Written Answers of 28 June 1990

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Income Tax
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the revenue from(a) the higher rate of income tax and (b) the top 10 per cent. of income tax payers in 1986–87 and the latest year for which figures are available; and what is the projection for the current financial year.

  Mr. Lilley
  The information is as follows:

  Income tax liability at rates in excess of basic rate1 £ billion

  Total income tax liability of top 10 per cent. of income tax-payers £ billion

  1986–87

  2·8

  316·9

  1987–88

  3·7

  318·4

  1990–912

  4·4

  424·9

  1 The figures are the additional tax liability resulting from the difference between each higher rate and the basic rate of tax.

  2Estimates are based on a projection of the 1987–88 Survey of Personal Incomes and, are therefore, provisional.

  3 Counting a husband and wife as one income tax payer.

  4 Counting a husband and wife as separate income tax payers.

  Borrowing Requirement
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what means the Government intend to use to finance its borrowing requirement.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The Government's funding policy is as set out in annex A to chapter 2 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1990–91".

  Capital Inflows
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of short-term capital inflows in 1988 and 1989.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  The available information for 1988 and 1989 on the main categories of financial transaction in the capital account of the balance of payments is published by the Central Statistical Office in the press notice issued on 13 June—CSO (90) 80—a copy of which is in the Library. It is not particularly meaningful to distinguish between short-term and other capital flows.

  European Monetary Proposals
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has assessed the expert and lay public reaction to his European monetary proposals announced on 21 June.

  Mr. Major
  I am studying reactions to my proposals and look forward to discussing these proposals further with my European Community colleagues in the coming weeks.

  Petrol Duties
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised in excise duty on(a) unleaded and (b) leaded petrol (i) in the three months prior to 20 March and (ii) subsequently.

  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised in excise duty on(a) unleaded and (b) leaded petrol (i) in the three months prior to 20 March 1990 and (ii) subsequently.

  Mr. Ryder
  Data are not readily available for the exact periods prior to and after 20 March. For the period 15 December to 14 March, £417 million duty was collected on unleaded petrol and £1,128 million on leaded petrol. Provisional figures for the period 15 March to 14 May show that £347 million duty was collected on unleaded petrol and £847 million on leaded petrol.

  European Currency
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his proposals for a common European currency.

  Mr. Lilley
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley) on 21 June,Official Report, column 655.

  Output Statistics
  Mr. Bowis
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest information on the output per hour worked in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) Japan.

  Mr. Ryder
  Output per hour worked in the United Kingdom in 1986, the latest year for which data are available, is estimated to have been about 50 per cent. higher than in Japan.

  Personal Income
  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the increase in real personal disposable income during the last 12 months for which figures are available.

  Mr. Lilley
  During the first quarter of 1990 aggregate real personal disposable income was 5 per cent. higher than in the corresponding period in 1989.

  Inflation
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was(a) the level of the retail prices index and (b) the underlying rate of inflation in June 1989 and at the current time.

  Mr. Ryder
  The annual rate of increase of the retail prices index was 9·7 per cent. in May 1990. The underlying rate of inflation, as measured by the retail prices index excluding mortgage interest payments and rates-community charge, was 7 per cent. The corresponding inflation rates in June 1989 were 8·3 per cent. and 5·8 per cent. respectively.

  Interest rates
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the effects of interest rates on Welsh economic performance.
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  Mr. Ryder
  My right hon. Friend has received a number of such representations.

  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters he has received in 1990 from businesses about the level of interest rates.

  Mr. Ryder
  My right hon. Friend has received a number of such letters.

  Home Carers
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the range of possibilities for tax relief for those who employ carers in the home; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lilley
  All aspects of the tax system are kept under review.

  Shareholders
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the latest estimate of the number of individuals owning shares.

  Mr. Lilley
  According to the latest survey carried out in January and February this year for the Treasury and the stock exchange, nearly 11 million individuals own shares.

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the introduction by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise of the serious misdeclaration penalty and default interest on value added tax.

  Mr. Ryder
  The working of the penalty for serious misdeclarations and the charging of interest on all underdeclarations will be closely monitored by Customs during the two years following their introduction on 1 April 1990 and reviewed in the first half of 1992.

  Energy Conservation
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any proposals to use tax incentives to stimulate energy conservation work.

  Mr. Lilley
  My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has no present plans to do so.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was invested in improving the energy efficiency of the Treasury in the latest available year.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: Until now the Treasury's energy conservation role has been limited to running internal publicity campaigns on energy efficiency and day-to-day energy management. Costs have been de minimis. However, the hon. Member will be interested to know that as refurbishment of the Department's buildings takes place, such works will incorporate substantial energy conservation measures.

CIVIL SERVICE

  Agencies
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what further candidates for agency status have been announced in the last two months.

  Mr. Luce
  Three further candidates for executive agency status have been announced in the last two months: Chessington computer centre in the Treasury; the fisheries enforcement services in the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland; and the estates directorate in the Department of Health. This brings the total number of announced agency candidates to 26, in addition to the 31 established agencies.

THE ARTS

  Training Institutes
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Minister for the Arts what support his Department is giving to institutions training actors, actresses and other artistes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Luce
  Some training for the stage is provided in higher education institutions funded by the Department of Education and Science through the Universities Funding Council and the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, and by further education colleges funded by local education authorities. In addition to this general support, the DES makes a direct grant to the Royal Ballet School and the Arts Council funds the National Opera Studio, which provides advanced training for singers. Most professional training for actors and dancers is however provided by independent establishments whose students may receive discretionary awards from their local education authorities.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Minister for the Arts how much was invested in improving the energy efficiency of his Department in the latest available year.

  Mr. Luce
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: Under the guidance of the Cabinet Office, staff are encouraged to follow simple but effective no-cost measures to help reduce energy wastage. Major investments to improve energy efficiency are the responsibility of Property Holdings and the departments which are the major occupiers of the two buildings in which my office is located.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  China
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements were made or conditions agreed with the Governments of the United States of America and the People's Republic of China which enabled Dr. Fang Li Zhi and his wife to leave the United States embassy in Beijing and enter the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maude
  Following agreement between the United States and Chinese Governments that Dr. Fang should be
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  allowed to leave Peking, Dr. Fang and his wife have been given leave to enter the United Kingdom for an initial period of six months, which can be extended. No special conditions apply to this arrangement. Dr. Fang is a distinguished astrophysicist and intends to pursue his academic work for a time here. We warmly welcome the Chinese Government's decision to allow Dr. Fang and his wife to leave, and are glad that we have been able to contribute to a positive solution to this long-standing problem.

  Ivory (Hong Kong)
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to ask the Hong Kong authorities to destroy all current stocks of confiscated ivory; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  [holding answer 14 June 1990]: No. This is a matter for the Hong Kong authorities. There is no obligation under CITES regulations to destroy stocks of confiscated ivory.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current total of confiscated ivory now held by the Hong Kong authorities.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  [holding answer 14 June 1990]: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 21 June in which I stated that the current total of confiscated ivory held by the Hong Kong authorities was 2·4 tonnes. There has been no change since then.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why India and Canada are included as countries of export of seized ivory in his reply of 5 June,Official Report, column 472, but are not listed in his reply of 8 May, Official Report, column 25, as being countries of export of ivory seized by the Hong Kong authorities.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  [holding answer 14 June 1990]: We are making further inquiries with the Hong Kong authorities. I shall give the hon. Member a substantive answer as soon as possible.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply of 5 June,Official Report, column 472, what are the countries of destination for the 702·5 kg of ivory seized in transit by the Hong Kong authorities.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  [holding answer 14 June 1990]: According to the accompanying shipping documents, the intended destination was Macau.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what grounds the Hong Kong authorities seized 15·5 kg of mammoth ivory imported by Lee Chor Mui from Japan, as detailed in his reply of 8 May,Official Report, column 25.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  [holding answer 14 June 1990]: The mammoth ivory imported by Lee Chor Mui was seized for further investigation because customs officers initially suspected that it might be elephant ivory. Once the ivory had been examined and confirmed to be mammoth ivory, which is not controlled under CITES, it was returned to Lee Chor Mui.
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  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why no reference was made in his reply of 5 June,Official Report, column 472, to the 15·5 kg of mammoth ivory seized from Lee Chor Mui.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  [holding answer 14 June 1990]: No reference was made in my reply of 5 June to the mammoth ivory seized from Lee Chor Mui because imports of mammoth ivory cannot be identified from Hong Kong Government's trade statistics.

  Moreover, as the ivory in question was not elephant ivory, it did not appear in the import statistics compiled by the CITES management authority.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  School Trips (Seat Belts)
  Mr. David Martin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to make the fitting and wearing of seat belts compulsory in minibuses and coaches used for school trips; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The responsibility for this matter rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, who is pursuing possible action.

  Musical Education
  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take steps to protect the level of opportunities for musical education in the light of the current proposals to merge the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music.

  Mr. Jackson
  The committee which conducted the review of the London music conservatoires was appointed by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council. The latter has now published the committee's report and invited comment on it by the end of September. It will then be for the council to decide what action to take in the light of the report and of the responses to the consultation on it. My right hon. Friend looks forward to hearing what conclusions the council comes to in due course.

  It is clear from its terms of reference that in appointing this committee the council had in mind the need
  "to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the provision of music education"
  in its sector and is seeking to discover how the three London music conservatoires within its aegis
  "may be organised so as to train young performing musicians to the highest national and international standard".
  Copies of the committee's report have been placed in the Library of both Houses.

  School Buses
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he has given to education authorities concerning child safety on school buses; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  My right hon. Friend works closely with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on these matters. Two documents have been issued recently. First, "Children and Roads: a Safer Way", which was sent last month to all local education authorities and heads of all schools, sets out the
  295
  Government's proposals for reducing the number of child casualties on our roads, and includes a section on safer bus travel. Secondly, there is the Department of Transport's consultative document of 6 June, incorporating proposed regulations for distinctive signs on school buses and related safety measures, which has been issued to a large number of interested organisations for comment by 31 August.

  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to how many children travel to school each day by school bus in each education authority area.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The information is not collected centrally in England.

  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he has given to education authorities concerning the criteria to be applied in determining whether a child qualifies to travel to and from school by school bus.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  Local education authorities in England must decide the arrangements they consider necessary to transport pupils to and from school in the light of local circumstances and of the relevant legislation. In 1981, the Department sent a circular letter to education authorities in England giving general guidance on school transport issues. The advice it contains remains current. A copy is in the Library of the House.

  Physical Education
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce the membership of the national curriculum working party on physical education; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement in the near future.

  Further Education Colleges
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those local education authorities which are now operating a system of local financial management for further educaton colleges.

  Mr. Jackson
  The following local education authorities in England are operating a system of local finanical management for further education colleges.

  Avon

  Barking

  Barnsley

  Bedfordshire

  Berkshire

  Birmingham

  Bradford

  Brent

  Bromley

  Buckinghamshire

  Bury

  Calderdale

  Cambridgeshire

  Cheshire

  Cleveland

  Cornwall

  Coventry

  Croydon

  Cumbria

  Derbyshire

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  Devon

  Doncaster

  Dorset

  Dudley

  Durham

  East Sussex

  Enfield

  Essex

  Gateshead

  Gloucestershire

  Hampshire

  Haringey

  Harrow

  Havering

  Hereford and Worcester

  Hertfordshire

  Hounslow

  Humberside

  Isle of Wight

  Kent

  Kingston upon Thames

  Kirklees

  Knowsley

  Lancashire

  Leeds

  Leicestershire

  Lincolnshire

  Liverpool

  Manchester

  Newcastle

  Newham

  Norfolk

  Northamptonshire

  North Tyneside

  Northumberland

  North Yorkshire

  Nottinghamshire

  Oldham

  Oxfordshire

  Redbridge

  Richmond upon Thames

  Rochdale

  Rotherham

  Salford

  Sandwell

  Sefton

  Sheffield

  Shropshire

  Solihull

  Somerset

  South Tyneside

  Staffordshire

  Stockport

  Suffolk

  Surrey

  Tameside

  Trafford

  Wakefield

  Walsall

  Waltham Forest

  Warwickshire

  West Sussex

  Wigan

  Wiltshire

  Wirral

  Wolverhampton

WALES

  Rural Disadvantage
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what amounts of social policy expenditure have been allocated by his Department, and its agencies, to combat rural disadvantage.

  Mr. Grist
  Expenditure is not classified in the way implied by the hon. Gentleman's question. However, by
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  way of example, well over £3 million is being spent by the Welsh Development Agency each year to fund its various rural development measures including the allocation of £1 million a year for the next five years for the development of rural initiatives and venture enterprises—DRIVE. This is expected to generate a further £15 million to £20 million of private sector investment. Tai Cymru aims to allocate £25 million towards the provision of housing in rural areas in Wales in this financial year, which should generate around £7·5 million of private finance. In addition the gross budget for the Development Board for Rural Wales is £19·918 million for 1990–91. The formulae used for the allocation of resources to local authorities and to district health authorities both contain certain elements which recognise the particular needs of rural areas.

  Departmental Research (Expenditure)
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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. David Hunt
  All of the expenditure will have been based on the customer-contractor principle, and the information is shown in the table:

  Total departmental expenditure on R&D £ million

  Proportion of departmental budget per cent.

  1979–80

  1·1

  0·15

  1980–81

  1·1

  0·13

  1981–82

  1·6

  0·17

  1982–83

  1·6

  0·14

  1983–84

  1·3

  0·11

  1984–85

  1·6

  0·13

  1985–86

  2·6

  0·20

  1986–87

  3·5

  0·24

  1987–88

  1·9

  0·12

  1988–89

  2·0

  0·12

  Hospital Laundering
  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what capital expenditure has been incurred by health boards on the purchase of new laundering and dry cleaning equipment over the past two years.

  Mr. Grist
  Capital expenditure incurred by health authorities on the purchase of laundry and dry cleaning equipment over the last two years for which information is currently available is as follows:

  £

  1987–88

  136,243

  1988–89

  701,796

  Source: Health authorities annual accounts.

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what capital expenditure has been incurred on the building of new national health service laundries and the renovation of existing laundry facilities over the last two years;

  (2) what proportion of the capital expenditure incurred on the purchase of a new laundry and dry cleaning machine and on the construction of new, and renovation of existing, laundry facilities over the past two years was for the creation of additional laundry capacity.
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  Mr. Grist
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Maternity Services
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many obstetric beds are available now in Wales, how many were available in each of the past five years; and what are the equivalent figures for each district health authority in Wales.

  Mr. Grist
  Details of obstetric beds in district health authorities in Wales for 1988–89, the latest available, and previous years are published in "Hospital Bed Use Statistics", copies of which are in the Library.

  Mental Illness
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make it his policy to allocate resources to support the role of voluntary organisations at a local and national level in Wales in the implementation of the all-Wales strategy for mental illness.

  Mr. Grist
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already allocated resources to voluntary organisations at both national and local level for a variety of purposes connected with the mental illness strategy.

  Departmental Publications
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all working papers, implementation documents, departmental circulars and other publications, whether in draft or final form, that have been issued by his Department to date arising from the National Health Service and Community Care Bill, "Working for Patients", "Caring for People" and associated Government initiatives.

  Mr. Grist
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the comprehensive reply I gave him on 14 March 1990. An updated list of Welsh Office and Department of Health material arising from the National Health Service and Community Care Bill and related White Papers will shortly be placed in the Vote Office and Libraries.

  DHAs (Capital Assets)
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give full details of the requirements he has placed on district health authorities in Wales in respect of drawing up a register of their capital assets.

  Mr. Grist
  District health authorities in Wales were asked to compile capital asset registers by 31 March 1990. The registers contain details of those assets managed or owned by each authority, including land and buildings, which individually have a value of £1,000 or above or in the case of groups of related assets with individual values of less than £1,000 exceed £250 and are collectively worth more than £1,000. The format of asset registers has not been prescribed but they should contain as a minimum:

  1. Asset identification and description.

  2. Asset location.

  3. Date of acquisition.

  4. Method of acquisition.

  5. Initial capital expenditure.

  6. Expected replacement cost.

  7. Expected date of replacement (or end of life).

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  Authorities may, however, wish to include additional information for their own asset management purposes. A comprehensive asset register will enable managers to undertake effective management and utilisation of capital assets as well as providing the basis for capital charging.

  No standard computerised recording system has been prescribed for maintaining and updating asset registers, but most authorities in Wales are using variants of the works information and management system—WIMS.

  Market Research
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all market research surveys(a) commissioned by his Department or (b) paid for by his Department in the current financial year.

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

  Project 2000
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) for what purpose the resources originally earmarked for Project 2000 for nurse training in Wales, but which will not now be used for that purpose, will be redirected;

  (2) what was the original total financial sum earmarked for the implementation of Project 2000 for nurse training in Wales; and what is the latest figure for this purpose.

  Mr. Grist
  The only provision which has been earmarked for the implementation costs of Project 2000 are the resources which have been made available for the current financial year which total £1,493,000. Funding requirements for future years will be subject to the decisions which my right hon. Friend will take on the distribution of his block allocation following this year's public expenditure review.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the original total number of nurses who would be trained each year in Wales under Project 2000; and what is the revised figure.

  Mr. Grist
  The estimated intake of nurses who would have trained in the first year of an all-Wales introduction of Project 2000 courses is as follows:

  Number

  North Wales

  240

  West Wales

  359

  South-East Wales

  590–630

  The decision to phase implementation will stagger these numbers. Traditional nurse training courses will continue to be run to meet the manpower requirements of health authorities until Project 2000 is fully introduced in Wales.

PRIME MINISTER

  Exchange Rates
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received concerning exchange rate policy.

  The Prime Minister
  I have received a number of representations.

  Human Rights
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a further statement on her policy regarding intervention in respect of abuses of human rights in Commonwealth countries.

  The Prime Minister
  Where Commonwealth countries' practice on human rights has given cause for concern, we have made representations as necessary.

  Official Visits
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to make an official visit to Rugby or Kenilworth.

  The Prime Minister
  I have at present no plans to do so.

  Mr. Ron Brown
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will make an official visit to Leith.

  The Prime Minister
  I have at present no plans to do so.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Prime Minister when she next proposes to make an official visit to Disneyland, United States of America.

  The Prime Minister
  I have no plans to visit California.

  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to a skill centre.

  The Prime Minister
  I have at present no plans to do so.

  German Unification
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions she has held with Chancellor Kohl and other heads of European Community states regarding the representation of Germany, following unification, in the European Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  The implications for the EC of German unification were discussed at the European Council on 25 and 26 June. It is our aim to achieve integration into the EC of the territory of the former GDR without change to the structure of the Community's institutions.

  Homelessness, London
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Prime Minister what plans she has to meet organisations representing the homeless in London.

  The Prime Minister
  I have no such plans. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and his ministerial colleagues have regular meetings with voluntary groups working with the homeless, and with local authorities in London and their associations.

  European Court of Justice
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Prime Minister when she plans to visit the European Court of Justice.

  The Prime Minister
  I have no plans to visit the European Court of Justice.

  Local Authorities
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many official visits she has paid to local authorities since May 1979;
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  (2) how many meetings she has had with the leaders of the local authority associations since May 1979;

  (3) on how many occasions leaders of the local authority associations have been invited to official hospitality functions at No. 10 Downing street.

  The Prime Minister
  I have met numerous local authority representatives since May 1979, in the course of visiting their counties, towns and rural districts.

  Litter
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Prime Minister when she intends to implement her policy to introduce a £1,000 fine for dropping litter.

  The Prime Minister
  The maximum fine for dropping and leaving litter will be raised from its present maximum of £400 to £1,000 later this year, two months after Royal Assent of the Environmental Protection Bill. At the same time local authorities will be empowered to introduce schemes involving fixed penalties of £10.

  Legislation
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether there is any continuing review of existing legislation to determine whether the law in Scotland and in Northern Ireland should, as far as possible, be the same as in England and Wales(a) overall and (b) in relation to penalties for offences which are covered by different pieces of legislation in the different legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom;

  (2) whether any automatic review of changes in legislation made in respect of England and Wales is made in order to consider whether the law in Scotland and in Northern Ireland should adopt the England and Wales position.

  The Prime Minister
  When preparing any individual piece of legislation in Scotland or Northern Ireland, related legislation is taken into account.

  Engagements
  Mr. Andrew Welsh
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.

  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.

  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.

  Mr. Rathbone
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.

  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.

  The Prime Minister
  This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today, including one with the Governor of Hong Kong.

TRANSPORT

  Coaches and Lorries
  Mr. Snape
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what statistics are collected on tyre failures on coaches and heavy goods vehicles;

  (2) what information his Department has on trends in the number of tyre failures on coaches and heavy goods vehicles on motorways and major roads.

  Mr. Atkins
  The vehicle inspectorate has statistics on those tyre failures on coaches and goods vehicles which it obtains from its own accident investigations and from police and other sources where a safety defect is suspected.

  Since many tyre failures can occur without serious consequences or accident, these are not always brought to my Department's attention. Our statistics therefore are unable to reflect the actual field situation or failure trends. However, the statistics show that tyre failure was a contributory factor in less than one in every 250 accidents investigated.

  Departmental Research (Expenditure)
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 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. Atkins
  The expenditure on research and development by the Department of Transport is set out in the table, together with the proportion this represents of the Department's total expenditure in the financial years 1979–80 to 1988–89. All research commissioned by the Department is based on the customer-contractor principle.

  Outturn prices

  Financial year

  R and D expenditure £ million

  Percentage of total DTp expenditure

  1979–80

  17·8

  3·0

  1980–81

  21·1

  3·0

  1981–82

  27·5

  3·0

  1982–83

  25·9

  2·4

  1983–84

  127·8

  2·8

  1984–85

  32·7

  2·7

  1985–86

  225·0

  2·1

  1986–87

  24·6

  1·9

  1987–88

  26·4

  1·9

  1988–89

  27·0

  1·9

  1 In July 1983, responsibility for air and marine transport was transferred to DTp.

  2 In 1985–86, BR and LRT assumed full responsibility for their own R and D expenditure. Government financial support continued to be provided through the general revenue grants to BR and LRT; but the research elements cannot be separately identified.

  Stockport Bypass
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what technical problems remain to be overcome in the planning and design of the A6(M) Stockport north-south bypass.

  Mr. Atkins
  The design of junctions at Offerton road (A627) and Buxton road (A6), and extensive diversions of statutory undertakers' apparatus along the line of the route are among issues to be resolved.

  British Rail (Freight)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Railfreight Users Group concerning the adequacy of preparations by British Rail for freight facilities.

  Mr. Freeman
  The recently formed Railfreight Users Group has been in touch with us and with British Rail. BR has offered the group an early meeting to discuss its concerns.

  Birkham Wood
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he made of the environmental implications before deciding to route a bypass through Birkham wood; and if he will now re-examine the designated route so as to minimise further the environmental damage.

  Mr. Atkins
  The road proposals affecting Birkham wood (Harrogate-Knaresborough southern bypass) have been promoted by North Yorkshire county council. Public local inquiries were held in 1989 to consider the proposals and the inspector has reported to the Secretary of State. At these inquiries evidence on the environmental implications of the route of the bypass through the wood was presented by the Nature Conservancy Council and others. This evidence was summarised in the inspector's report together with the county council's response.

  An interim decision letter was issued on behalf of the Secretary of State on 23 November 1989 which was concerned with a technical defect in the compulsory purchase order. Once this issue has been resolved the Secretary of State will come to a decision in respect of the orders.

  Channel Tunnel
  Mr. Hague
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public money is expected to be spent on road improvements connected with the construction of the channel tunnel, up to the end of 1993.

  Mr. Atkins
  The trunk road infrastructure to serve cross-channel traffic using either the ports or the channel tunnel, when built, has been put in place progressively over a good many years.

  In addition to the network now in use, we have currently under construction or in preparation 31 schemes, valued at approximately £588 million at November 1987 prices, to complete or improve the major direct trunk routes concerned; of these, we expect that eight schemes to the value of approximately £268 million will have been provided by the end of 1993.

  Kent county council has a special package of 10 channel tunnel-related local road schemes, valued at approximately £75 million, which my Department is committed to supporting with transport supplementary grant. I understand that all but one of these schemes are expected to be provided by the end of 1993.

  MV Marine
  Mr. Trotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the action that he proposes to take following the publication of the report of the inquiry into the loss of the MV Marine by the Bahamian Government.
  304
  Mr. McLoughlin
  We have received the report and it is being studied by members of my Department, and it would be inappropriate to comment on the matter at this time.

  Railways (Noise)
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the names or grades of the members of his working party to study noise levels on railway routes with special reference to the channel tunnel high-speed link and other connecting routes.

  Mr. Freeman
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my predecessor to my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate) on 23 March 1990 at column 777, which gave both the terms of reference of the committee and its composition.

  Street Works Legislation
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he intends to bring forward a Bill to reform present public utilities street works legislation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Government accept that the arrangements for utility street works are in need of reform and intend to bring forward new legislation to implement the main recommendations of the Horne report "Roads and the Utilities". A Bill based on proposals contained in the consultation papers issued by the Department of Transport last year will be introduced as soon as a suitable opportunity can be found.

  Radio Navigation System
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what information he has regarding the current attitude of the Danish authorities towards participation in a civil Loran C marine radio navigation system to cover north-west Europe and the north Atlantic and to the siting of a transmitter station in the Faroes;

  (2) pursuant to his answer of 25 April, Official Report, column 195, to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Sir D. Price), what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the fishing industry in the United Kingdom of the proposed change from the Decca navigation system to the Loran C system; and what proposals he is considering to assist the industry to meet the costs of the changeover;

  (3) with which countries his Department has discussed the proposal for an international civil Loran C system of marine radio navigation aid to cover north-west Europe and the north Atlantic; and what progress has been made in these discussions;

  (4) what representations he has received from the fishing industry regarding his proposals on the length of transitional period required to convert from the existing Decca navigation system to the Loran C radio navigation system; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Discussions on the proposed north-west European Loran C system have been undertaken with Canada, Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. Discussions are still proceeding, both on technical issues and on the draft of an international agreement. The Danish authorities have not yet reached a final decision on their participation. A Loran C
  305
  transmitter already exists in the Faroes. The United Kingdom's continued participation is dependent on a satisfactory agreement being reached within an acceptable time scale.

  I have received no representations from the fishing industry about the transitional period since my right hon. Friend's announcement in April. This envisaged a period of over three years' joint operation of the Decca and Loran C systems before closure of the Decca service in 1997. The fishing industry had earlier urged the longest possible transition, ideally up to five years.

  I accept there would be additional costs to users where it proved necessary to replace Decca receivers prematurely. No conclusive forecast can be made of such costs, which depend on a variety of individual circumstances, including the age of receivers and the operating environment. Since six years' notice would be given of the ending of the Decca service, a significant proportion of receivers would be replaced in this period in the normal course of events, whether through wear and tear or more attractive technology. I have no proposals for financial assistance to users to meet the costs of change.

  Clyde Port Authority
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evaluation he has undertaken of the trading or other performance of the Clyde port authority.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  None.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the current payments made to the(a) chairman, (b) deputy chairman, (c) board workers and (d) managing director of Clyde port authority.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  According to the authority's accounts for 1989, the annual remuneration received by the chairman was £10,000 and the other non-executive members received £3,500. The highest-paid executive on the board received £48,587 and the two other executive members received between £30,000 and £40,000.

  Vehicle Emissions
  Mr. Hayes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce harmful emissions from road vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  My Department has been active for many years in developing standards to tackle unacceptable vehicle fumes and noise and to secure a move from leaded to unleaded fuel. We have played a key role in securing agreement in the European Community to higher emissions and noise standards, and we have also taken the lead in making improved vehicle construction standards a priority so as to further improve safety.

  I welcome the interest and co-operation of manufacturers in seeking to develop more environmentally friendly vehicles. However, if they are to continue to reach the standards built into their initial design, vehicles need to be properly maintained and properly tuned. Garages already offer this service to their customers. I have concluded there is a good case for adding a simple emissions check to the MOT test for all petrol-driven cars and light vans, starting next year. My Department is today issuing a consultation paper outlining what is proposed and seeking views. In future, the existing MOT test would include a tuning
  306
  check. In the same way as the other items in the lest, motorists would need to ensure their vehicle met the test requirements if it were to continue on the road.

  It is estimated that this proposal should improve fuel consumption and hence carbon dioxide emissions by about 4 per cent. averaged over the 16·5 million cars and light vans in the MOT scheme, with substantially larger benefits to carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. The net extra cost to motorists should be modest, given compensating benefits through reduced fuel bills. Like everyone else, the motorist will also enjoy the non-financial benefits from lower levels of pollution.

  We shall also be looking at ways of increasing checks and testing techniques for emissions from heavy goods vehicles and buses, and are working with European colleagues on effective standards for testing vehicles with catalytic converters.

  Select Registration Scheme
  Mr. Maples
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current timetable for the start of the select registration scheme.

  Mr. Atkins
  The select registration scheme will start on 1 October 1990 with the H letter. Buyers of new vehicles after that date will be able to purchase an entitlement to any registration mark from the numerical range 1 to 20, for almost all possible three-letter combinations. The sales scheme will be widely publicised and I have placed copies of the Department's information leaflet in the Library.

  M1 (Lane Closure)
  Sir Neil Macfarlane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what information he has on the name of the haulage contractor and the goods that were being conveyed on 25 June which caused the closure of two lanes of the M1;

  (2) if he will call for a report on whether the emergency services were affected by the closure of two lanes of the M 1 on 25 June during the movement of the wide load vehicle; what prior notification they were given; and by whom;

  (3) who took the decision to permit two lanes of the M 1 to be closed on 25 June for a wide load vehicle; and on what date and time the broadcasting authorities were informed;

  (4) if he will make it his policy not to permit the closure of two lanes, in daytime, on the motorways for wide load transportation; and if he will make a statement;

  (5) which section within his Department handles the arrangements for the movement of wide load vehicles on motorways; upon what criteria decisions are based; and who co-ordinates the details;

  (6) what discussions took place between his Department and the police authorities prior to the closure of two lanes of the M1 on 25 June for an abnormally wide load vehicle.

  Mr. Atkins
  The abnormal load in question was a large transformer being transported from Goole docks to Ratcliffe power station in Nottinghamshire. The move was urgent, being necessitated by an electrical breakdown at the power station. In order to reduce the length of the road journey, the transformer was moved from its storage place at Kingsnorth power station on the Thames, by sea to Goole, from where it had to complete its journey by road. The total weight of the transformer and trailer was 377
  307
  tonnes, its width was 5·6m and it height 5·25m. The haulier was Abnormal Load Engineering and the move was carried out on behalf of PowerGen.

  The police were notified at least three days before the move took place and they escorted the vehicles throughout the journey. The local radio stations and the Automobile Association were informed prior to the move. The emergency services were not affected, so far as I am aware. Had they been, the police were on hand to render assistance. I do not consider it necessary to call for a special report in this instance.

  Movements of this nature have to be authorised in advance by officials in my Department by delegated authority from the Secretary of State. Before authorisation is granted, the necessity for the move is determined and a suitable route is worked out between my officials, all the police forces and all the highway and bridge authorities concerned. This route is issued to the haulier and all the relevant authorities and must be followed in detail. When the route has been agreed and issued, the special order authorising the move is made and circulated. In this case the route had already been worked out, as is often the case for routes from port to power station, so it was necessary only to obtain confirmation from all concerned that it was still suitable. The order was then signed and issued on 22 June by the special order section in the vehicle standards and engineering division of my Department.

  The actual timing of a move such as this is determined by the police. They have the local knowledge to decide the best timing for minimising danger to other road users. In general, they consider that it is less dangerous to encounter a large, slow-moving vehicle in daylight, but they do appreciate that congestion is likely to be worse in the daytime and I understand that they are currently reviewing this policy. I do not consider it appropriate to interfere in this matter.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  National Quality Award
  Mr. Sayeed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 30 April,Official Report, column 386, on a national quality award, if he will outline his reasons for the reply given.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  To encourage firms to improve quality we provide support for consultancy under the enterprise initiative and advice under the "Managing into the '90s" programme. Other activities are undertaken by a variety of outside organisations, including the British Quality Association, which runs its own British quality awards scheme aimed at heightening awareness of the importance of quality. We do not believe that it is necessary for the Government to create an additional award scheme.

  Foundries
  Mr. Ted Garrett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many United Kingdom foundries closed in 1989; and how many are still in production.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Business Statistics Office's figures for the number of foundries which were in production in 1989 will not be available until towards the end of this year. The comparable figure for 1988 was 308
  published in table 8 of the Central Statistical Office "Business Monitor" report on the census of production 1988—PA311.

  Industry Act 1980
  Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last made use of his powers under section 3(2)(a) of the Industry Act 1980.

  Mr. Ridley
  As reported to Parliament, in the summer supplementary estimates on class V vote 1, on 14 July 1988 my predecessor used his powers under section 3(2)(a)of the Industry Act 1980 to purchase a security in Rover Group plc for £547 million, following the agreement reached with British Aerospace plc, and approved by the European Commission, for the sale of the Government shareholding in Rover Group plc.

  Details of my predecessor's use of section 3 of the Industry Act 1980 are given in reports under section 3(4) of that Act which have been placed in the Library today. I regret that, due to an administrative error, the reports were not laid before the House earlier.

HEALTH

  Voluntary Organisations
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the awards given to voluntary organisations under section 64 procedures for the financial years 1988–89 and 1989–90 into(a) awards for project funding and (b) core funding grants.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Our general scheme of grants under section 64 provides core grants to national voluntary organisations to assist with their administration costs; project grants to support discrete projects which are experimental or innovative; and a small number of capital grants. A breakdown of grants awarded in 1988–89 and 1989–90 has been placed in the Library.

  Mentally Ill Adolescents
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will visit the adolescent unit for the mentally ill in Nottingham district health authority.

  Mr. Dorrell
  My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to do so.

  Community Health Councils
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on procedures for funding community health councils.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Regional health authorities, RHAs, as establishing authorities for community health councils, CHCs, have a duty to pay CHCs' expenses which the RHAs consider the CHCs have reasonably incurred. How they go about doing so is for each RHA to decide.

  NHS Doctors
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the percentage change in the number of doctors within the national health service per 100,000 of population since 1979.
  309
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The requested information is given in the table.

  Hospital and community health service medical staff and general medical practitioners in England

  1979

  1988

  Doctors

  61,554·0

  70,995·0

  Population

  46,396·1

  47,536·3

  Doctors per 100,000

  132·7

  149·3

  Percentage change 1979–88

  —

  12·6

  Figures include permanent paid and honorary staff but exclude hospital practitioners and clinical assistants.

  Disabled People (Legislation)
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to implement sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 without delay.

  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any plans to implement the remaining sections of the Disabled Persons Act (Services, Consultation and Representation) 1986 within the next two years.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Decisions cannot be taken on the implementation of these sections of the Act until we have established their resource and service implications. We are still awaiting cost estimates from the local authority associations.

  Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport
  Mr. Favell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff, broken down into category, were employed at Stepping Hill hospital, Stockport on(a) 1 June 1979 and (b) 1 June 1989.

  Mr. Dorrell
  This information is not held centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the chairman of Stockport health authority for the details.

  Maternity Services
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many obstetrics beds are available now in each regional health authority in England; and how many were available in each of the past five years.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The latest information on numbers of beds available daily in maternity wards for each year from 1983 is contained in "Summary of bed availability, England 1988/89" a copy of which is in the Library. Information is no longer collected centrally on bed availability by clinical specialty.

  Public Works
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken by his Department to advise regional or district health authorities of the requirements of EC public works directive 89/440/EEC.

  Mr. Dorrell
  A copy of the works directive which was adopted by the EC in July 1989 was sent to regional health authorities on 22 February 1990. Preliminary guidance indicating the main changes to the earlier works directive was issued to regional and district health 310
  authorities on 30 March. Detailed guidance was issued to regional and district health authorities under cover of an executive letter (EL(90)MB/114) on 6 June; copies are available in the Library.

  Project 2000
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the original sum of money earmarked for the implementation of Project 2000 in England; and what is the latest estimated figure for his purpose.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The implementation of Project 2000 in England is to be phased in over a number of years. A total of £38 million has been earmarked and made available for 1989–90 and 1990–91. This will mean that between 1990 and April 1991 the number of Project 2000 places available will have doubled to 20,000–40 per cent. of all nurse training places. Additional funding will be made available in future years against the background of other competing needs.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the European Community directive on nurse training, due to be implemented by October 1991, will be achieved in the light of delays in the target dates relating to Project 2000; and if he will make resources available to meet the 40 weeks of theory training required by the directive.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Implementation of EC directive 89/595/EEC amending EC directive 77/453/EEC is a matter for the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, which is the competent authority of the nursing professions in the United Kingdom. We have never set a target date for full implementation of Project 2000 in England.

  Health Authority Staff
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to prevent a conflict of interest arising from district health authority staff preparing contracts with a self-governing trust which may subsequently employ them.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  It is for health authorities to ensure that conflicts of interest between the purchasing and providing roles do not occur and to determine any mechanisms to prevent this from happening.

  Hearing Aids
  Sir John Farr
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time for fitting hearing aids to national health service patients with hearing difficulties by the Hearing Aid Centre; and what was the waiting time five years ago.

  Mr. Dorrell
  This information is not held centrally.

  Sir John Farr
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is being done to reduce the waiting time for national health service patients needing a hearing aid fitted by the Hearing Aid Centre.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Department is funding a pilot scheme, to start later this year, which is aimed at reducing waiting times for hearing aid services. Details of the scheme are contained in a consultation paper issued by the Department in April. A copy of the paper has been placed in the Library.

ENERGY

  Government Publicity and Advertising
  Mr. Arbuthnot
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether the Government conventions on publicity and advertising have been revised, in view of his new responsibilities for co-ordinating the development of the presentation of Government policies.

  Mr. Wakeham
  The conventions on Government publicity and advertising have been revised to reflect the changes in ministerial responsibility. There is no change in the substance of the conventions. I am arranging for a copy to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Departmental Research (Expenditure)
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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.

  Mrs. Chalker
  Identifiable expenditure on research in the diplomatic and aid wings of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is shown in the tables. The diplomatic wing's research expenditure accounts for up to 0·5 per cent. of its departmental running costs. Comparable figures for years prior to 1984–85 are not available. A small additional amount of research was commissioned outside the FCO. For the ODA, research expenditure now normally accounts for over 2·5 per cent. of total departmental expenditure. It is now ODA's policy to commission research on a customer-contractor basis with specified aims and objectives, as exemplified by the new renewable natural resources research strategy. For neither wing is information available on the proportion of research undertaken on a customer-contractor basis.

  (I) Diplomatic wing: Expenditure on research 1984–85 to 1988–89

  £ million

  1984–85

  1·8

  1985–86

  2·0

  1986–87

  2·1

  1987–88

  2·3

  1988–89

  2·5

  (ii) Aid wing: Expenditure on research 1979–89

  Year

  £'000

  as percent of total ODA expenditure

  1979

  19,996

  2·1

  1980

  22,001

  2·3

  1981

  22,257

  1·9

  1982

  23,042

  2·1

  1983

  27,610

  2·4

  1984

  26,057

  2·0

  1985

  27,874

  2·1

  1986

  31,143

  2·5

  1987

  38,073

  2·9

  1988

  49,482

  3·0

  11989

  45,995

  2·6

  1 1989 figures are provisional.

  Aid Targets
  Mr. Brandon-Bravo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has anything to add to the oral reply given by the Minister for Overseas Development on 18 June,Official Report, column 680, on meeting gross national product, official development assistance targets.

  Mrs. Chalker
  I much regret that my reply to the hon. Member for Clwyd, South-West (Mr. Jones) contained an inadvertent error. I meant to say"we aim to meet those targets".
  As hon. and right hon. Members may be already aware, whereas we have met the 1 per cent. of GNP target for total flows in six out of the last 10 years, we have not met the 0·15 per cent. of GNP target for official development assistance to the least-developed countries.

ENVIRONMENT

  Global Warming
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps are being taken to investigate the use of the sea as a carbon sink to mitigate the effects upon global warming of carbon dioxide releases.

  Mr. Trippier
  Intensive research is being carried out both nationally and internationally to understand the role of the oceans in the carbon cycle. The United Kingdom is contributing to this through the Natural Environment Research Council's biogeochemical ocean flux programme which is currently investigating the uptake of carbon dioxide by plankton in the north Atlantic.

  Climate Change
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what papers were presented by civil servants from his Department or consultants to his Department at the meeting of the United Nations intergovernmental panel on climate change on 18 to 20 May.

  Mr. Trippier
  We are not aware of any IPCC meeting on the dates specified.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Cartwright
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans his Department has to allow teachers to pay the community charge on behalf of those from overseas countries with whom they are involved in exchange schemes.

  Mr. Chope
  It does not need any special permission to allow this to happen.

  Sir John Stanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether all those aged 18 years and over who are in full-time secondary education are wholly exempt from the community charge;

  (2) whether those leaving full-time secondary education with conditional or unconditional offers of places at institutions of higher or further education are regarded (a) as students for the purposes of the community charge between their dates of leaving secondary education and their date of starting higher or further education, or (b) as adults eligible for community charge benefit during this period;
  313
  (3) whether the liability of those aged 18 years and over who were in full-time secondary education to pay the community charge commences from the date of their leaving their secondary schools.

  Mr. Portillo
  The majority of those who leave secondary education at the age of 18 will be covered by the exemption from the personal community charge for those in respect of whom child benefit is paid, or would be paid but for the fact the person is in care, and may continue to be exempt for some time after their courses have ended. Those aged under 20 years of age and who are undertaking a qualifying course of education, other than as a result of a post or employment held, are exempt until the end of the course or until they reach their 20th birthday, whichever is the earlier. Qualifying courses for the purposes of this exemption are defined by the Personal Community Charge (Qualifying Courses of Education) Regulations 1990—S.I. 1990/712—which exclude courses of higher education.

  Ward weighted density

  All ages social index

  Indicator value

  Weight times indicator £ million

  Indicator value

  Weight times indicator £ million

  Kent

  Ashford

  2·14351

  1·057

  -2·6277

  -1·187

  Canterbury

  1·54525

  1·071

  -1·7101

  -1·085

  Dartford

  2·21797

  0·907

  -1·8458

  -0·691

  Dover

  1·96176

  1·106

  -1·2363

  -0·638

  Gillingham

  4·26523

  2·041

  -1·0305

  -0·451

  Gravesham

  3·12988

  1·421

  -0·5169

  -0·215

  Maidstone

  2·14507

  1·516

  -1·8742

  -1·212

  Rochester upon Medway

  3·42681

  2·632

  -0·4010

  -0·282

  Sevenoaks

  0·94695

  0·514

  -3·2050

  -1·592

  Shepway

  2·12467

  0·976

  -0·8121

  -0·342

  Swale

  1·43987

  0·857

  -1·2630

  -0·680

  Thanet

  3·20591

  2·178

  0·2060

  0·128

  Tonbridge and Malling

  1·14540

  0·607

  -2·8119

  -1·364

  Tunbridge Wells

  1·54320

  0·802

  -1·2322

  -0·586

  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to amend the Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989, regulation 62, so that the three-month period of grace dates from 1 April 1990 rather than from any earlier date.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I am reviewing the operation of the standard charge. Many people whose property was empty and unfurnished before 1 April 1990 will have benefited from either not having to pay any rates at all or paying lower unoccupied property rates.

  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconsider the standard spending assessment for Brighton and other holiday and conference resorts using the additional information which is becoming available on the extra burdens they face.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I have made it clear that I am willing to consider any fresh evidence on SSAs with a view to making future changes if that should prove necessary. Any information provided by Brighton or any other local authority in this context will be given full consideration.

  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the authorities which benefited in their standard spending assessment and revenue grant allocation from a consideration of the impact of daily population increases.
  314
  Entitlement to the 20 per cent. payable by students starts when a person is enrolled on a full-time course of education, as defined for the purposes of the community charge, and has begun to attend it. In the intervening period a person will be registered for the full personal community charge but may be eligible for community charge benefit of up to 80 per cent. of the charge set.

  Sir John Stanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each district council in Kent, in respect of ward weighted density and the all ages social index, the values of indicators defined in annex A to the revenue support grant distribution report (England), and the amounts produced for each district council by applying the weights set out in paragraph 3·36(a) of that report, to those values.

  Mr. Portillo
  The values of the indicators and the amounts produced by applying the relevant weights are set out in the table.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave him to this same question on 4 April,Official Report, column 666.

  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the specific and supplementary grants to be paid to local authorities in 1990–91 showing in each case(a) the name of the grant, (b) the purpose of the grant, (c) the sponsoring Department, (d) the amount of grant, (e) the method of calculation of individual authorities' entitlements, including the percentage of expenditure grant-aided and any conditions attached to the grant, (f) when the principles and operation of the grant were last reviewed, and the conclusions of those reviews, (g) whether the grant is included within aggregate external finance and (h) whether the grant is for capital and/or revenue expenditure.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to chapter 21 of "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1990/91 to 1992/93"—Cm 1021—tables 21·4·3, 21·4·4. and 21·4·5 which, respectively, list revenue grants within and without aggregate external finance, and capital grants. The various departmental chapters provide details on the principles and operation of individual grants. If he has particular concerns I am sure the Departments concerned will be pleased to help.

  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what additional assistance was given in
  315
  calculating standard spending assessment and grant to Westminster city council on account of its daily population figure; and if he will set out the criteria used on arriving at that sum.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to him on 4 April of this year when he asked a very similar question.

  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much was the total level of local government spending in each of the last five years including the current year.

  Mr. Chope
  [holding answer 27 June 1990]: The information is as follows. New definitions of local government spending were introduced in 1990–91 and comparable information for years prior to 1989–90 is not available. For years 1986–87 to 1989–90 (budgets) expenditure is defined as total expenditure gross of specific and supplementary grants and for 1989–90 (provisional outturn) and 1990–91 expenditure is defined as revenue expenditure, the measure equivalent to total standard spending.

  Local government expenditure

  £ million

  1986–87

  26,629

  1987–88

  28,943

  1988–89

  31,334

  1989–901 3

  34,317

  1989–902 4

  32,100

  1990–913

  36,600

  1 Including an adjustment for polytechnics (not in the local authority sector in 1989–90) to make the series up to and including 1989–90 comparable.

  2 After adjusting for system changes to make the 1989–90 provisional outturn estimates comparable to 1990–91 budgets.

  3 Budget.

  4 Provisional outturn.

  Local Services (Tendering)
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the response by local authorities to circular 7/90 regarding tender documents for public supply and works contracts.

  Mr. Portillo
  Circular 7/90 reminds local authorities in greater detail of their obligations under the treaty of Rome and the EC works and supplies contract directives, set out in DOE circulars 59/73 and 6/89, and imposes no new or added responsibilities or burdens.

  The Department has had a small number of telephone inquiries from local authorities on the application of tender specifications to particular contracts.

  Inland Revenue Office, Cumbernauld
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost to date of the refurbishment and new construction work currently being carried out at the Inland Revenue office in Cumbernauld.

  Mr. Chope
  The refurbishment work, which started in December 1988, has so far cost £2·5 million. There is no new construction.

  Nature Conservancy Council
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the report, "Strategic Roll-Forward Submission 1991–92", prepared by PE International plc, concerning the Nature Conservancy Council.

  Mr. Trippier
  This report is a management document commissioned to assist the NCC in preparing its proposed forward plans. It is not suitable for publication. In line with past practice, the Nature Conservancy Council's corporate plan for 1990–91 will be published later this summer.

  Local Authorities (Company Interests)
  Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the implementation of part V of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989: local authority interests in companies.

  Mr. Portillo
  In view of various points which have arisen on the drafts of the orders which we circulated for comment, we have concluded that it would be right to postpone the coming into force of those orders from 1 July 1990. I shall set a new date as soon as possible.

  Bulk Materials (Transport)
  Mr. Andy Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his current policy in respect of imposing conditions in planning permissions which restrict the dispatch of bulk materials to rail transport, in circumstances where the volume to be dispatched from the site may be large, the number of destinations is few and the environmental damage to communities affected by the road transport of the material is likely to be insignificant.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The Government's policy on the imposition of conditions on the grant of planning permission is that they should be imposed only where they are necessary; relevant to planning; relevant to the development to be permitted; enforceable; precise; and reasonable in all other respects. A key test is whether planning permission would have to be refused if the condition were not to be imposed. A condition may be invalid if it is unduly restrictive. Whether it may be appropriate to impose a condition to restrict the mode of transport of bulk materials to and from a site will depend upon the particular circumstances of an individual case, and is a matter for the local planning authority in the first instance.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Costs
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will give details of the costs out of public funds ordered by the courts in each of the years from 1986 to 1990.

  The Attorney-General
  Courts may order costs out of public funds in two circumstances. In civil proceedings where one of the parties is legally aided, the court can award costs against the legal aid fund in favour of a successful non-legally aided party. In criminal proceedings
  317
  the court can order the costs of a defendant or a private prosecutor to be paid from central funds. The information requested is collected on a financial year basis and for the years in question is as follows:

  £ million

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  Costs of successful non-legally aided parties

  0·280

  0·227

  0·446

  0·524

  Costs from Central Funds:

  Orders made in Magistrates Courts

  11·050

  3·082

  3·825

  1—

  Orders made in Crown Court and higher courts

  30·522

  4·380

  4·047

  4·751

  Total

  41·852

  7·689

  8·318

  5·275

  1 This information is not yet available.

  Solicitors (Professional Negligence)
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Attorney-General what information he has as to in which European countries solicitors and barristers or their equivalent are liable to be sued for professional negligence.

  The Attorney-General
  The Government do not hold information about the liability for professional negligence of lawyers practising in other European countries.

  Land Registry
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Attorney-General when Her Majesty's Land Registry is to be established as an executive agency.

  The Attorney-General
  Further to my answer to my hon. Friend on 5 April 1990 at column 725, I am pleased to confirm that the Lord Chancellor will establish the Land Registry as an executive agency on Monday 2 July 1990. I have arranged for the Land Registry's framework document to be placed in the Library. Performance indicators for the Land Registry are set out in the framework document.

  The Land Registry has made significant progress in recent times in improving its productivity and its quality of service, both in terms of speed and accuracy. The performance targets set for the registry will require it to continue this improvement. The key productivity target is to reduce unit costs in real terms by 6 per cent. over the three financial years from 1 April 1991. Over the same period, the average length of time to finalise post-completion applications, which in December 1988 stood at 15·5 weeks is to be reduced to five weeks. The handling of pre-completion applications, which are more time-sensitive as they are part of the conveyancing process, will also be expedited with the proportion of applications dealt with within four days being increased from 90 per cent. at present to 92 per cent. in 1994. Targets have also been set increasing the already high percentage of error-free handling of applications.

  An open competition is currently being held for the selection of a person to be appointed as chief land registrar and chief executive of the agency to succeed the current chief land registrar, John Pryer CB, following his forthcoming retirement.

SCOTLAND

  Foodstuffs (Toxic Chemicals)
  Mr. Andrew Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what tests are applied to ascertain residue levels of toxic chemicals in imported foodstuffs from(a) eastern Europe, (b) the European Common Market and (c) the rest of the world; how many tests were carried out in each of the past five years and on what types of foods; and what changes he intends to make in this system.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Imported foodstuffs are examined for a wide range of potentially toxic substances such as heavy metals, natural toxins and environmental contaminants. Information on the surveillance of food imports is included in reports of the Government's steering group on food surveillance, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. District and islands councils in Scotland undertake testing of imported food as enforcement authorities but related statistics are not held centrally.

  Rural Solicitors
  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has held with the Law Society of Scotland or representatives of faculties of solicitors on the future of rural practices since 12 June.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  There have been a number of informal discussions with the Law Society of Scotland about the Government's conveyancing proposals.

  Student Grants
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he has given to Strathclyde regional council concerning the payment of grants to students undertaking courses provided by other education authorities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  None. My right hon. and learned Friend is responsible for providing financial support for students attending full-time degree and equivalent level courses. Financial support for students attending other full-time and all part-time courses is the responsibility of the education authorities under their bursaries arrangements. These bursaries are awarded to students at the discretion of the education authorities and I have no power to intervene.

  Elderly People
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the amount an elderly couple needs to spend every week on food to maintain a healthy diet; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  None. Given variations in individuals' dietary requirements and the cost of food it is not feasible to make such an assessment.

  Scottish Consumer Council
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the relationship of his Department to the Scottish Consumer Council; and if he will make a statement.
  319
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Direct responsibility between the Government and the Scottish Consumer Council rests with the Department of Trade and Industry.

  My colleagues and I do, however, meet the council from time to time to discuss matters of common interest, and welcome its comments on relevant aspects of Government policy.

  Nursery Education
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Government intend to make the provision of nursery education in Scotland compulsory; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  The Government have no plans to impose a duty on education authorities to provide nursery education. Authorities are best placed to decide the extent of pre-school provision appropriate for their area having regard to local circumstances and competing priorities.

  Local Government Finance
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will inform local authorities about the introduction of the method of compensating applicants who did not qualify for poll tax rebate in the year 1989–90 because they had capital between £8,000 and £16,000; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Detailed draft proposals were sent to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities for comment on 14 June. I hope to receive the convention's response shortly so that regulations can be laid before the House.

  Council Rents
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the average council rent level as a percentage of(a) average male earnings, (b) average female earnings and (c) the national insurance retirement pension for a single pensioner and a pensioner couple in each of the years since 1984 for which figures are available.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The information requested is set out in the table.

  Average council rent1 expressed as a percentage of

  Average male earnings2

  Average female earnings2

  Retirement pension for single person3

  Retirement pension for married couple3

  1984–85

  5·9

  9·4

  30·7

  19·2

  1985–86

  6·1

  9·7

  32·3

  20·3

  1986–87

  6·5

  10·0

  33·6

  21·0

  1987–88

  6·8

  10·4

  36·9

  23·1

  1988–89

  6·9

  10·6

  39·4

  24·6

  1989–90

  7·5

  11·1

  43·1

  26·9

  1990–91

  n/a

  n/a

  44·6

  27·8

  1 Average standard unrebated local authority rent in Scotland.

  2 Average earnings of full-time employees in Scotland on adult rates whose pay was not affected by absence, as recorded in April of each year.

  3 Basic national insurance pension payable in April of each year.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Electronic Tagging
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to consult with the first individual to be electronically tagged on the efficacy of the scheme: and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John Patten
  As part of the evaluation of the trials of electronic monitoring a sample of those monitored have already been interviewed about their experiences and views. The results of the evaluation will be published, but the defendants interviewed will not be identified.

  Prisoners (Suicides)
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the trend in the number of suicides among prisoners on remand over the last 10 years.

  Mr. Mellor
  The table gives the figures for the number of suicides by remand prisoners during the last 10 years:

  Number

  1980

  12

  1981

  7

  1982

  8

  1983

  9

  1984

  12

  1985

  14

  1986

  12

  1987

  27

  1988

  19

  11989

  15

  1 21990

  1

  1 Inquests have yet to be held on one other inmate on remand who died in 1989 and on nine inmates on remand who have died this year and whose deaths are thought to have been suicides.

  1 To 25 June 1990.

  Suicides (Police Custody)
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the trend in the number of suicides in police custody over the last 10 years.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The number of persons who committed suicide while in police custody has been published, since 1980, in the annual reports of Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. The information is as follows:

  Number

  1980

  6

  1981

  4

  1982

  8

  1983

  5

  1984

  3

  1985

  2

  1986

  3

  1987

  2

  1988

  5

  1989

  5

  Information prior to 1980 is not available.

  Security, Palace of Westminster
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans exist to replace regular Metropolitan police officers employed in the House of Parliament by security officers;

  (2) what are the educational qualifications demanded of Metropolitan police security officers employed in the Houses of Parliament;

  (3) what is the average length of service of the Metropolitan police security officers employed in the Houses of Parliament;

  (4) what is the level of pay of the Metropolitan police security officers employed in the Houses of Parliament, including starting salary and average earnings;

  (5) what is the length of the training period of the Metropolitan police security officers employed in the Houses of Parliament;

  (6) how many Metropolitan police security officers have been employed in the Houses of Parliament in each year since their introduction; and how many are presently employed;

  (7) what plans exist to increase the numbers of Metropolitan police security officers employed in the Houses of Parliament.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  While my right hon. and learned Friend formally approves changes in the number of posts at the Palace of Westminster, security arrangements are primarily matters for the Palace authorities, who take their decisions on the basis of advice provided by the Metropolitan police.

  I understand that an inspection of the security force at the Palace of Westminster was carried out by the Metropolitan police at the beginning of the year to assess the changes needed as a result of the opening of the Norman Shaw complex. They recommended changes, including civilianisation of seven police posts, which, if accepted, would increase the number of police officers by three and the number of security officers by 22. The proposals are being considered by the Joint Committee on Security.

  The Metropolitan police took over responsibility for security officers at the Palace of Westminster in October 1977. The total number of security officers employed at the end of each calendar year since that date is as follows:

  Number

  1977

  93

  1978

  95

  1979

  105

  1980

  110

  1981

  113

  1982

  112

  1983

  104

  1984

  102

  1985

  114

  1986

  131

  1987

  129

  1988

  134

  1989

  1183

  1 Includes Norman Shaw building.

  A total of 180 security officers are currently employed at the Palace of Westminster.

  Information relating to the average length of service of Metropolitan police security officers could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
  322
  Although there are no rigid requirements for educational qualifications, security officers employed at the Palace undergo a recruitment process which looks for good communication skills, reliability and common sense.

  On joining, all security officers undergo a six-week intensive training course which covers first aid, basic law, powers of arrest, fire appliance training, House regulations and passes. New officers then work alongside experiencd officers for a further six weeks. Additional courses covering explosives, car searches and respirator training are also arranged.

  The starting salary of a security officer is £9,594 per annum. This is inclusive of shift allowance but exclusive of overtime and premium payments for work on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. After six months a security officer becomes eligible for promotion and the starting salary for the higher grade is £11,381 per annum. Information about average earnings could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Criminal Offences, Basildon
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were(a) charged and (b) convicted of (i) public order offences and (ii) offences against the person in the Basildon area for each of the last seven years.

  Mr. John Patten
  Information for the Basildon area is not available, but the table gives information for Billericay petty sessional division and Chelmsford Crown court for 1986, 1987 and 1988. Comparable data for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The 1989 data will not be available until autumn 1990.

  Persons proceeded against and found guilty of offences against the person (1) and public order offences

  Number of persons (2)

  1986

  1987

  1988

  Billericay PSD:

  Offences against the person Proceeded against3

  181

  240

  296

  Found guilty

  68

  84

  129

  Public order offences

  Proceeded against

  35

  56

  135

  Found guilty

  23

  33

  77

  Chelmsford Crown Court:

  Offences against the person

  For trial

  371

  478

  523

  Found guilty

  290

  370

  416

  Public order offences

  For trial

  47

  24

  95

  Found guilty

  38

  22

  45

  1 Violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.

  2 As shown by the records held centrally, which are approximate.

  3 Including those committed to the Crown Court for trial.

  Chief Police Officers
  Mr. Shersby
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving police officers of Association of Chief Police Officers rank joined the service under the graduate entry scheme, or otherwise benefited from the special course at Bramshill; how many possess university degrees; how many achieved them through the Bramshill scholarship scheme; and how many hold other qualifications relevant to their responsibilities as chief officers.
  323
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The graduate entry scheme was introduced in 1968 to attract recruits with higher educational qualifications to the police service and give them the opportunity of accelerated promotion through the Bramshill special course. Most serving members of the Association of Chief Police Officers had joined the police service before this date, but two officers now of assistant chief constable rank were recruited to the service under this scheme. A further 80 officers of ACPO rank were selected for and attended the special course through the service's internal competition.

  The information held centrally is not comprehensive, and I shall write to my hon. Friend once I have been able to review and update all senior officers' personal records. In the meantime, the information currently available shows that 103 of the 241 members of the Association of Chief Police Officers hold degrees. (Our records do not distinguish between degrees awarded by universities, polytechnics and other institutions). Of these 103 officers, 50 gained their degrees through the Bramshill scholarship scheme. Nineteen current members of ACPO are companions, members or fellows of the British Institute of Management. Nineteen hold other management qualifications (such as the diploma in management studies and certificate in personnel management) or have completed senior management courses such as the top management programme at the civil service college or the Royal College of Defence Studies course. There is some overlap between these groups.

  Stone Roses Concert
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were injured at the Stone Roses concert at Spike island, Widnes, on 3 June; how many of the injured were treated in hospital; and how many were detained in hospital.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I understand that, in addition to those people (number unknown) who received minimal first aid treatment at the concert itself, two people, who sustained injuries when attempting to get into the event without tickets by climbing over a high fence, were taken to hospital, treated and discharged the same day.

  Immigration
  Mr. Channon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what categories of non-United Kingdom spouses of United Kingdom citizens resident in Hong Kong will have their United Kingdom residential qualifications for naturalisation waived or modified under schedule 1, paragraph 4(d) of the British Nationality Act 1981.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Paragraph 4(d) of schedule 1 to the British Nationality Act 1981 enables the Secretary of State, if he thinks fit in the special circumstances of a particular case, to waive the three-year United Kingdom residence requirement for naturalisation in respect of the spouse of a British citizen serving abroad in Crown or designated service for which he was recruited in the United Kingdom.

  In practice we would not normally expect to waive the United Kingdom residence requirement unless the marriage had subsisted for three years; the spouse was unable to meet the United Kingdom residence requirements for the foreseeable future; and the employing
  324
  organisation was able to show that naturalising the spouse would be in the interests of the organisation and its service to United Kingdom interests.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision is to be taken on the applications of Mrs. Aswat Jan and Atlas Khan to enter the United Kingdom, referred to him on 26 November last by our post in Islamabad Refs: K157032 and K147580; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The entry clearance officer in Islamabad has now been authorised to issue entry clearance to Mrs. Aswat Jan. Atlas Khan's application is being considered under the terms of the concession announced by my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary on 14 June 1989 at columns 461–62. A decision will be taken as soon as possible.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has had any communication with representatives of the Metropolitan police force in connection with the number of homeless young persons being arrested and convicted under the Vagrancy Act 1824.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Decisions about the deployment of resources to tackle crime are an operational matter for the Commissioner. However, we are conducting a study together with the Metropolitan police to establish recent trends in arrests and how the police might be helped to identify accommodation and other services to which homeless people can be referred.

  Channel 5
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his current estimate of the number of video recorders likely to require retuning to achieve Channel 5 output; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Mellor
  We estimate that something over 750,000 video cassette recorders will need to be retuned or modified in order to prevent interference between the VCR output and the Channel 5 broadcast signal. The Broadcasting Bill provides that the cost of this work should be met by the Channel 5 licensee.

  Telecommunications Act 1984
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total number of prosecutions under any section of the Telecommunications Act 1984.

  Mr. John Patten
  The information available centrally, which may be incomplete, indicates that there were 630 prosecutions in 1988 under the Telecommunications Act 1984.

  The 1989 data will not be available until the autumn.

  Forensic Science
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he has any plans to increase the level of funding of the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory and for the Home Office laboratory at Aldermaston in the next financial year; and if he will make a statement;
  325
  (2) what is the current level of staffing at the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory; and what was the level (a) five and (b) 10 years ago;

  (3) what has been the number of individual cases handled annually by the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Commissioner has told me that the number of cases handled by the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory in each of the last five years was as follows:

  Number

  1985

  27,720

  1986

  32,406

  1987

  27,985

  1988

  19,040

  1989

  18,053

  On 27 June 1990 the strength of the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory was 288. On 31 December 1980 and 31 December 1985 the respective strengths were 271 and 251.

  No decisions have yet been taken on the levels of funding for 1991–92 for either the Metropolitan police or the forensic science service.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Fish Processors
  Mr. Robert Hughes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance his Department has given to fish processors to meet new EEC hygiene regulations.

  Mr. Curry
  Financial assistance is, and will continue to be, available under relevant European Community schemes to help fish processors and others improve their facilities.

  Common Agricultural Policy
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met his counterparts in the Council of Ministers to discuss reforming the common agricultural policy.

  Mr. Gummer
  I last met my Community colleagues in the Agriculture Council earlier this week, when a number of specific reforms to the CAP were discussed.

  Information Guides
  Mr. Andy Stewart
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what new guides giving farmers information on the help and advice available from his Department he has published in the last six months.

  Mr. Curry
  We have recently published a revised and updated version of "At the Farmer's Service". Copies of the booklet have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Dairy Sector
  Mr. Knox
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he next intends to meet the chairman of the Milk Marketing Board to discuss the dairy sector.
  326
  Mr. Gummer
  I have regular meetings with the chairman of the Milk Marketing Board and with other industry leaders to discuss the dairy sector.

  Food (Health Dangers)
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those foods which his Department has been advised to be a danger to health.

  Mr. Maclean
  I can think of no food that someone or other has not suggested is harmful. Nevertheless, my Department has not actually been advised that any type of foods is intrinsically a danger to health providing it has been properly handled and prepared. From time to time it is necessary for central Government or local government to issue warnings in relation to particular brands or batches of foodstuffs, and to take associated action. The chief medical officer has also given advice about the precautions to be taken when preparing and eating certain foods, and about the consumption of certain foods by particular vulnerable groups.

  Food (Temperature Controls)
  Mr. Couchman
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to improve the temperature control standards of the British food industry.

  Mr. Maclean
  I understand my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health is intending shortly to lay before Parliament the Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulation, which will introduce temperature control standards for certain foods throughout the food chain including manufacture, distribution and retail sale.

  Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who, under the terms of the framework agreement for the agricultural intervention board agency, will decide on the future location of the board's premises.

  Mr. Curry
  The future location of the agency will be decided by Agriculture Ministers after considering, recommendations submitted to them by the board of the agency.

  Food Safety
  Mr. Marland
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what weight he gives to scientific research in determining the development of his Department's approach towards food safety.

  Mr. Maclean
  All the Government's measures towards greater food safety are based on the best available expert scientific advice, as we made clear in the White Paper "Food Safety—Protecting the Consumer". In addition to professional advice available within my Ministry and other Government Departments, objective, independent advice is provided by a number of committees including the Food Advisory Committee, the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, the Veterinary Products Committee, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, the Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food,
  327
  Consumer Products and the Environment and the steering group on food surveillance—which works through 10 working parties each of which carries out detailed work in specialist fields. We announced on 12 June that we shall be adding to these committees by creating a new advisory committee and a steering group on the microbiological safety of food, a development recommended by the Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food chaired by Sir Mark Richmond.

  The full scope of the extensive research and development programme on food safety can be gauged from the "Food Sense" booklet on the Government's food surveillance programme, issued at the beginning of this year. There are now 28 food surveillance papers available and the most recent, on "Programmes to Monitor Radioactivity in Food", contains some 48 pages setting out the major programme in this one area alone. A further paper in this series is to be issued shortly. Besides the Government laboratories involved, industry, research associations, academic institutions, consultants and professional organisations all contribute to the work on food surveillance. In addition to its role in providing advice to the Government and the basis it provides for effective legislative control and the harmonisation of trade in food and food raw materials, the programme is also becoming increasingly recognised at an international level as an important source of information and advice.

  National Farmers Union
  Sir Hal Miller
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the president of the National Farmers Union; and what was discussed.

  Mr. Gummer
  I meet the president of the National Farmers Union frequently to discuss a wide range of topics.

  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a further statement on BSE and British beef.

  Mr. Gummer
  I can do no better than quote the Department of Health's chief medical officer, who said that beef can be eaten safely by everyone. This view has been endorsed by Europe's top scientists.

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Meat and Livestock Commission to discuss BSE.

  Mr. Murphy
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Meat and Livestock Commission to discuss BSE.

  Mr. Patchett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Meat and Livestock Commission to discuss BSE.

  Mr. Gummer
  I met the chairman of the Meat and Livestock Commission on 8 June to discuss BSE.

  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has of the effect on exports from and imports into Britain of the BSE scare.

  Mr. Gummer
  As yet it is too early to draw any firm conclusions on the effect of the BSE scare on exports from and imports into the United Kingdom.
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  Mr. Illsley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about his discussions with European Community Agriculture Ministers about BSE.

  Mr. Gummer
  I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 7 June.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on the incidence of BSE in other countries.

  Mr. Gummer
  BSE has been reported in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Oman, where two animals previously exported from Britain were later confirmed as having the disease.

  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to take further action to control the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

  Mr. Gummer
  The Government have already introduced comprehensive measures to deal with BSE. However, should scientific advice indicate that further action is called for, I will not hesitate to act.

  Mr. Kennedy
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will report on progress concerning the incidence of BSE, its notification and elimination; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  It is not expected that there will be significant decline until 1993, after which numbers should fall until its subsequent disappearance.

  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a further statement on Government measures relating to bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

  Mr. Gummer
  The Government have introduced comprehensive measures, based on the very best scientific advice, to tackle all aspects of BSE.

  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received regarding BSE.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have received representations about BSE from consumer, producer and other interests.

  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the damage to the industry resulting from the bovine spongiform encephalopathy scare.

  Mr. Gummer
  It is not possible to isolate the effects of BSE. Clean cattle marketings in England and Wales in the week ending 16 June were higher than those in the week before the import bans were imposed by France and other member states, and prices were also slightly up. Increased support buying of beef under the European Community intervention arrangements coupled with the lifting of the import bans imposed by certain member states should help to sustain the market.

  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further representations he has received from the presidents of the farmers unions of Wales on BSE; and if he will make a statement.
  329
  Mr. Maclean
  I have received representations about BSE from various quarters, including the National Farmers Union of Wales.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the implication of the Wilding committee's recommendation that basic research should be confined to specialist research institutions for the conducting of research into BSE at the central veterinary laboratory at Weybridge.

  Mr. Maclean
  I assume that the hon. Member's question relates to the report of the Wildy committee.

  The Department funds strategic and applied R and D into animal diseases and I am satisfied that the central veterinary laboratory at Weybridge has the necessary specialist expertise to carry out such research into BSE. The Ministry will continue to commission research at the CVL in an effort to understand, control and eradicate this disease. Basic research is of course currently being funded by the Department of Education and Science at the AFRC's Institute of Animal Health.

  Food Advisory Committee
  Miss Emma Nicholson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the chairman of the Food Advisory Committee; and what was discussed.

  Mr. Maclean
  I last met the committee's chairman on 7 December 1989 when matters of general interest were discussed.

  The committee meets regularly every six weeks and is currently undertaking a major review of food labelling. As a result of recent committee advice I have introduced new regulations prohibiting the use of potassium bromate as a flour improver from 1 April this year; published and sought comments on the committee's report on old compositional orders and will consider the responses before reaching decisions; and I am currently preparing proposals for legislation on colours following my acceptance of the committee's recommendations for stricter controls.

  The committee's agendas are published in advance of each meeting.

  Radioactive Fallout
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about restrictions on sheep sales in the United Kingdom due to radioactive fallout.

  Mr. Curry
  Movement and slaughter restrictions continue to apply to sheep from those upland areas of Cumbria, north Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland most affected by radioactive fallout following the 1986 Chernobyl accident. A mark and release scheme is in operation under which every animal from the restricted area is live-monitored prior to marketing, thereby guaranteeing full protection to consumers in all circumstances. It is not possible to say how much longer restrictions will need to stay in force. They will be lifted as soon as it is possible to do so without compromising the safety of the food chain. All monitoring results are regularly published and copies are placed in the Library of the House.

  Aujeszky's Disease
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the discussions held at the European Community Agriculture Council meeting on 25 and 26 June regarding Aujeszky's disease.

  Mr. Curry
  At the meeting of the Agriculture Council on 25 and 26 June, Aujeszky's disease was discussed in the context of a proposal for Community rules governing trade in porcine semen.

  I made it clear that we would not accept provisions which would jeopardise our hard-won freedom from the disease and I am therefore pleased to report that the directive which was eventually adopted contains the necessary safeguards.

  Consumer Panel
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his consumer panel last met; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Maclean
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley).

  Mr. Jim Marshall
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the consumer panel last met; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Maclean
  The last meeting of the consumer panel took place on 2 May 1990. It discussed a wide range of issues including water quality, food labelling, BSE, hygiene training for food handlers and food irradiation. The minutes of this meeting are publicly available and have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Milk Production
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was milk production in 1989 and in each of the two previous years.

  Mr. Maclean
  United Kingdom milk production was as follows:

  Year

  Quantity (million litres)

  1989

  14,477

  1988

  14,684

  1987

  15,039

  Agricultural Development Advisory Service
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received recently about the future of the Agricultural Development Advisory Service.

  Mr. Curry
  Many of the representations I receive about ADAS express the view that the very valuable services which it provides to the industry should continue.

  Food Inspection
  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any proposals to change the present arrangements concerning food inspection which lie within his responsibilities.
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  Mr. Maclean
  My hon. Friend the Minister of State stated in another place on 5 December 1989 that the powers in clause 5(4) of the Food Safety Bill to vary the division of responsibility for food law enforcement would be used to continue broadly the existing split of responsibilities in England and Wales.

  Agriculture (Fixed Capital)
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total annual investment in fixed capital in agriculture during each of the last five years.

  Mr. Curry
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Beverley (Mr. Cran) on 19 April at columns 973–74.

  Factory Farming
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to further regulate factory farming.

  Mr. Maclean
  I have just laid before this House for approval regulations that will apply to all farm animals. These regulations will implement recommendations by the Farm Animal Welfare Council and include measures to improve compliance with the welfare codes, to make certain provisions in the codes mandatory, and to require ventilation systems in intensive units to have alarms and back-up systems in the event of a failure.

  I am continuing to press in the European Community for harmonisation of welfare standards at the highest possible level for all farm livestock species.

  Sea Defences
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to improve the financial arrangements for sea defences.

  Mr. Curry
  Under the Land Drainage Act 1976 drainage bodies (the National Rivers Authority, local authorities and internal drainage boards) have powers to carry out flood and sea defence works. Grants are available from my Department towards the cost of schemes which are technically sound, economically worth while and environmentally sympathetic. Basic rates range from 15 per cent. to 55 per cent., while sea and tidal defence schemes attract a supplement of 20 per cent.

  Following the 1988 and 1989 public expenditure surveys, increased Government funding totalling £29·3 million was announced over the period 1989–90 to 1992–93. The greater part of this additional provision is being targeted towards urgent sea defence works on the east coast and elsewhere, and to works which will protect people and property.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent measures have been taken by his Department to help improve Britain's coastal defences.

  Mr. Curry
  My Department maintains a close liaison with the National Rivers Authority and local councils responsible for the promotion of coastal defence work to ensure that the state of the nation's defences is continually monitored. To assist with the promotion of such defence 332
  works, increased Government funding totalling £29·3 million was announced following the 1988 and 1989 public expenditure surveys over the period 1989–90 to 1992–93. This increased funding is being mainly targeted towards the improvement of defences on the coastline and for the protection of people and property.

  Sheep Dips
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the continued use of organophosphorous sheep dips.

  Mr. Maclean
  All organophosphorous sheep dip products are subject to the licensing requirements of the Medicines Act 1968. A review of these products is currently under way as part of a wider review to ensure that all licensed veterinary medicines meet modern standards of safety, quality and efficacy. The review is expected to be completed early in 1992. My Department is also currently considering the guidance available on the disposal of sheep dips to see how this can be improved.

  Farm Pollution
  Mr. Mans
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the uptake in the last 12 months of schemes designed to deal with on-farm pollution.

  Mr. Curry
  In the 1989–90 financial year, 8,082 United Kingdom farmers notified the agriculture Departments of their intention to claim grant to help meet the cost of equipment to handle, treat and store farm waste under the farm and conservation grant scheme, and £20·41 million was paid for such grants under the scheme and its predecessor the agriculture improvement scheme.

  Food Exports
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to improve the prospects for British food exports.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government are firmly committed to improving the prospects for British food exports. Earlier this year my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food announced further funding of Food From Britain. More recently he announced the appointment of Mr. Paul Judge, a successful and highly respected food industry entrepreneur, as chairman of that organisation. I now look to the industry to make full use of the resources and expertise of Food From Britain.

  Beef
  Mr. Colin Shepherd
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the prospects for the United Kingdom beef industry; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  The European Community market support arrangements contain provision for special intervention measures which apply at times of particular market weakness. Under these arrangements, over 5,500 tonnes of beef have been accepted for purchase in the United Kingdom. This increased support buying coupled with the lifting of the import bans imposed by certain member states should help to sustain the beef market.
  333
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether normal shipments of beef have now been resumed to European countries.

  Mr. Gummer
  Following the 6 June Council of Agriculture Ministers shipments of beef have been resumed to all European Community countries. Austria has imposed import restrictions which we and the Commission are attempting to have lifted as soon as possible.

  Mr. Alison
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether his current scientific advice continues to show that beef is safe to eat.

  Mr. Gummer
  Yes.

  Mr. Robert Hicks
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he proposes to introduce any further measures to restore confidence in beef production and consumption; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  Our action on BSE will continue to be based on the best scientific evidence available. As the chief medical officer has said, British beef can be eaten safely by everyone. The special intervention arrangements now operating in the United Kingdom together with the lifting of the import bans imposed by certain countries should help to sustain the market.

  Agricultural Land
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to protect agricultural land.

  Mr. Curry
  I assume the hon. Member is referring to development involving agricultural land. Responsibility for day-to-day planning control, including the consideration and determination of applications for planning permission, rests with the appropriate planning authority in the first instance. The Government issue guidance to local authorities on development involving agricultural land, which is contained in Department of the Environment (Welsh Office) circular 16/87 (25/87) issued on 8 May 1987. Copies of the circular are available in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will take steps to release more agricultural land for purposes other than agriculture.

  Mr. Gummer
  The use of land for most purposes other than agriculture is controlled by the town and country planning system. Responsibility for day-to-day planning matters, including proposals for development involving agricultural land, rests with local planning authorities in the first instance. Other non-agricultural uses of land are a matter for individual landowners' decision.

  Beef Prices
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Meat and Livestock Commission to discuss beef prices.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Meat and Livestock Commission to discuss beef prices.
  334
  Mr. Gummer
  I am in regular contact with the chairman of the Meat and Livestock Commission about matters relating to the livestock and livestock products industries, including beef prices. I last met the chairman on 8 June following the special Agriculture Council on 6–7 June.

  Consumer Protection
  Dr. Kim Howells
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Consumers Association to discuss the protection of consumers.

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Consumers Association to discuss food safety.

  Mr. Maclean
  On 3 April 1990 representatives of the Consumers Association attended the first of the periodic meetings set up by my right hon. Friend with representatives of consumer organisations; a further meeting is planned for 12 July.

  Meat and Livestock Commission
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Meat and Livestock Commission; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Maclean
  I last met the chairman of the Meat and Livestock Commission on 8 June, following the special Agriculture Council on 6 and 7 June, to discuss the implementation of the new certification arrangements for exports of beef.

  Mr. John P. Smith
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Meat and Livestock Commission to discuss exports of meat.

  Mr. Curry
  My right hon. Friend met the chairman of the Meat and Livestock Commission on 8 June to discuss the new certification arrangements for exports of beef.

  Farm Animal Welfare Council
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reports he is awaiting from the Farm Animal Welfare Council.

  Mr. Maclean
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) on 19 April 1990 at column 1543.

  Mr. Jack Thompson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to abolish the Farm Animal Welfare Council.

  Mr. Maclean
  No.

  Fishing Industry
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the fishing industry in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Curry
  As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Wallace) on 17 May landings of all species by United Kingdom vessels in the United Kingdom for 1989 were worth some £389 million
  335
  compared with £396 million in 1988. While fishing opportunities and earnings for North sea cod and haddock in 1990 have been reduced, the estimated value of landings so far this year based on the latest available information is at least similar to that at the same time last year.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met representatives of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations to discuss catches.

  Mr. Curry
  I last met my hon. Friend the Member for St. Ives (Mr. Harris) together with representatives of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, on 14 June, when a number of issues including catches were discussed.

  Research
  Mr. Wolfson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the latest developments in horticultural research.

  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what contribution his Department is currently making towards agricultural research.

  Mr. Curry
  My Department continues to make a substantial contribution towards research of relevance to agriculture, horticulture and protection of the rural environment. This year (1990–91) alone we plan to spend some £80 million, out of a total R and D budget of some £121 million. Details of my Department's activities, including a full list of MAFF-funded research projects in agriculture and food, were made available at the MAFF conference, "Effective R and D: a partnership for the 1990s", on 4 June. I am placing copies of these publications in the Library of the House.

  In addition, my Department maintains close links with the other agricultural Departments, research councils and associations and other bodies on the development of research programmes in this country.

  Mrs. Roe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on recent developments in the structure of horticultural research.

  Mr. Curry
  I am delighted at the recent launch of the British Society for Horticultural Research. We now have a single, unified organisation capable of taking horticultural R and D well into the next century.

  Advisory Services
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which advisory and other services provided to farmers and fishermen are charged for in England.

  Mr. Curry
  My Department provides the following chargeable services to farmers and fishermen:

  Advisory work undertaken by the Agricultural Development Advisory Service (with the exception of advice on animal welfare, conservation and rural diversification which continues to be free of charge).

  Milk and dairies inspections.

  Licensing premises for the keeping of mink for fur-bearing purposes.

  Testing, registration and approval of laboratories under the Poultry Flocks, Hatcheries and Protein Processing (Fees) Order 1990.

  336

  Testing cattle for foot and mouth disease prior to export to the United States of America.

  Export inspection of poultry and hatching eggs.

  Artificial insemination licences and approvals.

  Waste food licensing.

  Pig health scheme.

  Poultry health scheme.

  Sheep and goat health scheme.

  Cattle health scheme.

  Deer health scheme.

  Approval of markets, assembly plants, pre-export private quarantine and isolation premises.

  Export of birds, poultry and hatching eggs—inspection by whole-time veterinary officers.

  Seed potatoes classification scheme. Plant health propagation scheme.

  Plant health export certification and export nursery approval scheme.

  Plant health import licences. Certain statistical data on the fishing industry. Shellfish export certificates.

  Analytical, consultancy, training and R and D services provided by the fish technology laboratory.

  Food (Consumer Spending)
  Mr. Squire
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he intends to commission research into the factors which influence consumer spending on food.

  Mr. Maclean
  My Department monitors consumer (household) expenditure on food through the national food survey. The results are published in the reports of the National Food Survey Committee and analyses are made into the variation in expenditure by type and size and income of household, by age of housewife, housing tenure and by region. The coverage and scale of the survey is being expanded.

  Set-aside Scheme
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the future of the set-aside scheme.

  Mr. Curry
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague).

  Consumers and Farmers (Meetings)
  Mr. Summerson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many times since 1 January he has met(a) farmers' representatives and (b) consumers' representatives.

  Mr. Gummer
  Since 1 January 1990, I have met representatives of farming unions seven times and representatives of consumers three times. The three meetings with consumers' representatives included one, at my request, at which 15 consumer organisations were represented. My hon. Friends the Parliamentary Secretaries have met with representatives of consumer and farming organisations on a further 15 occasions.

  Policy Decisions
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that policy decisions are based on sound scientific knowledge and advice.
  337
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the new arrangements for research funded by his Department.

  Mr. Gummer
  New procedures for the commissioning and assessment of research and development by the Ministry were formally introduced with effect from 1 April 1990. These will ensure that policy requirements are brought to bear more directly on the research that MAFF funds and, equally, that the research funded by MAFF has a direct impact on policy formation, as well as securing the best value for money in terms of both scientific quality and relevance to the Ministry's aims.

  Cereals
  Mr. David Davis
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the largest green pound discrepancy for cereals in the periods 1974 to 1979 and 1980 to 1989; and what was the largest devaluation achieved.

  Mr. Curry
  The largest green pound discrepancies for the cereals sector in the periods referred to by my hon. Friend, as measured by the percentage monetary compensatory amount (MCA), were 45·0 per cent. in November 1976 and 32·8 per cent. in February 1987.

  The largest devaluation of the green pound for cereals was 9·75 per cent. in August 1979.

  Agricultural Subsidies
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the cost per head of the subsidies given to British farmers as against the prices which would prevail in a free market in world agricultural produce.

  Mr. Maclean
  The estimate requested would be possible only by making a large number of assumptions about the extent of support policy adjustment worldwide, the impact of this on production, consumption and exchange rates and the extent to which these factors would influence world prices. No such estimates are available for the United Kingdom. The Government fully support the agreed long-term objectives of the GATT Uruguay round negotiation, namely substantial, progressive reductions in agricultural support and protection: this would reduce the cost of agricultural support borne by consumers and taxpayers.

  Live Exports
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that after 1992 calves exported live will not be housed subsequently in veal crates.

  Mr. Maclean
  Discussions are continuing in the European Community on Commission proposals for welfare standards for calves. I am pressing for the Community to adopt the present United Kingdom requirement for veal calf pen widths and for the EC legislation to be implemened at the earliest possible date.

  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what procedures he is proposing to ensure that current minimum standards in the care of live animals for export will be maintained after 1992.
  338
  Mr. Maclean
  We will be pressing for measures which fully safeguard animal welfare in negotiations on the Commission proposals for a Council regulation on the protection of animals during transport.

  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what procedures he is proposing to ensure that live animals, exported after 1992, are killed in slaughterhouses which match current United Kingdom standards.

  Mr. Maclean
  The EC Commission is preparing proposals for new rules on the welfare of animals at the time of slaughter. I shall be seeking to ensure that the standards which we consider to be necessary are applied thoughout the Community.

  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what efforts he is making to establish protection for live animals after 1992.

  Mr. Maclean
  Negotiations have been proceeding on Commission proposals for the protection of pigs and calves and at the Agriculture Council on 25 and 26 June If pressed for the earliest possible introduction of this legislation. I am also pressing for further comprehensive welfare safeguards to be introduced on a Community basis.

  Caseous Lymphadentitis
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields of 21 June,Official Report, column 652, whether the goats imported from Germany that were found to have caseous lymphadentitis were inspected by veterinarians for diseases other than foot and mouth, during their period of post-import quarantine; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  Animals in post-import quarantine are examined by official veterinarians on a number of occasions, including within 72 hours of the end of the quarantine period, for signs of notifiable disease. If, during the course of quarantine signs of other diseases are noted, a report must be made to the state veterinary service, and the owner of the quarantine premises can arrange for veterinary treatment as appropriate.

  Animal Feed (Ingredients)
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to introduce regulations under the Agriculture Act 1970 to require the declaration of the ingredients of animal feedstuffs; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  The United Kingdom is in fact a prime mover in the work that is going forward to produce regulations for the whole of the EC on ingredient listing. I have very recently pressed the Agriculture Commissioner for rapid progress on this.

  Zoo Animals
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields of 25 June,Official Report, column 28, how many animals in zoos have died of

  339
  spongiform encephalopathies; if he will list the species involved, the zoos concerned and the date detected in each case; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  Spongiform encephalopathies have been confirmed in five antelope in British zoos:

  — a nyala, died June 1986

  — a gemsbok, died June 1987

  — an Arabian oryx, died March 1989

  — a greater kudu, died August 1989

  — an eland, died December 1989

  A scientific paper published in 1980 reported the occurrence between 1974 and 1979 of chronic wasting disease, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, in 63 mule deer, one black-tailed deer and one mule deer crossed white-tailed deer in two wildlife parks in the United States of America. A paper published in 1982 reported the occurrence of the disease in six Rocky mountain elk in the same two wildlife parks.

  A spongiform encephalopathy was confirmed in four white tigers which died or were killed in Bristol zoo between 1970 and 1977. Experimental inoculations of brain material from the tigers gave no indication that the disease is transmissible.

  Surplus Food
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the invitation to organisations to participate in the 1990 surplus food scheme; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  I announced to the House on 19 March that the surplus food scheme would be continued for a further year. Following that announcement, the press coverage that attended it and the individual invitations issued by my Department, we have been able to designate 420 organisations to distribute approximately 3,800 tonnes of butter and 3,000 tonnes of beef to the most needy citizens of the United Kingdom.

  I have deliberately designated more organisations than in previous years in order to meet the criticism that there was "patchiness" in the availability of food across the country. But as the quantities are limited, it must be understood that the assistance must, necessarily, be spread more thinly as a result.

  The charitable and voluntary organisations wishing to participate asked for far more than is available under the scheme. I have therefore had to share the butter and beef as fairly as possible between them, by allocating to each organisation an amount proportional to the number of needy people it will reach. I have given special priority in allocating this food to organisations providing prepared meals and to those serving the homeless and destitute.

  I am placing a list of all the organisations I have designated to participate in this year's scheme in the Library of the House and my officials will now be writing to all organisations that applied.

  Fisheries Council
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the Fisheries Council held in Luxembourg on 27 June.

  Mr. Curry
  I represented the United Kingdom at the Council of Fisheries Ministers in Luxembourg on 27 June 1990 together with my noble Friend the Minister of State, Scottish Office.
  340
  There was a substantial discussion of the EC technical conservation arrangements. The Council agreed on the urgent need for action in the North sea. I stressed particularly the need to improve the selectivity of gear so that catches of immature North sea haddock and cod are reduced. As agreed at last December's Council, the Commission is to make proposals by the end of July; and the Council agreed to take decisions on these at the earliest possible opportunity.

  We also secured some valuable new fishing opportunities. The EC has gained increased west Greenland cod; and the Council agreed that this should be allocated according to the principle of relative stability, bringing our fleet 1,410 tonnes. In addition, in the light of scientific evidence, the Council agreed to increase the Irish sea sole TAC, bringing us an extra 170 tonnes, including a swap with the Netherlands.

  In response to strong Irish concerns, the Council agreed to adjust the staging of the EC catch of western horse mackerel. We safeguarded the position of our fishermen by ensuring that the tonnage put aside for the last four months of the year is more than the catch in the same period last year.

EMPLOYMENT

  Health and Safety Commission
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the Health and Safety Commission's financial bid for the financial year 1990–91; and how much it received.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The Government met the Health and Safety Commission's bid for 1990–91 in full and the financial provision is set out in the supply estimates published in March 1990.

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the grant in aid given to the Health and Safety Executive for each financial year since 1979.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Grant in aid provided for the Health and Safety Commission is as follows:

  Financial year

  Grant in aid £000s

  1979–80

  55,757

  1980–81

  70,970

  1981–82

  80,816

  1982–83

  81,335

  1983–84

  87,993

  1984–85

  90,298

  1985–86

  93,283

  1986–87

  94,334

  1987–88

  94,235

  1988–89

  97,390

  1989–90

  102,974

  1990–91

  116,557

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the dates of his last three meetings with the members of the Health and Safety Commission; and what was the purpose of each meeting.

  Mr. Nicholls
  My right hon. and learned Friend has had two meetings with members of the Health and Safety Commission since becoming Secretary of State. He met the
  341
  chairman of the commission on 31 January for a wide-ranging discussion on the work of the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive. He also met the chairman with five members of the commission on 31 May when they discussed the commission's plan of work for 1990–91 and beyond.

  Training
  Ms. Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) for each standard region and for Great Britain as a whole, how much expenditure, excluding administration costs, at cash and constant prices, was spent in each year since 1979 on(a) employment training, and the earlier programmes it replaced, (b) the youth training scheme, earlier youth opportunities programme, and (c) the enterprise allowance scheme;

  (2) for each Training Agency, formerly MSC, area and for Great Britain as a whole, how much expenditure, excluding administration costs, at cash and constant

  £ million

  Employment training

  Youth training scheme

  Enterprise allowance scheme

  Cash

  Constant

  Cash

  Constant

  Cash

  Constant

  1983–84

  618·2

  850·6

  720·6

  991·5

  23·2

  31·9

  1984–85

  749·1

  981·3

  796·5

  1,043·4

  76·8

  100·6

  1985–86

  867·2

  1,077·7

  818·2

  1,016·8

  103·9

  129·1

  1986–87

  1,255·1

  1,510·4

  875·1

  1,053·1

  143·4

  172·6

  1987–88

  1,328·0

  1,517·5

  1,007·3

  1,151·0

  195·9

  223·9

  1988–89

  1,290·0

  1,373·5

  993·2

  1,057·8

  196·7

  209·5

  1989–90

  1,120·8

  1,120·8

  976·0

  976·0

  170·9

  170·9

  Ms. Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for each region, and for Great Britain, for each month since July 1989, the number of employment training special group starts, separately for skill shortage recruits, labour market returners and single parents; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Safety Procedures (Departmental Guidance)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what guidance is offered by his Department to industrial companies wishing to implement safety procedures set out in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The Health and Safety Executive has committed substantial resources to ensuring industry's awareness and understanding of the requirements of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations. Over 4½ million free information leaflets have been distributed and detailed national guidance has been published including six approved codes of practice, a guide to assessment for employers and an open learning course.

  In addition, HSE inspectors have contributed to discussions, lectures, seminars and conferences on the regulations and offered guidance during the course of their visits to employers' premises. HSE has been working closely with industry organisations and employers to develop guidance for their members. There has also been a national publicity campaign and extensive use of local TV, radio and the press.
  342
  prices, was spent in each year since 1979 on (a) employment training, and the earlier programmes it replaced, (b) the youth training scheme, earlier youth opportunities programme, and (c) the enterprise allowance scheme.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The following table shows expenditure for Great Britain at cash and constant 1989–90 prices, excluding administration costs, in each year since 1983–84, on(a) employment training, (b) youth training scheme and (c) enterprise allowance scheme.

  It is not possible separately to identify administration costs in earlier years. A breakdown at levels lower than Great Britain is not available. Constant prices were calculated by use of the GDP deflator index from the Chancellor's "Financial Statement and Budget Report" published March 1990.

  New Businesses
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many new businesses have registered for value added tax in(a) Derbyshire and (b) the east midlands in the latest year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The latest available information is for 1988 and is given in the table. Early indications for 1989 from data collected by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise are that in the United Kingdom as a whole, there was a net increase of 1,500 a week on average, compared with 1,200 a week in 1988.

  Derbyshire

  East Midlands

  Registrations

  3,100

  15,200

  Deregistrations

  2,400

  11,100

  Net Change (per cent.)

  3·3

  4·0

  Wages Councils
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which classes of retail employers are covered by wages councils.

  Mr. Nicholls
  Employers engaged in the retail sale of items listed in schedule 2 to the Retail Trades Wages Council (Non-Food) (Abolition and Establishment) Order 1979 (Statutory Instrument No. 863 1979) and the Retail Trades Wages Council (Food and Allied Trades) (Abolition and Establishment) Order 1979 (Statutory Instrument No. 862 1979) are covered by the retail non-food and retail food wages councils respectively. Copies of the statutory instruments have been placed in the Library.

  Disablement Advisory Service
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to modify or alter the services offered by the Disablement Advisory Service within the next two years.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The service offered by the Disablement Advisory Service has been considered in the review of services for people with disabilities which my Department has just undertaken. We shall be publishing the consultative document giving the results of the review in the next few days.

  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list for each of the disablement advisory offices covering the district of West Yorkshire(a) the current action case load, (b) the case load for the preceding two years and (c) the current annual budget.

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

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Bus Privatisation
  Mr. Stott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to privatise Ulster Bus and City Bus.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  No.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give an estimate of the current number of homeless in Northern Ireland; and, of those, how many suffer from(a) alcoholism or drug dependency, (b) AIDS and (c) mental illness.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: No.

  Cerebral Palsy
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the long-term plans for dealing with educational, medical and social needs of children who suffer from cerebral palsy.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  [holding answer 26 June 1990]: The Government will continue to provide a wide range of services and facilities for children with cerebral palsy and other motor disorders. In addition, the United Kingdom is negotiating access to a planned new international institute for conductive education in Hungary and the role of that technique in complementing existing services in Northern Ireland will be considered when those negotiations are concluded.

  Anaesthetist, Downpatrick
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when a decision will be taken about the appointment of a third anaesthetist to the Down group of hospitals in Downpatrick.
  344
  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 26 June 1990]: The Eastern health and social services board has yet to decide whether the third anaesthetist post at the Down group of hospitals should be filled on a permanent basis. The matter will be considered by the board's policy and care review committee on 5 July 1990.

  Summer School, Dungannon
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will meet the officers of the Buddy Bear committee to discuss requirements for the summer school to be held in Dungannon.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  [holding answer 26 June 1990]: The Buddy Bear Trust has already provided me with details of its proposed summer school but, given the Government's overall policy on the introduction of conductive education into this country and the continuing need for evaluation of the technique, I have concluded that it would not be appropriate to provide financial assistance for this from public funds.

  I understand that the trust is also developing detailed proposals for a permanent institute for conductive education in Northern Ireland and I will carefully consider those proposals when they are made available.

  Dental Services
  Mr. Hume
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures have been taken or are planned with the introduction of a capitation scheme within the Government dental services to take account of the particular dental care needs of children in Northern Ireland with regard to levels of dental disease, deprivation factors and age profile of population.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 27 June 1990]: It is not intended to introduce any specific measures particular to Northern Ireland. Additional payments to dentists, in the form of a one-off entry payment and an increase in the capitation fee, are made for children with excessive dental decay.

  Energy Consumption
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give for each year from 1978 the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department, expressing the figures in(a) cash terms, (b) 1978–79 money terms and (c) units of consumption for electricity in kilowatt hours, gas in therms, liquid fuel in litres and solid fuel in tonnes.

  Mr. Cope
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The information requested for the years prior to 1983–84 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. From 1983–84 onwards the energy consumption and costs for the Northern Ireland Government Office estate, broken down by fuel, are as follows:

  Electricity

  Oil

  Gas

  1983–84

  Consumption

  25·5m KWh

  4·25m L

  72K th

  Cash prices

  £1,140,000

  £680,000

  £58,000

  1978–79 prices

  £619,691

  £286,181

  £26,342

  1984–85

  Consumption

  27·2m KWh

  4·65m L

  79K th

  345

  Electricity

  Oil

  Gas

  Cash prices

  £1,065,000

  £684,000

  £58,000

  1978–79 prices

  £567,279

  £267,630

  £25,784

  1985–86

  Consumption

  29·2m KWh

  4·8m L

  53K th

  Cash prices

  £1,423,000

  £861,000

  £44,000

  1978–79 prices

  £728,940

  £339,070

  £18,996

  1986–87

  Consumption

  34·1m KWh

  5·19 L

  27K th

  Cash prices

  £1,496,000

  £532,000

  £27,000

  1978–79 prices

  £766,335

  £261,884

  £11,541

  1987–88

  Consumption

  33·3m KWh

  5·14m L

  37K th

  Cash prices

  £1,540,000

  £437,000

  £26,000

  1978–79 prices

  £788,874

  £231,000

  £11,637

  1988–89

  Consumption

  33·3m KWh

  5·11m L

  —

  Cash prices

  £1,594,000

  £359,000

  —

  1978–79 prices

  £751,875

  £185,413

  —

  1989–90

  Consumption

  32·75m KWh

  4·98m L

  —

  Cash prices

  £1,601,000

  £449,000

  —

  1978–79 prices

  £708,835

  £202,660

  —

  Note: Cash prices have been converted to 1978–79 prices by reference to the rates of the elements of the retail prices index applicable to the respective fuels.

DEFENCE

  Astra (Ammunition Supplies)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates when, and persons with whom, his Department was in communication concerning the possible granting of contracts for the supply of ammunition to Her Majesty's forces by the Astra company; and what representations he has received since then from Astra concerning assurances allegedly given at that time.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  As part of their normal duties, many persons employed in my Department have been involved on numerous occasions in discussion with Astra regarding the supply of ammunition. My Department has no record of representations about alleged assurances.

  Security
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has had any discussions with his American counterpart concerning the development of the security posture called "special operations and low-intensity conflict" for western Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's northern flank.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  No.

  Research
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total identifiable expenditure on research by his Department in each year since 1979; what proportion 346
  was awarded on a customer-contractor basis; and what proportion of his total departmental budget was expended on research for each year.

  Mr. Neubert
  Research expenditure by the Ministry of Defence, net and inclusive of VAT, was as follows:

  Year

  £ million

  Percentage of defence budget

  1982–83

  305

  2·2

  1983–84

  358

  2·2

  1984–85

  393

  2·3

  1985–86

  399

  2·2

  1986–87

  408

  2·2

  1987–88

  396

  2·1

  1988–89

  386

  2·0

  Comparable figures are not available for years before 1982–83. Customer/supplier arrangements apply throughout MOD-funded research.

  Christmas Island
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn),Official Report, 13 June, column 243, he will set out the total financial compensation paid to the United Kingdom by the United States of America for the clean-up of the Christmas Island test site following the 1962 Operation Dominic tests to which he refers.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Operation Dominic tests were all high air bursts off Christmas Island, and did not result in significant contamination of the island; no special clean-up operations by the United Kingdom were, therefore, necessary as a result of these tests.

  RAF Stanmore Park (Explosion)
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an urgent statement on the explosion which occurred at RAF Stanmore Park on Thursday 21 June at 9.35 am.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  At approximately 8.15 am on 21 June a sports holdall was found by a civilian worker on the ground inside the perimeter fence at RAF Stanmore Park adjacent to a civilian workshop. The area was immediately cordoned off and evacuated.

  A bomb disposal team had begun clearance operations with the civil police when the holdall exploded at approximately 9.30 am. There were no injuries, but a nearby workshop was damaged.

  The police investigation is continuing.

  Airbus
  Mr. Rogers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any unsolicited proposal has been received from Airbus Industrie, or either of its partners, for adaptation of airbus civil aircraft for maritime reconnaissance or other weapons-carrying role.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  No.

  Boeing AWACS
  Mr. Rogers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department intends to purchase Boeing 707 aircraft to provide on-going training for aircrew of Royal Air Force Boeing AWACS aircraft.
  347
  Mr. Alan Clark
  No.

  Low Flying
  Mr. Jack Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the ratio of low-altitude military flights as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation exercises in the United Kingdom to those in the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Canada, the United States of America, Belgium and Turkey in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.

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

  Mr. Jack Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to limit the speed of aircraft involved in low-flying military exercises to 420 knots maximum.

  Mr. Neubert
  No.

  Mr. Jack Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to ban low-altitude military flights over nuclear plants, hospitals, schools, places of worship, public buildings or factories.

  Mr. Neubert
  Standing instructions already prohibit military aircraft from overflying nuclear installations at low level. Other cases where protection is sought from overflights by military aircraft at low level are considered on their individual merits and there are no plans to change this position.

  International Military Services
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether International Military Services has an office in Iran.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hamilton (Mr. Robertson) by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement on 12 January 1988 at column 199. The position remains the same.

  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether International Military Services has had any communication with the Libyan Government at any time in the last 10 years.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  I am assured by the company that it has not communicated with the Libyan Government at any time in the last 10 years.

  Options for Change
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 25 June, if he will state the exact number of staff within the Ministry of Defence who have been involved at various times in certain aspects of the options for change work in addition to their normal duties.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The number has varied considerably as more staff have been drawn into the work and consulted on particular aspects of it and as the level of activity has fluctuated. It is not, therefore, possible to give a precise figure.

  Iran
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether Rolls-Royce has sold Olympus and Proteus engines to the Iranian navy at any time in the last 10 years;
  348
  (2) whether spare parts for Chieftain tanks have been supplied to the Iranian Government at any time in the last 10 years;

  (3) whether Plessey has sold the Iranian Government air defence radars at any time in the past 10 years.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  It has been the policy of successive Administrations not to give details of defence equipment sales to specific countries. In respect of Iran, however, the guidelines on defence exports to that country announced by my right hon. and learned Friend, the then Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary on 29 October 1985,Official Report, column 450, have been rigorously applied since the date of their promulgation in December 1984.

  Libya
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the last 10 years contracts have been agreed for the supply of non-lethal military equipment to Libya.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  It has been the policy of successive Administrations not to give details of defence equipment exports to specific countries. The United Kingdom has, however, had an embargo on all new defence sales to Libya since May 1984.

  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any Libyan military officers have received any training in this country, at any time in the last 10 years.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  A number of Libyan junior naval officers attended basic training courses between 1980 and 1984 but all such training ceased after diplomatic relations were broken off in 1984.

  Soviet Union
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current assessment of the nature of the military threat from the Soviet Union; and what assessment of the potential military threat from that country has taken place as a result of the study of options for change.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  We welcome the major political changes in the Soviet Union and the shift in emphasis of Soviet military doctrine to defensive objectives. None-the-less, even after the implementation of a CFE agreement, the Soviet Union will remain the largest single military power in Europe. The changing circumstances in Europe are, of course, central to our examinations of options for change.

  Radar
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost of the independent environmental impact assessment being undertaken by W. S. Atkins in connection with the proposed radar installation on St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The cost of the independent environmental impact assessment for St. David's airfield is commercial-in-confidence. It is not the policy of my Department to disclose such information.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Retirement Pension
  Sir David Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in the light of the recent decision by the House of Lords in the case of James v. Eastleigh borough council, what changes he intends to propose in existing legislation to ensure equality of treatment between men and women in respect of the state retirement pension.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The James case was concerned with concessions to people by reference to their age. It has no effect on the law on social security, and therefore there is no need to amend that law in the light of this judgment.

  Computer Facilities
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what initiatives his Department is taking to develop its computer facilities in the north-west.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The Department continues to develop and improve its computer facilities in the north-west to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of our major programme for the computerisation of the social security benefits system. This includes an initiative to develop computer facilities for the new benefits for disabled people which are described in "The Way Ahead" (Cm 917).

  Disabled People
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to improve the benefit structure for disabled people with costs other than those relating to mobility and attendance.

  Mr. Scott
  The existing benefits structure already recognises that disabled people have extra costs. The OPCS surveys found that attendance allowance and mobility allowance are well directed towards the most common of the more costly disabilities. Equally important, these benefits provide help to people with other disabilities which are frequently combined with locomotion or self-care disabilities. The new disability allowance will build on that framework by offering a relatively simple and readily understood benefit to both severely and moderately disabled people.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to improve the structure of benefits for disabled people and their carers.

  Mr. Scott
  Our proposals to improve the balance and structure of social security benefits for disabled people and their carers are set out in "The Way Ahead: Benefits for Disabled People" (Cm 917), laid before the House on 10 January. In 1993–94 the changes will add some £300 million to the £8·3 billion we are already spending on benefits for long-term sick and disabled people and their carers.

  Departmental Research (Expenditure)
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security 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.
  350
  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Social Security became a separate Department in 1988. Research and development by DSS, all of which is managed on the customer-contractor principle, is financed through the social security research budget. For 1989–90, the total expenditure on research and development was £937,000. Information on the overall DSS budget for 1989–90 is not yet available. For 1988–89, the total research and development expenditure was £636,000, forming 0·0013 per cent. of the overall DSS budget.

  Information for earlier years has been published in the "Annual Review of Government Funded Research and Development", a copy of which is available in the Library.

  Income Support
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the extra cost at 1990–91 benefit rates of increasing the personal allowance for couples dependent on income support to twice the rate for a single person over the age of 25.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The estimated cost for all income-related benefits would be £1,200 million.

  Source: Modelled using data drawn from the 1985–86–87 Family Expenditure Surveys and the 1988 Annual Statistical Enquiry of Income Support recipients.

  Nuclear Test Veterans
  Mr. Ashley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the reply,Official Report, 13 June, column 215, to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South, if he will categorise the 248 claims for war pensions made by nuclear test veterans or their widows according to the medical condition which caused death or disablement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  I regret that the information is not immediately available, but it is being obtained. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

  Personal Pension Plans
  Sir John Stanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether bodies representing consumers' interests have been included in the interested bodies which have been asked for their views on the existing regulations on the disclosure of information to members of occupational and pension schemes referred to in his reply to the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling on 14 June,Official Report, column 331; and if he will list the interested bodies that have been asked for their views.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The bodies, including those representing consumers' interests, which have been asked for their views on the current regulations on disclosure of information are:

  Occupational Pensions Board

  Association of Consulting Actuaries

  Institute of Actuaries

  Faculty of Actuaries

  Nationalised Industries Pension Group

  Society of Pension Consultants

  Confederation of British Industry

  Trades Union Congress

  Association of British Insurers

  National Association of Pension Funds

  Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

  Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland

  Occupational Pensions Advisory Service

  Association of Pension Lawyers

  Fraud
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Poole (Mr. Ward) of 21 June, column 709, if he will send the hon. Member for Oldham, West a copy of the report "Working Together."

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Pursuant to the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Poole (Mr. Ward) on 21 June, a copy of the report "Working Together" was placed in the Library on that date. I am sending a copy to the hon. Member separately.

  Local Office, Cumbernauld
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current number of staff vacancies, identifying the number in each grade, at the DSS office in Cumbernauld.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Planning for future resource requirements is progressive and at 26 June 1990 there was only 0.5 local officer 1 vacancy to be filled. Arrangements have been made to fill this on 1 August 1990.

  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current staff establishment, identifying the number in each grade, at the DSS office in Cumbernauld.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  On 26 June 1990, the staff in post at Cumbernauld integrated local office was:

  Number

  Senior executive officer

  1

  Higher executive officer

  6

  Local officer 1

  30

  Local officer 2

  53

  Administrative assistant

  16

  Telephonist

  1

  Typist

  3

  Messenger

  1

  Total

  111

  In addition, eight casual administrative assistants are in post.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons who have received loans from the social fund are making repayments at(a) above 15 per cent., (b) 15 per cent., (c) above 10 per cent. but less than 15 per cent., (d) 10 per cent., (e) above 5 per cent. but less than 10 per cent., (f) 5 per cent. and (g) less than 5 per cent. of the income support applicable amount.

  Mr. Scott
  At 30 April 1990, the latest date for which data are available, 103,055 social fund loans were being recovered. A detailed breakdown of the percentage rates at which loans are being refunded by individual applicants is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Community Charge
  Sir Ian Gilmour
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the effect of a community charge levied at(a) £350 and (b) £450 on the replacement ratios,
  352
  expressed as out-of-work spending power divided by in-work spending power, of unemployed people under 25 years, living with their parents, and offered jobs at (a) £80 a week, (b) £100 a week and (c) £120 a week, assuming work expenses averaging £10 a week.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 5 June 1990]: The information is listed in the table. It should be noted that the results in the table remain arbitrary. They cannot reflect, except by chance, the actual circumstances of particular people and cannot claim to be representative of the population at large.

  Replacement ratios

  Gross earnings per week £

  Community charge £350 per cent.

  Community charge £450 per cent.

  80

  43

  43

  100

  36

  36

  120

  30

  31

  Notes:—

  1. The methods and assumptions are those used in the published Tax/Benefit Model Tables but in this example it has been assumed that no rent is payable.

  2. Rounded to the nearest per cent.

  Sir Ian Gilmour
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the effect of a community charge levied at(a) £350 and (b) £450 on the replacement ratios expressed as out-of-work spending power divided by in-work spending power, of a teenage, single mother with one child under five years, living with her parents, and offered a job at (a) £60 a week, (b) £80 a week, and (c) £100 a week, assuming fares to work and child-care costs totalling £50 a week.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 5 June 1990]: The information is listed in the table. It should be noted that the results in the table remain arbitrary. They cannot reflect, except by chance, the actual circumstances of particular people and cannot claim to be representative of the population at large.

  Replacement ratios

  Gross earnings per week £

  Community charge £350 per cent.

  Community charge £450 per cent.

  60

  56

  56

  80

  54

  54

  100

  51

  52

  Notes:

  1. The methods and assumptions are those used in the published Tax/Benefit Model Tables but in this example it has been assumed that no rent is payable.

  2. Rounded to the nearest per cent.

  Sir Ian Gilmour
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the effect of a community charge levied at(a) £350 and (b) £450 on the replacement ratios, expressed as out-of-work spending power divided by in-work spending power, of an unemployed man with non-earning wife and two children under five years, a mortgage of £40,000 and work expenses averaging £10 a week, assuming offer wages of £120, £140, £160, £180, £200, £220, £240, £260, £280 and £300 a week.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 5 June 1990]: The information is listed in the table. It should be noted that the results in the table remain arbitrary. They cannot

  353
  reflect, except by chance, the actual circumstances of particular people and cannot claim to be representative of the population at large.

  Replacement ratios

  Gross earnings per week £

  Community charge £350 per cent.

  Community charge £450 per cent.

  120

  264

  268

  140

  240

  243

  160

  221

  223

  180

  177

  178

  200

  144

  145

  220

  119

  123

  240

  102

  105

  260

  89

  91

  280

  78

  80

  300

  70

  72

  Notes:

  1. The methods and assumptions are those used in the published Tax/Benefit Model Tables but in this example mortgage interest payments were calculated assuming payment over 25 years and an interest rate of 15·4 per cent.

  2. Rounded to the nearest per cent.

  Pensions and Benefits
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what were the November 1979 and April 1990 rates of benefit in cash, giving couple and single rates separately where appropriate, and showing the percentage change in real terms, using the RPI and Rossi indexes for(a) November 1979 to April 1990 and (b) November 1979 to September 1989 for (i) retirement pension, (ii) non-contributory retirement pension, (iii) unemployment benefit, (iv) sickness benefit, (v) maternity allowance, (vi) child benefit, (vii) one-parent benefit, (viii) industrial disablement benefit, (ix) industrial death benefit, (x) war disablement pension, (xi) war widow's pension, (xii) attendance allowance, higher and lower rate, (xiii) invalid care allowance, (xiv) severe disablement allowance, (xv) mobility allowance and (xvi) supplementary benefit and income support personal allowance for (1) those aged 16 and 17 years, (2) those aged 18 to 24 years and (3) persons aged over 25 years;

  (2) if he will publish in the Official Report the (a) November 1979 and (b) April 1990 rates of benefit in cash, giving couple and single rates separately where appropriate, and showing (1) the percentage change in real terms, using the retail prices index and Rossi indexes as

  Table: Comparison of benefit rates

  November 1978 rates in cash

  November 1979 rates in cash

  November 1978 rates in April 1990 prices

  November 1979 rates in April 1990 prices

  April 1990 rates in cash

  Ratio of3 benefit to gross earnings November 1978 (per cent.)

  Ratio of benefit to gross earnings November 1979 (per cent.)

  Ratio of benefit to gross earnings April 1989 (per cent.)

  Percentage change November 1978 to April 1990

  Percentage change November 1979 to April 1990

  Percentage4 change between uprating periods November 1978–79 to April 1989–90

  Retirement pension

  Single person

  19·50

  23·30

  47·52

  48·38

  46·90

  26·9

  27·0

  20·5

  -1·3

  -3·1

  5·4

  Married couple

  31·20

  37·30

  76·04

  77·44

  75·10

  43·1

  43·3

  32·7

  -1·2

  -3·0

  5·4

  Unemployment benefit

  Single person

  15·75

  18·50

  38·38

  38·41

  37·35

  21·8

  21·5

  16·3

  -2·7

  -2·8

  3·8

  Married couple

  25·50

  29·95

  62·15

  62·18

  60·40

  35·2

  34·7

  26·3

  -2·8

  -2·9

  3·7

  Sickness benefit

  Single person

  15·75

  18·50

  38·38

  38·41

  37·70

  21·8

  21·5

  15·6

  -7·0

  -7·1

  -0·7

  Married couple

  25·50

  29·95

  62·15

  62·18

  57·80

  35·2

  34·7

  25·2

  -7·0

  -7·0

  -0·7

  Industrial disablement benefit

  31·90

  38·00

  77·74

  78·90

  76·60

  44·1

  44·1

  33·4

  -1·5

  -2·9

  5·2

  Industrial death benefit

  20·05

  23·85

  48·86

  49·52

  46·90

  27·7

  27·7

  20·5

  -4·0

  -5·3

  2·5

  354
  appropriate for the period November 1979 to September 1989, (2) the percentage change in real terms, using the retail prices index and Rossi indexes as appropriate for the period November 1979 to April 1990, (3) the percentage change in relation to the increase in male average earnings in the period November 1979 to September 1989, and (4) the percentage change in relation to the increase in male average earnings in the period November 1979 to April 1990 for (i) retirement pension, (ii) non-contributory retirement pension, (iii) unemployment benefit, (iv) sickness benefit, (v) maternity allowance, (vi) child benefit, (vii) one-parent benefit, (viii) industrial disablement benefit, (ix) industrial death benefit, (x) war disablement pension, (xi) war widow's pension, (xii) attendance allowance, higher and lower rate, (xiii) invalid care allowance, (xiv) severe disablement allowance, (xv) mobility allowance and (xvi) supplementary benefit/ income support personal allowance for (a) 16 to 17 years old, (b) 18 to 24 years old and (c) persons aged 25 years plus.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 15 June 1990]: I regret that it is not possible, on the basis of the information contained in the question, to provide the information requested in relation to the supplementary benefit and income support schemes. Nor, since September 1989 was not an uprating date, would it be appropriate to provide an analysis related to that date of the change in the value of the benefits listed.

  The table therefore provides figures on the same basis as in the answer to a comparable question from the hon. Member which I gave on 20 December 1989, updated to April 1990. As I pointed out at that time, comparisons over the period in question are complicated by the change in 1983 from uprating partly based on forecasts of future inflation to upratings based on known movements in the retail prices index to the latest available date. Moreover, in November 1979 long-term benefit rates were increased by 2 per cent. more than forecast inflation to make up for the fact that the forecast underlying the 1978 uprating had proved 2 per cent. lower than the actual growth in earnings of 13·3 per cent. between November 1977 and November 1978. The table gives the figures requested in relation to both 1978 and 1979. The retail prices index has been used as this is the appropriate index for those benefits listed in the table. It also shows the change in the average real value of benefit between the uprating years November 1978 to November 1979, and April 1989 to April 1990.
  355

  November 1978 rates in cash

  November 1979 rates in cash

  November 1978 rates in April 1990 prices

  November 1979 rates in April 1990 prices

  April 1990 rates in cash

  Ratio of3 benefit to gross earnings November 1978 (per cent.)

  Ratio of benefit to gross earnings November 1979 (per cent.)

  Ratio of benefit to gross earnings April 1989 (per cent.)

  Percentage change November 1978 to April 1990

  Percentage change November 1979 to April 1990

  Percentage4 change between uprating periods November 1978–79 to April 1989–90

  Maternity allowance

  Single person

  15·75

  18·50

  38·38

  38·41

  35·70

  21·8

  21·5

  15·6

  -7·0

  -7·1

  -0·7

  Married couple

  25·50

  29·95

  62·15

  62·18

  57·80

  35·2

  34·7

  25·2

  -7·0

  -7·0

  -0·7

  Non-contributory retirement pension

  Single person

  11·70

  14·00

  28·51

  29·07

  28·20

  16·2

  16·2

  12·3

  -1·1

  -3·0

  5·5

  Married couple

  18·75

  22·40

  45·70

  46·51

  45·05

  25·9

  26·0

  19·6

  -1·4

  -3·1

  5·2

  War disablement pension

  31·90

  38·00

  77·74

  78·90

  76·60

  44·1

  44·1

  33·4

  -1·5

  -2·9

  5·2

  War widows pension

  25·55

  30·45

  62·67

  63·22

  60·95

  35·3

  35·3

  26·7

  -2·7

  -3·6

  5·5

  Attendance allowance

  Higher rate

  15·60

  18·60

  38·02

  38·62

  37·55

  21·5

  21·6

  16·4

  -1·2

  -2·8

  5·4

  Lower rate

  10·40

  12·40

  25·35

  25·75

  25·05

  14·4

  14·4

  10·9

  -1·2

  -2·7

  5·6

  Invalid care allowance

  Single person

  11·70

  14·00

  28·51

  29·07

  28·20

  16·2

  16·2

  12·3

  -1·1

  -3·0

  5·5

  Married person

  18·75

  22·40

  45·70

  46·51

  45·05

  25·9

  26·0

  19·6

  -1·4

  -3·1

  5·2

  Severe disablement allowance

  Single person

  11·70

  14·00

  28·51

  29·07

  28·20

  16·20

  16·2

  12·3

  -1·1

  -3·0

  5·5

  Married couple

  18·75

  22·40

  45·70

  46·51

  45·05

  25·90

  26·0

  19·6

  -1·4

  -3·1

  5·2

  Mobility allowance1

  10·00

  12·00

  24·91

  24·91

  26·25

  13·8

  13·9

  11·4

  5·4

  5·4

  12·3

  Child benefit2

  3·00

  4·00

  7·31

  8·30

  7·25

  4·1

  4·6

  3·4

  -0·8

  -12·7

  -4·1

  One parent benefit

  2·00

  2·50

  4·87

  5·19

  5·60

  2·8

  2·9

  2·4

  15·0

  7·9

  22·3

  1 For mobility allowance, the initial uprating period is July 1979 to November 1979.

  2 For child benefit, the initial uprating period is April 1979 to November 1979.

  3 Average gross weekly earnings, all full-time workers on adult rates (Source: New Earnings Survey 1989—the latest available information). Interpolated by the seasonally adjusted monthly index of average earnings, all employees in industries and services (published by DE).

  4 The percentage change between uprating periods is calculated as the percentage change in the average real value of benefits during the uprating period April 1989 to April 1990, as compared to the period November 1978 to November 1979.

  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to provide a substantive reply to the question regarding the value of benefits in 1979 and 1990 tabled for answer on 15 June.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  I have replied to the hon. Member's question today.

  Family Credit
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Department of Social Security employees are in receipt of family credit.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 25 June 1990]: The number of employees in receipt of family credit is 570, including those cases where the family credit is received by the partner of an employee.

  IMF AND STERLING
  IMF AND STERLING
  LAND REGISTRY
  LAND REGISTRY
  WEST MIDLANDS RHA PLAN: CONSULTATIONS
  WEST MIDLANDS RHA PLAN: CONSULTATIONS
  BSE: DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION
  BSE: DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION
  BSE: SCREENING
  BSE: SCREENING
  DIMETHOATE PESTICIDE
  DIMETHOATE PESTICIDE
  PRISONERS: CLOTHING ARRANGEMENTS
  PRISONERS: CLOTHING ARRANGEMENTS