Written Answers of 4 December 1990

ENERGY

  Mersey Oil Pipeline
  Mr. Arbuthnot
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to publish the report into the failure of the Mersey oil pipeline.

  Mr. Wakeham
  I have today published the report, and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

PRIME MINISTER

  Ministerial Accountability
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he has to improve ministerial accountability to Parliament.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 3 December 1990]: Ministers are already fully accountable to Parliament.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Regional Aid
  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if his Department plans to make any representations to the European Commission about allowing United Kingdom objective 2 regions to be eligible for assistance under the European Commission's Telematique programme;

  (2) if his Department plans to make any representations to the European Commission about allowing United Kingdom objective 2 regions to be eligible for assistance under the PRISMA initiative.

  Mr. Leigh
  The European Commission has decided that the proposed Telematique and PRISMA initiatives should be restricted to objective 1 regions, which include Northern Ireland. The Commission's decision took account of the requirement in article 12(5) of Council regulation (EEC) No. 2052/88 about devoting approximately 80 per cent. of the European regional development fund to objective 1. Other Community initiatives, notably RECHAR, apply in objective 2 regions.

  Commercial opportunities arising from expenditure in objective 1 regions under Telematique and PRISMA will of course be available to companies throughout the United Kingdom.

  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the extent to which United Kingdom regions will benefit from the European Community's STRIDE programme.

  Mr. Leigh
  The European Commission's STRIDE initiative will provide support from the European Community structural funds for research and development projects and technology transfer in Northern Ireland 56
  and in objective 2 regions in Great Britain. The Commission has indicated a financial allocation to the United Kingdom of 28 mecu (about £20 million) until 1993.

  Drambuie Liqueur Company
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will prosecute the directors of the Drambuie Liqueur Company for failure to file up-to-date accounts under sections 242 and 244 of the Companies Act 1985.

  Mr. Redwood
  The accounts for Drambuie Liqueur Company were received at Companies house on 31 October 1990; therefore, section 244 does not apply.

  Task Forces
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the location and number of task forces which have been set up, together with a list of their functions and budgets.

  Mr. Leigh
  There are five business task forces located in DTI headquarters divisions. Their functions cover certain specific tasks on commodities and steel, aircraft arid aero-engines, shipbuilding, vehicles and market opportunities. The main budgets for which they are responsible are as follows:

  1990–91 Estimates/provision

  £ million

  Development of the EH101 helicopter

  12·5

  Development of the A330/340 airliners

  134·0

  (Launch aid levy receipts

  73·7)

  Home shipbuilding credit guarantee scheme

  43·5

  Shipbuilding intervention fund

  25·0

  Assistance to redundant steelworkers

  16·3

  Civil aircraft research and demonstration

  25·4

  Details of these budgets are set out in the Supply Estimates 1990–91 (class IV Trade and Industry) and in chapter 4 of the "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1990–91 to 1992–93" (Cm 1004).

  As my Department's contribution to the Government's action for cities programme, there are 16 inner-city task forces. Their function is to generate enterprise in defined areas of particular deprivation and to create training and employment opportunities for the residents of those areas. In aggregate their budget for expenditure on projects in 1990–91 is £20·4 million. Task forces are located in:

  London (4)

  West (North Kensington and Hammersmith)

  Spitalfields

  Deptford

  North Peckham

  Birmingham

  Bradford

  Bristol

  Coventry

  Derby

  Hartlepool

  Leeds

  Manchester

  Merseyside (2)

  Toxteth (Liverpool)

  Wirral (Birkenhead)

  Middlesbrough

  Nottingham

  Mortgages
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to bring all mortgages under the Financial Services Act and to instruct tied agents and direct salesmen to display their status in advertisements, correspondence and premises.

  Mr. Redwood
  The investment element of mortgages is already subject to the requirements of the Financial Services Act. The display by tied agents and direct salesmen of their status is a matter for the regulatory body concerned.

  Industry Council
  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the outcome of the European Community Industry Council held on 26 November.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 3 December 1990:] The Industry Council meeting on 26 November, which Lord Hesketh attended for the United Kingdom, adopted a directive on aid for the Community shipbuilding industry and considered a communication from the Commission on industrial policy. The Council also discussed a Commission proposal to extend the patent term for pharmaceuticals, the industrial implications of the Uruguay round, the future of the ECSC treaty and Community craft industries.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  UNRWA
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the increase of contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency made by Council of Europe member states at the recent pledging conference.

  Mrs. Chalker
  At the November pledging conference at the United Nations General Assembly, donor countries announced contributions to UNRWA for 1991 totalling almost US$200 million. Of this Council of Europe member states have so far pledged some US$73 million.

  Public re-current expenditure per pupil1 in calendar years at 1985 prices

  £ sterling

  1st level

  2nd level

  1st and 2nd levels

  1983

  1986

  1983

  1986

  1983

  1986

  France2

  920

  1,020

  1,440

  1,610

  1,210

  1,360

  West Germany3

  1,080

  1,110

  1,400

  1,580

  1,320

  1,440

  Japan

  980

  1,030

  1,220

  1,210

  1,080

  1,110

  United Kingdom4

  980

  1,050

  1,440

  1,720

  1,230

  1,410

  United States of America a

  n/a

  1,760

  n/a

  2,470

  1,740

  1,990

  >b5

  n/a

  1,760

  n/a

  2,130

  n/a

  1,904

  n/a not available.

  1 At purchasing power parity.

  2 Public expenditure including subsidies to private education and pupils/students in public and private education.

  3 Public sector education only.

  4 Public expenditure only. First level includes primary education from 5 years of age. Second level includes secondary and further education.

  5 Includes students and expenditure on courses some of which may be equated with second level education.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  School Governors
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he gives to local education authorities about the extent of the counselling they should give to school governing bodies under the local management of schools.

  Mr. Fallon
  It is for local education authorities to determine the amount, nature and timetable of training and support for school governors, in the light of local needs. Plans for governor support and training must be included in Schemes for the local management of schools. Over the four years 1989–90 to 1992–93, the Government will be supporting expenditure of around £247 million on the implementation of LMS. Some £24 million will be spent directly on support and training for school governors; other expenditure on equipping all schools with management information systems, and training school administrative staff to use them; on helping LEAs to implement their LMS schemes; on management training for heads and other senior teachers; and, from 1991–92, on support for the administration costs of schools with delegated budgets, will also help governors exercise their new responsibilities.

  Teachers
  Mrs. Heal
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will change their conditions of service to allow teachers adequate time for planning, preparation and assessment resulting from the introduction of the national curriculum.

  Mr. Eggar
  The use of teachers' directed time, and in particular its division between teaching and non-teaching duties, is a matter for head teachers to decide.

  Education Spending
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was spending per pupil in 1979 and in the latest available year for which figures are available in each of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The readily available data are as follows:

  Child Protection Teachers
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much his Department is making available in the current financial year in support of the community education development centre's project to assist local education authorities in the training of teachers designated by schools as child protection teachers; and how many teachers are currently covered by the scheme.

  Mr. Fallon
  Up to £35,000 is being made available for this purpose by the Department in the current financial year. The principal objective of the project is to train the trainers of designated teachers. Thus, for every local education authority that takes up the offer of the courses, the designated teacher in each of their schools will benefit; and other teachers will also benefit from the knowledge and awareness spread through the schools by the designated teachers. About one sixth of local education authorities have so far participated in the scheme, and more courses are scheduled.

  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the budget for grant

  1990

  11991

  Scientific

  Non-scientific

  Scientific

  Non-scientific

  IACR

  449

  251

  433

  246

  IAH

  292

  228

  283

  227

  IAPGR

  337

  222

  321

  208

  IER

  115

  194

  103

  163

  IFR

  381

  171

  245

  131

  IGER

  308

  224

  285

  209

  IPSR

  234

  92

  234

  92

  Total

  2,116

  1,382

  1,904

  1,276

  1 Estimate.

  Abbreviations:

  IACR

  —Institute of Arable Crops Research.

  IAH

  —Institute for Animal Health.

  IAPGR

  —Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics.

  IER

  —Institute of Engineering Research.

  IFR

  —Institute of Food Research.

  IGER

  —Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research.

  IPSR

  —Institute of Plant Science Research.

  In addition, 295 scientific and 269 non-scientific AFRC staff were seconded to the British Society of Horticultural Research (since renamed Horticulture Research International) on 1 April 1990. The estimated numbers of these staff for 1 April 1991 are 260 and 245 respectively.

  The number of staff employed on 1 April 1992 and 1 April 1993 will depend on a number of factors, including the funding available to the AFRC through the science budget and the extent of commissions from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and externally funded research. The present estimate is that the number of scientific staff employed by the AFRC at its institutes and Horticulture Research International will be about 1,960 and the number of non-scientific staff will be about 1,400 on each date. No breakdown of anticipated staffing levels at each AFRC institute is available.

  19-year-olds (Non-advanced Education)
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his best estimate of the numbers of 19-year-olds in full-time non-advanced education.
  60
  support towards the cost incurred by local education authorities undertaking training of staff in child protection for the years from 1979–80 to 1990–91.

  Mr. Fallon
  Sums have not been separately identified within grant programmes for this area of training. It is for each local education authority to determine what provision to make to meet local circumstances, taking account of the various sources of income available to it, including general revenue support grant and the LEA training grants scheme.

  AFRC Staff
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the number of(a) scientific and (b) non-scientific staff that are employed at each of the Agricultural and Food Research Council institutes; what are his estimates for 1991, 1992 and 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The figures for scientific and non-scientific staff in post on 1 April 1990 and the estimated number of staff in post on 1 April 1991 for each Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) institute are as follows:

  Mr. Eggar
  In 1989–90, there were 19,000 full-time students aged 19 in further education in England.

  SERC Report
  Mr. Hanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has received the annual report of the Science and Engineering Research Council for 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The annual report of the Science and Engineering Research Council for 1989–90 has been submitted to my right hon. and learned Friend under the requirements of the Science and Technology Act 1965, and a copy is being placed before the House today.

  My right hon. and learned Friend and I were pleased to note a number of significant achievements through council activity during the past year, including:

  (a) the inauguration of, and initial results from, the large. electron positron (LEP) collider at CERN, the laboratory for European particle physics research in Geneva;

  61

  (b) the successful completion of the Solar Maximum mission; as part of which United Kingdom instruments on board this NASA satellite provided detailed data about the Sun; and

  (c) a 10-year project at City university, resulting in a heightened ability to detect or correct faults in the electricity grid system; and

  (d) collaborative research at Oxford university, jointly funded by SERC and Rolls-Royce plc, to increase understanding of gas flows and heat transfer in turbine blades.

  Following these achievements in the past year, we now look forward to learning SERC's new assessment of scientific priorities following the review of forward activities now under way.

EMPLOYMENT

  Training Funds
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list all organisations in Denton and Reddish constituency receiving training funds.

  Mr. Jackson
  There are five organisations in Denton and Reddish constituency receiving training funds through contracts with the Manchester TEC and the Stockport and High Peak TEC. The CCE business centre, Windmill lane, Denton is contracted to provide employment training. The other organisations receive funds under the business growth training programme. These contracts are commercial-in-confidence and names cannot be given.

  Training
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what commitment his Department offers to training schemes specifically aimed at encouraging women to return to work.

  Mr. Jackson
  My Department's work to promote women's participation in training has been based on the requirement that all training providers implement a positive commitment to equal opportunities. Action has therefore been directed at removing the barriers that women encounter in reconciling training with their domestic commitments and allowing them access to the full range of programmes. The training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies are addressing the specific needs of women returners and providing training schemes that meet them.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Antarctica
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy in respect of future mining options in Antarctica.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  We have tabled, and are seeking support for, an environmental protocol to the Antarctic treaty, but we believe there can be no comprehensive system for the protection of the Antarctic environment that does not deal with the longer term issue of minerals. We therefore see the need to reach agreement on a legally binding instrument to address the question of minerals before the need for it arises.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his 62
  policy to direct the British delegation to the meeting of the Antarctic treaty parties in Chile to make clear their support for the declaration of a world park in Antarctica.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  The British delegation to the XIth special consultative meeting of Antarctic treaty parties is prepared to discuss all proposals which could lead to a return to consensus within the Antarctic treaty.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Christian Salvesen in respect of plans to remove hazardous materials and waste from their abandoned whaling station on South Georgia.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  Officials of this Department have held discussions over the past year with Christian Salvesen plc about pollutants at the four disused whaling stations on South Georgia of which the company are the leaseholders. An operation to clean up the stations, funded jointly by Christian Salvesen and the Administration of South Georgia, will start shortly.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his present policy in respect of the declaration of a world park in Antarctica.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  We remain committed to achieving the best possible environmental protection for Antarctica, and to this end, regard the maintenance of the Antarctic treaty system and a return to consensus within it as essential. Whilst we do not see any merit in calling it a world park—it is already a "Special Conservation Area" under the 1964 agreed measures for the conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora—we are prepared to discuss all proposals to protect the Antarctic environment.

  Civil Nuclear Facilities, Iraq
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the intentions of the safeguards authorities of the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect civil nuclear facilities in Iraq.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The IAEA announced on 27 November that their inspectors had carried out a safeguards inspection in Iraq and had concluded that all material under safeguards could be accounted for.

  British Embassy, Washington
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in connection with the recent visit by the First Secretary of the British embassy in Washington, Mr. Sherard Cowper-Coles, to the conference in Boston hosted by the Investor Responsor Research Centre, what costs were involved in(a) travelling, (b) accommodation, (c) entertainment and (d) other expenses.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The costs were as follows:

  US$

  (a) Travelling

  371·00

  (b) Accommodation

  108·85

  (c) Entertainment

  None

  (d) Other expenses (meals)

  69·15

  63

  US$

  Total

  549·00

  Iran
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he has made with regard to the imprisonment of(a) Fatemeh Hosseinzadeh Tussi Moghadam, (b) Dr. Fatemeh Izadi and (c) Nahid Dorudiahi by the Islamic Republic of Iran;

  (2) what representations he has made with regard to the imprisonment of (a) Malekeh Mohammadi, (b) Zohach Ghaeni and (c) Mariam Firouz by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  None. But we note that the persons in question are mentioned in the report of the UN special representative on human rights in Iran, Mr. Galindo Pohl, and that he has called on the Iranian Government to respond in detail to the allegations of abuses of human rights put to them.

  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is making representations to the Islamic Republic of Iran on their human rights record.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Together with our partners in the European Community, we are seeking a resolution in the third committee of the United Nations which reflects the state of human rights in Iran. This is a matter we take very seriously.

  Bulgaria
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the need for humanitarian aid in Bulgaria; how much humanitarian aid has been given by the United Kingdom to Bulgaria; and what plans the Government has for future humanitarian aid to Bulgaria.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We are contributing to humanitarian aid through the European Community's PHARE aid programme. The Community has recently approved a mother and child health support programme worth approximately £3·5 million. We have encouraged the Commission to consider urgently Bulgarian requests for humanitarian aid (including food and medical supplies). The question was last discussed during the meeting of the EC-Bulgaria Joint Commission on 30 November.

  Syria
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he is making to the Syrian Government on their human rights record.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Like any other Government, the Syrian Government are well aware of our position on human rights. Following the resumption of diplomatic relations with Syria, we shall be better placed to make representations when this is justified.

  Kurdistan
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will put Kurdistan and the situation of Kurdish people on the agenda of any future peace conference on the middle east.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  We cannot at this stage outline the agenda of any future middle east peace conference. We expect the rights of all peoples in the region, including the Kurds, to be respected by the Governments of the countries in which they live. We do not recognise an independent Kurdish state. The frontiers of states in the region are set by international treaty.

  Saudi Arabia
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is making representations to the Saudi Arabian Government on their human rights record.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Saudi Government are well aware of the importance we attach to the observance of human rights standards.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Drainage Authorities
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those occasions in the past five years when he has used his powers under the Land Drainage Act 1976 or the Water Act 1989 to give directions to a regional or local flood defence committee of the National Rivers Authority, or their equivalent under previous legislation in cases where they are promoting a specific land drainage or flood defence scheme which does not accord with his priorities.

  Mr. Curry
  Powers to give such directions in relation to capital land drainage or flood defence schemes have only been available since the coming into force of the Water Act 1989. No direction could therefore be given under the Land Drainage Act 1976, and none has so far been given under the Water Act 1989.

  Feedstuff Additives
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any proposals to restrict the use of canthaxanthin as an animal feedstuff additive; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  I have accepted the expert advice of the Food Advisory Committee that the use of canthaxanthin as a feed additive should cease and I have asked the EC Commission to urgently review the data on the toxicity of canthaxanthin in order to achieve concerted EC action to prohibit its use in feed. The EC Commission has responded promptly by referring the matter to its expert scientific committee, the Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition. This committee is urgently considering data supplied by the United Kingdom.

  Grain
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the quantity and value of grain produced in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979 stating value in real and 1990 prices.

  Production and Output of Cereals in the United Kingdom

  Total (£ million)

  Calendar year

  Production

  Output ( = Sales)

  Value of physical change in on-farm stocks

  at current prices

  at 1985 prices

  ('000 tonnes)

  (£ million)

  (£ million)

  1979

  17,416

  1,184

  11

  1,195

  1,315

  1980

  19,482

  1,462

  -3

  1,459

  1,546

  1981

  19,621

  1,693

  -30

  1,663

  1,623

  1982

  21,910

  2,062

  -29

  2,033

  1,859

  1983

  21,307

  1,996

  85

  2,081

  1,759

  1984

  26,602

  2,420

  84

  2,504

  2,421

  1985

  22,466

  2,281

  -141

  2,140

  2,140

  1986

  24,489

  2,174

  22

  2,196

  2,202

  1987

  21,675

  2,043

  -35

  2,008

  2,025

  1988

  21,028

  1,898

  -18

  1,880

  1,980

  1989

  22,685

  1,926

  67

  1,993

  2,067

  1990

  22,533

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a Not yet available.

  Gramoxone
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has concerning the use of Gramoxone; whether his Department is aware of any impact of this product on the population of the brown hare; if he is conducting any relevant research; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  The use of Gramoxone (active ingredient paraquat) is monitored regularly as part of the rolling survey of pesticide usage carried out by Agriculture Departments, the results of which are published. It has been alleged to cause mortality in brown hares but exhaustive tests carried out by MAFF scientists have failed to establish any link. Another possibility is a virus disease, similar to one found in rabbits, which has been detected in several European countries. To pinpoint the real cause farmers have been asked to report all suspicious deaths of brown hares. Their carcases will be checked for viral symptoms in addition to the normal tests for pesticides.

  Market Support and Grant Schemes
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list(a) the market support schemes and (b) the grant schemes operated by his Ministry for which financial resources do not come from the European Community.

  Mr. Gummer
  Market support schemes and grant schemes are listed, together with their financial provision in the supply estimates. Figures for the previous 10 years are available in the publication "Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1989" and in the annual review of agriculture White Papers. These publications are available in the Library of the House.
  66
  Mr. Curry
  The table shows information on the tonnage of cereals produced and the available information on its value. Following standard practice, valuations are only made of (net) off-farm sales and of changes in on-farm stocks; cereals used directly on-farms are not valued. The valuations are at current prices (ie the prices pertaining in each year) and at 1985 prices.

  Fishermen Research Centres
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of(a) scientists and (b) non-scientific staff employed at his fisheries research centres since 1980, including those expected to be employed in 1991 and 1992.

  Mr. Gummer
  The numbers of staff are broken down as follows:

  1980

  1990

  Scientific, professional and technical staff

  256

  251½

  Marine staff

  88

  51

  Others (including e.g. administrative and support staff)

  134½

  101½

  Totals (excluding casuals)

  478½

  404

  The manpower numbers at the Directorate of Fisheries Research in 1991–92 will depend upon the estimates for my Department's 1991–92 running costs which are still being finalised.

  Suckler Cow Premium
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to make the recently announced payments of the suckler cow premium.

  Mr. Gummer
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given on 26 November at column 324 to my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr. Gill).

  Chief Veterinary Officer's Report
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to publish the report of his chief veterinary officer on animal health for 1990.

  Mr. Gummer
  My Department is intending to publish the report of the Chief Veterinary Officer—"Animal Health 1990"—on 3 July 1991.

  Agricultural and Food Research Council
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the loss of 380 jobs at the Agricultural and Food Research Council.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  I have been asked to reply.

  The AFRC has announced that an estimated 380 posts will be lost in 1990–91 as a result of a combination of factors, including reductions in commissioned work as a consequence of the Government's "near-market" policy, an anticipated reduction in contracts work from the private sector, and the restructuring of AFRC institutes.

  I am confident that the AFRC, which is an independent, chartered body, will continue to make every effort to hold redundancies to a minimum by deploying staff threatened with redundancy to other posts, with retraining as required.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Slaughterhouses
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to ensure that slaughterhouses in Northern Ireland meet European Community export standards.

  Mr. Brooke
  Of the 33 slaughterhouses in Northern Ireland, 27 are already approved for intra-Community trade. Required European Community standards are enforced by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland.

  Controlled

  Maintained

  Board area

  Nursery school places

  Nursery classes in primary schools-places

  Total places

  Nursery-school places

  Nursery classes in primary schools-places

  Total places

  Total places nursery schools and places

  Belfast1

  700

  775

  1,475

  550

  50

  600

  2,075

  Western

  500

  150

  650

  —

  75

  75

  725

  North-Eastern

  725

  200

  925

  100

  100

  200

  1,125

  South-Eastern

  475

  150

  625

  250

  —

  250

  875

  Southern

  525

  425

  950

  100

  300

  400

  1,350

  Total

  2,925

  1,700

  4,625

  1,000

  525

  1,525

  6,150

  1 Coterminous with the Belfast city council area.

  There is no grant-aided nursery provision in integrated schools or in other schools.

  Government of Northern Ireland
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his reply of 28 November 1990,Official Report, column 399, what is meant by the term "Government of Northern Ireland" in note (5) to the table; and to whom in Northern Ireland the present Government are answerable.

  Mr. Brooke
  The reference in note (5) to the table in my reply of 28 November, is to Northern Ireland Departments which, under the Northern Ireland Act 1974, are subject to

  Grammar Schools (Intake)
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision he has made in respect of the intake allowed into grammar schools in Northern Ireland where there is a number of children of Regular Army personnel in the intake and where the number of children in a yearly cohort is affected by the transfer of such children to those schools from elsewhere when their parents are transferred to Northern Ireland.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Admissions are a matter for individual school boards of governors, and the children of regular Army personnel resident in Northern Ireland are catered for within the normal arrangements. Schools are required to admit pupils up to their approved admissions number and to apply admissions criteria if they are oversubscribed. The admission of children from schools outside Northern Ireland is also a matter for individual schools, but the Department of Education is prepared to consider applications for an increase in school admissions numbers in cases where there are extenuating circumstances.

  Nursery Education
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many places in nursery education are available in(a) Belfast city and (b) each education and library board area in Northern Ireland; and in each case how many are (i) in the integrated school system, (ii) in controlled schools, (iii) in maintained schools and (iv) in other schools, respectively.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Details of full-time equivalent nursery pupil places for each education and library board are as follows:

  my direction and control The VAT Act 1983 Section (49) provides for refunds to "the Government of Northern Ireland."

WALES

  National Library and National Museum
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many visits he has made to(a) the national library of Wales and (b) the national museum of Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  My right hon. Friend visited the national museum in September and plans to take up the invitation of the president to visit the national library of Wales at an early opportunity.

  National library
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to visit the national library of Wales to meet staff members to discuss the future of the library.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy) on 31 October which explained the procedures for dealing with staff inspection reports.

  Training
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives he proposes to enhance training in rural Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The new training and enterprise councils are locally based and run by local employers in partnership with the local community; this will ensure that the needs of a rural economy are catered for effectively. A new all-Wales Agricultural Training Board has been established, with a headquarters at Builth Wells, to meet the training needs of the industry. It will work closely with the TECs and in due course, after the necessary primary legislation, it will be able to extend its remit beyond the strict confines of the agricultural industry.

  Mentally Handicapped People
  Mr. Raffan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of day centre and day hospital places for mentally handicapped people in Wales currently; and what was the comparable figure in 1979.

  District

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  A

  B

  A

  B

  A

  B

  A

  B

  Clwyd

  Alyn and Deeside

  16

  8

  37

  9

  24

  7

  30

  5

  Colwyn

  28

  9

  28

  6

  25

  5

  32

  10

  Delyn

  24

  2

  24

  5

  25

  10

  42

  12

  Glyndwr

  19

  5

  21

  5

  27

  6

  36

  4

  Rhuddlan

  22

  12

  23

  9

  22

  10

  32

  11

  Wrexham Maelor

  30

  10

  31

  10

  47

  14

  37

  8

  Total

  139

  46

  164

  44

  170

  52

  109

  50

  Dyfed

  Carmarthen

  22

  5

  16

  4

  28

  9

  56

  7

  Ceredigion

  36

  8

  31

  7

  57

  8

  81

  11

  Dinefwr

  16

  6

  15

  2

  16

  3

  42

  5

  Llanelli

  16

  3

  30

  9

  22

  9

  33

  9

  Preseli

  10

  2

  19

  2

  15

  5

  36

  3

  South Pembrokeshire

  22

  5

  14

  3

  21

  2

  63

  11

  Total

  122

  29

  125

  27

  159

  36

  311

  46

  Gwent

  Blaenau Gwent

  10

  2

  14

  1

  7

  3

  15

  6

  Islwyn

  19

  6

  19

  6

  13

  5

  29

  6

  Monmouth

  59

  12

  76

  12

  70

  12

  105

  18

  Newport

  48

  12

  37

  8

  49

  6

  73

  10

  Torfaen

  36

  11

  19

  6

  26

  7

  33

  6

  Total

  172

  43

  165

  33

  165

  33

  255

  46

  Gwynedd

  Aberconwy

  30

  15

  51

  6

  51

  14

  69

  16

  Arfon

  26

  8

  34

  7

  29

  3

  39

  4

  Dwyfor

  20

  3

  48

  9

  41

  9

  59

  16

  Meirionnydd

  22

  9

  13

  1

  25

  4

  20

  0

  Ynys Mon

  55

  17

  59

  23

  56

  17

  71

  18

  Total

  153

  52

  205

  46

  202

  47

  258

  54

  70
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  There were 3,499 places in local authority day care, training and employment facilities for mentally handicapped people on 31 March 1990. At 31 March 1979, there were 2,540 places in local authority adult training centres for mentally handicapped people. The increase between 1979 and 1990 is nearly 38 per cent.

  There were 22,484 place-days—that is, the number of places times the number of days the place was available—in NHS day care facilities for mentally handicapped people in the year from 1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990. This is equivalent to an average of 62 continuously available places over the year. Comparable information for 1979 is not available.

  Planning Appeals
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many planning appeals were brought in each of the years 1986 to 1989 in relation to each local planning authority in Wales; how many were allowed; and what was the overall cost to his Department of the planning appeal system in each of those years.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The numbers of planning appeals brought and allowed are given in the table.

  For the financial year 1989–90 the cost of the appeal system was £1,006,200. I regret that figures for earlier years are not available.
  71

  District

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  A

  B

  A

  B

  A

  B

  A

  B

  Mid Glamorgan

  Cynon Valley

  17

  3

  14

  3

  18

  3

  27

  7

  Merthyr Tydfil

  15

  5

  12

  4

  19

  4

  9

  4

  Ogwr

  46

  5

  41

  6

  62

  8

  58

  14

  Rhondda

  19

  7

  10

  0

  14

  5

  29

  7

  Rhymney Valley

  15

  1

  16

  4

  16

  7

  24

  5

  Taff Ely

  43

  13

  38

  6

  38

  10

  56

  10

  Total

  155

  34

  131

  23

  167

  37

  203

  47

  Powys

  Brecknock

  33

  9

  26

  6

  28

  6

  44

  7

  Montgomery

  5

  3

  7

  2

  22

  5

  30

  5

  Radnor

  11

  4

  5

  1

  13

  4

  12

  0

  Total

  49

  16

  38

  9

  63

  15

  86

  12

  South Glamorgan

  Cardiff

  54

  20

  67

  21

  73

  21

  103

  36

  Vale of Glamorgan

  73

  22

  74

  21

  55

  21

  101

  32

  Total

  127

  42

  141

  42

  128

  42

  204

  68

  West Glamorgan

  Port Talbot (formerly Afan)

  4

  1

  9

  1

  4

  1

  4

  1

  Lliw Valley

  20

  10

  32

  6

  26

  5

  31

  4

  Neath

  10

  2

  11

  5

  10

  3

  22

  5

  Swansea

  70

  23

  58

  10

  69

  22

  78

  30

  Total

  104

  36

  110

  22

  109

  31

  135

  40

  Columns headed 'A' relate to appeals made.

  Columns headed 'B' relate to appeals allowed.

  Marina, Aberystwyth
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to build a marina in Aberystwyth during the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Ceredigion district council submitted a scheme for the development of a marina at Aberystwyth harbour as a project of regional or national importance. An announcement on this and other applications will be made in the House shortly.

  Textile and Knitwear Industry
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning the future of the textile and knitwear industry in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Several. I am aware that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who has policy responsibility for the textile and knitwear industry, has also received representations. I will ensure that he is aware of any views expressed by the industry in Wales.

  Flood Damage
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what sums from public funds were paid to(a) local authorities, (b) private firms and (c) private individuals to repair damage caused by floods in Wales in February; for what purposes such sums were paid; how much of these sums were paid by central Government and for what purposes they were used; and what sums were paid by councils and for what purposes they were used.
  72
  Mr. David Hunt
  I shall write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

  Pembrokeshire Health Authority
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the formal expression of interest by Pembrokeshire health authority in becoming an all-authority national health service trust.

  Mr. David Hunt
  No, but if a formal application is submitted, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

  Family Practitioner Committees
  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the total budget of family practitioner committees for the years 1988–89, 1989–90 and the predicted forecast for the year 1990–91; and if he will itemise the family practitioner committee budget breakdown for each health authority for each of the years identified above.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The financial allocations made to family practitioner committees in Wales—re-titled family health services authorities from 17 September 1990) for their administration revenue expenditure are shown in table 1.

  Apart from identifying separately the amounts built in for certain fixed costs, over which an FHSA has no discretion, these cash-limited budgets are not disaggregated into discrete items when they are allocated. It is for each FHSA to decide how its administration revenue budget is best used in accordance with statutory requirements and such directions and guidance as might be given to them.
  73
  In addition to their administration revenue budgets, FHSAs are responsible with effect from the present financial year, for delegated, cash-limited, budgets covering expenditure on a proportion of general medical practitioners' practice staff and premises costs. These are shown for each FHSA in Wales at table 2.

  Table 1

  Administration revenue net allocation1

  FPC/FHSA

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–912

  Clwyd

  429

  513

  800

  Dyfed

  387

  488

  745

  Gwent

  500

  622

  920

  Gwynedd

  312

  404

  620

  Mid Glamorgan

  600

  710

  1,045

  Powys

  200

  287

  435

  South Glamorgan

  615

  763

  1,040

  West Glamorgan

  378

  462

  720

  1 All figures in £'000s.

  2 Latest approximate position; figures continue to be adjusted within year.

  Table 2

  Delegated budgets for general practitioners staff and premises partial reimbursement1

  FPC/FHSA

  1990–91

  Clwyd

  3,320

  Dyfed

  3,779

  Gwent

  4,261

  Gwynedd

  2,749

  Mid Glamorgan

  4,610

  Powys

  1,538

  South Glamorgan

  3,872

  West Glamorgan

  2,907

  1 All figures £'000s.

  Housing
  Mr. Raffan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the latest figure for the number of private sector starts in the housing market in Wales; and what has been the increase since 1979.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Ten thousand and ninety five private sector starts were recorded during 1989—2,509 or 24·9 per cent. more than the 7,586 started in 1979.

  Alcohol Misuse
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each county in Wales his estimate available of the number of people in that county with problems of alcohol misuse.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The only available data are provided in the Welsh heart health survey of 1985, which recorded people drinking in excess of "safe limits" defined by the Health Promotion Authority for Wales. These are 20-plus units per week for men and 15-plus units for women. The figures are as follows:

  Health authority district

  Proportion of population aged 18–64 drinking in excess of the safe limits

  Estimated number of people aged 18–64 drinking in excess of the safe limits

  percentage

  Clwyd

  Male

  37

  29,000

  Female

  12

  5,600

  East Dyfed

  Male

  36

  14,600

  74

  Health authority district

  Proportion of population aged 18–64 drinking in excess of the safe limits

  Estimated number of people aged 18–64 drinking in excess of the safe limits

  percentage

  Female

  15

  3,300

  Gwent

  Male

  43

  39,700

  Female

  10

  5,600

  Gwynedd

  Male

  34

  14,900

  Female

  10

  2,700

  Mid Glamorgan

  Male

  46

  53,800

  Female

  13

  8,600

  Pembrokeshire

  Male

  38

  7,700

  Female

  10

  1,200

  Powys

  Male

  38

  8,500

  Female

  13

  1,600

  South Glamorgan

  Male

  41

  35,800

  Female

  11

  6,000

  West Glamorgan

  Male

  43

  33,500

  Female

  11

  5,300

  1990 data will become available next year.

  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the finances available to his Department and allocated by his Department to combat alcohol misuse in each of the financial years 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90; if he will indicate the amounts initially available in 1990–91, and any additional sums made available by his Department for this purpose since the start of the financial year.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Responsibility for tackling alcohol misuse rests primarily with health and local authorities. The Health Promotion Authority for Wales has a role in primary prevention and many voluntary organisations participate as part of their overall activity. Finances to these organisations are unhypothecated and it is not possible separately to identify that element earmarked for combating alcohol misuse.

  Specific funds are made available to Alcohol Concern Wales and these are as follows:

  £

  1987–88

  38,187

  1988–89

  42,000

  1989–90

  49,546

  1990–91

  68,079

  It was announced in June of this year that an additional £150,000 was available for organisations concerned with combating alcohol misuse.

  Teachers
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many resignations there have been from the teaching profession in each year between 1985 and 1989, inclusive, in each local education authority area; and if he will publish figures for(a) the primary sector and (b) the secondary school sector.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  [holding answer 28 November 1990]: The number of teachers who have moved out of teaching

  75
  posts in the maintained education sector is given as follows for the years ending 31 March 1986 to 31 March 1988. Information for 1989 is not yet available, and information prior to 1986 is not readily available.

  Year ending 31 March

  Primary

  Secondary

  1986

  Clwyd

  29

  60

  Dyfed

  52

  68

  Gwent

  53

  81

  Gwynedd

  29

  36

  Mid Glamorgan

  56

  83

  Powys

  14

  20

  South Glamorgan

  40

  75

  West Glamorgan

  38

  56

  Wales

  311

  479

  1987

  Clwyd

  21

  67

  Dyfed

  26

  54

  Gwent

  48

  76

  Gwynedd

  23

  38

  Mid Glamorgan

  57

  102

  Powys

  23

  17

  South Glamorgan

  51

  68

  West Glamorgan

  47

  58

  Wales

  296

  480

  1988

  Clwyd

  22

  51

  Dyfed

  50

  62

  Gwent

  58

  87

  Gwynedd

  20

  37

  Mid Glamorgan

  41

  91

  Powys

  17

  29

  South Glamorgan

  45

  63

  West Glamorgan

  61

  61

  Wales

  314

  481

  Note: Figures exclude those teachers who moved out of posts for the following reasons: death, disbarment, retirement, movement within the maintained education sector in England or Wales, or became part-time. Also, those teachers who entered and left a post within the year March 31 to March 31 are not included.

  Ethnic Minorities
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the names of members nominated by his Department to represent ethnic minority communities to serve on bodies in Wales during the past three years.

  Mr. David Hunt
  (holding answer 27 November): Members are appointed on the basis of their personal qualities and relevant experience and not as representatives of any particular ethnic group. Candidates are not required to state their ethnic origin; consequently, such information is not recorded.

HEALTH

  Benzodiazepines
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what alternatives to benzodiazepine sleeping pills are currently being provided in national health service hospitals.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The current British national formulary lists seven drugs or chemical groups which are available as alternatives to benzodiazepine hypnotics.
  76
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has that pharmaceutical companies are providing incentives to national health service doctors to continue supplying benzodiazepines to patients.

  Mr. Dorrell
  We have no such evidence.

  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department is currently doing to ensure that no new patient becomes addicted to benzodiazepines.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Doctors already have advice about the use of these drugs and are aware of the need to prescribe them carefully. The number of prescriptions for benzodiazepines dispensed by community pharmacists in Great Britain in 1989 was approximately 9 per cent. smaller than in 1988.

  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for each individual benzodiazepine were issued by community pharmacists during 1989.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information requested is as follows:

  Benzodiazepines

  Great Britain: 1989

  Drug group

  Prescriptions

  (millions)

  Temazepam

  7·1

  Nitrazepam

  4·2

  Diazepam

  4·1

  Triazolam

  2·1

  Lorazepam

  1·7

  Chlordiazepoxide

  0·8

  Oxazepam

  0·5

  Lormetazepam

  0·2

  Loprazolam

  0·2

  Clonazepam

  0·1

  Clobazam

  0·1

  Totals

  22·1

  These estimates are based on a sample of prescriptions of approximately 1 in 200 in England and Wales and 1 in 100 in Scotland which were dispensed by community pharmacists.

  Residential and Nursing Homes (Touting)
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on touting for business on health authority property by agents for residential and nursing homes.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I refer the hon. Member to the replies my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales gave him on 22 November at column 193 and 30 November at column 517. I am not aware of any such problems elsewhere.

  Pollen
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's review of the possible impact of vehicle gases on the potency of pollen grains.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I have nothing to add to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 17 July at column 514.

  Agency Staff
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the percentage of agency nurses employed by the national health service at the present time.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The latest available information relates to 30 September 1989 and shows that agency nursing and midwifery staff accounted for less than 2 per cent. of the total wholetime equivalent nursing and midwifery staff employed in the national health service in England.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which national health service trusts he intends to establish; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  National health service trusts are a central element in our plans for reforming the NHS and improving the services which it provides to patients. While remaining firmly a part of the NHS, trusts will have wide ranging and significant powers of self-determination which will enable them to deliver high quality patient care and to provide greater job satisfaction to their employees.

  The trust initiative has already attracted considerable interest from those working within the NHS. Last year some 86 hospitals and other units indicated that they were considering applying to become operational on 1 April 1991. Staff from the management executive worked closely with these units while they were deciding whether to apply for trust status and during the preparation of their applications. During this period a number of units decided not to go ahead with a formal application for trust status on this occasion.

  Sixty-six hospitals and other units formally applied for trust status, and regional health authorities have consulted widely on these applications. I have now considered these applications and the comments made on them during the consultation period by those consulted and others. In doing so, I applied four key criteria: that the establishment of a Trust will give clear benefits and improved quality of service to patients; that management has the skills and capacity—including strong, effective leadership, sufficient financial and personnel management expertise and adequate information systems—to run the unit effectively; that senior professional staff, especially consultants, are involved in the management of the unit; that the trust will be financially viable. As a result, I have decided to establish the following 56 trusts, to become operational on 1 April 1991.

  Northern RHA

  Northumbria Ambulance NHS Trust

  Newcastle Mental Health NHS Trust

  The Freeman Group of Hospitals NHS Trust

  Yorkshire RHA

  Leeds General Infirmary and Associated Hospitals NHS Trust

  St. James's University Hospital NHS Trust

  Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust

  Trent RHA

  Northern General Hospital NHS Trust

  Lincolnshire Ambulance and Health Transport Service NHS Trust

  Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Montagu Hospital NHS Trust

  East Anglian RHA
  78

  Norfolk Ambulance NHS Trust

  Anglian Harbours NHS Trust

  North East Thames RHA

  Southend Health Care NHS Trust

  The Royal London Hospital and Associated Community Services NHS Trust

  The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust

  The Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital NHS Trust

  The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

  North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust

  North West Thames RHA

  North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

  Mount Vernon Hospital NHS Trust

  Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust

  Central Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust

  South East Thames RHA

  The Guy's and Lewisham NHS Trust

  South West Thames RHA

  Lifecare NHS Trust

  Kingston Hospital NHS Trust

  Homewood NHS Trust

  The St. Helier NHS Trust

  Croydon Community NHS Trust

  Epsom Health Care NHS Trust

  The Royal Surrey County and St. Luke's Hospitals NHS Trust

  South Western RHA

  Weston Area NHS Trust

  East Somerset NHS Trust

  East Gloucestershire NHS Trust

  Cornwall Community Healthcare NHS Trust

  The United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Mental Handicap NHS Trust South Devon Health Care NHS Trust

  Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust

  Wessex RHA

  The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Trust

  West Dorset Mental Health NHS Trust

  The West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust

  West Dorset Community Health NHS Trust

  Oxford RHA

  Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust

  West Midlands RHA

  First Community NHS Trust

  The Mental Health Foundation of Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust

  The Rugby NHS Trust

  Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust

  Mersey RHA

  The Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  The Royal Liverpool University Hospital NHS Trust St. Helens and Knowsley Hospital Services NHS Trust Chester and Halton Community NHS Trust

  The Cardiothoracic Centre—Liverpool NHS Trust Broadgreen Hospital NHS Trust

  Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital and Community Services NHS Trust

  The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust

  North Western RHA

  Manchester Central Hospitals and Community Care NHS Trust

  Christie Hospital NHS Trust

  Establishment orders for these trusts will be made forthwith and the trusts will be established later this month to run in shadow form for a period of some three months before taking up their full responsibilities on 1 April 1991.
  79
  We shall be setting the external financing limit for each trust shortly. In doing this, we shall take account both of the overall resources available and of the plans which trusts have set out. Inevitably, this will involve difficult decisions, as it will not be possible to meet all trusts' capital aspirations next year. As has been made clear in the past, our first priority will be to ensure funding for those schemes which Trusts could otherwise expect to be funded from regions' capital programmes next year had the trusts remained under health authority management.

  I believe that the following eight applications have the potential to become successful trusts and hope in time they will do so.

  Newcastle General Hospital

  The City and Hackney Health District

  Harefield Hospital

  North West Hertfordshire Priority Services Unit St. Thomas' Hospital

  Bromley Priority Health Services Unit

  Bromley Acute Services Unit

  Mid Downs West Unit (Crawley Hospital)

  However, I consider that, in view of the very significant management tasks they face it would not be right to establish them now as trusts, with the substantial responsibilities as well as benefits which trust status confers. I realise that my decision will come as a deep disappointment to them. I am writing to each of them today setting out the reasons for my decision and I hope that, if they are able to demonstrate that they have satisfactorily addressed these issues, I shall be able to establish them as trusts to come into operation in April 1992.

  Following recent changes to the project management team of the potential trust, the sponsors of the proposed North Devon healthcare trust believe that it would be preferable that I defer the establishment of the trust at present. They remain committed to trust status but believe it would be sensible to give the new management team more time to establish itself and win local support. I have no doubt that the proposed trust has the potential to deliver benefits to local people, but I agree entirely that it would be sensible for me not to establish the trust at present.

  The sponsors of the proposed Brighton hospitals trust have also asked that their application should be deferred. I have agreed to this request. I have no doubt that Brighton has the potential to become a successful trust in the future.

  Meanwhile, we are already embarking on the process of responding to the many expressions of interest in a second wave of potential trusts to become operational on 1 April 1992. I am delighted to report that there is great interest in this, and I have today agreed that the 111 hospitals and other units listed, which have expressed interest in trust status, can proceed to work up applications to become trusts on 1 April 1992.

  Northern RHA

  Cleveland Ambulance Service

  Darlington Health Services

  Gateshead Community Unit

  Gateshead Mental Health

  Northgate Hospital Northumberland

  North West Durham Hospital and Community Services

  North Tees Acute and Community Services

  Royal Victoria and Dental Hospital Newcastle upon Tyne

  South Tees Acute Hospital Services

  Yorkshire RHA

  Airedale Health Services

  80

  Bradford Mental Health and Community Services

  Harrogate Health Services

  Northallerton Health Services

  Scarborough Health Services

  Trent RHA

  Barnsley Community and Priority Services Unit

  Bassetlaw Hospital and Community Services

  City Hospital Nottingham

  Doncaster Community Development Unit

  Doncaster Priority Care Services Unit

  South Sheffield Hospital Unit

  Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital

  Nottingham Community Unit

  Nottingham Mental Health Unit

  Childrens Hospital Sheffield

  South Lincolnshire Mental Handicap Services

  South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service

  University Hospital Nottingham

  Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield

  East Anglian RHA

  East Suffolk Community Unit

  Huntingdon Acute Unit Hinchingbrook Hospital Huntingdon

  Huntingdon Community Unit

  Papworth Hospital, Huntingdon

  West Norfolk and Wisbech Community Unit

  North West Thames RHA>

  Barnet Community Health Services

  Barnet General Hospitals

  Ealing Community Health Services

  East Hertfordshire Acute, Priority and Community Services

  Harrow Acute Unit—Northwick Park Hospital

  Harrow Community Services

  Hillingdon Primary and Community Health Services

  North West Hertfordshire Mental Handicap

  South Bedfordshire Community and Mental Health Services

  South Bedfordshire General Hospitals

  Parkside Mental Health Unit

  North East Thames RHA

  Basildon and Thurrock Acute Services

  Basildon and Thurrock Community

  Essex Ambulance Service

  Mid Essex Acute

  North East Essex Acute

  North East Essex Mental Handicap Unit Turner Village

  North East Essex Mental Illness (Severals Hospital)

  Oldchurch and Rush Green Hospitals

  Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital

  Harold Wood Health Services

  Southend Priority Services

  South East Thames RHA

  Bexley Acute and Community

  Bexley Mental Health and Mental Handicap Services

  Brighton Community and Mental Health Services

  Camberwell Provider Unit

  Dartford and Gravesham Acute Unit

  Thameslink HealthCare Trust

  Eastbourne Community Services Unit

  Hastings Provider Services

  Lewisham Community Services

  Maidstone Acute and Community Unit

  Maidstone Mental Handicap

  Tunbridge Wells Mental Handicap Services

  Queen Victoria Hospital East Grinstead

  West Lambeth Priority Services

  South West Thames RHA

  East Surrey Acute and Community

  East Surrey Mental Illness and Mental Handicap

  Frimley Park Hospital

  Merton and Sutton Mental Handicap and Community Unit

  Mid Surrey Mental Handicap

  Mid Surrey Mental Illness

  North West Surrey Acute

  81

  North West Surrey Community

  Wessex RHA

  Bath Mental Health Unit

  Bournemouth and Christchurch Acute Unit

  Poole Acute Unit

  East Dorset Community Services

  Oxford RHA

  Aylesbury Vale Priority Care Services Unit

  Horton General Hospital

  Kettering Priority Services Unit

  Milton Keynes Acute and Maternity Services Unit

  Milton Keynes Community and Mental Health Services Unit

  West Berkshire Mental Health Unit

  Wexham Park Hospital

  Wycombe Health Services

  South Western RHA

  Avon Ambulance Service

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Acute and General Services

  Gloucestershire Ambulance Service

  Plymouth Community Unit

  West Midlands RHA

  Coventry Walsgrave Health Services

  East Birmingham Acute

  Good Hope Hospital

  Herefordshire Community Services Unit

  South East Staffordshire Community and Mental Health Unit

  South Warwickshire Community and Handicap Services Unit

  Mersey RHA

  Aintree Hospitals Trust (Walton and Fazakerly)

  Liverpool Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit

  Mersey Regional Centre for Radiotherapy and Oncology

  St. Helens and Knowsley Community Unit

  Southport and Formby Acute Hospitals Unit

  Mersey Regional Centre for Medical and Surgical Neurology

  Macclesfield Acute Services

  Macclesfield Community Services

  North Western RHA

  Burnley Provider Unit

  Oldham Acute and Community Services

  Rochdale Acute and Community Services

  Wrightington Health Services

  These expressions of interest do not commit the hospitals or other units to applying for Trust status.

  The following four expressions of interest have been received from colleges of nursing.

  Colleges of Nursing

  Avon College of Health Studies

  South West College of Health Studies

  Normanby College of Health Care Studies

  Portsmouth Education Services

  I shall be considering further how best these colleges can achieve the flexible management arrangements they desire in the future.

  I believe that the scale of the response to the trust initiative shows the very real enthusiasm of those working in the NHS to take advantage of the benefits of trust status and, over time, I expect to see trust status becoming the natural model for all units providing patient care.

  Delighted as I am at the real success of the trust initiative I should emphasise that it forms only a part, albeit a very major part, of our overall programme of reform of the NHS. That programme is making steady progress. When trusts become operational, they will do so as part of a radically changed NHS, in which there is a clear separation between purchasers and providers of care and a system of contracting which will begin to achieve a closer match between resources and needs and will help to drive forward further improvements in quality and value
  82
  for money. The first wave of GP fund holders will be able to exert greater influence over the care their patients receive. Medical audit will be in place across the NHS. These developments, put in place in a relatively short time, taken together, will represent an immense achievement by those working in the NHS and will enable the service as a whole to deliver significant improvements in patient care.

  Hospital and Ward Closures
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list hospital and ward closures in each district in Herefordshire since 1987.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The following hospital in Herefordshire was approved for closure:

  Year

  Hospital/Facility

  1989

  Old Priory

  Information on ward closures is not held centrally.

  Drugs
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all the illnesses for sufferers of which drugs are available free of charge; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  People who suffer from one or more of the following medical conditions are entitled to claim exemption from all NHS prescription charges:

  A permanent fistula which requires continuous surgical dressing or an appliance.

  Epilepsy for which continuous anti-convulsive therapy is essential.

  A continuing physical disability which prevents the patient from leaving home without the help of another person.

  Diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone

  Myxodema (hypothyroidism).

  Hypoparathyroidism.

  Diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism.

  Forms of hypoadrenalism (including Addison's disease for which specific substitution therapy is essential.

  Myasthenia gravis.

  In addition, there are extensive general exemption arrangements which are designed to protect those who are likely to have difficulty in paying charges. Anyone who is not exempt, but who needs a lot of prescriptions, is able to limit their outlay by buying a prepayment certificate ("season ticket"). As a result of these arrangements, a charge is paid on less than one in five items dispensed.

  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated annual cost of the free provision of drugs for patients suffering from life-threatening cancer; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  This information is not available.

  Hospitals
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements exist for national health service hospitals to provide a casualty service at a lower level of service than a full accident and emergency unit.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Health authorities determine the level of accident and emergency services they consider necessary to meet the needs of their population and thereafter make suitable arrangements for such provision.
  83
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all the regulations and guidelines which influence staffing levels and related issues in national health service hospitals.

  Mr. Dorrell
  There are no regulations or standards set centrally on staffing levels in the national health service.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Accountants' Pay
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many accountants in the Treasury received pay increases in excess of 29 per cent. in the pay settlement years 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, taken individually.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  There are no instances of accountants in the Treasury receiving increases in excess of 29 per cent. in respect of any of the pay settlement years 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990.

  Agency name

  Parent department

  Date of establishment

  Staff numbers1

  Building Research Establishment

  Environment

  2 April 1990

  680

  Central Office of Information

  —2

  5 April 1990

  740

  Central Veterinary Laboratory

  Agriculture

  2 April 1990

  560

  Civil Service College

  Office of the Minister for the Civil Service

  6 June 1989

  200

  Companies House

  Trade and Industry

  3 October 1988

  1,100

  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

  Transport

  2 April 1990

  5,300

  Driving Standards Agency

  Transport

  2 April 1990

  2,100

  Employment Service

  Employment

  2 April 1990

  33,800

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Environment

  1 October 1989

  330

  Her Majesty's Stationery Office

  —2

  14 Decmber 1988

  3,200

  Hydrographic Office3

  Defence

  6 April 1990

  890

  Information Technology Services Agency

  Social Security

  2 April 1990

  2,900

  Insolvency Service

  Trade and Industry

  21 March 1990

  1,400

  Intervention Board

  —2

  2 April 1990

  860

  Laboratory of the Government Chemist

  Trade and Industry

  30 October 1989

  320

  Land Registry

  —2

  2 July 1990

  10,800

  Meteorological Office

  Defence

  2 April 1990

  2,250

  National Engineering Laboratory

  Trade and Industry

  5 October 1990

  520

  National Physical Laboratory

  Trade and Industry

  3 July 1990

  830

  National Weights and Measures Laboratory

  Trade and Industry

  18 April 1989

  50

  Natural Resources Institute

  Overseas Development Administration

  2 April 1990

  330

  Occupational Health Service

  Office of the Minister for the Civil Service

  2 April 1990

  100

  Ordnance Survey

  —2

  1 May 1990

  2,550

  Patent Office

  Trade and Industry

  1 March 1990

  1,150

  Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

  Environment

  6 July 1989

  60

  Radiocommunications Agency

  Trade and Industry

  2 April 1990

  460

  Registers of Scotland

  —2

  6 April 1990

  1,000

  Resettlement Agency

  Social Security

  24 May 1989

  530

  Royal Mint

  Chancellor

  2 April 1990

  970

  Training and Employment Agency

  Northern Ireland

  2 April 1990

  1,700

  Vehicle Certification Agency

  Transport

  2 April 1990

  70

  Vehicle Inspectorate

  Transport

  1 August 1988

  1,600

  Veterinary Medicines Directorate

  Agriculture

  2 April 1990

  70

  Warren Spring Laboratory

  Trade and Industry

  20 April 1989

  300

  34 in number

  79,720

  1 Figures based on staff in post as at 1 April 1990.

  2 Indicates an Agency which is an independent Government Department.

  3 Defence Support Agency. Figure does not include service personnel.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list in the Official Report all those units of central government that are under consideration for agency

CIVIL SERVICE

  House of Commons Disqualification Act
  Mr. Ian Taylor
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what arrangements are to be made to provide hon. Members with information about the amendments contained in the resolution tabled on 26 November updating schedule 1 to the House of Commons Disqualification Act.

  Mr. Renton
  A detailed explanatory note on the revised resolution tabled on 3 December is available from the Vote Office.

  Agency Status
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list in the Official Report all the executive agencies that have been established, their parent Department, the date on which they were established and the numbers of staff employed.

  Mr. Renton
  [holding answer 3 December 1990]: The current list of established executive agencies is as follows, together with their parent Departments, date of establishment and staff employed:

  status, their parent Department, the target date for establishment as an agency and the numbers of staff employed.
  85
  Mr. Renton
  [holding answer 3 December 1990]: The current list of activities announced as candidates for agency status, together with their parent departments and

  Candidate Name

  Parent Department

  Staff number1

  Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments)

  Welsh Office

  220

  Central Science Laboratory

  Agriculture

  400

  Central Statistical Office

  2

  1,000

  Chessington Computer Centre

  Treasury

  430

  Child Support Agency

  Social Security

  Not Known

  Civil Service Commission (The Recruitment Agency)

  Office of the Minister for the Civil Service

  340

  Defence Research Agency

  Defence

  11,700

  Directorate General of Defence Accounts3

  Defence

  2,100

  Farm and Countryside Service

  Agriculture

  2,550

  Fisheries Protection Services

  Scottish Office

  170

  Forensic Science Service

  Home Office

  580

  Fuel Suppliers Branch

  Environment

  30

  Historic Scotland

  Scottish Office

  570

  Military Survey3

  Defence

  850

  NHS Estates

  Health

  130

  Passport Office

  Home Office

  1,200

  Planning Inspectorate

  Environment

  550

  Pollution Inspectorate

  Environment

  210

  Property Holdings

  Environment

  1,600

  RAF Training3

  Defence

  2,500

  Royal Parks

  Environment

  570

  Service Children's Schools3

  Defence

  1,000

  Social Security Benefits Agency

  Social Security

  68,200

  Social Security Contributions Unit

  Social Security

  6,200

  Valuation Office

  Inland Revenue

  5,700

  Youth Treatment Service

  Health

  220

  Ordnance Survey

  Northern Ireland

  200

  Rating Division

  Northern Ireland

  270

  Social Security Operations 29 in number

  Northern Ireland

  5,000

  Customs and Excise4

  2

  26,900

  Inland Revenue4 (excluding Valuation Office)

  2

  60,400

  5201,790

  1 Figures based on staff in post as at 1 April 1990.

  2 Indicates an agency candidate which is an independent Government Department.

  3 Defence Support Agency. Figure does not include service personnel.

  4 Moving towards operating fully on next steps lines, as set out in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement of 25 July 1990.

  5 Plus numbers in the Child Support Agency, when known.

  Many other areas of government are under consideration, including prisons, and other parts, of the Ministry of defence.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Broadcasting Ownership
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is in a position to announce the supplementary ownership rules which he proposes to implement by order under schedule 2 of the Broadcasting Act 1990.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  The ownership rules will contain the following provisions:

  (a) it will be permissible for one body to hold a controlling interest in two regional Channel 3 licences as long as they are not both large. Of the 15 regional Channel 3 areas, we shall designate the top nine (in terms of NAR share) as large, and the bottom six as small.

  (b) in relation to regional Channel 3, national Channel 3 and Channel 5 licences, where a person owns two licences (in the case of regional Channel 3) or one licence (in the case of national Channel 3 or Channel 5) he will be permitted to have a maximum of a 20 per cent stake in one further such licence, and a maximum stake of 5 per cent. in any further licences.
  86
  staff employed is as follows. Target dates for the establishment of these activities are a matter for the responsible Minister.

  (c) where a person has no controlling interest in any licence, he will nevertheless be permitted to have more that a 20 per cent. interest in one further such licence and maximum of a 5 percent. Interest in any further licences.

  (d) national newspaper proprietors will not be permitted to have more than a 20 per cent. interest in any local radio licence. No national or local newspaper proprietor will be permitted to have more than a 20 per cent. interest in a domestic satellite service licence.

  (e) no public telecommunications operator will be permitted to have a controlling interest in any Channel 3, Channel 5, national radio or domestic satellite licence.

  (f) there will be a points scheme to indicate the maximum ownership permitted of local radio stations. All stations (with their associated channels) will be awarded points on the basis of their audience reach. It will be permissible to own stations which correspond to a maximum of 15 per cent. of the total number of points in the system.

  I have placed a more detailed set of proposals in the Library. I hope to place an Order before the House in December.

  Deportation
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women have been deported after serving sentences in British prisons for the last five years for which figures are available.
  87
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Figures in the form requested have been held centrally only since September 1986.

  The figures in the table relate to deportations under section 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1971, where recommendation for deportation made by a court was part of a custodial sentence, and under section 3(5)(b) of that Act where deportation on conducive grounds was deemed to be appropriate following a custodial sentence.

  Section 3(6)

  Section 3(5)(b)

  Total

  1987

  38

  3

  41

  1988

  52

  9

  61

  1989

  69

  6

  75

  Prisoners (Suicides)
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of(a) suicides and (b) attempted suicides for (i) prisoners and (ii) those on remand in prison for each year for 1985 to 1989.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The number of deaths at their own hand of inmates at Her Majesty's prison service establishments for each year from 1985 to 1989 is shown in the table. A figure is also given for the number of incidents of self-injury in 1989 which were regarded as attempted suicide. Information about the status of inmates who attempted suicide is not readily available. Only partial information is available on the number of suicide attempts in earlier years.

  Number of deaths at own hand of inmates at Her Majesty's Prison

  Service establishments 1985–1989

  Deaths at Own Hand1

  Year

  Unconvicted

  Convicted

  Total

  Attempted suicides

  1985

  19(16)

  10(7)

  29(23)

  —

  1986

  14(12)

  7(5)

  21(17)

  —

  1987

  229(28)

  17(14)

  46(42)

  —

  1988

  21(19)

  16(12)

  37(31)

  —

  1989

  27(18)

  21(16)

  48(34)

  543

  1 The figures in brackets denote number of deaths for which a verdict of suicide was returned at the coroner's inquest.

  2 Includes one inmate who was detained under the Immigration Act and who was not therefore on remand.

  Electoral Records
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the legal provisions in addition to the Representation of the People Act 1983 which entitle a person to obtain access to the parliamentary ballot papers and counterfoils and the

  Number of persons proceeded against for begging and sleeping out offences under Vagrancy Act 1824 in the Metropolitan Police District1 and remainder of England and Wales by result 1989

  Total proceeded against

  Total found guilty

  Total for sentence

  Conditional discharge

  Fine

  Sentence Probation order

  Immediate custody

  Other

  Metropolitan Police District1

  Begging

  1,256

  1,193

  1,193

  326

  841

  3

  —

  23

  Sleeping out

  12

  10

  10

  —

  10

  —

  —

  —

  Remainder of England and Wales

  Begging

  146

  126

  126

  37

  87

  —

  —

  2

  Sleeping out

  12

  6

  6

  2

  3

  —

  —

  1

  88
  marked electoral registers, returns, declarations and other election documents in the custody of a returning officer or the Clerk of the Crown.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The only statutory provisions concerning the retention of, access to and disposal of the documents used at a parliamentary election are those laid down in schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 1983.

  Shotguns
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many semi-automatic and pump action shotguns have been certified as shotguns after being modified from section 1 firearms classification under the terms of the Firearms Act 1988, up until the latest available date or as much of such information as is available to him.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I understand from the masters of the proof houses that, to date, approximately 47,000 adapted smooth-bore guns have been certified by the proof houses so as to enable the guns to be retained on a shot gun certificate. 30,000 of these were dealt with in Birmingham and the remainder in London.

  Open Prisons (Escapes)
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners convicted of drug and drug-related offences have absconded from open prisons in each of the past three years; how many were recaptured; and which open prisons were involved.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Vagrancy Act
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were(a) prosecuted and convicted in the Metropolitan and City of London police districts in the year ended December 1989 under the Vagrancy Act 1824 for (i) begging and (ii) sleeping out, (b) prosecuted and convicted in the rest of England and Wales in the same period for the same offences; and how many people at (a) and (b) above (1) were fined, (2) received custodial sentences, (3) served custodial sentences in default of payment of fines, (4) received conditional discharges and (5) received probation orders, respectively.

  Mr. John Patten
  The information available is given in the table. Figures are not available separately for receptions into prison service establishments in default of payment of a fine for offences of begging and sleeping out.
  89

  Total proceeded against

  Total found guilty

  Total for sentence

  Conditional discharge

  Fine

  Sentence Probation order

  Immediate custody

  Other

  England and Wales

  Begging

  1,402

  1,319

  1,319

  363

  928

  3

  —

  25

  Sleeping out

  24

  16

  16

  2

  13

  —

  —

  1

  1 Including the City of London.

  Anti-Semitic Incidents
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether statistics are kept on incidents of an anti-Semitic nature; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The Metropolitan police maintain specific statistics on anti-semitic incidents as part of their records on all racially motivated attacks. Other police forces collect statistics on racial attacks without separate identification of the ethnicity of all victims. The Government remain committed to taking effective action against all forms of racial violence. The desecration of Jewish cemeteries is a particularly distressing example of such behaviour.

  The Government and the Association of Chief Police Officers are keeping the situation under constant review, and have had meetings with the Board of Deputies of British Jews to assess the problem. Police forces are aware of the importance of effective liaison with local Jewish community groups, and Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary is monitoring the position closely.

  Alcohol Misuse
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the finances available to his Department and/or allocated by his Department to combat alcohol misuse in each of the financial years 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90, and indicate the amounts initially available in 1990–91, and any additional sums made available by his Department for this purpose since the start of the financial year.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  I will write to the hon. Member.

  Football
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to make an order bringing into force section 13 of the Football Spectators Act.

  Mr. John Patten
  I will write to the hon. Member.

  PC Blakelock (Murder)
  Mr. Irvine
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has completed his review of the cases of the three persons convicted of the murder of Police Constable Blakelock; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  I have been considering very carefully a number of representations which have been made to me about the case of Mr. Mark Braithwaite, Mr. Engin Raghip and Mr. Winston Silcott. Each was convicted of murder and riot.

  I would normally only consider intervening in a case if there were presented to me some new evidence or other consideration of substance which had not previously been before the courts and which might cast doubts on the safety of the conviction.
  90
  Amongst the matters submitted to me was a statement from a psychologist who had, at the request of the defence, assessed Mr. Raghip's mental condition before his trial. The psychologist now says that, in the light of subsequent tests carried out by another psychologist, he now regards the assessment which he then made of Mr. Raghip's mental condition as mistaken. He now takes the view that had he, at the time of the trial, been aware of the later findings of the other psychologist whose tests were carried out in what he regards as more appropriate circumstances than those which he himself had encountered, he would have agreed that Mr. Raghip possessed a significant degree of mental incapacity, suggestibility and compliance.

  The psychologist's changed view amounts to fresh material which I think it right that the Court of Appeal should have the opportunity to consider.

  Accordingly, in the exercise of my powers under section 17(1)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968, I have today referred the case of Engin Raghip to the Court of Appeal for determination in respect of conviction. Under the provisions of that section, his case now falls to be treated for all purposes as an appeal to the court by Mr. Raghip himself, and it will be for those representing Mr. Raghip to seek to raise with the Court of Appeal any matters which they feel may be of relevance to his appeal.

  I have also looked very carefully at the representations made on behalf of Mr. Mark Braithwaite and Mr. Winston Silcott, but I have found no grounds on which I would be justified in taking any action to intervene in respect of their convictions. I am, however, always prepared to consider any further representations about the safety of these convictions.

  Independent Programmes (Rights)
  Mr. Irvine
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he now proposes in the light of the conclusion of the Director General of Fair Trading that he would not be making a formal reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on the subject of the acquisition by broadcasters of rights in indpendently produced programmes.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Concern has been expressed about the common practice of broadcasters who require independent producers to assign their rights in programmes to them. In April 1990, the then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry asked the Director General of Fair Trading to consider whether action under competition legislation would be justified.

  After detailed investigation, the Director General advised that there was no justification for a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. He found that broadcasters typically take all the rights because they provide 100 per cent. funding, and thus take all the risks. Channel 4 indicated that they were always willing to contemplate contracts which conferred exploitation rights on the independent producer, with some offsetting adjustments in funding. The director general concluded,

  91
  however, that in practice few independents could offer a share of costs in exchange for rights, but that this was not the fault of the broadcasters, who were not thereby abusing their dominant power.

  In the light of this advice, we see no case for further investigation or for statutory intervention, either through primary legislation or through the Order to be made under section 16(5) of the Broadcasting Act 1990 which will define independent production. Intervention would have serious implications for broadcasting and competition policy, copyright law and practice, and United Kingdom trade, and the Government are not convinced that it would be beneficial. Its effects on the broadcasters and independent producers themselves in a time of change and increasing competition cannot be foreseen.

  The issue is not, however, necessarily closed for ever. The market in independent productions will inevitably change as the 25 per cent. quota takes effect and new broadcasters play a greater part in the market. An investigation under competition legislation is always a possibility if abuses emerge and the criteria for investigation are met.

  Rates (Non-payment)
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give, broken down into the smallest district or region available, the numbers of people(a) arrested and (b) imprisoned for non-payment of (i) domestic and (ii) industrial and commercial rates in each of the last five years.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  [holding answer 30 November 1990]: The only readily available information is on prisoners committed for non-payment of rates of all types. This is published annually in "Prison statistics England and Wales" (table 6·3 of the latest volume, for 1989, Cm 1221), copies of which are in the Library.

  Details of the local authority area are not recorded centrally. However, the table gives details, for 1989, of the counties in which the committing courts are situated. Similar information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Males aged under 17 remanded into prison service establishments who were first received on remand into Cardiff or Swansea prisons:

  by age and establishment 1987–89

  Establishment

  1987

  1988

  11989

  15

  16

  15

  16

  15

  16

  Cardiff

  8

  26

  10

  32

  16

  31

  Swansea

  6

  23

  9

  9

  11

  8

  1 Provisional figures.

ENVIRONMENT

  Toxic Waste
  Mr. Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give for the last available year(a) the amount of toxic waste imported in total and by port and (b) the country of origin and destination of toxic waste imports by port, together with the nature of the toxic waste in each case.
  92

  Persons received into prison service establishments in England and Wales having been committed to custody for non-payment of rates:

  by county of court committing, 1989

  Number

  Magistrates' court (county):

  Avon

  5

  Bedford

  3

  Berkshire

  1

  Cambridgeshire

  1

  Cheshire

  6

  Cornwall

  1

  Derbyshire

  6

  Devonshire

  1

  Dorsetshire

  1

  East Sussex

  2

  Essex

  6

  Greater London

  23

  Greater Manchester

  5

  Hertfordshire

  1

  Humberside

  8

  Kent

  1

  Lancashire

  1

  Leicestershire

  1

  Merseyside

  6

  Norfolk

  1

  Northumberland

  1

  North Yorkshire

  1

  Nottinghamshire

  1

  Shropshire

  2

  Somerset

  1

  South Yorkshire

  6

  Staffordshire

  6

  Suffolk

  1

  West Midland

  12

  West Yorkshire

  16

  Wiltshire

  1

  Court not recorded

  69

  All courts

  197

  Prisons
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many young people aged(a) 15 years and (b) 16 years were remanded in custody at Swansea prison in each of the last three years;

  (2) how many young people aged (a) 15 years and (b)16 years were remanded in custody at Cardiff prison in each of the last three years.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  [holding answer 29 November 1990]: The readily available information is given in the table.

  Mr. Baldry
  The information in respect of imports through English ports for the year to 31 March 1990 is shown in the following table.

  I will write to the hon. Member about the second part of his question.

  Similar information in respect of imports to Wales was given in the reply by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales on 22 November at columns 191–194.
  93

  Imports of toxic waste

  Port

  Amount

  (tonnes)

  Chatham

  409

  Dartford

  1,137

  Dover

  5,160

  Felixstowe

  8,718

  Fleetwood

  154

  Flixborough

  4,237

  Gravesend

  25

  Grimsby

  39

  Harwich

  150

  Heysham

  724

  Immingham

  8,752

  Ipswich

  185

  Liverpool

  754

  Middlesbrough

  203

  Poole

  30

  Portsmouth

  2

  Purfleet

  12

  Ramsgate

  1,877

  City grant for housing projects as at 3 December 1990

  Local authority area and name of project

  Grant approved

  Total project cost

  Number of dwellings

  £

  £

  Birmingham

  Bordsley Village Initiative

  3,720,603

  14,711,103

  264

  Bordsley Village, Phase 1

  1,401,257

  6,602,014

  118

  Browning Street Ladywood

  902,000

  4,277,000

  103

  Blackburn

  Queens Park Deck Flats, Blackburn

  738,620

  4,038,620

  90

  Housing and Urban Park, Lower Audley

  1,209,000

  7,216,885

  138

  Bennington Street Housing, Lower Audley

  707,000

  4,284,000

  70

  Atlantic Mill Site

  377,123

  1,885,123

  49

  London Road, Blackburn

  688,407

  3,840,407

  61

  Bolton

  Park/Persian Mill, Bolton Mk2

  398,233

  3,367,638

  72

  Prospect Mills Housing

  649,773

  2,242,773

  75

  Woodside Mills

  550,983

  4,486,983

  96

  Frederick Street, Farnworth

  202,820

  1,968,820

  75

  Breightmet Housing Estate, Bolton

  284,600

  2,826,600

  70

  Stretton Road Housing, Bolton

  308,000

  2,188,000

  71

  Rose Hill Bolton

  559,987

  3,042,987

  67

  Bradford

  Lower Grange, Bradford

  2,652,707

  13,465,207

  308

  Midland Road, Bradford

  136,860

  856,860

  24

  Holroyd Hill/Wibsey Bank

  700,000

  5,236,000

  106

  Bristol

  24–32 Wilson Street, Housing, Bristol

  293,416

  1,253,916

  26

  Calderdale

  Abbey Park

  364,516

  2,361,516

  75

  Coventry

  Harnall Lane Housing, Coventry

  592,000

  3,667,046

  67

  Gateshead

  Moore Street Gateshead

  30,750

  241,150

  7

  Hartlepool

  Owton Manor, Hartlepool

  570,000

  2,024,000

  90

  Manchester

  Portland Mews, Manchester

  451,000

  2,358,000

  66

  Every Street Housing Scheme

  456,615

  2,130,615

  60

  Bell Crescent Housing, Manchester

  621,700

  2,995,700

  80

  Newcastle

  Cowgate Renewal Project, Newcastle

  564,885

  2,186,885

  81

  Dorrington Road Flats

  1,087,000

  3,904,400

  110

  94

  Port

  Amount

  (tonnes)

  Seaforth

  73

  Southampton

  5

  Teesport

  83

  Tilbury

  16

  Great Yarmouth

  8

  GRAND TOTAL

  32,751

  City Grant
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the secretary of state for the Environment if he will list any projects and amounts of city grant which has been given for housing purposes.

  Mr. Portillo
  The information requested is as follows. in addition to the grants listed, a further £.4·5 million has been approved for mixed use developments which include a housing element.
  95

  Local authority area and name of project

  Grant approved

  Total project cost

  Number of dwellings

  £

  £

  North Tyneside

  Grosvenor Mews, North Shields

  64,620

  317,620

  10

  Coach Lane, North Shields

  88,892

  531,492

  22

  Nottingham

  Bitterlings Factory Redevelopment, Mk2, Nottingham

  93,123

  556,123

  15

  Plymouth

  Camden Street Housing, Plymouth

  45,000

  326,687

  8

  Jubilee Terrace Housing, Plymouth

  130,766

  723,766

  15

  Rotherham

  Roger Street Development

  169,654

  1,107,154

  34

  Salford

  Hazel Avenue and Acme Mill Housing Development

  580,000

  3,495,000

  97

  Brandsby Gardens, Salford

  100,000

  685,250

  15

  Kersal Vale, Salford (Riverdale)

  5,152,000

  31,354,000

  483

  Sandwell

  Windmill Lane, Smethwick

  775,000

  3,061,000

  87

  South Tyneside

  Mowbray Court South Shields

  100,693

  512,193

  14

  St. Helens

  Green Bank, Ravenhead

  6,330,000

  25,680,000

  309

  Sunderland

  Baronshill Housing Phase 2, Sunderland

  553,072

  2,623,072

  72

  Baronshill

  438,445

  1,554,445

  48

  Ascot Court, Sunderland, Phase 4

  54,910

  362,710

  11

  Gilley Law, Sunderland

  1,221,447

  5,340,447

  149

  Ascot Court, Phase 3, Farringdon

  100,806

  503,806

  24

  Wigan

  Worsley Mesnes Housing, Wigan

  1,724,958

  7,687,458

  126

  Totals

  38,943,241

  196,082,471

  4,058

SCOTLAND

  Greater Glasgow Health Board
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost to Greater Glasgow health board of the management authority's review of its acute services.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Greater Glasgow health board's review of its acute services involves a wide range of the board's medical and administrative staff. It would be impossible to cost their work on the strategy separately from their other duties.

  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State or Scotland if he will give for each of the last 12 months the total number of agency nursing staff employed by the Greater Glasgow health board both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of trained nurses.

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

  Alcohol Misuse
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the finances available to his Department and/or allocated by his Department to combat alcohol
  96
  misuse in each of the financial years 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90 and indicate the amounts initially available in 1990–91, and any additional sums made available by his Department for this purpose since the start of the financial year.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  In addition to research and the general allocations made to health boards, the Scottish Home and Health Department provides grant support to the Scottish Council on Alcohol, the national voluntary organisation concerned with alcohol problems, and funds the Scottish Health Education Group. The Scottish Education Department gives grants to voluntary and other organisations under sections 9 and 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and the Industry Department for Scotland supports local alcohol-related projects under the urban programme. In addition, the Scottish Home and Health Department and the Scottish Education Department jointly fund the alcohol studies centre at Paisley college of technology. Expenditure in the last three financial years and estimated expenditure in 1990–91 is set out in the table below. No additional allocations have been made in 1990–91 since the start of the financial year.
  97

  Funding provided by Scottish Office specifically to combat alcohol misuse

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  £

  £

  £

  £

  Scottish Council on Alcohol

  120,000

  133,000

  120,000

  116,000

  Alcohol Studies Centre

  76,600

  87,200

  89,300

  124,400

  Grants under Sections 9 & 10 of Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968

  75,500

  37,700

  80,100

  256,600

  Grants under Urban Programme

  400,600

  335,000

  369,100

  258,800

  Scottish Health Education Group

  213,800

  205,400

  276,100

  340,000

  Total

  886,500

  798,300

  934,600

  1,095,800

  Historic Buildings
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the total Government expenditure on the upkeep, care and protection of historic buildings and monuments in Scotland in each year since 1980.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 29 November 1990]: Gross expenditure by the Scottish Development Department on the conservation and presentation of historic buildings and monuments (including the royal parks) in Scotland since 1980 was as follows:

  £ million

  1980–81

  4·983

  1981–82

  6·696

  1982–83

  6·850

  1983–84

  7·924

  1984–85

  8·610

  1985–86

  9·801

  1986–87

  9·681

  1987–88

  12·225

  1988–89

  14·775

  1989–90

  18·608

  Planned gross expenditure in 1990–91 is £19·8 million.

  Steel
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received any representations from British Steel about its long-term plans for the quench and temper facility at Clydesdale and the finishing facility at the Imperial works.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 3 December 1990]: When my right hon. and learned Friend last met the chairman of British Steel, he told him that British Steel intended, subject to concluding satisfactory arrangements, to continue operations at the Imperial works. Imperial would be supplied with lower cost pipe from abroad, some of which would be heat treated initially at the quench and temper plant at Clydesdale.

  Erskine Bridge
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he proposes to take concerning finances of the Erskine bridge.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 3 December 1990]: Arrangements for the financing of the bridge beyond the end of the tolling period in 1991 are under consideration. No decision has yet been taken.

  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to(a) end or (b) increase tolls on the Erskine bridge.
  98
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 3 December 1990]: No decisions have yet been taken.

  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the latest figure for overall operating deficit on Erskine bridge.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 3 December 1990]: The latest published account for 1988–89 shows an operating surplus for the year of £971,208.

  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to write off accumulated debt on the Erskine bridge.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 3 December 1990]: Future financing arrangements for the Erskine bridge are under consideration.

  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the latest accumulated debt on the Erskine bridge.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 3 December 1990]: The figure shown as the accumulated deficiency in the latest published account for 1988–89 is £84,889,183.

TRANSPORT

  A20
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress made since January in implementing the decisions to improve the A20 road between Folkestone and Dover.

  Mr. Chope
  Construction of part of the new A20 between Folkestone and Court wood started in October. Design is continuing on the remaining part.

  The compulsory purchase order for the section between Court wood and Dover was made in July. Land acquisition and rehousing of Dover district council's tenants affected by the scheme are under way.

  We are on programme for completion of the whole length from Folkestone to Dover by the planned opening of the channel tunnel in mid-1993.

  Channel Tunnel
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the fastest travelling time from(a) Chester, (b) Cardiff, (c) Newport, (d) Swansea and (e) Holyhead for (i) freight and (ii) passengers to the channel rail tunnel; and if he will make a statement.
  99
  Mr. McLoughlin
  British Rail's current estimate of the fastest travelling times for passenger trains from the destinations requested to the United Kingdom portal of the channel tunnel is as follows:

  Origin

  Time (hours)

  Chester

  4¼

  Cardiff

  4¼

  Newport

  4

  Swansea

  5¼

  Holyhead

  5¼

  These estimates may of course change between now and the opening of the tunnel in 1993.

  British Rail does not have equivalent figures for freight trains, for which reliability of delivery will be more important than journey time.

  A2
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress made since February in implementing the decision to dual the A2 road between Lydden and Dover.

  Mr. Chope
  Following the addition of the A2 Lydden (B2060)—Dover improvement scheme to the trunk road programme in February it was announced in September that preparation of the scheme would be open to consultant competition. Arrangements for this are in hand with a view to inviting competitive bids from selected consultants as soon as possible in the new year. A further announcement will be made following the appointment of the successful firm.

  A1
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average volume of daily traffic using the A1 between Scotch Corner and Newcastle over the past decade; and when work to convert the A1 to a three-way carriageway will commence.

  Mr. Chope
  The annual average daily traffic figures show:

  1981

  1990

  Scotch Corner

  16,350

  28,900

  Chester-le-Street

  26,000

  39,800

  Tyne and Wear

  40,800

  64,400

  The Tyne and Wear section of the A1(M) is currently three-lane carriageway. A study of the route from Scotch Corner to Tyneside was announced in "Roads for Prosperity". Consultants are yet to be appointed.

  Traffic Calming
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the local authorities which(a) made inquiries following publication of traffic advisory leaflet 2/90 and (b) are spending public money on introducing speed control humps as traffic calming measures.

  Mr. Chope
  (a) Since the traffic advisory unit leaflet was published on 15 November, copies have been sent to all local highway authorities. Many enquiries and requests for further copies have been received but no central record of such contracts is maintained.
  100
  (b) This information is not held centrally.

  Driving Tests
  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the average time taken for an applicant for a driving test to remain on the waiting list in each area in Wales.

  Mr. Chope
  The average waiting times for L tests at Welsh driving test centres are as follows:

  Centre

  Average Waiting Time

  (Weeks)

  Abergavenny

  8

  Aberystwyth1

  2

  Ammanford

  3

  Bala1

  9

  Bangor

  2

  Barry1

  12

  Brecon1

  1

  Bridgend

  3

  Cardiff East

  3

  Cardiff West

  9

  Cardigan1

  4

  Carmarthen1

  2

  Cwmbran

  2

  Haverfordwest

  3

  Holyhead1

  10

  Lampeter

  1

  Llandrindod Wells1

  4

  Llandudno1

  2

  Llanelli

  5

  Merthyr Tydfil

  2

  Milford Haven1

  2

  Mold

  13

  Monmouth1

  9

  Newport

  7

  Newtown

  4

  Pembroke Dock1

  3

  Pontypridd

  11

  Pwllheli1

  1

  Rhyl

  1

  Swansea

  7

  Treorchy1

  9

  Wrexham

  8

  1 Occasional centres staffed only as and when required.

  M66, Denton
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents have occurred at the junction of the M67 and M66 in Denton since the M66 opened; and when work will commence to improve that junction.

  Mr. Chope
  Since the M66 opened on 28 April 1989, there have been 16 accidents involving personal injury, only one of which was serious, and 30 involving damage only. Work on the junction improvement is programmed to start in April 1991.

  Electrification, Cheshire
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the reasons for the delay in allowing Cheshire county council to borrow £800,000 for its share of the costs of the Hooton to Ellesmere Port and Chester electrification scheme.

  Mr. Freeman
  The total cost of this project is about £10 million spread over three years. Even if credit approvals
  101
  could be made available this year, it would not make sense to do so unless the rest of the project could be financed. I am considering whether adequate resources could be made available for the scheme as a whole and hope to make an announcement shortly.

  Wheel Clamping Firms (Licensing)
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will now consider a system of licensing for wheel clamping firms; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Warwick and Leamington (Sir D. Smith) on 22 November at column 169.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Alzheimer's Disease
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether people with Alzheimer's disease are accepted as being terminally ill when assessing income support rates for people in nursing homes.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The level of income support payable depends on the type of care the nursing home is providing for the claimant. The adjudication officer must be satisfied that the home is recognised by the registration authority as able to provide terminal care and that the resident is receiving such care before the higher limit can apply.

  Income Support Deductions
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many income support deductions are currently being made for(a) poll tax arrears, (b) social fund loan payments, (c) fuel payment arrears and (d) any other purposes; and if he will give a breakdown of these by social security office throughout the country.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The number of deductions from income support for arrears of community charge by local office was given in the reply by my hon. Friend the former Under-Secretary of State on 22 October to the hon. Member for Coventry South-East (Mr. Nellist) at column 78. The latest available information for other types of deduction is shown in the tables; for these, information by local social security office is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Table 1

  Deductions from Income Support

  (Social Fund repayments, accommodation, fuel and water charges)

  Purpose

  Number of deductions1

  Date

  Community charge arrears

  9,112

  31 August 1990

  Social Fund loan repayments

  430,000

  31 October 1990

  Fuel

  2246,691

  31 August 1990

  Other purposes

  134,671

  31 August 1990

  1The information is not routinely published, it derives from the Department's management information system and, with the exception of social fund loan repayments, is obtained from a quarterly count of deductions in action. Data on social fund loan repayments are collected monthly.

  2Some deductions for fuel charges cover current consumption costs alone because the arrears have been cleared. It is not possible to identify only those cases with continuing arrears.

  102

  Table 2

  Recovery of overpaid benefit, Voluntary Unemployment deductions

  Purpose

  Number of deductions

  Recovery of overpaid benefit

  79,485

  Voluntary unemployment deductions

  31,574

  Note: The information derives from table 10 of the Annual Statistical Enquiry in May 1989, a copy of which is in the Library.

  19-year-olds (Non-advanced Education)
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what financial assistance his Department provides for 19-year-olds in full-time non-advanced education; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what compensatory financial assistance his Department provides to families where parents are in receipt of income support and whose child is aged 19 years or older and in full-time non-advanced education;

  (3) what financial assistance his Department provides to young people aged 19 years or older who are living independently and are in full-time non-advanced education.

  Miss Widdecombe
  These young people should apply to the local education authorities or the further education institution at which they study for financial assistance. They or their families claiming for them are not entitled to income support but for certain exceptions, including lone parent and disabled students.

DEFENCE

  HMS Warspite
  Mr. Allen McKay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implications of the decommissioning of HMS Warspite.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The decision to decommission HMS Warspite followed the announcement on 25 July by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, in which he envisaged, in addition to Trident, a future submarine force of around 16 boats, some three quarters of which would be nuclear-powered. This reduction in submarine force levels is to be achieved by decommissioning older, less capable boats, such as HMS Warspite, while retaining the more modern ones in service.

  Military Air Crashes
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he proposes to take to speed up publication of reports from boards of inquiry into fatal military air crashes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The summaries of such reports are not published until all relevant investigations, including any coroners' inquests or fatal accident inquiries, are complete. Once these conditions are met, we aim for the earliest possible publication.

  NATO
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what involvement his Department has had with NATO undercover operations which countenance terrorism.
  103
  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on operational matters of this nature. But I can assure the hon. Member that neither Her Majesty's Government nor NATO would countenance any operations involving terrorism in any way.

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role is envisaged for NATO in conciliation arrangements in respect of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe.

  Mr. Tom King
  The Paris CSCE summit recommended the establishment of mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflicts between CSCE participants, including possible conciliation arrangements. These matters will be further discussed shortly but I think it unlikely that NATO as such would have a role in them.

  Nuclear Submarines
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans have been made for the disposal of the Vanguard class nuclear-powered submarine fleet, subsequent to its decommissioning.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The Vanguard class submarines are expected to remain in service until well into the next century.

  SA80 Rifle
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what problems are being experienced with the use of the SA80 rifle.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  When SA80 entered service experience showed that modifications to certain components would improve the strength and reliability of the weapon whilst retaining the greater accuracy and other advantages of the SA80 over its predecessors. These have been incorporated into a modification programme which is being implemented.

  Naval Procurement
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current naval procurement programme.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  We currently have nine type 23 frigates on order and expect to invite tenders for the next batch within the next few months. Tenders for additional single role minehunters are being assessed; two auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels are under construction. The Government remain committed to a four-boat Trident force and we have just placed an order for the third Vanguard class submarine. The first Upholder class conventional submarine is undergoing final acceptance trials now and will be accepted into service very shortly. The Sea Harrier capability update and EH101 (Merlin) helicopter programmes are proceeding.

  Sea Systems Controllerate
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the proposed centralising of the sea systems controllerate with particular regard to the costing and timetable of such a move.
  104
  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  It remains our intention to collocate the sea systems controllerate as soon as practicable, and with a proper consideration of all the costs.

  Sea King Helicopters
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place the order for additional search and rescue Sea King helicopters to replace the Wessex helicopters; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  No decision has yet been taken on a replacement for the Wessex, which continues to make a valuable contribution to the SAR service. As part of our normal equipment planning process, we are considering the case for its replacement. I cannot, at this stage, say whether we shall need new helicopters.

  The Gulf
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest estimate of the additional costs to his departmental budget caused by the Gulf crisis.

  Mr. Tom King
  Revised Winter Supplementary Estimates being submitted to the House for approval include £480 million for additional costs so far identified arising from the Gulf crisis.

  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current situation of British forces in the Gulf.

  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the role of the British troops in the Gulf.

  Mr. Tom King
  I refer my hon. Friends to the reply that I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancashire, West (Mr. Hind).

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what boots are being worn by British forces serving under desert conditions in the Gulf;

  (2) whether desert boots have been issued to British forces serving under desert conditions in the Gulf.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Normal issue combat boots are being worn by British forces in the Gulf for duty purposes, while lightweight boots have been issued for off duty wear. In addition, limited quantities of a new desert combat boot have been trialled, and are currently in production. They will be issued as supplies become available.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British forces serving under desert conditions in the Gulf are required to purchase desert boots for their own use.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  No.

  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current number of fatalities involving British forces serving in the Gulf.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Two.

  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list, giving such information as is available, those accidents that have occurred so far to British service personnel in the Gulf.
  105
  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  [holding answer 30 November 1990]: The pilot of a Jaguar aircraft was killed when his aircraft crashed on 13 November. On 30 November a Royal Army Medical Corps corporal serving with 33 field hospital was killed in a shooting incident. There have been a number of other accidents, including one other involving the loss of an aircraft, in which service personnel have been injured, but it would not be practicable to provide a detailed list.

  Territorial Army
  Mr. Colin Shepherd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current manpower strength of the Territorial Army and Voluntary Reserve.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  As at 30 September 1990 the strength of the Territorial Army, including the home service force, was 74,720.

  Armed Services (Insurance)
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to ensure that members of the armed services are not disadvantaged when seeking life insurance cover or cover in relation to house purchase as a result of an international situation involving British military interests.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 23 November 1990 at column 234.

  Trident
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects Trident to be operational.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  As previously announced, it remains our intention to deploy Trident into operational service in the mid-1990s.

  "Options for Change"
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to reduce the impacts upon local economies following reductions in forces following "Options for Change".

  Mr. Alan Clark
  Local economic and environmental factors will be taken fully into account.

  Nuclear Tests
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now review his policy on compensation to service personnel who are suffering health problems as a result of their involvement in British nuclear tests.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  No.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 20 November,Official Report, column 79, he will set out the number of military and scientific staff sent to the United States of America to supervise and monitor the test; and if he will indicate to which Government data on the test will be made available, and under what conditions.
  106
  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  It is not the practice to give details of United Kingdom personnel who attend such tests. Data from the test is made available to the United States under the terms of the 1958 United States-United Kingdom agreement for mutual co-operation for defence purposes.

  RAF Exercises
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the titles, functions of and aircraft types involved in the RAF-sponsored exercises(a) on Salisbury plain between 15 and 19 May, (b) in mid-Wales between 13 and 19 July and (c) in East Lothian between 17 and 21 July.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The information requested is as follows:

  (a) Exercise STONE WARRIOR

  A combined Royal Air Force and 5 Airborne Brigade tactical exercise, on the occasion of the royal review of 5th Airborne Brigade, involving Hercules aircraft.

  (b) Exercise OSEX 90

  An offensive air support exercise, involving Harrier, Jaguar, A-10, Tornado and air defence aircraft.

  (c) Exercise RED LANYARD 2/90

  There is no record of a major Royal Air Force exercise in East Lothian between 17 and 21 July. However, Exercise Red Lanyard 2/90 was then in progress, affecting, among other areas, south west Scotland and the Borders, Red Lanyard 2/90 rehearsed 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment in its role as the lead parachute battalion of 5th Airborne Brigade and involved Hercules aircraft.

  Aircraft Noise
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the types of aircraft whose noise levels were measured during the noise survey at RAF West Freugh in June 1990; and if he will list the range of flying speeds and heights for which noise level data were collected, for each type of aircraft.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer that my hon. Friend the Member for Romford (Mr. Neubert) gave to the hon. Member for Merionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) on 10 July 1990 at column 191, which listed those aircraft involved in the survey which are common users of the United Kingdom low-flying system. Additionally, measurements were taken of noise levels from F15 and F16 aircraft which are not common users of the United Kingdom low-flying system. Further details of the survey will be published when results are available.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to extend the noise insulation grant scheme around military airfields to(a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) old people's homes.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Ministry of Defence's noise insulation grant scheme is designed to provide a measure of relief from the worst effects of military aircraft noise for residents when in their homes. A "home" may be a
  107
  residential home for the elderly or permanent living accommodation in a school or hospital. Apart from that circumstance, accommodation in schools and hospitals is not included within the scope of the scheme. However, as previously announced by my hon. Friend the then Minister for Roads and Traffic on 28 June 1989 at column 475, the possible extension of the statutory schemes (which the Ministry of Defence follows administratively) to include such accommodation is being studied by an inter-departmental group led by the Department of Transport. I understand that the group expect to submit their report in the first quarter of 1991.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what ear protection was provided to(a) Ministry of Defence personnel and (b) civilian contractor personnel operating noise measurement and tracking equipment on the ground during the military aircraft noise survey at West Freugh in June.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Appropriate hearing protection was made available to personnel involved in this survey.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the maximum values of single noise events measured during the military aircraft noise survey at West Freugh in June will be published.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  No decision has yet been taken on the format in which the results of this study will be published.

  Exercise Border Fox
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopter low-level sorties were carried out during Exercise Border Fox in September; and how many of these took place on 16 September.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  A total of 325 hours were flown by helicopters during Exercise Border Fox in September. It is not possible to give a breakdown of the proportion spent at low level; 16 September fell outside the exercise period and involved minimal flying.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the purpose of Exercise Border Fox.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The purpose of Exercise Border Fox was to practice the conduct of airmobile operations and forward observation.

  Low Flying
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if pilots are permitted to exceed the normal maximum cruising speed in the United Kingdom low-flying system in order to regain their planned timing on low-flying sorties.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Yes, although this should seldom be necessary since sorties are generally planned at speeds below the normal maximum cruising speed.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what minimum height the Belgian Air Force aircraft which paid an exchange visit to RAF Wattisham during October were permitted to fly over the United Kingdom.
  108
  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Two hundred and fifty feet.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the purpose of the low-flying exercise centred on the Spadeadam range, scheduled to take place on 1 November; what types of aircraft and which units were involved; and how many sorties took place.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The exercise centred on the Spadeadam range on 1 November was designed to enable United States Air Force aircraft based in the United Kingdom and continental Europe to undertake electronic warfare training together. Such exercises regularly take place at various bases in Europe.

  The types of aircraft involved and their units were: A10s from 10th and 81st Tactical Fighter Wings (TFW); F-111s from 48th TFW; F-4Gs and F-16s from 52nd TFW; F-15s from 36th TFW; EF-111 s from 42nd ECS (Electronic Combat Squadron); and EC-130s from 43rd ECS; 38 sorties were flown.

  No general use of the United Kingdom low-flying system was authorised for non-UK based aircraft.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if there have been any instances since 1979 in which a request from an hon. Member for low flying avoidance status to be applied to a location in his or her constituency has been granted.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Yes.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if pilots are permitted to book into low-flying areas in which the actual or forecast cloudbase or visibility do not meet the minima laid down for visual low flying.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Yes. Authorising officers and air crew are, however, responsible for ensuring that any proposed sortie can be safely carried out in the light of the prevailing weather conditions and in accordance with low-flying regulations.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what cuts in Royal Air Force fast jet flying hours have been applied as a result of the defence spending economies announced on 31 July.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  There have been no cuts in flying hours as a result of these measures.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the purpose of the fast jet low-flying activity scheduled to take place on 2 September in northern England; what types of aircraft and which units were involved; how many sorties took place on each day; and if the Spadeadam range was specially activated for this activity;

  (2) what was the purpose of the fast jet low-flying activity scheduled took take place on bank holiday Monday, 27 August, in northern England and Scotland.; what types of aircraft and which units were involved; how many sorties took place on each day; and if the Spadeadam range was specially activated for this activity.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Low-flying training in northern England and Scotland was exceptionally authorised on bank holiday Monday 27 August and on Sunday 2 September for air crew undertaking training connected with our current commitment in the Gulf. In the event, no such flying took place on either date.
  109
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what way the southern boundary of low flying area 13 has been altered since July; and what was the purpose of the alteration.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The southern boundary of LFA 13 has been adjusted northwards to remove an area not required for the operation of the RAF Spadeadam range.

  Skyguard Radar
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any Skyguard radars were involved in the mobile threat emitter equipment deployments listed in his reply to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire of 31 October,Official Report, column 626.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Yes, in the deployment to East Lothian between 17 and 21 July 1990.

  Aircraft Exercises
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if aircraft are permitted to release chaff outside Ministry of Defence-owned land in the vicinity of Spadeadam range.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Yes, in strictly limited quantities and subject to other restrictions imposed in range orders.

  Wiley Sike Weapons Range
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what year the dropping of practice bombs on the Wiley Sike air weapons range was first authorised; and what use of the facility has been made by Royal Air Force aircraft in each year since its establishment.

  Date

  Aircraft type

  Location

  Circumstances

  22 September 1989

  Tornado GR1

  Near Goose Bay, Canada

  Tree strike during operational low-flying training sortie

  7 December 1989

  Puma

  Belize

  Hit a single wire at 60 feet while climbing from a forward airstrip

  30 January 1990

  Puma

  Bomoen, Norway

  Hit a logging wire while climbing from a field site with an underslung load

  16 August 1990

  Wessex

  Northern Ireland

  Hit a wire with the tail wheel while climbing from a field landing site

  12 October 1990

  Jaguar GR1a

  RAF Coltishall

  Hit approach lights on landing

  23 October 1990

  Tornado GR1

  Northern Scotland

  Wire-strike on operational low-flying training sortie

  26 November 1990

  Tornado GR1

  Southern Scotland

  Wire-strike on operational low-flying training sortie

  Shackleton Aircraft
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the occasions since 1985 on which Shackleton aircraft have been(a) placed on standby for search and rescue operations and (b) used during search and rescue operations;

  (2) what secondary roles are performed by RAF Shackleton aircraft apart from flare-dropping for search and rescue operations.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  we do not have records of the number of times Shackleton aircraft have been placed on standby for search and rescue (SAR) operations since 1985. the table lists the occasions since 1985 when Shackleton aircraft have been used for SRC operations:
  110
  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The dropping of practice bombs on the Wiley Sike air weapons range was first authorised in 1983. Since then the range has been used by the RAF for this purpose as follows:

  Days

  1983

  4

  1984

  9

  1985

  4

  1986

  6

  1987

  4

  1988

  6

  1989

  15

  Fuel Jettisoning Areas
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations of the authorised fuel jettisoning areas for military aircraft in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  There are no such specifically authorised areas.

  RAF Aircraft (Accidents)
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all incidents since August 1989 in which Royal Air Force aircraft have struck objects on the ground during flight but have subsequently landed successfully, giving the date, aircraft type, location and circumstances of each case.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The information requested is in the table. Occurrences involving helicopters landing or hovering in the field are omitted.

  Date

  Mission

  15 May 1986

  A Shackleton aircraft provided top cover for a SAR helicopter after an aircraft ditched in the sea.

  15 July 1986

  A Shackleton aircraft located an officer who had ejected from an RAF Lightning seven nautical miles north of Whitby and helped direct a SAR helicopter to him.

  8 October 1986

  A Shackleton aircraft assisted in the search for a missing aircraft.

  22–24 April 1987

  Shackleton aircraft flew four missions as on-scene commander during the search for the wreckage and casualties from an RAF Buccaneer which had crashed 30 nautical miles east of Wick.

  2 and 8 July 1987

  On each occasion a Shackleton aircraft provided top cover for a SAR helicopter attending an incident at sea.

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  Date

  Mission

  3 October 1988

  A Shackleton aircraft provided top cover for a SAR helicopter attending a medical rescue from a boat.

  28 October 1988

  A Shackleton aircraft assisted in the search for a body at sea.

  8 November 1988

  A Shackleton aircraft was used to search for the source of a distress signal beacon.

  European Fighter Aircraft
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement outlining the present and future financing arrangements for Britain's share of the European fighter aircraft costs.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  Within the financial limit set out in the intergovernmental EFA development memorandum of understanding, funds are available for the United Kingdom's share of work undertaken in the full development phase of EFA. Financial arrangements for subsequent phases will depend on the form of arrangements put in place to cover the production of EFA.

  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the level of commitment to the development and purchase of the European fighter aircraft.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancashire, West (Mr. Hind) on 29 October 1990 at column 413.

  Arms Control Verification
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to increase the expertise available to his Department on verification of arms control agreements following the completion of the treaty of Paris on conventional forces in Europe.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 6 March to the hon. and learned Member for Fife, North-East (Mr. Campbell) at column 620. The joint arms control implementation group (JACIG) will become operational on 1 January 1991.

  Safety Inspections
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of occasions on which the principal specialist inspector from the Health and Safety Executive has visited atomic weapons establishment sites in each of the past 10 years.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Full details of the number of occasions the principal specialist inspector from the 112
  Health and Safety Executive has visited Atomic Weapons Establishment sites over the last 10 years are not available but over the last four years the following visits have been made.

  Atomic Weapons Establishments

  Aldermaston

  Burghfield

  Foulness

  Total

  1987

  14

  6

  2

  22

  1988

  16

  1

  1

  18

  1989

  27

  3

  1

  31

  1990

  18

  3

  1

  22

  This is typical of previous years.

  The principal specialist inspector from the Health and Safety executive does not visit Atomic Weapons Establishment Cardiff. However, the factory inspector does, and has visited on three occasions during 1989 and 1990.

  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the principal specialist inspector visits atomic weapons establishment sites without informing atomic weapons establishment management prior to his visit; and what is his security clearance.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The Health and Safety Executive principal inspector informs the Atomic Weapons Establishment prior to his visits. He holds high security clearance which gives him access to all parts of the establishment.

  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish the agreement that exists between his Department and the Health and Safety Executive regarding visits by the principal specialist inspector.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  No. The written agreement which exists is a classified document and is not for general publication.

  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current staffing level of the safety division of the atomic weapons establishment; what are the civil service grades of the members of the division; and what powers they possess to alter operations within the atomic weapons establishment on the grounds of safety.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  AWE safety division is staffed by industrial, scientific, technical, supervisory and administrative grades. The division, which is headed by director safety, provides safety services and advice to operating divisions and, if necessary, by direct recourse to the chief executive. It is not our policy to reveal the exact numbers on deployment of staff at AWE.

  PRISON POPULATION FORECASTS
  PRISON POPULATION FORECASTS
  PRISON POPULATION DECREASE
  PRISON POPULATION DECREASE
  BROADCASTING ACT 1990: SUPPLEMENTARY OWNERSHIP RULES
  BROADCASTING ACT 1990: SUPPLEMENTARY OWNERSHIP RULES
  NORTHERN IRELAND (EMERGENCY PROVISIONS) BILL: HUMAN RIGHTS
  NORTHERN IRELAND (EMERGENCY PROVISIONS) BILL: HUMAN RIGHTS
  NHS TRUSTS
  NHS TRUSTS