Written Answers of 11 December 1990

ENERGY

  V7 Light Bulbs
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the V7 light bulb; whether Her Majesty's Government will be taking any steps to promote its use; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The V7 light bulb is an energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamp available in the United States and manufactured to operate at United States voltage levels. My Energy Efficiency Office has examined a range of similar commercially available lamps in the United Kingdom. Compact fluorescent lamps are now becoming generally available in high street shops and supermarkets. They use 75 to 80 per cent. less electricity and last eight times as long as normal light bulbs for which they are suitable as direct replacements. The electricity they save will more than cover their extra initial cost.

  Electricity Privatisation
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many separate individual applicants have applied for shares in the regional electricity companies of England and Wales.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many individuals have made applications for shares in one or more regional electricity company.

  Mr. Wakeham
  A total of 12·75 million applications have been made for shares in the 12 regional companies share offers. Precise figures are not available at this stage, but the number of application forms is estimated at over 5 million. This is the highest number for any privatisation.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will estimate for each regional electricity company floated, what the breakdown is of(a) within franchise area individual shareholders, (b) outside franchise area individual shareholders and (c) institutional shareholders.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 December 1990, at column 300.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he is yet in a position to state how many applications for shares in one or more regional electricity companies have been received from households involving more than one applicant.

  Mr. Wakeham
  No.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated cost allocated for the use of the TRAP computer programme for the detection of illegal multiple share applications for shares in the electricity flotation.
  320
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The electricity fraud auditors have set up a number of sophisticated systems for the detection of multiple share applications. The costs will depend on the scale of the work required.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Wakeham
  My Department's purchasing informa-tion system does not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on the Department's purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. Wakeham
  The information requested is as follows:

  £'000

  Press advertising

  Television and radio advertising

  Other advertising and promotion

  Videos and sound cassettes2

  1989–90

  892

  0

  1,000

  120

  1988–89

  2,378

  4

  1,313

  184

  1987–88

  1,513

  0

  959

  44

  1986–87

  11,830

  17,519

  4,501

  62

  1985–86

  1,589

  2,212

  1

  49

  1Expenditure on other advertising and promotion is not available for 1985–86 on a comparable basis.

  2Includes expenditure on films as well as videos.

THE ARTS

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he. will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Renton
  My Department's accounting information system does not differentiate between the acquisition and commissioning of goods and services. The Office of Arts and Libraries administration vote totals £1,802,000 in 1990–91, of which about £150,000 will be spent on goods and services.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.
  321
  Mr. Renton
  There has been expenditure by my Department only on the category "other advertising and promotion". The details for the last five years are as follows:

  Year

  £

  1986–87

  Nil

  1987–88

  13,225

  1988–89

  6,785

  1989–90

  1,564

  1990–91

  658

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  University Staff
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement pursuant to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's letter, reference TEAH/614/1016 of 5 November to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, on his study of the report commissioned by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and AUT on recruitment and retention of university, academic and academic-related staff.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  In agreeing appropriate pay levels for university academic and academic-related staff, the Government regard recruitment and retention as most important factors for consideration. The report referred to by the hon. Member will be taken into account in the context of the 1991 pay settlement. Our examination of the report has concluded that it does not appear to shed any significant new light on the question of staff outflows overseas.

  Educational Psychologists
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the numbers of educational psychologists placed in schools with substantial ethnic minority populations who are able to speak the language of that minority for 1985 to 1990.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The information requested is not collected centrally. The employment and deployment of educational psychologists is the responsibility of the individual local education authority.

  Ethnic Minority Pupils
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has, for the last five years, on the number of ethnic minority pupils who have stayed on in school after the age of 16 years.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Multi-faith Education
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will outline the ways in which multi-faith education is currently being promoted.

  Mr. Eggar
  Within the framework of the Education Reform Act, the precise content of religious education is a matter for local determination. The changes introduced by the ERA secure the place of Christianity within RE in 322
  schools, while taking account of the needs and aspirations of the many people who hold different beliefs. In county schools, RE must be provided in accordance with a locally agreed syllabus drawn up by a conference, convened for that purpose by the LEA and reflecting the principal religious traditions of the area. The ERA requires all new syllabuses to
  "reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain".

  Teachers (Language Training)
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money has been spent in the past five years on the training of teachers in other languages; and if he will give the languages currently being studied by those teachers.

  Mr. Fallon
  Training costs for individual courses vary between institutions and details are not held centrally. The principal languages other than English being studied include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Welsh, Latin and Greek.

  Schools (Annual Grants)
  Mr. Norris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what, for each authority in which there is a grant-maintained school, is the average sum per pupil, in the primary or secondary phases, as appropriate, attributed in the calculations of annual maintenance grants to central services(a) for 1989–90 and (b) for 1990–91.

  Mr. Eggar
  This information is given in the table:

  Central costs component of annual maintenance grant for grant maintained schools

  Local education authority

  Per pupil amount (£) 1989–90

  Per pupil amount (£) 1990–91

  Barnet

  186

  251

  Bedfordshire

  203

  285

  Berkshire

  —

  247

  Birmingham

  257

  351

  Bolton

  163

  249

  Brent

  —

  380

  Buckinghamshire

  —

  273

  Cheshire

  241

  318

  Derbyshire

  —

  340

  Devon

  245

  389

  Dorset

  —

  245

  Dudley

  274

  354

  Gloucestershire

  —

  234

  Hertfordshire

  —

  225

  Hillingdon

  —

  374

  Kensington and Chelsea

  —

  661

  Kent

  166

  238

  Kirklees

  218

  268

  Lancashire

  217

  269

  Leicestershire

  —

  311

  Lincolnshire

  222

  190

  Liverpool

  315

  193

  Northamptonshire

  —

  242

  Shropshire

  —

  264

  Southwark

  —

  520

  Surrey

  —

  296

  Sutton

  243

  331

  Tameside

  193

  262

  Wolverhampton

  —

  323

  Notes:

  1. Figures are full-year equivalent for secondary schools. There

  323
  are currently no grant-maintained primary schools in operation.

  2. Apportionment of costs between school and local education authority level will have changed in some local education authorities between 1989–90 and 1990–91 as a result of the introduction on 1 April 1990 of financial delegation schemes for local management of schools.

  3. Figures for Avon, Brent and Hammersmith have yet to be finalised.

  Schools (Suspensions)
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has, for the last 12 months, on the number of pupils expelled or suspended from primary and secondary schools, by ethnic origin.

  Mr. Fallon
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Bilingual Teachers
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the number of bilingual teachers appointed since 1985 by primary and secondary schools to bridge the language gap between teachers and students or parents.

  Mr. Fallon
  The information requested in not available centrally.

  Occupational Health Services
  Mr. leuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department, stating(a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

  Mr. Eggar
  All civil service departments and agencies have access to the services of the civil service occupational health service which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals—doctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers. It operates via a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom. DES does not itself provide occupational health services. The Department currently employs some 2,600 staff.

  Food Research
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the staff losses expected at the Institute of Food Research attributable to the withdrawal of Government funding from those projects designated as near market.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  A total of 19 posts will be lost by the end of the financial year 1990–91, as a result of the withdrawal of Government funding for "near market" research in 1991–92.

  In addition, a further 24 posts will be lost during the same period, because of the realignment of existing Government commissions.

  Science and Engineering Research Council
  Mr. Terry Davis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the amount of the special bonus paid by the Science and Engineering Research Council to its establishment officer in 1989.
  324
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  Under a scheme for Science and Engineering Research Council employees operative at the time, merit awards were made in February 1990 to the council's establishment officer and to a number of other staff. It is not normal practice to make public the value of payments to individual members of the Science and Engineering Research Council staff.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Eggar
  Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. Eggar
  The expenditure figures for advertising and other promotional materials by this Department for the financial years 1986–87 to 1989–90 are provided in the table. Video and cassette costs cannot readily be disaggregated from other advertising and promotion costs. The 1990–91 figure is provisional.

  Year

  Press advertising

  Television

  Radio

  Other advertising and promotion

  £000

  £000

  £000

  £000

  1986–87

  532·0

  Nil

  Nil

  533·0

  1987–88

  280·0

  Nil

  Nil

  1,459·0

  1988–89

  475·0

  Nil

  400

  1,156·0

  1989–90

  238·0

  Nil

  11·8

  1,150·0

  1990–91

  1,160·0

  1,100·0

  Nil

  2,115·0

  Education Resources
  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what measures he is taking to ensure that more resources are delegated to schools; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Fallon
  My right hon. and learned Friend is publishing today two draft circulars which will take forward our policies on local management of schools and on more open enrolment. My right hon. and learned Friend is determined to ensure that as much money as is reasonably possible is delegated to schools to manage themselves, and that parents are given the widest possible choice of school at primary as well as at secondary level. Copies of the two circulars are today being placed in the Library of the House.

  The draft circular on local management of schools will require LEAs, before 1 April 1993, to hand over to schools

  325
  at least 85 per cent. of the potential schools budget, and to determine 80 per cent. of school budgets on the basis of pupil numbers. The draft circular will also require, by 1 April 1994, the extension of delegated management to all small schools and to those special schools that are able and want to manage their own budgets.

  The two tables show, where the information has been provided, how each LEA currently performs against these criteria.

  1990–91 budgets: percentage of potential schools budget delegated to schools

  LEA3

  Percentage of PSB1 delegated to schools

  Total2 dis-cretionary exceptions as percentage of PSB

  Central administration as percentage of PSB

  1. Bolton

  89·10

  10·90

  2·02

  2. Berkshire

  87·68

  12·32

  2·71

  3. West Sussex

  87·49

  12·51

  1·95

  4. Sefton

  87·44

  12·56

  4·45

  5. Sunderland

  86·86

  13·14

  3·10

  6. Gloucestershire

  86·78

  13·22

  3·65

  7. Northumberland

  86·54

  13·46

  3·10

  8. Rotherham

  86·13

  13·87

  3·74

  9. Leeds

  86·12

  13·88

  3·87

  10. Bradford

  86·04

  13·96

  3·87

  II. Hampshire

  85·78

  14·22

  3·34

  12. Rochdale

  85·74

  14·26

  2·55

  13. Walsall

  85·72

  14·28

  3·37

  14. Suffolk

  85·66

  14·34

  2·75

  15. Surrey

  85·57

  14·43

  6·17

  16. Doncaster

  85·45

  14·55

  2·29

  17. Solihull

  85·31

  14·69

  2·49

  18. Warwickshire

  85·24

  14·76

  3·90

  19. Lincolnshire

  85·13

  14·87

  2·68

  20. Liverpool

  84·91

  15·09

  4·07

  21. Buckinghamshire

  84·88

  15·12

  4·58

  22. Kent

  84·87

  15·13

  3·79

  23. Northamptonshire

  84·74

  15·26

  3·69

  24. Staffordshire

  84·61

  15·39

  4·51

  25. Shropshire

  84·60

  15·40

  2·48

  26. Tameside

  84·40

  15·60

  2·47

  27. Trafford

  84·38

  15·62

  3·49

  28. Salford

  84·37

  15·63

  3·19

  29. Barnet

  84·36

  15·64

  5·07

  30. Cheshire

  84·31

  15·69

  5·15

  31. East Sussex

  84·09

  15·91

  2·42

  32. Essex

  84·03

  15·97

  4·11

  33. Bedfordshire

  84·02

  15·98

  3·91

  34. Dudley

  83·98

  16·02

  3·62

  35. Havering

  83·87

  16·13

  2·28

  36. South Tyneside

  83·76

  16·24

  4·20

  37. Brent

  83·63

  16·37

  4·82

  38. Cleveland

  83·63

  16·37

  5·56

  39. Norfolk

  83·62

  16·38

  4·05

  40. Cornwall

  83·57

  16·43

  3·72

  41. Sutton

  83·44

  16·56

  4·05

  42. Barnsley

  83·38

  16·62

  2·86

  43. Kirklees

  83·38

  16·62

  3·98

  44. Derbyshire

  83·37

  16·63

  2·96

  45. Gateshead

  83·29

  16·71

  3·01

  46. Wigan

  83·28

  16·72

  3·70

  47. St. Helens

  83·27

  16·73

  3·69

  48. Sandwell

  83·24

  16·76

  3·75

  49. Durham

  83·13

  16·87

  4·35

  50. Devon

  83·11

  16·89

  3·06

  51. Birmingham

  83·04

  16·96

  4·36

  52. Somerset

  82·91

  17·09

  3·58

  53. Wakefield

  82·87

  17·13

  2·98

  54. Nottinghamshire

  82·72

  17·28

  5·24

  55. Redbridge

  82·71

  17·29

  4·91

  56. Lancashire

  82·66

  17·34

  3·65

  57. North Yorkshire

  82·62

  17·38

  4·15

  58. Sheffield

  82·61

  17·39

  3·49

  59. Cumbria

  82·53

  17·47

  4·04

  60. Isle of Wight

  82·48

  17·52

  4·68

  61. Wiltshire

  82·35

  17·65

  3·92

  62. North Tyneside

  82·30

  17·70

  5·03

  326
  The draft circular on more open enrolment sets out our plans to extend that policy to all primary schools for intakes from autumn 1992. This will ensure that schools may not turn away any pupils while they have the space to take them, and so remove artificial limits on parental choice.
  327

  LEA2

  Percentage of PSB1 delegated to schools

  Total2 dis-cretionary exceptions as percentage of PSB

  Central administration as percentage of PSB

  63. Avon

  82·30

  17·70

  3·40

  64. Bury

  81·92

  18·08

  4·70

  65. Knowsley

  81·91

  18·09

  5·07

  66. Calderdale

  81·86

  18·14

  4·84

  67. Dorset

  81·85

  18·15

  4·71

  68. Wolverhampton

  81·77

  18·23

  5·26

  69. Humberside

  81·71

  18·29

  3·57

  70. Ealing

  81·66

  18·34

  6·33

  71. Oldham

  81·64

  18·36

  4·98

  72. Hounslow

  81·59

  18·41

  5·19

  73. Harrow

  81·52

  18·48

  5·76

  74. Enfield

  81·50

  18·50

  5·56

  75. Oxfordshire

  81·37

  18·63

  5·46

  76. Bexley

  81·33

  18·67

  4·61

  77. Coventry

  80·93

  19·07

  6·00

  78. Cambridgeshire

  80·75

  19·25

  4·82

  79. Bromley

  80·70

  19·30

  4·49

  80. Richmond

  79·98

  20·02

  6·91

  81. Merton

  79·79

  20·21

  7·86

  82. Newcastle

  79·75

  20·25

  6·12

  83. Haringey

  79·36

  20·64

  6·04

  84. Kingston

  78·46

  21·54

  7·09

  85. Barking

  77·98

  22·02

  8·91

  86. Westminster

  77·97

  22·03

  8·20

  AVERAGE

  83·75

  16·25

  5·26

  1 PSB = General Schools Budget minus mandatory exceptions, school meals, home to school transport and transitional exceptions.

  2 Column 2 is the percentage of PSB not delegated to schools ie 100 per cent. minus Column 1.

  Note: All 87 LEAs which introduced LMS in April 1990 were required to publish budget statements for 1990–91 under Section 42 of ERA. The table gives figures for 86 LEAs, Waltham Forest has not yet published its budget statement.

  1990–91 budgets: percentage of the aggregated schools budget1 allocated on the basis of pupil numbers and ages

  LEA2

  Percentage

  1. Redbridge

  89·30

  2. Lincolnshire

  87·27

  3. South Tyneside

  86·93

  4. Barking

  86·73

  5. Bolton

  85·73

  6. Dudley

  85·72

  7. Tameside

  85·57

  8. North Yorkshire

  85·51

  9. Northumberland

  85·49

  10. Bromley

  84·99

  11. Oldham

  84·77

  12. Bexley

  84·40

  13. Gateshead

  84·36

  14. Wigan

  84·35

  15. Westminster

  84·20

  16. Staffordshire

  84·00

  17. Harrow

  83·83

  18. Kent

  83·72

  19. Coventry

  83·52

  20. Sefton

  83·33

  21. Trafford

  83·28

  22. Gloucestershire

  83·22

  23. Barnsley

  82·80

  24. Devon

  82·64

  25. Suffolk

  82·57

  26. Cambridgeshire

  82·34

  27. Avon

  82·30

  28. Solihull

  82·29

  29. Northamptonshire

  82·19

  30. Calderdale

  82·17

  31. West Sussex

  82·13

  32. Humberside

  81·97

  33. Rotherham

  81·79

  34. Salford

  81·69

  35. Isle of Wight

  81·62

  36. Bury

  81·45

  37. Cleveland

  81·43

  38. Hounslow

  81·42

  328

  LEA2

  Percentage

  39. Wiltshire

  81·00

  40. Cornwall

  80·93

  41. Sunderland

  80·69

  42. Newcastle

  80·66

  43. Ealing

  80·62

  44. Durham

  80·40

  45. Sutton

  80·29

  46. Somerset

  79·99

  47. Warwickshire

  79·89

  48. Buckinghamshire

  79·73

  49. Berkshire

  79·68

  50. Enfield

  79·21

  51. Dorset

  79·03

  52. Leeds

  78·90

  53. Birmingham

  78·63

  54. Bradford

  78·51

  55. Merton

  78·36

  56. Haringey

  78·25

  57. Walsall

  78·19

  58. Kirklees

  78·17

  59. North Tyneside

  78·00

  60. Shropshire

  77·91

  61. Brent

  77·81

  62. Cheshire

  77·78

  63. East Sussex

  77·41

  64. Richmond

  77·26

  65. Sheffield

  77·19

  66. Essex

  77·05

  67. Bedfordshire

  77·00

  68. Kingston

  76·84

  69. Hampshire

  76·63

  70. Derbyshire

  76·04

  71. Norfolk

  75·99

  72. Cumbria

  75·62

  73. Oxfordshire

  75·61

  74. Doncaster

  75·38

  75. Havering

  75·36

  76. Wakefield

  75·29

  77. Barnet

  75·19

  78. Liverpool

  75·00

  329

  LEA2

  Percentage

  79. Rochdale

  75·00

  80. St. Helens

  75·00

  81. Knowsley

  75·00

  82. Wolverhampton

  75·00

  83. Sandwell

  74·94

  84. Surrey

  74·91

  1 ASB = Aggregated Schools Budget; the amount planned to be allocated through the LMS formula.

  2 The budget statements produced by Lancashire and Nottingham LEAs did not contain the relevant information. Waltham Forest has not yet published its budget statement.

  EC Education Ministers
  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the outcome of the meeting of European Community Education Ministers on Thursday 6 December.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the Education Council and of the EC Education Ministers meeting within the Council on 6 December. The Council and the Ministers meeting within the Council:— agreed a resolution inviting the Commission to report on the development of the EURYDICE information network,
  — invited the Commission to conduct a survey on current and planned school activities in the field of education against drug abuse and to report in the context of its report on the implementation of the resolution of 1988 on health education,
  — agreed a range of activities to promote co-operation between member states in the development of assessment systems in education,
  — discussed aspects of the development of professional and vocational higher education.

  The meeting was preceded by an informal discussion with the Polish and Hungarian Ministers of Education and the Czechoslovakian Vice-Minister for Education.

PRIME MINISTER

  Gulf Crisis
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister whether any disciplinary action is proposed against Brigadier Patrick Cordingley in respect of public statements about potential casualties in the event of resort to a military option in the Gulf.

  The Prime Minister
  No.

  Iraq (Supergun)
  Mr. Caborn
  To ask the Prime Minister which Government Departments were consulted about the orders for Iraq placed in 1988 by Walter Somers and Forgemasters.

  The Prime Minister
  In the case of Walter Somers, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Defence were involved. For the licence application made by Sheffield Forgemasters only DTI was involved.

  Nature Conservation
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the representations he has had from staff of the Nature Conservancy Council in Peterborough and Huntingdon about the break-up of the Nature Conservancy Council.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: In my capacity as the Member for Huntingdon, I received several letters and other representations from constituents employed by the Nature Conservancy Council about the planned reorganisation of the council. I have responded to those representations.

  Science Policy
  Dr. Bray
  To ask the Prime Minister if he intends to take the overall responsibility for science policy; if he proposes to chair the Advisory Council on Science and Technology and the Cabinet Committee on Science and Technology; and what arrangements he proposes to make for overall ministerial responsibility for science policy.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: My intention is to continue the arrangements set out in the White Paper, "Civil Research and Development" (CM 185) of July 1987. In particular there will be collective ministerial consideration, under my chairmanship, of science and technology policy and priorities and the provision of independent advice from the Advisory Council on Science and Technology (ACOST), chaired by Sir Robin Nicholson FRS.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will seek to arrange for the Order Paper to list the total number of questions entered in the ballot for each oral Question Time.

  Mr. MacGregor
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. King), at column 296.

WALES

  Hospital Closures
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the date for a decision on the hospital closures proposed by South Glamorgan health authority.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  With the exception of the William Nicholls home, for which further consultation does not end until 31 December, it is hoped that decisions will be issued shortly.

  Occupational Health Services
  Mr. leuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department, stating(a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.
  331
  Mr. David Hunt
  The Welsh Office employs the Civil Service Occupational Health Service to provide this service for its 2,352 employees. It does not employ staff directly for this purpose.

  Agricultural Co-operatives
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what financial support will be given to the organisation for the promotion of agricultural cooperatives in Wales in 1991.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The Welsh Agricultural Organisation Society does not receive any direct Government funds. One of the changes arising from the restructuring of Food From Britain's finances in 1988 was that the Welsh Agricultural Organisation Society would not, after March 1990, receive the annual subvention it had previously enjoyed. Food From Britain's new business plan emphasised project-based funding targeted at specific objectives. Consequently, Food From Britain will still consider funding the Welsh Agriculture Organisation Society, but only on a specific project basis.

  Alcohol Abuse
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to ensure quality control and effective monitoring of the services provided as a result of the £150,000 funding for work on alcohol abuse announced by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at his Department on Drinkwise Day in June.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  Arrangements for monitoring and evaluation of services are outlined in the guidance contained in WHC90(78) and WHC90(79) which were issued on 5 December 1990. Copies of both these circulars are in the Library of the House.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many persons are classed as homeless in(a) Ceredigion and (b) Dyfed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  Ninety-four persons in Ceredigion and 353 in Dyfed were accepted as homeless during the third quarter of 1990.

  Young Offenders
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on the provision of secure accommodation for 15 and 16-year-olds.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  Our officials are currently conducting a review of secure child care, including secure accommodation, in Wales. They have sought and received views on the provision of secure accommodation for young people from the chief executives of the county councils in Wales; from the chief constables, chief probation officers, chief Crown prosecutors and clerks to the magistrates in the Principality; and from select voluntary organisations. In addition we have received a small number of letters from other interested parties, from members of the public and from right hon. and hon. Members. All representations received are being taken fully into account in the review.
  332
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes he intends to announce to increase the amount of secure accommodation in Wales for youngsters of 15 and 16 years.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier reply of today. All options for improvement in secure child care practice in Wales are being considered in the Department's review of this area. In particular, the review will assess need for secure accommodation and will consider how that need might be met in the future. We have asked for the review to be completed early in the new year.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Departmental information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. Information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87, however, is set out in the annual report of the central unit on purchasing, copies of which are available from the Library of the House.

  Health and Social Services Research
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list(a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices the spending on health and personal social services research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  Funding for health and personal social services research is largely provided under the joint England and Wales health and personal social services research programme. Spending on this programme in 1989–90, the latest year for which outturn figures are available, was £15·4 million.

  Information for earlier years is available in the Cabinet Office annual review of Government-funded research and development.

  Some additional funding for health research in Wales is provided directly by the Welsh Office. Spending in 1989–90, the latest year for which outturn figures are available, amounted to £518,000. Information for earlier years is available in the appropriation accounts.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television arid radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Welsh Office expenditure on advertising and other promotional activity for the past five financial years is shown in the following table:
  333

  Year

  Press advertising £

  Television advertising £

  Other advertising advertising and promotion £

  1985–86

  31,000

  Nil

  92,000

  1986–87

  49,000

  27,000

  331,000

  1987–88

  191,000

  39,000

  615,000

  1988–89

  112,000

  64,000

  1,105,000

  1989–90

  354,000

  57,000

  1,758,000

  Expenditure for promotion videos and sound cassettes is contained within the amounts given for other advertising and promotion as records do not allow these elements to be quantified separately.

  Countryside Council for Wales
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what level of resources will be provided for the Countryside Council for Wales in the 1991–92 financial year.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The proposed provision for the Countryside Council for Wales in 1991–92 is £14,554,000. This will enable the new body to undertake a comprehensive and balanced programme of work in discharge of all its functions. It fully meets the assurances I have previously given that the council will be adequately resourced.

  Soviet Union (Food Aid)
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to launch a food aid package on behalf of the people of Wales to the Soviet Union; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Hunt
  [holding answer Monday 10 December]: This is a matter which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food would consider sympathetically if any such request for assistance were received from the Soviet Union.

  Transport
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to increase transport expenditure in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Information on planned expenditure for 1991–92 will be set out in the Welsh Office departmental report 1991 to be published early in the new year.

  Epileptics
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the work with epileptics and their families in parts of north Wales, undertaken with support from the Mersey Region Epilepsy Association.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  My right hon. Friend and I are aware that a number of voluntary bodies, including the Mersey Region Epilepsy Association, make a valued contribution to the development and provision of services.

  Health and Personal Social Services
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has reached a decision about the allocation of resources for health and personal social services in Wales in 1991–92.
  334
  Mr. David Hunt
  Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval, I have decided on the allocation. I shall place a summary of my proposals in the Library of the House.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Incomes
  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the average post-tax income of the bottom 2 per cent. of income tax payers in each financial year since 1979–80;

  (2) what was the average post-tax income of the top 2 per cent. of income tax payers in each financial year since 1979–80.

  Mr. Maude
  Estimates are given in the table for 1979–80, and 1990–91. Information for other years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All estimates of income are based on information reported to tax offices and collected through the annual surveys of personal incomes. For 1979–80 the figure excludes employees' contributions to occupational pension schemes and some investment income on which tax is deducted at source. The figures for 1979–80 represent the average income of single people or married couples; for 1990–91 the figure relates to individuals following the change to independent taxation. The figures for 1990–91 are based on projections of the 1987–88 survey of personal incomes and are therefore provisional.

  I regret that reliable estimates for the bottom 2 per cent. of taxpayers are not available. The table therefore shows figures for the bottom 5 per cent.

  Average post-tax income (£)

  1979–801

  1990–912

  Bottom 5 per cent.

  1,800

  4,300

  Top 2 per cent.

  15,100

  51,800

  Average tax paid (£)

  1979–801

  1990–912

  Bottom 5 per cent.

  40

  60

  Top 2 per cent.

  8,200

  23,500

  1 For single people and married couples.

  2 For individuals.

  European Monetary System
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the experience of France and Italy in the European monetary system since 1979 so far as employment in manufacturing is concerned; and if he will publish a table showing the numbers employed in manufacturing in Germany, France and Italy each year since 1979 and at the latest available date together with the percentage increase since 1979 and 1985, respectively.

  Mr. Maples
  Data for manufacturing employment in France, Germany and Italy are published by the OECD in "Labour Force Statistics 1968–88".

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the experience of the original EC Six in the European monetary system since 1979 so far as the rate of economic
  335
  growth is concerned; and if he will publish a table showing for each of the six the average rate of growth since 1979 as a percentage of the rate of growth in (i) the decade ending in 1973 and (ii) in the period in which the currency snake was in operation.

  Mr. Maples
  Data for GDP of the original members of the European Community are published by the OECD in "National Accounts 1960–88" and in "Main Economic Indicators".

  Occupational Health Services
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department, stating(a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  All civil service departments and agencies have access to the services of the civil service occupational health service which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals—cloctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers. It operates via a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom. The Treasury employs about 3,150 staff who have access to three welfare staff and 32 first-aiders in additional to CSOHS services.

  Income Tax
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the change in Treasury income during the financial year 1991–92 resulting from(a) increasing all personal allowances in line with the rise in average earnings and (b) increasing the threshold for the higher rate of income tax in line with earnings rather than prices.

  Mr. Maude
  At 1991–92 levels of income the estimated tax yield resulting from indexation in line with earnings compared with price indexation are as shown in the table. The estimates are based on the illustrative rate of price indexation of 10·25 per cent. and the working assumption of an 8·5 per cent. increase in average earnings between 1990–91 and 1991–92 used in the autumn statement 1990.

  £ million

  Yield in a full year

  Yield in 1991–92

  Personal allowances

  450

  340

  Threshold for higher rate

  120

  70

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.

  Benefits in Kind
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers get benefits in kind; and what is their average income.

  Mr. Maude
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: It is estimated that in 1990–91 2·77 million taxpayers receive taxable benefits in kind and that their average earnings, including the taxable value of the benefits, are £23,000. These estimates are based on projections from data relating to 1987–88 and are provisional.

  Upper Earnings Limit
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people who pay tax are below the upper earnings limit for 1991–92.

  Mr. Maude
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: It is estimated that in 1991–92 there will be about 19·5 million taxpayers in employment and self-employment aged under 65 with earned income below £20,280, the upper earnings limit for national insurance contributions purposes.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Syria
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Syrian Government concerning human rights in that country.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Halifax (Mrs. Mahon) on 4 December 1990.

  Nuclear Weapons
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on the complete removal of land-based short-range nuclear weapons in Europe through future negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The objectives of negotiations on short-range nuclear forces in Europe remain subject to discussion within the NATO alliance.

  Missile Technology Control
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on the transfer of items from category I to category II of the missile technology control regime, and on the application of more stringent inspection rights to ensure end-use compliance under the terms of the regime.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  In collaboration with our partners we keep the missile technology and control regime equipment and technology annex under constant review. Ensuring end-use compliance is the responsibility of individual supplying Governments in co-operation with the receiving Government. The United Kingdom is prepared to consider on-site inspection where appropriate.

  Occupational Health Services
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service,
  337
  for employees within his Department, stating (a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  All civil service departments and agencies have access to the services of the civil service occupational health service, which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals—doctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers. It operates via a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom.

  In addition, employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Overseas Development Administration (and some British Council employees overseas) benefit from a contractual arrangement with St. Thomas's hospital, which provides advice on occupational health matters as well as a wider health care service.

  The St. Thomas's implant in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office consists of three full-time medical advisers, two part-time medical advisers, three full-time occupational nursing sisters, two part-time occupational nursing sisters and one health promotion adviser. In addition, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office employs a full-time staff counsellor.

  The total number of staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office including the Overseas Development Administration at the beginning of November 1990 was 8,044.

  Western Sahara
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what military, financial and logistical assistance Her Majesty's Government are planning to make available for the United Nations plan for the western Sahara recently put before the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The United Nations Secretary-General has not yet formally submitted to the Security Council his definitive report on United Nations involvement in the western Sahara. Until he does, we will not be in a position to take any decision on precisely what support we will be able to offer although as a permanent member we shall, of course, be closely involved.

  Chemical Weapons
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the right of signatories to the chemical weapons convention to retain a percentage of their stockpile of chemical weapons.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 15 January 1990.

  Gibraltar
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which European Community programmes and legislation apply to Gibraltar.
  338
  Mr. Garel-Jones
  The provisions of the EC treaties apply to Gibraltar. However, under the arrangements agreed on the United Kingdom's accession to the Community, the common agricultural policy and Community rules on VAT do not apply to Gibraltar. Gibraltar is outside the Community's customs territory and the rules on free movement of goods do not apply.

  Antarctic Treaty (Chile Meeting)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals for environmental protection have been tabled at the meeting of Antarctic treaty parties in Chile; and which of these proposals provides the basis on which the meeting is proceeding.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  The following draft proposals were tabled at the meeting of Antarctic treaty parties, which ended in Chile on 6 December:

  (i) United Kingdom environment protocol

  (ii) New Zealand environmental protocol

  (iii) Australian/French conservation convention

  (iv) United States of America environmental protocol

  All these proposals contributed to the draft protocol which was accepted at the end of the meeting as a basis for further discussion.

  The Gulf (Hostages)
  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice is being given by his Department to relatives of hostages in Iraq and Kuwait in relation to their visiting their hostage relatives.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Saddam Hussein announced on 6 December that all foreign nationals were allowed to leave Iraq. We are arranging for the vast majority to do so. There is therefore no need for families to visit Baghdad.

  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in arranging for parcels to be sent to hostages in Iraq and Kuwait.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The British Red Cross is already packing parcels. They will be dispatched on 19 December if there is still a need for them.

  Nuclear Non-proliferation
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many(a) written and (b) oral questions he has answered (1) last Session and (2) to date in the current Session on (i) the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, (ii) nuclear weapons testing and a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty and (iii) nuclear export controls.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The number of questions answered is as follows:

  Session

  Written

  Oral

  1989–90

  (i)

  164

  3

  (ii)

  18

  —

  (iii)

  5

  —

  1990–91

  339

  Session

  Written

  Oral

  (i)

  7

  —

  (ii)

  4

  —

  (iii)

  —

  —

  Iraqi Nuclear Facilities
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek a report from the United Kingdom permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on the reliability of the report of the recently conducted IAEA safeguards inspection of Iraqi nuclear facilities.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  No; we have confidence in the IAEA's safeguards inspection procedures.

  Eastern Europe
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payments have been made direct to political parties or organisations from know-how funds or otherwise in the countries of eastern Europe, including the Soviet Union and the area formerly known as the German Democratic Republic; what was the size of each such payment and the organisation benefiting; and what was the education and training purpose of the grants.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  There have been no direct payments to political parties or organisations in east and central Europe or the Soviet Union from the know-how funds or other Foreign and Commonwealth Office sources.

  China
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of the People's Republic of China regarding human rights in China, with particular reference to religious activities.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  My noble Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised the subject of human rights with the visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister on 21 November, as did my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister in New York on 28 September. My hon. Friend the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office specifically mentioned religious activities when expressing our concern on this issue to the Chinese authorities during his visit to China in July.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on advertising and other pro-motional material for the years 1985–86 to 1989–90 is as follows:340

  FCO Diplomatic Wing £

  FCO ODA Wing £

  1985–86

  161,000

  271,000

  1986–87

  336,000

  228,000

  1987–88

  195,000

  351,000

  1988–89

  289,000

  330,000

  1989–90

  329,000

  530,000

  A disaggregation of these figures to identify the medium used is not available.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Malawi
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to monitor the observance of human rights in Malawi.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We regularly raise reports of human rights violations with the Malawian authorities and monitor subsequent progress.

  Africa
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from Africa Watch about linking future economic assistance to African countries with steps by them to end abuses of human rights.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We received representations from Africa Watch on Kenya in this context, to which my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office replied. The Secretary of State has today received a further representation from Africa Watch, to which we will reply as soon as possible.

TRANSPORT

  Occupational Health Services
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department; and(a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The Department of Transport, in common with all civil service departments, has access to the services of the civil service occupational health service
  341
  (CSOHS), which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals—doctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers. The CSOHS operates via a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom and also provides on-site medical advice to departments.

  The Department of Transport employs 16,700 staff.

  Defective Eyesight
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many candidates over the last five years failed the Department of Transport driving test due to defective eyesight; and if he will express the figures as a percentage of all failures and as a percentage of all candidates.

  Mr. Chope
  I am asking the chief executive of the Driving Standards Agency to write to my hon. Friend.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review the method of conducting the eyesight check during the Department of Transport driving test; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  I have no plans to do so. The present number plate test is a simple, cheap and effective test which can also be carried out by drivers themselves and by the police at the roadside. The College of Ophthalmologists and the Medical Commission on Accident Prevention at the Royal College of Surgeons fully endorse the test.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to introduce regular eyesight checks for drivers after they have passed the Department of Transport driving test.

  Mr. Chope
  None. It is the responsibility of all drivers to ensure that they continue to meet the eyesight standard for driving and to notify DVLA of any deterioration in their eyesight which might affect their ability to drive safely.

  Heathrow-US Air Route
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the names of airlines which fly from Heathrow airport to the United States of America.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Under the terms of the United Kingdom—United States air services agreement British Airways, Pan American World Airways and Trans World Airlines are permitted to operate scheduled passenger services between London Heathrow and the United States.

  In addition, the following airlines have been granted permission by both the United States Government and the Government of the United Kingdom to operate scheduled passenger services from their country of origin via London (including Heathrow) to the United States:

  Air India

  El Al Israel Airlines

  Kuwait Airways Corporation

  Other airlines may be able to fly from Heathrow to the United States as part of an international route, but without traffic rights on the London—United States sector.

  Channel Tunnel (Rail Services)
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he expects orders to be placed for rolling stock for day and night services from the channel tunnel to destinations on electrified lines north of London;
  342
  (2) how soon after the channel tunnel opens he expects direct services to operate from it to destinations north of London on electrified lines; and whether he expects such services to operate via the West London, Olympia— Willesden-West Hampstead lines.

  Mr. Freeman
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Mr. Amos) on 5 December at column 121. British Rail plans to route the direct north of London services via Olympia using the west London and north London lines in the early years of tunnel operation.

  MV Derbyshire
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make available in the Library the draft report of the inquiry into the shipwreck of MV Derbyshire.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  A draft report summarising the results of the Department of Transport's investigation into the tragic loss of MV Derbyshire was circulated in July 1985 to representatives of interested parties for comment. A copy of the final report was placed in the Library on 21 March 1986, and it would be inappropriate now to release copies of the earlier draft report. Since that final report was issued, an independent public inquiry into the loss of the Derbyshire has been held.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The spending by my Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion, and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes in each of the five most recent years is as follows:

  £ thousands

  Press

  Television and radio

  Other advertising

  Video and sound cassettes

  1985–86

  834

  928

  3,990

  36

  1986–87

  738

  592

  4,440

  49

  1987–88

  140

  2,360

  2,967

  43

  1988–89

  365

  1,977

  3,275

  92

  1989–90

  982

  2,163

  3,112

  177

  The expenditure by my Department is recorded in financial years, not calendar years.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Departmental purchasing informa-tion systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Concessionary Fares
  Mr. Andrew Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend section 93(7)(a) of the Transport Act 1985 to enable transport authorities to grant fare concessions to men aged 60 to 64 years.

  Mr. Freeman
  We have no plans to change the present arrangements which link eligibility for travel concessions for elderly people to state pensionable age.

  Midland Metro
  Mr. Beaumont-Dark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest position with regard to the appraisal of line 1 of the Midland Metro scheme proposed by the West Midlands passenger transport executive; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  Considerable work has been done on the appraisal, which is further advanced than that for any other light rail scheme outside London currently being considered by the Department. The formal appraisal procedure is not yet complete. If it proves favourable, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will be ready to consider paying development grant in 1991–92 under section 56 of the Transport Act 1968 towards the cost of preparing the scheme in greater detail so that the scheme itself may be considered for being funded in 1992–93.

  Woolwich Ferry
  Mr. Cartwright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest estimates of the number of vehicles using the Woolwich free ferry; and what were the comparable figures at a similar point in each of the preceding five years.

  Mr. Chope
  The average number of vehicles carried per day was as follows:

  Number

  November 1990

  2,480

  November 1989

  2,515

  November 1988

  1,956

  November 1987

  441

  November 1986

  1,816

  November 1985

  2,945

  Road Accidents
  Mr. Andrew Hargreaves
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of fatalities in accidents involving heavy duty goods vehicles over the past five years, together with the number of fatalities over the same period not involving heavy duty goods vehicles.

  Mr. Chope
  Following is the information:

  Fatal casualties in accidents, 1985–89

  Year

  HGV involved

  HGV not involved

  Total

  1985

  811

  4,354

  5,165

  1986

  908

  4,474

  5,382

  1987

  910

  4,215

  5,125

  1988

  900

  4,152

  5,052

  1989

  989

  4,384

  5,373

  This table shows that there was a 22 per cent. increase in fatal casualties in accidents in which at least one HGV was involved between 1985 and 1989.
  344
  Over the same period, HGV traffic, when measured in vehicle kilometres, rose by an estimated 30 per cent.

  Illegal Parking
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the response to his Department's discussion document issued to local authorities on solving the problems created by parking on pavements.

  Mr. Chope
  Over 450 responses were received, expressing a wide range of views. We have concluded that new statutory powers are needed to allow authorities to target problem areas effectively. We are now discussing with the local authorities advice on available engineering measures to deter parking on footways and verges.

  Car Phones
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to meet the Association of Chief Police Officers, or any other relevant organisation, to discuss the safety implications of the use of hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  I shall take the opportunity of a meeting I shall be having with ACPO on 17 December to raise this issue.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has issued any guidance to the police authorities concerning the safety implications of using hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles.

  Mr. Chope
  No.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information directed to the public his Department has published on the safety implications of the use of hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles.

  Mr. Chope
  Advice to drivers not to use a hand-held microphone or telephone while the vehicle is moving is given in the Highway Code and several other publications.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received expressing concern at the use of hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles.

  Mr. Chope
  I have received several letters on this subject in recent months.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to require suppliers of hand-held car telephones to issue safety warnings at the time of purchase concerning their use in moving vehicles.

  Mr. Chope
  No. British Telecom already issues advice to purchasers which is consistent with the Highway Code. Officials have written to Oftel about continued publicity.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to introduce legislation restricting the use of hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles.

  Mr. Chope
  No specific legislation is necessary. Drivers are already required to maintain full control over their vehicles.

  Defective Eyesight
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total number of motor traffic accidents in the last five years where defective eyesight was found to be a contributory factor; if he will express the figures as a percentage of all moving traffic accidents for each of the years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  Statistics recording accidents are derived from a factual record made by the police at the scene of the accident. They do not include an assessment of the cause and it is not therefore possible to provide information about the number of accidents attributable to a particular factor.

  Manchester Relief Road (Consultation)
  Mr. Sumberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make it his policy to ensure that the proposed public consultation on the route of the Greater Manchester western and northern relief road will be carried out at venues and times convenient to residents of the Bury South and Bury North parliamentary constituencies.

  Mr. Chope
  Yes.

DEFENCE

  Sri Lanka
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any British service personnel have been made available to the Government of Sri Lanka for any purposes during the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Yes.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The information is not held centrally. I will write to the hon. Member.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and effort.

  Radar Masts, Sennybridge
  Mr. Rogers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals exist for the construction of radar masts or any communications system at Mynydd Eppynt near Sennybridge, Dyfed.
  346
  Mr. Alan Clark
  A requirement for new defence communication facilities is under consideration, but no decisions on location have yet been taken.

  Iraq (Supergun)
  Mr. Caborn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the involvement of the Advanced Technology Institute in the Iraqi gun order.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The Advanced Technology Institute was established as a company in 1987. Since earlier this year, when we became aware of its possible association with the Iraqi gun project, we have maintained a close watch on it. The hon. Member will appreciate I cannot comment further.

  Space Research Corporation
  Mr. Caborn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what information has been received by his Department on the Space Research Corporation's contract, Babylon, with British companies;

  (2) what information his Department received on the order placed by the Space Research Corporation for project 839 with British companies.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The Space Research Corporation placed no contracts with British companies in this context.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Company Records
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the charge made at each Companies House satellite office from an inquirer who(a) will collect the microfiche records of the company from the satellite office or (b) gets the microfiche records of the company posted to his or her office or home; and how the charges are arrived at.

  Mr. Redwood
  Those customers who collect their microfiche records from the satellite offices are charged the £2·75 statutory fee per company record. Searches ordered from satellite offices are normally returned to the satellite office the next morning for the standard search fee of £2·75. Should however a customer require his search to be forwarded by post to an address of his choice, this is not carried out from the satellite office.

  Lloyd's
  Mr. Bowis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will review the workings of the self-regulatory status granted to Lloyd's under the Financial Services Act 1986 in the light of the actions of and the internal inquiries into the syndicates managed by Outhwaite, Oakley Vaughan, Warnlow and Feltrim.

  Mr. Redwood
  The committee of inquiry into regulatory arrangements at Lloyd's, whose report was published in 1987 (Cm. 59), considered the position of Lloyd's with respect to the Financial Services Act. Its recommendations have been implemented, and are designed to improve accountability of syndicates to names.

  CEN Committees
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government support is available to trade union representatives to attend and contribute to CEN standard-setting committees; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Leigh
  My Department funds, and the British Standards Institution (BSI) administers, the assisted international travel scheme. This scheme meets part of the travel costs of certain United Kingdom representatives, including trade union representatives, who act as delegation leaders or principal experts at standards-making meetings overseas. A fixed allowance, basically equivalent to 75 per cent. of the economy class air fare, is payable. The funding provided for 1990–91 is intended to be sufficient to meet, inter alia, all eligible claims for attendance at standards meetings of CEN.

  Persons sentenced to immediate custody

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  (a) Domestic burglary

  Numbers sentenced to over 10 years

  6

  3

  6

  3

  6

  Percentage of all those sentenced to custody

  0·05

  0·03

  0·06

  0·03

  0·08

  (b) Theft

  Numbers sentenced to over 7 years

  2

  1

  —

  2

  1

  Percentage of all those sentenced to custody

  —

  —

  —

  0·01

  —

  — Less than 0·01 per cent.

  Missing Persons
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide funds for missing persons support groups to run a helpline for those who have had friends or relatives go missing.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  We are considering a request from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to fund such a helpline.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people missing from their homes in other parts of the country are estimated by the Metropolitan police to be living in London.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The only relevant figure available is the number of young people who have been reported missing to the Metropolitan police by other police forces in the United Kingdom. As at 7 December 1990, 357 such missing person reports were still outstanding.

  These figures relate to all reports concerning, missing young persons received from other police forces, and it is not possible to say in how many cases there was particular reason to believe that the subject of the report might be living in London.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government have any plans to co-operate with other European nations through Interpol for international searches for missing persons, especially children and other vulnerable people.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The use of Interpol is an operational matter for the police. All forces are aware of the facilities provided by Interpol to assist them in their inquiries.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Burglary and Theft
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were sentenced for domestic burglary in England and Wales in each of the last five years for a term exceeding 10 years; and what proportion of the total number of people sentenced to prison for domestic burglary in those years they represent;

  (2) how many people were sentenced for theft in England and Wales in each of the last five years for a term exceeding seven years; and what proportion of the total number of people sentenced to prison for theft in those years they represent.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The information requested is given in the table.

  Animal Experiments
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many scientific procedures 'were carried out on animals during 1989 in each of England, Scotland and Wales.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Very full information is published annually in the "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals: Great Britain" (1989: Cm. 1152). To disaggregate these figures nationally might risk individual establishments being identified and the threat of violent attack is so real that we take care to protect confidentiality.

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how the likely benefits of a scientific procedure are assessed when a project licence application under section 5(4) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 is considered; and whether any assessment is made of the value of the products and use;

  (2) how many project licences have been issued in each of the last three years for the testing of cosmetics., and whether any assessment is made during the examination of the licence application of the utility of the product being tested.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Section 5(4) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires that, before a project licence is granted, the likely adverse effects on the animals concerned must be weighed against the benefit likely to accrue from the proposed work. A number of factors contribute towards such assessments which must necessarily be subjective, and these are set out in chapter 4 of the Home Office "Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986" (1990: HC 182).
  349
  As for project licences for the regulatory testing of substances, including cosmetics, the central benefit is ensuring that such substances do not present a hazard in manufacture or transport and are safe for use by the consumer. Since the Act came into force in 1987, a total of six project licences have been issued for the safety testing of cosmetics.

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to accept any of the recommendations contained in the recent RSPCA/FRAME report on the use of non-human primates as laboratory animals in Britain.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  We share the underlying concerns of this report that non-human primates should not be used in scientific procedures unnecessarily and that where their use can be justified scientifically they should be adequately housed and cared for.

  The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 recog-nises the special position of non-human primates and section 5(6) requires that they may be used only where no other species are suitable for a proposed programme of research. Government policy on the use of non-human primates was set out fully in response to a question on 16 November 1987 by my hon. Friend the Member for Derby, North (Mr. Knight) at columns 386–88. The special requirements of such animals are set out in the Home Office code of practice for the housing and care of laboratory animals (1989: HC 107).

  As the RSPCA/FRAME report makes clear, much of the work covered by the survey was conducted before the special controls of the 1986 Act came into force and before the recommendations for housing and care were published in the code of practice.

  Prison Suicides
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the review of suicide prevention management policies and procedures in prisons conducted by Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Shortly. Arrangements for publication are already in hand.

  Remand
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now end the practice of holding mentally disturbed persons on remand in Brixton.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The prison service is obliged to hold people who are remanded in custody by the courts, and it is the function of Brixton to deal with remand prisoners and trials from the London area. It is nevertheless the Government's policy that mentally disordered offenders should be diverted from the criminal justice system to the care of the health and social services except when custody is deemed to be in the public interest. This policy is reiterated in Home Office circular 66/70, a copy of which is in the Library.

  Where custody cannot be avoided maximum use is made of the Mental Health Act to transfer those mentally disturbed inmates who require hospital treatment.

  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is (i) the number of inmates,350
  (ii) the number on remand separately distinguishing the length in months they have been remanded, and (iii) the number serving sentences of longer than six months at (a) Cardiff and (b) Swansea prisons.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  (a) On 5 December 1990, the latest date for which this information is readily available, there were 438 inmates in Cardiff prison of which 206 were on remand. The length in months for which they have been remanded is as set out in the table:

  Number

  Up to 3 months

  159

  4 to 6 months

  44

  7 to 9 months

  0

  Over 9 months

  3

  The number of inmates serving longer than six months is 37.

  (b) On 5 December, the latest date for which this information is available, there were 266 inmates in Swansea prison, of which 98 were on remand. The length in months for which they have been remanded is set out in the table:

  Number

  Up to 3 months

  73

  4 to 6 months

  22

  7 to 9 months

  3

  Over 9 months

  0

  The number of inmates serving longer than six months is 37.

  Mental Handicap Homes
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the police release information to directors of social services of local authorities on any previous convictions of persons who apply for registration of privately owned homes that care for severely disturbed mentally handicapped persons.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Except where there is a statutory obligation, the disclosure of police records is at the discretion of chief officers of police. In practice chief officers generally follow guidelines agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers and issued in Home Office circulars.

  In Wales, there are local arrangements between the police and local authorities which enable social services departments to obtain information about the criminal convictions of all applicants for registration under the Registered Homes Act 1984. Similar national arrangements are being set in place and are due to be implemented in April 1991. They will enable local authorities to obtain from the police details of convictions recorded against a potential owner or manager of a residential care or nursing home. The arrangements will cover both local authority and registered homes; and will apply to small homes once those homes are brought under regulatory control.

  Fire Fighting
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to satisfy himself that the training requirements of the fire service will not jeopardise the continued availability of a local fire fighting crew on islands such as Holy Island.
  351
  Mr. John Patten
  The Northumberland fire authority has a duty, under the Fire Services Acts, to ensure that appropriate standards of fire cover are maintained in its area and for the efficient training of members of its brigade. It also has obligations under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 to ensure that firefighters are adequately trained to meet the dangers of their work.

  Fire cover on Holy Island is provided by a fire appliance operated by local volunteers augmented, where necessary, by firefighters from the mainland. I understand that the fire authority has been concerned that the volunteer firefighters are not adequately trained and that the authority may, as a result, be in breach of its statutory duties. The authority is considering, in discussion with the volunteers and other inhabitants of Holy Island, what further action it should take.

  Data Protection
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mr. Coombs),Official Report, 28 November, column 418, he will list the organisations to which he is writing to invite comments on the EC draft directive on data protection; and if he will set out the criteria adopted by his Department in selecting these organisations.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  We are writing to United Kingdom organisations with a known interest in data protection issues. There are about 170; I am placing the list in the Library of the House. It is based on the data protection registrar's standard consultation list, together with other organisations which have approached us.

  Weapons (EC Documents)
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to the implications for personal liberty and civil liberties arising from European Community documents Nos. 10074/89 and 8836/90 on the controls on the acquisition and possession of weapons.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  We have no reason to believe that the European Commission's proposal for a directive on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons will have any implications for personal or civil liberties in Great Britain. But if the hon. Member wishes to draw to our attention any such implications which he considers may exist, we shall consider them carefully.

  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Trevi group has considered the security implications of European Community documents Nos. 10074/89 and 8836/90 on the control on the acquisition and possession of weapons.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  No. The draft directive on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons is concerned with the legitimate possession and movements of arms within the Community. The general declaration on articles 13 to 19 of the Single European Act explicitly preserves the right of member states to take such measures as they consider necessary to combat terrorism and crime.

  Public Events (Policing)
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Madonna concerts at Wembley in 1990; and how much the promoters of that event were charged for that policing(a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs;

  (2) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Knebworth rock festival for each of the past 10 years; and how much the promoters of that event were charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs;

  (3) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Castle Donnington "Monsters of Rock" festival for each of the past 10 years; and how much the promoters of that event were charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs;

  (4) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing Ascot racecourse for each of the past 10 years; and how much Ascot was charged for this policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs;

  (5) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Glastonbury rock festival for each of the past 10 years; and how much the promoters of that event were charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of the total policing costs.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Any charges under section 15 of the Police Act 1964 would have been a matter for the police authority concerned. No information on them is held centrally.

  Football Spectators Act
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those sections of the Football Spectators Act not currently in force; and whether the Government have any current plans to bring each such section into force.

  Mr. John Patten
  There are no plans at present to bring into force subsections (3), (4)(b), (5) and (6) of section 1, sections 2 to 7 and subsections (6), (7), (8)(c) and 12(a) and (b) of section 10, all of which refer to a national membership scheme. The rest of the Act is currently in force with the exception of sections 9 and 13, about which I am replying separately to specific questions tabled by the hon. Member.

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those parts of the Football Spectators Act currently in force and the dates on which they came into force.

  Mr. John Patten
  On 22 March 1990 the following provisions of the Act came into force:

  (i) subsections (1), (2), (4) except paragraph (b), and (7) to (11) of section 1;

  (ii) section 14, and

  (iii) subsections (1), (9) and (12) of section 22.

  On 24 April 1990 the following provisions of the Act came into force:

  (i) sections 15 to 21;

  (ii)subsections (2) to (8), (10) and (11) of section 22., and

  (iii) sections 23 to 26 and schedule 1.

  On 1 June 1990 the following provisions of the Act came into force:

  353

  (i) section 8 and schedule 2;

  (ii) subsections (1) to (5), (8) except paragraph (c), (9) to (11), (12) except paragraphs (a) and (b), and (13) to (17) of section 10; and

  (iii) sections 11 and 12.

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to make an order bringing into force section 9 of the Football Spectators Act 1989; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John Patten
  An order bringing into effect section 9 of the Football Spectators Act 1989, which creates the offence of admitting spectators to unlicensed premises, will be made as soon as the Football Licensing Authority is in a position to issue licences for football grounds at which designated football matches are played. Both we and the Football Licensing Authority are of the view that the licensing scheme should be introduced as soon as it is practicable to do so, but it would be unrealistic to expect the authority to administer such a scheme effectively before it has acquired the necessary staff and expertise to do so.

  Football Licensing Authority
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total amount of funding made available to the Football Licensing Authority to date; what is his best estimate of the resources required by the Football Licensing Authority over the coming year; and what level of funding he will make available to the Football Licensing Authority for the next year.

  Mr. John Patten
  The approved provision for the Football Licensing Authority for the current financial year is £670,000. We have been advised by the authority that its actual expenditure in the period to the end of March 1991 is unlikely to exceed £270,000. Provision has been made in the public expenditure survey for the 1991–92 financial year for grant in aid to the authority of a maximum of £898,000. This represents an increase of £208,000 on the PES provision originally approved for 1991–92, before the role of the authority was reviewed in the light of Lord Justice Taylor's final report on the Hillsborough stadium disaster.

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to increase funding for the Football Licensing Authority for fulfilling its functions under section 13 of the Football Spectators Act; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John Patten
  No. Neither we nor the Football Licensing Authority have any reason to believe that the funding provision already made for the Football Licensing Authority will be inadequate to enable it properly to discharge all its statutory functions, including those under section 13 of the Football Spectators Act 1989, when that section of the Act is brought into force.

  Conferences (Policing)
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report as to the cost of policing the Police Federation conference for each of the past 10 years; and how much the federation was charged for that policing(a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs;
  354
  (2) if he will call for a report as to the cost of policing the Association of Chief Police Officers conference for each of the past 10 years; and how much the association was charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs;

  (3) if he will call for a report as to the cost of policing the Police Superintendents Association conference for each of the past 10 years; and how much the association was charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Any charges made under section 15 of the Police Act 1964 would have been a matter for the police authority concerned. No information on them is held centrally.

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Labour party conference for each of the past 10 years; and how much the Labour party was charged for that policing(a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs;

  (2) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Conservative party conference for each of the past 10 years; and how much the Conservative party was charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I understand from the chief officers of the forces concerned that the additional costs of policing the Conservative and Labour party conferences from 1987 onwards were estimated as follows:

  Conservative

  Force

  Year

  Additional cost £

  Lancashire

  1987

  829,000

  Sussex

  1988

  1,400,000

  Lancashire

  1989

  1,08,000

  Dorset

  1990

  2,000,000

  Labour

  Force

  Year

  Additional cost £

  Sussex

  1987

  23,000

  Lancashire

  1988

  61,000

  Sussex

  1989

  4,000

  Lancashire

  1990

  97,545

  Previous figures are not held centrally. No contribution to these costs was made by the political parties concerned. The level of policing is a matter for the chief constable concerned, having regard to the threat and all other relevant circumstances.

  Young Offenders
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many youngsters of 15 and 16 years of age have been held in Welsh prisons during the past year(a) on unruly behaviour certificates or (b) in other circumstances.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Statistics on certificates of unruliness are not collected centrally. The readily available information is given in the table.
  355

  Males1 aged under 17 who were first received on remand or under sentence into prison service establishments in Wales2: by type of reception and age, 1989

  Type of reception

  Aged 15

  Aged 16

  Unsentenced

  27

  39

  Sentenced

  3

  11

  1 Total receptions cannot be calculated by adding both categories because a person received as an unsentenced prisoner may also subsequently be received after sentence.

  2 Usk YOI and Cardiff and Swansea prisons.

  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to end the practice of remanding 15 or 16-year-old boys to adult prisons pending trial or sentence.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the policy of holding 15 and 16-year-olds in Welsh prisons on unruly behaviour certificates.

  Mr. John Patten
  I would refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave to questions from the hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Mr. Michael) on 3 December at columns 11–12.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  Home Office purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  Figures for expenditure on advertising and other promotional material for the years from 1986–87 to 1990–91 are as follows:

  Year

  Total advertising expenditure (all media) £ million

  Production and distribution of other promotional material £ million

  1986–87

  5·0

  1·4

  1987–88

  4·7

  2·1

  1988–89

  5·4

  2·8

  1989–90

  5·5

  3·7

  1990–911

  8·4

  4·2

  1 Provisional.

  It would not be possible to provide more detailed information on advertising expenditure except at disproportionate cost.

  Golden Globe Charitable Trust
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ask the Charity Commissioners to inquire into the affairs of the Golden Globe Charitable Trust; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  This is a matter for the Charity Commission. I understand that the commissioners have received no complaints about the administration of the Golden Globe Charitable Trust and that they have no evidence to justify launching an investigation. If the hon. Member is aware of any matters giving cause for concern I urge him to write to the chief charity commissioner.

HEALTH

  Purchasing
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the purchasing policy of his Department.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Department is bound by the Government's policy that purchasers should base all procurement of goods and services on value for money, including quality (or fitness for purpose) and delivery against price. In accordance with that policy, goods and services are acquired by competitive tendering unless there are convincing reasons to the contrary. Under EC rules, and the GATT Government procurement agreement (GPA) where appropriate, the Department is obliged to award contracts in accordance with prescribed procedures aimed at avoiding discrimination on grounds of nationality.

  Rape (HIV)
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in the United Kingdom are known to have tested seropositive for HIV subsequent to their being raped.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Information on rape is not requested as part of the surveillance system for HIV antibody positive reporting. Information supplied spontaneously to the public health laboratory service communicable disease surveillance centre reported two women who were tested HIV antibody positive subsequent to reported rape in England and Wales. However, from the information supplied it cannot be determined whether HIV infection was acquired through rape. No such cases have been reported to the communicable disease (Scotland) unit.

  Nursing and Midwifery Colleges
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proposals are being considered for the transfer of responsibility for any colleges of nursing and midwifery to the Secretary of State for Education and Science;

  (2) what proposals are being considered for centralising colleges of nursing and midwifery on a regional basis;

  (3) if he will make it his policy to publish proposals for the protection of employment for teaching staff before any proposals are made to alter departmental responsibility for colleges of nursing and midwifery.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  There are no plans for transferring responsibility for colleges of nursing and
  357
  midwifery from this Department to the Department of Education and Science, or for centralising colleges of nursing and midwifery on a regional basis. The English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting has, however, encouraged the amalgamation of schools of nursing and midwifery to produce larger institutions with a wider range of resources. Schools have also been encouraged to develop links with further education and higher education institutions and in a few instances there has been full integration with such an institution. In such cases the implications for the staff of the school would be for local management to resolve.

  Alternative Medicine
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what branches of complementary and alternative medicine national health service patients have access.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Practitioners registered with the General Medical Council may offer their patients any form of treatment, including the use of complementary therapies. There is evidence that such practitioners are making increasing use of techniques such as osteopathy, acupuncture and homeopathy.

  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is available to national health service patients about access to alternative therapies and medicine.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Patients considering alternative therapies and medicines should first consult their general practitioner who is in the best position to make a clinical judgment on the most appropriate form of treatment.

  Residential care homes

  Nursing homes

  Dually registered homes

  1985

  Bedfordshire

  1

  Doncaster HA

  1

  Lancashire

  1

  Fylde HA

  1

  Worcester and Hereford HA

  1

  2

  3

  1986

  Cambridgeshire

  1

  Airedale HA

  1

  Devon

  1

  Croydon HA

  1

  Dudley

  1

  Doncaster HA

  1

  Hereford and Worcester

  2

  Hastings HA

  2

  Hertfordshire

  1

  Lancashire

  1

  Liverpool

  2

  Norfolk

  2

  North Yorkshire

  2

  Sefton

  1

  South Tyneside

  2

  16

  5

  1987

  Bromley

  1

  East Dorset HA

  2

  Devon

  1

  Plymouth HA

  1

  East Sussex

  1

  South East Kent HA

  1

  Gloucestershire

  1

  Hampshire

  2

  Hertfordshire

  2

  Humberside

  1

  Lancashire

  4

  Leicestershire

  2

  Liverpool

  1

  Northampton

  1

  Sheffield

  1

  South Glamorgan

  1

  Southampton General Hospital
  Mr. Hill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the number of patients on waiting lists for the Southampton general hospital by specialty.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Information by individual hospital is not available centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to contact Professor J. B. L. Howell, the chairman of Southampton and South West Hampshire health authority, for the relevant information.

  National Health Service Trusts
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that there will be no victimisation of employees of the health service who publicly opposed self-governing trusts; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  There is no question of anyone being victimised because they publicly opposed self-governing trusts.

  Private Residential Homes
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 20 November,Official Report, column 99, on private residential homes, if he will break down the figures given by local authority.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The local authorities and health authorities which reported the cancellations of registrations of persons running residential care and nursing homes detailed in that answer were:
  359

  Residential care homes

  Nursing homes

  Dually registered homes

  Suffolk

  3

  Surrey

  2

  Sutton

  2

  Warwickshire

  2

  28

  4

  1988

  Avon

  3

  Bath and District HA

  2

  Kingston Upon Thames/Kingston and Esher

  2

  Bradford

  5

  Clwyd HA

  1

  Derbyshire

  4

  Eastbourne HA

  2

  Devon

  2

  Harrogate HA

  2

  Dudley

  1

  Northants HA

  2

  East Sussex

  4

  Scunthorpe HA

  2

  Essex

  8

  South Cumbria HA

  1

  Havering

  2

  Wycombe HA

  3

  Hertfordshire

  2

  Kent

  4

  Lancashire

  2

  Liverpool

  2

  Manchester

  2

  Northamptonshire

  2

  North Yorkshire

  2

  Staffordshire

  4

  Suffolk

  1

  Tameside

  2

  Wirral

  2

  54

  15

  2

  1989

  Avon

  1

  Croydon

  1

  Devon CC/Exeter HA

  2

  Bradford

  3

  Kingston and Esher HA

  1

  Brent

  2

  Scarborough HA

  1

  Bromley

  1

  Cleveland

  2

  Devon

  3

  Essex

  2

  Hampshire

  2

  Hereford and Worcester

  2

  Hertfordshire

  2

  Humberside

  1

  Lancashire

  4

  Leicestershire

  1

  Liverpool

  2

  North Yorkshire

  2

  Sheffield

  1

  South Tyneside

  1

  Stockport

  1

  Suffolk

  2

  Wakefield

  2

  Warwickshire

  4

  Wirral

  2

  Wolverhampton

  1

  44

  13

  2

  1 Includes 2 cases relating to 1989 omitted in error in the answer given on 20 November.

  The corrected figures for the reasons for the cancellations reported in 1989 are:

  the fitness of persons involved in running the home: 38 cases

  the fitness of premises, or their staffing: 6 cases

  the conduct of the home or services or facilities provided: 24 cases

  conviction of an offence under the Registered Homes Act 1984: 1 case

  urgent closure on application to a Justice of the Peace: 7 cases

  In a number of cases, more than one reason was cited.

  General Practitioners
  Mr. Hill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, by regional health authority area, those general practitioner practices which have been granted fund-holding status.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Formal granting of fund-holding status by regional health authorities is not expected to begin before January 1991.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether general practitioners are required to balance their budgets by March 1991.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  At present general practition-ers do not have "budgets". The general practitioner
  361
  fund-holding scheme, which commences on 1 April 1991, will allow eligible practices to volunteer to receive a sum of money to purchase a range of services for their patients. Non fund-holding practices, from 1 April 1991, will be assigned an indicative prescribing amount which will relate to their drug expenditure. The indicative prescribing amount will, however, be a financial benchmark and not a cash limit.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has indicating trends in expenditure from general practitioners' budgets for drugs.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The indicative prescribing scheme under which general practitioners will be set amounts for anticipated expenditure on drugs comes into operation on 1 April 1991. Since the introduction of PACT (prescribing analyses and cost system) in August 1988 there has been a slowdown in the rate of increase of the cost of drugs prescribed by general practitioners.

  Occupational Health Services
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department, stating(a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

  Mr. Dorrell
  All civil service departments and agencies have access to the services of the Civil Service Occupational Health Service which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals, doctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers. It operates through a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom. On 1 November 1990 the Department had 5,002 employees.

  Grading Appeals
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been given or will be given to health authorities in respect of successful outstanding clinical grading appeals where there is an existing overspend.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The costs of successful clinical grading appeals are one of many factors which health authorities recognise in managing their budget for the year. The Department is not intending to issue specific guidance on this.

  Patient Transport
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health or ambulance service authorities are known to be generating income by charging for patient transport services; and in each case, how much income is so generated.

  Mr. Dorrell
  In the year 1989–90, 31 ambulance authorities showed figures for income from charging for patient transport services. The figure for each authority is shown in the table. All figures are subject to audit and are therefore provisional.
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  Income from the non-NHS use of ambulance services—1989–90

  Regional indicator

  £

  Northern RHA

  A00

  119,078

  South Tees

  A03

  295

  East Cumbria

  A04

  12,640

  Durham

  A08

  8,876

  Yorkshire RHA

  B00

  11,918

  Hull

  B12

  331

  York

  B23

  62,379

  Trent RHA

  C00

  1,274

  Nottingham

  C08

  23,629

  East Suffolk

  D04

  2,591

  Great Yarmouth and Waveney

  D07

  15,407

  Huntingdon

  D09

  14,606

  Eastbourne

  G02

  38,234

  South West Thames RHA

  H00

  67,983

  Southampton and South West Hampshire

  J22

  60

  Swindon

  J32

  24,316

  Aylesbury

  K21

  831

  Kettering

  K31

  285

  Northampton

  K32

  4,222

  Southmead

  L13

  1(230)

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  L21

  4,346

  Torbay

  L34

  2,012

  West Midlands RHA

  M00

  18,156

  Worcester

  M04

  663

  Shropshire

  M05

  419

  Mid Staffordshire

  M06

  8,911

  South Warwickshire

  M11

  1,581

  Chester

  N11

  2,303

  South Sefton

  N42

  59,108

  North Western RHA

  P00

  11,517

  Preston

  P03

  26,349

  Total

  544,090

  1 Bracket indicates a negative income.

  Hormone Replacement Therapy
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost of general practitioner-prescribed hormone replacement therapy treatments in each of the standard regions; and if he will express this cost as a figure per head of female population over 40 years.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The information requested is as follows:

  Net ingredient cost (NIC) of hormone replacement therapy treatments in 1989

  Regional health authority

  NIC thousands £

  Female population 40 and over

  Cost/Head £

  Northern

  1,419

  742,946

  1·91

  Yorkshire

  1,749

  866,771

  2·02

  Trent

  1,912

  1,111,981

  1·72

  East Anglia

  935

  489,630

  1·91

  North West Thames

  2,025

  788,292

  2·57

  North East Thames

  1,823

  867,000

  2·10

  South East Thames

  2,020

  906,652

  2·23

  South West Thames

  1,919

  740,340

  2·59

  Wessex

  1,928

  711,776

  2·71

  Oxford

  1,566

  546,621

  2·86

  South Western

  1,838

  876,943

  2·10

  West Midlands

  2,788

  1,213,442

  2·30

  Mersey

  1,405

  576,683

  2·44

  North Western

  2,174

  943,210

  2·30

  England

  25,501

  11,382,287

  2·24

  Notes:

  1. The estimates are based on a sample of prescriptions of

  363
  approximately 1 in 200 in England which were dispensed by community pharmacists.

  2. The population data has been extracted from OPCS estimates.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reach conclusions about the costs and benefits of long-term hormone replacement therapy.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The Department is funding a research project by Professor Martin Vessey of Oxford university, who is examining the costs and benefits of hormone replacement therapy in relation to the menopause. Professor Vessey's study is expected to be completed in early 1992.

  Life Insurance
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government have taken since the publication in November 1989 of their response to the seventh report of the Select Committee on Social Services, Session 1988–89, to consider with the insurance industry the effect of asking proposers for life insurance whether they have ever had an HIV test.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Since we published our response to the Select Committee report, officials have had a number of meetings with representatives of the Association of British Insurers (ABI,) to discuss the effect of HIV test questions on proposal forms for life insurance. I met Michael Pickard, the chairman of the Life Insurance Council of the ABI, and his colleagues on 12 November. We discussed the possible effects of the ABI's recommended procedures and the need to ensure that people were not dissuaded from coming forward for testing, help and advice about HIV infection. We have, jointly with the ABI, commissioned the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) to carry out a survey of public perceptions of the effect of the questions. The BMRB is currently in the process of interviewing experts, advice workers, the general public and young adults. We expect to receive the results early in the new year, when further meetings with the ABI are planned.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Department of Health's budget for communications and publicity includes provision for nurse recruitment, blood donor recruitment and drug misuse campaigns.

  Information for the years 1985–86 to 1987–88 is not available in the form requested.

  Expenditure by the Department's information division for 1988–89 is as follows:

  £ million

  Press advertising

  1·196

  TV and radio advertising

  1·867

  Other advertising

  0·661

  Other material (including approximately £250,000 for videos and sound cassettes)

  7·075

  364

  £ million

  Expenditure for 1989–90 is as follows:

  Press advertising

  2·739

  TV and radio advertising

  3·676

  Other advertising

  0·865

  Other material (including approximately £200,000 for videos and sound cassettes)

  9·964

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between costs of acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on total departmental expenditure on goods and services from 1986–87 onwards is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library. For years prior to 1989–90 it was not possible to differentiate Department of Health expenditure within the overall Department of Health and Social Security total.

  North Derbyshire Health Authority
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what honorarium is paid to each member of North Derbyshire health authority; and how many meetings it is due to hold each year.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Non-executive members of district health authorities receive an honorarium of £5,000 per annum. It is for individual health authorities to determine how often they should meet. The hon. Member may therefore wish to contact Mr. R. B. Robinson, chairman of North Derbyshire health authority, for this information.

  Health Research
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list(a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices the spending on health and personal social services research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Spending on health and personal social services research in England and Wales for 1989–90, the latest for which outturn figures are available, was £15·4 million.

  Information for earlier years has been published in the Cabinet Office annual review of Government-funded research and development, copies of which are available in the Library.

  HIV
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from organisations and individuals in respect of an out-of-court settlement for people who have contracted HIV through national health service infected blood or blood products.
  365
  Mr. Waldegrave
  [pursuant to the reply, 16 November 1990, c. 248]: The steering committee of solicitors representing the HIV haemophiliac plaintiffs and their counsel have put forward to the Department of Health proposals for the settlement of this litigation which they regard as a fair and reasonable resolution of the plaintiffs' claims.

  The Government have carefully considered these proposals and agree that they will provide a fair and proper way of ending this litigation and of making financial provision for all affected haemophiliacs and their dependants, whether or not they have joined in the litigation. We believe that our case is legally strong and that the plaintiffs would not succeed in proving negligence on the part of the Department of Health. None the less the Government have always recognised the very special and tragic circumstances of the haemophiliacs infected by HIV and of their families. We recognise too the harrowing effect legal action would have on them.

  The Government have therefore agreed in principle to meet the steering committee's proposals.

  In outline the compromise would result in the Government providing to the Macfarlane Trust, in addition to the £34 million already paid, a further sum of about £42 million for distribution to all HIV haemophi-liacs and their families according to their respective circumstances. Furthermore, the Government have agreed that payments from the Macfarlane Trust will not affect entitlement to social security and other statutory benefits. The plaintiffs' reasonable legal costs would also be paid by the Government.

  Because the proposed settlement will require the formal approval of all individual plaintiffs, and in the case of minors, of the court, it would be inappropriate at this time to publish further details until all plaintiffs and the court have had an opportunity to consider the full terms of the settlement and to approve them.

  The Government would apply the outcome of any settlement to all parts of the United Kingdom.

  The Government welcome these developments, which offer a speedy way of ending the lengthy period of uncertainty for haemophiliacs and their families and of giving them additional financial security.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Official IRA
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information his Department has on whether the Official IRA continues to exist in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I believe that the Official IRA still exists.

  Health Research
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list(a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices the spending on health and personal social services research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.
  366
  Mr. Hanley
  Spending by the Department of Health and Social Services on health and personal social services research in Northern Ireland for 1989–90, the latest year for which an outturn figure is available, was £0·83 million.

  Information for earlier years has been published in the appropriation accounts for Northern Ireland Departments.

  Home Help
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many individuals currently in receipt of home help service receive(a) less than one hour per day, (b) less than two hours but more than one hour per day, (c) less than three hours but more than two hours per day and (d) more than three hours per day;

  (2) how many individuals currently in receipt of home help service receive a daily allocation of home help time Monday to Saturday but no service on Sunday;

  (3) how many individuals currently in receipt of home help service receive a daily allocation of home help time Monday to Friday but no service on Saturday and Sunday;

  (4) what was the average amount of home help time received, per day, by each individual in receipt of home help service in each year since 1986, in each health board area in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Hanley
  [holding answers 4 December 1990]: The information requested could be made available only at disproportionate cost to the health and social services boards which are responsible for the management and delivery of the home help service.

ENVIRONMENT

  Private Rented Housing
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the private rented housing market since the Housing Act 1988.

  Mr. Yeo
  It is too early to assess the overall impact of the Act on private renting. Research now in progress will provide information in the course of 1991. There are, however, clear signs of increased activity in the residential lettings market. In particular, business expansion scheme companies have so far raised £550 million, which will provide about 10,000 new homes to rent.

  Bathing Beaches
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of the National Rivers Authority reports covering all of England and Wales which provide information on the bathing beaches monitoring programme for the 1990 bathing season.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Secretary of State announced on 14 November that a detailed summary of these National Rivers Authority monitoring results will be placed in the Library.

  Hazardous Waste
  Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of the decision by South Yorkshire waste disposal joint committee to close its
  367
  hazardous waste unit, he proposes to exercise his powers under section 31 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

  Mr. Baldry
  Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution expects to submit a report to the Secretary of State shortly on the arrangements for waste regulation in South Yorkshire. My right hon. Friend will wish to consider this carefully before deciding whether it would be appropriate to use his powers under section 10 of the Local Government Act 1985 to set up a metropolitan waste authority for the area. He has no intention at this stage of using his powers under section 31 of the Environmental Protection Act to set up a regional waste authority.

  Home Prices
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the real rate of increase in house prices in(a) the United Kingdom, (b) Germany, (c) France and (d) Italy since 1985.

  Mr. Yeo
  House prices in the United Kingdom increased by 101 per cent. between 1985 and the third quarter of 1990, as measured by the Department of the Environment's index. Information about house prices in the other three counties is not regularly received in the Department.

  Standard Spending Assessments
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to review his proposed standard spending assessments for 1991–92 for(a) the London borough of Westminster and (b) the London borough of Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  All authorities are treated on the same basis for the purposes of calculating standard spending assessments. We are at present considering all representations received in respect of the proposals for revenue support grant in 1991–92 set out in the statement of 31 October. We will announce final decisions shortly.

  Benzene
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the total amount of benzene emitted to the atmosphere by combustion engines in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Baldry
  Benzene emissions into the atmosphere have been estimated by the Harwell laboratory in a report: "Hydrocarbon involvement in Photochemical Ozone in Europe, AERE-R 13736". Copies of the report have been deposited in the Library of the House. In 1987 total benzene emissions for the United Kingdom amounted to about 36,000 tonnes, of which 61 per cent. has been attributed to petrol vehicle exhaust, 21 per cent. from the evaporation of motor spirit and 10 per cent. from diesel vehicle exhaust.

  Vacant Land
  Dr. Kim Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement, further to the consultation paper "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Land", as to the particular functions and the timescale which would be accepted by him as constituting sufficient grounds on which to regard development plans as being firm.
  368
  Mr. Yeo
  Deciding whether an owner's plans are sufficiently firm to make the issue of a direction undesirable is essentially a matter of judgment, taking all relevant factors, including the owner's purpose and the timescale of the proposed development, into account. My right hon. Friend will consider each case on its merits.

  Red-eared Terrapins
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to discourage the importation for sale of red-eared terrapins as domestic pets.

  Mr. Baldry
  At present, there are no conservation reasons for restricting the importation of red-eared terrapins, because there is no evidence that they are endangered, or are becoming endangered in the wild. We are, however, currently discussing with our European partners a new EC regulation to replace regulation 3626/82, which implements the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) within the European Community; and we shall ensure that the question whether red-eared terrapins should be brought within the control of this regulation is given careful consideration.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has received regarding ecological damage caused by red-eared terrapins, formerly domestic pets, which have been released into the wild.

  Mr. Baldry
  I am not aware of any evidence of ecological damage caused by red-eared terrapins being released into the wild in Britain.

  Planning Legislation
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what decisions he has made on the proposals in his Department's April 1990 consultation paper, "Miscellaneous Amendments to Subordinate Planning Legislation".

  Mr. Yeo
  After careful consideration of all the responses to the consultation paper, "Miscellaneous Amendments to Subordinate Planning Legislation", the Government have decided to proceed with the following proposals:

  (a) to include a statement of owners' property rights on the form which applicants for planning permission are required to serve on the owners and others with an interest in the land;

  (b) to grant permitted development rights to licensed operators of driver information systems to install the requisite equipment, subject to limitations governing size and height;

  (c) to amend the restriction on the use of factory and warehouse extensions built under the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1938 to allow their use for social, welfare and recreational uses ancillary to the main function of the site;

  (d) to include dry cleaning establishments in the Shops class (A1) of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987.

  The Government have decided not to proceed with the following proposals:

  (i) to grant permitted development rights for postal pouch boxes;

  (ii) to grant permitted development rights for the installation of liquefied gas tanks in the curtilage of dwellinghouses;

  369

  (iii) to include launderettes in the Shops class (A1) of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987.

  Amending orders reflecting these decisions will be laid before Parliament shortly.

  Running Costs
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Maidstone (Miss Widdecombe) on 8 November,Official Report, columns 15–16, if he will make a further statement on his Department's running costs limit for 1990–91.

  Mr. Heseltine
  I regret that the calculation of the cumulative changes in my Department's running costs limit across the votes concerned contained an error. The running costs limit has, in fact, been increased by £4,296,000 from £153,458,000 to £157,754,000.

  Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposed to take in regard to Doncaster metropolitan borough council under part I of the Local Government Act 1988.

  Mr. Key
  My right hon. Friend has today issued a direction under section 14 of the Local Government Act 1988 requiring Doncaster metropolitan borough council to expose certain building cleaning work to competitive tendering again by 1 November 1991. He has taken this action because he was not satisfied with the response which Doncaster metropolitan borough council made to the notice served on 21 September 1990 under section 13 of the Act.

  That notice set out the Secretary of State's view that Doncaster metropolitan borough council had acted contrary to the requirement of section 7(7) of the act (which is that, in awarding a contract, an authority must not act in a manner having the effect or intended or likely to have the effect of restricting, distorting or preventing competition) in that, in putting building cleaning work out to tender with a start date for contracts of 1 September 1990, they packaged the work and adopted a timetable for the tendering in an anti-competitive manner. The Secretary of State has decided to take no further action in the case of the so-called north, east and west area contracts. His direction relates to building cleaning work comprised in the so-called south area contract, which is the largest of the four area contracts put out to tender.

  Protected Species
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of licences issued under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to destroy protected species in 1989 and 1990, the different species they were issued for and the number for each species.

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 27 November 1990]: I will write to the hon. Member.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing for each local authority (i) the amount of capital receipts generated 370
  in 1988–89 and 1989–90 and (ii) the amount available from these receipts for capital projects with totals for each class of authority and England as a whole.

  Mr. Portillo
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: I have today arranged for the available information to be placed in the Library.

SCOTLAND

  Students
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many students in receipt of grant withdrew from their course in institutions on higher education in the past full academic year; what was the total grant involved; and if he will express that figure as a percentage of all grant awards made.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  A total of 1,634 students in receipt of a maintenance grant under the students' allowances scheme withdrew from their courses during academic session 1989–90. The maintenance grant payments made to them amounted to £1,778,885, which represents 2·03 per cent. of all maintenance payments made in respect of that academic session.

  Health and Social Services Research
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list(a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices, the spending on health and personal social services research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.

  Mr. Lang
  Spending on health and personal social services research in Scotland for 1989–90, the latest for which outturn figures are available, was £5·7 million.

  Information for earlier years has been published in the Cabinet Office annual review of Government-funded research and development.

  AIDS
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total sum spent by his Department on research into human AIDS.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  A total of £1·1 million.

  Road Works
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to increase the amount of local authority general road works that is subject to competitive tender.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  My right hon. Friend and I consider that additional competition for roads work will be beneficial in securing better value for money. We have therefore decided to increase from 30 per cent. to 60 per cent. the minimum proportion of the aggregate value of road jobs costing £25,000 or less which must be put out to competitive tender by local authorities in Scotland under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. Our decision will bring arrangements in Scotland in line with
  371
  those which have been in force in England and Wales since 1 April 1988. I shall be laying the necessary regulations to give effect to this change which is to come into operation from 1 April 1991.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information the Scottish Office is gathering on the impact of Scottish students of the poll tax in order to evaluate the policy and to prepare new legislation.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 7 December 1990]: For the purposes of the recently announced review of the community charge, my right hon. Friend will be considering to what extent he needs to supplement the information already available to him about the position of students, as about other relevant aspects.

  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report by region the actual average non-domestic rate valuation increases resulting from the 1990 revaluation.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 7 December 1990] The percentage change in the aggregate rateable value in each regional and islands area between 1 April 1989 and 1 April 1990 is shown in the table. Although the major cause of the increases will have been the revaluation of non-domestic property which took effect on 1 April 1990, other factors such as additions to and deletions from the valuation roll will also be reflected in the figures.

  Per cent.

  Borders

  46·8

  Central

  29·2

  Dumfries and Galloway

  36·4

  Fife

  25·7

  Grampian

  21·4

  Highland

  46·8

  Lothian

  46·4

  Strathclyde

  41·1

  Tayside

  49·5

  Orkney

  8·3

  Shetland

  12·4

  Western Isles

  41·0

  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by region the average increases in non-domestic rate valuations on which he calculated the Scottish average valuation increase for adjusting the non-domestic rate poundages in the current year.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 7 December 1990]: The non-domestic rates prescribed for 1990–91 were not determined using regional average increases in rateable values but by applying the average increase in rateable values for Scotland as a whole. The factor used was based on estimates provided by regional assessors, the Treasury valuer and the assessor of public undertakings (Scotland), supplemented with a sample survey undertaken by regional assessors at the request of the Scottish Office. An adjustment was made to reflect the change in the level of industrial derating. Disaggregation of the estimates by regions gives the values shown in the table. The figure for Fife is lower than it should be because of an error in the apportionment of the rateable value of the electricity companies among regions which was corrected before the new valuation roll came into effect. This had no effect on the factor used to determine non-domestic rates for 1990–91.
  372

  Per cent.

  Borders

  39·1

  Central

  21·5

  Dumfries and Galloway

  35·0

  Fife

  12·6

  Grampian

  22·9

  Highland

  30·4

  Lothian

  44·6

  Strathclyde

  40·9

  Tayside

  41·6

  Orkney

  18·5

  Shetland

  11·8

  Western Isles

  23·0

  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many persons who have been found eligible for relief under the Personal Community Charge (Relief) (No. 2) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 were dead prior to the coming into force of the said regulations;

  (2) how many persons, to date, have been eligible to have their liability to pay the personal community charge reduced for the financial year 1989–90, by virtue of the Personal Community Charge (Relief) (No. 2) (Scotland) Regulations 1990, in each local authority area in Scotland.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: Details of the numbers of persons eligible for relief under these regulations are still awaited from local authorities. Where a person died prior to the coming into force of the regulations, payment of relief may be made to the executor of the deceased's estate, where the other criteria for entitlement to relief have been met. Returns from authorities to the Department are not required to identify such cases separately.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in reviewing the poll tax, he will bring forward proposals to end the joint and several liability for spouses' poll tax debts.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: My right hon. Friend has made it clear that the forthcoming review will consider all aspects of the community charge arrangements.

  Football Spectators
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of criminal proceedings currently in progress in Scotland involving alleged offences by persons from England or Wales which correspond to offences contained in schedule 1 of the Football Spectators Act 1989; when is the likely date of completion of each of these proceedings; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 7 December 1990]: There is one such case currently in progress in Scotland. No date has yet been fixed for it to call in court.

  Lothian Health Board
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has anything to add to the reply of 21 November,Official Report, column 285, in the light of representations from the British Medical Association and the area medical committee concerning their reactions to Lothian health board's proposals.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 7 December 1990]: In response to Lothian health board's consultation

  373
  document, the Lothian area medical committee in its letter of 16 July gave a clear statement of support for the concentration of paediatric medical and surgical services, of neurosurgery, of urological services and of accident and emergency services, and the movement as proposed of respiratory medicine, rheumatology and lithotripsy. This represents a substantial proportion of the board's proposals.

  The committee also expressed concern that the proposals would result in a reduction in the quality and quantity of clinical care. Both I and my right hon. Friend have acknowledged that some specialties will be temporarily inconvenienced during the implementation of the changes. In the longer term a new pattern of acute hospital services will be created to allow the more efficient use of medical and nursing staff, as well as of buildings and facilities.

  Alcohol Misuse
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the projects and centres to which his Department has contributed financially in respect of research into alcohol misuse, with the figure for each such project or centre in the present financial year.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: The information is as follows:

  Project Title

  Project co-ordinators

  Grant in 1990–91 £

  Evaluation of a home detoxification service.

  Forth Valley Health Board

  1,000

  Antibody Against Acetaldehyde—Protein adducts as possible aversion treatments for modifying alcohol consumatory behaviour and as new tools for identifying chronic alcohol consumption.

  Aberdeen University

  10,000

  Literature review on alcohol and young people

  Law School, University of Strathclyde.

  4,000

  In addition, the Scottish Home and Health Department has provided funding of £95,000 in 1990–91 towards the cost of the research unit in health and behavioural change at Edinburgh university. Alcohol misuse is one of a range of factors studied by the unit which directly or indirectly cause ill-health.

  Afforestation
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure that afforestation projects involve the planting of indigenous, ecologically important species of trees.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: The Forestry Commission normally requires a proportion of the trees in any afforestation project under the woodland grant scheme to be broadleaved, and these are often indigenous species. Higher rates of planting grant are available for broadleaved trees and last year over 75 per cent. of the trees planted under the farm woodland scheme and nearly 25 per cent. of all the trees planted
  374
  under the woodland grant scheme were broadleaved. In Scotland, the Forestry Commission has special grants to encourage the establishment of new native pinewoods.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will encourage the development of natural woodland by a process of long-term set-aside of land for colonisation by indigenous trees; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: Through the woodland grant scheme, the Forestry Commission encourages the owners of suitable land to set aside areas for the natural regeneration of indigenous trees. Grants are available for this purpose under the scheme.

  RECHAR Programme
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the implementation of the EC RECHAR programme to support areas in Scotland affected by the closure of coal mines; and what funds are being made available by his Department in addition to previous spending plans to ensure that full advantage is taken of that programme in Scotland.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: Proposals for RECHAR programmes in eastern and western Scotland were submitted by the Government to the European Commission on 27 July. Decisions are awaited. Assuming the Commission grants money to the Scottish programmes, the Government will ensure that the provisions of the Community regulations on additionality are fully met.

  Health Service
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the formula whereby the Greater Glasgow health board calculates the reimbursement of ancillary staff salaries to general practices.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: This is a matter for Greater Glasgow health board, within the terms of the statement of fees and allowances.

  Scottish Development Agency
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the proceeds of the sale of the Scottish Development Agency property portfolio in 1990–91; and how these proceeds have been used.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: Receipts for the period 1 April 1990 to 30 November 1990 in respect of all disposals of property amount to £58.5 million. These proceeds, taken together with the agency's general business receipts and with grant-in-aid provision, are being used to finance the agency's gross expenditure during the year.

  Mental Handicap Nursing
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what advice he has given to local authorities in Scotland regarding the maintenance and professional role of those nurses with mental handicap training in Scotland; and if he will make a statement;
  375
  (2) what specific future role there is for nurses with mental handicap training in the new arrangements for community care in Scotland;

  (2) what specific future role there is for nurses with mental handicap training in the new arrangements for the national health service in Scotland.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: Nurses with mental handicap training will continue to fulfil a vital role in the provision of specialised health services for people with mental handicaps. Although over time, some of these nurses may change their place of work, they will continue to be required to provide skilled care for people with severe or profound handicaps whether living in institutions or the community where they will often be members of community mental handicap teams. In addition, hospitals, although reduced in size, will continue to provide care for a substantial number of patients for the foreseeable future. In due course local authorities will make their own decisions on the skill mix and the staffing levels required for their services and any necessary central guidance will be issued at the appropriate time.

  Training
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland at 1990–91 figures, how much was spent on youth training in 1989–90 and 1990–91; and how much will be spent in 1991–92 in Scotland.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: Expenditure on youth training in Scotland in 1989–90 at 1990–91 prices was £110,976,000.

  Figures for expenditure on youth training in Scotland for the year 1990–91 will not be available until after the end of that financial year.

  Budgets for expenditure on youth training in Scotland in 1991–92 have yet to be finalised and will in due course be published in grant-in-aid tables in the supply estimates for the regional and general industrial support, Scotland vote (class XV vote 3) for 1991–92.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland at 1990–91 figures, how much was spent on employment training in 1989–90 and 1990–91; and how much will be spent in 1991–92 in Scotland.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: Expenditure on employment training in Scotland in 1989–90 at 1990–91 prices was £133,686,000.

  Figures for expenditure on employment training in Scotland in 1990–91 will not be available until after the end of that financial year.

  Budgets for expenditure on employment training in Scotland in 1991–92 have yet to be finalised and will in due course be published in the grant-in-aid tables in the supply estimates for the regional and general industrial support, Scotland vote (class XV vote 3) for 1991–92.

  Agency Funding
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the gross provision for the Scottish Development Agency in every year since 1979 and the non-training element of Scottish Enterprise for 1991–92 expressed at 1990–91 price levels.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: The information is set out in the table:
  376

  £ million

  1979–80

  174·8

  1980–81

  178·8

  1981–82

  162·9

  1982–83

  191·2

  1983–84

  172·6

  1984–85

  167·0

  1985–86

  176·2

  1986–87

  170·1

  1987–88

  166·9

  1988–89

  163·9

  1989–90

  171·0

  1990–91

  1179·0

  1991–92

  2170·0

  1 Estimated.

  2 Planned.

  Planned provision for 1991–92 is not directly comparable to provision for earlier years because it reflects an adjustment to the division of responsibility for environmental improvements between Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, as compared with that which has existed between the Scottish Development Agency and the Highlands and Islands Development Board.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will itemise how the budget of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise in 1991–92 are made up in terms of grant in aid, property income, equity income, training and other items.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: The composition of the budgets of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise for 1991–92 has yet to be finalised and is under discussion with the two bodies. The information will be shown in due course in grant-in-aid tables published as part of the supply estimates for the regional and general industrial support Scotland vote (class XV vote 3) for 1991–92.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the gross provision for the Highlands and Islands Development Board for 1991–92, expressed at 1990–91 price levels.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: The Highlands and Islands Development Board will be replaced by Highlands and Islands Enterprise on 1 April 1991. As well as taking over the functions of the Highlands and Islands Development Board, Highlands and Islands Enterprise will take over the Scottish Development Agency environmental function and the Training Agency's functions in the Highlands and Islands area. The notional amount allocated to former Highlands and Islands Development Board functions for 1991–92, expressed at 1990–91 price levels, is £50·4 million.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Disabled People
  Mr. Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people will receive disability working allowance because they were receiving(a) invalidity benefit alone, (b) severe disablement allowance alone and (c) a disability premium with income-related benefits within eight weeks before claiming disability working allowance.
  377
  Mr. Scott
  Estimates of the likely case load of disability working allowance can be only tentative. Our best estimate is that, once the benefit is established, about 50,000 people will receive DWA at any given point. Of these, around 25 per cent. will have been getting invalidity benefit (but not income support) before claiming DWA; 10 per cent. will have been getting severe disablement allowance (but not income support) before claiming; and 35 per cent. will have been getting an income-related benefit with a disability premium (alone or with invalidity benefit or severe disablement allowance) before claiming. A further 30 per cent. will already be in work and will qualify because they have disability living allowance. Of the first two categories a number will have been receiving housing benefit or community charge benefit.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to extend financial assistance available to disabled people with special dietary needs.

  Mr. Scott
  The OPCS surveys showed that the existing extra costs benefits are providing good coverage of people with all sorts of disabilities, including people with eating, drinking and digestion disorders. The new disability living allowance with its lower rates will extend this to people not currently receiving benefit.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish estimates of the extra expenditure in gross and net terms if no tariff income from capital was taken into account in calculation of disability working allowance.

  Mr. Scott
  Estimates of the likely expenditure on disability working allowance (DWA) have been based on assumptions about behavioural changes among people who have a continuing entitlement to a long-term incapacity benefit, but who might take the opportunity offered by DWA to do some work. As a result, the projections can be only tentative and it is not possible to 378
  estimate with confidence the extra expenditure, either in gross or net terms, if no tariff income from capital was taken into account.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the average potential gains in income for recipients of the disability working allowance.

  Mr. Scott
  Disability working allowance will ensure that the great majority of potential recipients will be better off in work than they would be on incapacity benefits. However, it is not possible to predict with confidence the average gain in income for recipients.

  Statutory Sick Pay
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what discussions were held with the National Federation of Self Employed and Small Businesses Ltd. in respect of employers' liability to fund SSP payments on the introduction of statutory sick pay; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  Ministers held a series of meetings with representatives of small business organisations, including the National Federation of Self Employed and Small Businesses, prior to the introduction of statutory sick pay (SSP). Among the matters discussed at those meetings was the method of compensating employers for payments of SSP.

  Community Care Grants
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make extra funds available for community care grants for his Department's local office in Perry Barr, Birmingham.

  Mr. Scott
  We have no plans to do so.

  Consumer Goods
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he has on the acquisition and ownership of consumer goods by pensioners in 1974, 1979 and 1990.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Information on ownership of selected goods is given in the table. The data have been calculated using published data from the family expenditure survey. The year 1989 is the latest year for which these figures are currently available.

  Percentage of pensioner households with goods

  1974

  1979

  1989

  Telephone

  32·0

  49·8

  85·7

  Central heating

  31·9

  43·2

  70·1

  Fridge

  65·2

  84·0

  96·6

  Washing machine

  45·6

  55·5

  71·4

  Television

  89·5

  94·1

  98·0

  Car

  20·6

  23·1

  37·9

  Note: This covers the following types of households: one adult retired households mainly dependent on state pensions; one man and one woman retired households mainly dependent on state pensions; other retired households containing one adult; other retired households containing one man and one woman.

  Youth Training (Income Support)
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the number of youth training trainees in receipt of income support during 1988–89 and 1989–90; and what was the average size of income support payments to youth training trainees in each of those two years.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The information requested is not available.

  State Pension Scheme
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will express the cost of the Government's scheme on opting out of the state earnings-related pension scheme(a) in cost terms, (b) in terms of the pence reduction equivalent in income tax, (c) in terms of a reduction in poll tax, for the average poll tax payment and (d) in terms of a one-off cash payment to each pensioner.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Contracting out of the state earnings-related pensions scheme by virtue of an approved occupational pension scheme was introduced by the Social Security Pensions Act 1975. The Government Actuary's report on the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 1990 and the Social Security (Contributions) (Re-rating) Order 1990 (Cm. 948) showed that in 1990–91 the total contribution reductions attributable to both occupational and personal pensions would be about £7·6 billion of which about £2 billion would be in respect of rebates and incentives for personal pensions. It is not appropriate to express these reductions in other ways because they relate directly to benefits that would otherwise be a charge upon the national insurance fund, and the fund in turn depends upon the levels of national insurance contributions and the benefit expenditure which it is required to meet.

  Pension Funds
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to enlarge the power of pension fund trustees.
  380
  Miss Widdecombe
  We have no plans to do so.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received over the operation of company pension funds.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Department receives representations from time to time on various aspects of company pension funds.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to secure the financial interest of company pension fund beneficiaries.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Social Security Act 1990 introduced a number of measures to help members of occupational pension schemes. Members will have a statutory right to annual increases for pension rights built up in the future. Schemes will have to use any surpluses to give increases up to a required level. On the insolvency of an employer, an independent trustee must be appointed to look after members' interests on the winding up of a scheme. From 1 January 1991 early leavers will get the whole of their preserved pension revalued.

  In addition, a pensions ombudsman will he able to assist individuals who have problems with their occupational or personal pension scheme.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what legal or regulatory frameworks exist to control the relationship of a company pension fund to its parent company.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Most occupational pension schemes are set up voluntarily by employers as irrevocable trusts and are therefore subject to trust law. In addition, schemes are required to satisfy the statutory requirements laid down by the Social Security Acts and the requirements For obtaining tax approval under the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1958.

  Research
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list(a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices the spending on social security research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Total spending on social security research in 1989–90 (the latest year for which information is available) was £937,000. Available information for previous years is published in the Cabinet Office annual review of research and development, a copy of which is in the Library.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Jack
  Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. In 1987, a depart-mental purchasing supply directorate was established by
  381
  the Department of Health and Social Security. Before that date purchasing information in the Department of Health and Social Security was not consolidated and information for the financing year 1985–86 is not readily available. Information on purchasing expenditure for the financial years 1986–87 to 1988–89 is given in the table. The figures for the years 1986–87 to 1988–89 cover the Department of Health as well as the Department of Social Security. This information is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are in the Library.

  £ million

  1986–871

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  Goods

  244·118

  268·348

  205·090

  187·835

  Services

  363·780

  375·463

  437·249

  487·181

  Capital

  53·741

  57·060

  99·348

  137·740

  Total

  661·639

  700·838

  741·687

  812·756

  1 Estimate.

  Mobility Allowance
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many deaf-blind people have(a) claimed mobility allowance and (b) been awarded mobility allowance since April.

  Mr. Scott
  From 11 April 1990 to 30 November 1990, 747 mobility allowance claims have been made under the deaf-blind provisions. Of these, 347 have been awarded mobility allowance, 278 have been refused and 122 claims are currently being processed.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Miss Widdecombe
  For information from 1985–86 to 1988–89, I refer the hon. Member to replies given to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 19 December 1986 at columns 793–94, on 14 January 1988 at column 402 and on 13 March 1989 at column 30.

  Expenditure by the Department in 1989–90 is:

  £ million

  Press

  1·486

  Television and radio

  5·313

  Other (including leaflets and videos)1

  8·843

  Sound cassettes

  £212,000

  1 Separate information about expenditure on videos is not available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Enzootic Bovine Leukosis
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps are being taken to ensure that cattle with enzootic bovine leukosis are not imported into the United Kingdom.
  382
  Mr. Maclean
  Imported cattle must be accompanied by a health certificate, signed by an official veterinarian of the Government of the exporting country, confirming among other things that the animals originate from holdings which have been free of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) for up to three years, and that the animals have been subjected to the required testing for EBL, with negative results, before export.

  From 1 July 1991, rules governing trade between member states of the European Community will require that cattle for breeding and production must come only from herds which are officially recognised as EBL free.

  Farmed Salmon
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether his Department has any evidence that residues of dichlorvos are found in the flesh of farmed salmon.

  Mr. Maclean
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 22 November to the hon. Member for Hexham (Mr. Amos),Official Report, column 215.

  Cling Film
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to assure himself that the additives used in the manufacturing of cling film have been adequately tested and have been approved for use with all foodstuffs, including fatty foodstuffs; what requirements there are for product labelling with this information; and what assessment he has made of the risk to public health from this product.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Food Advisory Committee and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment have recently advised that there is no evidence to suggest that the use of additives in cling films has caused harm to human health, and these films remain suitable for most food uses. However, for some additives the toxicological data are not yet complete and as a matter of prudence the committees have advised that cling films should not be used in certain applications, such as in contact with high fat foods.

  Manufacturers are recommended to label packs in accordance with the advice given in the food safety directorate's information bulletin, special edition, a copy of which is in the Library.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. Curry
  Expenditure by this Department in each of the last five years on advertising in the press, radio and television and other promotion is as follows:
  383

  Advertising in the press (£)

  Advertising on television and radio (£)

  Other promotional material (£)

  1985–86

  29,000

  Nil

  656,000

  1986–87

  54,000

  Nil

  825,000

  1987–88

  12,000

  Nil

  693,000

  1988–89

  380,000

  Nil

  1,004,000

  1989–90

  116,000

  Nil

  2,385,000

  The figures for other promotional material include videos produced as part of overall public information campaigns. Separate figures for production of these and sound cassettes could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the countries which are refusing to import British milk due to concerns over BSE; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  The only countries currently restricting imports of milk and milk products because of concerns about BSE are China, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the USSR.

  All the scientific evidence is that milk and milk products are quite safe to consume in any form. This view has been endorsed by the European Community's scientific experts and those of the Office Internationale des Epizooties (OIE). A recent OIE report on BSE recommends that exports of milk and milk products from the United Kingdom should not be restricted for either animal or public health reasons. We will continue to press countries which have imposed restrictions to lift them.

  Pesticides
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many pesticide active ingredients applications he has(a) received, (b) approved and (c) rejected to date in 1990; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  The information requested is set out in the table in respect of applications for agricultural pesticides submitted to this Ministry for approval by the six Departments responsible. Applications for which the Health and Safety Executive is primarily responsible—non-agricultural pesticides—are not included.

  Number

  Received

  7

  Approved (fully/provisonally)

  6

  Approved for experimental use only

  1

  Rejected/Withdrawn

  5

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the active pesticide ingredients which have been reviewed since March 1989; whether they were subject to a full or partial review; whether the active ingredients were withdrawn fully or partially; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  The following agricultural pesticides have been reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides since March 1989. (F = Fully, P = Partially).

  Captafol

  (F) Phased revocation (final use ended 31 October 1990)

  384

  Daminozide

  (P) No change

  Dimethoate

  (P) Approvals amended

  Fenbutatin oxide

  (P) No change

  Fentin acetate

  (P) Approvals amended

  Fentin hydroxide

  (P) Approvals amended

  Iprodione

  (P) Approvals amended

  Alachlor

  (F) Approvals amended

  EBDC's

  (P) Approvals amended

  2-Aminobutane

  (P) Approvals amended

  At present 43 agricultural pesticides are undergoing review, of which four are partial reviews.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many(a) active ingredients and (b) pesticide products are currently approved for use in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Gummer
  The approximate number of pesticides currently approved for use is as follows:

  Agricultural

  Non-agricultural

  Active ingredients

  360

  90

  Products

  3,400

  1,100

  Full details are given in Her Majesty's Stationery Office publication "Pesticides 1990", a copy of which has been lodged in the Library.

  Environmentally Sensitive Areas
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the present levels of environmentally sensitive area payments; if he has any plans to revise them; and if he will also express them at 1986 prices.

  Mr. Curry
  The present level of ESA payments is shown in the table.

  ESA

  £/HA

  Broads

  Tier 1

  125

  Tier 2

  200

  Breckland

  Tier 1

  100

  Tier 2

  125

  Tier 3:

  UWS

  300

  CH

  100

  North Peak

  Tier 1

  10

  Tier 2

  20

  Pennine Dales

  100

  Shropshire Borders

  Tier 1

  30

  Tier 2

  80

  Somerset Levels and Moors

  Tier 1

  82

  Tier 2

  120

  South Downs

  Tier 1

  35

  Tier 2

  160

  Suffolk River Valleys

  Tier 1

  70

  Tier 2

  180

  Tier 3

  200

  Test Valley

  80

  West Penwith

  60

  It was made clear at the outset that it would not be appropriate for these payments to be index-linked, but that they would be reviewed after three years. The review carried out last year for those ESAs designated in 1987 concluded that the payments were still at broadly the right levels. I am now reviewing payments in ESAs designated in 1988, and I will be conducting a full-scale review of the scheme next year to determine the way forward.

  Monetary Compensatory Amounts
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the reasons which lay behind the introduction of monetary compensatory amounts.

  Mr. Curry
  Monetary compensatory amounts were introduced in 1969 when it was agreed that changes in exchange rates should not immediately apply to the exchange rates used to convert common agricultural support prices into national currencies; they were intended to enable trade between member states to continue at common price levels and so prevent the distortions of trade that use of differing exchange rates would have encouraged.

  Flooding, River Severn
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has about the number of places along the River Severn where its banks have burst in each of the last 10 years and the number of dwellings, farms and small holdings that have been damaged as a result.

  Mr. Curry
  There has been no breaching of the banks of the River Severn over the last 10 years. All the flooding which has occurred over this period has been caused by banks being over-topped, consistent with the design which allows over-topping so that river levels can be kept below the point where serious urban flooding of large towns might occur.

  No precise data are available on the number of properties flooded over the last 10 years in the lower and upper Severn areas. In the tidal reach downstream of Gloucester, about 100 domestic properties and two caravan sites in this area have been flooded by high tides, some on more than one occasion. The incidence of tidal flooding along these banks will be reduced as the River Severn tidal defence scheme progresses.

  The extensive floods of last winter, which were of a magnitude that might occur once in 20 years, caused damage to about 350 properties in the upper and lower Severn flood plain. About 60 of these were commercial properties and a further six were farm houses. During this event, a total of 75 sq km of agricultural land was inundated by flood water. Most of the lower Severn over-topped its banks on both sides between Worcester and Gloucester and in the upper Severn upstream of Worcester over-topping occurred in approximately six places.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Curry
  Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Tobacco
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those countries to which high-tar EC tobacco is exported; and what quantities are involved.

  Mr. Curry
  EC published export statistics for tobacco are not broken down by tar content. Exports of EC tobacco in 1989 were 185,067 tonnes, some 13 per cent. of world exports of unmanufactured tobacco. Eurostat statistics giving countries of destination and quantities are available in the Library of the House.

  Ewe Premium
  Mr. Hague
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the payments of the second instalment of the ewe premium have been made; and by what date these payments should be completed.

  Mr. Curry
  About 95 per cent. of all first and second instalments due to producers in England under the 1990 sheep annual premium scheme have now been paid. The outstanding claims will be passed for payment as soon as the necessary checks have been completed.

  Suckler Cow Premium
  Mr. Hague
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of this year's suckler cow premium payments have been made; and by what date these payments should be completed.

  Mr. Curry
  As at 10 December 10,135 payable orders had been issued to producers in England in respect of claims made under the 1990–91 suckler cow premium scheme. The scheme remains open to applications until 31 January 1991. It is not, therefore, possible to say what proportion of the eventual total this figure represents.

EMPLOYMENT

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Flannery
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of unemployed in December 1979 and 1989.

  Mr. Howard
  The number of people unemployed in the United Kingdom on the seasonally adjusted, consistent, basis was 1,055,000 in December 1979 and 1,636,100 in December 1989.

  Tourism (Northumberland)
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will meet the Northumbria tourist board to discuss the development of tourism in Northumberland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  My noble Friend Viscount Ullswater, who has responsibility for tourism matters within the Department of Employment, met officers and members of the Northumbria tourist board yesterday. At that meeting he discussed with the board its strategy for the development of tourism in the region, and its plans for its future role.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Bowis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many responses he has received to his White Paper on employment and disability.

  Mr. Jackson
  By 30 November my Department had received 80 replies to the consultative document, "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities".

  Mr. Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his Department's policy towards the maintenance of the quota system for the employment of people with disabilities.

  Mr. Jackson
  This Department operates the quota system in line with its legal responsibilities. It seeks to underpin the legal requirements on employers by assisting them through the disablement advisory service to improve the effectiveness of employers' recruitment, retention and development policies for people with disabilities. In the consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities" we have asked for comments on the merits and demerits of the quota system.

  Labour Statistics, Lambeth
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of insured workers in Lambeth SW2 and SW9 postal districts is unemployed.

  Mr. Jackson
  There are no official unemployment percentages calculated for postal districts. However, in October 1990 the numbers of unemployed claimants, not seasonally adjusted, in Lambeth SW2 and SW9 were 2,877 and 2,942 respectively.

  Offshore Installations (Safety)
  Mr. Robert Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions he has had with the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association and relevant trade unions on the transfer of the safety responsibility of the Department of Energy to the Health and Safety Executive following the publication of the Cullen report into the Piper Alpha disaster.

  Mr. Howard
  Responsibility for offshore safety remains with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy until arrangements for an efficient transfer are completed. He has indicated that he is willing to have discussions with all those with something to contribute to improving North sea safety. I will adopt a similar approach. In addition, the structure and well-established procedures of the Health and Safety Commission will ensure that all relevant interests are consulted.

  Tourism
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much overseas visitors to the United Kingdom spend per year.

  Mr. Forth
  During 1989, the last full year for which information is available, overseas visitors to the United Kingdom spent £6,945 million.

  COSHH Regulations
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has to improve the working of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations.

  Mr. Forth
  The regulations have been in force for only just over 12 months are there are no reasons for considering any changes to the substance of the regulations. The Health and Safety Executive is monitoring their implementation and is continuing its substantial efforts to explain and enforce the regulations.

  Stallite Batteries, Barnsley
  Mr. Allen McKay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action the Health and Safety Executive intends to take over the recent ombudsman's report on Stallite Batteries, Barnsley.

  Mr. Forth
  The Health and Safety Executive's (HSIE) field organisation has been recently substantially changed as the result of internal efficiency reviews. This change, coupled with improvements to the administration of medical surveillance procedures introduced by HSE following its own internal investigation, have been acknowledged by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, in his report published on 31 October, as a satisfactory outcome to the complaint raised.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what advice he gives to training arid enterprise councils that are having difficulty meeting national standards of training; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  I have had no representations from training and enterprise councils (TECs) that they are having difficulty meeting national standards of training. My Department is ready to offer advice to TECs on the national standards set out by industry.

  EC Labour Statistics
  Mr. Stevens
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the countries in the European Community with a lower rate of unemployment than the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Howard
  Using the latest available internationally comparable figures, Portugal and Luxembourg have lower rates of unemployment than the United Kingdom. No figures are available for the unified Germany.

  Wages (Underpayment)
  Mr. Andrew Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of Stale for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of prosecutions for the illegal underpayment of wages in the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Forth
  In 1989, there were nine prosecutions under the Wages Act 1986 for the illegal underpayment of wages.

  Special Needs
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the report, "Disability Employment and Training, Meeting a Demographic Challenge of the Nineties", produced jointly by SKILL and ILEA.

  Mr. Jackson
  My Department's library already has a copy of the report.

  European Information Centres
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what financial support his Department currently provides for the European information centres in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Forth
  The European information centre network is a European Commission initiative to which the United Kingdom contributes 18·7 per cent. of the budget. In addition, my Department has a small budget for co-ordinating bi-annual meetings of the United Kingdom centres and will also be contributing to the costs of a feasibility study for a national European information centre advertising campaign. My Department also financially supports one of the four pilot centres which is based with the small firms service in London.

  Total Unemployment

  Rate

  6 months or more

  12 months or more

  Avon County

  23,421

  4·7

  10,255

  6,182

  Sunderland TTWA

  19,130

  10·4

  9,700

  6,282

  Medway and Maidstone TTWA

  10,915

  4·4

  4,032

  2,078

  Health and Safety
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what factors he lays down as essential for the attainment of improved health and safety at work.

  Mr. Forth
  Improving standards of health and safety at work requires the commitment of everyone concerned—employers, employees, the self-employed and so on—to comply with their duties under health and safety law. This demands a high degree of safety awareness at all levels, but especially among top management, and an effective management structure to ensure that health and safety risks are identified and appropriate measures taken to deal with those risks. There is no better introduction to the principles of health and safety than the executive's booklet "Essentials of Health and Safety at Work", revised earlier this year, and of which up to October 1990, 85,000 copies had been sold.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which Ministers have been responsible for health and safety at work since May 1979; and for how long each exercised the responsibility.

  Mr. Jackson
  The following Secretaries of State have had overall responsibility for health and safety at work within the Department:
  390
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what financial or other support his Department is planning in the future for United Kingdom European information centres.

  Mr. Forth
  My Department will continue to support the European information centres in the United Kingdom as outlined in my previous answer.

  Action Credit
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the rate of unemployment and long-term unemployment defined as(a) continuously unemployed for a period of six months or more and (b) continuously unemployed for 12 months or more in the three areas chosen for the Training Agency's action credit pilot as pertaining in August 1989.

  Mr. Jackson
  The following information is available in the Library. Unemployment rates are not available for areas smaller than travel-to-work areas. Figures are given for the county of Avon and for the travel-to-work areas most closely approximating to the two other action credit pilot areas as at August 1989. The table shows the total numbers of unemployed claimants and the rate of unemployment and the number who have been unemployed for six months or more and 12 months or more for each area in October 1990, the latest available date. All figures are on the unadjusted basis.

  Dates

  Secretary of State

  From

  To

  The Rt. Hon. James Prior

  9 May 1979

  14 September 1981

  The Rt. Hon. Norman Tebbit

  14 September 1981

  17 October 1983

  The Rt. Hon. Tom King

  17 October 1983

  2 September 1985

  The Rt. Hon. Lord Young of Graffam

  2 September 1985

  12 June 1987

  The Rt. Hon. Norman Fowler

  15 June 1987

  3 January 1990

  The Rt. Hon. Michael Howard

  4 January 1990

  Present

  In addition, Ministers who have had specific responsibility are listed in the table:

  Dates

  Minister

  From

  To

  Patrick Mayhew

  9 May 1979

  5 January 1981

  David Waddington

  6 January 1981

  7 January 1983

  John Gummer

  10 January 1983

  10 September 1984

  Peter Bottomley

  11 September 1984

  23 January 1986

  David Trippier

  24 January 1986

  12 June 1987

  Patrick Nicholls

  IS June 1987

  23 July 1989

  Eric Forth

  24 July 1989

  Present

  Industrial Tribunals
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of applications in industrial tribunals were first heard within 12, 16, 20 and 26 weeks, respectively, of the receipt of the application during the month of October.
  391
  Mr. Forth
  The percentage of cases heard during October within 12, 16, 20 and 26 weeks respectively of the receipt of application were as follows:

  Weeks

  England and Wales

  Scotland

  12

  35

  49

  16

  59

  70

  20

  75

  83

  26

  89

  88

  Health and Safety Executive
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many members of the Health and Safety Executive staff are directly contributing to CEN technical committees and the related working groups;

  (2) what representations he has received concerning the adequacy of the travel expenses being made available to allow the inspectors involved with CEN technical committees and related working groups to attend all meetings where standards are developed and set (a) in the current year and (b) in 1991–92; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) what sums have been made available by the Health and Safety Executive, in providing expenses for inspectors to travel in Europe to attend CEN standard-setting meetings;

  (4) on what occasions, and in respect of which CEN committees or working groups, an inspector has been prohibited from attending a CEN meeting because expenses money is not available;

  (5) which Health and Safety Executive national interest groups are involved with CEN technical committees and related working groups;

  (6) what steps are taken to ensure that sufficient resources are made available so that Health and Safety Executive staff may attend all relevant CEN technical committees and relevant working groups;

  (7) if he will list all the CEN technical committees and working groups which have been assessed as needing the involvement of the Health and Safety Executive;

  (8) if he will make a statement on the priority given to the work of CEN in respect of ensuring good standards of machinery guarding, to protect workers from injury.

  Mr. Forth
  In the last few years the Health and Safety Executive has made a large contribution to the work of CEN and the other European bodies making standards important to health and safety at work. This it does by participation in British Standards Institute committees shadowing work in CEN and as part of the United Kingdom delegation to CEN from BSI. A few examples of areas covered include simple pressure vessels, personal protective equipment and in particular machinery safety, where HSE is very conscious of the need to maintain high levels of protection.

  The importance HSE attaches to standards work is reflected in the growth in resources it has devoted to it, which has risen from around 27 staff years in 1988–89 to an estimated 50 staff years in 1990–91. Most of this increase is accounted for by the rapid growth in standards making in Europe, particularly by CEN.

  Although standards are a significant element in the safety system they are not the only part nor necessarily the most important. When it became apparent that the current rate of growth in standards making in Europe in
  392
  connection with the single market would lead to spending of 68 staff years in 1991–92, the HSE concluded that such a level could not be sustained without unacceptable damage to its other priorities for safety and health. The Health and Safety Commission subsequently decided that the resources committed to standards work should be held at around the present level of 58 staff years for 1991–92, and its reasons were published in its most recent plan of work, for 1990–91, and beyond.

  The executive does not allocate a specific sum to CEN work nor identify costs in this way but exercises firm control over all time, travel and subsistence costs. The task of making standards, especially those needed for the single market is, of course, primarily one for industry and the Government have long been encouraging United Kingdom industry to increase its involvement. Controlling this growth in standards work means that individual members of the HSE will not be able to attend certain CEN meetings. I have received representations on this point, but it is absolutely right that the executive should set its own priorities for staff work. The HSE staff engaged in this work are people with scarce specialist skills which are in great demand to support the executive's general role. Conflicting demands on such resources always mean that priorities must be allocated: sometimes very worth while relevant activities have to take their place behind other more important tasks. Further, it is often the case that an acceptable alternative to attendance at CEN committees is for the executive to play an active role in the relevant BSI technical committees.

  At present 50 individual staff are members of CEN/CENELEC technical committees and related working groups: there are many other staff taking an active part in BSI shadow committees, examining papers and providing support work. A list of the national interest groups involved with this CEN work is at table 1 and the CEN committees with which HSE is involved are at table 2.

  Table 1

  Health and Safety Executive National Interest Groups involved in CEN technical committees and related working groups

  Agriculture—Livestock and Stationary Machinery

  Agriculture—Crop Production

  Agriculture—Forestry

  Ceramics

  Concrete

  Cotton

  Drinks and Packaging

  Engineering "A"

  Engineering "B"

  Food

  Glass

  Molten Metals

  Paper and Board

  Plastics, Leather and Footwear

  Printing

  Quarries

  Rubber

  Woodworking

  Wool

  Table 2

  CEN Committees with an HSE input

  CEN BT 2

  CEN BT 3

  CEN PC 3

  CEN TC 10

  CEN TC 20

  CEN TC 23

  CEN TC 23 SC 1

  CEN TC 23 SC 2

  393

  CEN TC 23 SC 3

  CEN TC 33

  CEN TC 45 WGE

  CEN TC 48

  CEN TC 49

  CEN TC 53

  CEN TC 54

  CEN TC 58

  CEN TC 61

  CEN TC 62

  CEN TC 68

  CEN TC 69 WG 10

  CEN TC 69 WG 10–2

  CEN TC 69 WG 10–6

  CEN TC 79

  CEN TC 79 WG 7

  CEN TC 85

  CEN TC 85 WG 1

  CEN TC 85 WG 3

  CEN TC 85 WG 4

  CEN TC 93

  CEN TC 98

  CEN TC 102

  CEN TC 106

  CEN TC 108

  CEN TC 109

  CEN TC 114

  CEN TC 114 WG 1

  CEN TC 114 WG 2

  CEN TC 114 WG 3

  CEN TC 114 WG 5

  CEN TC 114 WG 6

  CEN TC 114 WG 7

  CEN TC 114 WG 8

  CEN TC 114 WG 10

  CEN TC 114 WG 11

  CEN TC 114 WG 12

  CEN TC 114 WG 15

  CEN TC 119

  CEN TC 121 WG 1

  CEN TC 121 WG 2

  CEN TC 121 WG 5A

  CEN TC 121 WG 5B

  CEN TC 121 WG 5B SWG 1

  CEN TC 121 WG 5B SWG 2

  CEN TC 121 WG 5B SWG 6

  CEN TC 121 WG 7

  CEN TC 122

  CEN TC 122 WG 1

  CEN TC 122 WG 2

  CEN TC 122 WG 3

  CEN TC 122 WG 6

  CEN TC 124

  CEN TC 128

  CEN TC 129

  CEN TC 131

  CEN TC 135

  CEN TC 137

  CEN TC 137 WG 1

  CEN TC 137 WG 2

  CEN TC 138

  CEN TC 140

  CEN TC 142

  CEN TC 143

  CEN TC 144 WG 1

  CEN TC 144 WG 2

  CEN TC 144 WG 3

  CEN TC 144 WG 6

  CEN TC 144 WG 7

  CEN TC 145

  CEN TC 145 WG 1

  CEN TC 145 WG 2

  CEN TC 145 WG 3

  CEN TC 145 WG 4

  CEN TC 145 WG 6

  CEN TC 145 WG 7

  CEN TC 145 WG 8

  CEN TC 146

  CEN TC 146 WG 1

  CEN TC 146 WG 2

  394

  CEN TC 146 WG 3

  CEN TC 147

  CEN TC 147 WG 1 M

  CEN TC 147 WG 2 M

  CEN TC 147 WG 4 C

  CEN TC 147 WG 5 M

  CEN TC 148

  CEN TC 148 WG 1

  CEN TC 148 WG 2

  CEN TC 148 WG 3

  CEN TC 148 WG 4

  CEN TC 150

  CEN TC 151

  CEN TC 151 WG 4

  CEN TC 151 WG 5

  CEN TC 151 WG 6

  CEN TC 151 WG 9

  CENTC 151 WG 10

  CEN TC 152

  CEN TC 153

  CEN TC 155

  CEN TC 157

  CEN TC 158 WG 1

  CEN TC 159

  CEN TC 160

  CEN TC 161

  CEN TC 162

  CEN TC 162 WG 2

  CEN TC 162 WG 4

  CEN TC 168

  CEN TC 168 WG 1

  CEN TC 168 WG 2

  CEN TC 168 WG 3

  CEN TC 179

  CEN TC 180

  CEN TC 181

  CEN TC 182

  CEN TC 188

  CEN TC 196

  CEN TC 196 WG 1

  CEN TC 196 WG 2

  CEN TC 196 WG 3

  CEN TC 196 WG 5

  CEN TC 196 WG 14

  CEN TC 197

  CEN TC 198

  CEN TC 200

  CEN TC 201

  CEN TC 202 N 6

  CEN TC 204

  CENTC 211

  CEN TC 212

  CEN TC 212 WG 3

  CEN TC 214

  CEN TC 214 WG 1

  CEN TC 214 WG 4

  CEN TC 231

  CEN TC 231 WG 1

  CEN TC 231 WG 2

  CEN TC 233

  CEN TC 234

  CEN TC 235

  CEN TC 236

  CEN TC 237

  CEN TC 238

  CEN TC 265

  CEN TC 266

  CEN TC 267

  CEN TC 268

  CEN TC 269

  CENELEC TC 17 A

  CENELEC TC 17 B

  CENELEC TC 17 D

  CENELEC TC 26 A

  CENELEC TC 26 B

  CENELEC SC 31 WG 1

  CENELEC SC 31 WG 2

  CENELEC SC 31 WG 4

  CENELEC SC 31 WG 6

  CENELEC SC 31 WG 7

  395

  CENELEC SC 31 WG 8

  CENELEC SC 31 WG 9

  CENELEC SC 31 WG 11

  CENELEC SC 31 WG 29

  CENELEC TC 44 X

  CENELEC TC 61

  CENELEC TC 61 WG 20

  CENELEC TC 61 F

  CENELEC TC 64 A

  CENELEC TC 74 X

  CENELEC TC 104

  TECs, Cheshire
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress he has made in setting up training and enterprise councils in Cheshire.

  Mr. Jackson
  Progress in setting up training and enterprise councils has been excellent. There are three TECs covering different parts of Cheshire. South and East Cheshire TEC has been fully operational since April 1990. The TEC covering Chester, Ellesmere Port and the Wirral is in development and due to become operational in April 1991, as is the TEC covering north and mid-Cheshire (NorMidTEC).

  Strikes
  Mr. Couchman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of strikes in August.

  Mr. Forth
  It is provisionally estimated that there were 54.

  Advertising
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on(a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

  Mr. Jackson
  The amount spent in each of the last five years by my Department is as follows:

  Press advertising £ million

  Television and radio advertising £ million

  Other advertising and promotion £ million

  1985–86

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  1986–87

  9·7

  25·4

  16·2

  1987–88

  7·5

  20·9

  14·4

  1988–89

  7·7

  14·8

  13·7

  1989–90

  7·8

  8·1

  14·2

  396
  Figures for press, television and radio and other advertising and promotion are not available separately for 1985–86.

  Figures for the amount spent on promotional videos and sound cassettes are included in the "other advertising and promotion category" and could be separated out only at disproportionate cost.

  Goods and Services
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on(a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Forth
  Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Nottingham
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he next expects to make an official visit to Nottingham to discuss the operation of his Department's programmes in the city.

  Mr. Jackson
  At present, neither my right hon. and learned Friend nor I have any plans to visit Nottingham. The Department operates a full range of employment, enterprise and training measures in Nottingham.

  Deaf People (Interpreters)
  Mr. Oakes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide funding for an interpreter service for the deaf within the Employment Service.

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 10 December 1990]: The Employment Service has recently published a summary paper on an evaluation of the special schemes which are designed to help remove specific barriers to work resulting from disabilities, together with a letter seeking comments. Any views on the funding of an interpreter service for deaf people in response to these consultations will be considered along with all other comments received.

  CHILD BENEFIT: PAYMENTS
  CHILD BENEFIT: PAYMENTS
  FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNCIL, BRUSSELS, 4th DECEMBER
  FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNCIL, BRUSSELS, 4th DECEMBER
  THE GULF: SANCTIONS COSTS
  THE GULF: SANCTIONS COSTS
  MEDICAL IMPLANTS: RESEARCH
  MEDICAL IMPLANTS: RESEARCH
  MANSION HOUSE UNDERGROUND STATION
  MANSION HOUSE UNDERGROUND STATION
  THE GULF: TROOP COMMAND
  THE GULF: TROOP COMMAND
  PHARMACEUTICAL R & D
  PHARMACEUTICAL R & D
  PHARMACEUTICAL PATENTS
  PHARMACEUTICAL PATENTS
  PHARMACEUTICAL INTERNATIONAL TRADING
  PHARMACEUTICAL INTERNATIONAL TRADING
  BUILDING CLEANING WORK TENDERING, DIRECTION
  BUILDING CLEANING WORK TENDERING, DIRECTION
  SUBORDINATE PLANNING LEGISLATION: PROPOSALS
  SUBORDINATE PLANNING LEGISLATION: PROPOSALS
  DOG CONTROL MEASURES
  DOG CONTROL MEASURES
  SINGLE HOMELESS: ASSISTANCE
  SINGLE HOMELESS: ASSISTANCE
  THE GULF: POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENT DAMAGE
  THE GULF: POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENT DAMAGE