation as such (the caravans are zero-rated) but only to the pitch rental —which is the right to locate the caravan on the park and have access to all the facilities of the holiday park.

  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the loss of value added tax or of the shortfall on the yield of value added tax as a result of shortages in the number of VAT control officers available for service.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 23 May 1989]: In their management plan for 1989–90 published in March, the commissioners of Customs and Excise estimated that if there was no improvement in the levels of recruitment and retention of staff, and if each additional control officer could secure the average yield of existing officers some £60 million of additional tax could be at stake: around 0·2 per cent. of the total VAT yield. Although Customs and Excise have been facing difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, continuous efforts are being made to offset any potential loss of tax by the increasingly effective targeting of available resources.

  Overseas Assets
  Mr. Andy Stewart
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest figures for the identified stock of United Kingdom net overseas assets; and what these represent as a share of gross domestic product.

  Mr. Major
  An estimate of the value of the stock of United Kingdom net overseas assets identified at end-1988 will be included in the Pink Book in August. The latest estimate is of the order of £115 billion to £120 billion, which represents about one quarter of money GDP.

  Balance of Payments
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the balance of payments for the first quarter of 1989.

  Mr. Major
  The provisional estimate of the current account balance for the first quarter of 1989 was a deficit of £4·5 billion. This is likely to be revised when the full balance of payments accounts are published on 15 June.

  PSA Staff (Pay)
  Sir Eldon Griffiths
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what local pay additions have been, or are being, negotiated with the trade union side of the Whitley council in respect of Property Services Agency civil servants employed in Cambridge; and if he will publish in the Official Report a table of any such supplementary local pay additions as are paid to Cambridge-based officials, but not Newmarket-based staff, by the Property Services Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Trade and Industry, Forestry Commission, Department of the Environment, and other bodies such as the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, in respect of the following grades: AA, AO, Typist, PA and EO.

  Mr. Brooke
  LPA payments are not a matter for negotiation with the trade union side. However, the trade union side in each Department concerned is consulted prior to their introduction.
  530
  The following local pay additions are currently being paid in Cambridge:

  Administrative Assistant

  DTI

  £300 on entry;

  £600 after 1 year; reducing to £400 on the maximum of the pay scale.

  LCD

  £300 after 6 months.

  MAFF

  £300 on entry.

  PSA

  £300 on entry.

  Administrative Officer

  DTI

  £300 on entry;

  £600 after 1 year; reducing to £400 on the maximum of the pay scale.

  Forestry Commission

  £400 after 1 year.

  LCD

  £300 after 6 months.

  Typist

  Forestry Commission

  £400 after 1 year.

  LCD

  £300 after 6 months.

  NIAB

  £500 on entry;

  £600 after 1 year.

  Personal Secretary

  DTI

  £600 on entry.

  Executive Officer

  LCD

  £300 after 6 months.

THE ARTS

  Printed Matter (Preservation)
  Mr. Shersby
  To ask the Minister for the Arts what is his policy towards the recruitment of technically competent staff able to study, develop and manage the preservation and conservation of large quantities of printed and written material in the nation's galleries and archives; and how many qualified technical staff are currently employed in(a) the British museum, (b) the Victoria and Albert museum, (c) the national maritime museum, and (d) the science museum including the national museum of film photography and television in Bradford and the British library.

  Mr. Luce
  Recruitment policy and staff numbers in the British library and the national museums and galleries are matters for their directors, board members and trustees. I attach great importance to the care of items in the national collections and to that end have allocated half of the £13 million increase for the national museums and galleries from 1990–91 to 1991–92 to the management of their collections. I have also set aside up to £100,000 a year for the three years 1989–90 to 1991–92 towards a national manuscript conservation fund, to be administered by the British Library.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Special Education
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schoolchildren are likely to receive some form of special education in each of the next three years; and what will be the cost of meeting those needs.

  Mr. Butcher
  The Department does not project the total number of school pupils likely to receive special education. The number of pupils in special schools (maintained and non-maintained) in England is projected to be:

  Full-time equivalent pupil numbers

  1989

  100,892

  1990

  98,366

  1991

  96,734

  1992

  95,852

  As to costs, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 24 January at column 473. Comparable figures for the financial year 1990–91 and subsequent years have still to be determined as part of the yearly review of future needs. The total spent on special education will partly depend on decisions taken by individual local authorities about the pattern of delivery in their areas.

  Number of maintained primary schools by size January 1988

  North

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  North West

  East Midlands

  West Midlands

  East Anglia

  Greater London

  Other South-East

  South West

  England

  Pupils on roll

  0– 25

  32

  39

  21

  29

  28

  14

  2

  46

  45

  256

  26– 50

  96

  147

  77

  173

  134

  123

  2

  236

  250

  1,238

  51–100

  184

  276

  255

  314

  228

  207

  38

  555

  436

  2,493

  101–200

  546

  846

  1,111

  628

  693

  292

  854

  1,519

  638

  7,127

  201–300

  372

  536

  909

  435

  625

  176

  798

  1,074

  491

  5,416

  301–400

  121

  128

  240

  155

  234

  53

  257

  309

  150

  1,647

  401–500

  27

  32

  68

  38

  82

  16

  81

  81

  29

  454

  501–600

  0

  9

  15

  3

  10

  4

  8

  25

  7

  81

  601–700

  0

  1

  5

  3

  4

  0

  3

  4

  1

  21

  701–800

  0

  0

  0

  0

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  3

  Over 800

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  TOTAL

  1,378

  2,014

  2,701

  1,778

  2,041

  885

  2,043

  3,849

  2,047

  18,736

  Number of maintained middle schools by size January 1988

  North

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  North West

  East Midlands

  West Midlands

  East Anglia

  Greater London

  Other South-East

  South West

  England

  Pupils on roll

  0 to 25

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  1

  26 to 50

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  2

  51 to 100

  3

  8

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  1

  14

  101 to 200

  10

  108

  1

  2

  24

  12

  13

  74

  10

  254

  201 to 300

  20

  110

  1

  10

  54

  38

  27

  169

  13

  442

  301 to 400

  21

  64

  2

  8

  38

  31

  13

  81

  16

  274

  401 to 500

  11

  20

  6

  9

  21

  16

  7

  44

  9

  143

  501 to 600

  5

  10

  0

  4

  5

  3

  1

  11

  2

  41

  601 to 700

  0

  1

  0

  4

  3

  1

  0

  1

  5

  15

  701 to 800

  0

  1

  0

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  4

  Over 800

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Total

  70

  323

  11

  40

  146

  101

  63

  380

  56

  1,190

  School Sizes
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will publish a list showing the numbers of primary schools by size, in each region(a) in relation to pupil numbers and (b) in relation to the group size defined in the schoolteachers' pay and conditions document;

  (2) if he will publish a list showing the numbers of secondary schools by size, in each region (a) in relation to pupil numbers and (b) in relation to the group size defined in the schoolteachers' pay and conditions document;

  (3) if he will publish a list showing the numbers of middle schools by size, in each region (a) in relation to pupil numbers and (b) in relation to the group size defined in the schoolteachers' pay and conditions document.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The following tables show numbers of primary, middle and secondary schools respectively in each region, by size according to(a) pupil numbers and (b) group size as defined in the schoolteachers' pay and conditions document.

  The figures for primary schools by pupil numbers, include seven centres for teaching English as a second language. Four of these centres do not have school group numbers and therefore do not appear on the table for primary schools by group number.
  533

  Number of maintained secondary schools by size January 1988

  North

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  North West

  East Midlands

  West Midlands

  East Anglia

  Greater London

  Other South-East

  South West

  England

  Pupils on roll

  0 to 25

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  26 to 50

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  1

  51 to 100

  1

  0

  3

  1

  3

  1

  2

  2

  0

  13

  101 to 200

  1

  2

  3

  2

  3

  0

  5

  2

  13

  31

  201 to 300

  11

  9

  13

  11

  7

  2

  7

  9

  4

  73

  301 to 400

  8

  11

  18

  25

  17

  7

  20

  27

  13

  146

  401 to 500

  8

  29

  30

  36

  33

  6

  30

  62

  14

  248

  501 to 600

  21

  47

  52

  38

  54

  21

  60

  96

  39

  428

  601 to 700

  29

  38

  57

  50

  61

  21

  45

  89

  36

  426

  701 to 800

  35

  39

  82

  42

  51

  24

  70

  104

  40

  487

  Over 800

  123

  177

  254

  137

  194

  59

  210

  375

  164

  1,693

  TOTAL

  237

  352

  512

  342

  423

  141

  449

  766

  324

  3,546

  Number of maintained primary schools by school group number January 1988

  North

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  North West

  East Midlands

  West Midlands

  East Anglia

  Greater London

  Other South-East

  South West

  England

  School Group

  1

  129

  183

  101

  198

  144

  146

  2

  285

  314

  1,502

  2

  163

  257

  220

  289

  225

  190

  37

  538

  422

  2,341

  3

  215

  320

  426

  256

  250

  147

  191

  648

  330

  2,783

  4

  515

  815

  1,256

  572

  793

  245

  1,116

  1,459

  592

  7,363

  5

  262

  311

  480

  336

  427

  112

  493

  656

  306

  3,383

  6

  89

  115

  193

  113

  174

  40

  189

  236

  76

  1,225

  7

  5

  10

  23

  13

  21

  5

  12

  25

  5

  119

  8

  0

  2

  2

  0

  5

  0

  3

  2

  2

  16

  9

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  10

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  11

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  12

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  13

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  14

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Total

  1,378

  2,013

  2,701

  1,777

  2,039

  885

  2,043

  3,849

  2,047

  18,732

  Number of maintained middle schools by school group number—January 1988

  North

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  North West

  East Midlands

  West Midlands

  East Anglia

  Greater London

  Other South-East

  South West

  England

  School Group

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  1

  2

  3

  1

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  5

  3

  1

  9

  0

  0

  6

  2

  3

  5

  3

  29

  4

  11

  82

  0

  2

  41

  15

  23

  100

  10

  284

  5

  14

  101

  0

  7

  42

  34

  18

  151

  10

  377

  6

  33

  99

  5

  16

  41

  37

  13

  98

  21

  363

  7

  5

  27

  6

  9

  15

  13

  5

  25

  9

  114

  8

  3

  4

  0

  5

  0

  0

  0

  1

  3

  16

  9

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  10

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  11

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  12

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  13

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  14

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Total

  70

  323

  11

  40

  146

  101

  63

  380

  56

  1,190

  Number of maintained secondary schools by school group number January 1988

  North

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  North West

  East Midlands

  West Midlands

  East Anglia

  Greater London

  Other South-East

  South West

  England

  School Group

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4

  —

  —

  2

  2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  5

  5

  3

  1

  1

  —

  3

  1

  —

  2

  3

  14

  6

  3

  3

  2

  6

  4

  3

  1

  5

  7

  34

  7

  2

  9

  8

  14

  8

  4

  7

  18

  8

  78

  8

  6

  15

  28

  47

  38

  7

  28

  45

  31

  245

  9

  30

  46

  62

  49

  63

  39

  60

  108

  51

  508

  10

  76

  96

  197

  91

  133

  28

  151

  260

  88

  1,120

  534 535

  North

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  North West

  East Midlands

  West Midlands

  East Anglia

  Greater London

  Other South-East

  South West

  England

  11

  85

  88

  134

  85

  118

  33

  149

  230

  80

  1,002

  12

  24

  75

  65

  33

  49

  20

  46

  72

  47

  431

  13

  8

  18

  12

  13

  5

  5

  6

  18

  7

  92

  14

  —

  1

  1

  2

  2

  1

  1

  8

  1

  17

  Total

  237

  352

  512

  342

  423

  141

  449

  766

  324

  3,546

  Teachers
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of teachers who qualify in(a) Surrey and (b) England and Wales do not go into teaching the following year.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The latest information on the destinations of students successfully completing initial teacher training in England and Wales relates to 1988 for the university departments of education and to 1987 for the other training institutions. These data indicate that 19 per cent. of those qualifying and whose destination was known had not taken up a teaching post anywhere in the United Kingdom by the end of the same year. Some of these were still seeking a teaching post and will have entered teaching subsequently.

  There are no initial teacher training institutions in the Surrey education authority area.

  Small Schools
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to help maintain small schools in rural areas of the three counties of Yorkshire, and Humberside.

  Mr. Butcher
  It is for the individual local education authorities concerned to decide their policies in relation to small schools in rural areas; but my right hon. Friend provides an education support grant for the support of small rural primary schools. My right hon. Friend is also supporting a research project by the university of Leicester to evaluate the pilot projects with a view to making recommendations on practices which could be replicated successfully in other local education authorities.

  Pupil Records (Access)
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to be able to make regulations providing parents and older pupils with a right of access to school records, and students with a right of access to further education records.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend hopes shortly to make regulations about the keeping, disclosure and transfer of education records on pupils. A consultative document on access to further education student records will issue later this year.

  Superannuation Contributions
  Mr. Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information is available to his Department as to the assumptions made by local education authorities concerning employers' superannuation contributions for teachers in drawing up their budgets for 1989–90; how many authorities are known to have 536
  made no adjustment at that time for the reduction in contribution rates taken into account in the block grant settlement; if he will estimate the number of authorities likely to have (a) 1·4 per cent. and (b) 0·4 per cent. reductions in superannuation contributions in hand to offset the underfunding of the school teachers' pay rise for 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Butcher
  The local authority settlement for 1989–90, which preceded the report of the Government actuary assumed savings of about 1 per cent. in employers' contributions to the teachers' superannuation scheme. We do not know how many authorities took the 1 per cent. savings into account in drawing up their budgets for 1989–90. Following the actuary's report authorities generally were able to take into account the additional saving of 0·4 per cent.

  School Governors
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has received any representations about the guidance being given to school governors on their new responsibilities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Various representations have been received. In particular, many school governors and others have commended the DES publication "School Governors: A Guide To The Law".

  Women Teachers (Pensions)
  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will exempt women teachers from the payment of additional superannuation contributions to cover equal pension rights in the period 1982 to 1988; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Butcher
  No. When the inequality between widows and widowers benefits was removed in respect of service after 6 April 1988, it was agreed that women teachers should be given the opportunity to pay additional contributions to cover their service before that date for widowers benefits. Contributions before 6 April 1988 did not cover service for widowers' benefits and such service must therefore be paid for.

  Council of Ministers
  Mr. Patrick Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the outcome of the meeting of Education Ministers in Brussels on 22 May including the negotiations over the Lingua programme; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  European Community Education Ministers reached agreement on 22 May over a Lingua programme which is expected to cost £130 million from
  537
  the European Community budget over the period 1990–1994. In support of policies adopted by member states to promote increased competence in modern languages, the programme will support periods of integrated study in another member state for foreign languages students in higher education; assist teachers of foreign languages in schools and in further and adult education to extend their professional skills, particularly through periods spent in another member state; provide support in the field of language training for the existing work force; and encourage the development of exchanges with institutions in other member states for young people in professional, vocational or technical training.

  The Select Committee on European Legislation, having considered my Department's explanatory memoranda dated 17 February and 8 May 1989, on 10 May recommended a debate, but it was found impossible to arrange this before the Education Ministers' meeting on 22 May. Given the possible danger of a vote being taken on the basis of article 128, which requires a simple majority, I had informed the Chairman of the Select Committee on 17 May that, if unanimity could be secured under article 235 on a proposal acceptable to the Government, I judged I should not withhold United Kingdom agreement. This proved to be the case and the programme I have described was adopted by unanimity under articles 128 and 235. I regret that in these circumstances it was impossible to complete the normal scrutiny process.

  Education Ministers also agreed to negotiation of the extension to EFTA countries of the Community programme on co-operation between universities and industry in technology training. It was accepted that agreement was without prejudice to our case before the European Court of Justice, contesting the legal validity of the Council's adoption of the second phase of the programme under article 128. Ministers also agreed to resolutions on educational provision for the children of gipsies and other travelling groups.

  Science Base
  Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what objectives the Government hope to achieve from its £1·6 billion expenditure in the current year on the science base.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  The purposes and objectives of DES expenditure on research are set out in a document on the new system of resource management introduced on 1 April by the research councils, Her Majesty's Treasury and my Department. A copy has been placed in the Library but the relevant section is reproduced below:

  1. The purposes of DES expenditure on research are, and should continue to be:

  For the good of the United Kingdom:
  to advance knowledge and technological capability;
  to help produce qualified manpower at postgraduate level; and in these and other ways;
  to help achieve economic, social and cultural benefits.

  The overall strategy objective should therefore be:
  "To develop and maintain a world competitive United Kingdom Science Base in higher education and the Research Councils, characterised by creativity and vitality, which: delivers high-quality basic and strategic research output predominantly in areas with promise of commercial exploitability and other useful applications; and contributes to the preparation of the well-educated manpower which the United Kingdom economy needs."

  2. The main objectives are:
  538
  Quality

  (a) to increase the output of high quality research from the Science Base; and

  (b) to increase the quality and utility of postgraduate education; by

  (c) enhancing the research capability of the Science Base, notably through greater concentration of research activities and more selective allocation of resources;

  (d) ensuring that basic research is properly and adequately sustained, so that creative scientists have opportunity to develop the original insights from which new inventions flow;

  (e) increasing the responsiveness of the Science Base, having regard both to scientific opportunities and perceived national needs, and the balance between them;

  (f) increasing international collaboration in science where this gives good value for money—for instance where necessary concentration cannot be achieved at the national level—and having particular regard to possibilities for co-operation within the EC.

  Exploitability

  In collaboration with industry and other Departments as appropriate:

  (g) to move the balance of research activity towards exploitable areas, having regard both to commercial uses and to those which bring other benefits, such as in health and in the environment;

  (h) to promote greater common purpose between the Science Base and its users—in industry, commerce and government;

  (i) to be more selective in the choice of research activities, with particular regard to exploitability as well as quality;

  (j) to increase inderdisciplinary collaboration in research and related postgraduate education;

  (k) to increase the commercial exploitation and other uses of research outputs;

  (l) to further commercial and other use of Science Base facilities and capabilities where appropriate.

  Manpower

  In addition to the manpower aspects of the preceding objectives:

  (m) to secure a better match between support for postgraduate training and the needs of United Kingdom employers;

  (n) to secure an adequate supply of, and better mobility for, very highly qualified manpower for research in industry and the Science Base;

  (o) to improve opportunities for the most able researchers who might otherwise leave research or emigrate;

  (p) to improve the management, career development and training of scientists in the Science Base.

  A Coherent, Efficient and Effective System

  As a means to achieving the former objectives:

  (q) to bring about greater coherence between higher education and the Research Councils, by promoting shared objectives, concerted planning, and where appropriate shared resources;

  (r) to develop better communication and understanding between the Science Base and the users of its outputs, notably industry and commerce;

  (s) to increase the efficiency and quality of research management and administration in the Science Base;

  (t) to increase accountability for the allocation and use of expenditure on research, notably in higher education;

  (u) to promote further development of monitoring and evaluation of research policy and performance by the Science Base itself;

  (v) to develop, monitor and evaluate policy for DES expenditure on research;

  (w) to raise the level of United Kingdom understanding of, and regard for, the role of the Science Base in national life and especially in wealth creation.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Anglo-Irish Agreement
  Mr. Temple-Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on developments since the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

  Mr. Tom King
  I have arranged for a paper to be prepared outlining developments since the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Copies of the paper are being placed in the Library. The text is as follows:

  DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE SIGNING OF THE ANGLO-IRISH AGREEMENT

  Introduction—The Agreement
  1. The Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Margaret Thatcher, FRS, MP, and the then Taoiseach, Dr. Garret FitzGerald TD, signed a formal and binding agreement between their two Governments on 15 November 1985 with the aims of promoting peace and stability in Northern Ireland; creating a new climate of friendship and co-operation between the people of the two countries; and improving co-operation in combating terrorism. The agreement deals in particular with the status of Northern Ireland, (article 1), in which both Governments:

  (a) affirm that any change in the status of Northern Ireland would only come about with the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland.

  (b) recognise that the present wish of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland is for no change in the status of Northern Ireland.

  (c) declare that, if in the future a majority of the people of Northern Ireland clearly wish for and formally consent to the establishment of a united Ireland, they will introduce and support in the respective Parliaments legislation to give effect to that wish.

  The agreement also provides for the establishment of an intergovernmental conference in which the Irish Government put forward views and proposals concerning stated aspects of Northern Ireland affairs and in which the promotion of cross-border co-operation is discussed and in which determined efforts are made to resolve any differences between the two Governments.
  2. Since the signature of the agreement a number of measures and new arrangements have been introduced affecting the lives of both sections of the community in Northern Ireland. While it is true that some of these were already in hand before the agreement was signed, it is clear that there has been great benefit from the new and substantive co-operation and dialogue between the British and Irish governments established under the agreement.

  The work of the Intergoverntnental Conference and its Secretariat
  3. The intergovernmental conference was set up, under article 2 of the agreement, to deal, on a regular basis, with political matters; security and related matters; legal matters (including the administration of justice); and the promotion of cross-border co-operation. It has provided a valuable framework for the conduct of Anglo-Irish relations with particular regard to Northern Ireland. The conference, supported by the secretariat, has provided a forum which has enabled Ministers and senior officials of both sides to maintain close and frequent contact, which has given them a greater awareness of the political and other realities against which the other side has to operate. It has thus reduced the risk of misunderstandings arising over particular incidents and increased the likelihood of problems being resolved in a spirit of co-operation and without acrimony. It has enabled each side to take decisions within its jurisdiction with greater knowledge and awareness of the likely impact and reactions on the other side. It has also been welcomed internationally, where it has been recognised as establishing a better relationship between the British and Irish Governments and as making a very positive contribution to addressing the fundamental problems of Northern Ireland.
  540
  4. The conference has met frequently since its first meeting on 11 December 1985. The issues discussed by the conference have been summarised in the joint statements published after each conference meeting. The continuing effort to improve cross-border security co-operation is an important and regular item on the agenda of conference meetings. A wide range of other matters has also been considered; and the discussions in the conference are helpful, among other things, in ensuring that minority concerns are taken into account in subsequent policy decisions by the Government. Thus, for example, the Government's proposals which have led to the introduction of further fair employment legislation for Northern Ireland have been discussed at many conference meetings. Other subjects which have benefited from regular discussion include the enhancement of confidence in the system of justice and relations between the community and the security forces. The outcome of many of these discussions is reflected in the body of this paper.
  5. Another area in which discussions have proved valuable is the "Making Belfast Work" project launched by the Government in July 1988. The project is aimed at increasing progress in tackling the problems in the disadvantaged areas of Belfast; additional resources have been provided and the "Strategy for Action" was published in January 1989. A detailed programme of further action planned in these areas in the financial year 1989–90, amounting to £15 million in government expenditure, was announced in March 1989. An initiative to stimulate the regeneration of Londonderry was launched in December 1988.

  6. Article 3 of the agreement states that:
  A Secretariat shall be established by the two Governments to service the Conference on a continuing basis in the discharge of its functions as set out in this Agreement."
  The secretariat is responsible for making the arrangements for conference meetings. This includes the holding of preparatory discussions between officials, agreeing the agenda between the two sides, recording the discussions at the conference itself, and, as appropriate, ensuring that work agreed on at the conference is taken forward.
  7. The Secretariat was established at Maryfield outside Belfast. It is headed by British and Irish joint secretaries, with a small supporting staff. As agreed by the two Governments at the first meeting of the conference, the secretariat has functioned as a continuing channel of communication between the two sides on all matters covered by the articles of the agreement. It enables messages to be passed promptly and potential problems to be swiftly addressed. It has also served as a forum for each side to explain the broad aspects of its security policy and as a channel to convey to the British authorities at high levels the views of the Irish Government in respect of the interests of the nationalist community.
  8. The secretariat is not a "complaints bureau" nor does it have executive or operational responsibilities.
  9. Set out below is a summary of the progress made under each main area of activity of the agreement.

  Rights and identities of the two traditions; human rights and the prevention of discrimination.
  10. Progress has been achieved in the following areas:

  (i) Legislation has been enacted ending the anomaly whereby "I" voters have been unable to vote in district council elections. (The Elected Authorities (NI) Act 1989).

  (ii) The Flags and Emblems Act (NI) 1954 has been repealed.

  (iii) The Fair Employment (NI) Bill which has been introduced in the current parliamentary Session provides for further measures to eliminate religious discrimination and promote equality of opportunity in employment, including:

  (a) compulsory monitoring of religious composition of workforce and periodic review of employment practices;

  (b) establishing a new, and strengthened Fair Employment Commission (and a new Fair Employment Tribunal with wide enforcement powers);

  (c) economic sanctions—those in breach of statutory obligations ineligible to tender for public sector business or for Government grants;

  (d) a new code of practice to be drawn up by the new commission;

  541

  (e) The commission may issue enforceable directions obliging employers to take affirmative action measures and may issue notices relating to goals and timetables.

  (iv) The police have been given greater powers to control parades and marches which are likely to give rise to provocation. (Public Order (NI) Order 1987);

  (v) The law on prevention of incitement to hatred has been strengthened. (Public Order (NI) Order 1987).

  (vi) Irish Language
  Irish views on the place in the curriculum of the Irish language were taken into account during the formal consultation on education reform in Northern Ireland;Guidance has been issued to Government Departments on the use in official business of Irish personal names and on the handling of correspondence in Irish;Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (OSNI) has produced and published a dual-language map and gazetteer of Northern Ireland;
  A question on the Irish language will be included in the 1991 census.

  Role and Composition of Public Bodies
  11. The British side has provided the Irish side with briefing on the arrangements for public appointments in Northern Ireland and provides information about forthcoming vacancies, and has considered any suggestions made by the Irish side.

  Security Policy, Relations between the Security Forces and the Community, and Prisons Policy
  12. The Government believe that creating wider and stronger public support for the police and the armed forces in Northern Ireland is as essential as progress in political, security and economic policies. Security force commanders seek to ensure through training and briefing that the security forces treat members of the public with the highest standards of courtesy at all times. The conference has devoted considerable attention to ways of improving relations between the security forces and the community. The Irish side have put forward a number of proposals in this area. Measures taken include:
  Explicit confirmation of the policy pursued since 1984 that, wherever possible, patrols by the armed forces that are likely to come into contact with the public should be accompanied by a member of the RUC;
  Improvements in the procedure for handling complaints against the police, including the establishment of an independent commission for police complaints. (Police (NI) Order 1987);
  The RUC has made considerable efforts to increase the level of recruitment from the minority community;
  The RUC Chief Constable has introduced a new code of conduct for all RUC officers (placed in the House of Commons Library on 15 March 1988);
  The Police Authority for Northern Ireland and the Chief Constable of the RUC have jointly written to district councils proposing a widely representative scheme of police/community liaison committees based on police sub-divisions;
  The forthcoming Police and Criminal Evidence (NI) Order will introduce a statutory requirement for the police to liaise with the local community;
  The Army has introduced new procedures to ensure that, wherever possible, allegations of misbehaviour against members of the armed forces will be resolved with a response to the complainant within three to four weeks; A committee of British officials has been established to keep under review the number and nature of allegations of misbehaviour by members of the security forces and the speed and effectiveness with which they are handled.
  13. In June 1988 the Secretary of State announced a special review of all the remaining special category life sentence prisoners, and shortly afterwards a special review of the remaining Secretary of State's pleasure prisoners who had served more than eight years. Details of the initial results of the SOSP review were made public shortly before Christmas, and the initial results of the special category review were announced in March.
  542
  Legal matters, including the Administration of Justice
  14. A number of improvements have been made in the system of justice in Northern Ireland, which help improve the confidence of the minority community in that system. These include:
  Making all arrest powers exercisable only on the basis of reasonable suspicion—Northern Ireland Emergency Provisions Act (EPA) 1987
  Reducing the maximum period that a suspect can be held without further ministerial authority from 72 to 48 hours (EPA 1987)
  Establishing a statutory right of access to a solicitor within 48 hours of arrest (EPA 1987)
  Providing that suspects are entitled at the time of their arrest to inform a friend or relative of their arrest and whereabouts (EPA 1987)
  Instituting annual independent reviews of the Emergency Provisions Acts, and establishing a fixed term of five years on those Acts (EPA 1987)
  Statutory changes to the admissibility of confession evidence, to make clear that confessions obtained by the use or threat of violence are not admissible and that confessions can be excluded in the interests of justice (EPA 1987)
  new powers for scheduled offences to be heard outside Belfast. (EPA 1987).
  regular publication of statistics on the operation of the EPA.
  a number of measures have been taken in recent years to reduce the delay between first remand and trial, which for most cases has been significantly reduced since 1985.
  under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978 (Amendment) Order 1986, a number of offences were added to those which the Attorney-General is capable of certifying out of the scheduled mode of trial.

  And in the near future
  the Police and Criminal Evidence (NI) Order will, subject to the approval of Parliament, provide the same safeguards for persons detained for police questioning under the ordinary criminal law as are provided in England and Wales in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
  a guide to the exercise of emergency powers will be publishd and made widely available.
  15. There has been continuous discussion of extradition and related matters to ensure that fugitive offenders are brought to justice. The conference is concerned with policy aspects of extradition and extraterritorial jurisdiction as between north and south and its discussions have improved the understanding of the relevant authorities on these matters. This has helped to ensure that agreement on the need for fair and effective procedures for extradition and for the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction is matched by understanding of the procedural and other requirements. Significant developments have been the ratification by the Irish Government of the European convention on the suppression of terrorism, and the narrowing down of the political offence exception, initially by the Irish courts. The two Governments have also reaffirmed the importance of making use of the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act 1976 and the Criminal Jurisdiction Act 1975 in appropriate cases. To try to ensure effective procedures for dealing with the problem of fugitive offenders, a wide range of issues concerning extradition law and procedure have been kept under review. These have included the provision for arrest and detention, the arrangements for the transfer of prisoners where extradition is ordered, and the procedural and other requirements which must be satisfied before extradition can be ordered.

  Security Co-operation
  16. The conference has provided the framework through which security co-operation has been developed and extended. Much of the detail must obviously remain confidential but progress has been made in each of the areas identified in the agreement including joint threat assessments, the exchange of information, liaison structures, technical co-operation, training and operational planning. As well as the provision for regular ministerial discussion of security matters at the conference, there is now a series of regular meetings between the two police forces at headquarters and

  543
  operational levels under the direction of the Chief Constable of the RUC and the Commissioner of the Garda Siochana with whom the operational responsibility lies. These meetings are concerned with a wide range of operational, technical and communications matters to improve the day to day co-operation between the two forces. Among the procedures agreed is one for close co-operation in dealing with suspect terrorist devices located near the border. This procedure has been used on a number of occasions and has proved of great benefit to the bomb disposal experts on both sides. It is the firm intention of both police forces to achieve further improvements in co-operation using the new structures which have been established under the auspices of the conference.

  Cross-Border Co-operation on Economic, Social and Cultural Matters
  17. The most significant achievement in the field of economic and social co-operation under article 10 has been the establishment of the International Fund for Ireland. This has already received contributions of more than $120 million from the United States, Canada and New Zealand. The fund has also received the bulk of the first instalment of the European Community contribution of 15 million ecu a year (about £10 million). By the end of February 1989 the fund had approved support of over UK £52 million to over 1,000 projects, which hold out the prospect of some 4,500 new permanent jobs, the preservation of 1,500 more, and the provision of 4,000 jobs in specific construction projects. The work of the fund has involved close, practical cross border co-operation at many levels. As it moves into its second phase the fund is devoting a greater proportion of its resources to the areas of greatest need, both in Northern Ireland (which receives 75 per cent. of the resources disbursed by the fund), and in the six border counties of the Republic: of the grants approved by end-February 1989, some two thirds are located in areas of greatest need. The fund has also established investment companies in both Northern Ireland and the Republic to provide venture capital, either through equity or loan, on the basis of structly commercial criteria.
  18. There has also been discussion, under the auspices of the agreement, of further cross-border co-operation on tourism, roads, transport, water quality, fisheries, education and social welfare, as well as consideration of social and economic problems in the north-west. In the field of health, Ministers have introduced arrangemets for referrals for certain specialised treatments between Belfast and Dublin; undertaken co-ordinated health promotion and immunisation campaigns; and ensured exchange of contracts and plans to deal with major accidents. The possibilities of joint investment in specialised equipment and of co-operation in procurement of supplies are being pursued.
  19. This paper concerns the main areas of activity of the conference. It shows that, under the agreement, there have been constructive and useful exchanges on a wide range of matters. The review of the working of the conference, now being completed, looks to the further development of co-operation within the framework of the agreement.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Payroll Giving
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much was raised for charity through the payroll giving scheme in (i) 1987–88 and (ii) 1988–89.

  Mr. Scott
  The amounts raised through the joint payroll giving schemes solely of the Departments of Health and of Social Security were as follows:

  Year

  Amount £

  1987–88

  11,582

  1988–89

  45,624

  1The scheme became operational from 1 March 1988.

  Residential Care
  Mr. Wolfson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action is open to him to ensure that the necessary funds are available to provide residential care for the severely handicapped when top-up funding from the local authority is not available.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Income support is available to help people in private and voluntary residential care and nursing homes meet the fees they pay. The same help is available to temporary residents as to permanent ones.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Wolfson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what studies have been done to monitor the effects of changes in social security benefits on the number of homeless living rough in London and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  We are not aware of any study specifically of this issue. The causes of living rough are complex and we believe it would be difficult to isolate the effects of any single factor.

  Pensioners
  Mr. Wolfson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many men and women who have reached retirement age before 1 October will fall outside the scope of the abolition of the retirement pensions earnings rule.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The earnings rule only applies for the first five years after pension age (65 for a man and 60 for a woman). Individuals aged over 70 (men) and 65 (women) have always been able to earn as much as they wish, with no reduction in state retirement pension; and they will continue to be able to do so after 1 October. There are approximately 7·7 million retirement pensioners aged over 70 (men) and 65 (women) who will not be affected by the abolition of the retirement pension earnings rule.

  Community Care Grants
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state the community care grants budget for each of the Liverpool Department of Social Security offices for each of the past two years.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Details of the social fund budget allocations for 1988–89 and 1989–90 are in the Library.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will extend the scope of the community care grants; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he has any plans to allow persons on invalidity benefit who have been institutionalised to receive community care grants; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I refer the hon. Member to my hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 16 December at columns 750–51.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if his Department has established any procedures for monitoring claimants who apply for social fund payments.
  545
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  We have commissioned the social policy research unit at the university of York to carry out research into the operation of the social fund. This research will include studies of samples of social fund applicants.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to start the social fund consolidation training courses for social fund officers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Consideration is currently being given to deciding what further training might be required by social fund officers and what form such training might take. At present, social fund officers receive a comprehensive three week training course covering all aspects of the social fund.

  Computers
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the current use and effectiveness of the microcomputer projects in his local offices.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The microcomputer projects have been in daily use in local offices for some time. The micros help calculate new income support claims, help process social fund applications, automate bulk payments of claimants' fuel bills, collate management information statistics and aid the speedy location of claimants' files. Since their introduction, significant enhancements have been added to improve performance.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the number of occasions on which there has been a breakdown of micro-computers used in all his local offices since the inception of the social fund; and if he will make a statement on the effects of such breakdowns on the efficiency of the service.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The information requested is as follows:

  All LOMP systems: The number of breakdown faults reported to the LOMP central help desk for the period 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989 was 2,161 for all LOMP systems. Contingency arrangements for ensuring the efficiency of the service exist for all systems and these were complemented when necessary.

  Social Fund System: The number of breakdown faults reported to the LOMP central help desk for the period 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989 was 992 for the social fund system. Contingency arrangements for ensuring the efficiency of the service exist for social fund and these were implemented when necessary.

  Disability
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to receive and publish the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys reports to his Department relating to the potential demand from persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  In the period up to July 1989 the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys is publishing a series of reports on the findings of the surveys of disability in Great Britain carried out between 1985 and 1988. Three reports have already been published covering the prevalance of 546
  disability among adults, the financial circumstances of disabled adults in private households and the prevalence of disability among children. The remaining reports will cover further aspects of the circumstances of disabled adults, including use of services, transport and employment; the financial circumstances of families with a disabled child living in private households and further aspects of the circumstances of disabled children, including use of services, transport and education. Taken together, the six reports will provide the most comprehensive and detailed information ever collected about disabled people in this country.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to review the disability benefit system; and what plans he has to consult on this.

  Mr. Scott
  I refer the hon. Member to my replies to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) on 17 April 1988 at columns 10–11 and 22 May 1988 at column 428.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many complaints have been received by his Department concerning doctors' conduct in examining claimants for disability benefits; how many have been removed from approved Department of Social Security lists; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  Doctors working on behalf of the Department conduct almost 700,000 medical examinations each year on claimants for disability benefits. Although a central register is not kept on the number of complaints received concerning the conduct of doctors in examining claimants, those which are received are all thoroughly investigated and represent but a very small fraction of the total numbers of medical examinations undertaken. Very occasionally it has proved necessary to cease using a doctor whose conduct continues to provoke complaints, but, again, no central register is kept of the numbers.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will tabulate the number of successful applications for the review of attendance allowance and break down these figures into those who sought review because they were dissatisfied with the original decision and those who did so because their condition had deteriorated; and if he will give the figures for 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.

  Mr. Scott
  The information requested is in the table.

  Number of decisions reviewed and revised by the Attendance

  Allowance Board and its delegates by reason for review 1985–88

  Reason for review

  Year

  Number of decisions reviewed and revised

  Dissatisfaction

  Relevant change of circumstances

  1985

  30,101

  12,737

  17,364

  19861

  30,248

  13,644

  16,604

  19872

  43,123

  19,190

  23,933

  19883

  39,513

  17,473

  22,040

  1 To 14 November 1986.

  2 From 15 November 1986 to 8 January 1988.

  3 From 9 January 1988.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the average cost per claim for attendance allowance per year for each year since 1985 for
  547
  those claims that were (a) granted, (b) granted on review and (c) refused on review; and if he will break this down into the costs of arbitration and of fees;

  (2) what is the average cost per claim for mobility allowance per year for each year since 1985 for those claims that were (a) granted, (b) granted on review, (c) granted on appeal and (d) refused on review; and if he will break this down into the cost of administration and doctors' fees.

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

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by what methods doctors are recruited to examine claimants for attendance and mobility allowances; how their performance is monitored; if he has any plans to recruit other suitably qualified persons to perform this role; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  Claimants for the attendance allowance and mobility allowance are examined by doctors selected and trained by the regional office senior medical officer (ROSMO) from registered medical practitioners who will have either made an application to be considered for this role or been nominated by their peers for this task.

  The doctors selected are usually recruited from among general practitioners within the locality who will have demonstrable knowledge of local socio-economic conditions, established experience in general medical practice and evident expertise in conducting medical examinations. Before a doctor undertakes examinations on claimants for the attendance and mobility allowance guidance is given by the ROSMO, or regional office medical officer (ROMO), on the background of, and requirements for, that particular benefit. This instruction is supplemented by written guidance notes for reference. Initially, the performance of the examining doctor is closely monitored by the ROSMO who will institute further training sessions as appropriate; thereafter, there is some monitoring of reports by the ROSMO to identify any further need for guidance. The form, nature and pattern of such monitoring may vary and are dictated by the individual ROSMO.

  Budgeting Loans and Community Care Grants: Numbers and percentage awards by client groups for year 1988–89

  Client Groups (see Key)

  00

  01

  02

  03

  04

  05

  06

  07

  08

  09

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  Total awards

  Budgeting Loans

  Great Britain

  0·5

  0·3

  0·6

  3·9

  0·4

  3·6

  3·6

  43·9

  0·7

  2·1

  16·7

  18·8

  1·0

  3·8

  0·0

  n/a

  504,629

  North East Region

  0·3

  0·3

  0·7

  4·1

  0·4

  2·7

  3·0

  42·8

  0·8

  2·2

  20·9

  17·6

  0·9

  3·3

  0·0

  n/a

  101,558

  Gateshead

  0·3

  0·2

  0·9

  4·3

  0·1

  2·2

  3·1

  43·4

  0·4

  2·3

  23·6

  15·8

  0·7

  2·4

  0·0

  n/a

  2,705

  Newcastle St. James

  0·4

  0·1

  0·6

  4·2

  0·5

  2·5

  4·1

  39·7

  0·6

  2·6

  16·7

  22·9

  0·8

  4·4

  0·0

  n/a

  2,266

  Newcastle East

  0·3

  0·1

  1·0

  4·0

  0·5

  3·0

  3·5

  45·7

  0·7

  2·0

  16·1

  20·1

  0·7

  2·4

  0·0

  n/a

  1,953

  Newcastle West

  0·5

  0·2

  0·5

  3·7

  0·3

  3·4

  3·4

  49·9

  0·7

  1·7

  22·0

  11·3

  0·5

  2·0

  0·0

  n/a

  2,134

  Wallsend

  0·3

  0·6

  0·6

  4·8

  0·4

  2·8

  4·2

  45·3

  0·4

  2·0

  22·3

  12·8

  0·6

  3·0

  0·0

  n/a

  1,326

  Houghton le Spring

  0·1

  0·6

  0·5

  3·6

  0·6

  1·6

  3·4

  44·6

  0·3

  1·5

  28·7

  11·3

  1·4

  1·7

  0·0

  n/a

  949

  Jarrow

  0·7

  0·3

  0·8

  4·2

  0·3

  2·2

  4·0

  45·6

  0·5

  2·8

  20·4

  14·7

  1·0

  2·4

  0·0

  n/a

  1,231

  North Shields

  0·1

  0·6

  0·7

  5·0

  0·7

  1·6

  4·2

  49·6

  1·1

  1·8

  19·6

  12·2

  0·9

  2·0

  0·0

  n/a

  1,213

  South Shields

  0·2

  0·2

  0·6

  4·7

  0·3

  3·6

  5·7

  42·8

  1·0

  1·5

  16·9

  18·9

  0·5

  3·3

  0·0

  n/a

  1,731

  Sunderland North

  0·3

  0·3

  0·7

  4·1

  0·2

  3·5

  2·9

  40·3

  1·2

  2·2

  21·9

  17·8

  0·8

  3·8

  0·0

  n/a

  3,811

  Sunderland South

  0·3

  0·1

  0·9

  4·0

  0·2

  2·9

  3·3

  38·3

  1·1

  2·5

  20·5

  20·1

  0·7

  5·1

  0·0

  n/a

  2,388

  Community Care Grants

  Great Britain

  0·4

  4·5

  3·7

  14·3

  0·9

  3·4

  10·0

  25·2

  0·7

  1·5

  9·5

  16·4

  2·0

  6·3

  0·0

  1·1

  152,574

  North East Region

  0·4

  3·7

  3·7

  14·5

  1·0

  3·2

  9·3

  26·2

  0·7

  1·3

  11·7

  16·3

  1·8

  5·9

  0·0

  0·8

  27,824

  Gateshead

  0·5

  3·0

  7·9

  14·2

  0·0

  3·7

  11·6

  28·5

  0·2

  2·0

  9·1

  12·8

  1·4

  4·3

  0·0

  0·8

  522

  Newcastle S. James

  0·9

  4·3

  3·0

  18·0

  0·9

  3·3

  7·2

  18·2

  1·1

  1·3

  6·3

  27·3

  2·2

  6·1

  0·0

  0·0

  475

  Newcastle East

  0·7

  9·3

  5·0

  20·5

  1·7

  1·2

  7·9

  23·3

  0·0

  0·7

  3·8

  16·9

  1·2

  6·9

  0·0

  1·0

  440

  548
  By their very nature the medical examinations required for the purpose of determining eligibility for these allowances need the expertise and experience possessed by general medical practitioners who are able to provide a consistency of advice across a wide range of disabilities and age groups. In the small number of cases where a specialist opinion is required to determine diagnosis, or assist in resolving complex cases, an independent report is solicited from a consultant clinician who would possess the necessary specialist knowledge applicable to the individual case. Moreover, the Attendance Allowance Board or its delegate in the case of attendance allowance, or an independent adjudicating officer in the matter of mobility allowance, has access not only to the examining doctor's report but other evidence considered necessary, such as psychological, head teacher's and hospital's reports and so on. The present arrangements thus allow for suitably qualified persons to be approached, as necessary, in an individual case.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total number of registered disabled persons for the latest date available.

  Mr. Scott
  The total number of physically disabled persons registered with local authorities in England at 31 March 1987 was 1,230,632.

  Loans and Grants
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total number and percentage of(a) budgetary loans and (b) community care grants awarded to the 15 client groups defined by his Department for (i) Great Britain, (ii) the northern Department of Social Security region and (iii) each of the departments of Social Security serving the Tyne and Wear area for the financial year 1988–89.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  [holding answer 15 May 1989]: Provisional estimates for the year 1988–89 based on data for the period June 1988 to March 1989 are as follows:
  549

  Client Groups (see Key)

  00

  01

  02

  03

  04

  05

  06

  07

  08

  09

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  Total awards

  Newcastle West

  0·4

  4·6

  3·6

  21·8

  0·6

  1·5

  10·1

  20·1

  0·8

  1·1

  10·3

  16·1

  1·9

  5·9

  0·0

  1·1

  539

  Wallsend

  0·0

  1·7

  4·7

  16·7

  0·9

  1·3

  9·8

  28·2

  0·0

  0·4

  8·1

  20·9

  2·1

  3·4

  0·0

  1·7

  250

  Houghton le Spring

  0·5

  5·5

  4·1

  4·1

  0·5

  3·2

  14·5

  21·8

  0·5

  1·8

  30·9

  10·0

  0·9

  1·8

  0·0

  0·0

  237

  Jarrow

  0·0

  5·1

  6·8

  19·5

  0·6

  4·5

  9·9

  25·7

  0·3

  0·8

  9·0

  10·7

  1·7

  4·8

  0·0

  0·6

  365

  North Shields

  0·3

  4·9

  3·9

  11·2

  0·6

  2·1

  11·2

  27·3

  0·0

  0·0

  12·1

  17·9

  0·3

  7·3

  0·0

  0·9

  341

  South Shields

  0·2

  2·9

  3·6

  17·1

  1·0

  1·7

  10·3

  26·7

  0·2

  1·0

  7·8

  18·4

  2·1

  6·8

  0·0

  0·8

  546

  Sunderland North

  0·2

  1·9

  2·9

  12·7

  0·8

  1·5

  9·2

  24·2

  1·0

  2·1

  15·2

  21·9

  1·3

  4·6

  0·0

  0·6

  543

  Sunderland South

  0·3

  3·7

  4·0

  14·4

  0·8

  3·2

  11·2

  20·5

  1·1

  1·3

  8·3

  18·9

  4·5

  6·9

  0·0

  0·8

  386

  n/a =Not applicable.

  Key

  Code

  Meaning

  00

  Unallocated or unidentified (by default)

  Applicant or partner aged 60 or over

  01

  Over 80–—with Income Support higher pensioner premium

  02

  Aged 60–79—disabled with higher pensioner premium

  03

  Aged 60–79—with ordinary pensioner premium, or over 60 without pensioner premium

  Applicant and partner aged under 60

  04

  Lone parent with Income Support disability premium

  05

  Family with disability premium

  06

  Other with disability premium

  07

  Lone parent without disability premium

  08

  Signs at UBO quarterly with Income Support family premium

  09

  Signs at UBO quarterly without family premium

  10

  Signing unemployed or with training allowance with family premium

  11

  Signing unemployed or with training allowance without family premium

  12

  Others with family premium

  13

  Others without family premium

  14

  Involved in trade dispute

  15

  Applicant not in receipt of Income Support

  National Insurance Contributions
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the most recent estimate of the cost to the national insurance fund of the 2 per cent. inducement under sections 1 and 7 of the Social Security Act 1986 in 1989–90 and subsequent years; and how much of the cost in 1989–90 relates to contributions in respect of 1987–88 and 1988–89, respectively.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  [holding answer 15 May 1989]: Precise information is not yet available on the number of persons who will be eligible for incentive payments in 1989–90. The latest estimate is that incentive payments paid in 1989–90 will be £850 million, of which £350 million relates to 1987–88 and £500 million to 1988–89.

  Source: Government Actuary's Department.

  Social fund budgeting loans and community care grants:

  Estimated percentage awards by client groups for year 1988–89

  Client Groups (see Key)

  00

  01

  02

  03

  04

  05

  06

  07

  08

  09

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  Budgeting Loans

  Great Britain

  0·5

  0·3

  0·6

  3·9

  0·4

  3·6

  3·6

  43·9

  0·7

  2·1

  16·7

  18·8

  1·0

  3·8

  0·0

  n/a

  North East Region

  0·3

  0·3

  0·7

  4·1

  0·4

  2·7

  3·0

  42·8

  0·8

  2·2

  20·0

  17·6

  0·9

  3·3

  0·0

  n/a

  Bradford East

  0·3

  0·3

  0·2

  3·3

  0·4

  2·4

  2·5

  45·3

  0·3

  1·9

  19·5

  19·5

  1·9

  3·1

  0·0

  n/a

  Bradford South

  0·2

  0·3

  0·5

  2·9

  0·2

  2·1

  2·3

  51·8

  0·7

  3·0

  14·3

  17·6

  0·8

  3·3

  0·0

  n/a

  Bradford West

  0·4

  0·5

  0·3

  5·0

  0·2

  2·6

  3·5

  38·0

  1·7

  5·6

  10·7

  25·1

  1·2

  5·1

  0·0

  n/a

  Keighley

  0·7

  0·3

  0·6

  5·7

  0·5

  4·1

  4·1

  42·5

  1·3

  2·3

  15·3

  18·1

  0·4

  4·3

  0·0

  n/a

  Community Care Grants

  Great Britain

  0·4

  4·5

  3·7

  14·3

  0·9

  3·4

  10·0

  25·2

  0·7

  1·5

  9·5

  16·4

  2·0

  6·3

  0·0

  1·1

  North East Region

  0·4

  3·7

  3·7

  14·5

  1·0

  3·2

  9·3

  26·2

  0·7

  1·3

  11·6

  16·3

  1·9

  5·3

  0·0

  1·0

  Bradford East

  0·0

  1·3

  1·5

  10·2

  0·6

  1·9

  6·2

  32·6

  0·2

  0·6

  8·7

  28·7

  0·4

  4·0

  0·0

  3·2

  Unemployment Insurance
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what reviews are planned within the next five years to consider unemployment insurance being handled by the private sector.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  No such reviews are planned.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of(a) budgeting loans and (b) community care grants were awarded to each of the 15 client groups defined by his Department for (i) Great Britain as a whole, (ii) the north-east region and (iii) each of the four offices serving the Bradford metropolitan area, for the financial year 1988–89.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  [pursuant to his reply, 25 April 1989, c. 496–98]: I regret that the reply given has been found to contain an error. The information requested with the amended figures is as follows.
  551

  Client Groups (see Key)

  00

  01

  02

  03

  04

  05

  06

  07

  08

  09

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  Bradford South

  0·3

  0·3

  2·0

  8·1

  2·0

  2·3

  8·3

  32·8

  1·0

  0·8

  8·3

  24·0

  2·0

  6·3

  0·0

  1·5

  Bradford West

  0·9

  3·1

  2·6

  9·7

  1·2

  0·9

  7·3

  21·4

  0·5

  3·8

  4·9

  27·9

  3·3

  9·6

  0·0

  2·6

  Keighley

  0·0

  1·6

  1·2

  5·6

  0·0

  2·4

  4·0

  39·2

  0·4

  0·4

  9·2

  20·8

  2·4

  8·0

  0·0

  4·8

  Key code Meaning

  00

  Unallocated or not known

  Applicant or partner aged 60 or over

  01

  over 80—with Income Support higher pensioner premium

  02

  aged 60–79—disabled with higher pensioner premium

  03

  aged 60–79—with ordinary pensioner premium, or over 60 without pensioner premium

  Applicant and partner aged under 60.

  04

  lone parent with Income Support disability premium

  05

  family with disability premium

  06

  other with disability premium

  07

  lone parent without disability premium

  08

  signs at UBO quarterly with Income Support family premium

  09

  signs at UBO quarterly without family premium

  10

  signing unemployed or with training allowance with family premium

  11

  signing unemployed or with training allowance without family premium

  12

  others with family premium

  13

  others without family premium

  14

  involved in trade dispute

  15

  applicant not in receipt of Income Support.

DEFENCE

  Military Accidents
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the key statisics for military aircraft accidents over the last 10 years.

  Mr. Neubert
  I refer the hon. Member to tables 5·8 and 5·9 of the recent Statement on the Defence Estimates (Cm. 675–10 and to successive Statements since 1980, in which are to be found the relevant information about military aircraft accidents.

  Land (Wales)
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any plans to acquire more land for the use of the armed forces in Wales.

  Mr. Neubert
  We are determined that the defence estate should be no larger than necessary. But we continue to seek to acquire additional land particularly on the periphery of existing training areas to meet the increased needs of the armed forces, and to accommodate the large safety areas which modern weapons demand.

  Radiation (Compensation)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce new compensation arrangements for British ex-service men who have suffered radiation ailments arising from their duties.

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

  Night Flying
  Mr. Sayeed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the six-month trial of the revised military night-flying system introduced in October 1988.

  Mr. Neubert
  A revised military night low level flying system was introduced last year on a six-month trial basis.552
  The trial period has now ended and the operation of the revised system has been reviewed. The review concluded that the revised arrangements were successful in increasing the co-ordination of activity at night and improving deconfliction procedures and that, with some refinements to improve utilisation, the revised system should therefore be retained. It is planned that the further refinements, which include centralising the co-ordination of the system and the responsibility for deconfliction at the tactical booking centre at RAF West Drayton, will be introduced from 1 June this year.

  European Fighter Aircraft
  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further progress is being made in developing the European fighter aircraft.

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

SCOTLAND

  New Business
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department is planning to spend in the next financial year to encourage new business development in Scotland; and what was the comparable level of planning five years ago.

  Mr. Lang
  Comprehensive figures in the form requested are not available. A wide range of programmes operated by my Department are designed, either in whole or in part, to promote business development in Scotland. However, planned provision for regional assistance schemes, which are directly linked to industrial development and wealth creation among businesses, for 1990–91 is £120 million. The Government's public expenditure plans published each year include provision for three forward years. The level of provision planned three years ago for regional assistance schemes in 1990–91 was £110 million.

  Erskine Bridge
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects the outstanding debt on the Erskine bridge to be finally paid off.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  It is not possible to specify a date.

  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current toll charge on the Erskine bridge; when it was last increased; and to what figure.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Current toll charges, which have been in operation since November 1981, are as follows:

  Pence

  Motor cycles

  10

  Cars and light goods vehicles

  30

  Heavy goods vehicles

  80

  Heavy goods vehicles (concessionary rate)

  50

  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total debt on the Erskine bridge for the year 1979–80; and what it was for each succeeding year.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Total outstanding debt for 1979–80 and succeeding years is as follows:

  £ million

  1979–80

  15·49

  1980–81

  19·90

  1981–82

  24·92

  1982–83

  30·50

  1983–84

  37·04

  1984–85

  44·93

  1985–86

  53·68

  1986–87

  63·26

  1987–88

  73·68

  1988–89

  n/a

  n/a not available.

  Community Charge (Advertising)
  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the total budget allocated to the Scottish Information Office for the production, broadcasting and publishing of adverts relating to eligibility for community charge rebates; and how much has been spent on (a) TV advertisements and (b) press advertisements to the latest available date.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 22 May 1989]: Expenditure on television public information campaigns on the community charge rebate scheme was £308,000. The rebate scheme was also featured in press advertisment campaigns on the community charge, particularly in the autumn 1988 and the spring 1989 campaigns, the cost of which totalled £181,000.

WALES

  Middle Schools
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a list showing the numbers of middle schools by size(a) in relation to pupil numbers and (b) in relation to the group size defined in the school teachers' pay and conditions document.
  554
  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  There was one middle school in Wales in January 1988. It had 78 pupils and was group 4 under the school teachers' pay and conditions document criterion.

  Secondary Schools
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a list showing the numbers of secondary schools by size(a) in relation to pupil numbers and (b) in relation to the group size defined in the school teachers' pay and conditions document.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  The information in respect of January 1988 is as follows:

  Number of pupils

  Number of secondary schools

  Under 400

  13

  401–600

  37

  601–800

  51

  801–1,000

  61

  1,001–1,500

  64

  1,501–2,000

  6

  School teachers' pay and conditions document group number

  Number of secondary schools

  7

  4

  8

  24

  9

  28

  10

  56

  11

  78

  12

  29

  13

  12

  14

  1

  Primary Schools
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a list showing the numbers of primary schools by size(a) in relation to pupil numbers and (b) in relation to the group size defined in the school teachers' pay and conditions document.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  The information in respect of January 1988 is as follows:

  Full–time and part–time pupils numbers

  Number of schools

  Up to 25

  77

  26–50

  221

  51–100

  342

  101–200

  615

  201–300

  380

  301–400

  97

  401–600

  21

  School teachers pay and conditions document group number

  Number of schools

  1

  314

  2

  331

  3

  304

  4

  556

  5

  187

  6

  58

  7

  3

  Ambulances (A55)
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the implications for patients in Gwynedd needing emergency hospital treatment, arising from the road works on the A55 road holding up ambulances en route to hospital; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  Temporary traffic restrictions on the A55 in Gwynedd to allow completion of trunk road improvements have been imposed in close co-operation with the emergency services. The administration of contingency plans is the responsibility of each service involved. However, I am advised that patients who require urgent treatment at a district general hospital will be taken to Bodelwyddan if there are difficulties in reaching Bangor. Should it prove necessary the medical services can call on helicopters from RAF Valley for assistance.

  Felinheli Bypass
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what date the Felinheli bypass on the A48 was first put into the Welsh Office roads preparation pool; when the first draft bypass plan was put out for public consultation; when the most recent plan was put out to public consultation; whether his most recently favoured route has now been confirmed in detail; what is the latest target date for commencing that work; and when is it planned that the bypass will open.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  The Felinheli bypass was first put into the Welsh Office preparation pool in 1971. A feasibility study into various routes for a bypass was carried out in 1971 and the selected route was protected for planning control purposes in December 1972. There has been no public consultation but an exhibition of the revised protected route was held in December 1985. Draft orders were published in November-December 1987 and, as a result of objections received, a public inquiry was held in May 1988. The inspector's report has been received and is under consideration. The scheme is programmed to start in the medium term, ie April 1991-March 1994 as shown in the recently published edition of "Roads in Wales", and will take two years to construct.

  Plant Breeding Station (Aberystwyth)
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the future of the Welsh plant breeding station, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  The Welsh plant breeding station is part of the Agricultural and Food Research Council's Institute for Grassland and Animal Production and, as such, is the responsibility of that research council. The council has been supportive of the station in the past, and I would expect it to be so in the future.

  Set-aside Scheme
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the operation of the set-aside scheme in Wales.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  There were 35 applications for set-aside in 1988–89; 31 of these have been approved and four were withdrawn.
  556
  The scheme will be reopening for the 1989–90 season shortly.

TRANSPORT

  Channel Tunnel
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the environmental impact study being undertaken for British Rail of the high-speed rail link through Kent meets the requirements for such studies as defined by the European Community.

  Mr. Portillo
  British Rail and its consultants are in consultation with the Government to ensure that these requirements are met.

  Humber Bridge
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Humber bridge authorities concerning outstanding debt; whether any amount has been written off; and when he expects the overall debt on the bridge to be finally paid off.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  There have been no recent discussions, and no debt has been written off. The date at which the debt is written off will depend on various factors, including future toll levels. When my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State reaches a decision on the inspector's report, following last year's inquiry into proposals to raise tolls, we shall discuss the debts of the bridge with the bridge board.

  Severn Bridge
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the repair and renewal work on the Severn bridge will be completed; and what is the current estimated total cost of this work.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The recently awarded contract for the resurfacing should be completed around the end of next year. The estimated total cost of the repair and renewal work for the strengthening of the crossing is £69·1 million.

  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the report of the inspector who conducted the inquiry into the Government's proposal to increase toll charges on the Severn bridge.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  This is a matter for the inspector, who is working on his report.

  Central London Rail Study
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has made a decision about the options contained in the central London rail study; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Further work on the proposed options is currently taking place. We hope to make a decision on the way ahead later in the year.

  Highways (Costs)
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest figure for the drainage cost of public highways in Britain.
  557
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  No general statistics are kept of the cost of draining public highways. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave him on 13 December last Official Report column 520, for the latest figures of the cost in England of maintaining road drainage. It falls to highway authorities to meet the costs of providing and maintaining drainage within the highway and to water authorities to meet the costs of dealing with the surface water discharged from it.

  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest figure for the cost of lighting public highways in Britain.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Current and capital expenditure by central and local government on public highways lighting in Great Britain in 1987–88 is estimated to have been some £225 million.

  Trunk Roads
  Mr. Gerald Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spends on environmental and safety measures included in new trunk road schemes.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The Department is committed to minimising the impact of new roads on the environment and to enhancing road safety. These are two of our main objectives in building roads and form an integral part of our planning and design process.

  Possible measures to mitigate the impact of the road such as use of sensitive design, banks to screen traffic, planting, choice of materials and colour of structures are all taken into consideration when preparing the detailed design.

  In some exceptional circumstances, special features such as tunnels may be incorporated.

  Safety features such as lighting, signing, safety barriers and special provisions for pedestrians and cyclists are considered when drawing up the detailed design; and all contribute to the overall safety of the road.

  Because environmental and safety measures are integrated into the design and construction of schemes, their cost cannot in general be identified separately.

  Information can be given for some illustrative examples.

  On the Al2 Hackney-M11 link road, we estimate that overall some £50 million will be spent on environmental measures, including some tunnelling. This represents about 40 per cent. of the total scheme cost.

  The A69 Newcastle Western bypass is to pass under rather than over the Metro line at an additional cost of £3 million.

  On the A361 North Devon link road well over £1 million was spent on environmental measures including nearly three miles of Devon hedgebanks.

  Planting is only implemented after a road scheme has been built. The expenditure involved can be more readily identified.

  In the last financial year the Department spent £2·2 million on planting and associated works.

  A total of 1·4 million trees and shrubs were planted. Typical schemes are A35 Dorchester bypass where almost 70,000 plants are being provided at a cost of £150,000 and the A626 Stocksbridge-Ml link where £111,000 is being spent on over 60,000 plants.
  558
  With regard to safety aspects, the cost of central reserve safety barriers can be identified. New dual carriageways are generally provided with central reserve safety barriers at the outset.

  For example, over £0·5 million was spent on this on the south Woodford to Barking relief road completed in December 1987 and over £1 million on the Newcastle Western bypass currently under construction.

  In addition the Department has a rolling programme to a value of some £10 million per year to install central reserve safety fencing on existing roads.

  For 1989–90 this represents almost 150 miles of safety fencing. The provision and renewal of safety barriers is also carried out as part of major maintenance contracts.

  Drink Driving
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether, in the current year, the transport and road research laboratory will be continuing its programme of roadside surveys of drinking and driving.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Yes. This year the survey procedure will be simplified, costs reduced and more survey sites covered.

  Vehicle Weight Limits
  Mrs. Roe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy on the ending of the United Kingdom's derogations from the European Community vehicle weight limits; and if he will make it his policy to agree only to an end-date which takes full account of the time needed to strengthen United Kingdom bridges.

  Mr. Channon
  As I explained to the House on 8 March, my aim is to resist attempts to end the United Kingdom's derogations in 1993 or at any other premature date. I shall therefore be negotiating at the June Transport Council for an end-date which takes proper account of the need to strengthen our bridges.

HEALTH

  Drug Safety
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the Medicines Control Agency is making in the licensing and control of medicines in preparation for 1992.

  Mr. Mellor
  Officials from the Medicines Control Agency are engaged with the Commission and other member states in discussion on various issues relating to the establishment of a single EC market in medicines by 1992. These include the development of draft technical regulatons and guidelines relating to the safety, quality and efficacy required before medicinal products can be marketed as well as broader discussion about the system for licensing and control of medicines after 1992. These discussions are intended to lead to the formulation by the Commission of proposals for a definite system for the free movement of medicinal products within the Community, to be submitted to the Council of Ministers by the end of the year.

  Hospital Treatment (Bolton)
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of hospital beds in the Bolton area taken up by people with heart disease and related illnesses.

  Mr. Freeman
  The hospital activity records for 1987–88 have not yet been analysed to produce information about beds occupied in individual districts by patients with specified diagnoses. My hon. Friend may wish to write to the chairman of the district health authority, who may be able to provide the information.

  Hospital Beds
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was(a) the total number of beds available daily in the United Kingdom and (b) the number unoccupied in the NHS for each of the years 1979, 1986, 1987 and 1988.

  Mr. Freeman
  Information for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Northern Ireland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

  Information for England is given in the table.

  Beds in NHS hospitals, England, 1979, 1986 and 1987–88

  Year

  Average daily available beds

  1Average daily occupied beds

  Average daily unoccupied beds

  1979

  361,670

  293,272

  68,398

  1986

  315,714

  254,597

  61,117

  1987–88

  297,342

  2240,000

  57,342

  1 Bed occupancy figures are based on a midnight count and do not reflect the use of beds by patients who do not stay overnight

  2 Estimated.

  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what income has been derived by the Huddersfield health authority from pay beds in the latest year for which figures are available and in the preceding eight years; and how that income has been used.

  Mr. Mellor
  The table lists the information requested from 1982–83 onwards. Prior to 1 April 1982, the authority's predecesssor health district formed part of an area health authority and district based figures were not collected centrally.

  Income from private in-patients (under section 65 of the NHS Act 1977)

  Year

  £

  1982–83

  61,962

  1983–84

  156,764

  1984–85

  191,590

  1985–86

  71,107

  1986–87

  9,745

  11987–88

  16,354

  1 Latest available—annual accounts for 1988–89 are not due for submission to the Department until 30 June 1989.

  Health authorities are free to retain such income, which by its nature is bound to vary from year to year, as a supplementary source of funds in order to meet their total annual expenditure. We do not collect information centrally on the specific purpose to which such monies have been put.

  Counterfeit Medicines
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what means counterfeit medicines imported into the United Kingdom from elsewhere within the European Community will be detected when inter-community custom barriers are removed in 1992.

  Mr. Mellor
  Detailed arrangements affecting the importation of pharmaceutical products after 1992 have not yet been decided.

  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to take action under article 36 of the treaty of Rome, on the grounds of public safety, to control the quality, efficacy and safety of parallel imported medicines in view of the recent instances of counterfeit medicines being found in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Mellor
  We have no plans at present to do so. I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to him on 3 May at column 150.

  Competitive Tendering
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what savings have been achieved by the Huddersfield health authority by putting ancillary services out to competitive tendering in the latest year for which figures are available and in the preceding eight years; and how have any savings achieved been used.

  Mr. Mellor
  We do not collect information in the form requested centrally. Savings achieved in 1988–89 amounted to £675,000. The total since the initiative started in 1983 is of the order of £1·85 million. Such savings contribute to the total resources available to the district; they are not attributed to specified developments.

  NHS Staff
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state the total directly employed staff in the National Health Service, in the United Kingdom(a) the number of persons and (b) full-time equivalents, for 1979, 1986, 1987 and 1988.

  Mr. Mellor
  The available information is shown in the table.

  Total directly employed staff in the National Health Servile at 30

  September of each year: United Kingdom

  Number12

  Whole-time equivalent12

  1979

  1,171,700

  976,900

  1986

  1,217,400

  1,018,400

  1987

  1,222,400

  1,016,400

  1988

  n/a

  n/a

  Source: Department of Health (SMI3) annual censuses of NHS medical and non-medical manpower, Welsh Office; Scottish Health Service common services agency and Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services.

  1 All figures are independently rounded to the nearest 100.

  2 Includes medical and dental locums and nursing and midwifery agency staff.

  n/a = Not available.

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are for (i) domestic staff, (ii) porters, (iii) catering staff and (iv) other ancillary staff
  561
  in the Oxford district; for how long such vacancies are advertised on average before they are filled, and what was the percentage turnover of all ancillary staff in the Oxford district in 1986, 1987 and 1988.

  Mr. Freeman
  We do not hold this information centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of the Oxfordshire health authority for the information that he seeks.

  Water Fluoridation
  Mr. Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the results of the Water (Fluoridation) Act 1985;

  (2) what has been the cost to his Department of water fluoridation since the Water (Fluoridation) Act came into effect;

  (3) what new estimate he has made of the cost effectiveness of further fluoridation in view of the general decline in dental cavities in children's teeth in the 90 per cent. of the population not in receipt of artificially fluoridated water;

  (4) whether he is prepared to offer an indemnity to private water undertakers who are liable to be sued for harm resulting from fluoridation of their drinking water; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Water (Fluoridation) Act 1985 did what it was intended to do and put beyond doubt the power of water undertakers to add fluoride to the water supplied to them when asked to do so by health authorities. No new fluoridation schemes have been introduced since the Act came into force though a number of schemes are at various stages of preparation.

  The central funds allocated to health authorities for the implementation of water fluoridation schemes amounted to £262,000 in 1986–87; £433,000 in 1987–88 and £1,168,000 in 1988–89. The 1988–89 figure reflects the commitment in the Government's White Paper "Promoting Better Health" to increase the amount of money made available to Health Authorities to fund fluoridation schemes. £2,075,000 is allocated for 1989–90.

  A recent survey comparing the dental health of young children in fluoridated south Birmingham and non-fluoridated Bolton (C. M. Mitropoulos et al., Br. Dent. J. 1988) confirms that further reductions in caries levels in children's teeth are undoubtedly achievable over and above the general decline in caries that has occurred. These benefits are particularly cost-effective where caries levels are otherwise high and in the less privileged social classes where the highest incidence of caries is found.

  A copy of the model agreement which provides the basis of discussion between health authorities and water undertakers on the terms under which fluoridation of domestic water supplies may be carried out, including a copy of the terms of indemnity provided for water authorities and private water companies operating fluoridation schemes was placed in the Library on 16 January 1989. We will continue to provide an indemnity to water undertakers after privatisation of the water
  562
  industry; the terms of this indemnity are being considered in the light of representations made by the water authorities and the water companies associations.

  GPs (Remuneration)
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the Government have made of the effects of the proposed changes in the remuneration of general practitioners on the gross income of those who do not opt for their own budgets; and what is the intended effect of the new arrangements in terms of(a) the number of patients per doctor and (b) the number of staff employed by doctors, and their remuneration.

  Mr. Mellor
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway), for Brigg and Cleethorpes (Mr. Brown), for Slough (Mr. Watts) and for Colne Valley (Mr. Riddick) today. Under the proposals for GP practice budgets set out in the White Paper, "Working for Patients", and Working Paper 3, practices which opt to become budget holders may invest any savings on their annual budget in improving the services that they offer to patients. The review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration will continue as now to recommend the average net income and indirectly reimbursed expenses of all GPs, whether budget holders or not. Other expenses incurred by GPs are reimbursed directly.

  We expect the number of staff employed by GPs to increase as a result of our intention to invest more in practice teams, and to remove the present restraints on their number and the range of qualifying duties. By enabling family practitioner committees to target funds on areas of greatest need, the deployment of practice team staff will become more cost-effective.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Research and Development
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those agricultural research and development projects from which funding was withdrawn during 1988.

  Mr. Ryder
  1. The resources devoted to agricultural research and development by and for my Department were increased in 1988–89. The cost rose from £81·7 million in 1987–88 to an estimated £85·6 million in 1988–89. The majority of the work is included in rolling programmes commissioned with the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service and the Agricultural and Food Research Council. Other ad hoc projects are performed by a variety of contractors under short term contracts.

  2. The rolling programmes of commissioned research are under constant review and adjustment, in the light of changing priorities and the prospects for useful results. A number of individual experiments and studies in each programme will have ceased in 1988–89 to be replaced by new work. It would not be possible to list such adjustments except at disproportionate cost. The following short-term contracts were completed during 1988–89; none was terminated prematurely.
  563

  Project title

  Contractor

  Group breeding scheme

  University College, Wales

  Potato clones partially resistant to Globodera Pallida

  National Institute of Agricultural Botany

  Buffer feeding as a means of increasing the efficiency of grass use

  University College of North Wales

  Response in the yields of milk fat and protein to nutrition

  Leeds University

  Biodegradation of thatching straw

  Bath University

  Storage of Rubus mother stocks

  Edinburgh School of Agriculture

  Free convective airflows in perishable crop storage

  Silsoe college

  Anthelmintic resistance in sheep nematodes

  Nottingham University

  Tuberculin production by recombinant E. Coli

  Surrey University

  Investigation of mastitis in sheep

  Royal Veterinary College

  The dynamic behaviour of specialised spraying vehicles

  Leeds University

  Improvement of fruit quality and control of tree vigour

  East Mailing Research Station

  Maintenance of soil structure, fertility and fruit quality in herbicide managed orchards

  East Mailing Research Station

  Methods for rapid classification of carcasses

  Food Research Institute

  The prevention of bolting in early protected celery

  Glasshouse Crops Research Institute

  Micropropogation of FI hybrid lettuce

  Glasshouse Crops Research Institute

  The nitrogen cycle on organic farms

  University College of Wales

  Salmonella shedding in poultry

  Bristol University

  A mathematical study of the genetics and epidemiology of nematode parasites resistant to anthelmintics

  Strathclyde University

  Modified atmosphere packaging of tree fruits to retain quality

  East Mailing Research Station

  The palatability and nutritive value of low-glucosinolates

  Royal Veterinary College

  The development of a rapid and simple method for the analysis of glucosinalate content of rapeseed

  Food Research Institute

  Broken bones in culled layer hens

  Food Research Institute

  A pilot study of the interdependence of farming and the local rural economy

  Ecotec Consulting Ltd.

  Pilot study of grazing by hares and deer on double low oilseed rape

  Game Conservancy Trust

  Reed beds for agricultural effluent treatment

  Birmingham University

  The impact on the rural economy of replacing agricultural land use by planting woodland

  Laurence Gould Consultants Ltd.

  Flow rate serving for automatic cluster removal on small ruminants

  Cranfield Institute of Technology

  Review of the risk of exposure of dairy cows to bracken

  Institute for Grassland and Animal Production

  Gas Prices
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received about the implications for gas prices for horticulturalists resulting from the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on gas tariffs; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ryder
  I have so far received 10 letters, including two from the National Farmers Union, making representations about the new price schedules being introduced by British Gas and the likely impact of these on growers.
  564
  My officials have subsequently met NFU horticultural representatives to discuss the problem and have asked, to be kept informed urgently of progress in the discussions which they are having with the Office of Gas Supply.

  New Nitrashell
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on the make up and side effects of using or storing the fertiliser New Nitrashell; what safety recommendations have been issued about it; and if he will make a statement.
  565
  Mr. Ryder
  New Nitrashell is a propriety fertiliser based on ammonium nitrate manufactured by Kemira Ince Ltd, Ince, Chester, and according to the manufacturer contains more than 28 per cent. nitrogen and as such complies with EC directive 80/876.

  The Fertilisers Regulations 1977, as amended by the Fertilisers (Amendment) Regulations 1984, require ammonium nitrate fertilisers, such as New Nitrashell to meet minimum safety standards which include limits on inorganic additives, heavy metals, the percentage of combustible material and minimum particle size.

  Ammonium nitrate is an oxidising agent which is not itself combustible but can be detonated under conditions of heat and confinement of severe shock. It is therefore controlled under the United Kingdom Classification, Packaging and Labelling of Dangerous Substances Regulations 1984 and the United Kingdom Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1984. These regulations are enforced by HSE, which also issues guidance note CS 18 on storage and handling of ammonium nitrate.

  The Fertilisers Manufacturers Association and Kemira Ince Ltd issue full safety advice for the storage, handling and transportation of ammonium nitrate fertilisers.

  Payments
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing (a) payments under the common agricultural policy and (b) payments from the Exchequer to United Kingdom farmers for each crop and type of livestock since the financial year 1969–70 together with his estimate for 1988–89 and 1989–90.

  Mr Donald Thompson
  Expenditure on market regulation under the CAP and on price guarantees up to 1988–89 is set out by main commodity in the publication "Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1988", and the annual reviews of agriculture which preceded it. Forecasts for 1989–90 are contained in the Supply Estimates

  Food Quality
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the outcome of the informal Agriculture Council meeting in Spain on 16 May on food quality.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 22 May 1989]: Time permitted only brief and very gneral discussion at this meeting. It focussed mainly on the Commission's suggestion, in its document "The Future of Rural Society", that Community law might provide for certain food designations to be reserved for foods of a particular composition or produced by specified methods or originating in a specific geographical area.

  A wide range of views was expressed. Some believed that such measures would improve food quality, discourage "substitute" products, and help raise farmers' incomes. Others, like me, felt that consumer choice and freedom of trade could best be maximised by allowing producers to respond freely to demand, while ensuring that consumers where fully informed about the nature of the goods offered to them. The Council is likely to return to the subject on a future occasion.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Post Office Savings Bank (Savings Limit)
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to monitor the new rules concerning the Post Office savings bank, particularly the new limit of £5 savings; what representations he has received on the effect of the rules on children and pensioners saving small amounts of money; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 22 May 1989]: I have been asked to reply.

  National savings monitors the performance of all national savings products. The increase from £1 to £5 in the minimum for deposits into the National savings ordinary account from 1 January 1989 has reduced the number of deposits transactions by around 20 per cent. So the measure has achieved its aim of reducing the number of very small deposits, which are as expensive to process as larger deposits. Since Girobank and other financial institutions provide a wide range of savings facilities for very small amounts of savings, I am satisfied that this change has not had a negative effect on children and pensioners.

  Representations have been received from many hon. Members and from the members of the public to whom I have explained the reasons for the change.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Immigration Appeals
  Mr. Goodlad
  To ask the Attorney-General what was the total number of appeals against refusal of asylum heard by the immigration appellate authorities in each of the last three years.

  The Attorney-General
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Darling) on 19 May at column 321.

  Social Security Commissioners
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Attorney-General how many people resident in(a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland have appeared before a social security commissioner in each of the past five years; and if he will separately distinguish the location where those hearings were held.

  The Attorney-General
  The numbers of cases heard by social security commissioners in each of the past five years are listed in the tables, broken down according to the location of the hearings. The breakdown of individual residential locations requested is not reasonably practicable.

  England, Wales and Scotland

  Number of cases heard by Social Security Commissioner in each of the past five years

  Location

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  London

  na

  na

  519

  572

  222

  Cardiff

  na

  na

  6

  42

  56

  Liverpool1

  nil

  nil

  nil

  nil

  53

  Edinburgh

  56

  51

  64

  68

  63

  na = Figures not available.

  1 Hearings have only been held at this location since 1988.

  567

  Northern Ireland

  Number of cases heard by Social Security Commissioner in each of the past five years

  Location

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  Belfast

  74

  89

  76

  47

  33

  Armagh

  7

  19

  10

  12

  3

  Ballymena

  nil

  8

  5

  3

  2

  Ballymoney

  nil

  nil

  2

  2

  nil

  Banbridge

  nil

  32

  18

  6

  22

  Coleraine

  6

  6

  2

  2

  2

  Cookstown

  12

  6

  4

  nil

  3

  Craigavon

  nil

  1

  3

  4

  2

  Downpatrick

  nil

  5

  5

  4

  nil

  Dungannon

  nil

  11

  9

  nil

  nil

  Enniskillen

  4

  8

  3

  nil

  3

  Limavady

  7

  4

  7

  2

  3

  Londonderry

  10

  7

  3

  8

  5

  Magherafelt

  1

  14

  6

  4

  nil

  Newry

  13

  17

  6

  16

  8

  Omagh

  17

  12

  21

  11

  7

  Strabane

  4

  13

  11

  6

  6

  TOTALS

  155

  252

  191

  127

  99

  Table 1

  ILO/OECD unemployed1 looking for work as an employee2 and wanting a full or part-time job or hating no preference

  Spring 1988, Thousands

  Full-time

  Part-time

  No Preference

  Males

  Females

  Males

  Females

  Males

  Females

  Great Britain

  912

  333

  66

  403

  95

  120

  Northern

  87

  30

  3

  26

  3

  10

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  110

  31

  3

  40

  13

  13

  East Midlands

  53

  19

  3

  30

  3

  3

  East Anglia

  16

  3

  3

  12

  3

  3

  South East

  163

  80

  19

  104

  13

  22

  of which: Greater London

  89

  40

  10

  44

  3

  10

  South West

  40

  17

  3

  31

  3

  3

  West Midlands

  90

  33

  3

  42

  3

  12

  North West

  151

  49

  11

  52

  20

  21

  Wales

  57

  17

  3

  22

  3

  3

  Scotland

  141

  48

  3

  44

  11

  14

  1 People without a job who were available for work and had either looked for work at some time in the last four weeks or were waiting to start a job they had already obtained.

  2 People looking for work as self-employed were not asked if they would prefer to work full or part-time.

  3 Sample size too small for a reliable estimate.

  Source: 1988 Labour Force Survey, Preliminary results.

  Table 2

  Unemployed1 persons looking for work as an employee2 and wanting a full or part-time job or having no preference

  Spring 1988, Thousands

  Full-time

  Part-time

  No preference

  Males

  Females

  Males

  Females

  Males

  Females

  Great Britain

  907

  334

  60

  369

  95

  121

  Northern

  88

  30

  3

  28

  10

  3

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  110

  31

  3

  36

  12

  14

  East Midlands

  53

  20

  3

  30

  3

  3

  East Anglia

  16

  3

  3

  12

  3

  3

  South East

  166

  80

  19

  97

  14

  22

  of which: Greater London

  91

  40

  11

  42

  3

  10

  South West

  38

  17

  3

  28

  3

  3

  West Midlands

  89

  32

  3

  31

  10

  11

  Northwest

  148

  52

  3

  48

  18

  23

  Wales

  57

  18

  3

  21

  3

  3

  Scotland

  141

  46

  3

  38

  10

  14

  1 Great Britain labour force definition.

  2 People looking for work as self-employed were not asked if they would prefer to work full or part-time.

  3 Sample size too small for a reliable estimate.

  Source: 1988 Labour Force Survey, Preliminary results.

EMPLOYMENT

  Availability for Work
  Ms. Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list from the 1988 labour force survey, by region, including Greater London and by male and female, the numbers of people who were(a) without jobs and who looked for work in the four weeks before their LFS interview and were available to start work within two weeks, who wanted full-time jobs, the number who wanted part-time jobs and the number who had no preference (b) unemployed according to the standard LFS definition who were looking for full-time jobs and the number looking for part-time jobs and the number who had no preference, (c) in part-time jobs who were looking for a different job with longer hours or looking for an additional job, (d) looking for a different job with shorter hours, (e) claimants not unemployed by the definition using broad ILO guidelines on the grounds that they were employed, and (f) claimants not unemployed by the conventional LFS definition on the grounds that they were employed.

  Mr. Lee
  Available estimates from the preliminary results of the 1988 labour force survey are shown in the following tables:
  569

  Table 3

  Persons in employment in part-lime jobs1 looking for a different job with longer hours or an additional job

  Spring 1988, Thousands

  Males

  Females

  Great Britain

  127

  225

  Northern

  11

  17

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  14

  26

  East Midlands

  2

  18

  East Anglia

  2

  2

  South East

  26

  60

  of which: Greater London

  11

  20

  South West

  2

  15

  West Midlands

  2

  19

  North West

  23

  28

  Wales

  2

  14

  Scotland

  14

  18

  1 Based on the respondent's own assessment, not on the number of hours usually worked.

  2 Sample size too small for a reliable estimate.

  Source: 1988 Labour Force Survey, Preliminary results.

  TABLE 4

  Persons in employment in part-time jobs looking for a different job with shorter hours

  Spring 1988. Thousands

  Males

  Females

  Great Britain

  240

  123

  Northern

  10

  1

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  23

  1

  East Midlands

  19

  11

  East Anglia

  1

  1

  South East

  84

  49

  of which Greater London

  32

  21

  South West

  17

  1

  West Midlands

  23

  13

  North West

  27

  14

  Wales

  1

  1

  Scotland

  19

  10

  1 Sample size too small for a reliable estimate.

  Source: 1988 Labour Force Survey, Preliminary results.

  It is estimated that there were some 100,000 male and 60,000 female claimants employed in Great Britain in Spring 1988. However, a reliable analysis of these figures by region is not available, mainly because of the sampling errors involved.

  Job Introduction Scheme
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications have been made for grant aid under the job introduction scheme; and how many have been awarded for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Lee
  The information requested about the number of applications made for grant aid under the job introduction scheme is not available. The numbers of grants authorised for each of the past five years were:

  Number

  1984–85

  2,033

  1985–86

  1,828

  1986–87

  1,460

  1987–88

  1,629

  1988–89

  2,091

  Skill Shortages
  Mr. Lester
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what review he has made of the effectiveness 570
  of industry training boards in tackling the level of skill shortages or training needs in their sectors; and what were the results of the review for each training organisation.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The effectiveness of each industry training board is reviewed every three years at the time of reconstitution. Many industries covered by these boards continue to report skill shortages.

  Mr. Lester
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what review he has undertaken of the effectiveness of non-statutory training organisations in tackling the level of skill shortages or training needs in their sectors; and what were the results of the review for each training organisation.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The effectiveness of non-statutory training organisations was last reviewed during a Manpower Services Commission research study in 1987. The criteria used included monitoring and reviewing key skill requirements and training needs. The report showed that 56 were rated effective and a further 23 partially effective against the full range of the criteria. The report did not rank organisations against each criterion.

  Non-statutory Training Organisations
  Mr. Lester
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in which areas the level of effectiveness of non-statutory training organisations has improved since production of the Manpower Services Commission study "The Full Fact Finding Study of the NSTO System".

  Mr. Cope
  There has been no overall study of the effectiveness of non-statutory training organisations since the Manpower Services Commission research report in 1987.

  Mr. Lester
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many non-statutory training organisations currently meet the standards laid down in the Manpower Services Commission publication "The Effective NSTO"; and what steps he is taking to secure compliance with those standards by the remaining non-statutory training organisations.

  Mr. Cope
  Since the Manpower Services Commission research report in 1987, many non-statutory training organisations have taken steps to improve their effectiveness. The Government continue to provide financial support to help effectiveness improvements in these organisations. "Employment for the 1990s" (Cm. 540) noted the Government's welcome for the establishment of the voluntary National Council for Industry Training Organisations, and the Training Agency is assisting the council in producing a code of practice for members. Further research will be commissioned in due course.

  Mr. Lester
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current level of resourcing and support to non-statutory training organisations from employers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Cope
  The majority of non-statutory training organisations command the support of the employers in their industries and have adequate resources to be effective in carrying forward the remits for industry-level training
  571
  organisations set out in "Employment for the 1990s" (Cm 540). The Government continue to assist the less effective and new bodies.

  Mr. Lester
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, in the light of the finding of the Manpower Services Commission study "The Full Fact Finding Study of the NSTO System" that 79 per cent. of employers would not contribute more resources to training organisations, what steps he is taking to ensure that the industry-level training organisations proposed in the White Paper "Employment for the 1990s" will attract sufficient industry support.

  Mr. Cope
  The great majority of employers in Great Britain support vocational education and training for their employees; a very small proportion of that support goes to finance the voluntary and independent non-statutory training organisations. All proposals for new organisations are required to detail the level of support being obtained from employers in the relevant industry.

  Competent Persons (Prosecutions)
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many competent persons have been prosecuted in each year since 1965.

  Mr. Nicholls
  This information is not available.

  Power Presses
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many injuries and deaths there have been at power presses for each year since the Power Presses Regulations were introduced in 1965.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Power presses are not separately identified in the Health and Safety Executive's current databases of reported injuries at work. Available information is taken from annual surveys which were discontinued after 1974, but comparable data was collected in 1979 and 1983. The results are shown in the table.

  1 December 1987

  1 May 1989

  Grade

  Number

  (of which in the field force)

  Number

  (of which in the field force)

  Chief Inspector

  1

  (—)

  1

  (—)

  Deputy Chief Inspector

  6

  1

  4

  (—)

  Senior Area Director

  2

  (1)

  4

  (2)

  Area Director

  18

  (18)

  17

  (17)

  Superintending Inspector

  3

  (—)

  3

  (—)

  Deputy Superintending Inspector

  44

  (25)

  38

  (24)

  Inspector 1A

  159

  (123)

  165·5

  (124·5)

  Inspector 1B

  283

  (268)

  276·5

  (263·5)

  Inspector 1I

  95

  (95)

  102

  (102)

  Total

  611

  (531)

  611

  (533)

  Following the latest in a series of recruitment competitions, a number of successful candidates have been or will be offered employment as factory inspectors. A further recruitment competition is currently under way.

  Agriculture Inspectors
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of agricultural inspectors employed by the Health and Safety Executive
  572

  Accidents at the Tools of Power Presses and Press Brakes1

  Number

  1965

  441

  1966

  342

  1967

  230

  1968

  234

  1969

  245

  1970

  203

  1971

  159

  1972

  153

  1973

  152

  1974

  145

  1979

  48

  1983

  27

  1 Reportable injuries notified to Her Majesty's factory inspectorate; severity is not recorded.

  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many competent persons have been prosecuted in each year since 1965 in relation to the 1965 Power Presses Regulations and any other legislation relevant to power presses.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The information requested is not available. The HSE records do not specifically identify proceedings taken against competent persons.

  Factory Inspectors
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State Cor Employment what was the total number of factory inspectors employed by the Health and Safety Executive on 2 December 1987; how many were employed in each of the grades of inspector II, inspector 1B, inspector 1A, deputy superintending inspector, superintending inspector, area director, senior area director, deputy chief inspector and chief inspector, respectively; what are the latest totals in each of these categories; and how many in each of the categories for both dates were in the field.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The breakdown by grade of number of factory inspectors employed in HSE is as follows. Staffing figures are recorded on the first of each month.

  on 2 December 1987; how many were employed in each of the grades of assistant inspector, inspector, principal inspector, principal inspector 1, deputy superintending inspector, deputy chief inspector and chief inspector, respectively; what are the latest totals in each of these categories; and how many in each of the categories for both dates were in the field.
  573
  Mr. Nicholls
  The breakdown by grade of the number of agricultural inspectors employed in HSE is as follows. Staffing figures are recorded on the first of each month.

  1 December 1987

  1 May 1989

  Grade

  Number

  (of which in the field force)

  Number

  (of which in the field force)

  Chief Inspctor

  1

  (—)

  1

  (—)

  Deputy Chief Inspector

  2

  (—)

  2

  (—)

  Deputy Superintending Inspector

  3

  (3)

  3

  (3)

  Principal Inspector 1

  7

  (6)

  6

  (5)

  Principal Inspector

  29

  (24)

  28

  (23)

  Inspector

  91

  (80)

  100

  (86)

  Assistant Inspector

  25

  (25)

  26

  (26)

  Total

  158

  (138)

  16

  (143)

  A recruitment competition is currently under way.

  Construction (Safety)
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will investigate the reasons for the differences in death, serious injury and ill-health rates on construction sites with the highest and lowest rates.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not record fatal accident, serious injury or ill-health rates for individual construction sites and, therefore, the sites with the highest and lowest rates cannot be identified.

  However, the "Blackspot Construction" report published by the HSE in June 1988 analysed the circumstances of 739 deaths in the construction industry between 1981 and 1985 and showed that 70 per cent. could have been avoided by positive management action.

  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report provisional figures for 1988–89 giving (a) the number of fatalities and (b) the number of major injuries (i) in the London region and (ii) nationally for the construction industry.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Figures for 1988–89 are in the process of compilation but are not yet available.

  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the reasons why death and serious injuries in local authority direct labour buiding works are lower than in private industry.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Comparisons of the kind the hon. Member has in mind would be meaningless, even if reliable and comprehensive figures were available, since the work performed by organisations of different types and size in the construction industry differs substantially.

  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if, pursuant to his statement in the House on 11 April,Official Report, columns 833–34, on the correlation between firms with good safety standards and those that are successful, he will publish in the Official Report the names of the successful companies giving examples of their good safety record and stating whether the companies recognise trade unions.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The information requested is not available. As I pointed out in my statement to the House on 11 April, the correlation between good safety standards and other positive aspects of firms' performance is based on the experience and observations of HSE inspectors.

  Release for Training Scheme
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications have been made for grant aid for the release for training scheme; and how many have been awarded for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Nicholls
  This information is not available.

  Personal Reader Service Scheme
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications have been made for grant aid under the personal leader service scheme, and how many have been awarded for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Lee
  I take it that the hon. Member's question refers to my Department's personal reader service scheme.

  Information about the number of applications made for grant aid under this scheme for the last five years is not available.

  The number of new beneficiaries receiving grants in each of the last five years was as follows:

  Number

  1984–85

  75

  1985–86

  80

  1986–87

  62

  1987–88

  107

  1988–89

  116

  Employment (Special Aids)
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications have been awarded for grant aid for the special aids to employment; and how many have been awarded for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Lee
  The information requested about the number of applications made for grant aid under the special aids to employment scheme is not available. The numbers of grants authorised for each of the past five years were:

  Number

  1984–85

  1,640

  1985–86

  2,386

  1986–87

  2,630

  1987–88

  3,041

  1988–89

  4,242

  Fares to Work Scheme
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications have been made for grant aid under the fares to work scheme; and how many have been awarded for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Lee
  The information requested about the number of applications made for grant aid under the assistance with fares to work scheme is not available. The numbers of grants authorised for each of the past five years were:

  Number

  1984–85

  390

  1985–86

  434

  1986–87

  536

  1987–88

  553

  1988–89

  617

  Adaptations to Premises and Equipment
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications have been made for grant aid under the adaptations to premises and equipment scheme; and how many have been awarded for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Lee
  The information requested about the number of applications made for grant aid under the adaptations to premises and equipment scheme, is not available. The numbers of grants authorised for each of the past five years were:

  Number

  1984–85

  145

  1985–86

  165

  1986–87

  253

  1987–88

  252

  1988–89

  247

  Disabled People
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what conclusions the internal review on the employment practices for disabled persons has reached on altering or retaining the quota system; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lee
  Consideration of the issues being examined in the internal review of my Department's services for people with disabilities has not yet been completed. The review will be completed and the results published as soon as possible.

  Disabled Workers (Quotas)
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of permits issued exempting employers from the quota obligations under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944, for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Lee
  The table gives information about the number of employers issued with permits some of whom may have received more than one permit during the years shown.
  576

  Number of Employers who were below quota on 1 June but who had been granted bulk permits during the previous 12 months

  Number

  1984

  18,769

  1985

  18,681

  1986

  18,840

  1987

  18,577

  1988

  18,594

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of bulk permits issued exempting employers from the quota obligations under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944, for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Lee
  The table gives information about the number of employers issued with bulk permits (some of whom may have received more than one permit) during the years shown.

  Number of Employers who were below quota on 1 June but who had been granted bulk permits during the previous 12 months

  Number

  1984

  18,300

  1985

  18,486

  1986

  18,683

  1987

  18,480

  1988

  18,331

  Employment Rehabilitation Centres
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total amount spent on employment rehabilitation centres for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Lee
  The total expenditure for the employment rehabilitation service (which includes employment rehabilitation centres) was as follows:

  £ million

  11988–89

  20

  1987–88

  23

  1986–87

  22

  1985–86

  20

  1984–85

  20

  1 Provisional figure.

  Disabled Workers
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions have been instigated for contravention of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 for each of the past five years; and what has been the total amount paid in fines.

  Mr. Lee
  There have been no prosecutions under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 in the last five years.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what publicity initiatives have been taken by his Department regarding the uptake of grants by employers for the employment of disabled persons, for the last three years; and what has been the total expenditure.

  Mr. Lee
  Publicity initiatives about schemes and services for the employment of disabled people during the
  577
  last three years have included ongoing promotion of the code of good practice on the employment of disabled people and the associated videos "It Worked Fine" and "It Can Be Done". In 1988 a new series of leaflets for employers and people with disabilities was introduced. In 1989, additional leaflets about specific disabilities, the disablement resettlement officer service and jobhunting for people with disabilities were provided. Publicity material is displayed at appropriate conferences, exhibitions and so on. The Disablement Advisory Service provides information about such schemes and services as part of its advisory role to employers. The total expenditure for the three years was approximately £651,500, excluding staff costs which are not separately identifiable.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people with disabilities are employed by his Department(a) as a total number, and (b) as a percentage of the total work force.

  Mr. Lee
  The Employment Department group employs 1,502 registered disabled staff; they represent 2.5 per cent. of permanent staff in the group. In addition, the group employs a number of other people with disabilities who choose not to register.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what was the total number of part-time female employees in employment in Scotland and for each of the years June 1979 to June 1988;

  (2) what was the total number of part-time male employees in employment in Scotland for each of the years June 1979 to June 1988;

  (3) what was the total number of full-time male employees in employment in Scotland for each of the years June 1979 to June 1988;

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  19884

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  Employees and self employed2

  Full-time3

  Northern region

  672

  268

  662

  251

  661

  254

  658

  269

  671

  275

  671

  288

  Yorkshire and Humberside region

  1,117

  430

  1,132

  420

  1,132

  416

  1,104

  433

  1,096

  438

  1,118

  422

  East Midlands region

  954

  378

  949

  376

  935

  366

  965

  359

  954

  374

  980

  413

  East Anglia region

  470

  166

  494

  159

  490

  171

  489

  190

  499

  194

  520

  206

  South East region

  4,274

  1,833

  4,336

  1,870

  4,378

  1,893

  4,350

  1,922

  4,371

  1,965

  4,540

  2,039

  of which Greater London

  1,665

  840

  1,672

  834

  1,696

  832

  1,642

  811

  1,637

  846

  1,688

  860

  South West region

  1,043

  387

  1,048

  388

  1,078

  409

  1,068

  410

  1,094

  433

  1,103

  456

  West Midlands region

  1,200

  468

  1,191

  482

  1,191

  485

  1,212

  509

  1,212

  483

  1,299

  511

  North West region

  1,412

  609

  1,394

  580

  1,426

  618

  1,403

  604

  1,412

  631

  1,426

  650

  Wales

  587

  244

  598

  246

  593

  240

  584

  246

  575

  242

  598

  258

  Part-time3

  Northern region

  21

  221

  23

  242

  22

  235

  24

  249

  22

  258

  25

  251

  Yorkshire and Humberside region

  34

  397

  47

  415

  48

  420

  45

  430

  58

  442

  53

  438

  East Midlands region

  30

  283

  42

  320

  38

  327

  41

  359

  48

  337

  47

  341

  East Anglia region

  21

  162

  20

  173

  19

  170

  23

  167

  29

  175

  25

  205

  South East region

  167

  1,210

  224

  1,368

  223

  1,392

  204

  1,392

  231

  1,453

  264

  1,472

  of which Greater London

  63

  422

  82

  446

  79

  486

  79

  473

  89

  485

  99

  470

  South West region

  45

  348

  51

  380

  58

  405

  58

  397

  69

  431

  81

  437

  West Midlands region

  36

  365

  37

  376

  48

  381

  53

  399

  53

  431

  58

  442

  North West region

  46

  453

  58

  491

  59

  493

  59

  507

  66

  495

  77

  530

  Wales

  13

  164

  22

  184

  21

  192

  26

  204

  30

  196

  32

  204

  On Government employment and training programmes

  Northern region

  16

  11

  16

  —1

  19

  13

  23

  11

  30

  19

  31

  17

  Yorkshire and Humberside region

  22

  15

  18

  10

  29

  12

  33

  13

  36

  20

  36

  19

  East Midlands region

  14

  10

  16

  10

  20

  —1

  21

  11

  24

  12

  25

  16

  East Anglia region

  —1

  —1

  —1

  —1

  10

  —1

  —1

  —1

  —1

  —1

  12

  —1

  South East region

  47

  36

  36

  28

  40

  31

  45

  25

  45

  25

  49

  34

  of which Greater London

  14

  11

  13

  —1

  11

  12

  15

  12

  19

  —1

  18

  14

  578
  (4) what was the total number of full-time female employees in employment in Scotland for each of the years June 1979 to June 1988.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 19 May 1989]: I have been asked to reply.

  The available information is shown in the table. Estimates of the number of part-time male employees are not available for each year, but the censuses of employment record some 0.06 million male part-time employees in employment for each of the years 1978, 1981 and 1984.

  Employees in employment in Scotland (thousands)

  Year (at June)

  Males all

  Females

  full-time

  part-time

  1979

  1,205·2

  565·2

  331·9

  1980

  1,186·3

  561·2

  334·7

  1981

  1,127·8

  537·7

  336·3

  1982

  1,090·2

  522·7

  337·3

  1983

  1,060·4

  501·4

  337·3

  1984

  1,043·3

  510·7

  347·2

  1985

  1,039·4

  502·3

  362·1

  1986

  1,021·3

  501·1

  364·8

  1987

  1,009·5

  504·0

  378·4

  1988

  1,020·5

  525·8

  382·6

  Notes:

  (1) These estimates may be revised when the results of the 1987 Census of Employment become available.

  (2) Not adjusted for seasonal variation.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of people in(a) full-time employment and (b) part-time employment, by sex, for each of the standard regions, for each of the years 1983 to 1988 based on the labour force survey.

  Mr. Lee
  [holding answer 19 May 1989]: Estimates from labour force surveys are as shown in the table:
  579

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  19884

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  Men

  Women

  South West region

  17

  10

  16

  —1

  17

  10

  22

  12

  17

  14

  27

  15

  West Midlands region

  20

  12

  20

  13

  34

  20

  36

  18

  38

  21

  29

  24

  North West region

  29

  20

  31

  20

  33

  19

  36

  13

  50

  29

  48

  27

  Wales

  13

  —1

  12

  —1

  18

  —1

  15

  —1

  23

  14

  26

  11

  1 Sample size too small for a reliable estimate.

  2 Full/part-split is only available for employees and self employed, not all persons on Government employment and training programmes are asked the appropriate question.

  3 Based on respondent's own assessment.

  4 Preliminary results (1988 only).

  Source: Labour Force Surveys.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of people aged over 16 years who are (i) full-time employees, (ii) part-time employees, (iii) self-employed and (iv) on Government

  Full and part-lime employees, self-employed and Government employment and training programmes, by region Spring estimates

  Thousands

  Persons aged 16 and over

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  21988

  Full-time1 employees

  Northern region

  865

  830

  813

  832

  845

  852

  Yorks and Humberside region

  1,395

  1,380

  1,360

  1,343

  1,335

  1,361

  East Midlands region

  1,188

  1,189

  1,160

  1,179

  1,159

  1,211

  East Anglia region

  556

  559

  563

  581

  588

  605

  South East region

  5,449

  5,462

  5,470

  5,465

  5,414

  5,623

  —of which Greater London

  2,250

  2,211

  2,205

  2,143

  2,127

  2,192

  South West region

  1,223

  1,199

  1,253

  1,230

  1,258

  1,269

  West Midlands region

  1,501

  1,490

  1,504

  1,548

  1,502

  1,573

  North West region

  1,808

  1,739

  1,803

  1,766

  1,790

  1,812

  Wales

  722

  712

  716

  702

  706

  739

  Part-time1 employees

  Northern region

  225

  249

  238

  256

  260

  260

  Yorks and Humberside region

  405

  426

  424

  447

  459

  455

  East Midlands region

  290

  328

  337

  364

  346

  357

  East Anglia region

  165

  172

  169

  178

  179

  204

  South East region

  1,246

  1,409

  1,441

  1,416

  1,474

  1,529

  —of which Greater London

  443

  472

  504

  495

  505

  503

  South West region

  349

  377

  402

  396

  443

  459

  West Midlands region

  373

  381

  395

  421

  447

  453

  North West region

  469

  507

  508

  521

  515

  560

  Wales

  163

  190

  195

  215

  204

  218

  Self-employed

  Northern region

  92

  100

  121

  111

  121

  123

  Yorks and Humberside region

  177

  207

  233

  223

  240

  235

  East Midlands region

  168

  172

  169

  181

  209

  213

  East Anglia region

  98

  116

  118

  109

  130

  146

  South East region

  790

  927

  975

  986

  1,131

  1,163

  —of which Greater London

  298

  352

  384

  368

  425

  423

  South West region

  251

  291

  296

  307

  324

  349

  West Midlands region

  195

  214

  207

  204

  230

  284

  North West region

  244

  276

  286

  286

  298

  310

  Wales

  123

  148

  135

  143

  132

  135

  On Government employment and training programmes

  Northern region

  27

  23

  33

  34

  48

  47

  Yorks and Humberside region

  38

  28

  41

  46

  57

  55

  East Midlands region

  24

  25

  29

  32

  36

  42

  East Anglia region

  12

  11

  16

  10

  11

  17

  South East region

  83

  64

  71

  70

  71

  82

  —of which Greater London

  25

  22

  23

  27

  27

  33

  South West region

  27

  24

  27

  34

  31

  42

  West Midlands region

  32

  32

  54

  54

  59

  53

  North West region

  49

  51

  52

  50

  79

  74

  Wales

  21

  19

  26

  23

  37

  36

  Source: Labour Force Surveys

  1 Based on respondent's own assessment

  2 Preliminary results (1988 only)

  580
  employment and training schemes, based on the labour force survey, in each of the standard regions and Wales, for each of the years 1983 to 1988.

  Mr Lee
  Estimates from labour force surveys are as shown in the following table.

  Employment Training
  Ms. Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the revised numbers of approved places allocated under employment training; what are the area budgets for the programme; and what are the allocations of supplementary grant, for each training agency area.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Up to 265,000 employment training places have been allocated for 1989–90. Detailed area plans have yet to be finalised.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total number of employment training places occupied, by sex, in each of the standard regions and Wales at the latest date for which the information is available.

  Mr. Nicholls
  [holding answer 19 May 1989: Information about the numbers of men and women on employment training is not available separately. The number of those entering the programme and the proportions of men and women are given in the table.

  Employment training entrants

  Region

  Entrants to 12 May

  Men1 Per cent.

  Women1 Per cent.

  South East

  17,200

  65

  35

  London

  26,400

  59

  41

  South West

  16,200

  68

  32

  West Midlands

  33,200

  69

  31

  East Midlands and Eastern

  23,400

  72

  28

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  41,200

  74

  26

  North West

  44,900

  72

  28

  Northern

  30,500

  75

  25

  Wales

  21,800

  71

  29

  1 Proportions of men and women for period September—end March.

ENVIRONMENT

  Urban Development Corporations
  Mr. Flannery
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the cost for each urban development corporation so far in relation to the relocation of firms under the following headings(a) compensation for land and buildings, (b) disturbance and removal costs and (c) additional payments.

  Mr. Trippier
  A full, detailed breakdown is not readily available. But total expenditures to date on relocation of firms are as follows: LDDC £8·4 million, black country DC £3·4 million, Trafford park DC £1·4 million, Merseyside DC £0·7 million, Leeds DC £0·2 million.

  Empty Residential Properties
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the number of empty residential properties owned by his Department.

  Mr. Chope
  Yes. As at 1 April 1989, 38 of the 433 residential properties owned by the Department of the Environment were empty. Of these only 13 are surplus to requirements and these are in process of disposal on the open market.
  582
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek guidance from local authorities and housing associations on the use of empty residential property possessed by his Department.

  Mr. Chope
  No. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) earlier today.

  Mr. Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will issue guidance to Government Departments on the use of Government-owned empty residential property.

  Mr. Buckley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to bring empty Government-owned residential property into use.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on Government policy concerning empty residential property in its possession.

  Mr. Chope
  My Department takes every opportunity to advise other Government Departments on the best use of their residential property and to draw to their attention the need to bring empty residential property back into use as early as possible.

  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of empty properties belonging to his Departmenst is suitable for use as temporary accommodation by homeless people.

  Mr. Chope
  At present there are no empty properties owned by the Department of the Environment suitable for use as temporary accommodation for the homeless. Should empty residential properties not be required for further Government use and they cannot be sold because of legal restrictions or sold within six months they are offered first to the local housing authority and then to a housing association.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of properties owned by his Department and suitable for residential accommodation has been empty for more than six months.

  Mr. Chope
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Mr. Michael) earlier today. The 38 empty properties represent 8·7 per cent. of the total residential property owned by my Department.

  Mr. John P. Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish a list of all the empty residential property owned by his Department.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will provide a table showing by region of England and Wales the number and percentage of empty residential property owned by his Department.

  Mr. Chope
  A list showing all empty residential property owned by the Department of the Environment by region, number and percentage of total stock as at 1 April 1989, is set out.
  583

  Region

  Number

  Percentage

  Address

  Scotland

  11

  2·5

  Custom House, Campbeltown, Argyll (two units)

  George Street, Dunoon, Argyll

  Hamilton House, Glasgow

  Veterinary Research Station, Lasswade, Midlothian (two units)

  86 Lomond Road, Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde

  9 Windsor Street, Shotts, Motherwell

  52, 54, 56 School Road, Peterhead, Banss Buchan (three units)

  North East

  3

  0·7

  Hawkills Estate, Easingwold Hambleton (two units)

  Coastguard Station, Redcar, Lanbaurgh

  North West

  1

  0·2

  Courts of Justice, Manchester

  Eastern

  2

  0·4

  26 London Road, Brentwood

  Coastguard Station, Felixstowe, Suffolk Coastal

  London

  1

  0·2

  173 Ashley Gardens, Westminster

  South West

  8

  1·9

  Fire Services College, Moreton-in-the-Marsh, Cotswold (four units)

  Strand House, Isle of Scilly

  Shapwick Wireless Depot, Bridgewater, Sedgemoor

  South East

  12

  2·8

  Osborne Estate, East Cowes, Medina (twelve units)

  38

  8·7

  Mr. Eastham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any proposals to release property belonging to his Department, which has been empty for more than a year and is suitable for residential accommodation, for use by young people who are at present homeless.

  Mr. Chope
  At present there are no empty properties suitable for residential accommodation owned by the Department of the Environment which could be made available for use by homeless young people.

  Empty residential properties owned by my Department for which there is no further Government use are put on the open market for sale. If, because of legal restrictions, they cannot be sold or sold within six months they are offered first to the local housing authority and then to a housing association.

  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek guidance from the local authority organisations on how best to use the empty property owned by his Department.

  Mr. Chope
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) earlier today.

  Empty Public Sector Housing
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received regarding empty public sector housing.

  Mr. Trippier
  Apart from occasional correspondence, we have received some recent representations on empty public sector housing in the context of our homelessness review. They emphasise the contribution these properties could make to the relief of housing pressures and the need for all public sector landlords to manage their stock efficiently.

  Green Lanes and Bridleways
  Sir David Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to protect green lanes and bridleways from use by motorised vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  It is already unlawful, by virtue of section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, to drive a motor vehicle on a bridleway. I am aware, however, of concern about legal, but irresponsible and inconsiderate, use by motor vehicles of byways and green lanes. Powers are available to highway authorities to prevent this but my Department is monitoring this situation closely and I will consult my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport if I consider further legislation necessary.

  Water Authority Land
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement regarding the rights of access, by members of the public, to water authority owned land.

  Mr. Ridley
  After enactment of the Water Bill, the National Rivers Authority and the water and sewerage companies will be under the same statutory duties as the present water authorities in respect of public access and amenity on water industry land.

  CFCs
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects that the inessential use of chlorofluorocarbons in aerosols will be phased out in the United Kingdom.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Members of the British Aerosol Manufacturers Association have stated that by the end of this year 90 per cent. of aerosols in this country will be free of chlorofluorocarbons. The remaining 10 per cent. is accounted for by medical and some industrial aerosols for which suitable substitutes are not yet available.
  585
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on the labelling of aerosol cans as ozone friendly.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I welcome the decision of the British Aerosol Manufacturers Association to recommend to its members that all aerosols be labelled, so as to indicate whether or not they contain ozone-damaging chlorofluorocarbons.

  Sir Barney Hayhoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what facilities there are in the United Kingdom for destroying chlorofluorocarbons in an environmentally safe way; and whether he has any plans to improve upon present arrangements.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 22 May 1989]: There are very limited facilities currently available in the United Kingdom for incineration of liquefied chlorofluorocarbons and, as yet, no practical methods for destroying foam in an environmentally satisfactory method. The best way forward is to encourage industry to minimise the use of CFCs, and to recycle where practicable. I shall keep disposal arrangements under review in the light of further consideration by the parties to the Montreal protocol.

  Community Charge
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of pensioner households he estimates will gain under the community charge.

  Mr. Ridley
  I estimate that nearly 70 per cent. of pensioner households will pay less with the community charge than they would with rates, and 83 per cent. of single pensioner households will pay less.

  Football Spectators Bill
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will next meet the president of the Football League to discuss the Football Spectators Bill.

  Mr. Ridley
  My hon. Friend and I met the chairman of the Football Association and the president of the Football League this morning to discuss the question of all-seater stadiums.

  Shared Equity Housing Schemes
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received seeking the removal of the right to buy out the freehold from shared equity housing schemes.

  Mr. Trippier
  I have received a number of representations, mainly from local authorities and housing associations.

  Greater Manchester (Housing)
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the condition of housing in Greater Manchester.

  Mr. Trippier
  Responsibility for the condition of housing in Greater Manchester, as elsewhere, rests with the owners. For properties in private ownership, grants may be available to help to improve them. Where the 586
  owner is the local authority, my Department's estate action unit continues to provide significant assistance in improving housing conditions on rundown estates.

  East Lancashire Railway
  Mr. Burt
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will pay an official visit to Ramsbottom in order to examine the impact of the east Lancashire railway on the development of the local economy.

  Mr. Trippier
  I visited Summerseat, near Ramsbottom, in February of this year to speak at the launch of the "Irwell Valley Adventure" in which the east Lancashire railway features as a major tourist attraction. I am pleased both with the progress of the railway restoration project itself and the impact it is having on the local economy.

  Unleaded Petrol
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of new cars are now capable of running on unleaded petrol.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  It is estimated that 80 per cent. of new cars registered in Great Britain in 1988 could be using unleaded petrol. Of these 33 per cent. could use unleaded petrol straight away and the remaining 47 per cent. after adjustment. Estimates for January 1989 indicate that more than half of the cars currently being registered can now use unleaded petrol without adjustment.

  Mr. Page
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures for demand for unleaded petrol.

  Mr. Tredinnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the increase in demand for unleaded petrol since the Budget; what proposals he has for encouraging the wider use of lead-free petrol; and what has been the response of other EEC member states to Britain's initiatives to promote lead-free petrol.

  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intendes to promote further measures to encourage the use of unleaded petrol.

  Mr. Andrew MacKay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his Department's campaign to increase the use of unleaded petrol.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The Government are firmly committed to the speedy changeover to unleaded petrol. Last year the average uptake of the fuel amounted to only 1 per cent. of the total petrol sales. Following the significant duty differential introduced by the Chancellor in his Budget this year together with the ongoing work of the unleaded petrol group, which I chair, our recent major television advertising campaign and a range of publicity initiatives by the Department, uptake is estimated to have risen to over 15 per cent. We shall continue to campaign vigorously to increase sales still further.

  We led the way in securing agreement in the EEC on the introduction of this environment-friendly fuel. Britain now has the second largest duty differential in favour of unleaded petrol within the EEC and is in the top four countries for uptake.
  587
  The changeover to unleaded petrol now is important. It is good for the environment, it makes good financial sense and it paves the way for the introduction of stricter EC vehicle emission standards to which we are committed.

  Water Industry
  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice the Monopolies and Mergers Commission has given about the most effective way of transferring the water industry into the private sector.

  Mr. Howard
  The Monopolies and Mergers Commission stated in its report on Southern water authority in April 1985 that it did not regard the existing private statutory companies as a useful model for the privatised industry. It took the view that the statutory form of regulation, which limits profits and dividends, conspicuously failed to provide adequate safeguards for the consumer and a profit incentive to management to reduce costs and increase efficiency. I am confident that the Water Bill's chosen route to privatisation on plc lines offers a far more attractive future for the industry, the consumer and the investor.

  Housing Estates
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for those estates no longer included in the housing action trust proposals; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will release money to those areas originally designated to be part of a housing action trust, which are not now to be included.

  Mr. Trippier
  It is for the local authorities concerned to decide, in consultation with their tenants, what future action to take on these estates. The work done by the HAT consultants will assist the Department in assessing any bids for HIP resources.

  Water Privatisation
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will meet a deputation from the Ramblers Association to discuss the maintenance of free accessibility to land for the general public following privatisation of the water authorities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  I met the Ramblers Association to discuss these matters on 6 March 1989.

  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the alleged illegality of the water authorities' advertising campaign.

  Mr. Howard
  I have been unable to trace any representations on this point.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from Cumbria county council and the Lake District planning board on the privatisation of water authority assets.
  588
  Mr. Howard
  We have received a number of representations from the Lake District planning board about the composition of the regional rivers advisory committees of the National Rivers Authority, consultation arrangements between the national park authorities and the water industry, and the sale of non-operational land. The board's views have been carefully considered. I am not aware of any representations from Cumbria county council.

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how it intends to finance the main flotation costs of the privatisation of the water authorities.

  Mr. Howard
  Token provision for this new service has been sought in the main supply estimate for class X vote 9. A supplementary estimate will be presented when the sale has been completed and the final costs are known. Pending approval of these estimates, urgent expenditure will be met by repayable advances from the contingencies fund.

  New Towns
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received regarding the seven new town submissions affecting Appleton Cross and Grappenhall Heys; and what proportion of them were in favour of the developments.

  Mr. Trippier
  I have received 2,095 proformas and letters about these submissions, most of which were opposed to the proposals. I have also received three petitions against the proposals containing in total some 7,000 signatures.

  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many county councils in England currently include in their proposed revised structure plan schemes for building new towns in excess of 10,000 people on existing green belt land; and if he will list them.

  Mr. Chope
  I know of no such schemes, other than that proposed in the south-east Dorset structure plan first alteration, of which my hon. Friend will be aware. My right hon. Friend hopes to publish modifications to the South-East Dorset alteration shortly.

  Right to Buy
  Mrs. Maureen Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the use of the delay procedure, since its introduction in March, by tenants wishing to exercise their right to buy their council home.

  Mr. Trippier
  A large number of tenants exercising the right to buy and held up by their landlord have sought advice on the delay procedure, and over 15,000 forms have been sent out, both to tenants direct and to hon. Members and tenants' advisers. But we have no precise information since there is no requirement to inform the Department when delay notices are served.

  Mr. Cartwright
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals against valuations under the right-to-buy scheme were made by Greenwich council tenants during(a) 1988 and (b) the first three months of 1989; and in how many cases the original valuation was reduced on appeal.
  589
  Mr. Trippier
  A total of 369 tenants of the council requested determinations of value by the district valuer in 1988, the value determined being lower than the council's in 360 cases. Two hundred and eleven tenants have requested determinations in the first three months of this year, the determination being lower than the original valuation in all the 114 cases dealt with so far.

  Water Charges
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received on the provisions for the future control of water charges set out in the Water Bill.

  Mr. Howard
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike) on Monday 22 May 1989.

  Green Belt
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total area of land which has been removed from the green belt during the last 10 years.

  Mr. Chope
  The precise information requested is not available, but the extent of approved green belt in England has more than doubled from 1·8 million acres to 4·5 million acres since 1979.

  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what instructions he has given to planning authorities to prevent erosion into the green belt; whether the importance of presumption against development in the green belt still applies; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  Local planning authorities are expected to have regard to the very restrictive planning policies that continue to apply in the green belt, as set out in the Department's planning policy guidance note 2, published in January 1988: a copy is in the Library. As the guidance makes plain, there is a general assumption against inappropriate development in the green belt.

  Mr. Wolfson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the need for local housing authorities situated within the green belt to make provisions, on an exceptional basis, for low-cost housing in their rural area; and what advice he has offered.

  Mr. Trippier
  In the first instance it is for local authorities to decide where new housing can be accommodated, taking account of existing planning policies and, where applicable, the relaxation I announced on 3 February for small developments to meet local needs in rural areas. The Government have made provision for a substantial increase in the total resources available to housing associations for subsidised rented housing and for low-cost home ownership, and an increased share of that total will be allocated to smaller rural communities and to those areas where high house prices make access to owner-occupation more difficult.

  Low-cost Housing Scheme
  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he proposes to recommend to local authorities and housing associations to ensure that the initial benefit of a reduced price available to the purchaser of a house under the low-cost housing scheme can be passed on to subsequent purchasers.
  590
  Mr. Trippier
  My noble Friend the Minister for Housing, Environment and Countryside recently announced that we have in mind a scheme where housing associations will have a pre-emptive right to buy back a shared ownership property at full market value when the owner sells:

  (i) where the house is in a rural area where replacement of a shared ownership dwelling may be difficult; or

  (ii) where a private landowner has contributed a site on condition that it be retained for low-cost housing.

  This repurchase arrangement enables the association to resell with the benefit of a reduced price, without restricting the right of the shared owner to become the full owner of his home.

  Montreal Protocol
  Mr. Patrick Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many countries have agreed to sign the Montreal protocol following the ozone conference in London held in March.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  At the "London saving the ozone layer conference" 20 countries said that they would become parties to the Montreal protocol, and a further 14 said that they would give serious consideration to doing so.

  Pollution Inspectorate
  Mr. Cran
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the proposed re-organisation of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The Department has received some representations mainly from or on behalf of local authorities. They have been concerned primarily with the need to maintain existing lines of communication with inspectorate staff following implementation of the reorganisation proposals.

  One of the objectives of the proposed reorganisation is to produce a more effective deployment of resources. The importance of effective links with local authorities is recognised and maintaining communication with them will be an essential element in developing the reorganisation proposals.

  Young Persons (Housing)
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he takes to ensure that advice is available to a young person without a parental home looking to be housed in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Trippier
  I can answer only for England. In the current year my Department will provide grants totalling nearly £700,000 to over 20 voluntary housing advice agencies. Many of these provide assistance to young people without a parental home.

  European Council of Environment Ministers
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the business of the forthcoming meeting of the European Council of Environment Ministers, which is to be held on 8 June.

  Mr. James Lamond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the
  591
  business of the forthcoming meeting of the European Council of Environment Ministers, which is to be held on 8 June.

  Mr. Eastham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the business of the forthcoming meeting of the European Council of Environment Ministers, which is to be held on 8 June.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  It is for the Spanish presidency to decide on the agenda for meetings of the European Council of Ministers. It has not yet confirmed an agenda for the European Council meeting of Environment Ministers on 8 June.

  Local Authority Housing
  Mr. Gow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses and how many flats are owned by local authorities; and what new proposals he has to extend the opportunity for them to become owner-occupied.

  Mr. Trippier
  In April 1988 local authorities in England owned some 4·5 million dwellings, about a third of them flats or maisonettes. Following the new discount scale for flats introduced in January 1987 sales of flats increased from 9 per cent. to 17·6 per cent. as a proportion of all sales. Tenants of both houses and flats have recently been helped to buy their homes by an increase in the maximum discount to £50,000 and by a new power to have rent deducted from the purchase price if the landlord delays the sale.

  Lambeth (Council Housing)
  Mr. Mans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses owned by Lambeth council are currently empty.

  Mr. Trippier
  At 1 April 1988, the latest date for which figures are currently available there were 1,156 empty properties owned by the London borough of Lambeth. There are no separate figures for houses alone.

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council tenants in Lambeth were waiting for their applications to buy their homes to be processed at the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Trippier
  On 30 April 1989, according to figures supplied by Lambeth, 2,086 applicants were waiting for the council to take the next step in processing the sale of their homes, either by confirming the tenant's right-to-buy or providing a valuation.

  Water Bill
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what aspects will be covered in further leaflets on the Water Bill.

  Mr. Howard
  Possible subjects for future leaflets on the Water Bill are land, access and recreation; and bathing waters.

  Mr. Knapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek to amend the Water Bill so that privatisation of the industry is based on the statutory water companies model.
  592
  Mr. Howard
  No. The 1986 White Paper "Privatisation of Water Industry in England and Wales" explained that we had rejected the statutory company model because it was an outdated method of operating a business. The controls on dividend and reserves do not give any incentive to achieve greater efficiency. We firmly believe that the plc company model with controls on prices and standards of service will provide a better and more efficient service, arid will enable the privatised companies to develop in ways that will benefit their customers and investors alike.

  Control of Pollution Act 1974
  Mr. Heddle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action was taken to implement part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974(a) between its enactment and May 1979 and (b) since May 1979.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The main provisions of part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 were implemented between July 1984 and October 1986. These provided for more effective protection of inland surface and underground waters, the extension of controls to cover all coastal and estuarial waters and public involvement, for the first time, in the water pollution control system.

  These provisions are to be re-enacted, and where appropriate, strengthened, in the Water Bill.

  Prior to May 1979, only five relatively minor sections of part II were brought into force.

  Housing (Ballots)
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will announce a timetable for ballots in proposed housing action trust areas.

  Mr. Trippier
  Ballots will not take place until we are satisfied that tenants have had time to consider fully the consultants' reports on the areas and to put forward their own ideas for improving their estates.

  Sports Facilities (Urban Areas)
  Mr. Heffer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department is monitoring the number of outdoor recreational sports facilities in the urban areas of England.

  Mr. Moynihan
  This information is not held centrally. However, the regional offices of the Sports Council maintain records on the major sports facilities within their regions and the Sports Council is in the process of building up a sports facilities database for England.

  Rent Arrears (Lambeth)
  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the level of council rent arrears in Lambeth at the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Trippier
  A table showing the rent arrears outstanding to all English local authorities as at 1 April 1988 is in the Library.

  Home Ownership
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what percentage home ownership has increased since 1979.
  593
  Mr. Trippier
  Estimates of numbers and proportions of dwellings in owner occupation in England in December 1979 and December 1988 appear in Table 2·22 of "Housing and Construction Statistics, Part 2", volume 36, a copy of which is available in the Library.

  Developments (Restrictive Covenants)
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on covenants to restrict development; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  My right hon. Friend receives three or four applications each year under schedule 24 to the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 to discharge or modify agreements made under section 34 of the Town and

  Works in breach of consent

  Water authority

  Number

  Number tested

  Number

  Percentage of works tested

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1986

  1987

  1988

  Anglian

  782

  760

  775

  774

  754

  748

  309

  260

  208

  40

  34

  28

  Northumbrian

  196

  182

  178

  196

  182

  178

  37

  27

  26

  19

  15

  15

  North West

  458

  448

  441

  458

  448

  441

  62

  55

  43

  14

  12

  10

  Severn-Trent

  773

  753

  808

  762

  742

  751

  179

  160

  112

  23

  22

  15

  Southern

  282

  274

  273

  282

  274

  271

  54

  39

  41

  19

  14

  15

  South West

  226

  226

  232

  188

  219

  228

  55

  65

  68

  29

  30

  30

  Thames

  374

  382

  378

  374

  379

  378

  67

  70

  60

  18

  18

  16

  Welsh

  803

  764

  710

  668

  611

  650

  112

  108

  107

  17

  18

  17

  Wessex

  272

  272

  272

  272

  270

  272

  39

  39

  16

  14

  11

  6

  Yorkshire

  380

  360

  360

  380

  351

  354

  88

  74

  61

  23

  21

  17

  England and Wales

  4,546

  4,421

  4,427

  4,354

  4,230

  4,271

  1,002

  887

  742

  23

  21

  17

  Water Quality (Barnsley)
  Mr. Illsley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has recently received regarding the quality of water supplies in the Barnsley area.

  Mr. Howard
  None.

  Structure Plans (White Paper)
  Mr. Baldry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from Oxfordshire concerning the White Paper on structure plans.

  Mr. Howard
  Representations have been received from Oxfordshire county council and South Oxfordshire district council, suggesting some minor modifications to our proposals for the future development plans. These comments will be considered, along with those received from other organisations and authorities, as draft legislation is prepared to implement the White Paper proposals.

  Rating Reform
  Mr. Watts
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates he has of the relative effect of(a) a system of capital value rates plus local income tax and (b) the community charge on an average ward sister.

  Mr. Gummer
  Last year ward sister's earning £13,000 and living in properties valued at £40,000 would have paid on average about £450 in a system of capital value rates plus local income tax compared to £246 with the community charge.
  594
  Country Planning Act 1932 which restrict the planning, development or use of land; some of these applications are opposed.

  Sewage Treatment Works
  Mr. Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of sewage treatment works failed their discharge consents(a) in May 1979 and (b) at the most recent date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Howard
  Information on sewage treatment works failing their consents was not collected by the Government in May 1979. Numbers of sewage treatment works in each water authority area in England and Wales that have numerical discharge consent conditions, numbers tested and non-compliance in 1986 and 1987, together with the figures returned by authorities for 1988 are as follows.

  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has had any representations to introduce a local income tax instead of the rating system and the community charge; and what would be the amount payable in local income tax by a man on average earnings.

  Mr. Gummer
  Not surprisingly I have received hardly any representations in favour of a local income tax. Based on 1988–89 figures for local authority spending, the average local income tax rate needed in England would have been 6·4p in the pound. If the tax were at that level in a particular local authority area, the payment for a person on male average earnings, with only the single person's tax allowance, would have been about £650.

  Football Identity Card Scheme
  Mr. Ashton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations he has had with Lord Justice Taylor regarding the introduction of his Bill on football club membership cards.

  Mr. Moynihan
  None.

  Atmospheric Lead
  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of lead in the atmosphere is caused by lead in petrol.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  On 1 January 1986 the permitted lead content of petrol was reduced from 0·4g per litre to 0·15g per litre. The Warren Spring laboratory has been monitoring the effects of the reduction on the concentration of lead in the atmosphere for the
  595
  Department. Its estimate, based on this work, is that currently 75 per cent. of the lead in the air is derived from lead in petrol.

  Sewage Works Discharge Consents
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest figure for the number of applications by water authorities for the relaxation of sewage works discharge consents.

  Mr. Howard
  On 7 December at column 199, I announced a capital programme costing around £1 billion to bring sewage treatment works into compliance with their discharge consents by March 1992. Water authorities may apply for time-limited discharge consents for these works to regularise current performance while improvements take place. Some 785 such applications have been received from English water authorities. A list of those sewage works for which these applications have been made has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Plastic Packaging
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to discourage the use of non-recyclable plastic packaging.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  It is for industry to develop products that meeet the requirements of consumers, bearing in mind energy use, the need to protect goods and prevent wastage.

  Housing Action Trust, Sunderland
  Mr. Clay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his most recent proposals concerning the designation of a housing action trust in Sunderland.

  Mr. Trippier
  My right hon. Friend announced on 16 March that detailed consultation would be carried out with tenants on the proposal to designate a housing action trust in Sunderland. This consultation process is under way.

  Sports Facilities (Privatisation)
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the effect of the privatisation of the management of sports facilities upon the public use of swimming baths and playing fields.

  Mr. Moynihan
  A number of local authorities have put the management of their leisure facilities out to competition. My Department does not have complete information on the impact of those decisions. However, to take one example, after eight months of private sector management at three leisure centres owned by Westminster city council, public use has increased on average by over 60 per cent.

  Local Authority Housing Programme
  Mr. Robert Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received about the proposed new arrangements for capital receipts and the impact these will have on local authority housing programmes; and if he will make a statement.
  596
  Mr. Trippier
  Over 450 responses were received to my Department's consultation paper "Capital Expenditure and Finance" and a number of further representations have been received following the introduction of the Local Government and Housing Bill. More than half of these have commented on the proposed arrangements for capital receipts in the new capital finance system. Those arrangements will ensure prudential provision for debt redemption when local authority assets are disposed of. They will also allow the Government to target resources efficiently on need, including the need for local authority housing programmes.

  Tin Cans (Recycling)
  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of tin cans are currently recycled.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  It is estimated that about 8 per cent. of the United Kingdom's consumption of tinplated steel cans was recycled in 1988.

  Air Pollution
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many visits and inspections were carried out by the air pollution inspectors during the year 1988–89.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  In the year 1988–89, the air pollution inspectors made 8,542 visits and inspections.

  Airport, Tinsley Park
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will change his decision not to call in for his determination the proposal for a STOL airport at Tinsley park, Sheffield.

  Mr. Chope
  No. The matter was given full and careful consideration before the Secretary of State reached his decision.

  Countryside (Access)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with organisations concerned about rights of access to the countryside.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  On 10 January I met a delegation from the Ramblers Association at which a range of topics relating to access to the countryside were discussed. I also met representatives of the Country Landowners Association on 21 February. Officials are in regular contact with all the organisations concerned with countryside access.

  Sports (Drugs)
  Mr. Randall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage the eradication of drug taking by British sports competitors.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The Sports Council funds the drug control and testing centre and conducts doping controls on behalf of and in co-operation with the governing bodies. In April 1988, following a report by Sebastian Coe and
  597
  myself, the council introduced more rigorous procedures for doping control requiring random testing of competitors. This includes testing out of competition and collection of samples by independent sampling officers. I have proposed a European convention on the use of drugs in sport based on these procedures. This will be discussed at the forthcoming meeting of European Sports Ministers in Reykjavik on 31 May and 1 June.

  Sport (Private Investment)
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by the Sports Council in seeking to attract private sector investment into sport.

  Mr. Moynihan
  Private sector investment in sport in 1988–89 was £180 million. The Sports Council has played an important role in promoting the development of sponsorship.

  Environmental Research
  Mr. Patnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what amount spending by his Department on environmental research has increased over the past five years for which figures are available.

  Mr. Ridley
  Spending by my Department on environmental research, covering research on environmental protection, water, planning and local government, has increased by £7·8 million from £21·8 million in 1984–85 to £29·6 million in 1988–89.

  Recreational Land
  Mr. John P. Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the amount of recreational land currently available for general community use; what was the comparable figure 10 years ago; and what steps he is taking to monitor the situation and ensure that the local authorities are able to provide for increased public participation in sport and recreation.

  Mr. Moynihan
  This information is not held centrally. However, some local studies have been undertaken and these suggest that in a number of areas gains in provision outweigh losses. The regional councils for sport and recreation work with the local authorities to increase participation in sport and to monitor the provision of recreational land. The regional councils seek to ensure that well used recreational land is retained for that purpose.

  Marine Nature Reserves
  Dr. Reid
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many areas have been identified by the Nature Conservancy Council as suitable for marine nature reserves; and when these reserves will be established.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The Nature Conservancy Council has identified seven sites that, in its opinion, have the potential to be designated as marine nature reserves. One of these sites, Lundy Island, was designated as a marine nature reserve in November 1986. In view of the further scientific work that will be required, and the extensive consultation procedures that form a necessary part of the designation process, it is not possible to forecast when the other reserves might be established.
  598
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many marine nature reserves have been established since the enactment of the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  One marine nature reserve at Lundy Island, has been designated under the 1981 Act so far. Proposals for a second MNR, at Skomer and the Marloes peninsula, are currently being considered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Planning and Development Policies
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to review planning and development control policies for the conurbations of England and Wales with a view to possible legislative adjustments.

  Mr. Chope
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey).

  Denis Wild-type Houses
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce progress in encouraging building societies to advance mortgage loans on Denis Wild-type houses.

  Mr. Trippier
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 April at column 584.

  Schools (Sports)
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the changes in the numbers of schools participating in swimming and sports activities in recent years.

  Mr. Moynihan
  This information is not held centrally.

  Allotments
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by year for the last 10 years, how many hectares of(a) statutory and (b) temporary allotment sites have been granted outline planning permission; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  This information is not available.

  Archaeological Investigations
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount of Government funding is set aside to fund archaeological investigations.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  This is a matter for English Heritage to determine, within its overall resources of grant-in-aid from this Department and other sources of income. In its budget of £72,399 million for the current financial year it has allocated £7·2 million for archaeological investigations and recording.

  Ancient Monuments
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those sites where ancient monuments have been covered by planning decisions.
  599
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The Department has no comprehensive information about the details of planning decisions made by local planning authorities. Information about planning decisions made by the Secretary of State, or decisions on scheduled monument consent applications, which have led to archaeological sites being covered by development could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.

  Housing Action Trust, Lambeth
  Mr. Soley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much open space is included in the proposed HAT area in Lambeth; and how much public open space will remain if the consultants' proposals for the HAT in this area are implemented.

  Mr. Trippier
  The consultants' proposals are illustrative only and were developed simply to give an indication of what could be done to the estates and at what cost. Once established, a trust would be under a duty to consult those who live in its area about its proposals.

  There is an estimated 5·0 Ha of open space in the proposed trust in Lambeth comprising approximately 2·7 Ha of public open space and approximately 2·3 Ha of semi-private open space. The illustrative proposals would increase the area of public open space to a total of approximately 3·3 Ha and provide additional private gardens.

  Housing Action Trusts
  Mr. Soley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to be able to publish amended reports correcting the errors in the documents published by his department in March from the consultants appointed to study the proposed HATs in Southwark, Lambeth, Tower Hamlets and Sunderland.

  Mr. Trippier
  If the hon. Member knows of any errors in the consultant's reports about the proposed housing action trust areas in Southwark, Lambeth, Tower Hamlets and Sunderland published on 16 March, I should be grateful if he would write to me.

  Mr. Soley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment further to his answer to the hon. Member for Hammersmith of 23 March,Official Report, column 780, what further expenditure on consultancy or other work related to the proposed HAT areas he has agreed to; what are the briefs given to the consultants; which consultants have been appointed; and what is the estimated cost of the work they have been commissioned to do in (a) Lambeth, (b) Southwark, (c) Sandwell, (d) Leeds and (e) Sunderland.

  Mr. Trippier
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has appointed consultants to discuss the proposals contained in the reports of the proposed trust areas published on 16 March. The objectives of the consultation exercise are:

  (a) to explain to tenants, residents and other local interests the findings in the consultants' reports and the illustrative proposals put forward for improving the areas of the proposed trust estates.

  (b) to consult tenants, residents and other local interests to establish their own views, ideas and suggestions about what could be done to improve their estates, including their reactions to the proposals contained in the reports.

  600

  (c) to produce reports in t he form of commentaries on the key proposals contained in the original reports indicating tenant priorities; their attitudes towards the proposals, including their own suggestions for improvement; and the effect they would have on the prospects for achieving the primary objects of a Trust as set out in section 63 of the Housing Act 1988.

  The consultants are led by Peat Marwick McLintock in Sunderland, by PIC Ltd. in Lambeth and Southwark and by PIEDA in Leeds. In Sandwell, the further study of the Cape Hill area by a consortium led by Price Waterhouse announced by my right hon. Friend in his answer to the hon. Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) of 16 March at column 322 is still under way. The costs of the contracts will remain commercially confidential until they have been completed.

  Listed Buildings
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to amend section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 to provide that specified internal fixtures, including mirrors, be protected by the listing of a building.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Under section 54(9) of the Act any object or structure fixed to a listed building either internally or externally is protected by the listed building controls in section 55, in so far as its removal, alteration or extension would affect the character of the building as one of special architectural or historic interest. We have no plans to extend the controls to cover moveable objects.

  Rain Forests
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, pursuant to his reply of 13 April,Official Report, column 667, he will ask working group I of the United Nations environmental programme/world meteorological organisation inter-governmental panel on climate changes to make an interim report on the climatological consequences of felling and burning of rain forest in the Brazilian state of Para and eastern Amazonia in the first four months of 1989.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  No. The Government do not seek to interfere with the group's scientific work plan and reporting schedule agreed internationally by the intergovernmental panel on climate change. However, I understand that the hon. Member's particular concern about deforestation in eastern Amazonia is being addressed by the working group, which will report to the world climate conference in the autumn of 1990.

  Domestic Rates
  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his answer of 18 May to the hon. Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley),Official Report, columns 262–64, he will publish a table showing in descending order the average domestic rate bill payable in each London borough in 1983–84 and 1989–90.

  Mr. Ridley
  The information requested is listed below.

  Average domestic rate bills in London

  £

  1983–84

  Kensington and Chelsea

  712

  Westminster

  690

  Camden

  672

  601

  £

  Brent

  631

  City of London

  612

  Islington

  611

  Haringey

  608

  Southwark

  519

  Lambeth

  498

  Barnet

  492

  Hackney

  490

  Harrow

  476

  Lewisham

  461

  Greenwich

  453

  Tower Hamlets

  449

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  417

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  405

  Hounslow

  401

  Newham

  397

  Waltham Forest

  392

  Hillingdon

  389

  Merton

  386

  Havering

  381

  Bromley

  369

  Ealing

  361

  Enfield

  361

  Redbridge

  360

  Sutton

  356

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  350

  Bexley

  338

  Croydon

  329

  Wandsworth

  327

  Barking and Dagenham

  299

  1989–901

  Brent

  970

  Haringey

  906

  Westminster

  782

  Camden

  748

  Barnet

  713

  Islington

  677

  City of London

  658

  Hounslow

  657

  Ealing

  635

  Newham

  627

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  624

  Harrow

  612

  Hillingdon

  602

  Enfield

  590

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  586

  Waltham Forest

  583

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  582

  Sutton

  573

  Kensington and Chelsea

  550

  Hackney

  547

  Greenwich

  537

  Lambeth

  517

  Merton

  501

  Havering

  500

  Croydon

  499

  Lewisham

  483

  Bromley

  469

  Bexley

  459

  Southwark

  450

  Redbridge

  447

  Barking and Dagenham

  447

  Tower Hamlets

  419

  Wandsworth

  357

  1 Based on 1989–90 average rateable values.

  Planning
  Mr. Patchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of planning appeal decisions for each of the last five years; and on which occasions he over-ruled the advice of his inspectors.
  602
  Mr. Howard
  In the last five years a total of 81,992 planning appeals have been decided—78,669 by inspectors and 3,323 by the Secretary of State. In only 114 were the inspectors' recommendations not accepted.

  Archaeology Investigations
  Mr. Gerald Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on archaeology and development.

  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has given to developers to accommodate archaeological investigations in development briefs.

  Mrs. Bottomley
  Recent archaeological discoveries in London have highlighted the growing interest in our archaeological heritage.

  Very considerable progress has been made in recent years. In 1986 a code of practice was agreed between archaeologists and developers which led last year to developers voluntarily contributing some £14m towards archaeological investigations.

  The Government and English Heritage for their part must ensure that all those involved—local authoritities, local people, developers, businesses—have adequate information on the existing sources of expertise and on the relevant statutory and planning framework. We are proposing to issue new guidance this summer which will set out, amongst other things, guidelines on how archaeology should be handled in development plans and in development control decisions, the scope for prior archaeological evaluation before development, and the appropriate use of planning conditions for archaeological excavations.

  Chicken Farm, Stokeham, Devon
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will approve the article 4 direction served on him in relation to the proposed erection of buildings at the chicken farm, Start Point, Stokeham, South Devon.

  Mr. Chope
  [holding answer 28 April 1989]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment approved the article 4 direction in relation to land at Hambrook, Stokeham on 24 May and has informed South Hams district council.

  Drinking Water (House of Commons)
  Dr. Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the date and details of the most recent analysis of drinking water supplied in the House of Commons, and the European Community maximum admissible concentration levels for sulphate, fluoride, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, manganese, nickel, conductivity and turbidity.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 17 May 1989]: Drinking water in the Palace of Westminster is taken direct from the Thames water authority's main supply. Sampling is therefore undertaken only when a specific need arises. The most recent testing on 14 March 1989 followed a complaint about an unpleasant taste in the water. The

  603
  laboratory of the Government chemist's tests confirmed that the samples were chemically and bacteriologically suitable for drinking.

  Substance/condition

  Source of sample

  EEC Maximum admissible concentration

  Members' cafeteria sink

  Members' cafeteria drinking water machine

  Sulphate as S04 (mg/e)

  66

  64

  250

  Fluoride (ug/l)

  200

  180

  1,500

  Potassium (mg/l)

  6·5

  6·5

  12

  Sodium (mg/l)

  34·9

  35·8

  150

  Magnesium (mg/l)

  6·0

  5·9

  50

  Iron (ug/l)

  18

  10

  200

  Manganese

  5

  5

  50

  Nickel (ug/l)

  —1

  —1

  50

  Conductivity (usiemans/cm at 20°)

  747

  599

  1,500

  Turbidity (NTU)

  0·62

  0·88

  4

  1 Not determined.

  Advertising
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide as much information as possible about his Department's expenditure on commercial television advertising, without breaching commercial confidentially, over each of the past five years.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 22 May 1989]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 May. The
  604
  The concentration levels requested from the samples were as follows:

  September 1984 television advertising referred to, formed part of an overall information campaign to ensure council tenants in England and Wales knew about extensions of their rights under the Housing Act 1980, introduced by the Housing and Building Control Act 1984. The television campaign in the first two weeks of April this year was aimed at motivating motorists to adjust their cars in order to be able to use unleaded petrol.

  SMALL CAR EXHAUST EMISSION STANDARDS
  SMALL CAR EXHAUST EMISSION STANDARDS
  EUROPEAN LANGUAGES FOR BUSINESSMEN
  EUROPEAN LANGUAGES FOR BUSINESSMEN
  ADVERTISEMENTS AND THE LAW
  ADVERTISEMENTS AND THE LAW
  IMMIGRATION: PRE-CLEARANCE
  IMMIGRATION: PRE-CLEARANCE
  REFUGEES
  REFUGEES
  LEWES PRIORY COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL: REMOVAL OF TEACHERS
  LEWES PRIORY COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL: REMOVAL OF TEACHERS
  JOB VACANCY STATISTICS
  JOB VACANCY STATISTICS
  TURKEY: HUMAN RIGHTS APPLICATIONS
  TURKEY: HUMAN RIGHTS APPLICATIONS
  TURKEY: OBSERVANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS CONVENTION
  TURKEY: OBSERVANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS CONVENTION
  ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE TREATY
  ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE TREATY
  WESTMINSTER AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: LIAISON
  WESTMINSTER AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: LIAISON
  MAFF: CHANGES TO VOTE LIMITS
  MAFF: CHANGES TO VOTE LIMITS