Written Answers of 4 July 1990

TRANSPORT

  Oil Spillage, West Coast
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what emergency provisions have been made to cover the event of an oil spillage off the west coast of Scotland.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Because it is impossible to predict where or when a tanker accident may occur, the marine pollution control unit's (MPCU) contingency plan consists of highly mobile resources on short-notice standby positioned at various locations around the United Kingdom, from where they can be deployed quickly to the west coast of Scotland or any other part of the United Kingdom that may be threatened by a major oil spillage.

  Local authorities on the west coast of Scotland all have their own contingency plans for dealing with coastal pollution and can call on advice and assistance from the MPCU, which in a major spillage would co-ordinate onshore clean-up operations as well as directing offshore activities. This is to ensure a fully integrated response.

  The MPCU is this year holding its annual major counter-pollution exercise off the west coast of Scotland to test the effectiveness of plans to deal with an oil spillage in that area. The exercise will take place on 4 and 5 July in the North Minch and will involve local authorities in both the Isle of Lewis and the Scottish mainland.

  Disability
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state what steps he intends to take following the report of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee on access for disabled people to buses and coaches; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  The committee worked closely with my Department in drawing up its "Recommended Specification for Buses Used to Operate Local Services", published in June 1988. This includes features such as lower steps, textured and colour-contrasted handrails, bus stopping signs, step edge markings, and bell pushes which can be reached by seated passengers.

  Among other initiatives to promote the use of the specification, my Department has produced a video, "Welcome Aboard", illustrating the features recommended by the committee and demonstrating the benefits to passengers with disabilities.

  The main DPTAC recommendations have also been proposed by my Department for inclusion in a draft EC directive on bus and coach construction.

  Motorway Construction
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of motorway are(a) being planned and (b) under construction for the Greater Manchester county.

  Mr. Atkins
  A total of 31 miles of new motorway are being planned. In addition we plan to widen 25 miles of existing motorway. No new motorways are currently under construction in Greater Manchester.

  Roads, Devon
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when the South Molton information signs will be erected on the north Devon link road;

  (2) if he will visit north Devon to inspect the north Devon link road one year after completion;

  (3) when the 60 mph restriction signs will be erected on the north Devon link road; and if he will make a statement upon the provision of emergency telephones along this road.

  Mr. Atkins
  The application for information signs on the link road near South Molton is being considered, but the road safety implications of additional signs are a cause for concern.

  I have no plans to visit the link road. Nor have I any plans to install 60 mph speed limit signs on the road. The national speed limits already apply: there are reminder posters about the limits at the picnic areas, and reminder signs in the laybys.

  New-style emergency phones are being installed by the RAC and AA (with a contribution from the Department). I understand that these will be operational very shortly.

ENVIRONMENT

  Ozone-depleting Chemicals
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those chemicals which he has assessed to be safe substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals.

  Mr. Trippier
  Discussions are taking place today and tomorrow in Brussels on the package of tests which will be necessary for the assessment of the substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals.

  Recycling
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any proposals to encourage and support small businesses to establish a door-to-door collection service for the recycling of metal cans; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The Environmental Protection Bill contains a range of measures which will assist and promote the segregation of waste for recycling. Collection authorities will have a duty to draw up recycling plans and when doing so be required to liaise with all relevant organisations in their areas, including private sector companies. Waste disposal authorities will be required to pass to collection authorities the savings that accrue because refuse has been recycled rather than passed to
  565
  them for disposal—and this may be passed on to benefit both voluntary groups and small businesses. Other provisions of the Bill will allow authorities to specify environmentally favourable options for waste disposal, such as recycling, even if they are not the cheapest in financial terms. Stricter controls on waste disposal by landfill and other means will increase their costs and so make recycling more attractive. The forthcoming White Paper on the environment will set out our further plans for recycling.

  The Government are also working with local authorities to develop projects like recycling city in Sheffield and Cardiff where segregated collection systems are being carried out on a trial basis and which can, when fully evaluated, be used as models for future practice. We shall be providing comprehensive advice to local authorities to assist them in the development of recycling projects.

  National Rivers Authority
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the level of funding of the National Rivers Authority.

  Mr. Trippier
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 5 June to the hon. Member for Dewbury (Mrs. Taylor) at column 489.

  Letting of Rooms
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received about the statutory provisions applying to residents who wish to let out a room or rooms in their home; and if he has any plans to reform the law.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The Department receives the occasional letter from hon. Members and the public about the statutory provisions applying to residents who wish to let out a room or rooms in their home. Changes were made in the Housing Act 1988 which completely deregulated such lettings. We have no plans to make any further changes to the legislation.

  House Purchase Incentive Scheme
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Department first made available £200,000 to Lambeth council for the cash incentive scheme for tenants wishing to buy properties in the private sector.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  My officials wrote to Lambeth on 27 March 1990 giving approval in principle to a cash incentive scheme in 1990–91 for which £200,000 in supplementary credit approvals will be available as part of the Government's homeless initiative. The supplementary credit approvals will be issued as grants are actually paid out.

  Warrington and Runcorn Development Corporation
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which contracts were awarded by Warrington and Runcorn development corporation to business ventures on the basis of competitive tendering.

  Mr. Chope
  No contracts were awarded by Warrington and Runcorn development corporation to business ventures on the basis of competitive tendering.
  566
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply of 27 June to the hon. Member for Warrington, North, how the value of services provided to Warrington and Runcorn development corporation by business ventures was assessed in order for the corporation to make appropriate reductions for the use of its property; how the rentable value of that property was assessed by Warrington and Runcorn development corporation; and which business ventures made use of Warrington and Runcorn development corporation property for 30 months.

  Mr. Chope
  The basis of the fees paid to business ventures by Warrington and Runcorn development corporation was that they should not exceed the costs which the corporation would have had to bear if the function had remained in-house. The fees payable were initially based on payroll costs and direct expenses and were exclusive of accommodation costs. Thereafter, as the business ventures began to undertake work for other clients, the corporation reduced its fee payments to reflect the use made of its accommodation in providing these services. The engineering business venture, involving a merger with Rendel Palmer and Tritton, made use of corporation accommodation for 30 months.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answers to the hon. Member for Warrington, North of 27 June, what were the three largest redundancy payments made to Warrington and Runcorn development corporation staff who joined business ventures employed by the corporation; and to which officials they were paid.

  Mr. Chope
  The three largest redundancy payments made to staff of Warrington and Runcorn development corporation who joined business ventures were as follows:

  £

  Chief Estates Officer (Runcorn)

  45,328

  Chief Engineer

  44,264

  Chief Legal Officer

  43,507

  World Cup Hooliganism
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations his Department has received on the subject of deportations from Italy for alleged hooliganism at the World Cup tournament; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  As of 3 July my Department had received 12 representations concerning the sending home of British citizens during the World Cup.

  Waste Collection
  Mr. Boscawen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he intends that local authorities should charge for waste collected from mixed domestic and commercial property; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The Collection and Disposal of Waste Regulations 1988 for simplicity define all waste arising from mixed hereditaments (now known as composite hereditaments)—that is, properties which are partly residential and partly used for trade or business—as commercial waste. Waste collection authorities do not
  567
  charge for the collection of domestic waste, but may make a reasonable charge for commercial waste. However, circular 13/88 suggests that authorities, in setting the level of their charges, should recognise that some waste arises from the residential part of a composite property. We consider that all authorities should, once they have received a request to collect commercial waste from such properties, collect or empty free of charge at least one refuse sack or dustbin per week per property and should be prepared to consider alternative or additional arrangements on an individual basis.

  Water Metering
  Mr. Hague
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the results of the national water metering trials to be available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  The second interim report on the national metering trials has been published by the water industry today and I have placed a copy in the Library.

  Use of rateable values as a basis for water charges ceases to be lawful from April 2000. Water companies will have to decide what alternative method of charging to adopt for the future; and metering—which is being adopted for many new properties, which do not have a rateable value—is one of the options being considered. Because it relates the size of a customer's bill to the

  Specific Grants 1990–91

  Bradford (£000)

  Wandsworth (£000)

  Westminster (£000)

  Rent Allowance Grant

  13,201

  12,273

  17,600

  Mandatory Student Awards Grant

  9,593

  7,807

  1,700

  Community Charge Benefit Grant

  12,121

  5,160

  4,780

  In-Service Teacher Training

  1,507

  484

  347

  Education Support

  733

  511

  246

  Training Agency (TVEI)

  1,877

  102

  50

  Work Related Further Education

  0

  586

  350

  Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council

  0

  601

  0

  Social Services Training

  0

  80

  95

  Aids and HIV

  0

  39

  0

  Magistrates' Courts

  1,929

  0

  0

  Probation

  2,483

  0

  0

  Civil Defence

  0

  6

  2

  Commonwealth Immigrants

  6,553

  2,241

  1,642

  Housing Benefit Administration

  1,250

  1,165

  860

  Home Insulation Grant

  7

  2

  0

  Improvement Grants and Area Improvement Grants

  7,420

  7,344

  4,294

  Urban Programme

  2,541

  1,220

  138

  Expenses of Rent Officers

  0

  0

  972

  Careers Service Strengthening

  241

  73

  50

  Sheltered Employment

  168

  114

  39

  European Community Grants

  0

  5

  0

  Transitional Relief Grant

  2,911

  1

  20

  Transitional Relief Preparatory Costs Grant

  8

  0

  0

  Transitional Relief Administration Costs Grant

  89

  64

  0

  Other

  0

  0

  331

  Total

  64,632

  39,878

  33,516

  Football (Arrests)
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the 92 Football League clubs together with the total season's attendance for Football League matches, total number of arrests made at such matches and the number of arrests as a percentage of the total attendance, for the seasons 1987–88 and 1989–90;

  (2) if he will publish a table showing the total attendance at Football League matches in England and
  568
  amount of water used, it has been seen as potentially the fairest way of charging. But general metering will involve considerable expenditure, as the report demonstrates.

  The trials have now been under way for about 18 months and, in the majority of cases, customers have been charged on their consumption of water for about a year. The full results will not be known until the trials have been completed in about two years' time. In the meantime a considerable amount of information has been collected about the costs and problems of installing meters and this has been assembled in the second interim report.

  The report provides valuable information which will contribute to the debate on what future methods of charging the industry should adopt. This will be carried forward by the consultation paper which the Director General of Water Services intends to issue later this year.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy) on 25 June,Official Report, columns 44–46, if he will detail the specific grants given to Bradford, Wandsworth and Westminster.

  Mr. Chope
  [holding answer 2 July 1990]: The information, as given on the local authorities' 1990–91 budget returns, is as follows:

  Wales, the total number of arrests at such matches, and the number of arrests as a percentage of the total attendance, accurate to four decimal places, for the seasons 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  [pursuant to his reply, 19 June 1990, c. 483]: The Association of Chief Police Officers is today publishing figures supplied by individual police forces relating to attendances and arrests at Football League matches in England and Wales during the season 1989–90.

  569
  These figures are some guide to the level of offences committed at such football matches. The figures do not record the outcome or seriousness of the cases involved. Figures for individual clubs relate to arrests at the home ground in question, involving supporters of any club.

  Total figures for the last three seasons are:

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  Attendances

  17,968,965

  18,366,143

  19,360,194

  Arrests

  6,106

  6,185

  5,945

  Arrests as percentage of attendance

  0.0340

  0.0337

  0.0307

  This indicates a 5.4 per cent. rise in attendances and a 3.9 per cent. fall in arrests between 1988–89 and 1989–90: overall a reduction of 8.9 per cent. in arrests as a proportion of attendances.

  Figures for individual clubs over the last three seasons are:

  Season 1989–90

  Attendances

  Number of arrests

  Arrest as percentage of attendances

  Aldershot

  46,537

  36

  0·07

  Arsenal

  639,763

  143

  0·02

  Aston Villa

  485,356

  215

  0·04

  Barnsley

  207,389

  54

  0·03

  Birmingham

  195,242

  152

  0·07

  Blackburn

  221,054

  51

  0·02

  Blackpool

  93,527

  107

  0·11

  Bolton

  167,770

  73

  0·04

  Bournemouth

  171,432

  213

  0·12

  Bradford

  199,041

  69

  0·03

  Brentford

  130,189

  25

  0·02

  Brighton

  198,105

  55

  0·03

  Bristol City

  262,037

  114

  0·04

  Bristol Rovers

  142,791

  50

  0·03

  Burnley

  142,967

  47

  0·03

  Bury

  79,210

  27

  0·03

  Cambridge

  45,349

  1

  0·00

  Cardiff

  84,302

  32

  0·04

  Carlisle

  107,959

  15

  0·01

  Charlton

  204,503

  64

  0·03

  Chelsea

  415,239

  236

  0·05

  Chester

  55,914

  46

  0·08

  Chesterfield

  98,265

  54

  0·05

  Colchester

  70,940

  17

  0·02

  Coventry

  271,543

  192

  0·07

  Crewe

  93,156

  11

  0·01

  Crystal Palace

  323,792

  76

  0·02

  Derby County

  329,912

  89

  0·02

  Doncaster

  62,255

  51

  0·08

  Everton

  494,766

  68

  0·01

  Exeter

  112,634

  19

  0·01

  Fulham

  103,321

  67

  0·06

  Gillingham

  88,421

  7

  0·01

  Grimsby

  137,623

  49

  0·03

  Halifax

  38,637

  47

  0·12

  Hartlepool

  56,988

  16

  0·03

  Hereford

  61,981

  49

  0·08

  Huddersfield

  129,549

  25

  0·02

  Hull City

  144,198

  57

  0·04

  Ipswich

  293,597

  30

  0·01

  Leeds United

  635,833

  168

  0·02

  Leicester

  269,387

  115

  0·04

  Leyton Orient

  100,385

  20

  0·01

  Lincoln

  93,629

  116

  0·12

  Liverpool

  700,908

  84

  0·01

  Luton

  186,451

  9

  0·01

  Maidstone

  55,912

  20

  0·03

  Manchester City

  531,541

  57

  0·01

  Manchester United

  740,476

  60

  0·01

  Mansfield

  71,933

  10

  0·01

  Middlesbrough

  374,249

  36

  0·01

  570

  Attendances

  Number of arrests

  Arrest as percentage of attendances

  Millwall

  236,009

  108

  0·04

  Newcastle

  505,840

  215

  0·04

  Northampton

  73,564

  1

  0·00

  Norwich

  318,052

  49

  0·01

  Notts County

  141,438

  46

  0·03

  Notts Forest

  391,014

  84

  0·02

  Oldham

  223,557

  8

  0·00

  Oxford

  133,822

  51

  0·04

  Peterborough

  110,777

  12

  0·01

  Plymouth

  200,720

  22

  0·01

  Portsmouth

  209,644

  42

  0·02

  Port Vale

  206,485

  96

  0·05

  Preston

  145,189

  114

  0·08

  QPR

  249,760

  70

  0·03

  Reading

  93,974

  21

  0·02

  Rochdale

  47,510

  28

  0·06

  Rotherham

  127,692

  48

  0·04

  Scarborough

  53,204

  31

  0·06

  Scunthorpe

  81,007

  15

  0·02

  Sheffield United

  388,677

  97

  0·02

  Sheffield Wednesday

  397,615

  87

  0·02

  Shrewsbury

  81,283

  18

  0·02

  Southampton

  313,222

  73

  0·02

  Southend

  83,880

  10

  0·01

  Stockport

  89,758

  25

  0·03

  Stoke City

  286,368

  49

  0·01

  Sunderland

  401,098

  85

  0·02

  Swansea

  88,396

  48

  0·05

  Swindon

  216,463

  30

  0·01

  Torquay

  49,484

  27

  0·05

  Tottenham

  502,830

  73

  0·01

  Tranmere

  171,200

  27

  0·01

  Walsall

  93,765

  55

  0·06

  Watford

  238,074

  40

  0·02

  West Bromwich

  259,724

  116

  0·04

  West Ham

  465,873

  182

  0·04

  Wigan

  63,486

  14

  0·02

  Wimbledon

  145,380

  20

  0·01

  Wolverhampton

  392,031

  322

  0·08

  Wrexham

  54,974

  3

  0·01

  York

  59,395

  39

  0·06

  Season 1988–89

  Attendances

  Number of arrests

  Arrests as percentage of attendances

  Aldershot

  60,249

  65

  0·12

  Arsenal

  676,267

  167

  0·02

  Aston Villa

  443,362

  344

  0·08

  Barnsley

  166,129

  21

  0·01

  Birmingham

  144,577

  65

  0·04

  Blackburn

  191,379

  37

  0·02

  Blackpool

  88,701

  66

  0·07

  Bolton

  124,626

  40

  0·03

  Bournemouth

  186,002

  35

  0·02

  Bradford

  242,007

  85

  0·03

  Brentford

  129,296

  50

  0·04

  Brighton

  208,022

  47

  0·02

  Bristol City

  186,371

  73

  0·04

  Bristol Rovers

  121,856

  67

  0·05

  Burnley

  162,583

  47

  0·03

  Bury

  77,346

  27

  0·03

  Cambridge

  59,655

  17

  0·03

  Cardiff

  100,643

  16

  0·01

  Carlisle

  73,696

  17

  0·02

  Charlton

  177,760

  47

  0·03

  Chelsea

  371,685

  304

  0·08

  Chester

  70,119

  20

  0·03

  Chesterfield

  86,746

  44

  0·05

  Colchester

  66,421

  7

  0·01

  Coventry

  302,902

  190

  0·06

  Crewe

  74,202

  30

  0·04

  Crystal Palace

  245,342

  71

  0·03

  571

  Attendances

  Number of arrests

  Arrests as percentage of attendances

  Darlington

  53,278

  26

  0·05

  Derby County

  335,964

  132

  0·04

  Doncaster

  49,796

  20

  0·04

  Everton

  521,444

  80

  0·01

  Exeter

  59,832

  12

  0·02

  Fulham

  113,580

  126

  0·11

  Gillingham

  84,907

  23

  0·02

  Grimsby

  98,949

  79

  0·08

  Halifax

  43,577

  62

  0·14

  Hartlepool

  46,921

  21

  0·04

  Hereford

  49,619

  28

  0·05

  Huddersfield

  133,989

  34

  0·02

  Hull City

  135,915

  18

  0·01

  Ipswich

  288,319

  31

  0·01

  Leeds United

  500,906

  159

  0·03

  Leicester

  239,357

  95

  0·04

  Leyton Orient

  87,340

  8

  0·01

  Lincoln

  90,051

  19

  0·02

  Liverpool

  734,902

  132

  0·02

  Luton

  176,681

  7

  0·00

  Manchester City

  540,476

  39

  0·01

  Manchester United

  693,257

  60

  0·01

  Mansfield

  92,033

  40

  0·04

  Middlesbrough

  378,210

  86

  0·02

  Millwall

  293,926

  160

  0·05

  Newcastle

  433,487

  166

  0·04

  Northampton

  91,030

  3

  0·00

  Norwich

  318,844

  86

  0·03

  Notts County

  130,654

  49

  0·04

  Nottingham Forest

  394,911

  66

  0·02

  Oldham

  160,325

  12

  0·01

  Oxford

  145,788

  36

  0·02

  Peterborough

  74,469

  14

  0·02

  Plymouth

  198,443

  19

  0·01

  Portsmouth

  233,980

  162

  0·07

  Port Vale

  154,426

  79

  0·05

  Preston

  163,703

  51

  0·03

  QPR

  235,018

  95

  0·04

  Reading

  117,613

  25

  0·02

  Rochdale

  45,127

  47

  0·10

  Rotherham

  116,279

  31

  0·02

  Scarborough

  66,895

  51

  0·07

  Scunthorpe

  104,588

  55

  0·05

  Sheffield United

  280,315

  50

  0·02

  Sheffield Wednesday

  380,807

  80

  0·02

  Shrewsbury

  108,100

  37

  0·03

  Southampton

  296,047

  146

  0·05

  Southend

  84,479

  30

  0·03

  Stockport

  64,061

  53

  0·08

  Stoke City

  214,979

  44

  0·02

  Sunderland

  342,217

  49

  0·01

  Swansea

  112,895

  51

  0·04

  Swindon

  198,881

  44

  0·02

  Torquay

  53,852

  16

  0·03

  Tottenham

  464,876

  127

  0·03

  Tranmere

  121,830

  20

  0·02

  Walsall

  140,495

  148

  0·11

  Watford

  279,446

  44

  0·01

  West Bromwich

  290,683

  145

  0·05

  West Ham

  394,126

  201

  0·05

  Wigan

  72,263

  4

  0·01

  Wimbledon

  148,169

  17

  0·01

  Wolverhampton

  330,699

  192

  0·05

  Wrexham

  61,051

  12

  0·02

  York

  59,119

  132

  0·22

  Season 1987–88

  Attendances

  Number of arrests

  Arrest as percentage of attendances

  Aldershot

  70,642

  39

  0·06

  Arsenal

  598,059

  153

  0·03

  Aston Villa

  403,836

  308

  0·08

  572

  Attendances

  Number of arrests

  Arrest as percentage of attendances

  Barnsley

  168,339

  55

  0·03

  Birmingham

  188,722

  101

  0·05

  Blackburn

  211,120

  79

  0·04

  Blackpool

  96,935

  36

  0·04

  Bolton

  114,778

  21

  0·02

  Bournmouth

  168,757

  149

  0·09

  Bradford

  285,509

  197

  0·07

  Brentford

  105,430

  72

  0·07

  Brighton

  205,263

  34

  0·02

  Bristol City

  225,861

  21

  0·01

  Bristol Rovers

  84,753

  18

  0·02

  Burnley

  144,770

  90

  0·06

  Bury

  58,997

  5

  0·01

  Cambridge

  52,896

  29

  0·05

  Cardiff

  101,752

  43

  0·04

  Carlisle

  51,282

  27

  0·05

  Charlton

  173,629

  14

  0·01

  Chelsea

  408,538

  271

  0·07

  Chester

  580,096

  22

  0·04

  Chesterfield

  61,239

  21

  0·03

  Colchester

  40,607

  0

  0·00

  Coventry

  350,165

  194

  0·06

  Crewe

  51,828

  21

  0·04

  Crystal Palace

  215,496

  78

  0·04

  Darlington

  50,374

  5

  0·01

  Derby County

  343,107

  86

  0·03

  Doncaster

  43,223

  28

  0·06

  Everton

  555,692

  24

  0·00

  Exeter

  56,264

  83

  0·15

  Fulham

  116,454

  99

  0·09

  Gillingham

  106,260

  32

  0·03

  Grimsby

  76,541

  66

  0·09

  Halifax

  39,358

  38

  0·10

  Hartlepool

  48,972

  21

  0·02

  Hereford

  50,712

  28

  0·06

  Huddersfield

  150,334

  126

  0·08

  Hull City

  157,507

  38

  0·02

  Ipswich

  258,037

  99

  0·04

  Leeds Utd

  443,094

  184

  0·04

  Leicester

  223,049

  31

  0·01

  Leyton Orient

  90,322

  8

  0·01

  Liverpool

  791,977

  33

  0·00

  Luton

  161,884

  1

  0·00

  Manchester City

  428,655

  35

  0·01

  Manchester United

  783,099

  38

  0·00

  Mansfield

  90,894

  21

  0·02

  Middlesbrough

  321,219

  110

  0·03

  Millwall

  185,165

  44

  0·02

  Newcastle

  419,742

  149

  0·04

  Newport

  40,261

  35

  0·09

  Northampton

  126,578

  11

  0·01

  Norwich

  313,904

  32

  0·01

  Notts County

  144,824

  56

  0·04

  Notts Forest

  384,648

  130

  0·03

  Oldham

  147,995

  19

  0·01

  Oxford

  218,632

  105

  0·05

  Peterborough

  71,881

  15

  0·02

  Plymouth

  226,152

  29

  0·01

  Portsmouth

  324,780

  282

  0·09

  Port Vale

  88,126

  22

  0·02

  Preston

  139,998

  20

  0·01

  QPR

  265,813

  91

  0·03

  Reading

  150,352

  20

  0·01

  Rochdale

  44,903

  32

  0·07

  Rotherham

  84,107

  47

  0·05

  Scarborough

  70,504

  146

  0·21

  Scunthorpe

  74,405

  46

  0·06

  Sheffield United

  223,960

  60

  0·03

  Sheffield Wednesday

  395,519

  90

  0·02

  Shrewsbury

  108,202

  68

  0·06

  Southampton

  290,617

  208

  0·07

  Southend

  79,320

  3

  0·00

  Stockport

  52,154

  17

  0·03

  Stoke City

  211,234

  57

  0·03

  Sunderland

  400,760

  80

  0·02

  573

  Attendances

  Number of arrests

  Arrest as percentage of attendances

  Swansea

  100,957

  10

  0·01

  Swindon

  209,800

  67

  0·03

  Torquay

  67,434

  21

  0·03

  Tottenham

  517,970

  74

  0·01

  Tranmere

  76,847

  53

  0·07

  Walsall

  128,153

  47

  0·04

  Watford

  291,464

  43

  0·01

  West Bromwich

  222,261

  132

  0·06

  West Ham

  396,473

  149

  0·04

  Wigan

  86,776

  4

  0·01

  Wimbledon

  159,691

  49

  0·03

  Wolverhampton

  226,964

  132

  0·06

  Wrexham

  51,539

  17

  0·03

  York

  62,902

  62

  0·10

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Rural Schools
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what special funding he proposes to small rural schools to assist delivery of the national curriculum.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  We are giving local education authorities specific grant support for the introduction of the national curriculum There will be support for some £120 million expenditure this financial year, rising to nearly 170 million expenditure next financial year This is in addition to the general revenue support grant funding which local authorities receive in support of spending It is for authorities to decide how much to spend to help small rural schools to deliver the national curriculum.

  Technical and Vocational Education Initiative
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from Lancashire about the extent to which schools in the county will be affected by plans to extend the technical and vocational education initiative.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend has received no representations about this

  Teachers' Pay
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has reached any conclusions on the future composition and organisation of the pay negotiating body; and if he will make a statement

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend is now considering the responses of the teacher unions and employers to his proposals for new permanent pay negotiation machinery He will announce his conclusions in due course.

  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he next expects to meet representatives of teachers' trade unions regarding pay and conditions of service; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend has met representatives of the teacher unions on a number of occasions, and would expect to hold similar meetings in the future.

  LEA Staff
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many(a) teaching staff and (b) non-teaching staff were employed by local education authorities in each of the years 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985 and the latest date for which figures are available; and what was the number of pupils on roll in each year listed.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  Figures are given in the table. Information prior to 1970 is not readily available.

  Full-time equivalents of teacher staff and pupils on roll in nursery, primary and secondary schools maintained by local education authorities in England in January 1970–1989

  Thousands

  Teacher numbers

  Pupil numbers

  1Non-teaching staff

  1970

  328·7

  7,514·2

  n/a

  1975

  417·6

  8,458·1

  409·4

  1980

  438·1

  8,183·1

  400·0

  1985

  405·3

  7,201·6

  361·8

  1989

  397·4

  6,761·7

  381·3

  n/a Not available.

  1 Figures in this column relate to all non-teaching education staff employed by local authorities in England, not to nursery, primary and secondary schools alone All figures relate to March of each year.

  Local Management of Schools
  Sir David Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a list of education authorities with the percentage of their budget which is allocated in 1990–91 for local management of schools and the percentage retained as a centrally retained resource overhead.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Epping Forest (Mr. Norris) on 5 February 1990 at column 451.

  School Meals
  Mr. Clay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the latest figures showing how many children take(a) school meals and (b) free school meals broken down into primary, secondary and special schools; and what proportion of children present they make up in each case.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The information requested for maintained schools in England for January 1989 is as follows:

  Total number of school meals provided

  As a percentage of all pupils on roll

  Total meals provided free

  As a percentage of all pupils on roll

  Primary1

  1,835,516

  46

  515,395

  13

  Secondary

  1,104,875

  38

  235,270

  8

  Special

  66,319

  71

  28,466

  31

  1 Includes nursery schools.

  Schools Budget (Administration)
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science for each county council local education authority, what percentage of the total schools budget, excluding capital expenditure, is spent on administration.
  575
  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend is still receiving budget statements prepared under section 42 of the Education Reform Act from local education authorities. As soon as he receives the great majority of returns the information requested will be published.

  Postgraduate Grants
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he expects existing differentials in postgraduate studentship rates to continue; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. MacGregor
  During the current academic year the main studentship rate set by the research councils under the schemes which they run has been £600 higher than that under the state studentship scheme run on my behalf by the British Academy. Following representations from the British Academy and others I have today agreed that the rates under the state studentship scheme should be increased for the coming academic year to bring them in line with those currently available under the research councils' schemes. I have also today accepted advice from the Advisory Board for the Research Councils, that some of the as yet unallocated funds within the science budget for 1991–92 should be allocated to help finance a £400 increase in the main studentship rate with effect from April 1991. I have invited the board's advice on how the planned increases in postgraduate awards fit within an overall strategy for postgraduate training and on the quantitative evidence about applications, enrolments, wastage and completion on which the strategies of the individual councils are based. So that scarce resources can be directed to areas of greatest need, I have informed the board that I would expect the councils to consider possibilities for the differentiation in future of studentship award rates, by year of study, by subject or type of training, or by geographical areas. I have invited the British Academy to proceed in the same fashion in relation to any further increase over and above that approved today.

  Art and Music
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to set up working groups to recommend attainment targets and programmes of study for art and music within the national curriculum for England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. MacGregor
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I are today establishing working groups for art and music. The members of the groups are:

  Art Working Group

  Chairman:

  Professor Colin Renfrew

  Master of Jesus College, Cambridge; Professor of Archaeology, Cambridge

  Members:

  Giles Auty

  Art Critic, The Spectator

  Gilroy Brown

  Head Teacher, Foundry JMI School, Birmingham

  Robert Clement

  Adviser for Art and Design, Devon County Council

  David Derrick

  Head Teacher, St. Clement Dane's C of E Primary School, Westminster

  Gillian Figg

  Lecturer in Art Education, West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education

  Toby Jackson

  Head of Education, Tate Gallery, Liverpool

  576

  Professor Leslie R. Perry

  Emeritus Professor, University of London Institute of Education, formerly Professor of the Philosophy of Education at Kings College, London

  Peter Riches

  Head of Faculty of Creative Studies, Eggbuckland School, Plymouth

  Ray Smith

  Practising artist

  Merrick Taylor

  Managing Director, Motor Panels (Coventry) Ltd.

  Lady Marina Vaizey

  Member of Fine Arts Advisory Committee, British Council; member of Crafts Council; art critic, Sunday Times. Broadcaster

  Music Working Group

  Chairman:

  Sir John Manduell CBE

  Principal, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester

  Members:

  David Adams

  Head of Music, Sawston Village College, Cambridge

  Dr. Kevin Adams

  Head of Music, Maesteg Comprehensive School, Mid Glamorgan

  Michael Batt

  Freelance musician and composer

  Michael Brewer

  Director of Music, Chetham's (independent Specialist music) School, Manchester

  Philip Jones CBE

  Principal, Trinity College of Music

  Gillian Moore

  Education Officer, London Sinfonietta

  Professor George Pratt

  Head of Music Department, Huddersfield Polytechnic

  Mrs. L. Read

  Head of Infant Department, Elburton Primary School, Devon

  Julian Smith

  Director, W. H. Smith & Sons Ltd.

  John Stephens

  ex-LEA Senior Staff Inspector for music, and ex-HMI. Director of Education, Trinity College of Music from September 1990

  Christine Wood

  Lovely Music, Tadcaster (specialist suppliers of music to schools)

  The groups will advise on the attainment targets and programmes of study for art and music to be included within the national curriculum in England and Wales. We are grateful to the chairmen and members for having agreed to serve on the groups. An announcement on a working group for physical education will be made very shortly.

  Copies of the terms of reference for the art and music working groups have been placed in the Library. These make clear that the attainment targets and programmes of study will not be prescribed in as much detail as for other foundation subjects.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  VAT
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about value added tax on fuel consumed by vessels plying the United Kingdom coast and continental ports.
  577
  Mr. Ryder
  The Government have received a few representations about the change in VAT liability of fuel which takes effect on 1 July 1990 and the possibility of VAT stores relief for fishing and other vessels after that date.

  Civil Service Pensions
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what adjustments were made for each of the years from 1960 onwards to the negotiated pay in the home civil service for pension benefits.

  Mr. Major
  Civil service pay is determined within what is affordable according to the need to recruit, retain and motivate staff. A number of factors including pensions are taken into account in the pay negotiations.

  Public Expenditure
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from regional bodies on public expenditure in the current year.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  My right hon. Friend receives many representations on a variety of subjects.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the public spending planning total for 1990–91.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The public expenditure planning total for 1990–91 published in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" is £179 billion.

  Retail Prices Index
  Mr. Forman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, 20 December 1989,Official Report, column 242, whether he has now received a report from the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee.

  Mr. Major
  I have today received a report from the RPI Advisory Committee. It examines how to incorporate the price of holidays into the RPI and certain other issues in its work programme. On the price of holidays the report recommends that the CSO should collect data and examine a new methodology which will have to be subjected to further scrutiny before it could be incorporated into the RPI. I will present the report to Parliament and announce the Government's decision on the recommendations in due course.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Cambodia
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he now has plans for direct British aid to Cambodia.

  Mrs. Chalker
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on 18 June.

WALES

  Corlan Housing Association
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the directors of the Corlan housing association,.

  Mr. Grist
  The present members of the committee of management of Corlan housing association were appointed recently by Housing for Wales under the provisions of section 17 of the Housing Associations Act 1985. They are:

  Mr. N. Bacon

  (Deputy Chief Executive, National Agriculture Centre Rural Trust)

  Mr. T. Blanch

  (Director, Rhondda Housing Association)

  Mr. R. Head

  (Director, Family Care Housing Association)

  Mr. M. Savage

  (Solicitor)

  Mr. A. Shewring

  (Chartered Accountant)

  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what purchases of land were made by the Corlan housing association and at what price, over the last five years.

  Mr. Grist
  The information requested is not readily available. The affairs of Corlan housing association are the subject of an investigation instituted by Housing for Wales under the provisions of section 28 of the Housing Associations Act 1985.

  Food Safety Bill
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what additional funds his Department is to earmark for local authority implementation of the Food Safety Bill, and additional local authority current costs as a result of the Bill; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Grist
  In the annual round of consultations leading to the 1991–92 local authority revenue settlement, the local authority associations have assessed the costs necessary to implement the food Bill in that year at £1.35 million. This will be taken into account in determining the revenue support grant 1991–92. I expect that Government support for implementation of this Bill will be via unhypothecated grant, which will give councils the flexibility to direct resources in the light of local circumstances and priorities.

  Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Committee
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will consider giving financial assistance to the myalgic encephalomyelitis committee in Wales.

  Mr. Grist
  The association received £5,000 grant aid from the Department in 1988–89 and £7,500 in 1989–90, but returned £2,500 of the latter following the resignation of the officer whose post had been supported. No formal application for further grant has been received, but any future applications would be carefully considered.

  Gwynedd Health Authority
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the report by consultants on the financial position and performance of Gwynedd health authority, which has been recently submitted to him; and what steps his Department intends taking in the light of this report.
  579
  Mr. Grist
  My right hon. Friend and I look forward to receiving the authority's procurement and business plan and its related proposals for restoring financial balance.

  When the proposals have been submitted, we will meet the chairman and other representatives to discuss them. I shall not be in a position to comment on the way ahead until that meeting has taken place.

  Community Health Councils
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will arrange a conference of community health council and area health authority chairmen to discuss his plans for community health councils in Wales.

  Mr. Grist
  My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. A wide-ranging consultation exercise has been completed, with both community health councils and district health authorities, among many others, commenting fully on the proposals.

  My right hon. Friend hopes to announce a decision on the future structure of the community health councils in Wales shortly.

  Clwyd Health Councils
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit(a) Clwyd South community health council and (b) Clwyd North community health council to discuss his plans to merge community health councils.

  Mr. Grist
  A wide-ranging consultation exercise has been completed on the review of community health councils in Wales. Clwyd South and Clwyd North community health councils have taken the opportunity to comment fully on the proposals and my right hon. Friend and I are well acquainted with their views.

  My right hon. Friend hopes to announce a decision on the future structure of the community health councils in Wales shortly.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many community health councils he has visited in Wales; and which community health councils he plans to meet before October.

  Mr. Grist
  None.

  War Memorial Hospital, Wrexham
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the previous cases in Wales heard by that inspector who decided application number WRR 16029 relating to the decision to allow demolition of the War Memorial hospital at Wrexham.

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

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Flat Ownership
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Attorney-General when the Lord Chancellor intends to make a statement on changes in the law of the ownership of flats.

  The Attorney-General
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Hammersmith (Mr. Soley) on 18 June 1990 at column 389.

  Plastic Bullets
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Attorney-General how many cases in 1989 involving persons injured by plastic bullets in Northern Ireland have been considered by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland; and what action was taken in each case.

  The Attorney-General
  Figures for cases considered during 1989 by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland involving persons killed or injured by the alleged use of baton rounds are as follows:

  Number

  Cases

  12

  Persons injured

  14

  Persons killed

  1

  Prosecutions directed

  0

  No prosecution directed

  12

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Attorney-General if interest accruing when the statutory charge is postponed by virtue of regulation 97 of the Civil Legal Aid (General) Regulations 1989 is chargeable before the Legal Aid Board has paid the assisted person's legal advisers; if the board has the discretion to waive or postpone such interest until the time for payment to the legal advisers; and if he will make a statement.

  The Attorney-General
  The position set out in regulation 97 of the Civil Legal Aid (General) Regulations 1989 is that interest is payable from the date the charge is registered. The Legal Aid Board does not have a discretion to waive or postpone the interest due from that date.

  Offences, Northern Ireland
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Attorney-General how many cases concerning scheduled offences were referred to the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal in 1989; and in how many of these referred cases the original conviction has been(a) quashed and (b) upheld.

  The Attorney-General
  In 1989 a total of 103 cases concerning scheduled offences were referred to the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal. Of these 103 cases, convictions were quashed in three: the sentence was varied in six; 55 appeals were dismissed and 39 appeals abandoned.

  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Attorney-General how many applications for bail by those held on remand for scheduled, non-scheduled offences, and both together, were refused bail in 1989.

  The Attorney-General
  In 1989 the number of High Court bail applications by those held on remand for scheduled offence cases were refused was 560.

  The number of High Court bail applications by those on remand for non-scheduled offence cases, which were refused, was 197.

  Information is not available in relation to unsuccessful applications in this category in the magistrates courts.

PRIME MINISTER

  Fission Products
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to her answer to the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Ashdown),Official Report, 28 June, columns 484–85, if she will give a full breakdown of the costs for the disposal of the fission products of nuclear power; and if she will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  The costs of disposing of the products of nuclear generation can be expressed in purely monetary terms since the technology of waste disposal is sufficiently developed. These have been quantified, for example, in the 1988–89 accounts of the CEGB by provisions for reprocessing of spent fuel and associated waste management, and disposal costs amount to £6.4 billion at 31 March 1989. The costs of dealing with the effects of global warming as the result of the emission of greenhouse gases are not known, but could be extremely large.

  Japanese Fishing
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will make representations to the Japanese Government in respect of(a) their policy of scientific whaling, (b) their overfishing of smaller cetaceans and (c) their use of monofilament nets.

  The Prime Minister
  We have already made known to the Japanese, through the International Whaling Commission, our firm view that whaling for research should not be conducted unless the research can be fully justified scientifically. The research would have to provide vital information which could not be obtained by non-lethal means, and would not endanger the relevant whale stocks. We shall be following this policy at the meeting of the IWC currently taking place in the Netherlands.

  We have already raised the matter of the killing of small cetaceans with the Japanese Government. In 1989 the Japanese Government introduced new regulations which will reduce the number of Dall's porpoises caught.

  We fully share the concern about large-scale indiscriminate drift net fishing practised by the Japanese in the South Pacific. The nations concerned were able to agree last year to a United Nations resolution which calls for an end to large-scale drift net fishing in the South Pacific by 30 June 1991 and, unless scientifically proved unnecessary, a global moratorium by 30 June 1992. The United Kingdom with its EC partners was able to play a major and constructive role in these discussions.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Association of Chief Police Officers
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has received any correspondence from the Association of Chief Police Officers.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Home Department receives correspondence from the Association of Chief Police Officers on a variety of subjects on a regular basis.

  AIDS (Prisons)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice in the form of booklets or medical instruction is given to prison officers who, in the course of their duties, may come into contact with inmates who have AIDS.

  Mr. Mellor
  The staff training package "AIDS Inside", which has been in use since August 1987, includes a video film and a leaflet prepared by a committee of medical and other experts for the information of all prison service staff. For health care staff the most recent source of advice on safe practice is "Guidance for Clinical Health Care Workers: Protection Against Infection with HIV and Hepatitis Viruses" issued by the United Kingdom health departments in January this year. Such staff also receive training, where appropriate, in the clinical management and care of patients with AIDS and AIDS-related illness.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the known numbers of AIDS inmates held in prisons in England and Wales on 25 June.

  Mr. Mellor
  On the date mentioned the prison population of England and Wales included 56 prisoners reported by medical officers as having been identified as HIV antibody positive. AIDS had been diagnosed in two of these cases.

  Prison Officers, London
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the London prisons the amount of prison officer accommodation that is available for officers serving at London prisons to occupy and the present number of quarters that are empty.

  Mr. Mellor
  The latest available information, as at 1 April 1990, is as follows:

  Total number of quarters available

  Prison

  Number

  Empty

  Brixton

  221

  (3)

  Holloway

  152

  (3)

  Pentonville

  111

  (1)

  Wandsworth

  187

  (5)

  Wormwood Scrubs

  212

  (None)

  Trevi Group
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions the Trevi group of Ministers has had about arranging exchanges with officials from EEC states in order to obtain information on law enforcement, legal systems and innovations in technology;

  (2) what discussions the Trevi group of Ministers has had about introducing uniform legal provisions in the relevant parts of domestic law in each member state of the EEC;

  (3) what discussions the Trevi group of Ministers has had about EEC co-operation at frontiers and borders in relation to (a) problems of illegal immigration, (b) crossing common land when following suspects of serious crime and (c) the possibility of a new treaty to deal with these problems.

  Mr. Waddington
  The position reached by Trevi in discussing matters of police co-operation among
  583
  European Community member states is recorded in the programme of action approved in Dublin on 15 June, a copy of which is in the Library. Problems of illegal immigration are primarily a matter for the EC ad hoc immigration working group, which is currently considering a draft convention on the crossing of external frontiers of the Community.

  Police (Ethnic Minorities)
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to how many black and ethnic minority employees the Metropolitan police employs in its civilian staff above the grade of executive officer.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Commissioner has told me that in August 1989, the latest date for which the information is available, there were 36 civilian staff from ethnic minority communities of higher executive officer grade and above in the Metropolitan police service as well as 127 executive officers. This does not include traffic wardens and industrial grades.

  Nuclear Emergency Centres
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nuclear emergency centres there are in the United Kingdom; how many are currently inoperative; and for what reasons.

  Mr. John Patten
  Information on the most recently reported position in respect of local authority emergency centres, including the most common shortcomings found in those which were not operational, was given in "A Report on Implementation of the Civil Defence (General Local Authority Functions) Regulations 1983 in England and Wales at 30 September 1989". The report was published in May and a copy is in the Library.

  Prison Staff
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of staff in each prison establishment in each of the last 10 years with less than two years total experience in the prison service.

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

  Remand Prisoners
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of(a) men and (b) women being held on remand in prisons in England and Wales on Monday 25 June.

  Mr. Mellor
  At the end of May, the latest date for which the information is available, 9,495 male and 347 female untried and convicted unsentenced prisoners were held in prison service establishments or in police cells.

  Criminal Verdicts
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of criminal verdicts of manslaughter or murder and the relevant verdict at the inquest for each of the years 1974 to 1989, inclusive.
  584
  Mr. Waddington
  The number of criminal verdicts is given in table 4.2 of the Command Paper "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", and the number of inquest verdicts is given in table 5 of the Home Office statistical bulletin "Statistics of Deaths reported to Coroners, England and Wales". Copies of both these publications are in the Library.

  The inquest verdicts exclude cases where court proceedings have been instituted. In these cases a coroner will not resume an inquest which he has adjourned, to avoid the need for two tribunals to consider the same evidence.

  Deaths (Records)
  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish a national register of persons who have died and whose next of kin cannot be ascertained to enable next of kin to identify their relatives; and whether he will make the register open to the public.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  No. All deaths are registered locally by the registrar of births and deaths and subsequently notified to the Registrar-General who maintains a central record. We are currently considering the establishment of a national "missing persons" register which would assist in identifying bodies which are found without any form of identification and relatives could make inquiries of the register via the police.

  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what records are kept on the number of persons found dead each year where no relatives can be traced by the responsible authorities; and how many there are for the latest year available;

  (2) after what period of time those responsible for ascertaining and informing the next of kin terminate their inquiries;

  (3) what procedures are followed in order to ascertain the next of kin of a person found dead;

  (4) who is responsible for locating and contacting next of kin once death has been confirmed.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  There are no central records of persons found dead where no relations can be traced, nor is there any statutory requirement for an individual or authority to report a death to the next of kin. In practice, responsibility for notification is normally assumed by whoever has the duty of care at the time of death; there are no time limits on their inquiries. There are no set procedures to follow, but the identification of the dead person must be known before relatives can be traced. If the person's identity is known or can be established, the amount of time needed to trace the next of kin depends on the circumstances of each case, for example the available documentation on the body. Where identity cannot be established, the police will arrange for details to be circulated to other forces and to New Scotland Yard to check against their missing persons records. There is no predetermined time limit for each case.

  Television Company Franchises
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning negative bidding for television company franchises; and if he will make a statement.
  585
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning negative bidding for television company franchises; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Mellor
  A few responses to the broadcasting White Paper suggested the possibility of negative bidding for regional Channel 3 licences.

  Prisoners
  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy on the accommodation of prisoners as close as possible to their families, taking into account considerations of security and accommodation.

  Mr. Mellor
  Four main principles govern the allocation of sentenced prisoners to training establishments: the needs of security, the needs of control, the needs of the individual prisoners and the need to make the best use of accommodation.

  In applying these considerations, we of course recognise that it is in the interests of most prisoners to be located as near to their home area as is practicable, to ease visiting arrangements for families and friends and to help prisoners in the last part of their sentence in preparation for release.

  Prisoners held in prison service custody on remand are generally held in those establishments which are nearest to their courts of remand or trial.

  Proportional Representation
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward a Bill to introduce an electoral system based on proportional representation.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  No.

  World Cup (Deportations)
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations his Department has received on the subject of deportations from Italy for alleged hooliganism at the World Cup tournament; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Home Department has received three representations relating to refusal of leave to enter Italy.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Auditing
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby on 19 March,Official Report, column 429, he is yet in a position to announce his Department's actions relating to Lonrho plc's noncompliance with schedule 7, paragraph 9 to the Companies Act 1985.

  Mr. Redwood
  Lonrho plc has informed my Department that it employs fewer than 250 persons, and is therefore not subject to the provisions of paragraph 9 of schedule 7 to the Companies Act 1985.

  Glamorgan Building Society
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby on 9 March,Official Report, column 883, whether any partner from the firm of Mr. Anton was criticised by the joint disciplinary committee in its report on Glamorgan Building Society.

  Mr. Redwood
  Yes. An individual who was a partner in the Cardiff office of Deloitte Haskins and Sells at the relevant time was the subject of criticism by a committee of inquiry appointed by the executive committee of the joint disciplinary scheme in relation to matters arising in connection with Glamorgan Building Society. He is no longer a partner in Mr. Anton's firm which, following a merger with Coopers and Lybrand, is now known as Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby on 19 March,Official Report, column 429, he will introduce legislation to require the auditor's letter of engagement to be communicated to shareholders by being read at the annual general meeting.

  Mr. Redwood
  No.

  Condoms
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the annual production figure in the United Kingdom of condoms and how many were for sale in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years; and what is the estimate for each of the next five years.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The information is not available.

  Link Schemes
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the proportion of outturn expenditure on each link scheme met by industrial and private sector sponsorship.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  A total of 24 link programmes have been announced so far. The financial arrangements for link programmes are standard in that Government outturn expenditure in all cases is 50 per cent. of gross incurred project costs.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will list the programmed and outturn expenditure for each link scheme in each year of operation;

  (2) what is the programmed public expenditure provision for link schemes in each full year the scheme has existed, together with the actual outturn expenditure in each year; and what is the second figure as a percentage of the first.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Whilst 24 link programmes have been announced, most of the 65 current research projects under way have become active only within the last 12 months. For example, on 6 April 1989 there were only 12 active research projects, whereas by 29 May 1990 the number had risen to 65. In addition, on 29 May 1990 a further 57 were through all stages of technical approval and were awaiting final financial clearance, or the
  587
  Department was waiting for the industrial partners satisfactorily to conclude crucial collaborative agreements. Two other factors complicate providing detailed outturn expenditure figures for the two financial years April 1988 to March 1989 and April 1989 to March 1990. First, there are now six Government Departments and four research councils funding link programmes and they all have their own procedures and protocols. Secondly, industrial grants are paid in arrears, that is, after costs have been incurred, and particularly in the early days of a project claims may not be submitted for up to 12 months after the work has taken place. The outturn for the financial year 1988–89 was therefore a nominal figure. The outturn for the financial year 1989–90 has been provisionally estimated at £7 million, and was announced at a link press briefing on June 13 1990. It is not considered practical to provide detailed outturn figures for each link programme until the end of the financial year 1990–91.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list all link schemes so far established, together with the participating companies and academic institutions.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The first five link programmes were announced on 3 February 1988. Since then a further 19 programmes have been launched. The programmes are listed in the table:

  Molecular Electronics

  Advanced Semiconductor Materials

  Industrial Measurement Systems

  Eukaryotic Genetic Engineering

  Nanotechnology

  Biotransformations

  Personal Communications

  Selective Drug Delivery and Targeting

  Construction Maintenance and Refurbishment

  Food Processing Sciences

  Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

  Optoelectronic Systems

  Design of High Speed Machinery

  Structural Composites

  Protein Engineering

  Biochemical Engineering

  New Catalysts and Catalytic Processes

  Power Electronic Devices and Derived Systems

  Control of Plant Metabolism

  Molecular Sensors

  Technology for Analytical and Physical Measurement

  Transport Infrastructure and Operations

  Asymmetric Synthesis

  Crops for Industrial Use

  A total of 140 companies are now involved in the 65 research projects already active and of these 37 are small or medium-sized companies (indicated in the list by an asterisk). Following the list of companies involved in link projects are lists of the 40 scientific institutes involved.

  AB Electronics

  Advanced Ultrasonics Technologies Ltd.*

  AEA Technology

  Aerial Facilities

  Aircraft Research Association

  Air-Log

  Allied Breweries

  ALMA Enterprises*

  Amersham International

  AMT RI

  APV

  ASEA-Brown Boveri

  Austin Rover

  BAe Dynamics Ltd.

  BAFF

  Banbdley Chipware*

  BASS

  588

  Beaconsfield Instruments*

  Beecham

  Boots

  Brewing Research Foundation

  British Aerospace

  British Biotechnology*

  British Petroleum

  British Telecom Research Laboratories

  Campden FDRA*

  Camtex

  Cannon Electronics*

  Celltech*

  Chell*

  Chloride Power Electronic

  Ciba-Geigy

  CMB

  Cortina Electric Co.*

  Courtaulds

  CPS Ltd.*

  Cray Instruments

  Customs Interconnect Ltd.

  Davis Decade Ltd.

  DCL

  De Beers Industrial Diamonds

  Design Technologies Ltd.

  Dynamic Imaging

  Edwards HV Ltd.

  Eli Lilly

  Ensignma Ltd.*

  Enzymatix*

  Express Foods

  Farnell Instruments

  FMBRA*

  Fords

  Foxboro Ltd.

  Framatome

  GEC-Marconi Research Ltd.

  GEC-Plessey Telecommunications Ltd.

  GKN Technology Ltd.

  Glaxo

  Guinness

  Harwell Ltd.

  Heinz

  IBM (UK) Ltd.

  ICI

  ICL Material Research Centre

  IFTEL Automation

  International Biosynthetics

  International Rectifier (GB) Ltd.

  Ledatech Ltd.*

  LEE Colourtran Ltd.

  Logitech Ltd.*

  Lucas Aerospace Ltd.

  Lucas Automotive AEC

  Lyons Bakeries

  Lyons-Tetley

  M4 Data Ltd.

  Manor Bakeries

  Marks and Spencer

  Marling Lighting*

  MK Electric Ltd.

  Neotronics Ltd.*

  Orbitel Oxford Applied Research*

  Oxford Lasers Ltd.*

  Palmer Environmental Service Ltd.*

  Pedifree Petfoods

  PERA*

  Pfizer

  PG Associates*

  Philips

  Pilkington plc

  Polkinghorne

  Queensgate Instruments*

  Quest International*

  Rank Cintel

  Rank Hovis McDougall

  Rank Taylor Hobson

  Reckitt and Coleman

  REOSC

  Rhone-Poulenc

  589

  Rosita

  Royal Mint

  Sandvick Ltd.

  SB Electronics Ltd.*

  SBP

  Schlumberger

  SCIMAT

  Sealant Manufacturers Consortium

  Securis Ltd.*

  Semilab Ltd.*

  Shell

  SIFAM*

  Simon Containers Ltd.

  Smiths Industries

  Solid State Induction Ltd.*

  Sonomatic Ltd.

  Spillers

  Spriex Sarco

  STC

  Strand Lighting

  T & N Technology Ltd.

  Taywood Engineering Ltd.

  Tealgate

  Texas Instruments Ltd.

  Thorn-EMI

  Thurlby-Thander Ltd.*

  Toshiba (JAPAN)

  Transfer Technology*

  UK Corrugated Ltd.

  UK Dairy Industry Research Policy Committee

  UKDIRPAC

  Unilever Research

  Valemite Ltd.

  Verson HME Ltd.

  Vesper Thornycroft Ltd.

  VG Analytical

  VG Ionex

  Vickers Defence System Ltd.

  Vickers Laboratories

  Vision Dynamics

  Watney Mann & Truman

  Wellcome

  Westland Aerostructures

  Westland Defence Systems Ltd.

  Whitbread

  York Ltd.*

  Universities

  Bath

  Birmingham

  Bradford

  Bristol

  Brunel

  Dundee

  Durham

  Edinburgh

  Exeter

  Glasgow

  Heriot-Watt

  Hull

  Imperial College, London

  Kent

  Kings College, London

  Lancaster

  Leeds

  Leicester

  Liverpool

  Loughborough

  Manchester

  Newcastle

  Nottingham

  Oxford

  Salford

  Southampton

  Strathclyde

  Surrey

  Sussex

  Swansea

  UMIST

  UWIST

  Wales

  590

  Warwick

  Science Base (other)

  AFRC Institute of Food Research (Reading)

  AFRC Institute of Food Research (Norwich)

  Cranfield Institute of Technology

  ERA Technology Ltd

  Kingston Polytechnic

  Leicester Royal Infirmary

  Oxford Polytechnic

  Domestic Waste (Recycling)
  Mr. Janman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the total identifiable expenditure on research into developing technology aimed at recycling domestic waste in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Forth
  This information is available only at disproportionate cost.

  Director General of Fair Trading
  Mr. Allan Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he intends to publish the report by the Director General of Fair Trading for 1989.

  Mr. Forth
  The 16th annual report by the Director General of Fair Trading has been published today. It covers the period from 1 January 1989 to 31 December 1989. Copies of the report have been laid before Parliament.

ENERGY

  Sizewell B
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will separate(a) any or (b) all of the costs of the Sizewell B power station from the non-fossil fuel levy at any future date.

  Mr. Baldry
  No.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated date of commissioning of Sizewell B; and what definition of commissioning is to be used.

  Mr. Wakeham
  This is a matter for Nuclear Electric. However, the company informs me that it is committed to a timetable for the Sizewell B project that will lead to fuel loading in August 1994 and full commercial output in February 1995. The project is currently well ahead of that programme. Commissioning is complete at the time of full commercial output.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 332, if he will state in detail what measures he has introduced to record cattle breeding records.

  Mr. Maclean
  I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of the consultation document which details the proposed measures.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has made an
  591
  assessment of the implications of the discontinuation of the use of chemical solvents by the meat rendering industry for the spread of BSE and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  As assessment is being made of the changes in rendering practices in the 1970s and early 1980s to determine what part this might have played in the emergence of BSE.

  Canthaxanthin
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received concerning the use of Canthaxanthin in animal feedstuffs; and if he has any proposals to restrict its use.

  Mr. Maclean
  Canthaxanthin is permitted in poultry and fish feedingstuffs under EC directive 70/524 for the purpose of enhancing the colour of egg yolks and fish flesh. It is mandatory for all member states to allow canthaxanthin to be freely marketed and used in such feedingstuffs according to the limits laid down in the directive. Representations for and against these uses have been received.

  In the United Kingdom, the use of the colourant canthaxanthin in poultry and fish feed is under review and I understand the EC Commission has also asked its Scientific Committee for Food and Scientific Committee for Animal Nutrition to do the same.

  Research
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total identifiable expenditure on research by his Department in each year since 1979; what proportion was awarded on a customer-contractor basis; and what proportion of his total departmental budget was expended on research for each year.

  Mr. Curry
  All research and development which the Department funds, with the exception of research funded by the MAFF grant in aid at the royal botanic gardens, is on a customer-contractor basis. The detailed information requested is as follows:

  Financial Year

  MAFF Expenditure on Research and Development (£ million)

  Percentage of Research and Development awarded on Customer/Contractor Basis

  Percentage of Total MAFF Budget Expended on Research and Development

  1979–80

  66·2

  97·4

  17·7

  1980–81

  83·0

  97·3

  15·5

  1981–82

  106·8

  96·7

  19·9

  1982–83

  113·9

  97·5

  19·6

  1983–84

  118·6

  97·6

  22·2

  1984–85

  119·4

  96·6

  21·8

  1985–86

  118·4

  96·3

  22·3

  1986–87

  118·3

  95·09

  22·7

  1987–88

  113·8

  95·3

  25·8

  11988–89

  115·0

  95·0

  23·9

  11989–90

  114·0

  94·8

  22·0

  1 Provisional.

  Departmental budget is net expenditure, as published in the appropriation account, for which the Minister is the accounting officer.

  Whaling
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his position in respect of the review of the moratorium on commercial whaling to be carried out by the International Whaling Commission in July.

  Mr. Gummer
  The history of whaling has been one of consistent over-exploitation of one species of whale after another. The moratorium on commercial whaling which should have operated since 1986 has in fact been fully respected only for the last two years. I am determined that whale species should not again be placed at risk by a hasty resumption of whaling.

  At the International Whaling Commission we will be carefully studying the work of the scientific committee and if there is any doubt at all about the capacity of any whale stock to bear a resumption of whaling we will firmly oppose any suggestion that whaling recommence. In any case we will insist that the International Whaling Commission must adopt a revised management procedure which will ensure that all whale stocks remain at healthy levels even if whaling is resumed in the future. I am determine that the history of over-exploitation of whale stocks must never be repeated.

  Veterinary Products
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under what circumstances products yet to pass the required tests of safety and efficacy are allowed to be sold for public consumption; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  Except for certain products prepared to a veterinary surgeon's order, no veterinary medicinal product may be sold in this country unless it has a product licence issued under the Medicines Act.

HEALTH

  Management Consultants
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will oblige health authorities to itemise separately in their accounts the amount spent on management consultancy;

  (2) what is his Department's estimate for the total amount spent by health authorities on management consultancies for the last full year for which an estimate is available.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The employment of management consultants is a matter for individual health authorities. Information on the expenditure incurred or on which to base an estimate of the total involved is not routinely collected centrally.

  We do not intend to oblige health authorities to itemise separately any such information in their accounts as the amount paid to individual consultants is subject to commercial confidentiality.

  Infectious Diseases
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he intends to publish an analysis of responses to the "Review of Law on Infectious Disease Control" published in October 1989.
  593
  Mr. Dorrell
  More than 500 organisations and individuals have submitted responses to the consultation document "Review of Law on Infectious Disease Control". It is clear that very careful and comprehensive consideration has been given to the options on which views were invited and we need to consider in detail the comments before deciding what action to take.

  Immunodeficiency Viruses
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which directly funded Government facilities research into AIDS, HIV and related viruses is being carried out; and what was the cost of this research in the last full year.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The majority of Government-funded research into AIDS, HIV and related viruses is commissioned by the Medical Research Council (MRC) as part of its "Directed Programme" for AIDS research. Details of this work are contained in the MRC publication "AIDS Research 1990", a copy of which is available in the Library. A total of £6 million was devoted to the programme in 1989–90.

  In addition, the public health laboratory service and the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control undertake such research; funding for 1989–90 was £1.1 million and £440,000 respectively.

  Cryptosporidiosis
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to reduce the number of cases of cryptosporidiosis caused by a waterborne parasite; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 29 June at columns 363–64.

  Average daily available beds1 and in-patient cases treated, NHS hospitals, by regional health authority, 1979 and 1988–89

  1979

  1988–89

  Regional health authority

  Average daily available beds

  In-patient cases treated

  In-patients per available bed

  Average daily available beds

  In-patient cases treated

  In-patients per available bed

  Northern

  25,305

  368,578

  14·6

  21,520

  461,033

  21·4

  Yorkshire

  29,946

  433,783

  14·5

  22,765

  551,458

  24·2

  Trent

  31,712

  464,917

  14·7

  25,992

  626,102

  24·1

  East Anglian

  13,094

  201,867

  15·4

  11,827

  269,637

  22·8

  North West Thames2

  27,905

  403,264

  14·5

  20,145

  416,153

  20·7

  North East Thames2

  29,443

  455,851

  15·5

  23,285

  521,291

  22·4

  South East Thames2

  28,408

  438,889

  15·4

  19,574

  487,815

  24·9

  South West Thames2

  26,242

  312,264

  11·9

  19,066

  344,259

  18·1

  Wessex

  19,021

  302,772

  15·9

  14,824

  391,376

  26·4

  Oxford

  13,664

  251,898

  18·4

  11,024

  296,433

  26·9

  South Western

  24,456

  338,890

  13·9

  19,166

  451,586

  23·6

  West Midlands

  36,263

  547,773

  15·1

  28,784

  689,457

  24·0

  Mersey

  21,982

  282,629

  12·9

  15,776

  347,893

  22·1

  North Western

  30,812

  509,049

  16·5

  26,409

  640,548

  24·3

  Special Health Authorities2

  3,419

  87,696

  25·7

  2,780

  90,941

  32·7

  England

  361,670

  5,400,120

  14·9

  282,937

  6,585,982

  23·3

  Source: SH3 return 1979, HKo3 and SH3a returns 1988–89.

  1 Excludes neonatal cots on maternity units, also beds on wards open during the day only.

  2 Figures are not directly comparable over the period, due to NHS restructuring in 1982.

  Smoking
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost to the national health service of each smoker.

  Mr. Dorrell
  It is not possible to estimate the cost of smoking to the NHS accurately, but it may be of the order of £500 million each year. It is not meaningful to apportion this cost among individual smokers, as the amount involved will depend on the nature of each individual's habit and whether it leads to sickness or death in any particular year. An estimated 110,000 deaths per year are caused by smoking-related diseases.

  Health Promotion Clinics
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria he has established for what constitutes a health promotion clinic.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  In order to qualify for a sessional payment, health promotion clinics must meet the criteria laid down in paragraph 30 of the GPs' "Statement of Fees and Allowances" (a copy of which is held in the Library). The main requirements are(a) the purpose of the clinic is approved by the family practitioner committee, (b) each clinic normally attracts a minimum of 10 patients and (c) it lasts for a minimum of one hour.

  In-patient Statistics
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many in-patient cases were treated per available bed in 1979 and for the latest year for which figures are available in each of the 14 health regions.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information requested is given in the table:

  Operations
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of hip replacement operations carried out in 1979 and in the latest year for which figures are available in each of the 14 health regions.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Health authorities in England reported the following figures for 1988–89. The figures for 1979 are extracted from the 1979 hospital in-patient inquiry.

  Estimated number of hip replacement operations by health regions

  Region

  19791

  1988–892

  Northern

  1,780

  2,800

  Yorkshire

  1,860

  2,900

  Trent

  2,200

  3,700

  East Anglia

  1,410

  1,900

  North West Thames

  1,740

  3,300

  North East Thames

  2,330

  3,700

  South East Thames

  2,810

  3,600

  South West Thames

  2,320

  3,600

  Wessex

  2,220

  2,700

  Oxford

  1,810

  2,600

  South Western

  2,220

  5,600

  West Midlands

  3,070

  3,700

  Mersey

  850

  2,100

  North Western

  2,600

  3,500

  Board of Governors

  400

  —

  1 Source: 1979 Hospital In-Patient Inquiry.

  2 Source: July 1989 Planning Statements—1988–89 Outturn.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by county, and by year for the last five years, the number of cases of cryptosporidiosis reported.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Information on laboratory reports of cryptosporidium in England and Wales is available on a regional health authority basis only, as shown in the table:

  Cryptosporidium laboratory reports Regional totals

  Region

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  19891

  Northern

  5

  16

  130

  38

  132

  Yorkshire

  76

  146

  125

  148

  670

  Trent

  237

  398

  221

  325

  531

  East Anglia

  37

  87

  26

  22

  165

  North West Thames

  30

  53

  60

  57

  221

  North East Thames

  53

  116

  61

  43

  223

  South East Thames

  119

  247

  143

  99

  653

  South West Thames

  170

  274

  182

  105

  563

  Wessex

  143

  284

  315

  347

  894

  Oxford

  19

  139

  109

  105

  587

  South Western

  107

  460

  469

  450

  795

  West Midlands

  245

  477

  449

  346

  848

  Mersey

  98

  133

  144

  70

  126

  North Western

  464

  604

  554

  400

  884

  Wales

  71

  126

  289

  195

  476

  Total2

  1,874

  3,560

  3,277

  2,750

  7,768

  1 Provisional.

  2 England and Wales only.

  Source: Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre.

  Condoms
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department proposes any action to increase the production of condoms in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Department does not seek to influence commercial decisions.
  596
  However, Government information about condoms, and their effectiveness in reducing the risks of infectious diseases, may increase public demand and lead to increases in production.

  Pharmacists
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the remuneration of community pharmacists.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  Negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) on the remuneration of community pharmacists for the year beginning 1 April began last December. Since then my officials have held numerous discussions with the PSNC and I have myself met the chairman of the PSNC on two occasions, once accompanied by members of his committee and once alone. I am disappointed that after months of negotiations, during which we have made significant concessions, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee was unable to agree what I regard as a fair and reasonable offer, and has declared a state of dispute. I am not prepared to see negotiations drag on indefinitely, depriving the smaller independent pharmacies in particular of the increases due to them. I have therefore reluctantly decided to implement new fee scales from 1 August, backdated to 1 April. I have written today to the chairman of the PSNC informing him of this decision.

  The settlement to be implemented is for a global target sum of £555.5 million, giving an increase in remuneration of 7.5 per cent. over the target for 1989–90. The increase in professional fees, the main element of remuneration, will be 7.5 per cent. over 1989–90 levels. Following a discount inquiry last year, a new discount scale of 9.67 per cent. will be implemented at the same time. My officials have today written to the PSNC seeking its urgent final comments on the detailed fee and discount recovery scales proposed within the global total, to enable them to be published in time to take effect from 1 August. Both scales will be backdated to 1 April, and to avoid hardship I propose to make interim payments based on estimates of the backpay due at the same time as the new rates are paid on 30 October. Adjustments in payments due following detailed recalculation will be made in payments due on 1 January. As part of the settlement I will honour two further concessions made in negotiation, that there should be a mechanism for collecting any over- or under-payment against the target for the year during the following year, triggered by variations greater than £250,000; and the establishment of a joint working party on the role of pharmacists, to reflect the wider definition of pharmaceutical services made possible by the National Health Service and Community Care Act.

  In declaring a state of dispute, the PSNC also made a reference to the pharmacists' review panel. The PSNC has already made it clear that its long-term aim is to establish a review body and reference to the pharmacists' review panel would be a step towards this. That is something I cannot accept. In my view the terms of the reference by the PSNC would represent a significant departure from the way in which the pharmacists' review panel has previously operated, and it would not be appropriate for it to accept the reference. Should it do so, my Department will of course co-operate fully and I will study any view reached by the panel, but only as background to discussions on remuneration in future years.

  Tampons
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has as to the number of deaths over the last five years arising from fulminating staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome related to using tampons.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Barking (Ms. Richardson) on 22 February at columns 874–75.

  District Nurses
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the number of district nurse training places which are currently unfilled.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I understand from the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting that in England in 1989–90 824 people undertook district nurse training courses and 406 people undertook district enrolled nurse training courses. The total numbers of training places approved by the board were 1,014 for district nurse training and 495 for district enrolled nurse training.

  Juvenile Muscular Degeneration
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of juvenile muscular degeneration are known to his Department; and approximately how many new cases are reported each year.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Information in this form is not held centrally. I am advised that there are many degenerative diseases of either the central nervous system or muscle which affect children and are mostly of genetic origin. The most common is muscular dystrophy which affects about one in 3,500 boys from early childhood onwards. At the current birth rate we would expect there to be about 100 new cases reported each year.

  Registration of Births
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the position of those persons wishing to register the birth of their child through the medium of Welsh if they are(a) domiciled in Wales but their child is born in England, (b) domiciled in England and the child is born in Wales, (c) domiciled in England and the child is born in England or (d) domiciled in Wales and the child is born in Wales.

  Mr. Dorrell
  In England and Wales the law requires that a birth must be registered by the registrar for the registration of sub-district in which it occurs, regardless of the domicile of the parents. An informant wishing to register the birth of a child through the medium of Welsh may do so provided that the informant can speak and understand Welsh and the registrar to whom the information is given can also understand Welsh. The particulars required to be entered in the register in respect of a birth in Wales may be recorded in both English and Welsh provided these conditions are met and the information is given in both lauguages to a registrar in Wales who can write Welsh. However, the birth entry of a child born in England will contain particulars recorded in English only.

  Medicines Resource Centre
  Mr. Michael Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will carry legal responsibility for the information carried by the medicines resource centre.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [holding answer 26 June 1990]Under the present administrative arrangements, legal responsibility for the information published by the medicines resource centre lies with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Departmental Research (Expenditure)
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total identifiable expenditure on research by his Department in each year since 1979; what proportion was awarded on a customer-contractor basis; and what proportion of his total departmental budget was expended on research for each year.

  Mr. Cope
  The information is as follows:

  Year

  Expenditure on R and D (£ million)

  Percentage of Budget (per cent.)

  1979–80

  11·0

  0·442

  1980–81

  14·5

  0·503

  1981–82

  9·7

  0·302

  1982–83

  9·4

  0·267

  1983–84

  14·3

  0·380

  1984–85

  11·5

  0·287

  1985–86

  13·8

  0·326

  1986–87

  17·0

  0·381

  1987–88

  16·8

  0·351

  11988–89

  19·4

  0·359

  1 (Provisional).

  With the exception of the science base, all Government R and D is now awarded on a customer-contractor basis. Disaggregation for the years 1983–84 onwards are published in the annual review of Government-funded R and D.

  Rural Regeneration
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the composition of the interdepartmental committee on rural regeneration which commenced its work in January.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  The interdepartmental committee on rural development is chaired by the permanent secretary of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. Its members are drawn from the six Northern Ireland Government Departments and from other statutory agencies with an interest in rural matters including the Industrial Development Board, the Local Enterprise Development Unit, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Northern Ireland tourist board.

  Primary Schools, Portadown
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the capital expenditure on developments over the last five years and projected expenditure on
  599
  approved developments at Bocombra primary school, Moyallon primary school, Seagoe primary school an Edenderry primary school, Portadown; and what is the expected expenditure from public funds involved in the proposed integrated school at Kernan, Portadown.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information is as follows:

  Last five years £

  Projected £

  i. Bocombra Primary School

  19,800

  Nil

  Moyallon Primary School

  7,200

  500,000

  Seagoe Primary School

  6,900

  900

  Edenderry Primary School

  59,700

  Nil

  ii. Grants in respect of capital expenditure at the grant-maintained integrated school at Kernan in Portadown will not be payable until the school has demonstrated its viability

  Security Statistics
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the security statistics for 1989 are now available together with details of persons charged with terrorist-type offences and convictions for scheduled offences for the year.

  Mr. Cope
  The statistics for 1989 are as follows (statistics for earlier years can be obtained from the Library):—

  Statistics on Security (January—December 1989) Part I—Statistics of terrorist activity

  Number

  Shooting incident2

  (160) 406

  Explosions

  224

  Bombs neutralised

  196

  Weight of explosives in lbs1

  12,114

  Explosions neutralised in lbs1

  13,662

  Armed robberies

  541

  Amount stolen

  £1,079,399

  Malicious fires

  307

  Part III—Convictions and sentences for scheduled offences
  Notes on the tables
  1. The offence classifications are based on those used by the Crown Court in their annual return.
  2. The tables relate to persons convicted at the Belfast Crown Court. This covers all scheduled offences tried on indictment.
  3. Some jury trials are included in cases where the Attorney-General certified out of the scheduled mode of trial, ie non-terrorist serious offences.
  4. Where a person has been convicted of more than one offence only the most serious or that which received the longest sentence is recorded in the statistics.

  Convictions and sentences for scheduled offences

  Sentence (January to December 1989)

  Offence

  Number convicted 1989

  Non-custodial sentence

  Young offenders centre training schools

  Less than 5 years

  5 years and less than 7 years

  7 years and less than 10 years

  10 years and less than 15 years

  15 years and less than 20 years

  20 years and over

  Life

  Murder

  11

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  11

  Attempted murder

  8

  1

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  4

  2

  0

  Conspiracy to murder

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Manslaughter

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm

  10

  3

  0

  3

  0

  0

  2

  2

  0

  0

  Causing grievous bodily harm

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm

  6

  5

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Causing explosion

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Placing explosives

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Possessing explosives with intent

  29

  5

  0

  0

  3

  6

  12

  3

  0

  0

  Number

  Deaths:

  Civilian

  39

  Army/UDR

  14

  RUC/RUC'R'

  9

  Injuries:

  Civilian

  606

  Army/UDR

  190

  RUC/RUC'R'

  163

  1 Estimated weight only.

  2 Figures in ( ) refers to shots heard only and are not included in the total.

  Part II—Statistics of Security Forces' activity

  Dwellings searched

  Army

  RUC

  Occupied

  726

  —

  Unoccupied

  177

  —

  Derelict

  207

  —

  Total

  1,110

  3,027

  Note Searches of dwellings frequently involve both the Army and RUC and are registered in their respective records. The totals therefore should not be aggregated and are shown separately to avoid an element of double counting.

  Finds

  Weapons

  327

  Ammunition (rounds)

  37,687

  Explosives (lbs)

  3,037

  Persons charged with terrorist-type offences

  Numbers

  Murder

  31

  Attempted murder

  48

  Firearms offences

  130

  Explosives offences

  24

  Theft act

  41

  Other

  159

  Total

  433

  Sentence (January to December 1989)

  Offence

  Number convicted 1989

  Non-custodial sentence

  Young offenders centre training schools

  Less than 5 years

  5 years and less than 7 years

  7 years and less than 10 years

  10 years and less than 15 years

  15 years and less than 20 years

  20 years and over

  Life

  Other explosives offences

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Possessing a firearm with intent

  51

  15

  3

  11

  5

  6

  11

  0

  0

  0

  Possessing a firearm

  20

  11

  2

  6

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Carrying a firearm with intent

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Other major firearms offences

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Minor firearms offences

  4

  4

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Robbery

  130

  43

  11

  39

  22

  13

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Aggravated robbery

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Membership of an illegal organisation

  5

  2

  0

  1

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Attempted robbery

  15

  8

  0

  3

  3

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Soliciting support for proscribed organisation

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Unlawful collection of information

  3

  2

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Illegal training

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Kidnapping and false imprisonment

  6

  0

  0

  1

  3

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  Blackmail

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Contributing to resources of a proscribed organisation

  4

  3

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Burglary

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Aggravated burglary

  7

  2

  1

  1

  1

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Hijacking

  23

  17

  4

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Attempted hijacking

  6

  6

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Arson

  35

  14

  14

  5

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Possession of an offensive weapon

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Petrol bomb offences

  13

  13

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Escape offences

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Criminal damage

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Intimidation

  4

  2

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Assisting offenders

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Withholding information

  9

  9

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Possessing prohibited articles

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Conspiracy to arm terrorists

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Common law riot affray

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Rape

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Handling

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Making property available

  5

  5

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Total

  414

  176

  35

  75

  44

  31

  30

  10

  2

  11

  Female Prisoners
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many strip searches were made of female prisoners in Her Majesty's prison, Maghaberry, in each month since January; if he will give the number of persons involved and the number of times each person was searched; whether any prison contraband, smuggled item or illegal correspondence was discovered in any search, indicating which items; in how many cases prisoners refused to be searched and had to be restrained while the 602
  search was being conducted; and if he will indicate the reasons for the search, namely, making a remand appearance at court, attending trial, inter-prison visit or other reasons.

  Mr. Cope
  Details of the number of, and reasons for strip searches of female prisoners in Her Majesty's prison Maghaberry, from July 1989 to November 1989 were provided on 18 December 1989 (Vol. 164, No. 20, Col. 14–16). The statistics from December 1989 to May 1990 are as follows:
  603

  Number of searches

  December 1989

  January 1990

  February 1990

  March 1990

  April 1990

  May 1990

  Total number of searches carried out

  24

  15

  21

  31

  21

  37

  Total number of inmates searched

  19

  12

  15

  18

  17

  24

  Number of prisoners searched once

  14

  9

  9

  8

  15

  13

  Number of prisoners searched twice

  5

  3

  6

  9

  1

  10

  Number of prisoners searched more than twice

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  1

  1

  1

  First Admission on Remand/Awaiting Trial

  9

  5

  2

  4

  6

  8

  First Admission on Sentence/Final Discharge

  5

  8

  13

  16

  6

  14

  Attending Remand Court

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  1

  2

  Attending Trial

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Inter-Prison Visit

  1

  Nil

  2

  1

  3

  5

  Pre-Release Home Leave

  8

  2

  3

  10

  5

  6

  Compassionate Home Leave

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Visits to Outside Hospital

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Returning from Bail Application

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Attendance at Court for Bail

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Fines Paid

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Working Out Scheme

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Bail Granted

  1

  Nil

  1

  Nil

  Nil

  2

  No prohibited article was found during these searches and no prisoner refused to be searched.

  Offences
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were proceeded against for scheduled offences in Northern Ireland in 1989; and how many persons pleaded guilty to the principal offence; and how many persons in such contested cases were found not guilty of the principal offence.

  Mr. Cope
  Four hundred and fifty-eight persons were proceeded against for scheduled offences, of whom 375 pleaded guilty. Of the remainder, 42 persons were subsequently found not guilty of the principal offence.

  Royal Ulster Constabulary
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in the financial years 1988–89 and 1989–90 giving separately figures for(a) salary and benefits, (b) transport and communication, (c) new construction, (d) other costs, (e) total gross expenditure and (f) total net expenditure after deduction of receipts.

  Mr. Cope
  The information requested is contained in the Police Authority for Northern Ireland annual statement of account, which is published and presented to the House each year. The cost of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1988–89 is as follows. The statement of account for 1989–90 has not yet been published; however, the estimated outturn is as follows:

  1988–89 £ million

  11989–90 £ million

  Salaries and benefits

  320·89

  353·96

  Transport and communication

  14·74

  16·75

  New construction

  19·68

  22·30

  Other costs

  46·12

  47·64

  Total gross expenditure

  401·43

  440·65

  Total net expenditure after deduction of receipts

  383·50

  420·85

  1 Estimated.

  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give details of the manpower strength of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and its reserve as between full-time, part-time, male and female operatives as at 31 December 1989.
  604
  Mr. Cope
  The information is as follows:

  Strength of the RUC and RUC Reserve as at 31 December 1989

  Male

  Female

  Total

  RUC

  7,571

  688

  8,259

  RUC Reserve (Full time)

  2,980

  38

  3,018

  RUC Reserve (Part time)

  1,219

  387

  1,606

  Security Staff Premium
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the amount of the security staff premium paid by the Government in each of the fiscal years since 1984–85.

  Mr. Cope
  The following amounts were paid under the security staff grant scheme:

  Year

  Grant paid (£ thousand)

  1984–85

  1,299

  1985–86

  1,100

  1986–87

  1,255

  1987–88

  153

  1988–89

  221

  1989–90

  245

  The decrease from 1987–88 reflects a decision to limit payments to passenger ferry companies only.

  Compensation Payments
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the amount of compensation payments made under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973 in 1989.

  Mr. Cope
  No payments under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973 have been made since 1978 because of the repeal of the compensation provisions of that Act by the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978.

  Northern Ireland Subvention
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the amount of the direct subvention by the British Exchequer to Northern Ireland in the financial year 1989–90 as well as amounts budgeted for in future periods.

  Mr. Cope
  The information requested is as follows:—

  Subvention Provisional Outturn (£ million)

  1989–90

  1,721

  This figure excludes a payment of £265 million in connection with Shorts plc.

  Figures are not available for future years.

  Compensation Payments
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report a table giving the amounts in the fiscal years 1989–90 of payments made to (a) civilians under the Criminal Injuries Compensation (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 (b) members of the security forces under the Criminal Injuries Compensation (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 (c) compensation payments made under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978 (d) compensation payments under the Criminal Damage (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 and subsequent legislation.

  Mr. Cope
  The information is as follows:

  1989–90 £

  Compensation payments to civilians under the Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (NI) Order 1977

  113,001,515

  Compensation payments to members of the security forces under the Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (NI) Order 1977

  23,424,485

  Compensation payments under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978

  1,149,435

  Compensation payments under the criminal damage (Compensation) (NI) Order 1977 and earlier legislation3

  22,124,107

  1 Includes £1,594,353 paid under the Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (NI) Order 1988.

  2 Includes £1,087,647 paid under the Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (NI) Order 1988.

  3 The current criminal damage legislation is the Criminal Damage (Compensation) (NI) Order 1977.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was invested in improving the energy efficiency of his Department in the latest available year.

  Mr. Cope
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: In 1989–90, £25,000 was spent on new energy efficiency measures in the Northern Ireland Government office estate.

  It is not possible to disaggregate costs for the Northern Ireland Office in London.

  Unemployment Benefit
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide figures updating those contained in his answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham,606
  Ladywood (Ms. Short) on 2 May, Official Report, columns 557–58; and if he will expand upon the difference in administrative arrangements to which he refers.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 3 July 1990]: Up to 1 June 1990, just over 6,700 unemployed claimants in Northern Ireland were interviewed specifically about their efforts to find work. As a result, 100 claims were referred to the adjudication officer, and of these 28 were allowed and 72 disallowed. In addition, a further 13 claims were referred to the adjudication officer on grounds of refusing employment and, of these, five were disallowed.

  Whereas in Great Britain the Department of Employment is responsible for the payment of benefit to the unemployed, in Northern Ireland all social security benefits, including unemployment benefit, are paid by the Department of Health and Social Services. Employment matters are the responsibility of the Department of Economic Development.

  Friendly Societies
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will publish the names of the directors of the Foyle Co-op in the Official Report;

  (2) if he will publish the names of the directors of (a) the Derry Community Workshop and (b) the North West Centre for Learning and Development.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 3 July 1990]: The information requested is held by the Registrar of Friendly Societies at 64 Chichester street, Belfast, and the registrar is required to make it available to the public, during office hours, on payment of a fee.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Parliamentary Questions
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy that replies to written parliamentary questions will continue to be published in full in the Official Report following the move towards agency status of parts of his Department.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's reply to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 6 June at col.615.

  Pensioners' Christmas Bonus
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to increase the Christmas bonus for pensioners in December.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  We have no plans to do so.

  Families (Benefits)
  Mr. Clay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate how many families with children in low-paid work have(a) gained, (b) lost and (c) experienced no change of income from the implementation of the Social Security Act 1986, including both the changes to family credit and housing benefit.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Illustrative information is set out in the publication "Impact of the reformed structure of Income Related Benefits" (October 1987), copies of which are available in the Library.
  607
  Mr. Clay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportions of(a) lone parents and (b) couples with children are reliant on income support.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  It is estimated that income support contributes to the household incomes of around two in three lone parents and just under one in 10 families with dependants.1
  1 The term "dependants" has been used as not all dependants fall within the strict definition of children, i.e. that they are aged under 16.

  Retirement Pension
  Mr. Clay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much retirement pension would be for(a) a single person and (b) a couple if it had been uprated by earnings or inflation, whichever was the higher, since 1980.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  At April 1990 the retirement pension would have been £58.65 for a single person and £94.05 for a couple, had the retirement pension been raised by the higher of the movement in earnings or prices since 1980.

  It should be noted that any such cost would attract consequent increase in the national insurance contribution. It is estimated that the necessary increase in contribution rate to support the additional cost in 1990 would be 1.25 per cent. and 1.45 per cent. on the basic rate of employees' and employers' contributions respectively, increasing them to 10.25 per cent. and 11.9 per cent. respectively. This would have meant, for example, a contribution increase for an employee on average earnings of £3.18 per week, together with an additional contribution of £4.35 per week for his employer.

SCOTLAND

  Flue Gas Desulphurisation
  Mr. Eadie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information his Department has on the progress of installation of flue gas desulphurisation equipment in Scotland, and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I understand there are no plans at present to install flue gas desulphurisation equipment in combustion plants in Scotland.

  The level of emissions from power stations in Scotland is already very low in comparison with the major base-load coal-fired stations in England and Wales.

  Youth Training
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the percentage change in both actual and real terms between the sum spent on the YTS in Orkney and Shetland in 1989–90 and the proposed sum to be spent on youth training in the two islands areas in 1990–91.

  Mr. Lang
  Reflecting changing need, funding of youth training in Orkney has been reduced by 15.5 per cent. in cash terms and 20.7 per cent. in real terms, and in Shetland by 23 per cent. in cash terms and 27.5 per cent. in real terms.

  Acute Services, Lanarkshire
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received the acute services strategy submission from Lanarkshire health board; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The board is preparing an approval in principle submission for its preferred option. I shall consider this carefully once it is submitted to me.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Allan Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his latest estimate of the number of self-employed in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  Self-employment in Scotland is at its highest ever recorded level. The number, estimated to be 242,000 in December 1989, has grown by more than 50 per cent. in the last decade. This is an excellent reflection of the spirit of enterprise in Scotland.

  Roads, Borders Region
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will indicate a timetable for future road developments in the Borders region following his appointment of consultants.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The A68 Dalkeith bypass is being progressed as the most important immediate improvement to serve the Borders and it is hoped that this scheme will commence late next year. Consultants are also to be appointed to confirm that an environmentally acceptable dualling of the A7 in the longer term from Edinburgh to the Borders can be defined. In the short term, work will commence on the package of accident remedial measures on the A1, A7, A68 and A702 and on the programme of smaller improvement schemes on the A1 and A7 south of Hawick.

  Steel Industry
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when was the last time he met the chief executive of the Scottish Council (Development and Industry) to discuss the steel industry.

  Mr. Lang
  I met the chief executive two days ago, when we discussed a number of matters, including the steel industry.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the effect of the closure of Ravenscraig on the local economy.

  Mr. Lang
  British Steel has confirmed that its undertaking to continue steel-making at Ravenscraig until at least 1994 still stands. In the light, however, of its proposals for the hot strip mill my right hon. and learned Friend has asked his officials and the Scottish Development Agency to consider, on a contingency basis, what could be done to encourage new employment and investment in Lanarkshire in the event of closure of the hot strip mill.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next expects to meet the chairman of British Steel to discuss the future of the steel industry in Scotland.
  609
  Dr. Bray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his efforts to procure information from British Steel on its reasons for the closure of the Ravenscraig strip mill.

  Mr. Lang
  I refer the hon. Members to the reply my right hon. and learned Friend gave to the hon. Member for Motherwell, North (Dr. Reid) earlier today.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his latest estimate of the total amount of poll tax unpaid in Scotland for 1989–90; and if he will express this as a percentage of the total amount of poll tax payable for that year.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I understand that around 87 per cent. of budgeted revenue has been collected by local authorities to date.

  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement about his consideration of proposed changes in the poll tax legislation.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My right hon. and learned Friend and I and colleagues are looking at a number of aspects of the existing community charge arrangements. We have made it clear that we are prepared to make changes if they are required.

  A1
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he has given to the implications for road safety of the proposal that a new dual carriageway section of the A1 should end at the border.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  An A1 steering group has been formed to monitor traffic growth and to develop an appropriate programme of route improvements and accident remedial schemes between Newcastle and Edinburgh. Following the inaugural meeting of the group on 21 June, the Scottish Development Department and Department of Transport agreed to look at the possibility of further improvement to the existing road immediately north of the Marshall Meadows dualling scheme, for which a public inquiry is likely to be held later this year.

  Eye Tests
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many national health service sight tests were conducted between(a) April 1988–89 and (b) April 1989–90.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The figures are 1,168,610 and 475,479 respectively.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the total number of people taking sight tests in 1987, 1988, and 1989 and 1990 to date.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information about the total number of people taking sight tests in Scotland is not available centrally.

  Housing Associations
  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will next meet the chairman of Scottish Homes to discuss housing associations; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My right hon. and learned Friend and I meet Sir James Mellon, chairman of Scottish Homes, and his board members as required. No meeting is presently scheduled to discuss housing associations.

  Road and Rail Services
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received in the current year about investment in road and rail infrastructure in the north-east of Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My right hon. and learned Friend has received representations in 1990 from a number of organisations and individuals, including Members of Parliament, on the electrification of the east coast main line between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, capital allocations for local roads and transport, improvements to the A96, road links to the channel tunnel and road safety.

  Self-governing Hospitals
  Dr. Moonie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has had from consultants concerning self-governing hospitals.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Representations have been made on behalf of consultants on a number of aspects relating to self-governing hospitals. Four expressions of interest are currently being pursued.

  Mr. Buchan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the precise method and scope for consultation before a hospital can become self-governing.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Applications must be routed through health boards which, before conveying their views to the Secretary of State, are required to consult all interested parties, including potential customers, staff interests and local health councils.

  Small Businesses
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of Britain's small businesses is located in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  The statistical coverage of small businesses in Scotland is less comprehensive than that of the United Kingdom as a whole. Nevertheless, the Department of Employment has estimated that of the 1,574,000 United Kingdom businesses registered for VAT at the end of 1988, some 6.9 per cent. were in Scotland. The overwhelming majority of these will be relatively small businesses.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Ron Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the legal quota for the employment of registered disabled people in his Department; what is the current figure employed; and if he will make a statement.
  611
  Mr. Rifkind
  My Department, in common with other Government Departments, accepts the same responsibilities for employment of the disabled as other employers of 20 or more staff. We work to a target of 3 per cent. of total staff for the total of registered disabled people. Currently the Scottish Office and associated Departments employ 82 registered disabled staff—1·4 per cent. of the total work force.

  Channel Tunnel (Rail Link)
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what studies his Department has commissioned into the effect on the Scottish economy of a fast link from the channel tunnel to London.

  Mr. Lang
  My Department has not commissioned any such studies. However, a study on the impact of the channel tunnel on the Scottish economy was commissioned by the Scottish Development Agency from Planning, Industrial and Economic Development Advisers and was completed in 1988.

  Community Care
  Mr. Robert Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the chairmen of regional health boards in Scotland and with COSLA on proposals for community care.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I hold regular meetings with Scottish health board chairmen and my hon. Friend the Minister of State met COSLA on 15 May 1990 to discuss the Government's community care proposals.

  Mr. Graham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress he is making in implementing the Government's plans for the reform of community care.

  Mr. Lang
  Three consultation papers have already been issued, in regard to my right hon. and learned Friend's proposals, for the inspection of residential care homes, community care plans and the payment of a specific grant to local authorities with social work responsibilities for mental illness projects. Responses to these papers are currently under consideration with a view to the preparation of formal guidance for local authorities. There will be consultations on further matters including the assessment of community care needs, co-operation between housing authorities and local authorities and arrangements for purchase by local authorities of services from private and voluntary sector agencies.

  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with regional and island authorities regarding community care; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  I have had two meetings on this subject with representatives of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities social work committee—one on 8 September and the other on 15 May 1990. Both these discussions were useful and constructive. The more recent one served in particular to confirm that local authorities share fully in the positive response to the proposals in the White Paper "Caring for People".

  Crafts Industry
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he anticipates announcing his proposals for future support of the crafts industry in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  I expect to take decisions shortly.

  European Regional Development Fund
  Mr. Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total value of grants that Scotland has received from the European regional development fund since its inception.

  Mr. Lang
  Awards totalled £869 million between 1975 and 1989.

  Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning)
  Mr. Buchanan-Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals the Commission of the European Economic Community is making to revise the fishing vessels decommissioning scheme; if his Department is participating in discussions on this; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Rifkind
  The Commission has made a number of proposals for amending the existing fleet structure regulations (EEC No. 4028/86). The main proposals involve:— extending to smaller fishing vessels the availability of Community financial aid for restructuring and renewal, modernisation and adjustment of capacity;
  — greater incentives for exploratory fishing and joint ventures through higher grant assistance;
  — the introduction of redeployment operations: the exploitation of non-Community fishery resources with a view to supplying the Community market;
  — new rates of grant for decommissioning.

  Under the proposals Community reimbursement for decommissioning would be increased to 70 per cent. of eligible expenditure where vessels are scrapped; and remain at 50 per cent. for withdrawal for purposes other than fishing or for permanent export to third countries. Levels of eligible expenditure would vary depending on age and tonnage of the vessel concerned.

  All member states and their respective industries have been invited to comment on the proposals and the Government have submitted a number of points to the Commission. Given the level of overcapacity in the Community fleet generally, we have questioned the extension of grant aid to the construction of smaller fishing vessels, and have taken the view that the additional measures should be accommodated within the existing financial provisions for these activities. As far as the capacity of the United Kingdom fleet is concerned the Government remain of the view that a decommissioning grant scheme does not provide value for money and this view has been reinforced by the proposal to increase rates of grant.

  Hospital Services, Forth Valley
  Mr. Harry Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has yet received from Forth Valley health board its proposals for the future of hospital services arising from option appraisal study.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  No.

  Nuclear Waste Dumps
  Mr. Andrew Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when was the last time he met the convenor of Highland regional council to discuss the siting of nuclear waste dumps.

  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when was the last time he met the convenor of Highland regional council to discuss the siting of nuclear waste dumps.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when was the last time he met the convenor of Highland regional council to discuss the siting of nuclear waste dumps.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My right hon. and learned Friend has not met the convenor of Highland regional council to discuss this matter.

  Unemployment Trends
  Sir Hector Monro
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last discussed unemployment trends with the Scottish Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Rifkind
  I have had no recent discussions with the SDA about unemployment trends. However, my hon. Friend will welcome the continued fall in levels of unemployment in Scotland. In the year to May 1990, unemployment rates in both Scotland and the Dumfries travel-to-work area (TTWA) fell by around 16 per cent., faster than in the United Kingdom as a whole. The rate of unemployment is now down to 5 per cent. in the Dumfries TTWA. This is below both the Scottish and United Kingdom averages (unadjusted).

  Child Abuse
  Sir Russell Johnston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will institute an appeal mechanism in association with the administrative system of compiling the at risk register of children established by his Department in conjunction with the regional authorities and the health boards.

  Mr. Lang
  Child protection registers are an essential component in the arrangements for protecting children from abuse or from risk of abuse. A child's name is normally entered on the register when a multi-disciplinary case conference concludes after assessing all the available information that an inter-agency plan is required for the care and protection of the child. We see no need to introduce a formal right of appeal against the administrative decision to register a child. Parents have full statutory rights of appeal to the sheriff court, against any decision made subsequently by the children's hearing to impose compulsory measures of care for a child.

  Law Reform
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to meet representatives of the Law Society of Scotland to discuss progress on the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Bill; and if he will make a statement.
  614
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My right hon. and learned Friend has at present no plans to do so, although he always values the Law Society's contributions to debates on the issues covered in the Bill.

  Police Staffing
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration is being given to increase the complement of new police officers available to the Lothian and Borders police force; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The Lothian and Borders police board has submitted an application to the Scottish Home and Health Department for an increase of 50 police constables in the authorised police establishment, together with an increase of 20 in the civilian establishment. In accordance with the usual practice, this application is being considered in consultation with Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary. The Scottish Home and Health Department expects to be in a position to respond to the board in the near future.

  Speech Therapy
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what further plans he has to develop the speech therapy service in Scotland.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Quotas on the intake of students have been lifted, refresher courses are being organised and a new manpower planning steering group has been established.

  Football Hooligans
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the incidence of football hooliganism at Scottish football grounds.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I am encouraged by a continuing decline in hooliganism at Scottish football grounds. Since the Government took powers under the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 to ban alcohol at designated sporting events, there has been a 55 per cent. reduction in arrests at Scottish football grounds, despite a 70 per cent. increase in attendances over the same period. Scottish football supporters also continue to behave well abroad and I note that with approximately 20,000 Scottish supporters in Italy for the World Cup there were no incidents and no arrests involving Scottish supporters.

  Multi-fibre Arrangement
  Mr. McKelvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to meet representatives of the knitwear, lace-making and textile industries in Scotland to discuss the effects of the multi-fibre arrangement.

  Mr. Lang
  I met the hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, and representatives of the knitwear, lace-making and textile industries' interests.

  Scottish Government
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to introduce any democratic reforms into the arrangements for governing Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The Government have no plans for making any alterations in the arrangements
  615
  for the government of Scotland which, they believe, provide for Scotland to take its rightful place in the United Kingdom.

  Fatal Accident Inquiries
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the number of fatal accident inquiries arising from road accidents within the Clydesdale constituency each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  These statistics are not centrally held and cannot be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Lambie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next hopes to meet the procurator fiscal in Kilmarnock to discuss the procedures for fatal accident inquiries.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate meets procurators fiscal from time to time. He has no immediate plans to meet the procurator fiscal at Kilmarnock.

  Hospital Services, Lothian
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the future of hospital services in Lothian.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Lothian health board announced on 24 May proposals for the rationalisation of acute services which are currently subject to public consultation.

  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current waiting list length and average waiting time in Lothian region for(a) cervical screening, (b) breast screening, (c) cervical treatment, (d) breast treatment, (e) hip replacement surgery, (f) gynaecology operations, (g) plastic surgery, (h) geriatric assessment, (i) geriatric long-stay hospital accommodation and (j) psychogeriatric hospital accommodation.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The latest available information for Lothian health board is set out in the table:

  Waiting list at 30 September 1989

  Median wait (in days) at December 1988

  Cervical Screening

  1

  1

  Breast Screening

  1

  1

  Cervical Treatment

  1

  23

  Breast Treatment

  1

  16

  Hip Replacement Surgery

  1

  90

  Gynaecology Operations

  1

  21

  Plastic Surgery

  1,008

  70·5

  Geriatric Assessment

  48

  3

  Geriatric Longstay

  160

  1

  Psychogeriatric

  125

  1

  1 Information not held centrally.

  National Health Service
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next expects to meet the chairmen of the area health boards to discuss the national health service in Scotland.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I meet the chairmen regularly. The last meeting was on 29 June.

  CBI
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the Confederation of British Industry in Scotland; and whether economic growth in Scotland was discussed.

  Mr. Lang
  My right hon. and learned Friend and I are in frequent touch with the Confederation of British Industry in Scotland on a range of matters concerning, the Scottish economy. I am sure the CBI shares our satisfaction that economic growth in Scotland in 1988 was at its highest level for 15 years, and is expected to outpace growth in the United Kingdom economy in 1989 and 1990.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  USSR (EC Aid)
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on European Community economic aid to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

  Mr. Maude
  I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 28 June on the Dublin European Council which addressed the question of EC aid to the Soviet Union.

  Children's Rights
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has yet set a timetable for ratification of the United Nations convention on the rights of the child; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Clydesdale (Mr. Hood) on 9 May.

  Eastern Europe
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support the aspirations of some east European states to join the EEC; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maude
  We were the first to advocate association agreements for the emerging democracies of central and eastern Europe seeking a bridge to the Community. This is now established EC policy and the Commission should soon begin discussions with Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

  Vietnam
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British policy towards Vietnam.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  We have normal diplomatic relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. On 17 May, my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Overseas Development announced a package of humanitarian assistance for Vietnam. We now expect Vietnam to respect its obligations under international law and accept back all its citizens who are not refugees, which remains an obstacle to the development of our relations.

  Antarctica
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Australian Government on the future of Antarctica.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 13 June to the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells).

  Soviet Union
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met his counterpart from the Soviet Union; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs last met Mr. Shevardnadze at the two-plus-four talks on 22 June, when they discussed that meeting and related security issues.

  Political Co-operation
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet other EEC Ministers to discuss political co-operation.

  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet other European Economic Community Ministers to discuss political co-operation.

  Mr. Maude
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will be meeting our EC colleagues on 16 July in Brussels when there will be discussion of political co-operation matters.

  Sri Lanka
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made any representations to the Government of(a) Sri Lanka and (b) India concerning the recent escalation of violence in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  The British High Commission in Colombo is in regular contact with the Sri Lankan Government, and we have also made contact with the Indian Government. We are deeply concerned by the renewed fighting in Sri Lanka and by the suffering and loss of life that this is causing. We are dismayed by the decision of the Tamil Tigers to break off negotiations with the Sri Lankan Government and to resume fighting.

  Irish Terrorism
  Mr. Kilfedder
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what level of co-operation exists with the authorities in the Netherlands in the fight against Irish terrorism; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  We are co-operating fully with the authorities in the Netherlands and will continue to do so.

  Soviet Nuclear Testing
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has expressed any views to the Soviet authorities concerning the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and the concentration of Soviet nuclear testing at Novaya Zemlya.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  No.

  Libya and Iraq (Component Sales)
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has been in contact with his EEC counterparts in regard to the halting of sales of components that could aid Libya and Iraq in their respective programmes to produce nuclear weapons.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  No. However, these issues are regularly discussed in the framework of European political co-operation in the working group on non-proliferation.

  Belize
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with a view to facilitating the long-term security of Belize without necessarily a United Kingdom military presence; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  The United Kingdom is an additional participant in the Belize-Guatemala joint commission and has supported the efforts being made to reach a negotiated settlement between Belize and Guatemala. Such a settlement would contribute significantly to the long-term security of Belize.

  World Cup (Deportations)
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations his Department has received on the subject of deportations from Italy for alleged hooliganism at the World Cup tournament; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  Sixty of those persons removed from Italy have so far approached the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for assistance in recovering their personal possessions from Italy.

  In addition, I received a call on 2 July from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Small Heath (Mr. Howell).

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he proposes to take to recover the belongings of innocent British citizens deported from Italy for alleged hooliganism at the World Cup tournament.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  British consular officials are helping the Italian authorities to identify and locate the personal possessions left in Italy by British nationals who were removed following recent disturbances at Rimini. To assist in this exercise, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has written to all those who gave proper addresses to the Italian police.

  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Italian authorities over the deportation of innocent British citizens from Italy for alleged hooliganism at the World Cup tournament.
  619
  Mr. Sainsbury
  None. We have not received any evidence about the circumstances of the removal of the British citizens from Italy which would justify representations.

  Specialist Advisers
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether external specialist advisers to his Department or the Overseas Development Administration are required to declare their pecuniary interests before appointment.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  Special advisers, as employees of the Crown, are asked to declare their pecuniary interests before appointment.

  Lockerbie Air Disaster
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 399, whether he has asked the Government of Syria to help in connection with the investigation of the Lockerbie air disaster.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  No. We would expect Governments to volunteer information in their possession of relevance to the international investigation.

  Somalia
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he is having with those local authorities which are giving help to refugees from Somalia now living in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I have been asked to reply. The Home Office is, together with other relevant departments, considering the present arrangements for asylum seekers, including those from Somalia, to see whether any changes are necessary. Local authority associations will be involved as appropriate in future, but no discussions are taking place with them at the present time.

EMPLOYMENT

  Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances
  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for each of the dates since 1982 on which the Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances met, which members of the committee representing which organisations were present, and what main items of business were discussed.

  Mr. Nicholls
  I have placed details of the information requested in the Library.

  Employment Service
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) whether his Department's report into the attractiveness of employment credit schemes for the long-term unemployed is to be published; and if he will make a statement on its findings;

  (2) if he will list the number of unemployed claimants whose unemployment benefit or income support has been suspended arising from doubts about their availability for
  620
  work in the six months prior to the enactment of the Social Security Act 1989 and, in the subsequent six months, the numbers of suspensions, and the proportion of suspensions upheld by subsequent adjudication, arising from doubts about whether the claimant is actively seeking work for (a) Great Britain, (b) the south-west region and (c) Avon.

  Mr. Eggar
  The Employment Service became an executive agency on 2 April 1990. Mr. Mike Fogden, the Employment Service chief executive, will be replying in writing to the hon. Lady.

  Tourism
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to seek to amend the Development of Tourism Act 1969, to enable the Wales tourist board to promote itself overseas; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Nicholls
  There are no such plans.

  Health and Safety
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Stretford, 24 April,Official Report, columns 170–1, if he will list (a) the number of trainees as part of the total number of inspectors within the Health and Safety Executive and (b) as a proportion of all inspectors for 1974–1989, inclusive.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The table shows(a) total inspectors within HSE and (b) trainee inspectors included in the total, for each year since 1977. For earlier years, figures for trainees could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Only two grades of staff in the Health and Safety Executive are designated as training grades: factory inspectors class II (for their first two years) and assistant agricultural inspectors (first three years). There are no trainee grades for mines, quarries, nuclear or specialist inspectors, who are recruited for their specialist knowledge and whose initial training varies according to their needs. Accordingly it would not be meaningful to express trainees as a proportion of total inspectors.

  (a) Total inspectors within HSE2

  (b) Of which trainee inspectors3

  41977

  1349·5

  213

  1978

  1392·5

  179

  1979

  1388·5

  114

  1980

  1441·5

  140

  1981

  1405·5

  101

  1982

  1331·5

  29

  1983

  1281·0

  —

  1984

  1247·0

  —

  1985

  1237·0

  45

  1986

  1231·5

  91

  11987

  1241·0

  117

  1988

  1170·5

  102

  1989

  1188·0

  99

  1 The Industrial Air Pollution Inspectorate transferred to the Department of the Environment on 1 April 1987.

  2 The total number of HSE inspectors includes those working outside inspectorates eg contributing to policy, standards work etc.

  3 The figure for 1977 includes trainee factory inspectors at 1 April. The figure for 1987 includes trainee factory inspectors at 31 March.

  4 1 March.

  621
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for each of the years 1974 to 1989 inclusive if he will give(a) the number of prosecutions passed on from the Health and Safety Executive to the Crown prosecution service and (b) the results of these prosecutions.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Records are not kept of Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecutions passed to the Crown prosecution service for its consideration. Most health and safety prosecutions are undertaken by HSE inspectors.

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) female and (b) male employees were covered by the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 1980; and what was the number of (a) and (b) suspended because of high blood lead levels for each year 1980 to 1989.

  Mr. Nicholls
  There is no requirement for employers to notify the number of persons in their employ covered by the Control of Lead at Work Regulations. However, the number of workers under medical surveillance under the regulations from 1982 onwards are available and are given in the table. Additionally, the table gives details of the number of persons suspended under the regulations from 1982.

  Year

  Workers under medical surveillance

  Suspension from work with lead

  Male

  Female

  Male

  Female

  1982

  20,948

  1,269

  258

  33

  1983

  22,121

  1,333

  198

  20

  1984

  22,771

  1,651

  254

  62

  1985

  23,382

  1,550

  183

  37

  19861

  23,002

  1,543

  351

  57

  1987–882

  22,132

  1,423

  388

  33

  1988–892

  23,246

  1,313

  340

  12

  1 In 1986 there was a reduction in the maximum blood lead levels for suspension for work with lead.

  2 Year commencing 1 April.

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of(a) industrial deaths, (b) HSE prosecutions, (c) the fines for these deaths and (d) the verdicts at an inquest for each of the years 1974 to 1989, inclusive.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The number of industrial deaths for the years 1975 to 1988–89 is shown in the table. The other information requested is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Fatal injuries arising from work activity reported1 to HSC/E enforcing authorities—Great Britain

  Number of fatal injuries

  Year

  Employees

  Self employed

  Non-employed

  1974

  651

  ..

  ..

  1975

  620

  ..

  ..

  1976

  584

  ..

  ..

  1977

  524

  ..

  ..

  1978

  2622

  ..

  ..

  1979

  2615

  ..

  ..

  1980

  2579

  ..

  ..

  1981

  441

  54

  71

  1982

  472

  48

  83

  1983

  448

  65

  85

  1984

  438

  60

  105

  1985

  400

  71

  159

  1986–873

  355

  52

  92

  622

  Number of fatal injuries

  Year

  Employees

  Self employed

  Non-employed

  1987–883

  360

  84

  113

  1988–89p3

  4521

  79

  110

  .. = not available.

  p = provisional.

  1 Fatal injuries reported to enforcing authorities under various legislation eg the Factories Act 1961, Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963 for the years 1974 to 1980; under the Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulation, 1980 (NADOR) for the years 1981 to 1985 and under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulation, 1985 (RIDDOR) for subsequent years.

  2 Includes a number of injuries to non-employees not covered by existing legislation but which were voluntarily reported to enforcing authorities.

  3 Year commencing 1 April.

  4 Includes the 167 fatal injuries arising from the Piper Alpha disaster.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of expenditure on the sponsored placement scheme in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  On Friday last, 29 June, the consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities" was published which contains proposals for a rebalancing of the sheltered employment programme, in favour of sheltered placements, over a transitional period of five years. There is to be a six-month period to allow interested parties to comment and at present I am therefore unable to estimate future expenditure on this aspect of the programme.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on the latest available figures what was the number of registered unemployed aged(a) 16 years, (b) 17 years and (c) 18 years.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Unemployment by age is produced quarterly. The table shows in April 1990 the number of unemployed people in the United Kingdom aged 16, 17 and 18 years respectively:

  Age

  April 1990 Total

  16

  314

  17

  1,189

  18

  56,771

  Mr. Clay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many children have(a) one parent and (b) both parents who are unemployed.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The labour force survey cannot provide the information in the form requested. However, the LFS can provide data that show the number of families in which one or both parents are unemployed (using the ILO definition of unemployment).

  In Great Britain in spring 1989, there were 6,532,000 families with one or more dependent children. Of these, 648,000 have one parent unemployed and 32,000 have both parents unemployed.

  Skill Centres
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give details of the negotiations with the Lakin consortium for the purchase of four skill centres, listing significant dates.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The Lakin consortium's original bid for part of the STA was unsuccessful. However, the consortium contacted Deloittes on 14 February to register that it was interested in purchasing some of the skill centres which remained unsold following the announcement of the sale on 13 February. Negotiations then took place and the consortium's offer for the purchase of Cumbria, East Lancashire, Ipswich and St. Helens skill centres was accepted on 28 February.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the expenditure, income and surplus or deficit forecasts from the skill centre sold to(a) Astra Training Services Ltd., (b) Training Business Group Ltd., (c) METEL and (d) the Lakin consortium.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The income, expenditure and operational deficit for skill centres grouped by purchaser for the year 1989–90 were:

  Income £,000

  Expenditure £,000

  Deficit £,000

  a. Astra Training

  33,013

  46,894

  13,881

  b. The Training Business

  404

  1,036

  632

  c. METEL

  548

  786

  238

  d. The Larkin Consortium

  1,149

  2,108

  959

  The expenditure figures relate to skill centres only and take no account of the contribution which skill centres were normally expected to make towards the cost of STA's head office and regional offices. They therefore understate the true deficit.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the sale price of Liverpool skill centre and the asset value of the site.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: No sale price was fixed in advance for this or other centres. Bids were invited for the training business and associated assets, and the ones that best met the Government's objectives for the sale were accepted. In the case of Liverpool this involved a payment to the Government of £65,000.

  However, I am assured that the asset value given by the Government's advisers compares favourably with the value ascribed to it by the successful purchaser and was taken fully into account in arriving at the final consideration.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the directors of Training Business Group Ltd. and purchasers had any previous experience of providing training prior to their bid for the Lambeth skill centre; what were the names of the predecessor companies to Business Training Group Ltd; and whether the accounts of these companies have been examined at Companies House.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The Training Business Group had experience of providing training prior to its bid for Lambeth skill centre.
  624
  My Department's advisers, Deloittes, investigated the standing of all purchasers including the Training Business. I have no knowledge of any predecessor companies.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what assessment was made of the potential purchasers of the skill centres before the recent privatisation;

  (2) what assessment was made of the potential purchasers of the skill centres, with regard to (a) previous experience of training, (b) financial viability and (c) involvement with other companies.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: In assessing the final offers for Skills Training Agency training businesses, the Department's professional advisers, Deloittes, undertook an analysis of the individual bidders' background, viability, their business plans and their compatibility with the Government's objectives for the sale. This analysis formed part of Deloittes' final recommendation to the Secretary of State.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether companies or individuals who had unsuccessfully bid for any or all of the skill centres were contacted about the further sales of four skill centres which were subsequently transferred to the Lakin consortium.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: Apart from the Lakin consortium, three companies which had put in final offers made inquiries about some of the four skill centres eventually sold to Lakin, but did not pursue this interest or put in a bid.

  It was not judged necessary to approach bidders who had sought to purchase a large network of skill centres as during earlier negotiations it was apparent that they were interested only in purchasing large networks.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if any of the bidders for any of the skill centres was asked to resubmit bids after the final bids were received by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The final bids received by my Department were subject to some modifications during the negotiations.

  After the announcement of the main sales on 13 February 1990, negotiations took place between my Department's advisers and some companies that had made unsuccessful bids, but that subsequently expressed interest in unsold centres.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total amount of employment training expenditure to the Skills Training Agency skill centres in 1988–89, the outturn expenditure for 1989–90 and the estimated expenditure for 1990–91 and 1991–92.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: When employment training was first introduced in September 1988 contracts for the provision of training were awarded by the Training Agency on the basis of free competition. Contracts won by Skills Training Agency skill centres resulted in expenditure in 1988–89 and 1989–90 by the Training Agency of £8.6 million and £16.8 million respectively. Contracts extant at the time of the sale were transferred to the purchasers of STA skill centres or

  625
  renegotiated, at which time they moved out of the public sector domain. Payments on contracts in 1990–91 for employment training still held by skill centres up to the date of sale and those not included in the sale to the private sector are expected to amount to £3.2 million. Unsold skill centres are to be wound up once their contract liabilities have been discharged; no expenditure is expected beyond the autumn of 1990.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if there were any positive cash amounts bid for any of the four skill centres subsequently transferred to the Lakin consortium.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: At the final offer stage a positive bid was received for one of the skill centres (East Lancashire skill centre) which were eventually purchased by the consortium headed by Mr. Lakin. This bid formed part of a network offer which was unsuccessful, and the potential purchasers were not prepared to buy the single skill centre alone. No other positive offers were received at the final offer stage of the sale.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list(a) meetings held with potential bidders for the skill centres and (b) the dates on which letters were sent to prospective bidders, about the privatisation of the skill centres, in the period 19 February 1988 to November 1990.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: I regret that the full information asked for can be obtained only at disproportionate cost, and some, including details of negotiations, must be regarded as commercially confidential. However, letters were sent to all bidders between 2 October 1989 and 27 October 1989, and also on 17 November 1989, 21 November 1989, 6 December 1989, 11 December 1989, 19 December 1989, 20 December 1989, 22 December 1989, 4 January 1990, 5 January 1990, 11 January 1990, 22 January 1990, 12 February 1990 and 13 February 1990.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the dates on which the bids from(a) Astra Training Services Ltd., (b) METEL, (c) Training Business Group Ltd. and (d) the Lakin consortium for the purchase of skill centres were accepted.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The offers from the successful bidders for STA training businesses were accepted on the following: Astra Training Services Ltd.—12 February; Merseyside Education Training Enterprise Ltd.—12 February; Training Business—2 March; the Lakin consortium—28 February.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment who were listed as shareholders of Astra Training Services Ltd. in its bid for the purchase of skill centres.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: Astra Training Services Ltd. set up a company prior to the indicative offer stage of the sale. It was formed solely as a vehicle to enable the management buy-out team to launch a bid and was called Vetin Ltd. The shareholders were listed as:

  Stuart Bishell

  Trevor Kent

  626

  Phillip Wells

  The name of this company was later change to Astra Training Services Ltd.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations have been received from Edinburgh chamber of commerce concerning the Edinburgh skill centre; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: I have received one letter about the STA privatisation from the Edinburgh chamber of commerce and manufacturers.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the operating deficits of each of the skill training centres for each of the standard regions of Wales and Scotland.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: Provisional unaudited figures for 1989–90 indicate that the following operational deficits were incurred by skill centres in Wales and Scotland:

  £'000

  Wales

  Cardiff

  310

  Gwent

  302

  West Glamorgan

  65

  Wrexham

  323

  Scotland

  Bellshill

  329

  Dundee

  219

  Dunfermline

  344

  Edinburgh

  659

  Hillington

  611

  Irvine

  151

  The figures relate to skill centres only and take no account of the contribution which skill centres were normally expected to make towards the cost of STA's head office and regional offices. The true deficit is therefore understated.

  Skills Training Agency
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the total number of employees in the Skills Training Agency;(a) immediately prior to privatisation, (b) the number of redundancies announced since and (c) the current level of employment for the most recent date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: There were 2,363 staff employed in the Skills Training Agency immediately prior to privatisation. There are now 135 staff employed in the unsold units and the redundancies of 40 of these have been announced. A further 70 staff have been invited to apply for voluntary redundancy.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he will publish the 1989–90 accounts for the Skills Training Agency.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The STA trading account 1988–89 stated at note 18:
  "Separate STA Trading Accounts will no longer be produced. Accounts for STA activities from 1989–90 onwards, to the date of transfer or disposal, will be included in the Training Agency White Paper Accounts."

  This decision was taken with the agreement of the Treasury and National Audit Office.
  627
  The White Paper account 1989–90 for the Training Agency will be published by my Department before the end of 1990.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the £8.6 million described as an extraordinary item of expenditure in the 1988–89 accounts of the Skills Training Agency; and what this item of expenditure has been used for.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The extraordinary item of £8.6 million in the 1988–89 trading accounts of the Skills Training Agency represented the estimated cost involved in operating a voluntary early retirement scheme as a means of reducing STA staff numbers to a level compatible with the then anticipated future business activities. This is described in note II of the accounts.

  In accordance with statements of standard accounting practice 2 and 17, and following normal commercial accounting conventions, STA management made provision for future early retirement and associated payments based on the best information then available. The £8.6 million represented the estimated cost of payments to be made in 1989–90 and in subsequent years.

  Payments of £4.088 million were actually made in 1989–90. The balance will be expended as payments in lieu of pension until those in receipt reach the age of 60, when they will receive their civil service pension.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the new guidelines prepared for the clawback of development gain as part of the privatisation of the Skills Training Agency were discussed with the National Audit Office.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The clawback arrangements on any development gain were not discussed with the National Audit Office as the responsibility for policy in this area does not lie with it. However, full account was taken of the NAO's views on clawback, as stated for example in the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General: "Ministry of Defence; Further Examination of the Sale of Royal Ordnance plc" (June 1989).

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will outline the role of Mr. Bishell, Mr. Kent and Mr. Wells in the Skills Training Agency between April 1989 and 19 February 1990; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: Mr. Bishell was head of skill centre operations, Mr. Kent head of financial services and Mr. Wells head of product development. Throughout the period April 1989 to 19 February 1990 they continued in these posts, but because of their declared interest in bidding for the business, special arrangements were made from the start of April 1989 to ensure that they were not allowed to authorise expenditure, or instruct others to incur expenditure, on behalf of the agency, or to take decisions affecting personnel. In addition, every care was taken to ensure that they were insulated from any knowledge of the STA privatisation which was not available to other prospective purchasers.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total value of the building 628
  assets of the Skills Training Agency obtained in the period between the final accounts for 1988–89 and the preparation of the privatisation prospectus by Deloitte, Haskins and Sells.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The Skills Training Agency obtained no building assets in the period between the final accounts for 1988–89 and the preparation of the privatisation prospectus by Deloittes.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what approval was given in relation to the disposal of assets to bodies other than Government Departments at less than full market value in respect of the sale of the Skills Training Agency.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: In accordance with the Government's objectives for the sale, all parts of the Skills Training Agency were offered for sale by competitive tender as training businesses on a going-concern basis. Their assets were integral parts of those businesses. The bids received reflected the current market value of the businesses as a whole.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total expenditure involved in the privatisation of the Skills Training Agency for the most recent dates available.

  Mr. Tim Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: Total expenditure directly attributable to the privatisation of the Skills Training Agency brought to account up to 31 May 1990 is £1.444 million. This figure covers fees paid to advisers and the departmental staff costs incurred up to that date.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total value of the equipment of the Skills Training Agency obtained in the period between the final accounts for 1988–89 and the preparation of the privatisation prospectus by Deloitte, Haskins and Sells.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The STA privatisation prospectus was prepared in September 1989. The total value of capital equipment obtained by the Skills Training Agency between 1 April 1989 and that date was £104,000.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the clawback procedure covering development gain is written into the contract agreements with METEL, Astra Training Scheme Ltd., the Training Business Group Ltd. and the Lakin consortium for purchase of the Skills Training Agency.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: Clawback has been applied to all the freehold and long leasehold properties acquired by Astra Training Services Ltd. and is covered by contract. Clawback does not apply to METEL's purchase of Liverpool skill centre nor the Lakin consortium's purchase of Cumbria skill centre. The Government received professional advice that in each of these cases there was little or no potential for development gain so that clawback was inappropriate. The remaining Lakin acquisitions and the Training Business Group purchase of Lambeth skill centre involved short to medium-term leases and clawback was therefore inappropriate.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement as to the
  629
  expenditure of £8.6 million included as an extraordinary item in the 1988–89 accounts of the Skills Training Agency; how many early retirements were to be covered by this expenditure; and how much had been spent by 31 March 1989.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The extraordinary item of £8.6 million included in the STA accounts for 1988–89 was intended, in accordance with normal accounting practice, to make provision for anticipated early retirement costs as a result of a reduction in staff numbers to a level compatible with levels of business.

  Out of the forecast surplus staff of 571, it was estimated that a reduction of 270 would be achieved by early retirement. No expenditure on these early retirements was incurred before 31 March 1989.

  £ million

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  Fees from employers1

  4·6

  5·6

  8·3

  11·1

  16·5

  20·2

  Adult training from Government2

  71·3

  63·1

  65·4

  60·1

  38·4

  17·7

  YTS3

  3·8

  1·6

  1·5

  1·4

  1·4

  1·4

  Income from others4

  2·0

  2·1

  2·8

  3·4

  3·7

  1·9

  1 Covers fees from employers, ET placement providers, CITB and overseas customers.

  2 Covers adult training contracted by Training Agency. The figure for 1988–89 includes residual job training scheme for the whole year and employment training from September 1988.

  3 Covers YTS income from other managing agents and work placement providers in addition to the fees from Training Agency.

  4 Covers sublet of property, sale of non-capital items and non-training income from Training Agency.

  The figures for 1989–90 are provisional and subject to audit.

  Provision was shown in the published estimates for each year from 1984–85 to 1989–90 as follows:

  £ million

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  Fees from employers1

  4·1

  7·7

  11·5

  12·0

  8·7

  11·8

  Receipts from Government2

  97·2

  73·9

  65·9

  64·9

  30·3

  29·8

  Income from others3

  1·5

  0·7

  2·2

  2·3

  1·7

  2·1

  1 Covers fees from employers and overseas customers, and youth training scheme receipts from employers and other managing agents but does not include employment training receipts from other training managers and placement providers.

  2 Covers adult training and youth training contracted by Training Agency, also employment training receipts from other managing agents and placement providers.

  3 Covers receipts from sublet of property, sale of non-capital items and non-training income from Training Agency.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total amount of income received from the sale of the Skills Training Agency for the most recent date for which information is available.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The most recent date of information is 31 May 1990, at which point the total income received amounted to £65,000. While the sale of the STA as training business is complete, there are property interests which are about to be marketed for sale.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total value of the land assets of the Skills Training Agency obtained in the period between the final accounts for 1988–89 and the preparation of the prospectus by Deloitte, Haskins and Sells.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The STA privatisation prospectus was prepared by Deloittes in September 1989. The only land asset obtained for the Skills Training Agency between 1 April 1989 and that date was the freehold interest in a leasehold site, at a cost of £297,000. The purchase of the freehold interest enabled the Department to avoid large expenditure on dilapidations on surrender of the lease.
  630
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the total appropriations in aid, broken down by(a) fees from employers, (b) receipts from Government and (c) income from others for the Skills Training Agency for each of the years 1984–85 to 1988–89, including provision and outturn; and what is the estimated total appropriation in aid for 1989–90.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: I regret that information in the form requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, I can give the following:

  Income

  Total STA income appearing in the trading account for years 1984–85 to 1988–89 and internal management accounts for 1989–90 is as follows:

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on objective (III) contained in his Department's press notice dated 13 February entitled "Management Buyout of Skills Training Agency".

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The key objectives for the sale of the Skills Training Agency (STA) training businesses were that as much as possible of STA's training business should transfer to the private sector, and that the training businesses sold should have good prospects of viability. Objective (III) was to maximise the net proceeds of the sale, consistent with these objectives. I am satisfied that this has been achieved. The disposal of the remaining property of the STA will help bring a positive return for the sale as a whole.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the total expenditure on the privatisation of the Skills Training Agency, inclusive of transfer of assets, financial assistance, administration costs and any other transfers of expenditure within the Department of Employment group budget.
  631
  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: It is not possible to estimate the total expenditure on the privatisation of the Skills Training Agency as the process is not yet complete; the Government's remaining property interests, for example, have yet to be sold. However, the total expenditure to date is approximately £14.94 million. This includes the payments to Astra Training Services Ltd., the Lakin consortium and the Training Business Group; advisers' fees; help with unsuccessful management buy-out costs and staffing costs.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much was transferred from the employment training sub-head to cover the increase in expenditure and the reduction in income in the Skills Training Agency sub-head in the supply estimates between March 1989 and February 1990.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The spring supplementary estimates of the supply estimates class VII vote 1 published on 13 February 1990, introduction paragraph 3 (iii) stated:
  "Transfer of provision from Section B1 (Employment Training) of £19,183,000 to Section G (Skills Training Agency) to cover excess expenditure on running costs and £19,227,000 to cover reduced income."

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total of(a) running costs, (b) capital expenditure and (c) expenditure on purchases of equipment, repairs etc. for the Skills Training Agency in each of the years 1984–85 to 1988–89, including both provision and outturn; and what is the estimated provision for 1989–90.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]The totals of(a) running costs, (b) capital expenditure, (c) expenditure on purchases of equipment, repairs etc. for the Skills Training Agency in each of the years 1984–85 to 1988–89 and the expected outturn for 1989–90 are as follow:

  a £,000

  b £,000

  c £,000

  1984–85

  64,077

  6,011

  12,593

  1985–86

  61,655

  8,363

  10,781

  1986–87

  56,155

  4,602

  10–044

  1987–88

  57,173

  3,247

  9,283

  1988–89

  60,723

  1,244

  6,536

  1989–90

  49,161

  909

  6,586

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has received any representations from potential bidders and unsuccessful bidders about the process involved in the privatisation of the Skills Training Agency.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: Ministers received correspondence from a small number of potential bidders and unsuccessful bidders about the sale process involved in moving the Skills Training Agency to the private sector.

  Technical and Vocational Education Initiative
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list, by local education authority, the amount of money made available or planned for the technical and vocational education initiative in 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93.
  632
  Mr. Eggar
  [pursuant to his reply, 18 June 1990, c. 464]: I regret that the information given in my reply of 18 June 1990 was incomplete. The correct information is as follows.

  Following is a table showing by local education authority the budgets available or planned for technical and vocational education initiative extension in 1989–90 and 1990–91.

  The additional information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Extension budgets 1989–90 London

  £

  Barking

  233,433

  Barnet

  37,791

  Bexley

  223,125

  Bromley

  499,979

  Croydon

  675,951

  Ealing

  607,368

  Enfield

  826,948

  Harrow

  78,173

  Havering

  712,951

  Kingston

  56,285

  Richmond

  171,174

  Total

  4,123,283

  South East

  £

  Berkshire

  1,888,050

  Buckinghamshire

  1,556,313

  Essex

  3,963,826

  Hampshire

  4,089,115

  Hertfordshire

  2,915,486

  Isle of Wight

  273,423

  Kent

  3,549,967

  Oxfordshire

  1,235,000

  Surrey

  1,463,191

  East Sussex

  1,817,018

  West Sussex

  1,511,363

  Total

  24,262,752

  South West

  £

  Cornwall

  1,310,463

  Devon

  1,145,950

  Gloucestershire

  1,298,761

  Somerset

  1,192,075

  Wiltshire

  1,296,233

  Total

  6,243,482

  East Midlands

  £

  Bedfordshire

  1,648,399

  Cambridgeshire

  1,114,039

  Derbyshire

  1,017,900

  Leicestershire

  2,994,284

  Norfolk

  1,818,302

  Northamptonshire

  1,677,071

  Nottinghamshire

  175,382

  Suffolk

  1,143,000

  Total

  11,588,377

  633

  West Midlands

  £

  Birmingham

  2,551,091

  Coventry

  1,018,000

  Dudley

  945,878

  Hereford

  2,293,950

  Sandwell

  754,630

  Shropshire

  851,000

  Solihull

  629,350

  Staffordshire

  4,475,150

  Walsall

  286,500

  Warwickshire

  1,586,291

  Total

  15,361,840

  North West

  £

  Bolton

  755,425

  Bury

  479,751

  Cheshire

  1,289,000

  Cumbria

  789,146

  Manchester

  841,964

  Rochdale

  475,000

  Salford

  515,500

  Stockport

  825,125

  Tameside

  399,991

  Wigan

  635,700

  Wirral

  822,910

  Total

  7,829,512

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  £

  Bradford

  1,990,934

  Calderdale

  510,000

  North Yorkshire

  1,845,205

  Sheffield

  271,030

  Wakefield

  541,400

  Doncaster

  91,680

  Humberside

  175,000

  Total

  5,425,249

  Northern

  £

  Cleveland

  1,213,434

  Durham

  1,725,826

  Gateshead

  285,908

  Newcastle

  652,571

  North Tyneside

  504,592

  Northumberland

  1,106,328

  South Tyneside

  411,289

  Sunderland

  1,112,234

  Total

  7,012,182

  Wales

  £

  Clwyd

  1,021,139

  Dyfed

  392,557

  Mid Glamorgan

  1,558,613

  South Glamorgan

  442,653

  West Glamorgan

  452,940

  Gwent

  712,013

  Gwynedd

  931,219

  Powys

  265,039

  Total

  5,776,193

  634

  Scotland

  £

  Ayr

  104,289

  Borders

  206,025

  Central

  9,500

  Dumbarton

  70,800

  Dumfries

  420,250

  Fife

  899,376

  Glasgow

  1,487,372

  Lothian

  2,883,473

  Renfrew

  1,188,631

  Tayside

  82,882

  Total

  7,352,598

  Great Britain

  £

  Great Britain total

  94,975,448

  Extension Budgets 1990–91 London

  £

  Barking

  366,973

  Barnet

  232,000

  Bexley

  341,685

  Bromley

  683,274

  Croydon

  732,384

  Ealing

  750,794

  Enfield

  826,620

  Harrow

  216,000

  Havering

  791,663

  Hillingdon

  230,000

  Kingston

  215,026

  Merton

  97,000

  Newham

  224,000

  Redbridge

  165,000

  Richmond

  298,905

  Sutton

  1—

  Total

  6,171,324

  1 Development funding 1990–91 only £150,000.

  South East

  £

  Berkshire

  1,908,986

  Buckinghamshire

  1,892,778

  Essex

  4,992,371

  Hampshire

  4,274,138

  Hertfordshire

  2,724,450

  Isle of Wight

  323,289

  Kent

  4,712,424

  Oxfordshire

  1,340,700

  Surrey

  2,234,785

  East Sussex

  1,524,984

  West Sussex

  1,772,089

  Total

  27,700,994

  South West

  £

  Avon

  910,000

  Cornwall

  1,343,225

  Devon

  2,458,501

  Dorset

  325,000

  Gloucester

  1,395,945

  Somerset

  1,392,574

  Wiltshire

  1,647,498

  Total

  9,472,745

  635

  East Midlands/Eastern

  £

  Bedfordshire

  1,449,300

  Cambridgeshire

  1,946,225

  Derbyshire

  1,738,300

  Leicestershire

  2,853,760

  Lincolnshire

  433,000

  Norfolk

  2,123,000

  Northamptonshire

  1,715,939

  Nottinghamshire

  418,000

  Suffolk

  1,932,125

  Total

  14,609,649

  West Midlands

  £

  Birmingham

  4,023,579

  Coventry

  917,195

  Dudley

  942,583

  Herefordshire

  2,293,861

  Sandwell

  955,280

  Shropshire

  1,554,925

  Solihull

  694,027

  Staffordshire

  4,800,305

  Walsall

  821,996

  Warwickshire

  1,653,847

  Total

  18,657,598

  North West

  £

  Bolton

  829,225

  Bury

  544,681

  Cheshire

  2,361,600

  Cumbria

  1,176,979

  Knowsley

  182,713

  Lancashire

  870,000

  Manchester

  1,317,125

  Rochdale

  634,574

  St. Helens

  238,000

  Salford

  773,898

  Stockport

  823,910

  Tameside

  655,645

  Wigan

  901,693

  Wirral

  867,740

  Total

  12,177,783

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  £

  Barnsley

  690,331

  Bradford

  1,614,797

  Calderdale

  522,750

  Doncaster

  424,000

  Humberside

  555,000

  North Yorkshire

  2,024,144

  Rotherham

  261,000

  636

  £

  Sheffield

  830,409

  Wakefield

  864,280

  Total

  7,786,711

  Northern

  £

  Cleveland

  1,566,763

  Durham

  1,965,268

  Gateshead

  367,550

  Newcastle

  670,960

  Northumberland

  1,074,928

  North Tyneside

  483,999

  South Tyneside

  476,309

  Sunderland

  982,346

  Total

  7,588,123

  Wales

  £

  Clwyd

  1,266,023

  Dyfed

  1,026,726

  Mid Glamorgan

  1,829,441

  South Glamorgan

  1,067,911

  West Glamorgan

  1,263,292

  Gwent

  1,442,924

  Gwynedd

  843,856

  Powys

  1,266,023

  Total

  10,006,196

  Scotland

  £

  Ayr

  197,000

  Borders

  316,238

  Central

  245,000

  Dumbarton

  292,000

  Dumfries

  430,756

  Fife

  1,008,907

  Glasgow

  2,330,764

  Highland

  155,000

  Lanarkshire

  619,000

  Lothian

  2,404,203

  Renfrew

  827,354

  Tayside

  300,000

  Total

  9,126,222

  Great Britain

  £

  Great Britain total

  123,297,345

  CHARITIES: ENLARGEMENT OF AREA OF BENEFIT
  CHARITIES: ENLARGEMENT OF AREA OF BENEFIT
  ENDOWED SCHOOLS ACTS SCHEMES VALIDITY
  ENDOWED SCHOOLS ACTS SCHEMES VALIDITY
  CIVIL SERVICE: FLEXIBLE WORKING
  CIVIL SERVICE: FLEXIBLE WORKING
  NCC REORGANISATION: COST SAVINGS
  NCC REORGANISATION: COST SAVINGS
  DENIED BOARDING COMPENSATION: EC PROPOSALS
  DENIED BOARDING COMPENSATION: EC PROPOSALS
  MULTIPLE BIRTHS FOUNDATION: AWARD APPLICATION
  MULTIPLE BIRTHS FOUNDATION: AWARD APPLICATION