Written Answers of 8 January 1990

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Taken-over Cases
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will list those cases taken over by the Director of Public Prosecutions since 1987.

  The Attorney-General
  Statistics concerning private prosecutions are not collected. The CPS has identified 28 private prosecutions conducted by private individuals or bodies which have been taken over by the Crown prosecution service since 1987. I will write to the hon. Gentleman listing the cases.

  John Black RN
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Attorney-General whether he is now in a position to give a date when the High Court will hear his application for a fresh inquest into the death of the late Petty Officer John Black, RN, in Sabinillas, Spain, in December 1983.

  The Attorney-General
  No. The case is in the Crown list, but no hearing date has yet been fixed by the court.

  Courts and Legal Services Bill [Lords]
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Attorney-General what is the estimated cost of implementing the Courts and Legal Services Bill[Lords].

  The Attorney-General
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 7 December 1989 at column 316, and to the explanatory and financial memorandum prefacing the Bill.

TRANSPORT

  Cyclists
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will direct British Rail to consider ways in which cyclists can more easily use rail services.

  Mr. Portillo
  British Rail has regular contact with the cycling organisations and is aware of their needs. I understand that BR's policy is to welcome cyclists and to convey bicycles whenever possible, for an appropriate charge, provided that this will not unduly inconvenience other passengers, or displace other revenue-earning traffic such as parcels.

  Motoring Organisations
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which motoring organisations he or his predecessor met over the last year; and on which dates.

  Mr. Atkins
  During 1989 Transport Ministers met representatives of motoring organisations as follows:
  462
  The Automobile Association:

  24 January

  14 June

  20 June

  19 July

  31 October

  29 November

  The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs:

  6 September

  The Institute of Advanced Motorists:

  14 December

  The Royal Automobile Club:

  26 June

  6 September

  7 November

  Prestwick Airport
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many flights have been diverted to Prestwick since 1 November.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The Civil Aviation Authority has not yet published figures for this period. Preliminary information from Prestwick Airport Limited indicates that, from 1 November to 31 December 1989, the airport handled 144 air transport movements diverted from other airports.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which building surveyors, land agents or chartered surveyors were used by his Department or by the British Airports Authority, or by his or their advisers, to value land at Prestwick airport, including land not required for airport operations, when assessing the assets of the British Airports Authority for privatisation.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Page 58 of the prospectus offering shares in BAA for sale records that Debenham Tewson and Chinnocks Limited, international property advisers, valued the land at the BAA airports.

  Channel Tunnel
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement following the Anglo-French intergovernmental commission announcement that passengers will not leave their cars and coaches when travelling through the Channel tunnel with particular regard to safety aspects in the tunnel.

  Mr. Portillo
  No. The intergovernmental commission was established by the Channel fixed link treaty to supervise, in the name and on behalf of the two Governments, all matters concerning the construction and operation of the fixed link. On safety matters, it is advised by the independent binational safety authority, also established by the treaty. Parliament has accepted that the safety authority is the right body to oversee tunnel safety standards. I believe that the safety authority will shortly be publishing a report which sets out the information on which its unanimous recommendation to the commission is based.

  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the make-up and terms of reference for his Department's working group on the assessment of the impact of railway noise with regard to the Channel tunnel link.
  463
  Mr. Portillo
  The aim will be to establish for new railway lines a noise standard at a level which equitably relates to the standard set by regulation for new highways. I hope to make an announcement shortly about the establishment of a departmental committee to carry out this task.

  LRT (Safety)
  Mr. Carrington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is yet in a position to announce safety and quality of service objectives for London Regional Transport.

  Mr. Parkinson
  [pursuant to his reply, 20 December 1989, c. 280]: Following is a fuller text of my letter to the chairman of London Regional Transport.

  "My predecessor wrote to you on your appointment about the challenges facing London Regional Transport. He asked you to prepare a strategy for the coming years, which could be used as a basis for setting formal objectives for you and your Board.
  Your response takes the form of the "Chairman's Planning Statement," which you are about to publish. In the light of that statement, I am writing to you about the safety and quality of service objectives I wish you to pursue. Before 1 April 1990 I shall settle with you the financial objectives for LRT covering the next three financial years.

  Safety
  LRT and its subsidiaries are responsible for the safe operation of the services they provide. The Fennell Report on the King's Cross fire underlined the need to give the highest priority to safety and to address safety matters explicitly in all LRT's activities. You have undertaken with vigour the task of implementing the Fennell Report's recommendations. You have already fully implemented 73 of the 127 recommendations addressed to LRT or London Underground, and have in hand action on the remaining 54.
  You have also now established a clear framework for collecting statistics on safety performance, setting safety objectives and monitoring and auditing safety performance at every level of the organisation. This should ensure the progressive improvement in the safety of all the services you provide or secure. I welcome the steps you have taken. I hereby endorse the safety objectives set out in Annex A to this letter.

  Quality of Service on the Underground
  Demand for Underground services has grown by more than 70 per cent. since 1982. This has put the Underground under strain and we are all agreed that the quality of service for passengers is not as good as it should be.
  Much of passengers' dissatisfaction stems from overcrowding. The only way to deal adequately with the growth in demand is to invest in increasing the capacity of the system. This is why approval has been given for a massive investment programme, including the £900 million Major Upgrading Programme and the extension of the Jubilee Line to service East London and Docklands. Urgent work is in progress on the options for another major new line to relieve congestion. In the shorter term, we must ensure that the most is made of the existing system. I am therefore setting objectives for improvement in such areas as peak capacity, reliability and the availability of lifts and escalators. I shall look to London Underground to meet these as soon as possible and, in any case, no later than 31 March 1992. These objectives are set out in full at Annex B to the Letter.

  Docklands Light Railway
  The Docklands Light Railway has been in operation for just over two years. It is now being extended to the City and to Beckton. Measures are in hand to increase its capacity still further. It is vital that the DLR provides a reliable and high-quality service, as the system is upgraded and capacity increased. I am therefore setting targets for the DLR covering aspects of service similar to those in the objectives set for the
  464
  Underground. These are set out in Annex C. Again, the targets should be met as soon as possible, and no later than 31 March 1992.

  LRT Bus Services
  Despite increasing difficulties with traffic congestion, there has been a noticeable improvement in the percentage of scheduled bus mileage actually operated, and average waiting time has been stabilised over the past couple of years. You have increased the number of routes let by competitive tender. You have also restructured London Buses Ltd. into smaller, more accountable, subsidiaries. These measures have played a valuable part in securing better quality and value for money. I now think that the time has come to build on that success by setting LRT quality of service targets for all its bus services, including those operated by London Buses and other operators on contract. The objectives are set out in Annex D.

  LRT Travel Enquiry Service
  It is important that passengers should have ready access to up-to-date information on all LRT's passenger services. I am therefore setting LRT's Travel Enquiry Service the objective of ensuring that 75 per cent. of telephone callers receiving the ringing tone should be answered within 30 seconds and no more than 10 per cent. of callers should receive the engaged tone.
  You will report to my Department and to the London Regional Passengers' Committee at quarterly intervals, the performance achieved against the quality of service objectives.
  As you know, it is also my intention to set LRT, in good time before 1 April, financial objectives for the next three financial years. These will be designed to ensure that these safety and quality of service objectives are met as efficiently and economically as possible, so that customers and taxpayers, receive proper value for money. Our officials are already in touch about this."

  Copies of the annexes to this letter have been placed in the House Libraries.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Elected Executive
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in favour of electing an executive separately from Parliament.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  None.

  Written Constitution
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the subject of a written constitution.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Government receive representations from time to time advocating a written constitution. These could be enumerated only at disproportionate cost.

  Second Chamber
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received seeking the establishment of a democratically elected second chamber.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Government receive representations from time to time advocating abolition or reform of the House of Lords. They could be enumerated only at disproportionate cost.

  Prisons (Transfers)
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were awaiting transfer to Thorp Arch from Durham at the end of the months August through to November.

  Mr. Mellor
  At the end of the four months for which information has been requested, the numbers of prisoners held at Her Majesty's prison Durham awaiting transfer to Her Majesty's prison Thorp Arch were as follows:

  Number

  August 1989

  38

  September 1989

  43

  October 1989

  48

  November 1989

  54

  Shamim Ayaz
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Shamim Ayaz, Ref. H 162359; Imm/15031, is to be issued with a passport to join his father in the United Kingdom; when the post in Islamabad was instructed by him to issue a visa to Shamim Ayaz; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Mr. Shamim Ayaz's application for entry clearance to settle in the United Kingdom as the dependent son of Mr. Muzaffar Hussain has been referred by the entry clearance officer in Islamabad to the immigration department of the Home Office for consideration under paragraph 56 of the immigration rules and the concession announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr. Hurd) on 14 June 1989 at column 463. The papers arrived on 1 December and a decision will be taken as soon as possible.

  Political Refugees
  Sir David Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will specify the criteria under which political refugees are now admitted to the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Applications for asylum on arrival at United Kingdom ports are considered under the criteria of the 1951 United Nations convention and 1967 protocol relating to the status of refugees. Article 1 of the convention defines a refugee as inter alia someone who"owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country".
  If the person has arrived from a safe third country he or she may be returned to that country to pursue an application there. A refugee who has already found protection in another country may be admitted to the United Kingdom if this is a more appropriate country of refuge.

  Prisons (Capacity)
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the under or over-capacity of Thorp Arch and Durham prisons at the end of the months August to November.

  Mr. Mellor
  The details requested are set out in the table.
  466

  Durham

  Thorp

  Certified Normal Accommodation Population3 on:

  1729

  2156

  25 August

  1,002

  144

  29 September

  1,006

  150

  27 October

  976

  149

  24 November

  1,019

  146

  1 There was no change to the certified normal accommodation at Durham Prison during the period in question.

  2 Available accommodation at Thorp Arch has effectively been reduced to 150 since August to allow for a rolling programme of refurbishment, involving the installation of integral sanitation.

  3 The population details provided refer to the last Friday in each of the four months.

  Brownhills and Heywood High Schools
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the application by Staffordshire county council for section 11 money in respect of Brownhills and Heywood high schools; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John Patten
  Additional information submitted by the authority on 8 December is being considered. We hope to be in a position to take a decision on the application shortly.

  Alcohol Consumption
  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any proposals to change the law to promote and encourage non and low-alcohol consumption by young people.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  We very much welcome the introduction, by my hon. Friend the Member for Honiton (Sir Peter Emery) of the Licensing (Low Alcohol Drinks) Bill, which seeks to amend the definition of intoxicating liquor in the Licensing Act 1964 and of alcoholic liquor in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976.

  Robberies
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will supply statistics of robberies, and attempted robberies involving the confrontation of counter staff in the betting office, banking and building society industries over the past three years.

  Mr. John Patten
  Information is not available in the form requested. The total numbers of notifiable offences of robbery are published annually, and most recently in table 2.10 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1988" (Cm. 847). Information on the location of notifiable offences of robbery in which firearms were reported to have been used is given in table 3.8 of the same publication. A copy of this publication is available in the Library. Offences of attempted robbery are included in the robbery category and are not separately identified in the figures collected centrally.

  Hong Kong
  Mr. Marlow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visitors there have been to the United Kingdom from Hong Kong, arriving in each of the last 36 months for which he has figures.
  467
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The latest available information is given in the table for British dependent territories citizens from Hong Kong. Reliable figures of admissions of stateless persons from Hong Kong are not available.

  Hong Kong British Dependent Territory Citizens admitted to the United Kingdom as ordinary or business visitors, November 1986 to October 1989

  Number of persons

  Month

  1986

  1987

  1988

  11989

  January

  —

  1,890

  1,280

  1,510

  February

  —

  2,230

  3,360

  3,870

  March

  —

  1,570

  1,650

  2,280

  April

  —

  2,010

  2,060

  1,950

  May

  —

  2,640

  2,280

  2,600

  June

  —

  3,560

  3,380

  4,490

  July

  —

  5,370

  4,990

  5,440

  August

  —

  5,280

  4,540

  5,760

  September

  —

  3,210

  3,520

  3,960

  October

  —

  2,850

  2,890

  3,100

  November

  1,260

  1,760

  1,610

  n.y.a.

  December

  1,750

  1,980

  1,840

  n.y.a.

  Annual total

  27,100

  34,400

  33,400

  n.y.a.

  1 Provisional.

  n.y.a. = Not yet available.

  Downing Street Railings
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the expected savings to the Metropolitan police following the erection of railings in Downing street.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  None.

  Ambulance Duties
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the number of police man hours employed in ambulance duties per police authority, to date.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The readily available information is that up to 31 December police forces had provided approximately the number of man hours shown in the table in assisting the ambulance service in their areas.

  Approximate number of man hours

  Hours

  Bedfordshire

  17,700

  Derbyshire

  6,900

  Dorset

  9,500

  Hampshire

  5,100

  Hertfordshire

  31,600

  Lincolnshire

  2,600

  South Yorkshire

  27,300

  Staffordshire

  1,750

  Surrey

  850

  Warwickshire

  460

  West Mercia

  6,100

  West Midlands

  35,500

  West Yorkshire

  20,700

  I understand that in the Metropolitan police district about 460 officers are usually employed in each 24-hour period assisting the ambulance service.

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost per police man hour of deploying the police on ambulance duties(a) outside London and (b) in London.
  468
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The charge that is made by the Metropolitan police to the regional health authority for police officers who assist the London ambulance service is £16·20 per hour of normal duty time worked. Information about the charges made outside London is not available centrally; the level of charge is determined by the relevant police authority.

  Visas (Indian Sub-continent)
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are waiting for interview in queues 1,2,3 and 4 at each British post on the Indian sub-continent, and if he will give comparable figures for 1988, 1987 and 1986.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  [holding answer 18 December 1989]: The information requested is given in the table.

  Estimated numbers of applicants in the Indian sub—continent awaiting their first interview for entry to the United Kingdom

  Number of persons

  Post1

  Category3

  Queue 1

  Queue 2

  Queue 3

  Queue 4

  Dhaka

  End September

  1986

  640

  1,900

  130

  2,700

  1987

  400

  1,800

  140

  2,600

  1988

  230

  1,600

  150

  2,100

  1989

  120

  650

  120

  1,400

  New Delhi4

  End September

  1986

  70

  210

  460

  180

  1987

  40

  320

  600

  90

  1988

  —

  300

  400

  110

  1989

  —

  260

  330

  90

  Bombay

  End September

  1986

  120

  450

  480

  130

  1987

  560

  460

  40

  140

  1988

  30

  350

  480

  50

  1989

  —

  420

  530

  90

  Madras5

  End September

  1987

  1—

  10

  1—

  6—

  1988

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1989

  —

  20

  10

  6—

  Islamabad

  End September

  1986

  880

  610

  2,100

  740

  1987

  790

  970

  2,300

  850

  1988

  1,200

  1,600

  2,400

  1,000

  1989

  250

  2,300

  1,700

  940

  Karachi

  End September

  1986

  20

  60

  100

  1—

  1987

  10

  80

  190

  10

  1988

  10

  180

  210

  4—

  1989

  1—

  30

  20

  1—

  Total Indian sub—continent

  End September

  1986

  1,700

  3,200

  3,300

  3,800

  1987

  1,800

  3,600

  3,300

  3,600

  1988

  1,500

  4,100

  3,600

  3,300

  1989

  370

  3,600

  2,700

  2,500

  1 5 or fewer

  2 There were no applicants awaiting for interview in Calcutta.

  3 Queue 1: Persons with a claim to the right of abode, dependent relatives over 70 years old, and special compassionate cases (first—time applicants for settlement).

  469

  Queue 2: Spouses, and children under 18 years old (first-time applicants for settlement).

  Queue 3: Fiance(e)s, and other applicants (first-time applicants for settlement).

  Queue 4: Re-applicants for settlement.

  4 Data exclude persons seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom.

  5Madras did not re-open for entry clearance work until October 1986.

  6 Separate data are not available; re-applicants are included in the data for first-time applicants.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have applied over the past year for visas to visit the United Kingdom from British posts on the Indian sub-continent; how many were(a) granted and (b) refused; and what was the average waiting time for (i) interview and (ii) secured interview.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  [holding answer 18 December 1989]: In the 12 months ending 30 September 1989, 176,500 persons in the Indian sub-continent applied for a visa to visit the United Kingdom; during the same period 151,800 such applications were granted, including those granted on appeal, and 19,400 were refused initially. Visit applications were considered within 24 hours.

  Those applicants who then required a detailed interview were usually seen within the 24-hour period except in Madras and Islamabad where the waiting time for applicants interviewed at the end of October 1989 was two to three and eight days respectively. The average waiting time over the latest 12 months is not available centrally because of incomplete information.

  Civil Defence
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total amount of civil defence grant aid for(a) staff costs, (b) building work and (c) other costs in the financial years from 1983–84 to 1988–89 and projected for 1989–90, received by each London borough.

  Mr. John Patten
  [holding answer 14 December 1989]: The information requested in respect of financial years 1985–86 onwards is shown in the table. Comparable figures for 1983–84 and 1984–85 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Civil defence grant aid received by London boroughs 1985–86

  Borough

  Staff £

  Building £

  Other £

  Barking and Dagenham

  1,892

  —

  3,349

  Barnet

  —

  0—

  3,300

  Bexley

  —

  3,692

  2,765

  Brent

  —

  —

  1,822

  Bromley

  3,694

  —

  4,838

  Camden

  —

  —

  1,956

  City of London

  —

  —

  12,321

  Croydon

  —

  —

  2,014

  Ealing

  1,061

  —

  —

  Enfield

  —

  —

  57

  Greenwich

  286

  —

  1,718

  Hackney

  —

  —

  1,530

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  —

  —

  2,361

  Haringey

  —

  —

  2,301

  Harrow

  —

  —

  1,409

  Havering

  1,562

  —

  —

  Hillingdon

  —

  —

  5,651

  Hounslow

  1,158

  —

  1,461

  Islington

  —

  —

  1,404

  Kensington and Chelsea

  680

  —

  2,218

  Kingston

  —

  —

  2,337

  Lambeth

  —

  —

  7,105

  470

  Borough

  Staff £

  Building £

  Other £

  Lewisham

  —

  —

  3,818

  Merton

  2,501

  75,000

  2,442

  Newham

  —

  —

  1,323

  Redbridge

  618

  —

  2,003

  Richmond

  —

  —

  —

  Southwark

  —

  —

  5,092

  Sutton

  —

  —

  3,433

  Tower Hamlets

  1,295

  —

  3,119

  Waltham Forest

  —

  10,003

  1,985

  Wandsworth

  —

  —

  5,911

  Westminster

  —

  —

  2,282

  Civil Defence grant aid received by London boroughs 1986–87

  Borough

  Staff £

  Building £

  Other £

  Barking and Dagenham

  2,061

  —

  3,364

  Barnet

  —

  —

  2,230

  Bexley

  —

  —

  4,143

  Brent

  —

  —

  1,894

  Bromley

  3,402

  —

  4,249

  Camden

  —

  —

  2,393

  City of London

  —

  146,656

  14,453

  Croydon

  —

  —

  2,076

  Ealing

  224

  —

  198

  Enfield

  —

  —

  45

  Greenwich

  —

  —

  1,737

  Hackney

  —

  —

  1,900

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  —

  —

  3,330

  Haringey

  —

  —

  2,370

  Harrow

  —

  —

  5,724

  Havering

  1,530

  —

  —

  Hillingdon

  —

  —

  5,565

  Hounslow

  1,218

  —

  1,351

  Islington

  —

  —

  1,579

  Kensington and Chelsea

  648

  —

  2,405

  Kingston

  —

  —

  2,675

  Lambeth

  —

  —

  6,922

  Lewisham

  —

  —

  2,492

  Merton

  3,552

  —

  3,015

  Newham

  —

  —

  1,173

  Redbridge

  644

  —

  2,027

  Richmond

  29,279

  —

  4,418

  Southwark

  —

  —

  4,193

  Sutton

  —

  —

  3,616

  Tower Hamlets

  1,363

  —

  3,473

  Waltham Forest

  94,582

  —

  1,964

  Wandsworth

  —

  —

  5,886

  Westminster

  —

  —

  2,362

  Civil defence grant aid received by London boroughs 1987–88

  Borough

  Staff (£)

  Building (£)

  Other (£)

  Barking and Dagenham

  2,179

  —

  4,186

  Barnet

  —

  —

  2,897

  Bexley

  —

  —

  6,200

  Brent

  —

  —

  1,870

  Bromley

  3,611

  —

  4,474

  Camden

  —

  —

  2,545

  City of London

  —

  —

  21,447

  Croydon

  —

  —

  2,334

  Ealing

  —

  —

  —

  Enfield

  —

  —

  —

  Greenwich

  —

  —

  1,763

  Hackney

  —

  —

  2,044

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  —

  —

  5,842

  Haringey

  —

  —

  2,394

  Harrow

  —

  —

  11,338

  Havering

  1,568

  —

  450

  Hillingdon

  —

  —

  5,715

  Hounslow

  1,248

  —

  3,341

  Islington

  —

  —

  1,796

  Kensington and Chelsea

  593

  —

  2,510

  Kingston

  —

  —

  3,326

  471

  Borough

  Staff (£)

  Building (£)

  Other (£)

  Lambeth

  —

  —

  6,429

  Lewisham

  —

  —

  2,623

  Merton

  3,633

  —

  4,298

  Newham

  —

  —

  1,599

  Redbridge

  —

  —

  —

  Richmond

  —

  —

  2,977

  Southwark

  —

  —

  4,325

  Sutton

  —

  —

  3,671

  Tower Hamlets

  1,396

  —

  3,854

  Waltham Forest

  —

  8,831

  3,227

  Wandsworth

  —

  —

  6,035

  Westminster

  —

  —

  2,095

  Civil defence grant aid received by London boroughs 1988–89

  Borough

  Staff £

  Building £

  Other £

  Barking and Dagenham

  2,416

  —

  3,277

  Barnet

  —

  —

  2,078

  Bexley

  —

  —

  2,938

  Brent

  —

  —

  2,167

  Bromley

  2,365

  —

  4,312

  Camden

  —

  —

  2,902

  City of London

  —

  3,744

  5,682

  Croydon

  —

  —

  2,334

  Ealing

  —

  —

  —

  Enfield

  —

  —

  —

  Greenwich

  —

  Hackney

  —

  —

  1,778

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  —

  —

  4,840

  Haringey

  —

  —

  2,663

  Harrow

  —

  —

  8,986

  Havering

  1,632

  —

  4,862

  Hillingdon

  —

  —

  4,111

  Hounslow

  1,299

  —

  1,553

  Islington

  —

  —

  1,858

  Kensington and Chelsea

  950

  —

  2,390

  Kingston

  —

  —

  11,177

  Lambeth

  —

  —

  7,359

  Lewisham

  —

  —

  3,833

  Merton

  —

  —

  —

  Newham

  —

  —

  1,531

  Redbridge

  —

  —

  —

  Richmond

  —

  —

  1,648

  Southwark

  —

  —

  5,288

  Sutton

  —

  —

  3,855

  Tower Hamlets

  —

  —

  —

  Waltham Forest

  —

  —

  1,948

  Wandsworth

  —

  —

  6,888

  Westminster

  —

  —

  2,415

  Civil defence grant aid received by London boroughs 1989–90(Estimated)

  Borough

  Staff £

  Building £

  Other £

  Barking and Dagenham

  2,280

  —

  3,240

  Barnet

  —

  —

  3,070

  Bexley

  —

  —

  —

  Brent

  —

  —

  —

  Bromley

  4,350

  —

  4,710

  Camden

  —

  —

  3,000

  City of London

  —

  9,500

  5,800

  Croydon

  —

  —

  2,240

  Ealing

  —

  —

  —

  Enfield

  —

  —

  —

  Greenwich

  —

  —

  1,660

  Hackney

  —

  —

  2,240

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  —

  —

  4,669

  Haringey

  —

  —

  3,318

  Harrow

  —

  —

  8,560

  Havering

  —

  —

  —

  Hillingdon

  —

  —

  5,265

  Hounslow

  1,730

  —

  2,200

  Islington

  —

  —

  —

  472

  Borough

  Staff £

  Building £

  Other £

  Kensington and Chelsea

  —

  4,900

  —

  Kingston

  —

  —

  12,500

  Lambeth

  —

  —

  6,734

  Lewisham

  —

  —

  —

  Merton

  —

  —

  —

  Newham

  —

  —

  2,810

  Redbridge

  920

  —

  300

  Richmond

  —

  —

  1,670

  Southwark

  —

  —

  4,650

  Sutton

  —

  —

  3,500

  Tower Hamlets

  —

  —

  —

  Waltham Forest

  —

  —

  —

  Wandsworth

  —

  —

  6,074

  Westminster

  —

  —

  —

  Accountancy Firms
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outside accountancy firms are employed by his Department; whether such employment is subject to any guidelines; and whether he takes steps before employing an accountancy firm to discover whether that firm has been censured by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors in their inquiries under the Companies Act.

  Mr. Waddington
  [holding answer 14 December 1989]: The Home Office is currently employing four accountancy firms. Contracts are awarded which provide value for money from competent firms, after consultations as necessary and where appropriate, in the light of advice given by Her Majesty's Treasury.

  Arts and Design
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure was made by his Department on(a) the arts and (b) design in the last financial year.

  Mr. Waddington
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: A number of items of my Department's expenditure—for example, the provision and maintenance of prisons and programmes for prisoners, and the production of various publications—contain elements that could be classified as expenditure on arts and—or design, but in general it is not practicable to separate and cost those elements.

  All prison education departments provide courses in art and craft work, but, because these courses are part of the total education provision, it is not possible to identify separately expenditure on them. Expenditure on the annual Koestler Trust exhibition of prisoners' art and craft is estimated to have been £20,000 in 1988–89.

ENERGY

  Plutonium
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy at what point plutonium created in civil reactors under safeguards becomes no longer subject to safeguards when distributed in plutonium-contaminated wastes at Sellafield.

  Mr. Baldry
  Detailed discussions are continuing with the international safeguards authorities on the safeguards to be applied to waste containing civil nuclear material.

  Euratom Annual Safeguards Report
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has received a copy of the 1988–89 Euratom annual safeguards report from the European Commission.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Secretary of State has received no such report.

  Neighbourhood Energy Action
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy from what percentage of projects in England and Wales Neighbourhood Energy Action has received statistical returns.

  Mr. Wakeham
  In the latest two quarters for which information is available (April to June and July to September 1989) the response rates of projects in England and Wales providing statistical returns to Neighbourhood Energy Action were both over 99 per cent.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will itemise the progress made by the Energy Efficiency Office in developing quality indicators for Neighbourhood Energy Action projects.

  Mr. Wakeham
  All community insulation projects operating under employment training are contracted to undertake a "standard job" to a specification provided by Neighbourhood Energy Action. In addition, that organisation with the support of the Energy Efficiency Office, is continuing to develop certified training for the benefit of both project staff and trainees.

  Gas-fired Power Stations
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list all the schemes for gas-fired power stations which are known to his Department giving in each case details of the progress of applications for consent to build and operate them and the names of the organisations concerned.

  Mr. Wakeham
  Not all gas-fired projects known to my Department are in the public domain, and I must respect the wish for commercial confidentiality where it exists. The projects that have been made public, and the consents that I have so far given are:

  Company

  Project

  Consents received

  Lakeland Power

  Roosecote

  Gas burn consent

  Thames Power

  Barking

  Gas burn consent

  Hawker Siddeley

  Corby

  Gas burn consent

  Peterborough

  Gas burn consent

  Lasmo/Ranger

  South Denes

  Gas burn consent

  British Sugar

  Brigg

  —

  Shell

  Shellhaven

  —

  ICl/Enron

  Wilton

  —

  Sheffield Heat & Power

  Sheffield

  —

  CEGB

  Killingholme (A)

  Gas burn consent

  Little Barford

  Gas burn consent

  Killingholme(PowerGen)

  Gas burn consent

  Rye House

  Gas burn consent

  The stations planned by the CEGB would require capital investment approval in addition to consents from me under section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act 1909. I
  474
  shall reach decisions in due course. I cannot comment on the position on other consents or authorisations which may be required for these stations from other authorities.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment his Department has made of the likely impact on employment in the mining industry of the proposed gas-fired power station at Killingholme.

  Mr. Wakeham
  It will be for the British Coal Corporation to assess the implications for its manpower requirements of changes in fuel purchasing arrangements within the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what effect the European Community directive prohibiting the use of national gas for power generation is likely to have on gas-fired power station proposals in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Wakeham
  The use of gas for power generation is not prohibited by EEC directive 75/404; rather, its use has to meet certain criteria. The Government assess gas-powered generation project proposals against the criteria in the directive, such as the thermal efficiency and environmental impact of the plant.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what estimate his Department has made of the likely impact of gas-fired power stations on the consumption of coal in power stations.

  Mr. Wakeham
  My Department makes no such estimates; decisions on fossil fuel choice are matters for the industry. Mechanistic scenarios, which are not to be construed as estimates, illustrating the technical options which may be available to curtail emissions of the greenhouse gases from the United Kingdom are however contained in my Department's paper "An evaluation of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and measures to ameliorate them", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Section 2 of chapter 5 deals with alternative fossil-fuelled power generation.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is his Department's estimate of the likely increase in gas-fired generating capacity in the United Kingdom in each year to 1995;

  (2) what is his Department's estimate of the likely percentage of electricity to be generated by gas-fired power stations in each year to 1995.

  Mr. Wakeham
  This depends on the growth of demand and on decisions to be taken by the electricity industry.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, when he expects to announce his decision on the application to build a gas-fired power station at Killingholme.

  Mr. Wakeham
  The CEGB has submitted two applications for my consent under section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act 1909 to construct combined cycle gas turbine power stations at Killingholme. My officials are currently discussing a number of points relevant to my consideration of the applications with the CEGB, the relevant local planning authorities and other Government Departments. I will announce my decisions on the two applications when I am ready to do so.

  Energy Efficiency
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what financial resources will be made available to the Director General of Electricity Supply to promote energy efficiency and electricity conservation measures.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Office of Electricity Regulation will be financed by vote with its costs covered through licence fees. It will be for the director general to assess the resources he needs and to manage those resources in the most appropriate way to meet his statutory duties.

  Close links are being established between his office and the Energy Efficiency Office to ensure that they both complement and reinforce one another's work in the important area of energy efficiency.

  Energy Conservation
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will amend the draft licence for electricity suppliers to allow cost-pass-through for energy conservation measures.

  Mr. Wakeham
  I am reviewing the conditions in all the electricity licences with a view to publishing revised versions of the licences shortly.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Grants
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Oxford, East,Official Report, 18 December, columns 36–40, if he will publish the numbers of students on which his calculations are based for each year from 1990 to 2027.

  Mr. Jackson
  The table gives estimates of the numbers of students eligible for loans from 1990–91 to 2000–01 inclusive. The basis is the United Kingdom. The figures in annex E of the White Paper rest on a series of assumptions, one being that numbers remain constant after the end of the century. This assumption also applies to the revised estimates of costs and savings.

  United Kingdom numbers eligible for loans

  Year

  (000s)

  1990

  569·2

  1991

  582·2

  1992

  584·6

  Calendar Year

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  11989

  Number of maintained secondary schools approved for closure

  106

  117

  107

  92

  94

  (i) girls' schools

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  7

  9

  (ii) boys' schools

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  9

  7

  (iii) mixed schools

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  76

  78

  (iv) voluntary schools

  18

  33

  23

  18

  7

  (v) county schools

  88

  84

  84

  74

  87

  Number of maintained secondary schools for which proposals were approved for significant change of character

  31

  75

  18

  35

  37

  (i) girls' schools

  1

  —

  —

  2

  3

  (ii) boys' schools

  1

  1

  3

  1

  2

  (iii) mixed schools

  29

  74

  15

  32

  32

  476

  Year

  (000s)

  1993

  580·6

  1994

  576·4

  1995

  574·3

  1996

  581·6

  1997

  600·0

  1998

  625·7

  1999

  645·1

  2000

  655·5

  Disabled Students
  Mr. Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to revise the guidelines to local education authorities concerning administration of the disabled students allowance; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  As I indicated in the reply that I gave to my right hon. Friend on 19 December 1989 at columns 219–20, guidance is normally issued to local education authorities following the revision of the mandatory awards regulations. My right hon. Friend will consider later this year what if any new guidance is needed on the disabled students' allowance, after he has reviewed the contents of the regulations in the light of representations received.

  Mr. Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether students who become disabled during their course will continue to receive loans.

  Mr. Jackson
  An eligible student who becomes disabled will remain eligible for loans.

  Secondary Schools
  Mr. Norris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Epping Forest of 29 November,Official Report, columns 261–2, if he will break down the information in (a) and (b) on closures and significant changes of character of secondary schools by the categories (i) to (v) which he has applied in the case of enlarged schools under (c).

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The information is given in the table. Figures in respect of school closures are for the total number of schools approved for closure in a given year; the equivalent figures in my answer of 29 November were net of new schools established as a result of amalgamations. Disaggregated figures by gender before 1988 are not available.
  477

  Calendar Year

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  11989

  (iv) voluntary schools

  2

  3

  2

  5

  5

  (v) county schools

  29

  72

  16

  30

  32

  1 To 31 October 1989.

  Single-Sex Schools
  Mr. Norris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list by gender of pupils and name single-sex schools which have been closed since 1985.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The names of the single sex maintained and non-maintained schools that have closed in 1985 and onwards are given in the table. The table includes maintained schools that have been closed following the approval of statutory proposals; in some cases for the purpose of amalgamation.

  The table is not fully up to date as some replies from local education authorities are still awaited confirming closures in 1989.

  Independent schools are shown in the education authority in which they are situated.

  Local education authority

  School name

  Girls Schools Closed since 1985

  Barnet

  Southaw Girls

  Bexley

  Sidcup Girls School

  Bromley

  Ravensbourne School for Girls

  Rock Hill School for Girls

  Beckenham Convent School

  Croydon

  Lady Edridge Girls High

  Selhurst Girls High School

  Purley Girls High School

  Ealing

  St. Annes Convent School

  Harrow

  White Gate Senior School for Girls

  Newham

  London School of Islamics

  Waltham Forest

  Connaught High School for Girls

  Leyton Manor High School for Girls

  Warwick High School for Girls

  Leyton Senior High Schools for Girls

  Walthamstow Senior High School for Girls

  Birmingham

  Erdington School

  Longmeadow School

  Coventry

  Cardinal Wiseman Roman Catholic Secondary School for Girls

  Wolverhampton

  Ely House Girls School

  Knowsley

  Knowsley St. Gregorys Roman Catholic Girls Comprehensive

  Liverpool

  St. Teresas Roman Catholic Junior Girls

  Stanley Park Girls County Comprehensive

  Aigburth Vale Girls County Comprehensive

  Childwall Valley Girls County Comprehensive

  Liverpool Institute Girls High School

  Queen Marys Girls County Comprehensive

  Allerton Priory

  St. Helens

  Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School

  Notre Dame Roman Catholic High

  478

  Local education authority

  School name

  Sefton

  St. Augustines Roman Catholic High

  Wirral

  Bebington Secondary School for Girls Oxley School

  The Marian Roman Catholic High

  Avalon High School

  Hoylake Coaching Centre

  Manchester

  The Hollies Roman Catholic High School for Girls

  St. Josephs Roman Catholic High School for Girls

  Stockport

  Priestnall School

  Trafford

  Urmston Grammar for Girls

  Stretford Grammar for Girls

  Sheffield

  Islamia Girls High School

  Bradford

  Tinakori Towers School

  Calderdale

  The Princess Mary School

  Brighouse Girls Grammar School

  Kirklees

  Hyrstlands Community Home

  Waverley School

  Batley Muslim Girls High School

  Leeds

  Springfield Park Community Home

  West Park Girls High

  Notre Dame High School

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  The Silverhill School

  Inner London

  Wandsworth Ensham

  Wandsworth Garratt Green

  Greenwich Park

  Wandsworth Mayfield

  St. Veronicas Roman Catholic Secondary

  Battersea Notre Dame High School

  Wandsworth Convent of the Holy Family

  Sternhold College

  Hugh Jones Tutor

  Elvaston House School

  Northcote Lodge

  Berkshire

  Reading Westwood Comprehensive

  Reading Alfred Sutton Girls Comprehensive

  Buckinghamshire

  Chesham the Lowndes Secondary School for Girls

  Amersham Brudenell Secondary for Girls

  Cambridgeshire

  Wisbech Queens Girls Comprehensive

  Cumbria

  Askham Church of England School

  Carleton Hill School

  Devon

  Plymouth Stoke Damerec High School for Girls

  Plymouth Public High School for Girls

  Plymouth Salisbury Road Girls Secondary School

  Withycombe House School

  479

  Local education authority

  School name

  Dorset

  Ashley Cross County Modem for Girls

  Oakmead County Secondary for Girls

  Queensmount School

  St. Marys Gate School

  East Sussex

  Charters Towers School

  St. Michaels Convent Girls School

  Essex

  Westborough High School for Girls

  Belfairs High School Girls

  Eastwood High School for Girls

  Gainsborough Lodge School

  Gloucestershire

  Colwell School for Girls

  Cheltenham Pates Grammar School for Girls

  Hampshire

  Winchester Danemark Comprehensive

  Manor Girls Comprehensive

  Queens Mead School

  Hereford and Worcester

  Hallow Park School

  Hertfordshire

  Stevenage Girls School

  St. Angelas Roman Catholic Girls

  Christs Hospital School

  Poles Convent FCJ

  Rosary Priory High School

  Rosary Priory Preparatory School

  Chorley Wood College for the Blind

  Hertfordshire College of Higher Education

  Humberside

  Fifth Avenue Junior High Girls

  St. Mary High

  Rise Hall School

  Kent

  Margate Lausanne Secondary School for Girls

  Mailing House School

  Nonington College

  Lancashire

  Clitheroe Grammar for Girls

  Lindenhurst College

  Leicestershire

  Morcott Hall School

  Windsor Classical Dance Centre

  Norfolk

  Kings Lynn St. James Junior Girls

  Londsdale School

  St. Georges School

  North Yorkshire

  Mill Mount Girls Grammar

  Queen Annes Girls Grammar

  Burton Stone Secondary Modern

  St. Margaret Clitherow Roman Catholic Secondary Modern

  Northamptonshire

  Croft Lodge School

  Irchester Arkwright School

  Somerset

  Kingsbury School

  Staffordshire

  St. Josephs Convent School

  Surrey

  Sunbury St. Teresas Roman Catholic

  Warwickshire

  Rugby Dunsmore School for Girls

  West Sussex

  Convent of the Family School

  Summerlea School

  Springfield Park School

  Hatchlands School

  Summerfold School

  480

  Local education authority

  School name

  Boys Schools Closed since 1985

  Barnet

  Holmewood Preparatory School

  Haynes School

  Bexley

  Parklands School

  Brent

  St. Benedicts Community Home

  Bromley

  Ravensbourne School for Boys

  Kentwood School for Boys

  Croydon

  Norbury Manor Boys High

  Selhust Boys High School

  Purley Boys High School

  Enfield

  St. Ignatius College

  St. Ignatius College Lower School

  Haringey

  The Somerset School

  Harrow

  Harrow High School

  Hillingdon

  Park Place School

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  Arundel House School

  Redbridge

  London School of Islamics

  Sutton

  Cheam CE Junior Boys

  Glastonbury High School for Boys

  Wilsons School

  Waltham Forest

  George Mitchell High School for Boys

  Norlington High School for Boys

  Warwick High School for Boys

  Leyton Senior High

  Sir George Monoux Senior High for Boys

  Birmingham

  Alderlea School

  Selly Oak School

  Coventry

  Cardinal Wiseman Roman Catholic Secondary School for Boys

  Walsall

  Druids Heath Community Home

  The Queslett School

  Wolverhampton

  Nordley Special School

  Knowsley

  Knowsley St. Kevins Roman Catholic Boys Comprehensive

  Liverpool

  Anfield County Comprehensive

  Alsop Boys County Comprehensive

  Collegiate Boys County Comprehensive

  Liverpool Institute Boys High School

  Hillfoot Hey Boys County Comprehensive

  St. Helens

  Campion Roman Catholic High School

  West Park Roman Catholic High School

  Sefton

  Bishops Court School

  Wirral

  Bebington Secondary School for Boys

  The Henry Meoles School

  Bishop Challoner Roman Catholic High

  The Leas School

  Manchester

  Rosehill Observation and Assessment Centre

  St. Marks Roman Catholic High School for Boys

  St. Pius Roman Catholic High School for Boys

  481

  Local education authority

  School name

  De La Salle College of Education

  Salford

  The Bezalel High School

  Stockport

  Stockport School

  Trafford

  Stretford Grammar for Boys

  Urmston Grammar for Boys

  Wigan

  Worthington Burtholme Hostel

  Sheffield

  Limb Lane School (Family Shirecliffe House)

  Calderdale

  The Heath School

  Hipperholme Grammar School

  Rastrick Grammar School

  Leeds

  Moor Grange Boys High

  St. Michaels Roman Catholic College

  Harewood Bridge House School

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  Condercum House School

  Eastview School

  Castledene School

  Kenton Lodge School

  Sunderland

  Washington Hall School

  Milton Hall School

  Inner London

  Lambeth Henry Thornton

  Wandsworth School

  Wandsworth Spencer Park

  Wandsworth Sir Walter St. Johns School

  Wandsworth Clapham College

  Hammersmith London Oratory Roman Catholic

  Wandsworth John Griffiths Roman Catholic Secondary

  St. Josephs Academy Pre-Prep School

  St. Vedast Independent School for Boys

  Life Christian School

  St. Aloysius Junior Shool

  Edward Rudolf Memorial Special School

  Heathermount School

  Shephall Manor School

  Nathaniel Heckford School

  Winceby House School

  London School of Nautical Cookery

  Berkshire

  Reading Stoneham Comprehensive

  Reading Alfred Sutton Boys Comprehensive

  Reading Collegiate School

  Buckinghamshire

  Amersham The Raans Secondary School for Boys

  Cestreham Secondary Boys School

  Beckets Senior School

  Beckets Preparatory School

  Divine Mercy College

  Cambridgeshire

  Wisbech Queens Boy Comprehensive

  Cheshire

  Torpenhow School

  Derbyshire

  Fernilee Infant

  Frank Merifield School

  482

  Local education authority

  School name

  Devon

  Forde Park Community Home

  Plymouth Sutton High School for Boys

  Plymouth Public High School for Boys

  Plymouth Widey High School for Boys

  Plymouth Prince Rock Boys Secondary School

  Brunel School

  Montpelier School

  Heathercombe Brake School

  Dawlish College

  Heanton School

  Russell College (Family Dennington College)

  Ward House School

  Lupton House School

  St. Pauls College

  Swallow Cliff School

  Morice School

  Dorset

  Seldown County Secondary Boys

  Oakmead County Secondary School for Boys

  Stinsford School

  Durham

  Redworth Hall Residential School

  East Sussex

  Central Boys Club

  Strickland House School

  Great Sanders School

  Rotherfield Hall

  Essex

  Eastwood High School for Boys

  Fairfax High School for Boys

  Belfairs High School for Boys

  Copford College

  Gloucestershire

  Cheltenham Grammar School for Boys

  Whitefriars School

  Badgeworth Court School

  Dowdeswell Court School

  Washbournes Place School

  Advicenna College

  Hampshire

  Winchester Montgomery of Alamein Boys Comprehensive

  Heron Wood Boys Comprehensive

  Drayton Manor School

  Oakmore School

  Mile End House School

  Ark Family Units

  Kinloss School

  Hereford and Worcester

  Cathedral Preparatory School

  Cotsbrook School

  Bodenham Manor School

  Hertfordshire

  Bushey Grange Park

  St. Michaels Roman Catholic Boys

  Humberside

  Castle Howard Community Home

  Hull Grammar School

  Endike Junior High Boys

  Riley High Boys

  Marist College Boys School

  Kent

  Margate St. Johns Church of England Secondary School for Boys

  Winchester House School

  Foxbush School

  St. Vincent School

  Lancashire

  Upholland College

  Lincolnshire

  Holbeach Eastfields Hostel

  Norfolk

  Kings Lynn St. James Junior Boys

  Duncan Hall School

  483

  Local education authority

  School name

  North Yorkshire

  Nunthorpe Boys Grammar

  St. Georges Roman Catholic Secondary Modern

  Ingmanthorpe Hall School

  Nottinghamshire

  St. Hughs College

  Oxfordshire

  Smith Hospital School

  Salop

  Apley Park School

  Castle Hill School

  Somerset

  King Alfred School

  Barwick House School

  Midelney Place School

  Staffordshire

  Needwood School for the Partially Hearing

  Suffolk

  Nowton Court School

  The Development Centre

  Surrey

  Sunbury Cardinal Godfrey Roman Catholic

  Allen House School

  Warwickshire

  Rugby Dunsmore School for Boys

  West Sussex

  Fernden School

  Goring Hall School

  St. Johns College

  Pennfold School

  Dalesdown. School

  Wiltshire

  St. Probus School

  Local Management Schemes
  Mr. Norris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table to show such information as he has to hand from the schemes for local management of schools submitted for his approval by local education authorities under the headings(a) the value of the general schools budget, (b) the value of the mandatory exceptions, (c) the value of the aggregate schools budget, (d) (b) as a percentage of (a) and (e) (c) as a percentage of (a).

  Mrs. Rumbold
  A table giving such information as is available will be published very shortly.

  Teacher Shortages
  Miss Hoey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children have not been receiving full in-school education since the start of the 1989 autumn term in(a) Vauxhall constituency, (b) Lambeth, (c) the Inner London area, (d) the Greater London area and (e) nationally.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The particular data requested are not all available to the Department. At the beginning of the 1989 autumn term, some 200 primary pupils in the area of the Inner London education authority, including about 100 in Lambeth, were sent home from school because of the shortage of teaching staff. The authority was able to recruit more teachers during the term and all these pupils returned to school. Other pupils, on a rotation basis, have been sent home for short spells. The authority is continuing to monitor the situation, and is keeping the Department informed.
  484
  The Department does not have equivalent information in respect of the other London boroughs or other parts of the country.

  Miss Hoey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action his Department will be taking to tackle teacher shortages, particularly in inner-city areas.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Mr. Amos) on 14 November 1989 at column 235. In addition, the teaching as a career unit will be assisting in a Londonwide recruitment campaign in collaboration with the ILEA and the London boroughs. My right hon. Friend has also asked the interim advisory committee to look at measures to improve supply in areas where vacancy rates are highest—particularly in Inner London.

  Miss Hoey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of graduates entered a career in teaching in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  Statistics of graduates entering teaching and of the total number of graduates can not readily be compiled on a common basis, so a precise calculation of the first as a percentage of the second is not possible. The table provides the best approximation that can be made from the available data.

  (thousands)

  1(1)

  2(2)

  Ratio of to (2)

  1978

  11·9

  —

  —

  1979

  15·1

  —

  —

  1980

  15·0

  79·8

  0·19

  1981

  12·8

  82·9

  0·15

  1982

  11·3

  86·9

  0·13

  1983

  11·8

  91·7

  0·13

  1984

  11·6

  97·4

  0·12

  1985

  10·2

  99·3

  0·10

  1986

  10·4

  102·1

  0·10

  1987

  10·7

  104·0

  0·10

  1988

  —

  106·2

  —

  1989

  —

  107·5

  —

  1 Graduates newly entering full-time service in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England and Wales in the 12 months ending 31 March of the year shown.

  2 First degree United Kingdom domiciled graduates from institutions in England and Wales in the previous academic year (including the Open University). (Figures include an element of estimation).

  Miss Hoey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the total numbers of teachers leaving the profession each year for the last 10 years, indicating whether the reason was(a) retirement and (b) entering a new profession.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The number of teachers leaving full-time service in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available is as follows:

  Year ending 31 March

  All figures in thousands

  Number

  1978

  29·8

  1979

  32·7

  1980

  34·5

  1981

  33·5

  1982

  30·8

  1983

  29·4

  485

  Number

  1984

  29·6

  1985

  31·1

  1986

  31·2

  1987

  29·0

  Information on the nature of these departures is available only for the last two years, and even then does not provide a complete breakdown of destinations. The available data are:

  Year ending 31 March

  1986 per cent.

  1987 per cent.

  Percentage of teachers leaving full-time service in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England who:

  transferred to other service, full or part-time, in the maintained sector in England or Wales1

  15

  17

  transferred to teaching outside the maintained sector1

  4

  4

  retired or died

  34

  30

  others

  47

  49

  1 The Department's "Database of Teacher Records" does not provide complete coverage of the non-maintained sector nor of part-time service within the maintained sector, so these figures may be slightly understated (with the "others" correspondingly overstated).

  The "others" category in this table includes teachers leaving for alternative non-teaching employment, but also those withdrawing for family reasons. The sex and age distribution of these cases (more than half are women aged 25–39) suggests that the latter group are a substantial part of the whole.

  National Curriculum
  Mr. Gregory
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether it is his policy that the 10 subjects of the national curriculum should take up approximately 70 per cent. of the school timetable and that the remaining 30 per cent. should be left for schools to use at their own discretion.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Section 4(3) of the Education Reform Act makes it clear that it is for schools themselves to determine how much time should be devoted to the subjects of the national curriculum. I would expect that in key stages 1 to 3 schools will devote the great majority of curriculum time to the national curriculum subjects and to religious education, as they have done in the past. In key stage 4, I would expect that schools will offer some optional subjects outside the national curriculum.

  Student Loans Company
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how may people are likely to be employed by the Government to run the Student Loans Company.

  Mr. Jackson
  Some 130 people are likely to be employed by the Student Loans Company by December 1990. There will be some increase in numbers thereafter as the collections department staff are employed and take-up is known.
  486
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate profit levels for the Student Loans Company in each of the next 10 years.

  Mr. Jackson
  The Student Loans Company will operate at cost. Any income will be offset against the administration costs which will be met by the Government.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the cost to the Government of running the Student Loans Company for(a) 1990, (b) 1991, (c) 1992, (d) 1993, (e) 1994 and (f)

  Mr. Jackson
  The annual administrative costs of the Student Loans Company will be in the order of £10 million to £20 million.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost of transferring the Student Loans Company into the hands of the Government.

  Mr. Jackson
  The Government have purchased the shares of the Student Loans Company Limited at a total cost of £10. The banks agreed to make a contribution of £500,000 towards the preparatory costs of the student loans scheme.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the Government intend to appoint a chairman of the Student Loans Company.

  Mr. Jackson
  An official of the Department of Education and Science has been appointed chairman of the Student Loans Company.

EMPLOYMENT

  Police (Earnings)
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, why earnings etc. figures have been left blank for the police in the new earnings survey.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Footnotes to the relevant tables in the new earnings survey report explain why some figures for certain occupations, including police inspectors and above, have been omitted.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the fall in unemployment since June 1987; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Since June 1987 the level of unemployment, seasonally adjusted, in the United Kingdom has fallen by 1,207,500 to 1,649,700 in November 1989 and is now at its lowest level for over nine years.

  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the rise in the number of people in employment in the last quarter; and what were the comparable figures for other countries in the European Community.

  Mr. Nicholls
  In the second quarter of 1989, the latest date for which information is available, the civilian work
  487
  force in employment in the United Kingdom rose by 82,000 (0·3 per cent.) to 26,033,000. Quarterly data are published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation

  European comparisons of civilian employment

  Seasonally adjusted

  Thousands

  Q4 1988

  Q1 1989

  Q2 1989

  Changes Q1 1989 to Q2 1989

  Thousands

  Percentage

  United Kingdom

  25,787

  25,951

  26,033

  82

  03

  Germany

  26,842

  27,011

  27,075

  64

  0·2

  Italy

  20,700

  20,695

  20,674

  -21

  -0·1

  Spain

  11,895

  12,053

  12,208

  155

  1·3

  Portugal

  4,322

  4,363

  n.a.

  41

  0·9

  France1

  21,264

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  n.a.

  1 Figures for France are unadjusted and are published only for the fourth quarter of each year.

  Source: "Quarterly Labour Force Statistics 3/1989" (OECD) except United Kingdom (ED).

  Property Services Agency
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any conveniently available figures for the(a) value, and (b) size of Department of Employment property being removed by the Property Services Agency; and how much priority one Department of Employment property is not being renovated, owing to shortage of funds.

  Mr. Eggar
  The Department of Employment occupies approximately 604,000 sq m of the civil estate, but figures are not conveniently available for the value of these occupations.

  Responsibility for maintenance of the civil estate, under the property repayment system (PRS) arrangements, is shared between PSA and Departments. On 24 May 1989, Sir Gordon Manzie, the chief executive of the PSA, informed the Environment Committee that, at current funding levels, it should be possible to clear the backlog of priority maintenance work on the civil estate as a whole by 1995–96. There is, however, no readily available information relating the backlog to individual Department occupations.

  Unemployment Benefit
  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many claimants have completed the UB671 since its inception; and how many have been disallowed benefit as a result, for each quarter and by each standard region.

  Mr. Eggar
  The information requested is not available.

  Jobstart Scheme
  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have participated in the 50-plus jobstart scheme in each of the pilot areas; what was the average hourly pay earned by participants, excluding the £20 a week allowance, what was the average amount of hours worked per week by participants; and how many participants remained in employment after the allowance had ceased.

  Mr. Eggar
  Between the start of the 50-plus Jobstart pilots on 26 June and 15 December 1989 a total of 61 people were accepted on the programme. The breakdown of the number of people on the programme and their average hours and wages by area is as follows:
  488
  and Development in respect of some European countries and data for recent quarters are shown in the following table:

  Area

  Participants

  Average hourly wage £

  Average hours

  Dudley and Sandwell

  14

  2·00

  20·0

  Leeds

  27

  2·20

  18·7

  London South

  1

  2·00

  20·0

  Lothian and Borders

  19

  2·27

  17·4

  Unemployment Benefits (Adjudication)
  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average length of time between a claimant's referral for adjudication and an adjudication officer's decision on grounds of actively seeking work, by standard regions in Great Britain.

  Mr. Eggar
  The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average length of time between a claimant's referral for adjudication and an adjudication officer's decision on grounds of refusal of employment by standard Great Britain regions.

  Mr. Eggar
  Information is not available in the precise form requested. However, the speed with which adjudication officers make decisions—that is, the time between their receiving a referral and reaching a decision—is monitored in a 5 per cent. sample of cases. The sample shows that for the three-month period ending 30 September 1989, the percentage of refusal of employment questions decided within four weeks of referral to an adjudication officer, for each employment service region, was as follows:

  Refusal of employment

  per cent.

  Northern

  100

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  73

  East Midlands

  65

  Eastern

  94

  Southern

  73

  Western

  75

  West Midlands

  92

  SouthWest

  72

  Wales

  100

  North West

  81

  Scotland

  71

  Footwear and Textile Industries
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what numbers of jobs there have been in(a) footwear and (b) textile industries for each year since 1979; and how many have been lost in each industry in 1989, by month.

  Employees in the footwear and textile industries (SIC 80)

  Great Britain

  (thousands)

  Footwear SIC group 451

  1989 monthly change

  Textiles SIC class 43

  1989 monthly change

  June 1979

  68·8

  —

  371·4

  —

  June 1980

  65·3

  —

  324·8

  —

  June 1981

  58·8

  —

  273·0

  —

  June 1982

  53·5

  —

  256·2

  —

  June 1983

  51·4

  —

  238·8

  —

  June 1984

  52·8

  —

  233·5

  —

  June 1985

  51·1

  —

  234·5

  —

  June 1986

  51·9

  —

  238·2

  —

  June 1987

  50·8

  —

  229·0

  —

  June 1988

  49·5

  —

  231·0

  —

  December 1988

  48·9

  —

  225·9

  —

  January 1989

  48·7

  -0·2

  223·3

  -2·6

  February 1989

  48·2

  -0·5

  219·5

  -3·8

  March 1989

  47·7

  -0·5

  218·6

  -0·9

  April 1989

  47-2

  -0·5

  217·6

  -1·0

  May 1989

  46·8

  -0·4

  216·5

  -1·0

  June 1989

  46·6

  -0·2

  217·8

  1·3

  July 1989

  46·4

  -0·2

  215·5

  -2·3

  August 1989

  45·7

  -0·7

  215·7

  0·2

  September 1989

  45·3

  -0·4

  218·1

  2·5

  October 1989

  45·2

  -0·1

  217·0

  -1·1

  Employment Training
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of trainees in employment training for the most recent date for which information is available in Great Britain and in each of the standard regions, Scotland and Wales.

  Mr. Nicholls
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The information is not available in the precise form requested. Information is available only for the eight Training Agency regions in England and for Scotland and Wales. The latest available figures of employment training filled places are given in the table.

  Employment training

  Number in-training at 8 December 1989

  Region

  Numbers

  South East

  14,300

  London

  21,400

  South West

  12,300

  West Midlands

  23,100

  East Midlands and Eastern

  16,900

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  25,600

  North West

  29,400

  Northern

  24,500

  Wales

  16,500

  Scotland

  26,400

  Great Britain

  1211,000

  1 Including a small number of trainees at Residential Training Colleges and other training providers not identified separately in the regional totals.

  490
  Mr. Nicholls
  The information is supplied in the table.

PRIME MINISTER

  Nuclear Energy Projects
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will initiate a review of all statements since 1979 made to the House by Ministers having responsibility for military and civil nuclear energy projects and programmes, to assess whether they require revision in the light of official information made public under the 30-year rule on 1 January 1990.

  The Prime Minister
  No.

  Eastern Europe
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to meet the Heads of Government of(a) Bulgaria, (b) East Germany, and (c) Czechoslovakia, to discuss the creation of free markets in those countries.

  The Prime Minister
  I have no immediate plans to meet the Heads of Government of Bulgaria, East Germany or Czechoslovakia. I have no doubt that when I do meet them, economic reform will be high on the agenda.

  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has made to President Gorbachev regarding the political situation in eastern Europe.

  The Prime Minister
  We and other western Governments have kept in close contact with the Soviet authorities over developments in eastern Europe. This was one of the topics at my meeting with Mr. Shevardnadze on 19 December.

  Science and the Environment
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will place in the Library a copy of her speech on science and environment, given as the 50th anniversary lecture of the parliamentary and scientific committee on 6 December 1989.

  The Prime Minister
  A copy is available in the Libary of the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Market Research
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many market research and sample surveys were carried out by or for his Department in the last 12 months; what was the cost of each; what was the total cost; how many were carried out in-house; how many were carried out for his Department by outside organisations; and what percentage of the total expenditure was paid to outside organisations.

  Mr. Cope
  A total of 38 sample surveys were carried out in the target period of which eight were continuous or annual surveys, for example, the family expenditure survey and the labour force survey. The remainder were ad-hoc surveys of varying size and complexity.

  Total expenditure was £954,000 with the costs of individual surveys ranging from £400 to £192,000. Twenty-two surveys were conducted in-house (cost £832,000) and 16 were carried out for the Department by outside organisations (cost £122,000). Payment to outside organisations accounted for 13 per cent. of total expenditure.

  Public Appointments
  Mrs. Roe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons above the age of(a) 60, (b) 65 and (c) 70 years he has appointed to public bodies in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Cope
  The information requested is as follows:

  Over 60

  Over 65

  Over 70

  1980

  3

  6

  —

  1981

  2

  1

  —

  1982

  8

  7

  —

  1983

  4

  4

  —

  1984

  3

  1

  —

  1985

  9

  2

  —

  1986

  8

  6

  —

  1987

  3

  3

  —

  1988

  11

  7

  —

  1989

  2

  5

  1

  Totals

  53

  42

  1

  The figures include reappointments.

  Fishery Conservancy Board
  Mr. Clifford Forsythe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many statutory pollution samples have been taken by the Northern Ireland Fishery Conservancy Board in the past 12 months; what was the cost of taking each sample; how many such samples 492
  proved positive; how many such samples resulted in prosecution in court; and how many such prosecutions were successful.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  During 1988, the latest period for which complete statistics are available, 198 statutory samples were taken by the Fisheries Conservancy Board for Northern Ireland. Information on the cost of taking each sample is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

  All the statutory samples proved to be polluting. Of these samples, 98 resulted in prosecution in court with 92 leading to convictions; four cases are still pending.

  Mr. Clifford Forsythe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the Northern Ireland Fishery Conservancy Board is funded: what is the total number of bailiffs employed by the Northern Ireland Fishery Conservancy Board; what is the number of permanent bailiffs employed; what is the average probationary period served by a bailiff before he becomes permanent.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The Fisheries Conservancy Board for Northern Ireland is responsible for the conservation and protection of salmon and inland fisheries of Northern Ireland other than the fisheries of the Londonderry area of the Foyle Fisheries Commission. The board derives licence revenue from commercial fishermen and anglers to offset the cost of carrying out those functions. In addition the board carries out and receives agency fees for water pollution control work on behalf of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and providing bailiffs for public fisheries on behalf of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. The total number of bailiffs presently employed by the board is 48: of these, 14 are permanent bailiffs.

  While the turnover of permanant staff is small, the probationary period for a new permanent bailiff is six months after which the appointment is confirmed, subject, of course, to a satisfactory report. This period may be extended or the appointment terminated in the event of an unsatisfactory report.

  Strangford Lough
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will replace the CNCC with a democratically constituted council; and if he will make a statement about public participation in the management of area of special scientific interest Strangford lough part 3.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside (CNCC) was recently established under the provisions of article 3 of the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, and its constitution was very carefully considered. The membership of the council represents a wide range of interests and experience throughout Northern Ireland. It provides sound and balanced views on conservation matters. There are no plans to amend the legislation.

  The management of the lands within the Strangford lough (part 3) area of special scientific interest (ASSI) depends on co-operation between individual owners and occupiers and the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. It is not an appropriate matter for public participation.
  493
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has to involve the loughside community in the management of the Strangford lough foreshores; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The management of the Strangford lough area of special scientific interest (ASSI), which mainly comprises the Strangford lough foreshores, is a matter between the individual owners and occupiers and the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. At the time the declaration of Strangford lough (part 3) ASSI was confirmed I stated that a locally based and organised voluntary group representative of the wide variety of interests concerned could be very useful to the Department in preparing its proposals for the marine nature reserve in Strangford lough. I also indicated that I hoped that local people would take forward this suggestion which I had welcomed.

  Agricultural Advisory Service
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amount of money has been received for advice given following the introduction of charges by the Agricultural Advisory Service; how many persons have been given advice; and what were the comparable figures for the equivalent period prior to the introduction of charges.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Following the introduction of charging by the advisory services of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland in October 1988 a total of £224,000 has been received up to November 1989.

  Advice, some of which continues to be free, is given in a variety of ways both to individuals through farm visits, office consultations and by telephone and to groups through events, meetings, advisory letters, press articles, media broadcasts and publications notably "Agriculture in Northern Ireland". During any given period a farmer may get advice in more than one way. Currently our records which are compiled for each financial year are as follows:—

  1987–88

  1988–89

  Farms Visited

  16,827

  14,442

  Attendance at meetings/events

  34,006

  29,744

  Advisory letters

  20,268

  38,500

  Press articles

  416

  403

  Media broadcasts

  21

  36

  "Agriculture in Northern Ireland"

  12,125

  12,958

  Harbours
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the level of harbour dues for(a) boats, (b) yachts and (c) other sea-going vessels at the harbours of Portrush, Ballycastle, Bangor, Ardglass and Portstewart.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  [holding answer 19 December 1989]: The harbours at Portrush, Portstewart, Ballycastle and Bangor are owned and operated by the Coleraine, Moyle and North Down councils respectively and the information sought is not available in my Department.

  The Ardglass harbour is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority. Charges at Ardglass are as follows:—
  494
  Fishing Vessels
  Over 15 tons gross—£50 per annum
  Under 15 tons—£25 per annum

  Cargo and other commercial vessles
  EC Vessels—15p per tonne per visit
  Outside EC—21p per tonne per visit
  If vessels stay over 1 week an extra 1 1 p per tonne is charged for each week thereafter.

  All other craft
  30p per metre for each week or part thereof except for vessels in a reserved area (for yachts and pleasure crafts) 15p per metre each week or part thereof.

ENVIRONMENT

  European Environmental Monitoring
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what European Community funds are being, or will be, directed to the establishment of the European Environment Agency in 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92;

  (2) what European Community funds are being, or will be, directed to the establishment of the European monitoring and information system in 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92.

  Mr. Trippier
  The establishment of the European Environment Agency and the European monitoring and information system are integral parts of a single proposal. As such it is inappropriate and impossible to distinguish separate expenditure elements. The cost of establishing and maintaining the agency and the underlying network in the first year of operations is estimated at 5·5 million ecu, equivalent to about £3·8 million. Budget estimates for later years are not available.

  CORINE Programme
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what European Community funds have so far been directed to the establishment of the CORINE programme; and what is the predicted annual funding of the programme in 1990–91 and 1991–92.

  Mr. Trippier
  Up to 1989, 4 million ecu (£2·8 million) have been directed to the CORINE programme. For 1989, expenditure is estimated at 3 million ecu (£2·1 million) and for 1990 expenditure earmarked at 4·5 million ecu (£3·1 million). After 1990, it is envisaged that CORINE-related work will pass to the proposed European Environment Agency.

  European Environment Statistics Office
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what European Community funds will be directed to the European environment statistics office in 1990–91 and 1991–92.

  Mr. Trippier
  A separate European environment statistics office does not exist. A four-year programme to develop regular official statistics of the environment is currently being proposed within the statistical office of the European Communities. The proposed budget for the period amounts to 13·3 million ecu, approximately £9·3 million, with £0·7 million earmarked for 1990, £1·9 million for 1991, £2·8 million for 1992 and £3·9 million for 1993.
  495
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the cost to the Economic Community each year since its inception of the European environment statistics office.

  Mr. Trippier
  A separate European environment statistics office does not exist. The statistical office of the European Communities collects, co-ordinates and disseminates statistics to assist in the formulation and monitoring of a wide range of Community policies. The office is mainly concerned with economic and social statistics; its programme of work on environmental statistics has only recently begun with appropriations being met from the general budget of the European Communities.

  European Environment Agency
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment pursuant to his reply of 30 November to the hon. Member for Billericay,Official Report, column 368, if he will undertake a survey of businesses to determine their view of the usefulness of the European Environment Agency.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The objectives of the proposed European Environment Agency are to assemble, coordinate and analyse environmental information to inform and support Community environment policy. There is no intention to place further burdens on industry by surveying their views on the proposal.

  Sir Hugh Rossi
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report his letter of 6 December to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green concerning the seventh report of the Environment Committee of Session 1988–89, relating to the proposed European Environment Agency.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  The text of my letter was as follows:"Your Committee took evidence from my officials on 8th November and produced an admirably clear report in time for the debate in the House on 12th November; we appreciate this.
  For the record I can say that Government policy is very much in line with the Committee's recommendations.

  In particular:
  Paragraph 1: The Committee's agreement with the DOE view on duties of the Agency is noted.
  Paragraph 11: The Government agrees that "in the first instance the Agency should be set up as a Community body".
  Paragraph 12: The Draft Regulation requires separate agreements to be established with third countries covering all aspects of participation; but the need to include voting rights and the financial contribution issue is noted.
  Paragraph 14: The need to recognise the value of the information holding of NGO's is important and the Committee is right to stress the advantages of collaboration between the Agency and the NGO's in this area.
  Paragraph 15: I shall be keeping the staffing implications of the proposal under review as far as my Department is concerned.
  Paragraph 16: The Committee's support for the Government bid for the Agency to be located in the United Kingdom is welcome.
  Please convey my thanks to your Committee for their speedy and helpful examination of this issue. Your findings were helpful in the discussions in the Environment Council on 28th November and you might like to know that the location of the Agency is now the only significant outstanding issue as far as Environment Ministers are concerned. You may have
  496
  seen that the Government has now offered Cambridge as a suitable location; no decision has yet been taken however at Community level."

  Housing Needs Index
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his review of the housing needs index and on the effect on the apportioning of capital funds to housing associations in the north-west of England of this review.

  Mr. Chope
  My hon. and learned Friend the then Minister for Housing and Planning announced on Wednesday 20 December 1989, in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Dr. Twinn), his decisions on the Housing Corporation's approved development programme for 1990–91. The number of new housing association dwelling units to be approved in the north-west region is planned to increase in each of the next three years, though the proportionate increase will be less than in some other regions.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library as soon as possible a full list of non-domestic revaluations arising out of the Local Government (Finance) Act 1988.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I shall make available in the Library as soon as possible microfiche copies of the draft local non-domestic rating lists for England and Wales which have been sent to local authorities by the valuation office.

  Derelict Land
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce his decision on the joint rolling programme submission by North Staffordshire local authorities for derelict land programme assistance; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The Department will announce decisions on the regional distribution of derelict land grant resources for 1990–91 shortly. At the same time, we will announce the rolling programme which the Department is prepared to support.

  Radioactive Waste
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his departmental library holds copies of the International Atomic Energy Agency waste management research abstracts on radioactive waste programmes in progress.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Copies are held by the Department.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his departmental library receives a copy of the bimonthly information bulletin on radioactive wastes and fuel reprocessing, produced by Harwell Information Services.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Yes.

  Nirex (Safety Research)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the 1988–89 report on the United Kingdom Nirex safety assessment research programme.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  I understand that the report is expected to be published by the end of January 1990. Distribution of the report is a matter for United Kingdom Nirex.

  Insulation
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make cavity wall insulation and double glazing mandatory requirements in building regulations.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  No. The thermal insulation standards in the Building Regulations 1985 have recently been upgraded, and we estimate that these amendments will achieve a saving of around 20 per cent. in energy requirements for space and water heating in new houses and other buildings. Cavity wall insulation and double glazing are methods of meeting these requirements, but there are also other ways of doing so. We consider that architects and builders should be allowed the maximum flexibility to choose for themselves whch is the most appropriate way of meeting the higher standards, which are due to come into force on 1 April.

  Mr. Doran
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will update his Department's 1985 estimates of the amount needed to be spent on the insulation of local authority houses in England and generally on heating, insulation and works to remedy condensation.

  Mr. Chope
  The Department's most recent estimate of the amount needed to be spent on the insulation of local authority houses in England is £880 million, and on heating, insulation and works to remedy condensation £3,100 million. These figures are based on analysis of the 1986 English house condition survey. They are at 1984 prices and therefore comparable with the Department's estimates reported in 1985.

  Departmental Finance
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when MINIS 10 was completed; when it was placed in the Library; and if he will make a statement in its findings.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I reviewed the outcome of MINIS 10 on 3 October 1989 and subsequently authorised publication. Copies of MINIS 10 were sent to the Library on 15 November 1989.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give for each year since 1978 the spending on loft and wall insulation measures in local authority housing stock, consistent with the figure of £146 million stated in paragraph 3·40 of the National Audit Office's "National Energy Efficiency".

  Mr. Chope
  [holding answer 18 December 19891: The figure given in paragraph 3.40 of the National Audit
  498
  Office's report was based on analysis of the 1986 English house condition survey. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available.

  Microwave Ovens (Palace of Westminster)
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the location and make of each microwave oven within the Palace of Westminster.

  Mr. Chope
  [holding answer 18 December 1989]: A total of 14 microwave ovens in use on the parliamentary estate have been provided by my Department. They are located in either the Refreshment Department or mess facilities and comprise seven Merrychefs, five National Panasonics, one Moulinex and one Sharp.

  Craven Cottage
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) on what criteria he based his decision to set the date of the inquiry concerning Craven Cottage at 30 January 1990;

  (2) on what date Hammersmith council was notified that Mr. Palmer had been appointed to preside at the inquiry concerning Craven Cottage;

  (3) on what date Mr. Martin replaced Mr. Palmer on the inquiry concerning Craven Cottage; and why Hammersmith council was not given an opportunity to make representations on this matter;

  (4) when the date of the public inquiry on 30 January 1990 into the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham's compulsory purchase order of Craven Cottage was set; and when his Department received the council's compulsory purchase order;

  (5) whether he received any representations from any person concerning the appointment of Mr. Palmer to the inquiry concerning Craven Cottage.

  Mr. Moynihan
  [holding answer 20 December 1989]: The compulsory purchase order was received on 30 May 1989 and the date of the public inquiry on 30 January 1990 was set on 25 September, after consultation with the parties on alternative dates in the usual way. The Department has no record of when Hammersmith council was told the name of the inspector. Mr. Stephen Marks was substituted for Mr. Palmer on 10 November after representations were received from the agents for the owners. It is not departmental practice to invite the parties to an inquiry to comment upon the choice of inspector.

  Arts and Design
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what expenditure was made by his Department on(a) the arts and (b) design in the last financial year.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The Government's support for the arts, as the term is commonly used, is primarily a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts. I have joint responsibility with my right hon. Friend for the grant in aid to the national heritage memorial fund, and for the acceptance of land, property and works of art in lieu of tax. In the last financial year (1988–89) expenditure was split equally £3 million (£1·5 million each) and £2 million (£1 million each) respectively.
  499
  More generally my Department contributed to expenditure on the arts in 1988–89 where inner city regeneration is concerned, for example through grant in aid to urban development corporations—the London Docklands development corporation spending £75,000 in 1988–89.

  Among all its activities, PSA included, the Department aims to encourage good design especially through the public bodies it sponsors. Specifically, it has incurred expenditure of £365,000 through its sponsorship of the Royal Fine Art Commission, and contributed £12,000 as its share of the costs of the housing design awards, the other contributors being the Royal Institute of British Architects and the National House Building Council.

  Radioactivity
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information on radioactivity released has been withheld in 1989 under section 8(5)(b) of the Radioactive Substances Act 1960.

  Mr. Trippier
  It is not Government policy to reveal the existence of any authorisation to dispose of radioactive waste restricted under the terms of section 8(5)(b) of the Radioactive Substances Act 1960.

  Rutland Water
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will call for a report from the National Rivers Authority into the progress of the investigation since 27 November into the death of dogs and sheep connected with the Rutland Water, and whether he will instruct the authority to complete its report in sufficient time to enable remedial action to be taken before summer 1990.

  Mr. Trippier
  I am satisfied with the progress which the NRA is making in compiling its report into the causes of last year's toxic algae problem which will take account of the findings arising from the studies being conducted into animal deaths at Rutland Water. These are primarily matters for the NRA which I understand will address the question of remedial action in its report which it aims to complete this summer.

  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, following the meeting between the Minister of State, the hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) and the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton on 27 November, he has obtained copies of(a) the findings by Professor Codd of Dundee university regarding the toxicity of algae at Rutland Water and (b) the findings of the veterinary service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, regarding post mortems on dead dogs and sheep; when this information will be made available to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  Results of the work carried out by Professor Codd to establish the toxicity of the algae at Rutland Water have been placed on the NRA public registers. The studies being conducted by the veterinary service of MAFF and Professor Codd on the animal deaths at Rutland Water are continuing and final results are not yet available.

  Water Privatisation
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the total cost to public funds of advertising for the privatisation of water;

  (2) what was the total cost to public funds of the flotation of the water industry in fees to City advisers;

  (3) what was the total cost to the Government of the flotation of the water industry.

  Mr. Trippier
  It is too soon for these cost totals to be known. The full costs of the flotation of the water industry will be reported to Parliament in due course in the normal way.

WALES

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assumptions he has made with regard to those domestic rates being paid by second home owners in Wales, in preference to personal community charge; and upon what basis such non-domestic rate income will be distributed between district councils in Wales.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  I have made no such assumptions. Domestic rates will not be payable by second-home owners from April 1990, whether in preference to personal community charge or otherwise. Standard community charges will be payable on domestic properties that do not constitute any person's sole or main residence; the income from these charges will accrue to the local authorities in the areas where the properties are situated—it will not be distributed between district councils in Wales.

  Income from non-domestic properties will be pooled and redistributed between district and county councils as an amount per head of population in each receiving authority's area.

  Farm Woodlands Scheme
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the operation of the farm woodlands scheme in Wales; and what is the current uptake.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  My Department has received 38 applications for planting on 286 hectares of land. Twenty-two applications in respect of 188 hectares have already been approved, three applications for 12 hectares have either been withdrawn or rejected and those remaining are being processed.

  Eggs
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will undertake a review of the overall effectiveness of recent legislation affecting the egg-producing industry in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  It is too early at this stage to gauge the effectiveness of the various measures to control salmonella, since the legislation has been introduced only recently. It will be reviewed in due course.

  Works of Art
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list(a) German expressionist, (b) 20th century Welsh, (c) Piccassos, (d) Dutch 17th century, (e) Italian renaissance and (f) French impressionist works of art in Wales, owned by the state; how much money each cost the state; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will list the works of art produced in (a) 1945 to 1964, (b) 1965 to 1977, (c) 1978–87 and (d) 1988 to 1989 owned by the state; if he will indicate which of those were produced either partly or wholly by public funding; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  We have no direct responsibility for any works of art within the categories listed. Information on items held by non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally. Items from the Government art collection are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts.

HEALTH

  Medical Equipment
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to act on the recommendations of the 1986 Advisory Council for Applied Research and Development report on medical equipment.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Government's response to the report, summarising action then being taken or planned on the report's recommendations, was published in February 1987. A wide programme of improvements has been implemented and further developments in the fields of research, evaluation and equipment management are being vigorously pursued. Inter alia the research and development coordinating committee of the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Medical Research Council and the Science and Engineering Council, which meets quarterly, has made considerable progress in identifying and eliminating gaps and overlaps in the research and development medical equipment field to ensure that available resources are used as effectively as possible.

  Nurses
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instruction he has as to how many(a) trained and (b) untrained nursing staff were employed in (i) the private sector and (ii) the public sector, for each of the years 1978 to 1989; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  The available information is given in the tables.

  Table 1

  NHS nursing and midwifery staff in post (excluding agency) at 30 September each year, England Whole-time Equivalents1

  Years

  Qualified2

  Unqualified3

  Total

  1978

  188,260

  159,240

  347,500

  1979

  192,010

  162,410

  354,420

  1980

  197,900

  167,950

  365,860

  1981

  212,100

  175,910

  388,010

  1982

  219,300

  174,740

  394,040

  1983

  223,620

  171,070

  394,680

  1984

  227,730

  166,010

  393,740

  502

  Years

  Qualified2

  Unqualified3

  Total

  1985

  234,130

  162,900

  397,030

  1986

  236,770

  160,470

  397,240

  1987

  239,360

  158,550

  397,910

  1988

  241,920

  155,920

  397,840

  1 All figures are independently rounded to the nearest ten (10) wholetime equivalent.

  2 Includes qualified nurses and midwives, health visitors and district nurses.

  3 Includes learners and unqualified nursing staff.

  Note: The figures have not been adjusted for the reduction in the working week from 40 to 37·5 hours introduced in 1980–81.

  Source: DH (SM13) Annual Census of NHS Non-Medical Manpower

  Table 2

  Nursing staff (whole time equivalents), Independent sector hospitals, Nursing homes and Clinics, England

  Year1

  Nursing staff

  Total

  1Trained

  1Untrained

  1982

  12,208

  10,416

  22,623

  1983

  13,754

  11,918

  25,672

  1984

  15,446

  13,986

  29,432

  1985

  18,354

  17,730

  36,084

  1986

  21,683

  23,266

  44,949

  1988

  25,836

  30,611

  56,447

  1 The figures for 1988 relate to the number in post (wholetime equivalents) at 31 March, the previous years figures relate to the numbers in post at 31 December

  2 Registered nurses and midwives, enrolled nurses

  3 Nursing auxiliaries/assistants and other non-registered/enrolled nursing staff

  Source: SBH212 return 1982–1986

  K036 return 1988

  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for each year since 1959 the number of nurses employed by the National Health Service, with each year also expressed as a percentage change of the previous year.

  Mr. Freeman
  The information requested is given in the table.

  National Health Service nursing and midwifery staff in post (including agency) at 30 September each year Whole-time equivalent1

  Years

  England and Wales2

  Percentage change from previous year3

  England

  Percentage change from previous year3

  1959

  196,000

  n/a

  —

  —

  1960

  197,900

  1·0

  —

  —

  1961

  198,900

  0·5

  —

  —

  1962

  205,300

  3·2

  —

  —

  1963

  207,700

  1·2

  —

  —

  1964

  212,400

  2·2

  —

  —

  1965

  222,400

  4·7

  —

  —

  1966

  231,500

  4·1

  —

  —

  1967

  239,300

  3·4

  —

  —

  1968

  241,300

  0·8

  —

  —

  1969

  245,900

  1·9

  —

  —

  1970

  252,800

  2·8

  —

  —

  1971

  263,500

  42

  285,400

  n/a

  1972

  —

  —

  303,200

  6·2

  1973

  —

  —

  308,500

  1·8

  1974

  —

  —

  314,100

  1·8

  1975

  —

  —

  336,600

  7·2

  1976

  —

  —

  341,700

  1·5

  1977

  —

  —

  343,200

  0·4

  1978

  —

  —

  351,000

  2·3

  1979

  —

  —

  358,400

  2·1

  1980

  —

  —

  370,100

  3·2

  1981

  —

  —

  391,800

  5·9

  503

  Years

  England and Wales2

  Percentage change from previous year3

  England

  Percentage change from previous year3

  1982

  —

  —

  397,100

  1·4

  1983

  —

  —

  397,100

  *

  1984

  —

  —

  397,500

  0·1

  1985

  —

  —

  401,200

  0·9

  1986

  —

  —

  402,700

  0·4

  1987

  —

  —

  404,000

  0·3

  1988

  —

  —

  403,900

  *

  Source: Department of Health (SM 13) Annual Census of National Health Service Non-Medical Manpower.

  1 The manpower figures are independently rounded to the nearest hundred (100) wholetime equivalents. Percentage changes calculated on unrounded figures.* indicates less than 0·1 per cent.

  2 England and Wales figures are for hospital based staff only whereas England figures related to total nursing and midwifery staff. In addition, because of changes and improvements in the collection and processing of the data between 1959 and 1988 the information is not strictly comparable. Figures for England only are not available prior to 1971.

  3 Includes qualified nurses and midwives, learners and unqualified nursing staff.

  4 The figures have not been adjusted for changes in the working week introduced over the period shown.

  Milk Discount Tokens
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage he intends to introduce on milk discount tokens: what discussions he has had with self-employed milk-round persons: and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Government currently pay the full retail price for liquid milk they buy for the welfare milk scheme at an annual cost of approximately £80 million. In view of the size and value of the Department's purchase detailed commercial negotiations have taken place with the dairy trade. Following these negotiations we intend to implement a new pricing structure that will represent a reduction of approximately 10 per cent. of the current average price paid to welfare milk suppliers.

  This decision has been arrived at after an extensive period of negotiation, consultation and consideration. There will be provision to enable this reduction to be shared between all sectors of the trade on a voluntary basis.

  People entitled to liquid welfare milk will continue to receive seven pints of milk per week entirely free of any charge.

  Hypertension
  Mr. Butcher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what increase in the number of reported cases of hypertension there has been arising directly from the growing incidence of health scares.

  Mr. Freeman
  We have no statistics on any such increase.

  Campylobacter
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Caerphilly of 19 December 1989 concerning campylobacter, cryptosporiduim and leptospira; whether the number of incidents of campylobacter infection represents outbreaks or individual cases.
  504
  Mr. Freeman
  The figures given represent numbers of cases, not outbreaks.

  Cancer Screening
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the shortfall in cancer screening services available to women in high risk groups in Staffordshire; and what steps are being taken to provide a full service.

  Mr. Freeman
  The provision of cancer screening services in Staffordshire is a matter for the three Staffordshire district health authorities and for Staffordshire family practitioner committee.

  However, I understand that computerised call and recall programmes have been or are being introduced for cervical and breast cancer screening in line with national guidance.

  Dental Treatment
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what are the monthly breakdown figures for courses of dental treatment completed since charges for dental examinations came into operation;

  (2) what are the monthly breakdown figures for courses of dental treatment, on the most convenient regional basis, since charges for dental examination came into operation.

  Mr. Freeman
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 12 December 1989 at column 628.

  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the monthly breakdown figures of courses of treatment of(a) those under 18 years of age, (b) those who are over 18 years but are fully exempt from dental charges, (c) those over 18 years who are partially exempt from dental charges and (d) those who are over 18 years but are fully liable for dental charges, in the period since dental charges for examinations came into operation.

  Mr. Freeman
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 12 December 1989 at column 627.

  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any additional dental educational programmes in mind to promote awareness of the proposed capitation arrangements for children and continuing care contracts for adults, under the current dental contract being negotiated.

  Mr. Freeman
  If, as the Government hope, the proposals for a new dental contract are accepted by the profession and implemented in October 1990, there will be an important role for postgraduate education in promoting awareness of the matters mentioned by the hon. Member. Postgraduate dental Deans and others concerned with the supply of education to dentists are aware of this potential need, and are taking it into account in their planning.

  Dental Caries
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what current statistical inquiries are in train, to gain a more accurate picture of dental caries among children in particular localities, especially in inner city areas.
  505
  Mr. Freeman
  It is the responsibility of district health authorities to monitor the dental health of all age groups in the population of their areas and to plan jointly with family practitioner committees the provision of local dental services. Information about local inquiries currently in train is not held centrally.

  The Department commissioned national surveys of children's dental health in 1973 and 1983, and it is expected that a further survey will be conducted in 1993.

  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions there are in the contract currently being negotiated with the dental profession to adjust capitation payments to the differing workloads which will arise from varying rates of dental caries in particular localities.

  Mr. Freeman
  Under the proposals for a new contract for general dental practitioners, the initial fee paid to a dentist for treating a child entering capitation will be greater if the child has large numbers of decayed teeth. This will greatly benefit dentists in localities with high incidence of dental caries. There are no proposals to adjust capitation payments to take account of regional variations in work loads.

  Dental Forms
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when a new and correctly drafted supply of orthodontic dental forms FP17(O) will be generally available to the dental profession; and what steps have been taken to inform dental practitioners of the current situation with regard to consequential matters.

  Mr. Freeman
  Family practitioner committees were notified of a delay in the printing of the revised form FP17(O), and were asked to inform individual general dental practitioners. The Dental Practice Board and FPCs have dealt with questions arising from the delay. We expect the new form to be available towards the end of January 1990.

  Intensive Care Cots
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by district and by region the number of paediatric intensive care cots and the percentage change since 1980.

  Number and percentage of men and women members of regional health authorities

  Region

  Male

  Percentage

  Female

  Percentage

  Northern

  9

  60

  6

  40

  Yorkshire

  10

  62

  6

  38

  Trent

  11

  61

  7

  39

  East Anglian

  11

  73

  4

  27

  North West Thames

  10

  56

  8

  44

  North East Thames

  10

  71

  4

  29

  South East Thames

  9

  56

  7

  44

  South West Thames

  12

  75

  4

  25

  Wessex

  11

  69

  5

  31

  Oxford

  10

  67

  5

  33

  South Western

  11

  65

  6

  35

  West Midlands

  12

  75

  4

  25

  Mersey

  9

  60

  6

  40

  North Western

  9

  64

  5

  36

  Total

  144

  65

  77

  35

  506
  Mr. Freeman
  Information on paediatric as opposed to neonatal intensive care cots is not collected centrally.

  General Practitioners
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will monitor the reasons in all the cases where patients have been taken off their general practitioner's list at their general practitioner's initiative; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will specify for each family practitioner committee how many people in each of the last three years were removed from their general practitioner's list on the initiative of the general practitioner; and what percentage of them were over 65 years.

  Mr. Freeman
  Information on the removal of patients from general medical practitioners' lists is not routinely collected and none is held centrally.

  Respite Care
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will say how many beds are made available for the purposes of respite care, for each regional health authority in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  The information requested is not held centrally. The Government consider respite nursing care services to be an integral part of NHS provision for those groups of patients who require it. However, the actual level of service to be provided by a health authority is a matter for that authority to decide for itself.

  Health Authorities
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number and percentage of(a) women and (b) men members on each (i) district health authority and (ii) regional health authority.

  Mr. Freeman
  Details of the membership of district health authorities are not held centrally. The figures for regional health authorities are given in the table:
  507
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number and percentage of women chairs of(a) district health authorities and (b) regional health authorities.

  Mr. Freeman
  Thirty-two women (18 per cent.) are chairmen of district health authorities, and one woman (7 per cent.) is chairman of a regional health authority.

  Hospital Accommodation
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals routinely make accommodation available for the parents of children detained overnight in hospital.

  Mr. Freeman
  This information is not available centrally. Statistical return KHO4 includes, at district health authority level, the numbers of parents accommodated and the numbers of bed days used by parents in respect of babies up to the age of 28 days detained in hospital, but the information for the first year of this new return, in 1988–89, is incomplete.

  AIDS
  Sir David Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are known to be suffering from AIDS, and how many to be HIV positive, as a result of receiving a transfusion of whole blood before screening was introduced in October 1985; how many such infected people have already died; and whether the Government's compensation scheme for haemophiliacs will be extended to cover such people.

  Mr. Freeman
  The position at the end of September 1989, as reported to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, is that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there have been 15 cases of AIDS in people known to have been transfused in the United Kingdom, of whom 13 are known to be dead. Fourteen of the 15 are known to have been transfused before October1985, the remaining person was transfused in 1985 but the month is unknown. Of 17 known HIV seropositives transfused in the United Kingdom, 13 were transfused before October 1985, and 4 at a date as yet unknown. There are also 45 known seropositives whose country of transfusion is still under investigation.

  The Government grants to provide financial assistance for haemophiliacs with HIV infection are ex-gratia payments and not compensation. These payments recognise the wholly exceptional combination of circumstances affecting those haemophiliacs.

  We have no plans to extend the remit of the MacFarlane Trust to include those who are now HIV positive as a result of "whole" blood transfusions.

  Spinal Units
  Sir David Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what extra monies have been allocated to supra-regional spinal units consequent upon his announcement of 14 December 1989 of a cash increase for the National Health Service in 1990–91.

  Mr. Freeman
  Spinal injury services will receive a total revenue allocation of £15·4 million in 1990–91, compared with an allocation of £14·4 million in 1989–90.
  508
  I am arranging for copies of the detailed announcement on supra-regional services, which I made on 3 January on behalf of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health, to be placed in the Library.

  Nursing Officers
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of nursing officer posts are held by(a) men and (b) women.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answer 20 December 1989]: In the NHS in England at 30 September 1988, 18 per cent. of the posts of Sister I and above (ie Nursing Officer posts) were held by men and 82 per cent. women.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  NATO
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the Western Isles, of 11 December,Official Report, column 497, what other military functions, apart from training, versions and variants of NATO combat aircraft have been modified to perform.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  NATO combat aircraft have been modified to perform a variety of functions. In the case of the United Kingdom, roles of various RAF squadrons are set out in annex C of the statements on the defence Estimates of 1989 (CM 675/1).

  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the Western Isles, of 14 December,Official Report, column 762, when the United Kingdom will provide information on the types of each of the main categories of weapon equipment holdings to the conventional forces in Europe negotiations; and if he will make this information available to Parliament.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The proposals that NATO has tabled in the CFE negotiations in Vienna envisage an exchange of information on national holdings between parties on signature of a treaty. The information provided by the United Kingdom will be made available to the House.

  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any of the aircraft in storage that are included in the current NATO total of 6,700 combat aircraft are in addition to those mentioned in footnote 4, page 27 of Conventional Forces in Europe: The Facts.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  Yes.

  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any of the combat-capable training aircraft included in the current NATO total of 6,700 combat aircraft are in addition to those mentioned in footnote 5 of page 27 of Conventional Forces in Europe: The Facts.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  Yes.

  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will list
  509
  the specific types of combat aircraft that have been included in the overall total of 6,700 NATO combat aircraft that are in addition to those itemised in page 27 of Conventional Forces in Europe: The Facts.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  As explained in footnotes 4 and 5 on page 27 of Conventional Forces in Europe: The Facts, the figures for NATO combat aircraft do not include combat-capable trainers and aircraft in storage. Those aircraft, together with versions and variants of types listed in footnote 1 which have another military function between them, raise the NATO total to 6,600. The definition of such aircraft was given in my reply to the hon. Member for Western Isles on 11 December.

  Hong Kong
  Mr. David Young
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make it his policy that statements taken by Hong Kong immigration officers from boat people are read back to or read by the appellant and that the appellant is allowed to amend the statements and sign them.

  Mr. Maude
  Any statements taken by Hong Kong immigration officers which require clarification are read back to the interviewees to ensure accuracy. The UNHCR and its designated agency have access to the questionnaire completed for all boat people at the start of the screening procedure so that they can assist the asylum seeker to make any further representations at the review stage.

  Mr. Tony Marlow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the further difficult decisions concerning Hong Kong referred to in his statement of 20 December, column 363.

  Mr. Maude
  As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made clear in his statement on 20 December, our continuing responsibility for Hong Kong over the next eight years will involve us in a variety of complex and difficult decisions. Those decisions span the whole range of Hong Kong issues related to the effective administration of the territory and the implementation of the joint declaration. One such decision involves steps to be taken to develop democracy further in Hong Kong.

  Takrouna Monument
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to protect and preserve the monument at Takrouna, Tunisia, which commemorates the relief of that strongpoint by the Eighth Army and the Free French Forces in April 1943.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  We have no responsibility for this monument, which is threatened by mining operations. But our embassy in Tunis is monitoring the situation and is ready to find an appropriate alternative site if necessary for the commemorative plaque.

  Panama
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any humanitarian assistance has been offered to authorities in Panama following the invasion of that country by United States forces.
  510
  Mr. Sainsbury
  No.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with European Economic Community governments since the United States of America invasion of Panama; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  EC Foreign Ministers discussed Panama in Paris on 22 December.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reasons were given by the President of the United States of America for the invasion of Panama when he sought endorsement for his actions from Her Majesty's Government.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  President Bush has stated that the United States military intervention in Panama had four objectives: to safeguard the lives of American citizens, to help restore democracy, to protect the integrity of the Panama canal treaties, and to bring General Noriega to justice.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps were taken by Her Majesty's Government to establish the legality of the United States invasion of Panama before endorsement of such action was given.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  The American action was undertaken with the agreement of the leaders who clearly won the elections held last May. We had no hesitation in welcoming the establishment of democratic government in Panama and giving full support to the action that led to this. General Noriega's arbitrary rule was maintained by force. There can be no suggestion that he represented legality.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a British Minister last visited Panama.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  My noble Friend Baroness Young, the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visited Panama in November 1983.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which European Economic Community countries, other than the United Kingdom, have expressed official support for the United States invasion of Panama; which of them have recognised the regime of Mr. Guillermo Endara; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  Several EC member states made statements on 20 December. Italy, Germany and the Netherlands expressed understanding of the United States action. EC Foreign Ministers issued a joint statement on 22 December. It is the practice of the United Kingdom and other EC countries to recognise states rather than Governments, so the question of formal recognition does not arise. Heads of mission of the five EC member states with resident representation in Panama—United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain—called on Sr. Linares, the Foreign Minister of President Endara's new Government, on 4 January.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the United
  511
  Kingdom exercised a veto in the United Nations Security Council on the motion condemning the United States invasion of Panama; and if he will list each occasion in the past three years when Her Majesty's Government's representative at the United Nations has exercised a veto.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  Together with the United States and France, we exercised our veto on the draft resolution on the situation in Panama because it was seriously unbalanced. Canada also voted against. Finland abstained.

  The United Kingdom has exercised a veto in the United Nations Security Council on four other occasions since January 1987:

  Date

  20 February 1987

  South Africa

  9 April 1987

  Question of Namibia

  8 March 1988

  Sanctions against South Africa

  11 January 1989

  Shooting down of Libyan jet

  Arts and Design
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure was made by his Department on(a) the Arts and (b) design in the last financial year.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: Such detailed information could be provided only at disproportionate cost, but we are aware that our principal expenditure on the arts is almost exclusively channelled through the British Council, which in 1988–89 spent £13·3 million of the diplomatic wing's direct grant of £58·1 million on the promotion overseas of British artistic achievements.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Estate Agents
  Mr. Sean Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total cost to his Department of the Likierman report; and if he will give a breakdown of the major areas of cost.

  Mr. Redwood
  We provided the secretariat for the steering group and the auditors study team in the review of professional liability under the overall chairmanship of Professor Andrew Likierman. The total cost of this was £26,500, of which £24,000 was spent on staff costs including accommodation and the remaining £2,500 on consultancy and other miscellaneous costs.

  Companies Act Investigations
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what actions are taken by his Department against accountancy firms criticised in his inspector's reports on inquiries under the Companies Act.

  Mr. Forth
  Such action as may be appropriate in the circumstances which may include disclosure of information with a view to the institution of, or otherwise for the purposes of, any disciplinary proceedings relating to the exercise by an auditor or an accountant of his professional duties.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times accountancy firms have been criticised for the audits in investigations conducted by his Department under the Companies Act; how many firms these criticisms apply to; and what action is taken by his Department when such criticisms are made.

  Mr. Forth
  This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. My Department takes such action as is appropriate when accountancy firms are criticised in investigations. This may include disclosure of information with a view to the institution of, or otherwise for the purpose of, any disciplinary proceedings relating to the exercise by an auditor or an accountant of his professional duties.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries conducted under the Companies Act he has ordered since January 1979; how many have reported; how many of these reports have been published; how many of those not published have been communicated in any way to professional bodies; and how many of(a) the published reports and (b) the unpublished reports have resulted in (i) court action, (ii) any professional discipline on which he has information and (iii) action by his Department.

  Mr. Forth
  Inspections into the affairs and/or membership of 57 companies, some of which are linked, have begun since January 1979. A final report has been submitted in relation to 35 of those companies. An interim report has been submitted in relation to five other companies. Fourteen reports, including three interim reports, have been published relating to 17 different companies. One unpublished report has been disclosed to a professional body. Criminal proceedings have followed or commenced during investigations in relation to nine 514
  companies, in respect of which three reports relating to four companies have been published. Winding-up and disqualification proceedings have been commenced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State during an investigation in which an interim report was submitted. That report is unpublished.

  Disciplinary proceedings by a professional body have followed investigations in relation to four companies in respect of which two reports relating to three companies have been published.

  Other action was taken by my Department in one investigation in respect of which the report was published and resulted in the recovery of £475,000 for creditors and shareholders.

  Export Credits
  Mr. Jim Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was, for developing countries(a) the total of outstanding export credits in 1982, (b) the total repaid each year between 1982 and 1988, (c) the total outstanding for each country in 1988, (d) the total arrears of each country in 1988, (e) the terms under which the credits were advanced and (f) the annual rates of interest charged each year from 1982 to 1988.

  Mr. Forth
  The total outstanding export credits to developing countries was £14·9 billion as at 31 March 1982. This figure was published in ECGD's trading results for the financial year 1981–82. Figures for repayments each year are not available but the total outstanding as at 31 March 1988 amounted to £10·4 billion. It has been the policy of successive governments not to provide details of ECGD's exposure-experience on individual markets.

  The definition ECGD uses for arrears on credit insurance business relates to the amount of claims paid which remain outstanding for recovery, and as at the end of 1988, this figure stood at £2·1 billion for developing countries.

  The terms for export credit advanced to developing countries are governed by the OECD arrangement on guidelines for officially supported export credits. This arrangement also lays down the minimum interest rates permitted. The rates in force vary depending on the length of the credit involved and the grading of the country to which credit is extended. The rates are revised twice yearly.

  Public Appointments
  Mrs. Roe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many persons above the age of(a) 60, (b) 65 and (c) 70 years he has appointed to public bodies in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Forth
  This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Medical Equipment (ACARD Report)
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps have been taken to implement the recommendations of the 1986 Advisory Council for Applied Research and Development report on medical equipment, so far as they affect his Department.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Department is represented on the R and D co-ordinating group on medical equipment chaired by the Department of Health; and a market
  515
  branch in my Department deals with the medical equipment sector. The Department seeks to ensure that information received about market opportunities, including that obtained from posts overseas, is disseminated widely to United Kingdom industry.

  Export Intelligence
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the contract awarded to Export Opportunities Ltd. for the marketing of export intelligence was subject to competitive tender; and what the number of subscribers to the export intelligence service now is.

  Mr. Forth
  Yes. Export intelligence is available on an automated matching basis from Export Opportunities Ltd., and by on-line inquiry from Trade Network International Ltd. and from FT Information Online Ltd. The three companies are in competition with each other and the number of customers each has is commercially confidential.

  Sanitary Tampons
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was discussed at his Department's most recent meeting with tampon manufacturers; and whether he will advise those manufacturers that a warning about toxic shock syndrome should be clearly visible on the outside of tampon boxes.

  Mr. Forth
  My officials are in correspondence with the tampon industry about more prominent labelling about the use of the product. But I have no present intention of asking manufacturers to mention toxic shock syndrome on the outside of the packet.

  Accountancy Firms
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the companies within his responsibilities in which the Government have sold their financial stake since June 1979; and which were the accountancy firms which either advised or reported on the prospectus in each case.

  Mr. Redwood
  The holdings sold by my Department, together with the appropriate advisers, were British Aerospace (Peat Marwick Mitchell); Rolls-Royce (Coopers and Lybrand); British Steel (Coopers and Lybrand); British Telecom (Coopers and Lybrand); Cable and Wireless (Deloitte Haskins and Sells); Jaguar (J. Henry Schroder Wagg and Co. Ltd.) and Rover Group (Baring Brothers, and Slaughter and May).

  Other disposals comprised various subsidiaries of companies in public ownership; and the sale of 9·5 per cent. shareholding in Short Brothers in which the Northern Ireland Department of Economic Development had primary responsibility. A number of holdings in other companies have been returned to the private sector by the National Enterprise Board.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether any appointments have been made to the accounting standards task force of employees of firms against whom action has been taken by his Department.

  Mr. Redwood
  One member of the accounting standards task group is employed by such a firm.
  516
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether at any time since June 1979 any accountancy firm found to be lacking in professional conduct, efficiency and competence by the joint disciplinary scheme has supplied inspectors for any of his Department's investigations.

  Mr. Redwood
  Yes.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to amend the Companies Acts to ensure that where reporting accountants have been criticised by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors within the last five years, published prospectuses shall give this information.

  Mr. Redwood
  No. The purpose of prospectuses is to enable potential investors to assess the merits of the investment they are being offered.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the reports published of Department of Trade and Industry investigations into accountancy firms since June 1979, showing the date of publication, date of completion of the report and the date on which the inspectors were appointed in each case.

  Mr. Redwood
  Reports published by my right hon. Friend are those of inspectors appointed to investigate a company's affairs under section 432 of the Companies Act 1985, its membership under section 442, and share dealings under section 446. These sections do not relate to investigations of accountancy firms.

  Bankruptcies
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies went into receivership within two months, four months, six months, nine months and 12 months of receiving an unqualified audit opinion in the period 1 January 1987 to 1 January 1989.

  Mr. Redwood
  The chief executive of Companies House tells me that the information requested is not available.

  Land Valuation
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will be requiring all large companies, as defined in the Companies Acts, to incorporate valuation of land and buildings in their annual accounts.

  Mr. Redwood
  I assume that the hon. Member is proposing a new requirement on large companies to revalue land and buildings annually in their accounts. The present law already requires fixed assets such as land and buildings to be included in the balance sheet, and directors are required to draw to the attention of shareholders any substantial difference between the market value of land and buildings and the amount included in the balance sheet where the difference is, in the directors' opinion, of sufficient significance. However, the question of accounting for fixed assets, including the need to keep valuations up to date, is due to be considered shortly by the Accounting Standards Committee with a view to the production of an exposure draft early in the new year.

  Computer Misuse
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions there were for computer misuse in the years 1985 to 1989; and how many were successful.

  Mr. Forth
  The Law Commission, when publishing its recent report on this subject, pointed out that computer misuse was a relatively new phenomenon and that the criminal law as presently framed did not provide adequate protection against all forms of misuse. As a consequence there have been few prosecutions, but the exact figure is not readily available, as Government statistics do not separately identify those cases containing this element.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the Official Report a breakdown of the verifiable cases of computer misuse in the years 1985 to 1989 in the following three categories (a) unauthorised access, (b) computer fraud and (c) damage.

  Mr. Forth
  Although there are no centrally collated figures, my Department has identified around 270 verified cases of computer misuse between 1985 and 1989. Of these, approximately 42 per cent. relate to unauthorised access, 37 per cent. to computer fraud and 20 per cent. to damage. I understand that a large number of cases go unreported, and that this figure probably represents only a proportion of the true total.

  Footwear
  Sir John Farr
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his policy on negotiations in the EEC in relation to footwear imports from Taiwan and South Korea; and if he will press for immediate strict limitation of such imports to the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Government are prepared to support safeguard action where the conditions for such action are met and the restrictions can be fully and economically justified. In our view the European Commission's report on the impact on Community producers of imports of footwear from South Korea and Taiwan does not provide sufficient justification for such action. We have informed the Commission therefore that consistently with our general approach on trade policy issues the United Kingdom Government are opposed to safeguard action on imports of footwear from South Korea and Taiwan. We have, however, suggested to the Commission that if it were to propose some form of surveillance licensing we would give this sympathetic consideration.

  Sir John Farr
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his estimate of the number of jobs in the United Kingdom footwear industry which are dependent on the maintaining of the voluntary restraint agreement with Poland.
  518
  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  It is not possible to estimate the number of jobs in the United Kingdom footwear industry which are dependent on the maintaining of the voluntary restraint arrangement.

  Sir John Farr
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the number of jobs displaced in the United Kingdom footwear industry by imports from(a) Taiwan and (b) South Korea.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  It is not possible to assess the number of jobs displaced in the United Kingdom footwear industry by imports from Taiwan and South Korea.

  Sir John Farr
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that the voluntary restraint agreement limiting leather footwear imports from Poland remains in force for the foreseeable future.

  Mr. Redwood
  Ministers have considered the industry's arguments for renewing the voluntary restraint arrangement (VRA) on Polish leather footwear very carefully, but have concluded that it would not be appropriate to press the EC Commission to renew the VRA on our behalf.

  There are three considerations which support this conclusion. First, it would be inconsistent with the Government's political commitment to assist the Poles in their progress to economic, political and social reform if we were to restrict footwear imports. Secondly, with effect from 1 January 1990 all Community restrictions on Polish footwear are to be lifted and thirdly, even if the VRA were to be renewed its effects could be totally undermined by imports of footwear on free circulation via other member states.

  I have told the industry, however, that we will monitor the situation and reconsider the case for the renewal of the VRA towards the end of this year in the light of experience and in the context of the Community's consideration of its general attitude to Poland. If, in the meantime, imports of leather footwear from Poland should damage the United Kingdom industry significantly I will consider the possibility of applying either for safeguard action or for anti-dumping remedies.

  EC Trade
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will bring up to date the figures for intra and extra-EEC trade of EEC countries given in the reply of 3 July 1985,Official Report, columns 190–92.

  Mr. Redwood
  The information is in the table. Because of the accession to the EC of Spain and Portugal, figures for 1984, the last year included in the previous answer, are given again to indicate the effect on intra and extra-EC trade.
  519

  European Community exports of manufactures1

  billion ECU

  Federal Republic of Germany

  France

  Italy

  Netherlands

  Belgium/Luxembourg

  United Kingdom

  Ireland

  Denmark

  Greece

  Spain

  Portugal

  (1) Intra-EC trade

  1984

  89·2

  42·1

  37·6

  26·8

  32·7

  28·8

  5·5

  4·2

  1·8

  10·4

  3·2

  1985

  99·8

  47·8

  42·1

  29·8

  36·2

  32·9

  6·1

  4·8

  1·7

  11·6

  3·6

  1986

  107·8

  49·0

  44·5

  31·6

  38·2

  33·3

  6·0

  5·1

  2·0

  12·2

  4·0

  1987

  116·3

  53·1

  49·7

  33·4

  40·5

  36·1

  6·6

  5·6

  2·2

  13·6

  4·6

  1988

  129·0

  66·8

  55·3

  37·7

  45·3

  43·1

  7·8

  6·0

  1·8

  16·5

  5·2

  (2) Extra-EC trade

  1984

  96·3

  44·3

  41·5

  12·5

  13·8

  41·3

  2·2

  7·1

  1·4

  11·0

  1·8

  198S

  108·8

  47·2

  45·1

  13·0

  15·2

  45·5

  2·7

  7·8

  1·4

  11·2

  2·0

  1986

  110·1

  44·1

  40·3

  12·2

  14·3

  39·1

  2·3

  7·5

  1·2

  8·0

  1·8

  1987

  109·2

  39·6

  39·1

  12·2

  14·1

  39·7

  2·3

  7·4

  1·0

  9·5

  1·8

  1988

  113·8

  47·1

  41·4

  13·7

  16·3

  43·9

  2·6

  7·5

  1·0

  10·6

  1·9

  1 Standard International Trade Classification, Sections 5 to 8.

  Source: Eurostat.

  Company Investigations
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1), further to the reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby, 27 November,Official Report, column 93, what is the relationship of the company inspections referred to there to the investigations mentioned in the Department of Trade and Industry's annual publication, "Companies in 1988–89" and earlier editions, as being approved since 1979;

  (2) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby, Official Report, 27 November, column 93, if he

  Date of Appointment

  Company name Inspectors' names

  Whether inspection is continuing or completed

  Type of inquiry

  1979

  1. 19 September 1979

  METALMAN ENGINEERING LTD. M. A. Braganza

  Completed

  s165(a)(i) CA 1948

  2. 19 September 1979

  BRYMORE (STEELS) LTD. M. A. Braganza

  Completed

  s165(a)(i) CA 1948

  3. 18 December 1979

  SAINT PIRAN LTD. G. M. Godfrey QC A. J. Hardcastle FCA

  Completed

  s165(a)(0 and si72 CA 1948

  1980

  4. 12 February 1980

  CONSOLIDATED GOLD FIELDS LTD. M. C. A. Osborne B. J. Welch

  Completed

  s172 CA 1948

  5. 25 July 1980

  DUNLOP HOLDINGS LTD. F. H. Pulling C. W. M. Ingram

  Completed

  s172 CA 1948

  6. 4 September 1980

  EUROSEAS SECURITIES LTD. M. A. F. Lyndon Stanford QC B. A. Kemp FCA

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  795/

  7. 24 August 1981

  RIAFIELD LTD. D. J. Jupp

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  8. 11 November 1981

  CORPORATE MANAGEMENT PLANNING LTD. P. J. Hanford A. H. S. Robertshaw

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  1982

  9. 8 March 1982

  EUROFLAME HOLDINGS PLC R. F. G. Day R. L. Saunders

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  10. 25 March 1982

  PHARMACEUTEX (IV) FLUID LTD.

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  11.

  DRIVEHOUSE LTD.

  520
  will list the 56 inspections under the Companies Acts since 1979, showing the date on which each inspection commenced, the names of the inspectors, the current status of each inspection and the anticipated date of publication of outstanding inspections.

  Mr. Redwood
  The table lists the details requested by the hon. Member of the 56 inspections mentioned in my previous reply. I am unable to say when reports will be published in relation to those inspections which remain outstanding.
  521

  Date of Appointment

  Company name Inspectors' names

  Whether inspection is continuing or completed

  Type of inquiry

  12.

  FURDROVE LTD.

  F. H. Pulling

  N. A. Pink

  A. H. S. Robertshaw

  13. 10 May 1982

  CUBAR CONSTRUCTION LTD.

  Completed

  s165(a)(i) CA 1948

  J. Mann

  D. Gorick

  R. Burton

  14. 24 September 1982

  ALEXANDER HOWDEN GROUP PLC

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  R. A. Gatehouse QC

  I. G. Watt FCA

  15. 8 November 1982

  MINET HOLDINGS PLC

  Continuing

  s165(b) CA 1948

  16.

  WMD UNDERWRITING AGENCIES LTD.

  S. C. Boyd QC

  P. W. G. DuBuisson FCA

  17. 19 November 1982

  SIGNAL LIFE ASSURANCE CO. LTD.

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  J. Mann

  B. J. Welch

  1983

  18. 25 February 1983

  HARTLEY BAIRD PLC

  Completed

  s172 CA 1948

  J. R. Sendall

  19. 11 March 1983

  GRAYLAW HOLDINGS LTD.

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  20.

  LINK SERVICE STATIONS LTD.

  Completed

  21.

  BRITISH ANZANI PLC

  Completed

  Miss E. Appleby QC

  P. W. Foss FCA

  22. 6 April 1983

  THE GREENBANK TRUST PLC

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  G. M. Abercrombie

  A. H. S. Robertshaw

  23. 7 June 1983

  WESTMINSTER PROPERTY GROUP PLC

  Completed

  s172 CA 1948

  F. H. Pulling

  B. J. Welch

  24. 23 August 1983

  HOUSE OF FRASER PLC

  Completed

  s172CA 1948

  J. Griffiths QC

  25. 4 October 1983

  BANK STREET SECURITIES LTD.

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  26.

  PENNINE COMMERCIAL HOLDINGS

  Continuing

  Miss E. Appleby QC

  Mr. P. W. Foss FCA

  1984

  27. 16 February 1984

  MEDWAY SECONDARY METALS LTD.

  Completed

  s165(b) CA 1948

  Miss E. Appleby QC

  Mr. P. W. Foss QC

  28. 3 September 1984

  EMRAY PLC

  Completed

  s172 CA 1948

  now EQUITY & GENERAL PLC

  I. G. Salter

  P. H. Bovey

  1985

  29. 9 May 1985

  HARTLEY BAIRD PLC

  Completed

  s172 CA 1948

  J. R. Sendall

  30. 27 August 1985

  MILBURY PLC

  Completed

  s432 CA 1985

  H. B. H. Carlisle QC

  M. G. Lickliss FCA

  31. 27 September 1985

  ALDERSHOT FOOTBALL CLUB LTD.

  Completed

  s442 CA 1985

  N. Bohm (Solicitor)

  A. Ridler FCA

  32. 26 November 1985

  WESTMINSTER PROPERTY GROUP LTD.

  Completed

  s442 CA 1985

  H. B. H. Carlisle QC

  M. G. Lickliss FCA

  1986

  33. 7 February 1986

  SUMRIE CLOTHES PLC

  Completed

  s442 and s446 CA 1985

  now SUMMER INTERNATIONAL PLC

  Sir Michael Kerry QC

  K. S. Carmichael FCA

  522 523

  Date of Appointment

  Company name Inspectors' names

  Whether inspection is continuing or completed

  Type of inquiry

  34. 28 November 1986

  GUINNESS PLC

  Continuing

  s432 and s442 CA 1985

  D. T. Donaldson QC

  I. G. Watt FCA

  35. 10 December 1986

  CONSOLIDATED GOLD FIELDS PLC

  Completed

  s442 CA 1985

  R. G. A. Youard (Solicitor)

  D. Anton FCA

  1987

  Completed

  s442 CA 1985

  36. 10 February 1987

  BREMNERPLC

  M. Mclver (Solicitor)

  D. J. McLeod FCA

  37. 9 April 1987

  HOUSE OF FRASER HOLDINGS PLC

  Completed

  s432(2) CA 1985

  H. Brooke QC

  H. G. C. Aldous FCA

  38. 29 November 1987

  THE ANIMAL DEFENCE SOCIETY LTD.

  Continuing

  s432(1) CA 1985

  J. F. Eden (Solicitor)

  C. H. L. Chudley FCA

  1988

  39. 10 June 1988

  JAMES FERGUSON HOLDINGS PLC

  Continuing

  s432(2) and s442 CA 1985

  4 July 1988

  40. 4 July 1988

  BARLOW CLOWES GILT MANAGERS LTD.

  Continuing

  S432(2) CA 1985

  L. D. Ziman (Solicitor)

  W. M. Hoffman FCA

  41. 22 July 1988

  JAMES NEILL HOLDINGS PLC

  Continuing

  s442 CA 1985

  42.

  FRANCIS INDUSTRIES LTD.

  43.

  F. H. LLOYD HOLDINGS PLC.

  D. A. Evans QC

  B. Worth FCA

  44. 16 August 1988

  ROTAPRINT PLC

  Continuing

  s432(2) and s442 CA 1985

  Miss M. H. Arden QC

  G. N. Lane FCA

  45. 24 August 1988

  ALDERMANBURY TRUST PLC

  Continuing

  s432(2) CA 1985

  G. W. Staple (Solicitor)

  T. Tress FCA

  46. 20 October 1988

  CONSOLIDATED GOLD FIELDS PLC

  Continuing

  S442 CA 1985

  P. L. Heslop QC

  R. P. G. Lewis FCA

  47. 19 December 1988

  COUNTY NATWEST LTD.

  Completed

  s432(2) CA 1985

  48.

  COUNTY NATWEST SECURITIES LTD.

  M. Crystal QC

  D. L. Spence FCA

  1989

  49. 9 March 1989

  SOUND DIFFUSION PLC

  Continuing

  s432(2) CA 1985

  E. J. Lawson QC

  D. Anton FCA

  50. 12 April 1989

  THE MERSEY DOCKS AND HARBOUR COMPANY

  Continuing

  s442 CA 1985

  51.

  METAL CLOSURES GROUP LTD.

  52.

  WINCHMORE PLC

  D. A. Evans QC

  B. Worth FCA

  53. 26 May 1989

  BLUE ARROW PLC

  Continuing

  s432(2) CA 1985

  Miss H. Heilbron QC

  M. D. Boohan FCA

  54. 23 June 1989

  THE BESTWOOD PLC

  Continuing

  s432(2) and s442 CA 1985

  55.

  ATLANTA FUND MANAGERS LTD.

  s432 CA 1985

  G. S. Moss QC

  J. R. Venning FCA

  56. 30 June 1989

  THE MILFORD DOCKS COMPANY

  Continuing

  s432(2) CA 1985

  R. Owen QC

  P. Powell FCA

  My answer to the hon. Member of 27 November 1989 gave the total number of companies for which inspectors have been appointed since June 1979.

  The relevant table dealing with Companies Act investigations in the annual reports presented to both Houses in accordance with section 729 of the Companies Act 1985 gives the number of appointments of inspectors
  524
  under sections 431, 432, 442 and 446 of the Companies Act 1985 or their predecessor sections as well as details of the exercise of other Companies Act investigatory powers. When inspectors have been appointed under the authority of two sections, it has been the practice since 1986 to include details of both appointments in the table.

  Monopolies and Mergers Commission
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he intends to refer the proposed merger of Kingfisher with Dixon Group plc to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; and if in his consideration he will take into account the local monopoly considerations as recently developed by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

  Mr. Redwood
  The proposed acquisition by Kingfisher plc of Dixons is currently being considered by the Director General of Fair Trading who has a duty to advise the Secretary of State on whether or not it should be referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the proposed acquisition in anticipation of the director general's advice.

  Tourism
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he now proposes to take to promote increased tourism from countries in eastern Europe and East Germany; and if he will make a statement.

  1988–89

  1989–901

  Offers accepted (£'000)

  Payments made (£'000)

  Offers accepted (£'000)

  Payments made (£'000)

  Regional investment grants

  East Midlands

  285

  10

  160

  117

  North East

  1,277

  234

  2,006

  917

  North West

  1,368

  299

  1,742

  762

  South West

  386

  61

  546

  185

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  842

  108

  1,538

  629

  Regional innovation grants

  East Midlands

  100

  nil

  153

  50

  North East

  859

  32

  916

  311

  North West

  760

  118

  620

  99

  South West

  204

  13

  195

  41

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  590

  44

  631

  120

  1 To end November 1989.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish figures for the numbers employed in(a) shipbuilding and (b) steel in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The relevant figures are estimated as follows:

  Shipbuilding1

  Steel1

  1979

  64,500

  162,000

  1980

  58,000

  134,000

  1981

  59,000

  96,000

  1982

  59,000

  81,900

  1983

  52,500

  67,300

  1984

  47,000

  62,300

  1985

  43,000

  60,700

  1986

  40,000

  56,900

  1987

  36,500

  55,100

  1988

  35,000

  55,200

  1989

  30,500

  354,500

  Source:

  1 DTI.

  2 Eurostat 'Labour Force (including apprentices): ECSC Products'.

  3 Average for 10 months to October 1989.

  526
  Mr. Nicholls
  I have been asked to reply.

  My Department sponsors the British Tourist Authority (BTA) which has responsibility for the promotion of tourism to the United Kingdom. The BTA is aware of the potential of the eastern European tourism market and will take this into account in developing its marketing plans.

  Grants
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list for each region the take-up of(a) investment grants and (b) innovation grants; and what was the total amount spent in each year since their introduction.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The requested information, with regard to take-up and expenditure in 1988–89 and 1989–90 (to end November) for the regional enterprise grant scheme is as follows:

  Shipbuilding
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the amounts paid by the intervention fund for shipbuilding in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: Payments made from the shipbuilding intervention fund since 1979 are as follows:

  Year

  £

  1978–79

  10,839,000

  1979–80

  31,912,378

  1980–81

  41,890,399

  1981–82

  49,126,517

  1982–83

  47,925,370

  1983–84

  36,231,429

  1984–85

  20,069,280

  1985–86

  25,927,629

  1986–87

  17,450,596

  1987–88

  13,644,119

  1988–89

  38,653,894

  1989 to date

  25,426,976

  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the share of world shipbuilding orders won by Britain in each year since 1979.
  527
  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The percentage share of world new orders for merchant ships (in compensated gross tonnes) placed with United Kingdom yards since 1979 is as follows:

  Percentage

  1979

  2·3

  1980

  2·8

  1981

  2·6

  1982

  2·6

  1983

  1·6

  1984

  1·8

  1985

  2·7

  1986

  2·1

  1987

  2·0

  1988

  0·7

  Source: OECD; Lloyds/EC contract sources.

  Full information on world orders for naval vessels is not available.

  Schools (Technology)
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what increase has taken place in 1988–89 and 1989–90 in support for(a) the use of computer-aided design and (b) the use of advanced technology in schools and further education colleges.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The Department of Trade and Industry has recently spent the following amounts in order to encourage the use of advanced technology (including computer-aided design CAD) in schools and further education colleges.

  £ million

  Schools

  Further education

  1987–88

  8·5

  3·5

  1988–89

  5·5

  1·6

  1989–90

  12·9

  10·2

  1 Forecast outturn for full year.

  The 1987 further education figure includes £2·2 million spent on a scheme limited to CAD. Apart from this, it is not possible separately to identify amounts spent on CAD within either schools or further education.

  Advertising
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his latest estimate of the total cost of advertising by his Department in 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90; and what is his planned expenditure for 1990–91 and 1991–92.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: Expenditure on advertising from the Department's central publicity budget was as follows:

  £ million

  1987–88

  8·4

  1988–89

  18·8

  11989–90

  10

  1 Estimate.

  Media allocations for future years have not yet been decided.

  Regional Selective Assistance
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the remit of his review of regional selective assistance; and when he expects it to report.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The internal guidelines for regional selective assistance are kept under continual review in order to keep them up to date and to consider any changes which might improve the scheme's effectiveness and value for money.

  English Industrial Estates
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the remit of his review of English Industrial Estates Corporation, and when he expects it to report.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The remit of the review was set out in my reply to the Member for Dundee, East (Mr. McAllion) on 31 October. I expect to receive the consultants' report early in the new year.

  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the size of managed work space of English Industrial Estates Corporation in 1987, 1988 and 1989(a) in total and (b) in inner cities.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: English Estates' managed workspace programme was announced in March 1988. Capital expenditure was £0·5 million in 1988–89 and is expected to be £0·6 million in 1989–90. All of this expenditure was in inner city areas. In addition, English Estates provides small workshops as part of its assisted areas programme and on behalf of the Rural Development Commission.

  Post Office
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the remit of his study of the Post Office; and when he expects it to report.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The Post Office Board naturally keeps under review a range of options for ensuring that their services meet as closely as possible the needs of both present and future customers. I am in regular touch with the board about these matters. There is, therefore, no date for reporting.

  Consultancy Initiative
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of firms have taken up the consultancy initiative in each region.

  Mr. Ridley
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: It is estimated that as of 1 December 1989 the percentage of firms is as follows:

  Percentage of firms applying for the consultancy initiatives

  DTI region

  Percentage

  North East

  5·3

  North West

  4·1

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  3·5

  West Midlands

  3·6

  East Midlands

  2·8

  South West

  3·1

  529

  DTI region

  Percentage

  East

  2·4

  South East

  2·5

  Scotland

  3·0

  Wales

  3·8

  Total

  3·1

  Dixons (Takeover)
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations he has received concerning proposals for the Kingfisher group to take over the Dixons/Currys group.

  Mr. Redwood
  I have received some 20 representations about the proposed acquisition by Kingfisher plc of Dixons.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ask the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to consider the proposed takeover of Dixons by Woolworth.

  Mr. Redwood
  The proposed acquisition by Kingfisher plc of Dixons is currently being considered by the Director General of Fair Trading who has a duty to advise the Secretary of State on whether or not it should be referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the proposed acquisition in anticipation of the director general's advice.

  Chlorofluorocarbons
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to receive the Coopers and Lybrand report on chlorofluorocarbons; to whom he will make it available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 7 December 1989]: My Department has commissioned two reports on CFCs from Coopers and Lybrand. The first, which examines the effect of environmental and health and safety controls on the markets for chlorinated solvents, has been submitted to the Department and will be published shortly. The second study, which complements the first, will examine the size of and distribution of current CFC and halon use within the United Kingdom and assess the technical and economic options for the recovery, recycling and eventual destruction of these substances. This study is due to be submitted in early 1990 and is expected to contain much information of interest to both Government and industry. Our intention therefore is that this information should also be made widely available, although it is too early to say precisely in what form it will be published.

  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received any representations about the West German Government's intentions to ban the refrigerant gas HFA 22 with effect from January 1992; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 7 December 1989]: The parties to the Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer are presently discussing ways in which it should be strengthened at the second meeting of the parties in London next summer. The protocol is implemented within the European Community by
  530
  regulation EC3322/88, which has as its legal base article 1305 of the treaty of Rome requiring unanimity of voting. For this reason, and because there would otherwise be serious implications for the internal market, this is a matter on which all 12 member states must work together. Her Majesty's Government's view remains that HFA 22 has an important part to play especially in helping the refrigeration industry to reduce its dependence on the more damaging chlorofluorocarbons, at least in the short to medium term.

  Abbey National plc
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations have been received by his Department from shareholders of Abbey National plc who have not yet received shareholding certificates; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 8 December 1989]: Since the beginning of August the Department has received over 100 letters from shareholders who at the time of writing had not received their share certificates. There have been seven such letters in the last month.

  Whisky
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the European Community import duty is on a one-litre bottle of whisky, containing 40 per cent. alcohol imported from(a) the United Kingdom, (b) the United States of America and (c) Japan.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 20 December 1989]: No EC customs duty is payable on goods produced in the United Kingdom when imported into another member state. The duty levied on a litre bottle of whisky containing 40 per cent. alcohol imported into any member state from either the United States of America or Japan is 14 pence.

  GATT
  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will specify the final European Community proposals on agriculture in the Uruguay round of the general agreement on tariffs and trade; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  I have been asked to reply.

  Along with other major participants in GATT, the European Community has now tabled outline proposals for long term reform of agricultural supported policies. The Community proposals are designed to meet the agreed objective of substantial and progressive reduction in support, over a period of time. The Community proposes a programme of reductions, measured against a 1986 starting level, on the basis of an aggregate measure of total support. Some changes in the operation of export subsidies and in the mechanisms of import protection are also envisaged. Ideas are put forward for the treatment of developing countries and for moves towards the harmonization of measures relating to animal and plant health.

  In Council discussions, I and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs supported the Commission view that submission by the Community of a paper of this kind would make a helpful and constructive contribution to the Uruguay round negotiations as a whole.
  531
  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the United States proposal within the Uruguay round in the general agreement on tariffs and trade for quantification in standard form of all aspects of agricultural support systems.

  Mr. Curry
  I have been asked to reply.

  A range of proposals have been tabled by the United States, EC and others in the negotiation. Several make reference to the possible use of an aggregate measure of support which can quantify the impact of a wide range of policies. The United Kingdom believes that an aggregate measure provides a useful negotiating tool which by placing countries on a common footing would facilitate an agreement to reduce support and protection worldwide.

  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what priority Her Majesty's Government attach to achieving a compromise between the respective positions taken by the United States of America and the European Community during the general agreement on tariffs and trade Uruguay round negotiations on agriculture; and what is his policy towards the Cairns group proposals for bridging the gap between the European Community and the United States of America.

  Mr. Curry
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Government strongly support the objectives of the agricultural negotiations within the current GATT Round. We are working closely with our Community partners and with other countries, including the United States, to achieve a successful outcome. The proposals of the Cairns group are an important and constructive contribution to the negotiations. All parties recognise that compromise will be needed to achieve success.

  Manufacturing Investment
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on levels of investment in manufacturing industry in the last decade.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  I have been asked to reply.

  The most recent full year for which information is available is 1988. Manufacturing investment at 1985 prices including leased assets, is estimated to have been £11·3 billion in 1988, compared to £10·7 billion in 1978. The 1988 figure is the highest recorded and amounts to an average growth rate of 8¼ per cent. a year from the 1983 level. Under the last Labour Government, manufacturing investment grew by less than 2= per cent. a year averaged over the whole period of office.

  Manufacturing Industries
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which regions in England have seen a reduction in constant value terms in manufacturing industries from 1979 to the latest year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  I have been asked to reply. Current prices estimates for regions of manufacturing gross domestic product are published annually and 532
  provisional figures for 1988 may be found in "Economic Trends" No. 433, November 1989, pages 92 and 93: a copy is available in the Library. Constant price estimates, however, are not made because there are no regional price indices.

  Trade Gap
  Mr. Flannery
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total trade gap for the current year.

  Mr. Ryder
  I have been asked to reply.

  The latest available information was published on 29 December 1989 in table 1 of the monthly press notice on the current account of the balance of payments, a copy of which is available in the Library.

  Balance of Payments (Oil)
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish a table showing in current and 1985 prices the balance of payments surplus with the European Community in(a) crude oil and in other petroleum products and (b) other goods in 1970, 1979, 1985, 1988 and the current year to date.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  I have been asked to reply.

  Estimates for trade with the EC on a balance of payments basis are available only at current prices. Information about trade in crude oil and other petroleum products is not readily available for the EC; the following table shows trade in all fuels as the closest available substitute.

  Balance of trade with European Community countries1

  Balance of payments basis

  £ billion, current prices

  Fuels2

  Other Goods

  Total Trade

  1970

  -0·1

  +0·2

  +0·1

  1979

  +1·2

  -3·9

  -2·7

  1985

  +9·2

  -11·6

  -2·5

  1988

  +2·5

  -16·0

  -13·5

  19893

  +1·5

  -13·4

  -11·9

  1 Present membership in all years

  2 SITC (Rev 3) Section 3

  3 Not seasonally adjusted

SCOTLAND

  Electricity Disconnections
  Mr. McKelvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many electricity disconnections the South of Scotland electricity board undertook in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988, expressed as a percentage of the total of domestic users.

  Mr. Lang
  The number of domestic customers disconnected by the South of Scotland Electricity Board, and the percentages these formed of the total number of domestic customers in the last four financial years, is set out in the table.
  533

  Disconnections Financial Years—1 April to 31 March

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  Number of Domestic Customers disconnected during year

  7,874

  10,622

  11,546

  9,627

  Number of Domestic Customers as at 31 March

  1,421,734

  1,422,139

  1,445,151

  1,510,496

  Percentage of Domestic Customers disconnected

  0·55

  0·75

  0·80

  0·64

  River Pollution
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he plans to strengthen existing sanctions available to river purification boards and local authority water and sewage departments when they detect breaches in the voluntary codes for toxic disposals into rivers;

  (2) if he will take further steps to give additional powers to river purification boards to prevent commercial toxic pollution reaching rivers;

  (3) what proposals he has to change existing powers available to river purification boards to enter commercial premises and require specific action by owners to limit damage being done to rivers by toxic waste.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Anyone discharging trade effluent to sewers or to controlled waters without such consent as may be required by the local authority or without consent from the river purification authority is liable to prosecution. The powers available to river purification authorities to control the pollution of rivers, estuaries and coastal waters were recently improved and strengthened by the Water Act 1989. We are considering the making of regulations, including standards for the storage of chemicals on premises, which will further strengthen defences against such pollution.

  It is our intention to include measures in this Session's Environmental Protection Bill which will impose tighter controls over the most dangerous substances and certain processes and make new pollution control arrangements for multiple waste streams.

  Speech-impaired Children
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children with speech and language disorders have been placed in specialist residential schools in England from each region and island area in Scotland; and what assistance is available to Scottish parents in locating and selecting such schools for their children.

  Mr. Lang
  Information about the number of children with speech and language disorders placed in special residential schools in England is not held centrally. Parents wishing to send their children to such schools should seek assistance and advice from the regional and islands psychological services.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance has been given by his Department to ensure that speech and language disorders can be properly identified in examinations conducted for the purpose of a record of needs under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 as amended by the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.

  Mr. Lang
  Guidance and advice to education authorities assessing children for the purpose of opening and keeping a record of needs under section 60 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 is given in Scottish Education Department circulars No. 1083 and 1087,534
  copies of which will be sent to the hon. Member. The circulars do not give advice on particular learning difficulties such as speech and language disorders, since circumstances and special educational needs will vary with each individual child.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about the number of pre-school and school-aged children who are affected by speech and language disorders in each region and islands area in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Local Authorities (Chief Executives)
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the salaries paid to chief executives of each local authority in Scotland; and if he will give details of the income of the elected council leaders in those authorities for the 1988–89 financial year.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  This information is not held centrally.

  Councillors' Allowances
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland d he will give details of the differences in income to councillors as a result of the changes in allowances applicable from 1 April 1990.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The overall resources available for councillors' allowances in Scotland will be no less than at present. Details of how the resources are to be distributed have yet to be finalised after consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. We have proposed that the amount available to individual authorities should be determined by the type of authority, the workload of that authority, the number of constituents and the number of councillors. Within that basic framework, we are also willing to consider sympathetically any reasonable proposals for banding by population which the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities can devise, provided these command a broad measure of support from authorities.

  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received on the changes contained in the Housing and Local Government Bill regarding allowances paid to councillors.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 28 November at column 112.

  COSLA
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities; and whether he discussed the effects of the Coal Industry Bill on the environment.
  535
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My right hon. and learned Friend met representatives of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on 27 November to discuss his revenue support grant proposals for next year and other local government finance matters. The Coal Industry Bill was not raised at the meeting.

  Drug and Alcohol Abuse
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the number of instances of drug and alcohol abuse reported to the children's panel.

  Mr. Lang
  This information is not separately available. Drug and alcohol abuse are not by themselves grounds under section 32 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 for referral to a children's hearing to consider compulsory measures of care. They may often be a feature of greater behavioural problems which attract such grounds as "beyond parental control" or "lack of parental care".

  Colliery Tips
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans his Department has for clearing up and ensuring the reclamation and landscaping of former colliery tips.

  Mr. Lang
  The Scottish Development Agency is the Government's principal agency for environmental improvement in Scotland. As such, it deals with a wide range of environmental problems including those resulting from former colliery tips. The agency has an ongoing programme for the reclamation and landscaping of disused bings where there are no private sector interests.

  Colliery Closures
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the collieries closed since May 1979 in Scotland; and if he will give details of the numbers of jobs lost at each colliery.

  Mr. Rifkind
  The Scottish collieries that have closed since May 1979 are named in the table. In each case the numbers of jobs recorded refer to men on the colliery books at the end of the previous financial year. I understand that there have been no compulsory redundancies associated with these closures.

  Year and colliery

  Men on colliery books

  1980–81

  Lady Victoria

  638

  Roger

  86

  1981–82

  Bedley

  697

  Kinneil

  547

  Polmaise

  271

  1983–84

  Cardowan

  1,092

  Highhouse

  301

  Sorn

  202

  1986–87

  Comrie

  534

  Polkemmet

  35

  536

  Year and colliery

  Men on colliery books

  1987–88

  Seafield/Frances

  647

  1988–89

  Barony

  403

  Solsgirth

  805

  1989–90

  Bilston Glen (including Monktonhall)

  731

  Plate Mill
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he discussed the sale by Japan of the second-hand plate mill to British Steel when he visited Japan during the summer recess.

  Mr. Rifkind
  No.

  Highway Information Management System
  Mr. Robin Maxwell-Hyslop
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will request all Scottish regions to standardise on the highway information management system, the computerised system developed by Devon county council, which has been chosen as the preferred system by five of nine Scottish regions.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: The Scottish Development Department has endorsed the recommendation of the Scottish County Surveyors' Society highway database and management information system working party following a comprehensive trial of two of the available routine maintenance management systems, one of which was developed by Devon county council. The choice of the alternative system for use on trunk roads has been made following the recommendation of the Scottish County Surveyors' Society.

  Nature Conservancy Council
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to his answer of 28 November to the hon. Member for Dumfries (Sir H. Monro),Official Report columns 188–89, what was the number of responses which welcomed the merger of the Nature Conservatory Council and the Countryside Commission for Scotland; and what was the number which disapproved of the proposal.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: Of the 159 respondents expressing a view, 98 supported the proposals in principle and 61 were opposed to the merger. A list of those expressing support was provided in answer to the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Mrs. Taylor). The list of those opposed is as follows.

  Aitchison, Dr. C. I.

  Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group

  Baker, Dr. R.

  Banff and Buchan District Council

  Bat Group of Britain

  Botanical Society of Edinburgh

  British Association for Nature Conservation Scottish Branch

  British Mountaineering Council

  British Trust for Ornithology

  Brown, A.

  537

  Campbell, N.

  Central Scotland Raptor Study GC0

  Cobham Resources Consultants

  Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council

  Dumbarton District Council

  Friends of the Earth (Scotland)

  Geological Association, The

  Gordon District Council Director of Planning

  Grant, Dr. M. C.

  Hardie, P. A.

  Holdgate, M. W.

  Houghton, Dr. A.

  Johnston, J. Laughton

  Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council

  Kincardine and Deeside District Council

  Loch Lomond Park Authority

  Moray District Council

  Nethersole-Thompson, Mrs. M.

  NCC Trade Union Side

  Packard, Professor A.

  Brian K. Parnell and Associates

  Parsons, Professor I.

  Poore, D.

  Potter, D.

  Raby-Jolley, I. G.

  Ramblers Association, The

  Ramsay, A. D. K.

  Ratcliffe, Dr. D. A.

  Reid, C.

  Robb, H.

  Roger, J. Grant

  Rowbottom, M. G.

  Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The

  Scottish Ornithological Club, The

  Scottish Railway, Path and Cycle Route Project

  Scottish Rights of Way Society

  Scottish Scenic Trust

  Scottish Wildland Group

  Scottish Wildlife Trust

  Scottish Wildlife Trust—Lanark Group

  Smiley, Dr. W. K.

  Smith, Dr. R.

  Smith, A. J.

  Stirling-Aird, P.

  Stirling District Council

  Thomson, Dr. D.

  Thorpe, J.

  Watlin, Dr. R.

  Watson, D.

  Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

  Youngman, R. E.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Animals and Birds (Imports)
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken on the importation of parrots and other rare birds from South America and Senegal, in the light of the meeting between the hon. Member for Linlithgow and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the hon. Member for Calder Valley (Mr. Thompson) at Whitehall court.

  Mr. Maclean
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 20 December 1989 at column 350.

  Food Processing (Safety)
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he has had on safety regulations for the food processing industry; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have been asked to reply.
  538
  I met representatives of the Refrigeration Industry Board on 13 November 1989. These and many other interested bodies have been consulted on proposals for amendment of the Food Hygiene Regulations to extend temperature control to certain foods for retail sale in order to protect public health.

  Food Safety
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he has had with the food industry about food safety measures; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  My Ministry continues to consult widely in the food industry on food safety matters.

  Food Production
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further discussions he has had with consumer groups and others on the subject of food production; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  Ministers of this Department maintain regular contacts with consumer groups, as well as the agriculture and food industries, to discuss topics of mutual concern including food production matters. I recently met with representatives of these interests to hear at first hand their initial reactions to the Food Safety Bill.

  Green Pound
  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the current effect on United Kingdom farmers of the disparity in the green pound.

  Mr. Curry
  The recent fall in sterling has caused United Kingdom MCAs to increase from their previous levels. This situation may change with further movement of sterling. I shall watch the position closely during the Community price review which has just begun.

  Minke Whales
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will request an emergency meeting of the International Whaling Commission in order that they may discuss the current slaughter of minke whales in the Antarctic by Japanese hunters.

  Mr. Curry
  The Japanese Government are well aware of our views on their programme of whaling in the Antarctic for research purposes. We have consistently taken the lead within the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in questioning its validity in the light of the concerns raised by the IWC scientific committee. In response to the IWC resolution Japan has made some changes to the plans including reducing the number of minke whales to be taken. The IWC will discuss this revised programme at its next annual meeting.

  Beagles (Deaths)
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is now in a position to make a statement about his Department's inquiries into the deaths of the 79 beagles en route to Sweden referred to in his
  539
  answer of 1 November, Official Report, column 211, and on any other steps that can be taken to ensure that this possibility does not arise again.

  Mr. Maclean
  My Department's inquiries are now complete. Charges have been laid against three defendants under the Transit of Animals (General) Order 1973 and the Protection of Animals Act 1911. I believe that existing legislation provides sufficient safeguards but vigilance will always be necessary to prevent a recurrence of this kind of incident.

  Alar
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will secure from the United States Environmental Protection Agency the evidence which led the agency to ban the use of the apple spray Alar on the grounds of its health damaging properties.

  Mr. Maclean
  We have the EPA's published review document, all the relevant studies cited therein, and all the raw test data provided by the registrant.

  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which countries exporting apples to the United Kingdom do not allow the use of Alar.

  Mr. Maclean
  Daminozide, the active ingredient of the pesticide product Alar is not approved for use in Italy and its approval has been withdrawn in the United States following the voluntary cancellation of its registration for food crop uses by the manufacturer.

  Food and Drink Products
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce an environmental labelling scheme to cover food and drink products.

  Mr. Maclean
  No. "Environmental" claims are permitted under current food labelling legislation so long as the claim is true and not misleading to consumers. I am aware of requests for more detailed information on food, particularly on what might broadly be termed "green" issues. I have therefore asked the food advisory committee to carry out a comprehensive review of current labelling legislation and practices and to report back with any recommendations that it thinks appropriate.

  Pesticides
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the pesticide safety unit's review of pesticides that currently hold his Department's approvals but which are banned or restricted in use in other countries will be completed.

  Mr. Maclean
  The advisory committee carries out reviews of individual products when scientific evidence suggests these are necessary. It has started the routine review of all pesticides which were approved prior to 1981, irrespective of their status in other countries, which will take several years to complete.

  GATT
  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements he has for consulting representatives of United Kingdom consumers about the agricultural negotiations in the Uruguay round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
  540
  Mr. Curry
  I and my officials, and our counterparts in the Department of Trade and Industry, are in regular consultation with representatives of United Kingdom consumers on this subject.

  Import Restrictions
  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what restrictions exist on the import into the United Kingdom of agricultural products from(a) New Zealand, (b) Australia and (c) Canada; and what steps he is taking to have them reduced.

  Mr. Curry
  Imports of agricultural products from these, as from other, countries are subject to the rules of the common agricultural policy. Agricultural policies, including import barriers, are currently under discussion in the Uruguay round of multilateral trade negotiations. The objectives of the negotiation, which the United Kingdom supports, include substantial, progressive reductions in support and protection, including the lowering of import barriers. The United Kingdom is working with our Community partners and other governments, including those of New Zealand, Canada and Australia, to ensure a successful outcome to these negotiations.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Madel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to improve the co-ordination between local social security offices and local councils in relation to the payment of housing benefit; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  We attach high priority to good liaison between our local offices and local authorities and when difficulties arise we seek to remedy them promptly.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if his Department or the transitional payments unit has maintained league tables of outstanding TP3 forms awaiting return from local authorities.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 14 December 1989]: Inquiry forms TP3 were issued to local authorities in respect of over 484,000 applicants. The return of those forms has been closely monitored by the transitional payments unit. Seven local authorities each have in excess of 100 forms outstanding and in total around 3,000 applications cannot be assessed because inquiry forms have not been returned from over 200 local authorities.

  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary or State for Social Security what information he has about the number of people in the London borough of Lambeth currently entitled to housing benefit, distinguishing between(a) certificated housing benefit, (b) uncertificated benefit, (c) assistance with rates, (d) assistance with rent, (e) council tenants and (f) private tenants and owner occupiers.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The latest complete information is in the table.
  541

  Receiving Income Support and Housing Benefit

  Receiving Housing Benefit only

  Assistance with;

  Assistance with;

  Rent and rates

  Rent only

  Rates only

  Rent and rates

  Rent only

  Rates only

  Local Authority Tenants

  15,568

  159

  —

  4,691

  77

  284

  Private Tenants

  4,849

  746

  75

  1,728

  556

  58

  Owner Occupiers

  —

  —

  614

  —

  —

  332

  Note: Certificated and standard housing benefit ceased to exist when income support replaced supplementary benefit from April 1988.

  Source: Local authority caseload returns: November 1988

  Pension Schemes
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of the working population are investing in occupational or personal pension schemes.

  Mr. Newton
  Of those currently in full-time employment, we estimate that over 70 per cent. are members of occupational or personal pension schemes. In addition, some 50 per cent. of all pensioners and 70 per cent. of recently retired pensioners have an occupational pension.

  Pensioners (Incomes)
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the most recent figures he has for the increase in pensioners' incomes from savings since 1979.

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the increase in pensioners' average net incomes for(a) 1974 to 1979 and (b) 1979 to date.

  Mr. Newton
  In the five years from 1974 to 1979, pensioners' average total net incomes rose by 3 per cent. In the seven years from 1979 to 1986, the latest date for which figures are available, they rose by 23 per cent.

  Income from savings is a significant factor in this improvement. Between 1979 and 1986 pensioners' average income from savings rose by 64 per cent., whereas in the previous five years it had fallen by 16 per cent.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of recently-retired pensioners he estimates has sources of income in addition to the basic state retirement pension.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The latest available figures show that in 1986, 70 per cent. of recently retired pensioners had an occupational pension and 85 per cent. had income from savings.

  Computers
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the improvement in the level of service offered by his Department as a result of its computerisation programme.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Computerisation has improved accuracy of payments and the speed of response to benefit inquiries. It has speeded up the availability of renewed order books. Letters to claimants are clearer and more complete. In addition, computerisation has enabled the relocation of benefit processing from London to areas where it is easier to recruit and retain good staff and this is already showing improvements in all aspects of service.

  Carers' Premium
  Mr. Andrew MacKay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people will benefit from the new carers' premium to be introduced into income support.

  Mr. Scott
  We expect the new £10 premium, being introduced next October, to help 10,000 carers through income support, and a further 20,000 carers through housing benefit or community charge benefit.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by what proportion spending on the disabled has increased since 1979.

  Mr. Scott
  Expenditure on benefits for long-term sick and disabled people increased by 90 per cent. in real terms between 1978–79 and 1989–90.

  Independent Living Fund
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average weekly award paid through the independent living fund.

  Mr. Scott
  As at 14 December 1989, the average weekly award paid to those receiving regular payments was £61·35.

  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if owner-occupiers and tenants supported by the independent living fund whose income above income support levels is required to supplement independent living fund contributions are entitled to rate rebates;

  (2) whether adults, all of whose income above income support levels is required by the independent living fund to offset financial help from the independent living fund, will be entitled to community charge rebates.

  Mr. Scott
  People with incomes at or below income support levels are entitled to the full value of an award from the independent living fund. For people with incomes above income support, the ILF has to determine the amount to be offset against the ILF award. In making this calculation the fund makes allowance for the amount of rent, rates or community charge that the applicant has to pay after any housing or community charge benefit.

  Any resulting payments received from the independent living fund are totally disregarded in the calculation of the income-related benefits. Entitlement to housing or community charge benefit is, therefore, calculated in the normal way and depends on the claimant's circumstances (age, family status, disability, number of children), the level of outgoings such as rent and rates or community charge, and the amount of income that is not disregarded.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals he has to alter the existing structure and increase the resources provided for the social fund; and what steps he is taking to ensure that decisions made in regard to grants were equitable in one area of the country against another.

  Mr. Scott
  My right hon. Friend recently announced that we have made available an additional £3 million for local offices facing the heaviest pressures on their budgets.

  We have no plans to alter the existing structure of the social fund. Its discretionary nature enables social fund officers to look at each application on its merits. This means that decisions on similar cases will, quite properly, differ. We are, however, taking action, for example, by regional monitoring of decisions and by regular seminars for social fund officers, to ensure the highest possible standard of decision-making across the whole country.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the 100 social security offices which are to have their social fund allocations increased as a result of particular pressures, referred to in his written answer of 19 December to the hon. Member for Sherwood (Mr. Stewart).

  Mr. Scott
  Details of the 96 local offices that have received increased social fund allocations for 1989–90 are in the Library.

  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give consideration to amending directions 10 and 28 of his social fund directions to allow claims for the cost of redecoration in cases where applicants within the social fund manual, paragraphs 6380 and 6505, may only be decorating one room, and the cost of this may be below £30.

  Mr. Scott
  No. The main purpose of the social fund is to provide for expenses that are difficult to meet out of normal income. We believe that it is reasonable to expect

  National supplementary benefit income support limits, nursing and residential care homes and additions for personal expenses

  April 1985 £

  November 1985 £

  July 1986 £

  April 1987 £

  April 1988 £

  April 1989 £

  1 April 1990 £

  Nursing homes

  Elderly and others

  138·60

  170

  170

  175

  185

  190

  200

  Mentally ill

  148·60

  180·

  180

  180

  185

  195

  200

  Drug/Alcohol dependent

  148·60

  180

  180

  180

  185

  190

  200

  Mentally handicapped

  168·60

  200

  200

  200

  200

  205

  215

  Physically disabled under pension age

  198·60

  230

  230

  230

  230

  235

  245

  Terminally ill

  198·60

  230

  230

  230

  230

  235

  245

  Residential care homes

  Elderly

  110

  120

  125

  130

  130

  140

  150

  Very dependent or blind elderly

  —

  —

  140

  145

  155

  155

  165

  Mentally ill

  120

  130

  130

  130

  130

  140

  150

  Drug/Alcohol dependent

  120

  130

  130

  130

  140

  140

  150

  Mentally Handicapped

  140

  150

  150

  150

  160

  165

  175

  Physically disabled under pension age

  170

  180

  180

  190

  190

  200

  210

  Others

  110

  120

  125

  130

  130

  140

  150

  Greater London extension

  —

  —

  17·50

  17·50

  17·50

  23·00

  23·00

  Addition for personal expenses

  8·50

  8·95

  905

  9·25

  9·55

  10·05

  10·55

  1 Proposed

  544
  people to budget for small expenses from their regular weekly income without help from the social fund. However, a social fund crisis loan may be considered for an amount below £30 if the applicant has no other resources and there is a serious risk to the health or safety of the applicant or a member of his or her family.

  Housing Benefit (Transitional Payments)
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for housing benefit transitional payments have been generated by the London borough of Ealing.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  There have been 3,170 applications from people living in the London borough of Ealing.

  Private Nursing Homes
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many representations he has received concerning the £5 per week increase for Department assisted residents and patients in private nursing homes.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  We have received a number of representations about our proposals for next year's uprating. Subject to parliamentary approval, the overwhelming majority of people in nursing homes receiving income support in April 1990 will be entitled to up to an additional £10 for help with fees. The limit for the mentally ill is increasing by £5, meaning an increase of £15 in two years.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list, by year, for the past 10 years, the increases in allowance per week for(a) patients in residential private nursing homes and (b) residents in retirement homes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The available information is set out in the tables.
  545
  Notes:

  1. Prior to April 1985 each social security office set two maximum amounts that could be paid in respect of fees in homes, one for residential care homes and one for nursing homes.

  2. Claimants in addition to the appropriate limit receive an amount payable for personal expenses.

  3. Present limits can be increased by up to £23 in London.

  Income Statistics
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the final edition of the low income statistics calculated on the old basis covering 1983, 1985 and 1987.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The final edition of the low income statistics calculated on a family unit basis was published in May 1988. This covered 1981, 1983 and 1985. We have no plans to publish any further low income statistics on this basis.

  Disablement Benefits
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the estimated cost of uprating social security benefits for disabled people in the United Kingdom; and what proportion of the social security budget the uprating in benefits for the disabled will take up.

  Mr. Scott
  The estimated cost of the April 1990 uprating of benefits for the long-term sick and disabled in Great Britain is £599 million in 1990–91. This represents 1·1 per cent. of total planned expenditure.

  Information about costs of benefit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

  Disability Benefits
  Mr. Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether his review of disability benefits is examining methods within the state system to provide payments to disabled people to enable them to employ their own care attendants.

  Mr. Scott
  Existing benefits—notably attendance allowance and the disability premiums—make some provision to enable disabled people to pay for care. We are reviewing those benefits, but in the context of the Government's aim in the White Paper "Caring for people" (Cmd 849) to establish the right framework for the delivery of good quality local services for community care.

  Pensions
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many organisations and individuals have sent their comments on the report by the Occupational Pensions Board Protecting Pensions to his Department; if he will name them; and if he will make copies of the responses available in the Library.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  One hundred and forty two representations were made to the Department during the consultation period last year. Many of these were made in confidence. It is for those who made comments to make them publicly available if they wish to do so.

  Family Incomes
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give, in tabulated form, the net income after housing costs of a divorcee with a son aged six years,546
  receiving maintenance of £20 per week, housing benefit of £271 per calendar month and paying private rent of £385 per calendar month, and earning (a) nothing, (b) £15 per week part time, (c) £30 per week part time, (d) £50 per week part time, (e) £75 per week part time, (f) £75 per week full time, (g) £100 per week full time, and (h) £150 per week full time.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 14 December 1989]: The information is set out in the table.

  Net income after housing costs at various levels of net earnings

  Net Earnings (per week)

  1 Net Income After Housing Costs (£pw)

  a. Not working

  57·76

  b. £15 part-time

  72·76

  c. £30 part-time

  72·76

  d. £50 part-time

  75·40

  e. £75 part-time

  78·81

  f. £75 full-time

  81·63

  g. £100 full-time

  83·60

  h. £150 full-time

  94·37

  1 Net income after housing costs is based on an eligible rent for housing benefit purposes of £60pw and rates of £9·93pw.

  Note:—The assumptions and methods are those used in the tax benefit model table, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Computerisation
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish in the Official Report the timetable for extension of computerisation began on 23 October and name the offices concerned; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the pilot exercise report.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 15 December 1989]: The timetable for extension of computerisation from October 1989 is a lengthy document and therefore I have placed a copy in the Library rather than publishing it in the Official Report. I have also placed a copy of the pilot exercise report in the Library.

  Child Benefits
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of people who have and will become dependent on(a) income support, (b) family credit and (c) housing benefit as a result of the decisions not to uprate child benefit fully in line with inflation in each of the appropriate years.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 15 December 1989]: It is impossible to give any meaningful estimate to the number of people who have or will become dependent on income-related benefits as a direct consequence of not uprating child benefit in April 1988, 1989 and 1990 because the effects cannot be viewed in isolation. It is important to remember that eligible populations and their constituents for all the income-related benefits change constantly as family incomes and circumstances change. Gross earnings have risen, and our policies to reduce tax and national insurance contributions have succeeded in enabling

  547
  families with children to keep more of their earnings. In addition, we have channelled extra help to families with children through the income-related benefits.

DEFENCE

  WE-177 Bomb
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Western Isles, of 14 December,Official Report, column 821, what other contractors, apart from British Aerospace, are involved in the assessment of options for the replacement of the WE-177 free fall bomb.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  A contract has also been placed with Hunting Engineering Ltd.

  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Western Isles, of 14 December,Official Report, column 821, what information he has as to when the current assessment studies of the options for the replacement of the WE-177 free fall bomb, will be completed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  It is expected that our studies will be completed later this year.

  Atomic Energy
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any information on the implementation of the 1958 Anglo-American mutual defence agreement on atomic energy matters has been withheld under sections 3(4) or 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958; and if he will make a statement on his current policy of withholding archive material.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  Atomic records are retained in the Department under section 3(4) of the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967 with the approval of the Lord Chancellor. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to discuss records that are so withheld from public release.

  General Dynamics
  Mr. Clelland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answers on 14 December,Official Report, columns 821–23, what future purchases from General Dynamics have been discussed with that company as part of the negotiated memorandum of understanding.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  None.

  Mr. Clelland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assurances have been given to General Dynamics relating to replacement battle tanks for the British Army;

  (2) what deadlines have been given to each company asked to submit proposals for replacement battle tanks for the British Army.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  As I told the hon. Member in my answer of 14 December 1989 (Official Report, Vol. 163, col. 822), the details of the invitations to submit proposals are commercial in confidence. No assurances have been given to General Dynamics relating to replacement battle tanks for the British Army other than that its proposals will be considered. It remains our aim to make a decision by the end of 1990.

  Arms
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the brokerage fees accruing from the Ministry of Defence's management of the Al Hamamah Saudi arms deal to the end of December.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  None.

  Trident
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the latest estimated cost of Trident.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The current estimate for Trident is £9089 million at 1988–89 prices and an exchange rate of £1 = $1·76. It is intended to announce a revised estimate shortly.

  Nuclear Test Veterans
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British nuclear test veterans have written to the Government asking for compensation.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Ministry of Defence has received about 120 claims from individuals seeking compensation for damage to health allegedly due to their participation in the United Kingdom's nuclear weapon test programme. In addition, a number of representations have been made by test veterans' organisations concerning compensation for their members.

  Berlin Saddle Club
  Mr. Marlow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many people in Berlin take advantage of the facilities provided for the Saddle Club; what proportion are(a) officers and officers' families, (b) other ranks and other ranks' families and (c) civilians;

  (2) what charges are made for the use of the Berlin Saddle Club facilities;

  (3) what is the cost to public funds, including military personnel of running the Berlin Saddle Club.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  My noble Friend Lord Arran will write to my hon. Friend.

  Residences
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many residences are currently owned by his Department in London; who occupies them and on what conditions; and how many are currently empty.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Ministry of Defence owns 19 properties classed as official service residences within the Greater London area. They are normally occupied by entitled senior service officers filling specific posts; those officers are required to pay the appropriate accommodation charge. Two are currently vacant pending the completion of maintenance work.

  Panama
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any military assistance or co-operation has been given or offered to the United States authorities in respect of the invasion of Panama.
  549
  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  No.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why British troops were present when the United States of America invaded Panama; how many were there; from what branch of the armed services they came; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Apart from the resident defence attache and his staff at the British embassy, no British military personnel were in Panama at the time.

LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Parliamentary Papers
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Lord President of the Council what is(a) the annual cost and (b) the nominal average cost per Member per week of the production of (i) the Order Paper plus blues, (ii) the daily Official Report and (iii) the Vote bundle.

  Sir Geoffrey Howe
  The information requested is as follows:

  £

  (a) Annual cost of production of:

  Order Paper plus blues

  2,727,439

  (ii) The Daily Official Report

  2,745,393

  (iii) The Vote Bundle

  4,714,676

  (b) The nominal average cost per Member, per week of the production of:

  (i) The Order Paper plus blues

  19·94

  (ii) The Daily Official Report

  17·01

  (iii) The Vote Bundle

  34·47

  Notes:

  1. Production costs relate to the 1988–89 parliamentary Session.

  2. Publishing and distribution overheads are excluded (they are not production costs).

  3. Blues' includes Notices of Questions and Notices of Motions.

  4. Assumes one copy of each publication daily per Member.

  Secretarial Allowances
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Lord President of the Council how many hon. Members employ from their secretarial allowance(a) none, (b) one, (c) two, (d) three, (e) four, (f) five and (g) six or more employees.

  Sir Geoffrey Howe
  As at 31 December 1989, the number of staff directly employed by Members and paid by the Fees Office out of the office costs allowance are as follows:

  Number of staff employed

  Number of employing Members

  (a)

  —

  24

  (b)

  193

  193

  (c)

  538

  269

  (d)

  372

  124

  (e)

  104

  26

  (f)

  40

  8

  (g)

  26

  4

  Totals

  1,273

  648

  Notes:

  1. The numbers of staff shown relates to persons directly employed by Members. They do not include persons who are fee earning, agency workers, or staff provided under an arrangement with a firm
  550
  or business organisation.

  2. A total of 648 Members are shown—this reflects the position as at 31 December 1989 (ie excluding the late Mr. J. Heddle and Mr. G. Adams who has not taken his seat).

  Members' Employees
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Lord President of the Council what are the latest figures for the numbers of employees of hon. Members paid via the Fees Office, who are covered by contracts of employment; and whether he intends to take steps to increase the numbers.

  Sir Geoffrey Howe
  As at 31 December 1989, 1,273 staff employees of Members were paid via the Fees Office. Copies of the main terms and conditions of employment in respect of 781 staff have been furnished to the Fees Office at that date, leaving 492 staff—some of whom have been recently appointed—outstanding. The Fees Office continues to provide advice and guidance to individual Members seeking clarification on specific points of contractual detail, and I am satisfied that all reasonable steps are being taken to encourage adherence to the terms of the governing resolution.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Ivory Poaching
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being offered to African countries willing to destroy all ivory stocks seized from poachers.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We do not offer assistance to African countries in response to their willingness to destroy ivory stocks seized from poachers, but we are committed to projects specifically to assist wildlife management and to help to deter and eliminate poaching.

  Hungary
  Mr. Favell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on aid to Hungary.

  Mrs. Chalker
  Planning for the programme of £25 million over five years previously announced is under way. Our embassy in Budapest has been inviting appropriate contacts to submit ideas for possible financing from the fund. The programme commences substantively in April.

  Pakistan
  Mr. Moss
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to review United Kingdom aid to Pakistan.

  Mrs. Chalker
  When I visited Pakistan last month, I was able to review our aid programme with its Prime Minister and her Ministers. I signed new aid agreements worth £35 million, on behalf of ODA and CDC, for the Karachi water and sanitation project and the Sukkur barrage project.

  Bangladesh
  Dr. Goodson-Wickes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will have discussions with the Government of Bangladesh on development issues.
  551
  Mrs. Chalker
  Yes. The next meeting in our annual sequence of bilateral aid talks will be held in London later this month. I am also planning to pay my first visit to Bangladesh in February.

  Rain Forests
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the further implementation of the agreement on rain forests negotiated by the right hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Patten) with the Brazilian Government.

  Mrs. Chalker
  British experts visited Brazil on several occasions between August and December and identified a number of well-defined possibilities for collaborative projects in tropical rain forests and urban environment. Detailed proposals are now being prepared by the Brazilian authorities for our consideration. I wrote to the hon. Member on 3 November and again on 20 December giving details of progress on the more advanced projects.

  Fiji
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the levels of grant aid in pounds sterling given to Fiji for each year since 1980 and for each month during 1989; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Chalker
  The information requested is as follows:

  United Kingdom grants to Fiji 1980–1988 (£ Thousand)

  Year

  Total grant aid

  Financial aid

  Technical cooperation

  1980

  2,996

  20

  2,976

  1981

  2,649

  135

  2,514

  1982

  2,358

  —

  2,358

  Beneficiaries1 of higher rate relief on mortgage interest by range of total income: 1989–90

  Range of total income (£)

  Number of tax units (Thousand)

  Gross amount of interest qualifying for relief (£ million)

  Cost of excess over basic rate relief (£ million)

  Average basic rate relief (£)

  Average excess over basic rate relief (£)

  Number of non-aged lax units (Thousand)

  Singles

  20,001–25,000

  20

  55

  2—

  760

  50

  20

  25,001–30,000

  80

  265

  25

  830

  340

  80

  30,001–40,000

  60

  215

  30

  910

  550

  55

  40,001–50,000

  25

  100

  15

  900

  540

  25

  Over 50,000

  25

  90

  15

  960

  580

  20

  Total

  210

  725

  90

  870

  420

  200

  One–earner couples

  20,001–25,000

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  25,001–30,000

  105

  320

  25

  760

  210

  105

  30,001–40,000

  110

  355

  50

  800

  480

  110

  40,001–50,000

  50

  155

  25

  790

  470

  45

  Over 50,000

  55

  180

  25

  820

  490

  50

  Total

  320

  1,010

  125

  790

  390

  310

  Two–earner couples

  20,001–25,000

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  25,001–30,000

  80

  240

  10

  760

  120

  80

  30,001–40,000

  325

  1,015

  105

  780

  320

  325

  40,001–50,000

  110

  345

  45

  800

  430

  110

  Over 50,000

  130

  425

  65

  830

  490

  130

  Total

  2,020

  225

  790

  350

  645

  All

  20,001–25,000

  20

  55

  2—

  760

  50

  20

  552

  Year

  Total grant aid

  Financial aid

  Technical cooperation

  1983

  2,752

  706

  2,047

  1984

  2,097

  291

  1,805

  1985

  2,254

  395

  1,859

  1986

  1,975

  16

  1,959

  1987

  1,953

  70

  1,883

  1988

  1,208

  39

  1,168

  Provisional figures for 1989, not completely comparable with the above are £1,384,000, of which £32,000 was grant financial aid and £1,352,000 was technical co-operation.

  All these figures exclude expenditure by the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Mortgage Tax Relief
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a table on the same general basis as that provided in his written reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby on 29 July 1988,Official Report, columns 728–30, on the cost to the Exchequer of mortgage interest relief for higher-rate taxpayers in a full year at the current basic rate of mortgage interest; and if he will add a forecast for 1990–91 on the same basis, allowing for separate taxation of husbands and wives.

  Mr. Lilley
  Estimates of excess over basic rate relief on mortgage interest in 1989–90, based on a projection of the 1987–88 survey of personal incomes, are given in the table. Estimates for 1990–91 are not available.
  553

  Range of total income (£)

  Number of tax units (Thousand)

  Gross amount of interest qualifying for relief (£ million)

  Cost of excess over basic rate relief (£ million)

  Average basic rate relief (£)

  Average excess over basic rate relief (£)

  Number of non-aged tax units (Thousand)

  25,001–30000

  265

  825

  60

  780

  220

  265

  30,001–40,000

  495

  1,585

  190

  800

  380

  490

  40,001–50,000

  185

  600

  85

  810

  460

  180

  Over 50,000

  210

  695

  105

  840

  500

  200

  Total

  1,175

  3,760

  440

  800

  370

  1,155

  1 Includes about 250,000 tax units who are kept out of higher rate tax by this relief.

  2 Less than £2·5 million.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a table showing by range of income the numbers of single persons and married couples(a) with and (b) without wife's earned income below and above age 65 years in receipt of mortgage interest relief and the average relief per mortgagee in each case in a full year at the current basic

  Single people and married couples receiving mortgage interest relief by range of total income 1989–90

  Non-aged mortgagors

  Aged mortgagors

  range of total income

  Number with mortgage interest relief Thousands

  Average tax cost of relief per mortgagor £

  Number with mortgage interest relief Thousands

  Average tax cost of relief per mortgagor £

  Singles

  Up to £5,000

  240

  440

  20

  280

  £5,001 to £10,000

  770

  610

  20

  350

  £10,001 to £15,000

  650

  740

  10

  570

  £15,001 to £20,000

  400

  860

  1—

  530

  £20,001 to £30,000

  290

  940

  1—

  410

  Over £30,000

  110

  1,490

  1—

  1,050

  Total

  2,450

  750

  60

  410

  Married couples with wife earning

  Up to £5,000

  40

  500

  10

  200

  £5,001 to £10,000

  210

  550

  10

  500

  £10,001 to £15,000

  700

  620

  10

  450

  £15,001 to £20,000

  980

  700

  10

  420

  £20,001 to £30,000

  1,070

  800

  1—

  260

  Over £30,000

  640

  1,240

  10

  800

  Total

  3,660

  800

  50

  480

  Married couples with wife not earning

  Up to £5,000

  120

  470

  20

  390

  £5,001 to £10,000

  590

  610

  40

  2·50

  £10,001 to £15,000

  940

  650

  10

  160

  £15,001 to £20,000

  620

  760

  10

  220

  £20,001 to £30,000

  490

  820

  10

  320

  Over £30,000

  210

  1,460

  10

  970

  Total

  2,970

  740

  90

  330

  1 Less than 5,000.

  Figures may not add due to rounding.

  Ministers (Expenses)
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what allowance is made against tax in respect of food and travel expenses incurred by Ministers of the Crown whilst employed on official duties.

  Mr. Lilley
  Ministers of the Crown, like all officeholders and employees, are entitled to tax relief under the schedule E expenses rules for those travel and subsistence costs that are necessarily incurred travelling in the performance of their duties.
  554
  rate of mortgage interest; and if he will add a forecast for 1990, allowing for separate taxation of husbands and wives.

  Mr. Lilley
  Provisional estimates for 1989–90 are given in the table. They are based on projections of the 1987–88 survey of personal incomes. Estimates for 1990–91 are not available.

  Water (VAT)
  Sir Trevor Skeet
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government intend to impose a value added tax on water; and to which description of consumer it will apply.

  Mr. Ryder
  In order to comply with a judgment of the European Court, the provisions of section 19 of the Finance Act 1989 extend the standard rate of VAT to supplies of water used in connection with certain industrial activities with effect from 1 July 1990. Supplies to domestic consumers will remain zero-rated.

  Inflation
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the effect on the rate of inflation since 1986 of the increase in the price of assets, including houses; what was the increase in(a) overhead costs of employers and employees respectively and (b) wage increases granted to employees; and if he will provide regional as well as national figures.

  Mr. Ryder
  Increases in mortgage interest payments, including the lagged effect of house prices, contributed two percentage points to the annual rate of RPI inflation in the year to November, compared with half a percentage point in the year to January 1987. There are no official figures available for the overhead costs of employers or employees. Figures for average earnings are published in the Employment Gazette and New Earnings Survey, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.

  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current rate of inflation in the United Kingdom and in the Group of Five leading industrial nations.

  Mr. Ryder
  More comparable inflation rates for members of the five leading industrial countries are given in the following table:

  More comparable consumer price inflation rates

  Latest figures1

  United Kingdom2

  6 ·1

  United States of America

  4·4

  Japan

  2·6

  Germany

  3·4

  France

  3·7

  1 Figures for the United Kingdom and France are for November, the United States of America and Germany are for October and for Japan, September.

  2 The United Kingdom figure is for RPI excluding mortgage interest payments; figures for other countries exclude estimates of owner occupiers' housing costs as appropriate.

  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is taking to curb inflation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ryder
  The Government's tight monetary and fiscal policies are working. Demand is slowing and lower inflation will follow.

  Exchange Rate
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the effect on the rate of wage and price inflation since 1986 of the increase since 1987 in the real exchange rate against the deutschmark measured in terms of relative export prices regionally and nationally.

  Mr. Ryder
  The relationship between wage and price inflation and changes in the bilateral deutschmark-sterling real exchange rate cannot be separated from the effects of exchange-rate movements against third currencies and other influences on wage and price inflation in both countries.

  Earnings
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the increase in real terms after tax of a
  556
  married couple with two children and no tax allowances, other than personal allowances, for each of the male employees itemised in the written reply of 13 December from the Department of Employment to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby, Official Report, columns 658–59, showing the increase in gross real earnings between April 1979 and April 1989.

  Mr. Lilley
  Information is given in the table.

  Increases1 in real earnings2 after income tax3 married man with two children4, between April and child benefit of a 1979 and April 1989

  Point on Earnings Distribution

  Manufacturing

  Percentage increase Non-manufacturing

  Manual Males

  Lowest decile

  6

  7

  Lower quartile

  11

  11

  Median

  16

  15

  Higher quartile

  20

  19

  Highest decile

  25

  21

  Average earnings

  17

  16

  Non-Manual Males

  Lowest decile

  20

  17

  Lower quartile

  26

  26

  Median

  33

  35

  Higher quartile

  41

  42

  Highest decile

  47

  52

  Average earnings

  39

  41

  1 The increases shown do not relate to the same individuals at the different dates.

  2 Earnings are those for full-time males on adult rates in Great Britain.

  3 For April 1979, income tax is based on the tax regime in the Finance Act 1979.

  4 Two children, both aged under 11.

  Source: New Earnings Survey data and RPI (all items).

  Child Care
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newham, South of 3 November,Official Report, column 361, he will examine the disparity in respect of parental payment for day child care facilities.

  Mr. Lilley
  I am not aware of such a disparity.

  Tax Subsidies
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider introducing tax subsidies on British Rail season tickets as a means of reducing road congestion and environmental pollution.

  Mr. Lilley
  I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

  Interest Rates
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on interest rates.

  Mr. Ryder
  Bank base rates are 15 per cent.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what new intitiatives he plans to reduce the level of interest rates.

  Mr. Ryder
  The Government will not reduce interest rates until that can be safely done without risk to inflation.

  Gross Domestic Product
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest figure he has for the percentage that taxation represents of the gross domestic product; and what was the comparable figure in 1979.

  Mr. Ryder
  The information is given below.

  Taxes as percentage GDP1

  per cent.

  1979

  28·3

  1988

  30·4

  1 Taxes cover taxes on income, expenditure (including local authority rates) and capital. GDP is GDP(A) at market prices.

  Capital Inflows
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the value of short-term capital inflows into the United Kingdom in the first three quarters of 1989.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The available information on transactions in the main categories of United Kingdom

  Income tax, NICS and indirect tax payments at multiples of average earnings—1988–89

  Multiples of average earnings

  0·5

  0·75

  1

  1·5

  2

  3

  4

  5

  7

  10

  20

  Single

  Amounts, £ per week

  Income tax

  19·51

  35·53

  51·55

  83·59

  129·33

  231·85

  334·37

  436·89

  641·93

  949·49

  1,974·69

  NICS

  11·53

  17·30

  23·07

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  VAT

  —

  9·52

  12·82

  19·98

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  15·15

  18·96

  27·22

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  7·68

  9·35

  12·99

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  31·04

  85·18

  115·75

  171·23

  156·78

  259·30

  361·82

  464·34

  669·38

  976·94

  2,002·14

  Percentage of earnings

  Income tax

  15·2

  18·5

  20·1

  21·7

  25·2

  30·2

  32·6

  34·1

  35·8

  37·0

  38·5

  NICS

  9·0

  9·0

  9·0

  7·1

  5·4

  3·6

  2·7

  2·1

  1·5

  1·1

  0·5

  VAT

  —

  5·0

  5·0

  5·2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  7·9

  7·4

  7·1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  4·0

  3·6

  3·4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  24·2

  44·4

  45·1

  44·6

  30·6

  33·7

  35·3

  36·2

  37·3

  38·1

  39·1

  Married, no children

  Amounts, £ per week

  Income tax

  12·35

  28·37

  44·39

  76·43

  117·87

  220·39

  322·91

  425·43

  630·47

  938·03

  1,963·23

  NICS

  11·53

  17·30

  23·07

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  VAT

  —

  8·73

  12·32

  20·12

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  16·82

  20·63

  28·89

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  7·52

  8·73

  11·37

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  23·88

  78·74

  109·14

  164·26

  145·32

  247·84

  350·36

  452·88

  657·92

  965·48

  1,990·68

  Percentage of earnings

  Income tax

  9·6

  14·8

  17·3

  19·9

  23·0

  28·7

  31·5

  33·2

  35·1

  36·6

  38·3

  NICS

  90

  90

  90

  71

  5·4

  3·6

  2·7

  2·1

  1·5

  1·1

  0·5

  VAT

  —

  4·5

  4·8

  5·2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  8·8

  81

  7·5

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  3·9

  3·4

  30

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  18·6

  410

  42·6

  42·7

  28·3

  32·2

  34·2

  35·3

  36·7

  37·7

  38·8

  Married, both working

  Amounts, £ per week

  Income tax

  0

  15·84

  31·86

  63·9

  97·83

  17319

  260·33

  36118

  566·22

  873·78

  1,898·98

  NICS

  7·95

  15·76

  2102

  34·60

  45·90

  54·90

  54·90

  54·90

  54·90

  54·90

  54·90

  VAT

  —

  —

  9·87

  13·82

  21·42

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  19·54

  22·99

  29·65

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  9·29

  9·92

  1114

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  7·95

  70·30

  99·61

  160·71

  143·73

  22809

  315·23

  41608

  62112

  928·68

  L953·88

  558
  external assets and liabilities in the first three quarters of 1989 was published on 14 December in the quarterly balance of payments press notice, CSO(89)143, a copy of which is in the Library. It is not considered meaningful to distinguish short-term capital flows.

  Taxes and Benefits
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report up-to-date figures on the same basis as those provided to the hon. Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire) in the Official Report, 10 January 1989, columns 633–56.

  Mr. Lilley
  Figures for 1978–79 to 1988–89 were placed in the Library of the House earlier this year (as noted in Official Report 13 April 1989, column 624). Revised estimates for 1988—89, and estimates for 1989–90 were given in reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 1 December 1989 (Official Report, col. 464). I regret that those estimates for 1988–89 for a married man with two children contained an error. The amended tables are below.
  559

  Multiples of average earnings

  0·5

  0·75

  1

  1·5

  2

  3

  4

  5

  7

  10

  20

  Percentage of earnings

  Income tax

  0·0

  8·2

  12·4

  16·6

  19·1

  22·5

  25·4

  28·2

  31·6

  34·1

  37·0

  NICS

  6·2

  8·2

  8·2

  9·0

  9·0

  7·1

  5·4

  4·3

  3·1

  2·1

  1·1

  VAT

  —

  5·1

  5·4

  5·6

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  10·2

  9·0

  7·7

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  4·8

  3·9

  2·9

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  6·2

  36·5

  38·9

  41·8

  28·0

  29·7

  30·7

  32·5

  34·6

  36·2

  38·1

  Married, 2 children

  Amounts, £ per week

  Income tax

  -2·15

  13·87

  29·89

  61·93

  103·37

  205·89

  308·41

  409·93

  615·97

  923·53

  1,948·73

  NICS

  11·53

  17·30

  23·07

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  27·45

  VAT

  —

  8·69

  12·76

  21·59

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  16·67

  19·71

  26·33

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  7·42

  8·85

  11·96

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  9·38

  63·95

  94·28

  149·26

  130·82

  233·34

  335·86

  437·38

  643·42

  950·98

  1,976·18

  Percentage of earnings

  Income tax

  -1·7

  7·2

  11·7

  16·1

  20·2

  26·8

  30·1

  32·0

  34·3

  36·0

  38·0

  NICS

  9·0

  9·0

  9·0

  7·1

  5·4

  3·6

  2·7

  2·1

  1·5

  1·1

  0·5

  VAT

  —

  4·5

  5·0

  5·6

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  8·7

  7·7

  6·8

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  3·9

  3·5

  3·1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  7·3

  33·3

  36·9

  38·7

  25·5

  30·3

  32·8

  34·1

  35·9

  37·1

  38·6

  Income tax, NICS and indirect tax payments at multiples of average earnings—1989–90

  Multiples of average earnings

  0·5

  0·75

  1

  1·5

  2

  3

  4

  5

  7

  10

  20

  Single

  Amounts, £ per week

  Income tax

  21·61

  39·11

  56·61

  91·61

  142·87

  254·87

  366·87

  478·87

  702·87

  1,038·87

  2,158·87

  NICS

  11·10

  17·40

  23·70

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  VAT

  —

  10·59

  14·22

  22·16

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  15·96

  19·96

  28·72

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  8·42

  10·25

  14·25

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  32·71

  91·48

  124·74

  184·48

  170·61

  282·61

  394·61

  506·61

  730·61

  1,066·61

  2,186·61

  Amounts 1988–89 prices

  Income tax

  20·10

  36·38

  52·66

  85·22

  132·90

  237·09

  341·27

  445·46

  653·83

  966·39

  2,008·25

  NICS

  10·33

  16·19

  22·05

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  VAT

  —

  9·85

  13·23

  20·61

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  14·85

  18·57

  26·72

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  7·83

  9·53

  13·26

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  30·43

  85·10

  116·04

  171·61

  158·71

  262·89

  367·08

  471·27

  679·64

  992·20

  2,034·06

  Percentage of earnings

  Income tax

  15·4

  18·6

  20·2

  21·8

  25·5

  30·3

  32·8

  34·2

  35·9

  37·1

  38·6

  NICS

  7·9

  8·3

  8·5

  6·6

  5·0

  3·3

  2·5

  2·0

  1·4

  1·0

  0·5

  VAT

  ·—

  5·0

  5·1

  5·3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  7·6

  7·1

  6·8

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  4·0

  3·7

  3·4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  23·4

  43·6

  44·6

  43·9

  30·5

  33·6

  35·2

  36·2

  37·3

  38·1

  39·0

  Married, no children

  Amounts, £ per week

  Income tax

  13·97

  31·47

  48·97

  83·97

  130·63

  242·63

  354·63

  466·63

  690·63

  1,026·63

  2,146·63

  NICS

  11·10

  17·40

  23·70

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  VAT

  —

  9·73

  13·69

  22·33

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  17·67

  21·68

  30·42

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  8·22

  9·55

  12·45

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  25·07

  84·49

  117·59

  176·91

  158·37

  270·37

  382·37

  494·37

  718·37

  1,054·37

  2,174·37

  Amounts 1988–89 prices

  Income Tax

  13·00

  29·27

  45·55

  78·11

  121·52

  225·70

  329·89

  434·07

  642·45

  955·00

  1,996·87

  NICS

  10·33

  16·19

  22·05

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  VAT

  —

  9·05

  12·73

  20·77

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  16·44

  20·17

  28·30

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  560 561

  Multiples of average earnings

  0·5

  0·75

  1

  1·5

  2

  3

  4

  5

  7

  10

  20

  Domestic rates

  —

  7·65

  8·88

  11·58

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  23·32

  78·60

  109·39

  164·57

  147·32

  251·51

  355·69

  459·88

  668·25

  980·81

  2,022·67

  Percentage of earnings

  Income tax

  10·0

  15·0

  17·5

  20·0

  23·3

  28·9

  31·7

  33·3

  35·2

  36·7

  38·3

  NICS

  7·9

  8·3

  8·5

  6·6

  5·0

  3·3

  2·5

  2·

  1·4

  1·

  0·5

  VAT

  —

  4·6

  4·9

  5·3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  8·4

  7·7

  7·2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  3·9

  3·4

  3·0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  17· 9

  40·2

  42·0

  42·1

  28·3

  32·2

  34·1

  35·3

  36·7

  37·7

  38·8

  Married, both working

  Amounts, £ per week

  Income Tax

  0·58

  18·08

  35·58

  70·58

  109·21

  191·08

  286·28

  397·73

  621·73

  957·73

  2,077·73

  NICS

  9·59

  15·89

  22·19

  34·79

  46·40

  55·49

  55·49

  55·49

  55·49

  55·49

  55·49

  VAT

  —

  10·96

  15·25

  23·83

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  20·40

  24·00

  31·19

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  10·10

  10·78

  12·15

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  10·17

  75·43

  107·80

  172·54

  155·61

  246·57

  341·77

  453·22

  677·22

  1,013·22

  2,133·22

  Amounts 1988–89 prices

  Income tax

  0·54

  16·82

  33·10

  65·66

  101·59

  177·75

  266·31

  369·98

  578·35

  890·91

  1,932·77

  NICS

  8·92

  14·78

  20·64

  32·36

  43·16

  51·62

  51·62

  51·62

  51·62

  51·62

  51·62

  VAT

  —

  10·20

  14·19

  22·17

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  18·98

  22·33

  29·01

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  9·40

  10·03

  11·30

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  9·46

  70·17

  100·28

  160·50

  144·75

  229·37

  317·93

  421·60

  629·97

  942·53

  1,984 ·39

  Percentage of earnings

  Income tax

  0·4

  8·6

  12·7

  16·8

  19·5

  22·7

  25·6

  28·4

  31·7

  34·2

  37·1

  NICS

  6·9

  7·6

  7·9

  8·3

  8·3

  6·6

  5·0

  4·0

  2·8

  2·0

  1·0

  VAT

  —

  5·2

  5·4

  5·7

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  9·7

  8·6

  7·4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  4·8

  3·9

  2·9

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  7·3

  35·9

  38·5

  41·1

  27·8

  29·4

  30·5

  32·4

  34·6

  36·2

  38·1

  Married, 2 children

  Amounts, £ per week

  Income tax

  -0·53

  16·97

  34·47

  69·47

  116·13

  228·13

  340·13

  452·13

  676·13

  1,012·13

  2,132·13

  NICS

  11·10

  17·40

  23·70

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·74

  27·4

  27·74

  27·74

  VAT

  —

  9·60

  14·08

  23·87

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  17·36

  20·58

  27·64

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  808

  9·65

  13·07

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  10·57

  69·41

  102·48

  161·79

  143·87

  255·87

  367·87

  479·87

  703·87

  1,039·87

  2,159·87

  Amounts 1988–89 prices

  Income tax

  -0·49

  15·79

  32·07

  64·62

  108·03

  212·21

  316·40

  420·59

  628·96

  941·52

  1,983·38

  NICS

  10·33

  16·19

  22·05

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  25·80

  VAT

  —

  8·93

  13·10

  22·20

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  16·15

  19·14

  25·71

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  7·52

  8·98

  12·16

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  9·83

  64·57

  95·33

  150·50

  133·83

  238·02

  342·20

  446·39

  654·76

  967·32

  2,009·18

  Percentage of earnings

  Income Tax

  -0·4

  8·1

  12·3

  16·5

  20·7

  27·2

  30·4

  32·3

  34·5

  36·1

  38·1

  NICS

  7·9

  8·3

  8·5

  6·6

  5·0

  3·3

  2·5

  2·0

  1·4

  1·0

  0·5

  VAT

  —

  46

  50

  5·7

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Other indirect

  —

  8·3

  7·4

  6·6

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Domestic rates

  —

  3·8

  3·4

  3·1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  7·6

  33·1

  36·6

  38·5

  25·7

  30·5

  32·8

  34·3

  35·9

  37·1

  38·6

  Notes to tables

  1. Income tax payments are calculated on the assumption that the households receive no tax reliefs other than the standard allowances. Earners, including working wives, are assumed to pay Class 1 NI contributions at the contracted in rate. The figures for NI contributions are financial year averages.

  2. The two earner married couple is assumed to have combined earnings equal to the various multiples of average earnings. In calculating disposable income it is assumed that these earnings are split between husband and wife in the ratio 60:40.

  3. For the married couple with two children, child benefit is treated as a negative income tax.

  4. Average earnings are taken to be the average gross weekly earnings of all full-time males on adult rates with pay unaffected by absence.
  562 563
  These were £256·30 per week in 1988–89, and estimated to be £280·00 per week in 1989–90, using the Government Actuary Department's assumption of 91 per cent. growth over 1988–89 as published in the 1989 Autumn Statement.

  5. The estimates of indirect taxation are derived from the 1985 family expenditue survey, and are based on the illustrative assumption that 10 per cent. of disposable income is saved. There are wide variations in spending patterns between households with similar incomes and composition, and estimated payments of VAT, other indirect taxes and rates are therefore approximate, even within the income range for which figures are shown. Outside this range the margin of error is even higher and reliable estimates cannot be made. Because of sampling variation, there can be substantial differences between the estimates obtained from family expenditure surveys for different years.

  6. 1989–90 figures are converted into 1988–89 prices by assuming that the RPI is 71/2 per cent. higher in 1989–90 than the previous financial year. This is consistent with the forecasts published in the 1989 Autumn Statement.

  Public Spending
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the public spending planning total for 1990–91.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The public expenditure planning total for 1990–91 has been set at £179 billion, as set out in the Autumn Statement.

  Trade Deficit
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the trade deficit for 1990.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  I refer the hon. Member to table 2·3 of the Autumn Statement.

  Company Cars
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to change the nature of company car taxation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lilley
  I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

  EEC Inflation
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average rate of inflation for the European Economic Community.

  Mr. Ryder
  The average EC inflation rate is published each month by the OECD in "Main Economic Indicators".

  Industrial Investment
  Mrs. Maureen Hicks
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further measures he plans to introduce to stimulate industrial investment.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  Investment in all sectors of the economy has been stimulated by confidence in the long-term prospects for the economy. Manufacturing investment is at a record level and the CSO's latest survey of manufacturers' investment intentions projects further growth over the next two years.

  Members' Salaries
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to allow hon. Members to receive their House of Commons salary in European currency units.

  Mr. Ryder
  Members' salaries are a matter for the House and are paid in accordance with the resolution of 21 July 1987. The resolution would need to be amended if Members' salaries were to be denominated in European currency units.

  PSBR
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the net public sector borrowing requirement or debt repayment for 1989–90.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The latest forecast is for a net public sector debt repayment of £121/2 billion in 1989–90, as set out in the Autumn Statement.

  Cigarettes
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the United Kingdom cigarette market was accounted for by cheap foreign imports in the years 1980 to 1989 inclusive; and if he will list the Budget tax increases on cigarettes for each of those years.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 20 December 1989]: Figures on cheap foreign imports are not available. The table shows the share of imports in home consumption of cigarettes in the years 1980–89 and the rates of specific excise duty in place after the Budget. An ad valorem duty of 21 per cent. of the listed retail selling price applies to all cigarettes.

  Cigarettes

  Share of consumption Per cent.

  Excise Duty Rates Specific Duty (£per 1,000 cigarettes)

  1980

  1·7

  13·42

  1981

  1·4

  18·04

  1982

  1·7

  20·68

  1983

  1·9

  21·67

  1984

  6·4

  24·97

  1985

  11·2

  26·95

  1986

  12·4

  30·61

  1987

  11·6

  30·61

  1988

  9·6

  31·74

  1989

  7·4

  31·74

  1 January to October average

  Unearned Income
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how many married women with children have unearned income.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 20 December 1989]: It is estimated that approximately 4 million married women with children have some income from investment.

  Independent Taxation
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide the latest estimate of the cost of bringing in independent taxation in 1990–91 next April.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 20 December 1989]: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for

  565
  Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 18 December, Official Report, col 26, for the reduction in income tax liabilities in 1990–91 due to the introduction of independent taxation.

  The corresponding reduction in income tax receipts in 1990–91 is £500 million.

  The estimated effect on the receipts of capital gains tax in 1990–91 is unchanged from the tentative figure of £50 million published in the 1988 Financial Statement and Budget Report.

  Fixed Profit Car Scheme
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 12 December,Official Report, column 564, about the fixed profit car scheme, if he will give details of the mileage bands and car engine sizes whereby the taxable amount is fixed.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 20 December 1989]: Under the fixed profit car scheme arrangements the car engine sizes taken into account are those up to 1000cc, 1001 to 1500cc and over 1500cc. The number and width of the mileage bands vary according to the mileage allowances reimbursed under each particular employer's mileage allowance scheme. For every band a "fixed profit" is calculated and employees are taxed on the fixed profit for the band into which the mileage driven on business falls.

  Whisky
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much is the United Kingdom excise duty on a one litre bottle of whisky containing 40 per cent. alcohol imported from(a) the United States of America and (b) Japan.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 20 December 1989]: A total of 630·8 pence in both cases.

  Architectural Staff
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what architectural and architectural-related staff he has in the Treasury to make technical assessments of decisions by other Departments to use agents other than the Property Services Agency.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  [holding answer 21 December 1989]: No staff in such specialisms are currently employed in the Treasury. Where Departments are free to use agents other than PSA for building and maintenance work, it is for them to decide on value for money grounds, and after the usual tendering and contract procedures have been observed, whether such agents, or PSA, should be employed.