Written Answers of 13 November 1990

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Prisoners (Letters)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of letters that an inmate in prisons in England and Wales is allowed to send out per week if the inmate pays for the postage of his or her letter.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The minimum entitlement of letters that a convicted inmate may send out at his or her own expense is one per week—two in the case of young offenders. However, inmates at establishments where only a random sample of correspondence is read are usually able to send out more letters than the minimum entitlement. Inmates at establishments where there is no routine reading of correspondence may send as many letters as they like. Unconvicted inmates may pay for and send as many letters as they wish.

  Disabled People (Access)
  Mr. Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that cinema regulations are drafted to ensure that people with guide dogs, and wheelchair users, can be admitted to any performances.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Cinematograph (Safety) Regulations 1955 do not prohibit access by people with guide dogs or wheelchairs. They provide that invalids may be permitted, notwithstanding other requirements of the regulations, with the consent of and subject to any conditions imposed by the licensing authority. Practical guidance on the accommodation of wheelchair users is contained in the Home Department's booklet "Recommendations on Safety in Cinemas" which was published in 1955. It is for cinema proprietors to make appropriate arrangements for wheelchair users in consultation with the licensing authority. In new buildings such access must be provided, but whether wheelchair users can in practice be given access and accommodated in existing buildings may well depend on the design and structure of the building.

  Prisons (Visitors Centres)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the amount of money allocated and paid by his Department to visitors centres in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The amounts allocated and paid towards running costs by the Department to visitors' centres at prisons in England and Wales are shown in the table:
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  Financial Year

  £

  1987–88

  12,000

  1988–89

  12,000

  1989–90

  49,000

  In the current financial year, 1990–91, grants totalling £103,000 will be paid.

  Boundary Commission
  Mr. Moate
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the programme for the Boundaries Commission's examination of parliamentary constituencies, with particular reference to Kent.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The Boundary Commission for England intends to start its general review of constituencies early in 1991. It will become clearer as the review proceeds when it will look at any particular area. The commission is required to report between 1993 and 1998.

  Rwakitangam Turyamureeba
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Rwakitangam Turyamureeba, a citizen of Uganda, has been held in detention since 17 May; and when a decision will be reached on his application for political asylum.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Mr. Turyamureeba has been detained because the immigration officer, having considered all the circumstances, could not be satisfied that he would comply with the terms of any temporary admission granted. It is expected that a final decision will be reached shortly.

  Malicious Communications
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list all cases of prosecutions brought since 1988 under the Malicious Communications Act; what was the nature of the offence in each case; and what was the outcome of those prosecutions.

  Mr. John Patten
  In England and Wales in 1988 there were three prosecutions under the Malicious Communications Act 1988. Of these, two were convicted; one fined and the other sentenced to immediate custody. Information is not collected centrally on the nature of the offence. Data for 1989 are not yet available.

  Football Matches
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department plans to issue a circular to police authorities advising them on whether to make a full economic charge for officers engaged at football matches; what factors are taken into account in assessing the full economic cost; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  We have consulted the football authorities, the local authority associations and police representative bodies on the terms of a Home Office circular advising police authorities to recover as far as practicable the full cost of providing police officers inside football grounds. We are now considering the comments made on the draft and hope to issue the circular as soon as practicable.

  Race Relations
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total Government expenditure on funding under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 for 1989–90 and 1990–91, itemised by borough and identifying for each borough the amount of education expenditure for those financial years.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 23 October at columns 126–28 for the amount of grant paid to each borough in 1989–90, under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966.

  The figures for grant to be paid in 1990–91 are not yet available.

  Precise figures for the proportion of grant paid for education expenditure to each authority are not available, but it is estimated that education provision accounts for approximately 80 per cent. of total grant.

  Plant Theft
  Mr. Shersby
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress that has been made by the working party on plant theft.

  Mr. John Patten
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: The working party agreed proposals announced in September 1989 for a voluntary scheme to combat theft by manufacturers marking new plant with a 17-digit identifying number and issuing plant identity documents. The working party is giving further consideration to means of promoting implementation of the scheme nationally and internationally.

  Constituencies
  Mr. Moate
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing in descending order of size the electorate of each parliamentary constituency, based on the 1990 register.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I have been asked to reply.

  The information requested is published in "Electoral Statistics 1990"—Series EL no 17—a copy of which is

  Name of Defendant

  Date

  Court

  Result

  J. Kinnon

  March 1986

  Dudley Crown Court

  Convicted

  R. Trehane1

  March 1986

  Bodmin Crown Court

  Convicted

  D. Cullingford1

  Convicted

  R. Bearsford-Walker1

  Convicted

  L. Bearsford-Walker1

  Convicted

  K. Rowe1

  Convicted

  S. Knight1

  Convicted

  A. Shotton1

  April 1986

  Maidstone Crown Court

  Acquitted

  A. Waite1

  Acquitted

  D. Owens1

  May 1986

  Leeds Crown Court

  Convicted

  J. Tyndall1

  July 1986

  Southwark Crown Court

  Convicted

  J. Morse1

  Convicted

  M. Atkinson

  May 1988

  Chertsey Magistrates Court

  Convicted

  J. Kinnon

  August 1988

  Dudley Crown Court

  Convicted

  J. Kinnon

  February 1990

  Dudley Crown Court

  Bound over

  1 Denotes a prosecution involving an allegation that anti-Jewish material was published or distributed.

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  available in the Library. Table 1.3 lists, in order, the 20 parliamentary constituencies with the largest and smallest electorates in 1990 and table 1.4 shows the 1990 rank order of each constituency in the United Kingdom.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Housing Law
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Attorney-General whether the Lord Chancellor has any plans to introduce legislation to provide procedures for the resolution of housing law cases by means of arbitration or other alternative forms of dispute resolution; and if he will make a statement.

  The Solicitor-General
  As part of his five year programme for the implementation of the civil justice review, my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor intends to introduce a new housing action based on the informal arbitration procedure used in small claims cases in the county courts. The precise scope and form of the new procedure, which will not be introduced before 1992, will depend on the results of prior consultation.

  Anti-Semitic literature
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Attorney-General whether he will list all cases of prosecutions brought by the Crown prosecution service since 1986, under the Public Order Acts, in respect of the distribution of anti-Semitic literature; what month and year and in which courts the cases were heard; and what was the outcome of those prosecutions.

  The Attorney-General
  Fifteen prosecutions for incitement to racial hatred have been brought under section 5A of the Public Order Act 1936, or under part III of the Public Order Act 1986, in 1986 and subsequent years. Of these, 11 prosecutions included allegations that anti-Jewish material had been published or distributed. Proceedings have been begun, but not concluded, in a further case; this too involves an allegation that anti-Jewish material has been distributed. The details of prosecutions that have been concluded are as follows:

ENVIRONMENT

  Litter
  Miss Widdecombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to issue the code of practice on litter and refuse foreshadowed in part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

  Mr. Trippier
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today laid before Parliament the statutory code of practice on litter and refuse envisaged in section 89(7) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. A copy is being sent to all local authorities and other interested bodies.

  Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act underpins the Government's drive to tackle the serious problem of litter, which scars our towns and our countryside. The Act places a duty on local authorities and certain other bodies throughout Great Britain to keep land clear of litter and refuse. We intend that the duty will apply to local authorities and the Crown from 1 April 1991; there will be certain transitional provisions in relation to authorities who have already let street cleaning contracts under the Local Government Act 1988. We will shortly be making an announcement about the other bodies to whom we propose that the duty should apply.

  The Act also increases the maximum fine for littering from £400 to £1,000 and gives powers to local authorities to introduce fixed penalty schemes, to designate litter control areas and to issue street litter control notices.

  The code of practice is another important part of our war against litter. It is designed to give practical guidance to local authorities and other bodies who will be covered by the litter duty. It was drawn up with the help of an advisory group containing experts from local authorities and other organisations.

  The code breaks new ground in its approach to litter clearance. For the first time, it sets out standards of cleanliness which should be achievable in different types of location under different circumstances. This should help to establish common standards of cleanliness throughout Britain; and will make it possible for an organisation under the litter duty to assess its performance.

  The code also concentrates on how clean land is rather than how often it is cleaned. This should change the approach taken by many authorities up till now. The emphasis will no longer be on sweeping frequencies but on targeting litter blackspots while reducing sweeping frequencies in areas which all but escape litter. The motto is "If it isn't dirty, don't clean it".

  I know that the Government's determination to deal with litter is shared by members of the public and by local authorities up and down the country. The code which we have published today should help to translate that determination into results.

  Tourism
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities which will benefit from the increase in support granted to assist tourist areas.

  Mr. Key
  The proposed increase in the weight given to the tourist element in the 1991–92 standard spending assessment formula benefits the following local authorities.90

  Allerdale

  Alnwick

  Arun

  Avon

  Babergh

  Bassetlaw

  Bath

  Berkshire

  Berwick-upon-Tweed

  Blackpool

  Bournemouth

  Breckland

  Brighton

  Bristol

  Cambridge

  Canterbury

  Caradon

  Carrick

  Chester

  Chichester

  Christchurch

  City of London

  Cleethorpes

  Cornwall

  Craven

  Cumbria

  Derbyshire Dales

  Devon

  Dorset

  Dover

  East Devon

  East Hampshire

  East Lindsey

  East Sussex

  East Yorkshire

  Eastbourne

  Eden

  Exeter

  Fylde

  Great Yarmouth

  Guildford

  Hambleton

  Hampshire

  Harrogate

  Hastings

  Havant

  Hereford

  High Peak

  Hillingdon

  Horsham

  Humberside

  Ipswich

  Isle of Wight

  Isles of Wight

  Isles of Scilly

  Kennet

  Kensington and Chelsea

  Kent

  King's Lynn and West Norfolk

  Lancashire

  Lancaster

  Leicester

  Leominster

  Lewes

  Lincoln

  Lincolnshire

  Liverpool

  Luton

  Macclesfield

  Malvern Hills

  Manchester

  Medina

  Mendip

  Mole Valley

  New Forest

  Norfolk

  North Bedfordshire

  North Cornwall

  North Devon

  North Dorset

  North Hertfordshire

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  North Norfolk

  North Yorkshire

  Northumberland

  Norwich

  Nottingham

  Oxford

  Penwith

  Plymouth

  Poole

  Portsmouth

  Preston

  Purbeck

  Reading

  Restormel

  Richmondshire

  Rochford

  Rother

  Salisbury

  Scarborough

  Sedgemoor

  Shepway

  Slough

  Somerset

  South Bedfordshire

  South Hams

  South Herefordshire

  South Lakeland

  South Shropshire

  South Wight

  Southampton

  Stratford on Avon

  Suffolk

  Suffolk Coastal

  Taunton Deane

  Teignbridge

  Tendring

  Tewkesbury

  Thanet

  Torbay

  Torridge

  Tunbridge Wells

  Tynedale

  Vale Royal

  Waveney

  West Devon

  West Dorset

  West Somerset

  West Sussex

  Westminster

  Weymouth and Portland

  Windsor and Maidenhead

  Woodspring

  York

  Community Charge
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities which he now expects to levy a community charge of below £200 in 1991 and those levying such a charge in 1990.

  Mr. Key
  The Government have not made any predictions of community charge levels for particular authorities for 1991–92. Wandsworth and Westminster set charges below £200 for 1990–91.

  Urban Development Corporations
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what alternative strategy for urban development corporations he is recommending to deal with recession in the property market; if he will now give local authorities, community development trusts and local businesses land and resources to enable them to come forward with alternative schemes to provide local employment and affordable housing in urban development corporation areas; and if he will make a statement.
  92
  Mr. Portillo
  I am content with the strategies currently being pursued by the urban development corporations.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which individual urban development corporation projects have been postponed; which individual projects have been cancelled; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  Urban development corporations budget for a wide range of projects. The precise mix is constantly under review and revision in the light of changing circumstances and priorities.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land is currently owned by urban development corporations in England; how long it has been in their ownership; and what plans there are for its development by the private sector.

  Mr. Portillo
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: Urban development corporations currently own about 2,000 hectares which they will put to a wide variety of development, environmental and infrastructure uses. Information on how long they have held each plot of land is not readily available.

  Vacant Public Land
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities in London were sent copies of the consultation paper encouraging the use of vacant public land; and when they were despatched.

  Mr. Atkins
  The consultation paper was sent to the local authority association on 12 September. I understand that some authorities have since received copies from their association. Eight authorities in London have requested and been sent copies directly by my Department.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many submissions he has received to the consultation paper on encouraging the use of vacant public land; and how many were from local authorities.

  Mr. Atkins
  A total of 73 responses had been received by 9 November. These included five from the local authority associations and 22 from individual authorities.

  SERPLAN Statement
  Mr. Durant
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he intends to respond to the SERPLAN regional statement, "A New Strategy for the South East".

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  I welcome SERPLAN's regional statement which is an important step towards developing new regional planning guidance for the south-east. The existing regional guidance is set out in my Department's planning policy guidance note No. 9 of February 1989. Such guidance is intended to provide a framework for the preparation of structure plans by county councils. The Government will now review the existing guidance in the light of SERPLAN's statement. We will also take account of any relevant views expressed by other persons or organisations. Those wishing their views to be taken into account should send them to my Department by the end of 1990. To assist consideration of the issues concerned, my Department will be holding a conference early in 1991, at
  93
  which invited parties will be able to express their views. We will later publish—for consultation—draft regional planning guidance for the south-east.

  Satellite Television
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, following the merger of British Satellite Broadcasting and Sky Television, he proposes to amend the revised planning controls over satellite television antennas that he announced on 1 November.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  Clearly the position on satellite dishes has changed with the recently announced merger of BSB and Sky Television and the proposed adoption of the Astra satellite broadcasting system. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales will therefore be reviewing the proposed changes to the General Development Order in the light of developments.

  Ozone Layer
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the effects of using methylene chloride in regard to Her Majesty's Government's policies towards protecting the ozone layer.

  Mr. Trippier
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: Methylene chloride is not thought to make any significant contribution to ozone depletion. It can be used as a substitute for CFC 11 in the manufacture of flexible foam.

  Somerset Levels
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy in respect of the protection of the Somerset levels.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: We will continue to ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained between nature conservation interests, the needs of the rural community, and all other interests of the area.

  Inland Waterways
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to require the clearance from inland waterways of rubbish which neither threatens flood capacity nor inhibits the passage of barges; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 will place a new duty on local authorities, designated statutory undertakers—the definition of designated statutory undertakers given in the Act includes
  "any person authorised by an enactment to carry on any canal, inland navigation, dock, harbour or pier undertaking"
  and other bodies—to keep their land clear of litter and refuse. We expect the duty to apply to all urban waterway towpaths and embankments to which the public are entitled or permitted to have access. Land in this context does not include water. We consider that existing legislation contains adequate provision to deal with the problem of litter on and within bodies of water.

  Leybucht Bay
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated cost to public funds of his Department's legal representation in support of the German Federal Republic against the European Commission in the Leybucht Bay case.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: I regret that this information is not available.

  Carbon Dioxide Emissions
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state in the Official Report the bases of the figures and results used in the diagram on page 73 of Cm 1200, "Contribution of transport to CO2 levels" with particular reference to the comparable figures shown therein relating to the London underground and motor cars.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  I have been asked to reply.

  I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

ENERGY

  Electricity Generation
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of electricity generated in Great Britain in 1989 was generated from coal, oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, respectively.

  Mr. Wakeham
  The proportions of fuel used to generate electricity in 1989 in Great Britain are as follows:

  Fuel used in electricity generation1

  Percentage share

  Coal

  71

  Nuclear

  21

  Oil2

  6

  Renewables3

  2

  The amount of gas used to generate electricity accounts for less than 0·1 per cent. of the total.

  1Coverage relates to those generating companies formerly comprising the public electricity supply system in Great Britain: National Power, PowerGen, Nuclear Electric, National Grid Company, Scottish Power, Scottish Hydro, Scottish Nuclear, Midlands Electricity and South Western Electricity.

  2Including oil used in gas turbine and diesel plant or for lighting up coal fired boilers, and Orimulsion.

  3Mainly natural flow hydro.

  Energy Initiative Club
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy by whom Dr. James Smith was advised not to address the Energy Initiative Club on 25 October.

  Mr. Wakeham
  This is a matter for Dr. James Smith.

  Renewable Energy
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he plans to ask the European Commission to extend beyond 1998 the present favourable terms for the purchase by public electricity supply companies of electricity generated from renewable sources;

  (2) if he plans to approach the European Commission to extend beyond 1998 the present favourable terms for the purchasing of non-fossil fuel generated electricity.
  95
  Mr. Baldry
  My Department will continue to keep under review whether to seek the European Commission's approval to extend the fossil fuel levy beyond 1998. However, I am confident that the 12 regional electricity companies in England and Wales currently have the flexibilities that they need in order to be able to offer bankable contracts to renewables operators seeking to contract within the non-fossil fuel obligation.

  Electricity Privatisation
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether any of the companies advising him on electricity privatisation have been criticised by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors since 1979 in reports which were not published.

  Mr. Wakeham
  I cannot disclose details of unpublished reports.

  Non-fossil Fuel Purchasing Agency
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has any plans to increase the scope and funding for the Non-Fossil Fuel Purchasing Agency; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  This is a matter for the 12 regional electricity companies in England and Wales, whose agent the NFPA is.

  Electricity Generating Stations
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list those companies which have sought consent for projects for gas-fired electricity generating stations showing in the case of consortia the constituent companies.

  Mr. Wakeham
  Since the Electricity Act 1989 came into force on 31 March 1990 I have granted my consent under section 36 for the construction and operation of the following gas turbine stations.

  Company

  Killingholme "A", Humberside

  National Power plc

  Wilton, Cleveland

  Teeside Power Co. Ltd. (Enron/ ICI)

  I am currently considering applications for my consent under section 36 to construct and operate the following gas turbine stations.

  Company

  Little Barford, Bedfordshire

  National Power plc

  Rye House, Hertfordshire

  PowerGen plc

  Shotton, Clwyd

  Deeside Power Development Co. Ltd. (Asea Brown Boveri Energy Ventures Ltd.)

  Keadby, Humberside

  Energy Resources Ltd.

  Plymouth, Devon

  PowerGen plc

  Staythorpe "C", Nottinghamshire

  National Power plc

  Rugby, Warwickshire

  Rugby Power Co. Ltd. (John Brown Engineering Ltd., East Midlands Electricity)

  Angle Bay, Pembrokeshire

  Texaco Ltd.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Cattle Carcases
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what facilities there are for the disposal of carcases of dead cattle in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Brooke
  In disposing of carcases of dead animals, agriculture producers in Northern Ireland have options of burial on their own land, subject to meeting environmental requirements; an arrangement with a registered protein processor or his agent; or disposal at authorised land-fill sites by arrangement with licensees. In addition there is a limited kennel market outlet.

  Milk Industry
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the industrial development boards have made representations to countries in the middle east to accept milk products from Northern Ireland; what support is being given to Pritchitt Foods in Newtownards; how many redundancies have been announced at its plant in Newtownards; what is the impact of the Gulf crisis on exports by the Northern Ireland milk industry; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given him by my hon. Friend the Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry) on 24 October at column 211. Representations to countries in the middle east to accept milk products from Northern Ireland have been made by the Ministry for Agriculture and Food, rather than the Industrial Development Board, as the restrictions are the result of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

  Since 1984 the IDB has offered financial assistance to Pritchitt Foods totalling £1,941,040 towards three capital investment projects and three R and D projects. In addition, the company has been offered financial support totalling £125,970 on nine applications for marketing support assistance.

  Since 1 January 1988, the IDB's ability to assist the company financially has been constrained by EC restrictions on member states grant aiding dairy companies manufacturing the type of products in which Pritchitt Foods specialises.

  On 15 October 1990 the company announced 40 redundancies.

  One other Northern Ireland dairy company has been affected by the embargo on trade with Iraq and only in a marginal way. It has succeeded in diverting its products to alternative export markets.

  Parking, Donaghadee
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many days in October traffic wardens visited New street, Donaghadee; what arrangements have been made for business men to park their vehicles for loading at New street; what alternative proposals he has for a new central car park in Donaghadee; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: Detailed information on the frequency with which traffic

  97
  wardens visit individual streets in Donaghadee is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Roads (Restriction of waiting) Order (NI) 1982 permits a vehicle to wait on a public road for as long as may be necessary to enable goods to be loaded and unloaded. The roads service is currently investigating potential car parking sites in the centre of Donaghadee.

PRIME MINISTER

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 13 November.

  The Prime Minister
  This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, including one with Professor Landsbergis of Lithuania. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

TRANSPORT

  M1
  Mr. Hague
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will be able to advise the House of the resull of the experiment involving the trial of 70 mph repeater signs on the M1 motorway.

  Mr. Chope
  The results of the experiment from September 1988 to September 1989 involving the trial of 70 mph repeater signs on a 20-mile stretch of the M I are available in a report published by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory entitled "An assessment of the effect of 70 mph repeater signs on the M1 motorway". I have placed a copy of this report in the Library of the House.

  EC Transport Council
  Sir Rhodes Boyson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the outcome of the meeting with the European Community Transport Council on 30 October.

  Mr. Parkinson
  My hon. Friend the Minister for Public Transport attended the meeting of the European Council of Transport Ministers which was held in Luxembourg on 30 October.

  Most of the items considered by the Council concerned inland transport. The Council discussed the recent disputes affecting certain border crossings and the transit negotiations with third countries—Austria, Switzerland and Yugoslavia. It also discussed measures to be taken in the event of a crisis in the road haulage sector and an increase in the Community quotas of road haulage permits but did not come to any firm decisions on these two items. They will be discussed again at the December Transport Council. The Council did agree, however, that the Commission should be given a mandate, in consultation with the member states, to negotiate with non-EC countries on the alignment of the drivers hours' rules in the Community and AETR—the European agreement concerning the work of crews of vehicles engaged in international road transport). The Council also agreed a resolution on setting up a high level group to study the prospects for a European combined transport network.

  At the June Transport Council, member states had reached agreement in principle on an ad hoc three-year
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  programme for EC transport infrastructure funding until the end of 1992. Some points, however, had remained outstanding, and the Council on 30 October made good progress towards resolving these. It now seems likely that the proposal will be finally adopted shortly

  The Council reached a general agreement on the text of a report to the European Council concerning the memorandum produced by the Netherlands entitled "A Transport Policy for Europe". The report welcomed the objective reaffirmed by the memorandum that an internal market in the transport sector should be achieved between now and 1 January 1993, and set out the Council's view of the lines along which Community transport policy should be developed. The Council also discussed fiscal harmonisation and the length of road trains, without coming to agreement on either topic.

  Under "other business", my hon. Friend raised the issue of airport slot allocations and stressed the Government's concern that the Commission's proposed block exemption regulation was premature in creating new policy in this area in view of the fact that in the near future the Council was due to consider another Commission proposal on common rules for slot allocations. Other issues also briefly discussed included the aviation negotiations with Norway and Sweden and the nationality clause in air services agreements.

  London Underground
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to reassess the feasibility of extending the London underground to Thamesmead; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  London Transport and the London Docklands development corporation intend to mount a further study of the case for extending the rail network through the royal docks to Woolwich Arsenal and Thamesmead. The option of extending the Jubilee line through the royal docks is being safeguarded by the provision of a step-plate junction for which powers are being sought in the Bill now before Parliament.

  Network SouthEast
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Networker rolling stock to be introduced on Kent Link services operated by Network SouthEast.

  Mr. Freeman
  I understand that the first class 465 Networker is due to be delivered to Kent Link in September 1991.

  Rail Track Pollution
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he plans to take to reduce the risks of infection identified in the British Transport Commission report on track pollution problems, and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  Recent advice from the Health and Safety Executive's employment medical advisory service confirms that the risk of infection by material on railway tracks discharged from train toilets is slight. The railway industry advisory committee of the Health and Safety Commission, which is chaired by the chief inspecting
  99
  officer of railways has discussed this matter and keeps it under review. The railway inspectorate is in touch with the British Railways Board to consider whether any further measures are appropriate. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis) on 12 November at column 62.

  Underground Escalators
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether he will take steps to enable managers of London Underground Ltd. to study how other urban transport systems facilitate access to the underground system by the disabled, elderly or those with young children when escalators are out of action; and whether he will make a statement;

  (2) whether he has any information as to how long the escalators at Walthamstow underground station were out of action this year; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) whether he has any information as to why the escalators at Vauxhall underground station have been out of action for one year; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  The operation of escalators on London's underground system is the responsibility of London Underground Limited. I suggest that the hon. Member contact LUL direct. I have forwarded the hon. Member's comments to the managing director of London Underground Ltd.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Southern Africa
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase aid to Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference for production and trade programmes.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We shall be considering the future level, and uses, of our support for the regional programmes of the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference—SADCC—in advance of the annual consultative conference in early 1991. The pledge of £10 million, made in January this year, brings the total of our support for SADCC since its inception in 1980 to £70 million.

  Mozambique
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase Britain's contribution to the United Nations Mozambique emergency appeal.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We pledged 10,000 tonnes of food and £3·5 million of non-food assistance in response to the United Nations emergency appeal in April and a further £3 million to UNHCR in June in support of Mozambican refugees. This brought the total of our emergency assistance to Mozambique since 1987 to more than £55 million, including our share of such aid from the European Community. We are in touch with the Mozambican authorities and with British voluntary agencies about allocation of funds pledged but not yet committed. We will continue to do what we can to assist.

  Development Council
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Development Council on 5 November.

  Mrs. Chalker
  The Development Council addressed a range of important issues at its meeting on 5 November, including new proposals for assistance to Asia and Latin America, and to the Mediterranean. I stressed the importance of reforming the tropical forestry action plan, as described yesterday during my evidence to the Environment Select Committee of this House. I also expressed our grave concern at the situation in the Horn of Africa, and announced that Britain would give 10,000 tonnes of cereals and 400 tonnes of wheatflour worth approximately £2 million through CARE for the Sudan.

  Burma
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the dates when decisions were made to allocate United Kingdom aid to support contracts won by British companies, to provide power generating plant to Burma.

  Mrs. Chalker
  Aid and trade provision grants have been allocated in support of two contracts won by John Brown Engineering in Burma, each to provide three gas turbine generator sets and ancillary equipment. The dates of the agreements with the Burmese Government were 3 April 1980 and 6 August 1982 respectively.

  Military Training
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list all occasions on which the costs of providing military training to developing countries has been met by the Overseas Development Administration since 1979; and what was the amount paid in each case;

  (2) whether the Overseas Development Administration paid any amount towards the cost of providing free military training to the Filipino presidential security guard in March and April.

  Mrs. Chalker
  There are none. The overseas aid programme is not used in the Philippines or elsewhere to finance military training.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Religious Education
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the projects funded by his Department in the field of religious education over the past five years giving the organisation funded and the cost of each project.

  Mr. Eggar
  The Department funded a project by the Christian Education Movement from April 1988 to December 1989, when responsibility was transferred to the National Curriculum Council. The project is concerned with the teaching of personal and social values through religious education in secondary school years four and five. It is due to be completed in March 1991 at a total cost of £120,000.

  Haberdashers' Aske's CTC
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what numbers of pupils he has agreed should be admitted into the first-year group at the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college in September 1991; and how many places will be available in the current year group for(a) boys and (b) girls;

  (2) what is the total number of pupils he intends to fund at the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college when it becomes fully operational.

  Mr. Eggar
  The Haberdashers' Aske's CTC Trust has not yet submitted its admissions policy for my right hon. and learned Friend's agreement. Under the provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, selection arrangements for the CTC may not pay regard to the sex of the applicants. It is, nevertheless, likely that numbers of boys and girls entering the CTC will be broadly balanced.

  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which specific circumstances applying to the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college, different from those at maintained schools. made it appropriate to approve articles of association for the college under which parent governors will be barred from serving on its finance committee.

  Mr. Eggar
  The Secretary of State enters into agreement with private sponsors to establish and maintain city technology colleges, which are independent schools. It is therefore for the CTC trust to decide on the role of governors, including parent governors, providing that, in the Secretary of State's estimation, this does not conflict with the needs of the CTC.

  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how the sum provided in private sponsorship for the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college is to be divided between(a) the value of the sites and premises of the proposed college and (b) other contributions to the capital costs of establishing the college; and what is the basis of his current valuation of the sites and premises.

  Mr. Eggar
  The Haberdashers' Company has agreed to make available a 99-year lease of the sites and premises of the Hatcham schools as its contribution towards initial capital costs of establishing the CTC. My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State requested and received an assessment of their value for educational purposes from the district valuer. The Haberdashers' Company has also agreed to underwrite sponsorship of £1 million which may be contributed towards capital costs.

  Newham School Leavers
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of Newham school leavers have no qualifications according to the most recent statistics.

  Mr. Eggar
  The latest available information is for 1989. Because the data came from a sample survey, figures for the smaller LEAs, like Newham, are given on a three-year aggregate to reduce sampling error.
  102

  Leavers from maintained schools in 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89

  All leavers

  Leavers awarded no graded result

  (000s)

  percent

  Newham

  8·38

  21·0

  England

  1,856·99

  9·5

  City Technology Colleges
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if pupils at city technology colleges will be subject to any charges in respect of their participation in enrichment activities.

  Mr. Eggar
  CTCs may charge for enrichment activities provided outside school hours, so long as these are not an essential part of the curriculum. In common with maintained schools, CTCs may not charge for provision offered during school hours, with the exception of individual music tuition. These conditions are set out in paragraphs 19 to 22 of the model CTC funding agreement, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Stratford School, London
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the educational grounds taken into account when deciding to approve grant-maintained status for Stratford school, London E7.

  Mr. Eggar
  In approving this application for grant-maintained status, my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State judged that, at its present size, Stratford school was able to provide cost effectively for pupils aged 11 to 18 and that it was capable of maintaining and improving its performance under new management.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Internal Market Council
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what happened at the Internal Market Council meeting in Brussels on 8 November.

  Mr. Redwood
  I represented the United Kingdom at the Internal Market Council on 8 November. Two measures were adopted to liberalise the EC insurance market: the life services directive and the motor services directive. Two company law measures were adopted, extending the provisions of the 4th and 7th company law directives to certain partnerships and creating exemptions for small and medium-sized companies.

  The Council also heard a first report from Sir Leon Brittan on the operation of the EC merger regulation. It was agreed that annual progress reports should be made.

  I asked that the Commission should treat merger inquiries as an objective process; that clear rules should be observed in hearing evidence and offering fair opportunities to all interested parties; that the Competition Commissioner should stress to his colleagues the need for their final decision to be based the evidence and findings of the investigation and the need to preserve the confidentiality of the price sensitive company information; and reminded the Council that article 2 states clearly that

  103
  competition is the sole criterion to be used in the examination. The Vice President was sympathetic to these points.

  The Council discussed the copyright protection of computer software, and in particular the extent to which decompilation or reverse engineering should be permitted. The Council also discussed briefly progress reports on the fifth company law directive, the second diplomas directive, and the firearms directive.

  Australia
  Mr. Kilfedder
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the present state of trade between the United Kingdom and Australia; and what efforts are being made to improve the position.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  Trade with Australia increased by over 24 per cent. last year, with United Kingdom exports totalling £1,711 million. Following the United Kingdom-Australia trade and investment conference in 1989, which was attended by the Prime Ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom, together with senior Ministers and business men from both countries, the DTI has put in place a programme of missions, fairs, seminars and other promotional events designed to promote British exports further and build on the success of the conference.

  Ministers' and other paid office holders' salaries

  Current official salary

  Proposed January 1991 official salary

  Percentage increase

  Current total salary (including reduced parliamentary salary of £20,101)

  Total January 1991 salary (including reduced parliamentary salary of £21,809)

  Total percentage increase

  £

  £

  Per cent.

  £

  £

  Per cent.

  Prime Minister1

  46,750

  50,724

  8·5

  66,851

  72,533

  8·5

  Cabinet Ministers (C)

  35,120

  38,105

  8·5

  55,221

  59,914

  8·5

  Cabinet Ministers (L)

  44,591

  48,381

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Ministers of State (C)

  24,850

  26,962

  8·5

  44,951

  48,771

  8·5

  Ministers of State (L)

  39,641

  43,010

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Parliamentary Secretaries (C)

  18,860

  20,463

  8·5

  38,961

  42,272

  8·5

  Parliamentary Secretaries (L)

  33,241

  36,066

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Attorney General

  37,320

  40,492

  8·5

  57,421

  62,301

  8·5

  Solicitor General

  30,600

  33,201

  8·5

  50,701

  55,010

  8·5

  Lord Advocate

  44,661

  48,457

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Solicitor General for Scotland

  39,109

  42,433

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  House of Commons

  Mr. Speaker1

  36,850

  39,982

  8·5

  56,951

  61,791

  8·5

  Leader of the Opposition

  32,200

  34,937

  8·5

  52,301

  56,746

  8·5

  Chief Whip

  29,230

  31,715

  8·5

  49,331

  53,524

  8·5

  Deputy Chief Whip

  24,850

  26,962

  8·5

  44,951

  48,771

  8·5

  Opposition Chief Whip

  24,850

  26,962

  8·5

  44,951

  48,771

  8·5

  Government Whips and Assistant Government Whips

  15,990

  17,349

  8·5

  36,091

  39,158

  8·5

  Assistant Opposition Whip

  15,990

  17,349

  8·5

  36,091

  39,158

  8·5

  Chairman of Ways and Means

  24,850

  26,962

  8·5

  44,951

  48,771

  8·5

  Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means

  21,840

  23,696

  8·5

  41,941

  45,505

  8·5

  House of Lords

  Chief Whip

  39,641

  43,010

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Deputy Chief Whip

  33,241

  36,066

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Government Whips

  29,971

  32,519

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Opposition Leader

  33,241

  36,066

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Opposition Chief Whip

  29,971

  32,519

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Chairman of Committees

  39,641

  43,010

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees

  36,131

  39,202

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  Health and Safety
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response has been made to(a) the European Commission and (b) the Council in regards to Council document 8207/90 of 2 August 1990.

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: I have been asked to reply.

  There has been no formal written response to the Commission. However, the United Kingdom abstained from voting at the Internal Market Council meeting in October at which the proposal was carried.

LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Ministers' Pay
  Mr. Richard Page
  To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement about Ministers' pay.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The salaries of Ministers and other paid office holders were last increased from 1 January 1990 under the terms of the Ministerial and other Salaries Order 1989 and will remain at these levels until changed by a new order. The salaries of Members of Parliament will increase by 8.5 per cent. from 1 January 1991 according to the terms of the resolution of 21 July 1987. In the light of this, the Government propose that ministerial salaries should increase by 8.5 per cent. also. The details are set out in the table, and I have today laid the draft Ministerial and other Salaries Order 1990 to implement these changes.
  105

  Current official salary

  Proposed January 1991 official salary

  Percentage increase

  Current total salary (including reduced parliamentary salary of £20,101)

  Total January 1991 salary (including reduced parliamentary salary of £21,809)

  Total percentage increase

  £

  £

  Per cent.

  £

  £

  Per cent.

  Members of Parliament

  26,701

  28,970

  8·5

  —

  —

  —

  1The Prime Minister and Mr. Speaker have elected to receive the same salary as a Cabinet Minister in the House of Commons.

  Notes:

  The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster does not accept his Ministerial salary.

  The Lord Chancellor's salary is governed by the Lord Chancellor's Salary Order 1989 and is not affected by this Order. (He receives £91,500 effective from 18 April 1989).

WALES

  Welsh Language
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has any guidelines for use by his Department concerning criteria of demand in relation to provision of Welsh language forms under the Welsh Language Act 1967; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Decisions on whether documents published by the Welsh Office should be available in Welsh or in a bilingual format are taken by reference to the Hughes Parry criteria of demand, expense, expediency and prestige. These criteria are currently being reviewed in the light of the guidelines prepared by the Welsh Language Board.

  Roads
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether there have been any changes in time scale or estimated cost for improvement of the north-south road communications in Wales on the A470, A487 and A483 trunk roads since the publication of "Roads in Wales: Progress and Plans for the 1990s"; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Information on all road schemes listed in "Roads in Wales: Progress and Plans for the 1990s" is currently being updated, for inclusion in a supplement to "Roads in Wales" to be published in the new year.

  International Adoption
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what official guidelines are issued to local authorities relating to international adoption procedures.

  Mr. Grist
  Guidance on adoption of children from overseas is contained in a letter of 2 October 1990 from the chief inspector, social services inspectorate, Wales, to directors of social services in Wales. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Hospital Waiting lists
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimates he has made of the size of waiting lists in. Welsh hospitals(a) six months and (b) one year hence, and of the reasons for any increase or decrease over the preceding six months.
  106
  Mr. Grist
  Information about the size of prospective waiting lists and the length of time people may have to wait will become available only following the submission of district health authorities' final procurement plans in March 1991.

  The latest information on waiting lists is at 31 March 1990 and is contained in the "Welsh Hospital Waiting List Bulletin 1990: No. 2", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

  Hospital Bed Closures
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what will be the total loss of in-patient care days that will result from the anticipated closure of hospital beds in Wales in the year ending April 1991.

  Mr. Grist
  This information is not held centrally.

  Mr. Rod Richards
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what is his policy with regard to the appointment of ministerial advisers who may previously have been parliamentary candidates; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will outline his reasons for seeking to appoint Mr. Rod Richards as his personal adviser;

  (3) if he will list the specific topics on which Mr. Rod Richards will be employed to provide him with advice and Mr. Richards's qualifications and experience to each of those topics.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I have appointed Mr. Richards to advise me on a range of subjects drawing on his knowledge and experience in the public and private sectors. Special advisers are appointed on a personal basis. Mr. Richards is my only such adviser at present. He is appointed as a civil servant and his terms and conditions are, where appropriate, the same as for civil servants. It is not the practice to reveal the salaries of advisers nor, in consequence, the total cost of an individual appointment as these are individually negotiated in relation to previous outside earnings and are therefore confidential. Special advisers are appointed after consultation with the Prime Minister.

  School (Llwyn Mawr)
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations have been received from(a) Sketty Ward councillors and (b) the Sketty Schools

  107
  Parents Association by his Department in the last three years, prior to his directive for the sale of the site, about the need for a school on the Llwyn Mawr site.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The Department has no record of having received such representations.

  NHS Operations
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the total number of patients in each of the Welsh area health authorities that have had national health service operations in the past three years(a) outside their own area health authority area and (b) in London hospitals.

  Mr. Grist
  The table shows, for each Welsh district health authority, the number of patient discharges and deaths having operations, including non-operative procedures, in NHS hospitals in Wales outside their own district health authority.

  Information on Welsh residents having operations outside Wales, including London hospitals, is not collected centrally.

  Patient discharges and deaths having operations in NHS hospitals in Wales outside their own district health authority1 2

  District health authority of residence

  1986

  1987

  1988

  Clwyd

  184

  199

  189

  East Dyfed

  4,708

  4,926

  4,850

  Pembrokeshire

  2,294

  2,566

  2,606

  Gwent

  2,810

  2,720

  2,752

  Gwynedd

  2,216

  2,170

  2,267

  Mid Glamorgan

  9,756

  9,517

  9,970

  Powys

  2,731

  3,140

  2,959

  South Glamorgan

  1,770

  2,029

  1,672

  West Glamorgan

  1,336

  1,312

  1,231

  1 The information may understate the true position in that not all hospitals provide complete clinical details relating to patient discharges and deaths.

  2 The information is based on cases where details of the patient's district of residence has been supplied.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Social Fund
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentages of income support claimants aged under 60 years are repaying social fund budgeting loans and/or crisis loans by deductions from their benefit payments in the Doncaster area offices; and what is the average repayment in terms of a proportion of their income.

  Mr. Scott
  The table shows the number of social fund loans being recovered from income support recipients aged under 60 at the end of August 1990 and the percentage of recipients in that age group that the figure represents.

  Number of recoveries August 1990

  Percentage of IS recipients under 60 repaying via benefit

  Doncaster East

  1,149

  16·3

  Doncaster West

  1,563

  16·2

  Wath on Dearne

  1,110

  18·6

  Information about the average repayment in terms of a proportion of income is not available.
  108
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much the social fund budget will be in 1991–92 in(a) gross and (b) net terms; and what were the comparable figures for each year since the social fund's introduction.

  Mr. Scott
  We shall make an announcement about the 1991–92 budget nearer the time. Details of the previous years' budgets are in the table.

  Gross

  Net

  £ million

  £ million

  1988–89

  203

  125

  1989–90

  206

  99

  1990–91

  227

  100

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by office in the London borough of Newham the number of social fund applications(a) submitted and (b) refused since 1 April.

  Mr. Scott
  Details of applications processed and awards made can be obtained from information placed in the Library.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentage of recipients and of households claiming income support are repaying social fund loans by deductions from their benefit payments.

  Mr. Scott
  I refer the hon. Member to the replies that I gave him on 24 October 1990 at column 226 and 1 November 1990 at column 671. The information given in those replies relates to income support recipients who may or may not be householders. Separate information relating to households is not available.

  Water Metering
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the introduction of water metering on families in receipt of income support; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The impact of water metering on families will vary according to a wide range of circumstances, including the rateable value of property which underpins the current system of water charges, and whether or not they pay sewerage charges. It has never been thought practicable or right to make specific provision for metered services such as gas and electricity within social security benefits.

  Residential and Nursing Care
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he expects to take consequent on the shortfall shown between resources available for residential and nursing care and its costs for charitable and proprietorial homes as shown in the commissioned report of Price Waterhouse, summarised in the reply of 24 October 1990,Official Report, columns 228–29.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 24 October,Official Report columns 351–52, the proposed increases to the income support limits for residential care and nursing homes from April 1991. These increases, which will cost

  109
  £225 million in a full year, were arrived at in the light of the Price Waterhouse survey together with other available evidence.

  Severe Disablement Allowance
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to upgrade severe disablement allowance to the level of invalidity benefit.

  Mr. Scott
  Yesterday, regulations were laid before the House, introducing age-related additions to severe disablement allowance with effect from 3 December 1990. We estimate that 245,000 people will have their severe disablement allowance increased at a net cost of £50 million in a full year. We have no current plans to increase the rate of the allowance to that of invalidity benefit.

  Family Credit
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families were receiving family credit at the latest available date, breaking these figures down into(a) one-parent and two-parent families and (b) one-earner and two-earner families.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The latest available information relates to the end of August 1990 when the family credit caseload stood at 323,000. The breakdowns requested are as follows:

  Families

  Number

  One-parent

  126,000

  Two-parent

  197,000

  One-earner

  308,000

  Two-earner

  15,000

  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families receiving family credit are(a) tenants or (b) homeowners.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  This information is not available.

  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many children were in families receiving family credit.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  At the end of August 1990, there were 684,000 children in such families.

HEALTH

  Prescribing
  Mr. Thornton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the policy of his Department as to the grounds on which hospitals and general practices should make decisions to use particular medicines on clinical grounds and as to the use of preferred treatment lists to promote rational prescribing rather than budget savings.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Both hospital clinicians and general practitioners are free to prescribe the drug which in their clinical judgment best suits the patient and the condition. The Department encourages clinicians to develop formularies of preferred treatments in order to promote rational and cost effective prescribing.
  110
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on the introduction of limited rights of prescribing for nurses.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  We are to commission an independent analysis of the costs and benefits of implementing the proposals of the advisory group on nurse prescribing.

  Higham Grange Hospital
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations he has received concerning the changes to management circumstances at Higham Grange hospital in Leicestershire; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  A number of representations concerning Higham Grange rehabilitation centre in Leicestershire has been received. The proposed venture at Higham Grange will enable a valuable service to continue in the area. It is a fine example of the private and public sector working together to provide a better health service for all.

  Congenital Toxoplasmosis
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide a general screening of pregnant mothers to discover the risks of congenital toxoplasmosis.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  In any screening programme, the benefits conferred by screening must clearly outweigh any risks. The Department recently sought the opinion of leading experts on the advantages and disadvantages of screening for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy. I am advised that such screening should not be introduced in the United Kingdom at present because the natural history of the disease, the accuracy of the tests and the efficiency of possible treatment are uncertain.

  Neonatal Hearing Screening
  Mrs. Rosie Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the level of availability on the national health service of neonatal hearing screening by use of the auditory brainstem evoked potential apparatus, to those women who may be at risk.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  This information is not collected centrally.

  NHS Agency Staff
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by year for the last five years to date the annual cost of the national health service in the Doncaster district health authority for staff who have been employed through agencies as(a) nurses, (b) operating department assistants and (c) ancillary and other staff.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information requested is not held centrally, and is not easily obtainable. The hon. Member may wish to write to Mr. J. G. S. Smith, chairman of Doncaster health authority, for the information that he requires.

  Dentists
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the number of dentists who have left the national health service in the past 12 months; and how many were in practice in the south-east.
  111
  Mr. Dorrell
  Provisional data available show that 893 dentists ceased to provide general dental services in England during the year ended 30 September 1990; 1,084 dentists provided general dental services for the first time during that year, a net increase of 191. In the same period, the total number of dentists providing general dental services in the south-east (the four Thames regions and the Oxford region) reduced by 34 (0·6 per cent.).

  International Adoption
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the refusal by Hertfordshire county council to carry out a home assessment for couples wishing to adopt a Romanian child; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Hertfordshire county council has confirmed to the Department that it does carry out home study assessments for couples who wish to adopt a Romanian child; the social services department is engaging additional social workers to provide services in accordance with recent Department of Health guidance CI(90)17, a copy of which is available in the Library.

  Cancer Mortality, Newham
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the increases registered in cancer mortality rates in the London borough of Newham since 1985.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The number of deaths from major forms of cancer to residents of the London borough of Newham have fluctuated over the years since 1985. The data does not show evidence of an overall upward trend in cancer mortality rates in the borough over these years.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning full implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I refer the right hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State gave the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 20 March 1990 at columns 563–65. Since then, we have answered four parliamentary questions and six letters from hon. Members on this issue. The Association of Metropolitan Authorities, the Association of County Councils and representatives of Cleveland social services department have also, on separate occasions, indicated support for full implementation.

  Halifax District General Hospital
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the reason for his decision to postpone the building of the new Halifax district general hospital for four years; and if he will now take steps to ensure the reopening of the wards closed to accommodate the new hospital and the re-building of the laundry.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Decisions on the relative priority of schemes within Yorkshire regional health authority's capital programme are for the regional health authority.

THE ARTS

  Business Sponsorship
  Mr. Allan Stewart
  To ask the Minister for the Arts how much expenditure has been incurred under the business sponsorship incentive scheme in Scotland in respect of 1989 and 1990 to the latest available figures.

  Mr. Mellor
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: Arts organisations in Scotland have been highly successful in winning awards under my business sponsorship incentive scheme. In 1989–90, 38 awards totalling £288,003 were made to match £707,380 in new sponsorship. In the first half of this year alone there have been 53 awards amounting to £525,141 to match just over £1 million in new sponsorship money.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  To ask the Minister for the Arts how much expenditure has been incurred under the business sponsorship incentive scheme in respect of projects under Glasgow's year as European City of Culture.

  Mr. Mellor
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: I am delighted that under my business sponsorship incentive scheme, awards totalling £364,041 have been made to arts organisations in Glasgow to match £800,000 in new sponsorship money.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Mortgage Arrears, Newham
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has of the number of people(a) up to three months, (b) up to six months and (c) over 12 months in arrears on their mortgage repayments in the London borough of Newham.

  Mr. Maples
  That information is not available.

  Privatisation
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether the Treasury has advised against the use of any company as an adviser on privatisation;

  (2) if he will make it his policy to advise Departments not to use as advisers on privatisation, companies which have been criticised by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors.

  Mr. Maude
  It is for Departments to decide on the appointment of their advisers, following consultation as appropriate, in the light of all the relevant circumstances.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Treasury maintains a list of approved advisers on privatisation.

  Mr. Maude
  No. The Treasury does, however, maintain a list, which it makes available to departments, setting out the appointments which various advisers have held in past privatisations.

  EC Gross Domestic Products
  Mr. Biffen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the gross domestic products of the countries comprising the European Community, showing also the estimated respective size of the undeclared or black economies.
  113
  Mr. Major
  Following is the information requested:

  GDP at purchasing power parities 1989

  (United States dollars billions)

  United Kingdom

  818·4

  Germany

  941·7

  France

  820·0

  Italy

  798·6

  Belgium

  135·2

  Denmark

  73·8

  Greece

  73·2

  Ireland

  31·2

  Luxembourg

  6·3

  Netherlands

  205·1

  Portugal

  71·9

  Spain

  399·3

  Source: OECD.

  Some of these figures may include an allowance for activity in the undeclared, or black, economy, but no comprehensive statement is available on the size and extent of these allowances.

  Civil Servants (Retirement Age)
  Mr. Andrew Bowden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to enable some civil servants to remain in employment until the age of 70 years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ryder
  My Department will shortly be implementing one of the recommendations of an interdepartmental working group set up to consider ways of alleviating the effect of the forecast demographic changes to the work force in the 1990s. The decision to raise the maximum age at which civil servants retire from 65 to 70 will give Departments greater flexibility in meeting their staffing needs through the employment of older workers. My Department has also recently removed the upper age limits on recruitment for all service wide grades.

  Welsh Language
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases there are in Wales where those registered for value-added tax either registered in Welsh or have subsequently requested for their value-added tax administration to be undertaken through the medium of the Welsh language.

  Mr. Ryder
  About 40 to 50 traders a year complete their applications for VAT registration in Welsh. Overall, approximately 470 traders are issued with VAT returns in Welsh by Customs and Excise.

  Exchange Rates
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, for a set point in each quarter, the value of the £ sterling against the deutschmark, from May 1979 to the present.

  Mr. Maples
  The exchange rate for sterling against the deutschmark published on an average monthly basis is to be found in the Central Statistical Office publication, "Financial Statistics". Current and back copies are available for reference in the Library of the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Iran
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the United Kingdom representative at the United Nations will make concerning the recent visit by the United Nations special representative, Galindo Pohl, to Iran

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The UN special representative has yet to publish the report of his second visit. We shall study it carefully when it issues. In the meantime we remain in regular contact with the centre for human rights in Geneva, where he is based.

  Palestine Liberation Organisation
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) when he next plans to meet officials of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's London office to discuss the Gulf crisis and the question of occupied territories in Israel;

  (2) what is his Department's current assessment of the position of the Palestine Liberation Organisation on the Gulf crisis;

  (3) when he last met officials of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's London office; and what was discussed.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not himself held discussions with officials of the PLO's London office and has no plans to do so. Ministers are not at present meeting PLO representatives because of the PLO's equivocation over the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait. This was a great mistake which has seriously damaged their cause.

  But the PLO cannot be ignored and we remain in regular contact with it at official level on middle eastern issues.

  Fiji
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when next he will be meeting the the Ambassador of Fiji; and what will be discussed.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no plans to meet the Ambassador of Fiji.

  Ethnic and Linguistic Communities
  Mr. Kilfedder
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made within the European Community to ensure cultural protection for the older and long-established ethnic and linguistic communities living within national boundaries.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  The Community has a small budget (1·1 mecu in 1990) for educational measures for minority languages and cultures. Additionally, the Commission has launched a pilot scheme to provide financial aid for translations of contemporary literary works. Priority is being given to works in minority languages.

  Anirudh Singh
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the arrest and detention of Anirudh Singh, of Leicester, in Fiji; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We have received no other representations apart from a letter from the hon. Member.

  We were disturbed to hear of the abduction and beating of Dr. Singh. We are pleased he has been released and that those thought to be responsible for his abduction are being prosecuted.

  Middle East Oil
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department has on the number of oil refineries in the middle east; and how much oil they contain.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Refineries in each of the middle eastern countries are listed in the table below, with their total refining capacity in barrels per calendar day. No information is available on storage capacity or on levels of stocks at refineries.

  Country

  Refinery

  Capacity

  Abu Dhabi, UAE

  Ruwais

  163,000

  2 refineries

  Ajman

  174,000

  Total

  337,000

  Bahrain

  Bahrain

  350,000

  1 refinery

  Iran

  Abadan

  155,000

  6 refineries

  Tabriz

  120,000

  Shiraz

  56,000

  Tehran

  325,000

  Isfahan

  335,000

  Bakhtran

  18,000

  Total

  1,009,000

  Iraq

  Basrah

  87,650

  8 refineries

  Daurah

  70,000

  Al Haditha

  7,000

  Kirkuk

  30,000

  Mufthiah

  4,500

  Baiull

  215,000

  Qaiyera

  2,000

  Khanaquin

  12,000

  Total

  418,000

  Kuwait

  Shuaiba

  314,000

  3 refineries

  Mina-Al-Ahmad

  372,000

  Mina Abdulla

  317,000

  Total

  1,003,000

  Oman

  Mina-Al-Fahal

  80,000

  1 refinery

  Qatar

  UMM Said

  62,000

  1 refinery

  Saudi Arabia

  Ras Tanura

  643,000

  7 refineries

  Jeddah (1)

  107,600

  Riyadh

  120,000

  Yanbu (1)

  170,000

  Yanbu (2)

  406,500

  Al Jubail

  362,000

  Jeddah (2)

  21,700

  116

  Country

  Refinery

  Capacity

  Total

  1,829,800

  Neutral Zone (Kuwait, Saudi)

  Ras-Al-Khafji

  30,000

  1 refinery

  Egypt

  Mex-Alexandria

  126,615

  6 refineries

  Amaria-Alexandria

  78,440

  Suez (1)

  91,520

  Suez (2)

  83,790

  Musturud

  134,140

  Tanta

  22,020

  Total

  536,525

  Israel

  Haifa

  200,000

  2 refineries

  Ashdod

  115,000

  Total

  315,000

  Jordan

  Zerka

  113,500

  1 refinery

  Lebanon

  Tripoli

  30,000

  2 refineries

  Sidon

  17,000

  Total

  47,000

  Syria

  Banias

  120,600

  2 refineries

  Horns

  102,440

  Total

  223,040

  Yemen (South)

  Total

  178,000

  1 refinery

  The Gulf
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions are being held with the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on their proposals for a diplomatic solution to the Gulf crisis.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We are in close touch with the Soviet Union on all aspects of the Gulf crises, based on our shared commitment to the full implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any further trips are planned to Iraq in an effort to secure the release of British hostages.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The declaration issued by the European Council in Rome on 28 October made clear the determination of the Twelve not to send representatives to Baghdad to negotiate with Saddam Hussein over the release of foreign hostages in Iraq and Kuwait. The United Nations Security Council is engaged in this matter and the Twelve have agreed to encourage the United Nations Secretary-General to send a personal representative to Iraq to achieve the immediate departure of all hostages.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions are being held with the French Government on their proposals for a diplomatic solution to the Gulf crisis.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We are in close touch with the French Government on all aspects of the Gulf crisis. The basis of our discussions, including those on 27 October
  117
  between my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Mitterrand, is our shared commitment to the full implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held with France about the methods that it used to achieve the release of French nationals in Kuwait and Iraq.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The French Government have affirmed that the release of the French hostages took placed entirely at Iraqi initiative. The delaration issued by the European Council in Rome on 28 October made clear the determination of the Twelve not to send representatives to Baghdad to negotiate with the Iraqis over the release of foreign hostages in Iraq and Kuwait.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the hon. Member for Linlithgow may expect a substantive answer to his letter to the Foreign Secretary relating to a document supposedly found in Kuwait by Iraqi troops concerning the destabilisation of Iraq by fluctuations in oil prices, and subsequent translation from Arabic to English by the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The hon. Member wrote to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs about this on 9 November. My right hon. Friend replied on 13 November.

  Temple Mount Killings
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by the British Government to the Government of Israel about their refusal to admit a United Nations investigation into the killing of Palestinians at Temple Mount.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs urged members of the Israeli Government to reconsider their decision not to receive the United Nations Secretary-General's mission during his talks with them on 16 and 17 October. We voted for SCR 673 regretting Israel's failure to respond positively.

  UN Military Staff Committee
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are any plans permanently to revitalise the United Nations military staff committee; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Military Staff Committee has met formally and briefly at United Nations headquarters approximately twice a month since 1945. Separately there have been five ad hoc meetings of members of the military staff committee since the Gulf crisis began. These have proved a useful forum for the exchange of information.

  Sri Lanka
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sri Lankan Government concerning the abuse of human rights of the Tamil population.
  118
  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We have regularly raised our concerns about human rights issues with the Sri Lankan Government, both in London and Colombo. Both bilaterally and with our European partners we have urged the Sri Lankan Government to observe their international obligations in this field and have made clear that future decisions on development aid will be affected by the Government's performance on human rights.

  Filipino Security Guard
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning human rights abuses and executions carried out by the presidential security guard in the Philippines.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We have no recent information about abuses of human rights or of executions alleged to have been carried out by the presidential security guard in the Philippines.

  Albania
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent talks with Albania on establishing diplomatic relations.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Officials from the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office held talks in Rome on 5 and 6 November. The talks were conducted in a positive atmosphere and covered bilateral issues, including the possible restoration of diplomatic relations.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Household Food
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the amount of consumer expenditure on household food in 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1989 in percentage terms in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United States of America and Japan.

  Mr. Curry
  The available information is shown in the table.

  Household expenditure on food as a percentage of total consumer expenditure

  1960

  1970

  1980

  1988

  United Kingdom

  25·0

  20·0

  16·9

  12·2

  West Germany1

  33·4

  27·3

  22·0

  20·0

  France

  2

  22·5

  18·0

  16·6

  United States of America

  17·8

  15·2

  12·8

  10·8

  Japan3

  2

  30·0

  24·4

  20·2

  1 Includes alcoholic beverages.

  2 Figure not available.

  3 Includes alcoholic beverages and tobacco.

  Sources: National Accounts for OECD countries, OECD United Kingdom National Accounts, CSO.

  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the amount of consurner expenditure on household food in 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1989, in actual and percentage terms and at 1989 prices.

  Mr. Curry
  The information requested is shown in the table.
  119

  Consumers' expenditure on household food in the United Kingdom

  Household expenditure on food at current prices

  Expenditure on food as a percentage of total

  Household expenditure on food in real terms1

  (£ million)

  (per cent.)

  (Index 1989 = 100)

  1960

  4,228

  25·0

  99·5

  1970

  6,369

  20·0

  101·2

  1980

  23,655

  16·9

  104·1

  1989

  39,181

  11·9

  100·0

  1 United Kingdom household expenditure on food at current prices deflated by the retail price index (all items) and expressed as an index (1989= 100).

  Source: United Kingdom National Accounts, CSO.

  Fish Processing and Marketing
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his Department's press release on the autumn statement explaining how ports may now take advantage of the extra funding to improve the processing and marketing of fish.

  Mr. Curry
  On 5 November the agriculture departments in the United Kingdom issued a joint press notice inviting applications for grant aid for projects related to the marketing and processing of fishery products. That notice gave a contact point for potential applicants wishing to learn more about the details of the scheme.

  Less-favoured Areas
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the parishes and the counties in which they are located which have just been designated as less-favoured areas.

  Mr. Gummer
  The extension to our less-favoured area has cleared an important hurdle. That is acceptance by the committee on agricultural structures and rural development, but it has not yet been formally designated by the EC Commission. As soon as this designation has been notified to my Department I will inform the House.

  Subsidy Reforms
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the subsidy reforms agreed by the Council of Agriculture Ministers; and if he will explain what procedures are to be followed to repay to farmers any losses which they might sustain in consequence of the proposed reduction of subsidy support.

  Mr. Curry
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Sherwood (Mr. Stewart) on 8 November at column 8. The European Commission will in due course make proposals for Community measures to accompany any agreement reached in the current GATT negotiations to reduce levels of agricultural support worldwide. The Council of Ministers will discuss the Commission's proposals under its normal procedures.

  Fish Quotas
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food following the wrongful declarations of fish taken from area VII, what steps he is taking to redistribute fish to ensure the non-sector quota for this area is not disadvantaged.
  120
  Mr. Curry
  Following a full assessment of the up-to-date catch position, and the agreement of some producer organisations to release some of their allocations to the non-sector, we have now been able to reopen the non-sector Irish sea cod fishery.

  It would only be possible to redistribute fish along the lines suggested by the hon. Member where fishermen had been successfully prosecuted for misdeclaration. In order to provide the non-sector with some protection against misdeclaration in the future, Fisheries Departments have consulted the industry on a proposal to require producer organisations which opt to manage a sectoral allocation for a species in one main sea area to take sectoral allocations for that species in all areas in the same year.

  In addition, fisheries departments have consulted the industry on a proposal to omit 1990 from the reference period for the calculation of vessels' track records in respect of those area VII stocks for which the pattern of fishing in 1990 appears to be atypical of previous years. This would ensure that for any stock in area VII where misdeclaration had caused the pattern of fishing to change significantly in 1990, those who had misdeclared would not benefit by building up track records in these fisheries. Departments are considering the industry's response, with particular emphasis on the question of which stocks had unusual fishing patterns in 1990.

  East Anglia
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his Department's press release on the autumn statement, explaining how(a) local authorities and (b) the National Rivers Authority will be able to draw on the extra funding additionally to protect the East Anglian coastline in its entirety.

  Mr. Curry
  An additional £7·1 million of grant and £9·9 million of supplementary credit approval are being made available over the next three years for coast protection work undertaken by maritime district councils. This means that support is now available for a programme of local authority coast protection work to nearly £88 million over this period. Funding is allocated to local authorities when schemes have been approved by the Department, and is provided according to need and priority.

  For the National Rivers Authority, an extra £14·5 million of grant is being made available over the next three years for flood and sea defence work, which means that support will be available for an NRA programme over this period of nearly £245 million. The Anglian region of the NRA will benefit from funding within this total on a programme of about £95 million.

DEFENCE

  The Gulf
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the current daily cost of the deployment of United Kingdom forces in the Gulf.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The current estimate of the full daily operating cost of our forces in the Gulf is £2 million.

  Alvis Stormer Vehclees
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when delivery will be taken of the first Alvis Stormer vehicles.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  It is planned that the Department will take delivery of the first Alvis Stormer vehicles by January 1991.

  NATO Defence Market
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the recommendation of the conference of national armaments directors that there should be an open defence market among the NATO countries; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The NATO conference of national armaments directors is considering ways in which the conditions for defence trade within the NATO nations can be improved. A group has been established to consider this issue and to make recommendations. This initiative is welcome and I hope that the report will give support for practical moves towards an open defence market within NATO as a whole.

  Panavia and Euro Fighter
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary cif State for Defence what is his policy towards a merger of the consortia Panavia and Euro Fighter; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  This is a matter for the companies involved.

  Filipino Security Guard
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether reported abuses of human rights and executions by the Filipino presidential security guard were taken into account in Her Majesty's Government's decision to provide military training to the guard in March and April.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  In deciding whether or not to provide military training to overseas countries, Her Majesty's Government take all relevant factors into account, including the treatment of human rights in the country concerned.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether military training provided by the British Government to the Filipino presidential security guard in March and April of the current year included any consideration of, or training in, respect for human rights.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  It is not our practice to disclose the content of military training provided by Her Majesty's Government to other countries as such details are generally confidential between the Governments involved.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to Britain of providing military training to the Filipino presidential security guard in March and April; and from which budget this was paid.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The cost of providing military training to the Government of the Philippines was met from the United Kingdom military training assistance 122
  scheme which is part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's budget. It is not our practice to disclose the costs of training for individual countries.

  RAF Bases, Germany
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of Royal Air Force bases in Germany.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Following my right hon. Friend's statement to the House on 25 July on "Options for Change", we have reviewed RAF basing requirements in Germany in the light of our commitments to NATO and of local, economic and environmental factors. After consultations with our allies, and in particular the German Government, we have decided to redeploy units from RAF Wildenrath during 1991–92 and from RAF Gutersloh subsequently. Flying activity will reduce progressively from 1991. We are now considering, in consultation with the German authorities, the future of these bases after RAF operations cease.

  Trident
  Mr. Lee
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place the order for the third Vanguard class Trident missile submarine.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  I am pleased to be able to announce that an order has been placed today with Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd. at Barrow-in-Furness for the construction of the Royal Navy's third Vanguard class Trident missile submarine. Negotiations have resulted in a keenly priced contract, and at a price lower on a comparable basis than those for the first two submarines. This reflects the improvements in productivity at VSEL and the considerable experience the company now has in building this class of submarine.

  The order demonstrates the Government's commitment to the United Kingdom programme, and to the effective maintenance of Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent, while obtaining value for money for the taxpayer. Trident remains firmly on course for introduction into service in the mid-1990s.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest unemployment levels in Liverpool; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  In September 1990, the unadjusted level of unemployment in the Liverpool travel-to-work area was 62,324, a fall of 35 per cent. since the June 1987 election. The comparison is affected by the change in benefit regulations for under 18-year-olds in September 1988 as well as seasonal influences.

  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide the latest figures for unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  In September 1990 seasonally adjusted unemployment in the United Kingdom was 1,666,700 or 5·8 per cent. of the work force. The United Kingdom has one of the very lowest rates of unemployment in the European Community.
  123
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the member states of the European Community with a higher rate of unemployment than the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Howard
  Using the latest available internationally comparable figures, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain all have a higher rate of unemployment than the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the statistics for unemployment in Gravesham in June 1987 and in the most recent month for which statistics are available.

  Mr. Jackson
  In June 1987 the numbers of unemployed claimants, not seasonally adjusted, in the Gravesham parliamentary constituency were 4,159. This compares with 2,262 in September 1990, a fall of 84 per cent.

  The comparison is affected by the change in benefit regulations for under 18-year-olds in September 1988 as well as seasonal influences.

  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the unemployment rate by ethnic origin and age in inner and outer London in 1970, 1980 and the latest date available.

  Mr. Jackson
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: The estimates below compare the unemployment rates amongst ethnic minority groups in Greater London in spring 1989 with those in spring 1984. The 1989 labour force survey (LFS) is the latest for which information is available and the earliest comparable data is from the 1984 LFS.

  Unemployment rates by ethnic origin in Greater London Aged 16 and over

  Per cent.

  1984

  1989

  All persons

  9·9

  6·7

  White

  8·7

  5·8

  Non-white

  17·5

  11·9

  —West Indian/Guyanese

  20·0

  13·5

  —Indian

  11·5

  8·9

  —Pakistani/Bangladeshi

  28·1

  27·3

  —Other ethnic origins

  19·3

  9·1

  Source: Labour Force Survey.

  The LFS is a sample survey of approximately 60,000 households in Great Britain conducted in the spring of each year. Because of this small sample size, the LFS does not provide reliable detailed estimates for small proportion groups within regions.

  Enterprise Agencies
  Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many local enterprise agencies are currently operating; and if he will make a statement on their progress to date.

  Mr. Forth
  We know of 419 local enterprise agencies operating in the United Kingdom. Of these, 406 are approved by my Department under the statutory provisions which allow for tax relief on donations to them.

  Many local enterprise agencies have now developed close working relationships with training and enterprise councils, bringing positive benefits to themselves, the TECs and to local small businesses.
  124
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many enterprise agencies have been established since 1979; how many were established in the period 1974 to 1979; how many jobs are estimated to have been generated in each case; at what cost to public funds; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  The first enterprise agencies were established in 1978. At present we know of 324 operating in England.

  Information on the number of jobs estimated to have been created by these agencies is not collected centrally by my Department.

  Since April 1986, Government funding of local enterprise agencies in England has been primarily through my Department's local enterprise agency grant and project schemes. To date, more than £10 million has been paid to more than 200 agencies through these schemes.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received on the launch of the new logo and code of practice for the employment of disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  There has been a positive and encouraging response from a large number of employers and voluntary organisations to this initiative. The new symbol which we have introduced will play an important part in encouraging employers to adopt good policies and practices in employing people with disabilities, and will enable them to communicate their commitment to existing and potential employees.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make it his policy to introduce full anti-discrimination legislation for disabled people.

  Mr. Jackson
  The consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities", which was published on 29 June, sets out various options for encouraging the employment of people with disabilities. What action to take will be considered in the light of the comments we receive.

  Low Pay
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to tackle the problem of low pay in Halifax and West Yorkshire.

  Mr. Forth
  Pay in Halifax and West Yorkshire, as elsewhere, is a matter for negotiators themselves to determine in the light of their particular financial, business and labour market circumstances.

  Training
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to review the remuneration of training agents and providers on YTS and employment training; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  The remuneration of training agents and providers on youth training and employment training is for local negotiation.

  Mrs. Currie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of young people under 18 years without a job can now be offered a suitable training place.
  125
  Mr. Howard
  The Government guarantee the offer of a suitable training place to all young people under 18 who are not in full-time education or a job.

  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many approved training places are taken up by women returnees to work in the latest available 12 months.

  Mr. Howard
  It is estimated that about 3 per cent. of all entrants to employment training are women returners.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) whether results from the 100 per cent. follow-up survey of employment training leavers have been made available to operational training and enterprise councils and Training Agency regional officers; and if similar information will be made available to hon. Members;

  (2) whether he is yet in a position to publish the results of the employment training leavers' survey; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) whether he will place the results from the Training Agency's 100 per cent. follow-up survey of employment training leavers in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  Results of the follow-up survey of employment training leavers have been provided on Training Agency regional offices and operational training and enterprise councils. Summaries of survey results are available for hon. Members and are also contained in the November Labour Market Quarterly Report which is published this week. The report will be available in the Library from 14 November.

  Rural Employment
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the Government's policy concerning alternative employment opportunities in rural areas.

  Mr. Forth
  We wish to encourage the development of alternative employment opportunities for rural communities. The flexible and locally focussed approach of the training and enterprise councils and, in Scotland. local enterprise companies, will be particularly helpful in responding to the needs of rural areas.

  As we made clear in the Environment White Paper, the Government will also continue to work through agencies such as the Rural Development Commission to promote enterprise and economic diversity in a lively and prosperous countryside.

  Parents
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he is taking to assist the return of parents with dependants to the labour market.

  Mr. Jackson
  My colleagues and I take every opportunity to impress upon employers the need to adopt working practices which make it easier for employees to combine work and family responsibilities. This means more flexibility in hours of work and in holidays, job-sharing, career breaks, part-time working and, where appropriate, help with child care costs. In this time of demographic change, it will be the employers who develop family-friendly policies and practices who will be best placed to attract and retain scarce resources.

  Further Education
  Sir Hal Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has to increase the effectiveness of the work-related further education programme.

  Mr. Howard
  From April 1991 responsibility for payment for work-related further education monies formerly handled by the Training Agency will be transferred to the training and enterprise councils.

  I believe that the training and enterprise councils will use this new responsibility to foster a more flexible further education service which is responsive to the needs of employers and individuals.

  Wages Councils
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how his Department intends to improve the work of the wages councils.

  Mr. Forth
  The councils are empowered to set minimum rates of pay in certain industries. Checks by wages inspectors show that compliance with wages council orders is running at a very high level.

  EC Employment
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of British citizens who will seek work in other European Community countries following the implementation of the Single European Act.

  Mr. Forth
  My Department has not estimated the number of United Kingdom citizens who will seek work in other EC countries following the Single European Act. However, the Act will remove barriers facing individuals who wish to work in other countries, and will also create many new jobs. We would therefore expect that movement both into and out of the United Kingdom, particularly by highly skilled workers, will increase after 1992.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the value of the present level of training and enterprise support given by his Department to companies in Lancashire; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  My Department is contributing some £39 million towards training and enterprise activities in Lancashire in 1990–91.

  Training and enterprise councils (TECs) are currently being established to play a major role at local level in stimulating the high skill, high productivity economy we need and to take over responsibility for training and enterprise activities in their locality. The TEC covering East Lancashire (ELTEC) has been operational since April 1990 and the TEC covering West Lancashire (LAWTEC) is due to become operational in April 1991.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make available the list of board members from any additional training and enterprise councils which have signed operational contracts.

  Mr. Jackson
  Fourty one TECs are now fully operational. I have arranged for an updated list of board members covering these TECs to be placed in the House of Commons Library.
  127
  Mr. Beaumont-Dark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the implications of the Chancellor's autumn statement for the Government's policies on training and enterprise.

  Mr. Howard
  I recently published "1990s: the Skills Decade" which sets out strategic guidance for all involved in promoting the acquisition of skills and the development of enterprise in this country. The Chancellor's autumn statement provides the framework for this strategic guidance to be put into effect.

  My strategic guidance places particular emphasis on the major role that training and enterprise councils (TECs) have in stimulating the high skill, high productivity economy we need. I have been greatly encouraged by the response we have had from the country's top business leaders in joining and leading the TECs and at their request I am making a number of changes to funding arrangements for 1991–92 to allow TECs much greater discretion in tailoring programmes to meet local needs.

  First, more payments to TECs will depend on helping people to get jobs and qualifications through training rather than simply the time that they spend on programmes. At least 25 per cent. of TECs' funding for youth training (YT) and employment training (ET) will be dependent on results in terms of jobs and qualifications that are achieved. This will mean that many of the remaining rules for YT and ET will be removed. For example there will no longer be any limit on the maximum duration of training on ET. But priority will still be given to those in the guarantee and aim groups.

  Secondly, the budgets for business and enterprise training and for the enterprise allowance scheme (EAS) which were previously separate will be merged to become one budget and TECs will be free to decide their relative priorities, subject to ensuring that a reasonable level of provision for EAS is maintained and guarantees to unemployed people are met. TECs will also have considerable discretion over the way they organise and fund EAS in their local areas and how participation might be linked to related training or business assistance.

  Thirdly, TECs are being given a major new responsibility in work-related further education (WRFE). They will assume responsibility from 1 April for the WRFE budget that is currently managed by the Employment Department, amounting to over £105 millions. These funds will still be spent within the local education authority further education system. This will complement TECs' existing role in youth training and help ensure that college provision is more responsive to employment needs at local level.

  I also plan to give TECs a wider role in education in other ways. TECs are being given a powerful voice in the continued development of the technical and vocational education initiative (TVEI) at local level and local education authorities will be required to consult TECs when they draw up their plans.

  TECs will also be able to bid, as part of their business plans for 1991–92, for additional resources to launch or extend education business partnerships.

  Finally, Her Majesty's senior chief inspector of schools has agreed that where HMI inspections largely or wholly focus on TEC-funded provision, HMI will jointly report back their findings to the relevant TEC and local education authority.
  128
  This represents a significant widening of responsibilities and increase in discretion for TECs. I am confident that these changes will greatly increase TECs, ability to respond quickly and effectively to local needs in their area and to ensure that education and training meet employers' needs. Overall, the public expenditure settlement ensures that my Department has the resources it needs, and the means to deploy them effectively, so as to improve the skills of the workforce, help small businesses and enterprise and get unemployed people back to work.

SCOTLAND

  Primary Schools (Testing)
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the responses he has received to the proposal to introduce tests at primary four and primary seven in Scottish schools; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The proposal to introduce primary testing was included in the consultation document "Curriculum and Assessment: A Policy for the 90s" issued in November 1987. Over 1,000 responses were received, most of which commented on the testing proposals. The decision to proceed with tests was announced on 3 October 1988 and all the responses were made available for public inspection during October and November of that year.

  Scottish Homes
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list by street and number of properties where Scottish Homes is the landlord within Govan constituency; and if he will show for each of the past 10 years the capital expenditure by Scottish Homes and its predecessor;

  (2) if he will list the projects within Glasgow where Scottish Homes is now involved by itself, with Glasgow district council or other bodies, showing the Scottish Homes financial input and the district council or other bodies' contribution; and if he will show the starting date of each project.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Such information is not held by the Scottish Development Department. The hon. Member may wish to write directly to Scottish Homes, which may be able to provide the information that he has requested.

  Geese
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the number of licences issued under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to permit the killing of(a) barnacle and (b) Greenland white-fronted geese on Islay to prevent serious agricultural damage, for each winter since 1985–86.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information is as follows:

  Year

  Number of barnacle licences issued

  Number of white-front licences issued

  1985–86

  26

  —

  1986–87

  29

  —

  1987–88

  40

  13

  1988–89

  30

  2

  1989–90

  28

  8

  129
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the number of(a) barnacle and (b) Greenland white-fronted geese killed under licence on Islay to prevent serious agricultural damage in each winter since 1985–86.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information is as follows:

  Year

  Barnacles reported shot

  White-fronts reported shot

  1985–86

  541

  —

  1986–87

  791

  —

  1987–88

  505

  76

  1988–89

  752

  6

  1989–90

  915

  45

  Over the same period, the estimated numbers of both species over-wintering on Islay have increased substantially.

  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure that Her Majesty's Government comply with the requirements of article 7.4 of the European Community directive on the conservation of wild birds 79/409 in respect of licences issued to permit the killing of migratory geese that would otherwise enjoy full protection, or be protected during the close season, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

  Mr Michael Forsyth
  Licences are issued under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 only after it has been established on the basis of a careful assessment of the situation on the ground that geese are causing sufficiently serious damage to crops or grassland to justify this step, and that there is no other satisfactory means of preventing such damage.

  Conditions to guard against misuse are attached to the licences. Arrangements are made for the licences to be revoked in time to give the migratory geese a suitable period of preparation without disturbance before returning to their breeding grounds.

  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many returns in respect of licences issued in winter 1989–90 to permit the killing of(a) barnacle and (b) Greenland white-fronted geese on Islay to prevent serious agricultural damage were incomplete; and whether he will withhold the giving of a new licence to those who failed to provide a comprehensive return in winter 1989–90.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Returns for 1989–90, including supplementary information provided at the request of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, are generally satisfactory. Wilful refusal to provide information required would be an important factor in consideration of any fresh application from the individual concerned.

  Mrs. Margaret Smith
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will order a public inquiry into the death from Legionnaire's disease of Mrs. Margaret Smith, Westfield, Cumbernauld, while a patient at Glasgow royal infirmary: and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I called for a full report on 10 October 1990 from Greater Glasgow health board on the recent incidences of Legionnaire's disease at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. A report was received on 12 November 1990 and is now being considered.

  M80
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will announce the line of route for the proposed M80 motorway between Stells and Haggs; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The feasibility study was received from the Scottish Development Department's consulting engineers in October 1990 which was several months later than had earlier been anticipated. It is now the subject of ongoing discussions with regional and district councils and other affected parties and it is expected that a decision will be made on the preferred route soon. Following this, draft orders will be published early next year with a public exhibition being held at that time to explain the proposals in detail.

  Wildlife Conservation
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will introduce appropriate measures to prevent licences which are issued under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 from being misused by sporting interests.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Appropriate conditions to guard against misuse are already attached to licences issued under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In addition licence holders are issued with notes of guidance which make clear to them the actions which are permitted and those which would constitute abuse of the licence.

  Fishing Industry
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many tonnes of cod from area Vila were landed by United Kingdom vessels in Scotland in the month of June for each of the years 1986 to 1990; and if he will make a statement on the figures for June 1990;

  (2) how many tonnes of cod from areas VII (ex 'Ma) and VIII EC were landed by United Kingdom vessels in Scotland in the month of June for each of the years 1986 to 1990; and if he will make a statement on the figures for June 1990;

  (3) how many tonnes of haddock from areas VII and VIII EC were landed by United Kingdom vessels in Scotland in the month of June for each of the years 1986 to 1990; and if he will make a statement on the figures for June 1990;

  (4) how many tonnes of saithe from areas VII and VIII EC were landed by United Kingdom vessels in Scotland in the month of June for each of the years 1986 to 1990; and if he will make a statement on the figures for June 1990.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The table sets out the details requested:

  Cod VIIa

  Cod VII (excluding VIIa) and VIII EC

  Haddock VII and VIII EC

  Saithe VII and VIII EC

  1986

  16

  6

  7

  2

  1987

  26

  —

  1

  2

  1988

  51

  align="right">—

  2

  19

  1989

  42

  —

  1

  9

  1990

  809

  175

  137

  420

  Hydro-electric Power
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what capacity of hydro-electric power is installed at present in Scotland; and what are his plans to encourage further generation by this means.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: I understand that the total existing conventional hydro-electric installed capacity in Scotland is at present, 1,270 megawatts, of which Scottish Hydro-Electric owns and operates 1,064 megawatts and ScottishPower 121 megawatts, the balance being owned and operated independently. These figures do not include the pumped storage stations at Foyers and Cruachan.

  Hydro-electric power already supplies around 15 per cent. of electricity consumed in Scotland and, given the surplus generating capacity existing on the system, my right hon. and learned Friend has no specific plans at present to encourage further generation by hydro-electric power. However, the electricity companies keep their generation needs under constant review and I would expect them to continue to consider the respective merits of all sources of electricity generation and supply, including from possible hydro developments, in assessing the most efficient and economical means of meeting the needs of customers in the future.

  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what range of prices is being offered to private hydro-electricity generators in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: The level of payments by the public electricity suppliers in Scotland to private hydro-electricity generators is a matter for the companies.

  Lothian Nurses
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his response to representations from Lothian health board on the proposed strike of night nurses at Barrymour hospital, West Lothian and St. John's hospital, Livingston.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: I have received no representations from Lothian health board about a strike. While Ministers have no locus in determining nurse duty rotas, I understand that the Health Board is currently consulting members of staff to determine how they will be affected by the proposals and discussing possible solutions. Where nurses' hours are reduced, they will continue to be paid at their present salary for up to one year depending on length of service. During that time the board hopes that nurses who wish to increase their hours to present levels will be able to do so. I can see no reason why strike action should be considered in those circumstances.

  Royal British Legion (Rating)
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report any Scottish rating authorities that have granted rating relief to Royal British Legion premises under section 4 of the Local Government (Financial Provisions etc.) (Scotland) Act 1962.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: Information on organisations granted reduction or
  132
  remission of rates by local authorities under section 4 of the Local Government (Financial Provisions etc) (Scotland) Act 1962 is not held centrally.

  Child Care Inquiries
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list any inquiries other than that into Fife established under section 99 of the Children Act 1975.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: A section 99 inquiry was carried out in 1982 into the proposal by Orkney islands council to dismiss the reporter to the children's panel.

  Local Enterprise Companies
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the board members, companies and organisations represented on each of the local enterprise companies.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. McAllion) on 1 November.

  Nursery Education
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of the extra nursery school places since 1979 have been provided through the urban programme; and what percentage the urban programme places are of the increase in places since 1979.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: A statistical record of nursery school places provided under the urban programme is not maintained separately and the information could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

  Child Care, Fife
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration was given to the publication of an interim report of the inquiry into child care policy in Fife; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  It is entirely for Sheriff Kearney, as chairman of the inquiry, to decide on the form of reporting.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give an estimate of the cost of the inquiry into child care policy in Fife.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: I refer to the reply that my hon. Friend gave on 25 April at column 152.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when he expects the inquiry into child care policy in Fife region to finish;

  (2) when he expects to receive Sheriff Kearney's report on child care policy in Fife;

  (3) whether the findings of the inquiry into child care policy in Fife will be made public;

  (4) when he expects to publish the findings of the report into child care policy in Fife region.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: I understand that the inquiry is likely to complete

  133
  taking oral evidence in mid-December. Thereafter my right hon. and learned Friend looks forward to receiving Sheriff Kearney's report, so that he can decide whether it should be published.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has assessed the impact of the inquiry into child care policies in Fife on the proper discharge of social work responsibilities by Fife regional council.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: Fife regional council welcomed the inquiry and agreed to co-operate fully with it. The council is responsible for the proper discharge of its responsibilities under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 during the period of the inquiry, as at all other times.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the persons or organisations consulted about child care policy in Fife prior to the announcement to set up the inquiry.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: Officials of the social work services group discussed aspects of child care policy in Fife with senior officials of the regional council, as well as representatives of the children's panel.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set out the information and evidence upon which the decision was taken to hold an inquiry into child care policies in Fife.
  134
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: The background to the remit to the inquiry was set out in the memorandum which social work services group provided for the chairman in April 1989 and which he had circulated to the parties to the inquiry.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if any other form of investigation into child care policy in Fife was considered prior to the announcement to set up the inquiry.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: The decision to initiate an Inquiry under section 99 of the Children Act 1975 was taken only after an investigation of certain cases by professional advisers in the Scottish Office and after extensive discussions with senior officials of Fife regional council about aspects of the region's child care policies.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the representations received about child care policy in Fife prior to the announcement to set up the inquiry;

  (2) what meeting or discussions were held with the chairman of the children's panel in Fife about child care policy in Fife prior to the announcement to set up the inquiry.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 12 November 1990]: Serious concerns about certain aspects of child care policy in Fife were expressed by representatives of the children's panel, including successive panel chairmen.

  EC TRANSPORT COUNCIL, 30th OCTOBER
  EC TRANSPORT COUNCIL, 30th OCTOBER
  SATELLITE DISHES: PLANNING CONTROLS
  SATELLITE DISHES: PLANNING CONTROLS
  SERPLAN STATEMENT: REGIONAL PLANNING FOR THE SOUTH EAST
  SERPLAN STATEMENT: REGIONAL PLANNING FOR THE SOUTH EAST
  LITTER AND REFUSE: CODE OF PRACTICE
  LITTER AND REFUSE: CODE OF PRACTICE
  Ministers' Pay
  Ministers' Pay