Written Answers of 9 July 1991

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Immigration
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Attorney-General how much was claimed under(a) the legal advice and assistance scheme and (b) legal advice and assistance in respect of (i) immigration cases, and (ii) asylum cases in 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1990–91.

  The Attorney-General
  Separate information is not available for the cost of legal advice and assistance for immigration or asylum cases. However, the amounts that were paid for advice and assistance, under the legal aid "green form" scheme for all immigration and nationality cases are set out in the table.

  £

  1988–89

  781,532

  1989–90

  1,681,960

  1990–91

  2,652,727

  Legal aid is also available for judicial review proceedings concerning immigration and asylum cases, but separate figures for the amount spent are not available.

  Crown Prosecution Service
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Attorney-General whether he has received the Director of Public Prosecutions' report on the Crown prosecution service for the year 1990–91; and when the report will be laid before Parliament.

  The Attorney-General
  I have received the annual report from the Director of Public Prosecutions today, and have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Woolwich Tax Model
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Eltham of 2 July, when counsel, other than by affidavits, challenged the conclusions of the tax model in each court.

  Mr. Maples
  As I made clear in the answer to which my hon. Friend refers, the challenge to the conclusions of the tax model was contained in the affidavits which were put in evidence in all the courts up to the House of Lords.

  Guest Houses
  Mr. Bellotti
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase the numbers of Inland Revenue inspectors to ensure that all guest houses which should register for uniform business rates are encouraged to do so.
  298
  Mr. Maude
  There are no plans to increase the numbers of Inland Revenue staff specifically to deal with this matter. However, Her Majesty's Government aim to ensure that staff will be maintained at the level required to enable the valuation office to carry out its statutory duties.

  Customs and Excise
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details of all bonus schemes in operation in Her Majesty's Customs and Excise executive units.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Customs have one bonus scheme in operation in their executive units—the special bonus scheme. Special bonuses are used to reward exceptional performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. They take the form of taxable, non-pensionable lump sum payments. The overall cost for running the scheme in each executive unit is restricted to 0·2 per cent. of the pay bill.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the quality of service performance indicators adopted by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise executive units since the reorganisation along next steps lines; and separately identify those quality of service performance indicators already operative prior to the introduction of executive units.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Her Majesty's Customs and Excise set up 30 executive units on 1 April 1991. Their key performance indicators, expressed in aggregate for the 21 collection executive units, including those relating to quality of service, are listed in the published Customs and Excise management plan for 1991–92 to 1993–94. The previous year's management plan similarly identifies quality of service indicators operative prior to the introduction of executive units. Copies of these plans are in the House Library. The overall number of quality of service indicators more than doubled from 1 April 1991.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those new facilities for staff such as nurseries and health care schemes which have been introduced in Her Majesty's Customs and Excise since its reorganization on next steps lines.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Her Majesty's Customs and Excise is developing its "Look After Your Heart" campaign and seminars for liaison officers from executive units are planned in September. The views of managers and staff are currently being sought towards a more positive departmental policy on smoking at work. Health screening exercises are being undertaken in two locations with another planned. A staff assistance programme is being developed, which will make health care advice available throughout the Department and stress management awareness training available where necessary.

  Customs and Excise participates in 25 play schemes. The latest, in Glasgow, opens on 8 July. The Department's first on-site nursery was opened in Wembley in February and has facilities for 20 children. A further 20 places have recently been secured in a private nursery in Southend. Three other on-site nurseries are planned.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the last annual report for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise was published; and when the next one is due.
  299
  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The report for the year ending 1989–90 was published on 10 October 1990. The report for 1990–91 will be published in October.

  Inland Revenue Inspectors
  Mr. Bellotti
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total number of Inland Revenue inspectors for each year since 1979.

  Mr. Maude
  The table sets out the total numbers of Inland Revenue staff in the Department's inspector grades at 1 April for each year since 1979.

  Number

  1979

  6,551

  1980

  6,561

  1981

  6,516

  1982

  6,396

  1983

  6,379

  1984

  6,530

  1985

  6,462

  1986

  6,572

  1987

  6,852

  1988

  7,116

  1989

  7,512

  1990

  7,816

  1991

  8,155

  Departmental Bills (Payments)
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes to extend his Department's standing instructions to all Government Departments on the timing of the payment of bills to small businesses and local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Mellor
  The standing guidance to Government Departments on the timing of the payment of bills, which is set out in "Government Accounting", the Treasury's guide on accounting and financial procedures, does not apply to the payment of bills by local authorities, which are responsible for their own policy in this matter.

  Small Businesses
  Mr. French
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has completed his investigation of the treatment of small businesses by the banks; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maples
  My officials and officials at the Bank of England are looking at banks' interest rates and charges to small businesses, and how lending policies are being applied. Once the facts have been fully established and considered, a statement will be made in due course.

  Child Care
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he accepts the estimates provided by the Campaign for Tax Relief on Child Care of the costs and benefits to the Exchequer of extending tax exemption to all legal employer-assisted child care; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maude
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: The Government do not accept the TRAC estimates as they are based on a number of questionable assumptions about the likely behavioural response to extending tax relief for child care, and appear to take no account of some relevant factors.

  Public Information
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the reference numbers of documents held in the file T160/763/F14755; and if he will, in each case, state the other file or files in which copies are retained.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: The Treasury has found no record which would enable it to establish what documents were on the file or what reference numbers, if any, they may have had.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Parliamentary Groups
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funds his Department grants annually to(a) the Franco-British parliamentary group, (b) the British-German parliamentary group and (c) the British-American parliamentary group; and when these amounts were last revised.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  None.

  Iraq
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek a debate in the UN on the report by Michael Priestly on the health consequences to Iraq of continued international sanctions.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The UN Security Council will conduct its next review of the sanctions on imports by Iraq in August, as provided for in Security Council resolution 687. The Council's discussions will no doubt be informed by the findings of the UN mission led by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan which is currently visiting Iraq.

  Non-proliferation Regimes
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the report prepared by Zachary S. Davis of "The Congressional Research Service on Non-proliferation Regimes: A Comparative Analysis of Policies to Control the Spread of Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Weapons and Missiles", released on 1 April by the United States Library of Congress.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Yes.

  Falkland Islands
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much land in the Falklands is now owned by Falkland islanders; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  With the recent purchase by the Falklands Islands Government of four farms previously owned by the Falkland Islands company, Falkland islanders, or their Government, now own about 95 per cent. of land in the islands.

  Gabon and Congo
  Mr. Carrington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements he proposes to make for the protection of British interests in Gabon and Congo after the closure of British embassies in those countries.
  301
  Mrs. Chalker
  Following the decision earlier this year to close our embassies in Libreville and Brazzaville, the Governments of Gabon and Congo have been informed of our intentions and both embassies will close by the end of July. The protection and promotion of British interests in these countries will in future be the responsibility of the British embassy in Kinshasa. Accreditation will shortly be sought for our ambassador in Kinshasa to be concurrently ambassador (non-resident) in Gabon and Congo.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Curriculum Council
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sums have been expended to the latest available date by the Northern Ireland Curriculum Council on the printing and circulation of its guidance material to the teaching profession.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  To the end of June this year, the cost of publication and distribution of guidance materials produced by the Northern Ireland Curriculum Council to the teaching profession was £182,365.

  Intergovernmental Talks
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who will chair the third strand of the talks involving the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland Governments and the constitutional political parties of Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Brooke
  I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the statement that I made in the House on 3 July 1991,Official Report, columns 319–20.

  As the talks that were held on the basis of my statement of 26 March 1991 have now concluded without the third strand having commenced, this question does not arise.

  Disability Manifesto
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his policy towards the recommendations of the "Disability Manifesto: An Agenda for the 1990s", a copy of which has been sent to him, which relates to his Department; and if he will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  [Holding answer 3 July 1991]: The Government remain committed to developing care in the community. The regional strategy for the health and personal social services in Northern Ireland and the recent policy paper "People First", which charts the way forward for community care in the 1990s, both identify improvements in attitudes and services which need to be made to enhance the quality of life for disabled people. They both stress the importance of assessing individual people's needs and targeting services to help them to live in their own homes for as long as possible and to participate fully in the life of the community.

  Stemming from "People First", the Department of Health and Social Services has recently issued detailed guidance requiring health and social services boards, from 1 April 1991, to put in place new complaints procedures which will ensure the formal investigation of all complaints or representations about community care services made by individuals or by anyone on their behalf.
  302
  From April 1993, comprehensive assessment arrangements will be introduced covering the community care needs of all people who are vulnerable through aging or disability. The guidance on complaints procedures required boards not only to publish the new arrangements but to ensure that any relevant information is made available in an appropriate format to sensorily handicapped or homebound people. The guidance on assessment and care management will similarly be publicised and, in providing for the appointment of a representative of the disabled person, will enable any problems in communication faced by the disabled person to be addressed.

  Government support was given to the introduction of the Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 on the understanding that it would be brought into effect in stages as resources permitted. On 1 April 1991, sections 5 and 6 of the Act and parts of sections 4, 8 and 11 were brought into force. These provisions require health and social services boards to assess the needs of disabled people for certain social welfare services, and the ability of their carers to provide appropriate care. Boards are also required, in association with education and library boards, to ensure that young disabled people have a smooth transition from full-time education to adult life. Substantial resources have been made available to boards to enable them to implement these provisions.

  With the introduction of these sections, Northern Ireland is now fully in line with Great Britain as far as the implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 is concerned. The intention is to maintain this position of parity.

  Of the provisions of the 1989 Act still to be brought into effect, sections 1 and 2 provide for the appointment of an authorised representative either by the disabled person concerned or by the relevant health and social services board. Section 3 requires the relevant board to give a disabled person or his authorised representative the right to make representations about his need for services, to provide on request a written statement on the assessed need for services and to respond to representations about any such statement.

  The implementation of these sections has been overtaken by the wider developments in the community care field. In particular, the far-reaching proposals in "People First" embody the spirit of sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Act. These, and the other broadly-based developments described above, reflect the Government's continuing drive towards substantial improvements in community care services in Northern Ireland and its commitment to provide the resources necessary to achieve this goal.

  Recommendations on public transport

  The Government have a strong policy commitment to improve transport facilities for disabled people in Northern Ireland. The Transport (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1990 enables the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland to grant aid the provision of transport services and facilities for the disabled. The Government fund and are represented on the transport advisory committee set up by the Northern Ireland Council on Disability. The Government will also subsidise dial-a-ride operations in Northern Ireland, initially for north and west Belfast. Ulsterbus/Citybus and Northern Ireland Railways are working to improve the accessibility of public transport services to the disabled

  303
  through suitable facilities at bus and rail stations and the provision of appropriate features on buses and rolling stock.

  Recommendation on Access

  The Northern Ireland building regulations dealing with facilities for disabled people are currently being revised. The proposals will be issued for consultation later this year. They will be based on those currently being finalised in England and Wales which cover all new public buildings and some extensions, including many of the categories of buildings mentioned in the manifesto such as leisure and recreational facilities, health service centres, and also shops, libraries, and so on.

  The training and employment agency in Northern Ireland provides an employment assessment, guidance, training and placement service for people with disabilities. The service has recently been reorganised with the introduction of a disablement advisory service. Disablement employment advisers, based throughout Northern Ireland, provide local facilities and develop links

  Weekly hours of attendance

  Primary

  Secondary

  Length of school year

  England and Wales

  261/2–30 (samples)

  281/2–31 (samples)

  38 weeks

  France

  27 (minimum)

  24 (minimum)

  33 weeks

  Germany

  Up to 36

  Up to 36

  40 weeks

  Japan

  25–29

  30

  35 weeks minimum

  Science and Engineering Research Council
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the closing dates for applications for postgraduate awards from the Science and Engineering Research Council in (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) the rest of the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The closing date for receipt of nominations for postgraduate awards funded by SERC is 31 July. This date applies whether the student is to study in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the United Kingdom, providing that he or she is eligible for a SERC award. The student must satisfy eligibility criteria on both qualifications and residence.

  The SERC residence criterion refers to postgraduate students ordinarily resident in Great Britain. Support for students ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland is provided by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, DENI—not SERC. The DENI closing date for receipt of applications for its awards competition is 1 May for students wishing to study in Great Britain, and 1 August for those wishing to study in Northern Ireland.

  Schools (Barnet)
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children are educated in voluntary aided(a) infants, (b) junior and (c) high schools in Barnet; and how many pupils are educated in (i) Church of England, (ii) Roman Catholic and (iii) Jewish voluntary-aided schools in Barnet.

  Mr. Fallon
  The number of pupils in Barnet educated in voluntary-aided schools is given in the table, by type and denomination of school. The figures relate to January 1990, the latest date for which information is available.
  304
  with area health and social services boards for the progression of people with disabilities from medical rehabilitation to employment-related services. They actively promote good employment practices with employers and, wherever possible, seek to provide employment and training opportunities alongside able-bodied workers.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  School Terms
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much time is spent in school by children in(a) England and Wales, (b) Japan, (c) Germany and (d) France.

  Mr. Fallon
  International comparison cannot be precise. The figures in the table compare the number of hours of weekly attendance at school and the number of weeks in the school year.

  Barnet LEA Pupils in voluntary aided schools by type and denomination

  Type of School

  Number of pupils

  Infant Schools

  616

  Junior Schools

  734

  Junior and Infant Schools

  5,637

  Secondary Schools

  6,676

  Total pupils in Barnet in voluntary aided schools

  13,663

  By Denomination

  Number of Pupils

  Church of England Schools

  4,753

  Roman Catholic Schools

  6,493

  Jewish Schools

  1,826

  Other Schools

  591

  Total pupils in Barnet in voluntary aided schools

  13,663

  Special Needs
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in rank order the amount spent by each local education authority on special needs(a) as an amount per pupil-student and (b) as a proportion of total local education authority expenditure on education.

  Mr. Fallon
  Returns from local education authorities identify separately their expenditure on special schools, home and hospital tuition, child guidance and educational psychological services. However, those returns do not show separately the amount spent to meet the special needs of pupils in primary and secondary schools and of further education students.
  305
  For 1988–89, the latest year for which information on actual spending is available, table 1 indicates spending on those items which are separately indentified as an amount per pupil in special schools. Table 2 indicates that spending as a proportion of total local education authority expenditure on education.

  Table 1

  Special Needs: Net recurrent expenditure1 per pupil2

  Local Education Authority

  £

  Bexley

  16,460

  Croydon

  15,480

  Solihull

  15,040

  Merton

  14,940

  Barking

  14,890

  Ealing

  14,830

  Enfield

  14,630

  Harrow

  14,630

  Brent

  13,160

  Cumbria

  12,660

  Redbridge

  11,940

  Bury

  11,880

  Barnet

  11,690

  Richmond-Upon-Thames

  11,410

  Cornwwall

  11,220

  Havering

  10,580

  Norfolk

  10,480

  Avon

  10,380

  Rotherham

  10,290

  Hounslow

  10,240

  Hillingdon

  10,040

  Wolverhampton

  10,020

  Somerset

  9,970

  Bradford

  9,840

  Newham

  9,810

  Suffolk

  9,690

  Derbyshire

  9,640

  Bromley

  9,460

  Berkshire

  9,450

  Wiltshire

  9,350

  St. Helens

  9,120

  Kingston-Upon-Thames

  9,090

  ILEA

  9,090

  Essex

  9,020

  Kirklees

  9,000

  Gloucestershire

  8,980

  Bolton

  8,950

  Leicestershire

  8,950

  Sutton

  8,900

  Cheshire

  8,880

  Northumberland

  8,770

  Hertfordshire

  8,730

  Sheffield

  8,630

  Rochdale

  8,550

  North Yorkshire

  8,540

  Barnsley

  8,530

  Wirral

  8,470

  Oxfordshire

  8,470

  Cambridgeshire

  8,450

  South Tyneside

  8,390

  Nottinghamshire

  8,350

  Tameside

  8,310

  Humberside

  8,300

  Dorset

  8,260

  Wigan

  8,040

  North Tyneside

  8,020

  Durham

  7,830

  Hampshire

  7,780

  Northamptonshire

  7,760

  Shropshire

  7,760

  Lancashire

  7,700

  Sandwell

  7,660

  Waltham Forest

  7,650

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  7,470

  Staffordshire

  7,440

  Buckinghamshire

  7,420

  Surrey

  7,370

  Bedfordshire

  7,350

  306

  Local Education Authority

  £

  Gateshead

  7,330

  Dudley

  7,290

  Lincolnshire

  7,270

  East Sussex

  7,170

  Cleveland

  7,140

  West Sussex

  7,060

  Devon

  7,040

  Coventry

  7,010

  Warwickshire

  6,960

  Trafford

  6,950

  Birmingham

  6,850

  Sefton

  6,790

  Oldham

  6,430

  Sunderland

  6,430

  Walsall

  6,380

  Kent

  6,380

  Calderdale

  6,350

  Leeds

  6,140

  Stockport

  6,110

  Knowsley

  6,100

  Liverpool

  5,880

  Hereford and Worcester

  5,750

  Salford

  5,570

  Isle of Wight

  4,910

  Doncaster

  4,520

  Haringey

  N/A

  Manchester

  N/A

  Wakefield

  N/A

  Notes:

  (1) Excluding financing costs of capital expenditure, school meals, income from specific grants and central education department administration costs.

  (2) The figures are based on LEA expenditure returns to DOE and pupil number returns to DES. N/A denotes that an expenditure return has not been received for an LEA.

  Table 2

  Local education authority

  Net recurrent expenditure1 : special needs as a percentage of total education spending2 Per cent.

  Hounslow

  9·6

  Enfield

  9·5

  Merton

  8·8

  Avon

  8·7

  Croydon

  8·7

  Gloucestershire

  8·6

  East Sussex

  8·6

  Ealing

  8·5

  Berkshire

  8·4

  Redbridge

  7·9

  Hampshire

  7·9

  Surrey

  7·7

  Bexley

  7·6

  Rotherham

  7·5

  St. Helens

  7·5

  Liverpool

  7·5

  Warwickshire

  7·4

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  7·3

  Wirral

  7·3

  Sutton

  7·3

  Lancashire

  7·2

  Waltham Forest

  7·2

  Hillingdon

  7·2

  Dorset

  7·1

  Solihull

  7·0

  Harrow

  7·0

  Kent

  7·0

  North Tyneside

  6·9

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  6·9

  Nottinghamshire

  6·9

  I.L.E.A.

  6·7

  Coventry

  6·7

  307

  Local education authority

  Net recurrent expenditure1: special needs as a percentage of total education spending2 Per cent.

  Buckinghamshire

  6·7

  Sandwell

  6·7

  Birmingham

  6·6

  Rochdale

  6·6

  Barnet

  6·6

  Somerset

  6·5

  Barking

  6·5

  Salford

  6·4

  Hertfordshire

  6·4

  Bradford

  6·4

  Bury

  6·3

  Cleveland

  6·2

  Wolverhampton

  6·2

  West Sussex

  6·2

  Newham

  6·2

  Knowsley

  6·2

  Bromley

  6·2

  Devon

  6·2

  Essex

  6·2

  Derbyshire

  6·1

  Stockport

  6·0

  Northamptonshire

  6·0

  Bolton

  6·0

  North Yorkshire

  5·9

  Wigan

  5·9

  Lincolnshire

  5·9

  Wiltshire

  5·9

  Cheshire

  5·9

  Oxfordshire

  5·9

  Hereford and Worcester

  5·7

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  5·7

  Bedfordshire

  5·6

  Northumberland

  5·6

  Cambridgeshire

  5·6

  Norfolk

  5·5

  Tameside

  5·5

  Sefton

  5·5

  Gateshead

  5·5

  Shropshire

  5·4

  Durham

  5·4

  Oldham

  5·4

  Staffordshire

  5·3

  Dudley

  5·3

  Sheffield

  5·1

  Sunderland

  5·1

  Doncaster

  5·1

  South Tyneside

  5·0

  Kirklees

  5·0

  Suffolk

  5·0

  Isle of Wight

  5·0

  Brent

  4·9

  Havering

  4·7

  Trafford

  4·5

  Humberside

  4·4

  Leeds

  4·4

  Leicestershire

  4·3

  Cumbria

  4·1

  Walsall

  4·1

  Cornwall

  4·0

  Calderdale

  3·8

  Barnsley

  3·6

  Haringey

  N/A

  Manchester

  N/A

  Wakefield

  N/A

  Notes:

  1 Excluding financing costs of capital expenditure, school meals, income from specific grants and central education department administration costs

  308

  2 The figures are based on LEA expenditure returns to DOE. N/A denotes that an expenditure return has not been received from an LEA.

TRANSPORT

  Wilhelmina J
  Mr. David Martin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive an interim report of the inspector's inquiry into the loss of the Wilhelmina J fishing vessel.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The chief inspector of marine accidents submitted the inspector's interim report, which contained the initial findings of the inspector regarding the collision between the Zulfikar and Wilhelmina J, to the Secretary of State on 24 April. The inspector's inquiry continues.

  Thames Passenger Services
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what sums he has authorised in each of the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92 for assisting passenger services on the River Thames in London; and what were the approximate number of passenger miles travelled on assisted services, and the assistance in pence per mile respectively for the year 1990–91.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The £500,000 grant made by the Government in 1989 was part of a £2·5 million public-private sector initiative to promote and improve the service provided, and to enable the undertaking to establish its commercial viability over a three-year period. We have made no further grants. The current operator, the River Bus Partnership, is not required to provide us with details of passenger carryings.

  Seat Belts
  Sir Anthony Grant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the number of injuries caused in each of the last five years to passengers in heavy goods vehicles or commercial vehicles who are not wearing seat belts.

  Mr. Chope
  Information regarding seat belt use by casualties in heavy goods vehicles or commercial vehicles is not available. Information on passenger casualties in light goods vehicles is given in the table. Data for 1990 are not yet available.

  Injuries to passengers in light goods vehicles1 who were not wearing a seat belt: Great Britain: 1985–89

  Number

  1985

  952

  1986

  980

  1987

  899

  1988

  938

  1989

  885

  1 Light goods vehicles are defined as goods vehicles up to 1·5 tons unladen weight.

  Sir Anthony Grant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring in regulations making it compulsory for passengers in the front of heavy goods vehicles or commercial vehicles to wear seat belts; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  The present seat belt wearing regulations require seat belts to be used by front seat passengers
  309
  occupying the specified passenger seat of such vehicles as well as by the driver, where they are fitted. A number of manufacturers of heavy goods vehicles already fit seat belts voluntarily as an important safety feature. A European Community directive will require all new HGVs to be fitted with seat belts from 1997. Seat belts have been required to be fitted to the driver's seat and exposed forward facing front seat of coaches and large minibuses since 1 October 1988.

  Severn Bridge
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the precise reference to where in the Severn bridge concession agreement the provisions and presumptions about interest charges for the project are covered.

  Mr. Chope
  Clause 5 and schedule 2—part 4—of the concession agreement with Severn River Crossing plc set out the basis of the financial terms for the project. The detailed provisions relating to interest charges are commercially confidential and are contained in the supporting financial documentation to the agreement.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Severn bridge debt.

  Mr. Chope
  The net debt on the Severn bridge at 31 March 1990 was £114 million.

  M40 (Service Areas)
  Mr. Roger King
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what temporary service facilities will now be introduced on the M40 following the rejection of planning permission for motorway service areas.

  Mr. Chope
  Planning permission has been refused for the motorway service area—MSA—proposed at Tetsworth to serve the southern section of the M40. Two other MSAs are proposed, one at Barn Hill, between junctions 12 and 13, on which a planning decision is awaited; and one at Ardley, at junction 10, for which planning clearance has been obtained. It is hoped to have the Ardley MSA developed and open early in 1993.

  In the meantime, signs to the MSAs at Frankley and Hilton Park on the M6 and at Tamworth on the M42 are being modified to indicate that there are no services on the M40. Signs to similar effect are being erected on major approach roads to the M40 such as A34 and A46.

  Temporary signs will be erected on the M40 within the next few weeks to indicate the availability of 24-hour fuel facilities off junctions 10 and 15 for emergency use. The general "No services" signing will remain on the motorway.

  Agreement in principle has been reached with Warwickshire and Oxfordshire county councils for emergency lavatory facilities to be provided on A542 between junctions 13 and 14 and off junction 10. When these facilities are in place, they, too, will be signed from the motorway.

  Road Accidents
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on the results of traffic-calming measures on accident levels; and if he will make a statement.
  310
  Mr. Chope
  The urban safety project carried out by the transport and road research laboratory indicated that traffic-calming measures can reduce casualties in residential areas by an average of 13 per cent. If this approach were applied nationally, approximately 5 per cent. of all road casualties would be saved.

PRIME MINISTER

  Budget Secrecy
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will consider loosening pre-Budget secrecy on issues that are not market sensitive.

  The Prime Minister
  It is already the practice to consult interested parties where appropriate on tax measures for possible inclusion in future Budgets. In this year's Budget, my right hon. Friend announced consultation on at least nine separate issues. In addition, proposals in the Finance Bill are subject to detailed consideration in Committee in the usual way.

  Steroids
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements have existed between the Department of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food over the past four years in preparing prosecutions against people claimed to be dealing illegally in anabolic steroids.

  The Prime Minister
  The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's investigation branch carries out investigations at the request and under the direction of the medicines control agency's—MCA—enforcement unit into persons suspected of dealing illegally in anabolic steroids. On completion of an investigation the MCA, subject to solicitor's advice, decides whether to prosecute.

  China
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Government's position regarding the renewal by the United States Government of China's most favoured nation status.

  The Prime Minister
  Renewal by the United States Government of most favoured nation status for China is of great importance to Hong Kong. We hope that both the House of Representatives and the Senate will give their support to this measure.

  Hong Kong's economy is now inextricably linked with that of China. More than two thirds of Chinese exports to the United States are routed through Hong Kong. It has been estimated that non-renewal of China's MFN could result in a loss of some 43,000 Hong Kong jobs, a drop of up to half in Hong Kong's current GDP growth and a loss of US$9 billion to 12 billion in trade. American commercial interest and investment in Hong Kong would also be adversely affected.

  There have been some calls for renewal to be made subject to conditions, but this, too, would be bad for Hong Kong. The resulting uncertainty would be a major disincentive to investment in Hong Kong.

  Watney Truman Tenants
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Prime Minister what response he has sent to the representations from Watney Truman tenants about notices to quit from Watney's brewery and in particular, the notice to quit to the proprietor of the Plough public house, Coldharbour lane, London SE5.

  The Prime Minister
  I have received a number of representations on this matter. The Government have expressed their concern that certain brewers are issuing notices to quit to their tenants. However, we have received assurances that the purpose of most of these notices is to allow the renegotiation of tenancy agreements. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is keeping in close contact with the brewers and representatives of the tenants on this issue.

  Year ending 31 December 1979

  Year ending 31 March 1990

  District Health Authority

  Pupils inspected

  Pupils re-inspected

  Pupils inspected

  Pupils re-inspected

  Clwyd

  31,773

  4,113

  26,781

  2,011

  East Dyfed

  35,043

  8,640

  13,814

  1,681

  Pembrokeshire

  15,275

  8,150

  Gwent

  54,188

  4,850

  30,140

  6,934

  Gwynedd

  16,580

  777

  16,157

  1,434

  Mid Glamorgan

  62,739

  12,379

  49,726

  10,039

  Powys

  12,439

  1,761

  11,398

  4,054

  South Glamorgan

  40,851

  5,677

  38,939

  3,761

  West Glamorgan

  37,238

  4,439

  45,262

  3,828

  Wales

  290,851

  42,636

  247,492

  41,892

  Pre-school Playgroups
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a tour of Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association groups in east Clwyd.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to do so.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times he has met Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association leaders.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I met leaders of the Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association at a recent reception at the House of Commons. Officials met leaders of Wales PPA on 1 July, when funding arrangements were discussed.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association leaders at their Wales headquarters.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I have not been invited to do so.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the amount of cash given to the Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association in real terms for the last three years.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The total amount of grant given to the Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 over the financial year 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1990–91 was £417,757. In addition, in 1989–90 and 1990–91, the Gwynedd Pre-School Playgroups Association received grants totalling £8,500 under section 26 of the Development of Rural Wales Act 1976. For 1991–92 the following grants have been offered to the Wales PPA and its county associations.

WALES

  Schools Dental Service
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the number of pupils inspected and the number of pupils re-inspected by the school service of the community dental service in 1979 and the most recent available year(a) by authority and (b) for Wales as a whole.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  The information requested is given in the table.

  £

  Under section 28(B)(2) of the National Health Service Act 1977, as amended

  Core cost

  143,657

  Children Act Training

  5,500

  Powys PPA Development Officer

  4,778

  Gwent PPA Training Assistant

  6,480

  Under section 26 of the Development of Rural Wales Act 1976

  Gwynedd Pre-School Playgroup Association

  7,500

  Total

  167,915

  Royal Welch Fusiliers
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit the regimental headquarters of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I have not been approached to visit the regimental headquarters of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and have no immediate plans to do so.

  Belmont Special School
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit Belmont special school, Buckley.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Neither my right hon. Friend nor I have any immediate plans to do so.

  Official Visit (America)
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the mode of transport used for the recent official visit to north America, its total travel cost, and the evaluation used of the alternatives of private jet hire as against scheduled services; and if he will make a statement.
  313
  Mr. David Hunt
  I travelled to and from north America by scheduled air flights. Journeys within north America were undertaken by aeroplane and by car. As soon as the travel costs are known I shall write to the hon. Gentleman. Alternative modes of transport were considered for all journeys and the most practical option chosen in each case.

ENVIRONMENT

  Water Treatment
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of Britain's coastline will be designated as less sensitive under the terms of the EC municipal waste water treatment directive.

  Projects supported

  1988–89

  £357,000

  Clapton Park Estate (Phase I)

  1989–90

  £932,000

  Clapton Park Estate (Phase I) Alexandra National House Fellows Court Estate

  1990–91

  £984,000

  Clapton Park Estate (Phase II) Alexandra National House Fellows Court Estate

  1991–92

  £1,139,000

  Clapton Park Estate (Phase II) Alexandra National House

  Further resources of £2,526,000 have been earmarked for works at the Clapton park estate (phases II and III) in 1991–92 and 1992–93.

  Bird Imports
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the common name of those bird species which require a sales exemption under EC regulation 3626/82, which implements the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species.

  Mr. Baldry
  I have today placed a copy of the information requested in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the number of cases investigated by his Department of birds offered for sale suspected of not having exemption under EC regulation 3626/82, the number which were subject to legal proceedings and the number which resulted in prosecutions in each of the last three years for which information is available.

  Mr. Baldry
  My Department's investigations are limited to identifying possible offences, making initial

  Provisional contributions from Local Authorities to non-dom. rate pool 1990–91 £ million

  Receipts from non-domestic rates pool 1990–91 £ million

  Provisional contributions from Local Authorities to non-dom. rate pool 1991–92 £ million

  Receipts from non-domestic rates pool 1991–92 £ million

  Northern

  455

  679

  481

  806

  North West

  1,004

  1,373

  1,072

  1,622

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  758

  1,083

  810

  1,277

  East Midlands

  592

  878

  651

  1,044

  West Midlands

  825

  1,126

  882

  1,345

  East Anglia

  301

  445

  359

  533

  South East

  1,890

  2,344

  2,255

  2,773

  South West

  633

  1,024

  739

  1,229

  London

  2,669

  1,477

  3,121

  1,780

  England

  9,127

  10,429

  10,369

  12,408

  314
  Mr. Trippier
  Less sensitive areas will be identified by the Government on the advice of the relevant regulatory authorities in accordance with the criteria and timetable contained in the directive.

  Estate Action Programme
  Mr. Norris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the annual allocations to the area of the London borough of Hackney through the estate action programme since its inception, and the projects supported.

  Mr. Yeo
  Since the inception of the estate action (EA) programme the London borough of Hackney has received the following allocations of EA resources for projects in the borough:

  inquiries, and passing information to the police when appropriate. Subsequent investigations are primarily the responsibility of the police, although we keep records of any prosecutions.

  The details requested are as follows:

  1989–90

  1990–91

  19911

  Initial inquiries by the Department

  86

  82

  24

  Legal proceedings taken by the police

  5

  4

  1

  Prosecutions

  1

  3

  —

  1 April-July.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish an analysis of inter-regional transfers within England in 1990–91 and 1991–92 due to the operation of the uniform business rate, in a similar form to the tables placed in the Library, pursuant to his answer of 29 April,Official Report, columns 9–10.

  Mr. Portillo
  The available information is as follows:
  315
  Provisional contributions from local authorities to the non-domestic rates pool do not represent the total amounts of non-domestic rates paid to the pool for each region, because

  (i) properties on the Central and Crown lists make payments direct to the non-domestic rates pool. It is not known how much of the total yield from these properties relates to each region.

  (ii) the provisional contributions made by local authorities to the non-domestic rates pool are calculated on the basis of the rateable value of properties on the local rating list as at 31 December the previous year.

  Information about the actual rates payable in respect of 1990–91 is not likely to be available till November 1991.

  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average amount each domestic ratepayer was charged to cover the shortfall caused by non-collection in 1989.

  Mr. Key
  No information is available centrally.

  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount of community charge remaining uncollected in Tower Hamlets in April.

  Mr. Key
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Esher (Mr. Taylor) on 4 July at column 181.

  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each local authority in London(a) the number of individuals who are liable to pay community charge and (b) the number who are exempt from the charge distinguished by exemption category.

  Mr. Key
  The available information on the number of people liable, at 31 March 1991, to make a payment in respect of a personal community charge for each local authority in London is given in the table. For information on the numbers exempt, by exemption category, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 20 December 1990 at col 267.

  Number of people liable to make a payment in respect of a personal community charge by 31 March 1991

  Number

  London boroughs

  Barking and Dagenham

  109,903

  Barnet

  Not av.

  Bexley

  179,000

  Brent

  Not av.

  Bromley

  255,000

  Camden

  Not av.

  City of London

  3,655

  Croydon

  260,266

  Ealing

  207,000

  Enfield

  269,366

  Greenwich

  160,000

  Hackney

  143,620

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  126,036

  Haringey

  173,600

  Harrow

  158,987

  Havering

  189,871

  Hillingdon

  195,197

  Hounslow

  183,420

  Islington

  141,600

  Kensington and Chelsea

  117,000

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  133,616

  Lambeth

  186,013

  Lewisham

  Not av.

  Merton

  149,532

  Newham

  161,003

  "HIP1 All Items Print"—column references

  Local Authority

  Housing Authority

  Other Public Sector1

  Private Sector

  1979

  B41

  B42+B432

  B44

  B45

  1980

  A81

  A82+A832

  A84

  A85

  1981 to 1984

  A71

  A72

  A73

  A74

  1985 to 1989

  A81

  A82

  A83

  A84

  1990

  A71

  A72

  A73

  A74

  316

  Number

  Redbridge

  227,417

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  146,888

  Southwark

  176,426

  Tower Hamlets

  126,665

  Waltham Forest

  185,000

  Wandsworth

  213,000

  Westminster

  158,896

  Oil and Gas Exploration
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which of the four statutory organisations recently devolved from the Nature Conservancy Council has the lead responsibility for advising Government Departments on the nature conservation implications of offshore licensing.

  Mr. Trippier
  The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) provides advice on nature conservation matters which concern Great Britain as a whole or have international implications. The JNCC is considering whether it should co-ordinate the provision of advice on all offshore licensing applications for gas and oil.

  Government Offices (Flags)
  Dr. Goodson-Wickes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps are taken to ensure the proper display of union flags from Government offices in Whitehall.

  Mr. Yeo
  My Department issues instructions to other Government Departments about the flying of the union flag on buildings of which they are the sole or principal occupants. These instructions include rules for hoisting flags and the dates and occasions on which this should be done. Individual accommodation officers are responsible for ensuring that the rules are strictly adhered to.

  Empty Properties
  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the figures for empty properties by tenure for each London borough annually since 1979.

  Mr. Yeo
  Local authorities report the number of their own dwellings which were empty at 1 April, and estimates the number of empty dwellings owned by other public sector bodies, housing associations and the private sector, in their annual housing investment programme returns (HIP1). The available figures for London boroughs appear in the "HIP1 All Items Print" for each year since 1979, at the column references shown as follows:
  317

  Notes:

  1 Other public sector includes dwellings owned by other boroughs, the GLC (up to 1985), government departments and other public sector agencies.

  2 For 1979 and 1980 there were separate estimates for local authority funded housing association dwellings and others. Copies of all the documents are in the Library.

  Homelessness
  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the numbers of people accepted as homeless for each London borough since 1979.

  Mr. Yeo
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning gave to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) on 30 April 1991 at col 511.

  Pollution Control
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which organisations have been consulted on the draft Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution internal procedure guidance notes for implementing integrated pollution control; whether he intends to consult more widely on these guidance notes and on the guidelines and criteria which Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will use in enforcing integrated pollution control; and what is his deadline for comments.

  Mr. Trippier
  The following list indentifies those organisations that have been consulted on the HMIP internal procedures guidance, which will ultimately form the part of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution (HMIP) procedures manual. This guidance includes the guidelines and criteria which Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will use in enforcing integrated pollution control.

  The consultation has been in two phases. The first phase containing the majority of the guidance material, started on 14 June with comments requested by 12 July. The second phase, consisting of a short three-page note was implemented on 2 July, with replies requested by 29 July.

  There are no plans to consult more widely, although any organisation that would like to comment on the guidance documentation is at liberty to request a set through HMIP.

  Proposed list of consultees

  1. Department of the Environment (EPI, AQ and Legal)

  2. Department of Energy

  3. Department of Trade and Industry

  4. Welsh Office

  5. Scottish Development Department (HMIPI)

  6. Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland)

  7. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

  8. Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

  9. National Rivers Authority

  10. Health and Safety Executive

  11. National Audit Office

  12. Nature Conservancy Council for England

  13. Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland

  14. Countryside Council for Wales

  15. Association of Metropolitan Authorities

  16. Association of County Councils

  17. Association of District Councils

  18. Water Services Association

  19. British Ports Federation

  20. Institute of Environmental Health Officers

  21. Confederation of British Industries

  22. Chemical Industries Association

  23. Engineering Employers Federation

  24. British Non-Ferrous Metals Association

  318

  25. British Metal Castings Council

  26. Metal Finishing Association

  27. ENDS

  28. Friends of the Earth

  29. Greenpeace

  30. UK Petroleum Industries Association

  31. Metcom

  Local Government Commission
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the appointment and composition of the membership of the Local Government Commission.

  Mr. Key
  Subject to Parliament, the new Local Government Commission will be set up next year. The Secretary of State will appoint its members, and will seek to ensure a balanced membership.

  Local Government Boundary Commission
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the names, geographical origins, local government experience and when it was gained, other experience and length of service of each member of the local government Boundary Commission who took part in the local government Boundary Commission's review of Humberside; who were the advisers and researchers; what was the number and duration of visits by the Commission and advisers and researchers to(a) Lincoln, (b) Beverley, (c) Grimsby and (d) Hull in the course of the review; and if he will list the different conclusions in the stages of the review and the voting figures on each.

  Mr. Key
  The present members of the Commission are Mr. G. J. Ellerton (chairman); Mr. K. F. J. Ennals; Mr. G. R. Prentice; Mrs. H. Sarkany; Mr. C. W. Smith; and Professor K. Young.

  Mr. Ellerton served in the colonial service from 1945 ending up as Secretary to the Cabinet in Kenya in 1963. After service as secretary of the Maud and Mallaby Committees on local government and staffing, he joined the Elder Dempster shipping line, becoming chairman from 1972 to 1974. He was later a director of Ocean Transport and Trading Ltd., Overseas Containers Ltd., and chairman of Globe Management Ltd. At the time of his retirement from commerce in 1986, he was a director of Globe Investment Trust.

  Mr. Ennals joined the civil service in 1952. After service in the Export Credits Guarantee Department, Department of Economic Affairs, and Ministry of Housing and Local Government he was director, local government directorate, Department of the Environment. He later became director general, Organisation and Establishments (DOE), and, before retirement in 1987, deputy secretary, Finance and Local Government (DOE).

  Mr. Prentice began his career in 1952 as an accountant with Hertfordshire county council. He later had assistant county treasurer posts with Cheshire, Nottinghamshire, and Hampshire county councils. From 1970 he was county treasurer, Kesteven county council and from 1974 to 1979,

  319
  Lincolnshire county council. From 1979 to his retirement in 1983, he was chief executive, Lincolnshire county council.

  Mrs. Sarkany held various teaching posts in north London and the USA from 1958 to 1976, later becoming a solicitor in general practice. She is a JP and part-time chairman of a supplementary benefit tribunal.

  Mr. Smith trained as a civil engineer and held various posts in local authority planning departments. In 1959 he became county planning officer, East Suffolk county council. In 1971 he became chief executive, East Suffolk county council, and from 1974 until retirement in 1990, chief executive, Suffolk county council.

  Professor Young was a research officer at the London School of Economics, 1966–73; research fellow, later senior research fellow, university of Kent, and school for advanced urban studies, university of Bristol. From 1979 to 1987, senior fellow, policy studies institute, during which time (1985–86) he was research director, and adviser, to the Committee on Conduct of Local Authority Business (Widdecombe Committee) and director, Institute of Local Government Studies, university of Birmingham 1987–90. He is now Professor of politics, university of London.

  We have no information on the members' birthplaces.

  The conduct of the review is, by statute, a matter for the Commission.

  Aggregates
  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the long-term forecasts of national demand for primary aggregates reproduced as figure 3 in the document "Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England and Wales Review of MPG6" will be included in the draft revised version of MPG6 when it is published; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  A decision on the long-term forecasts of national demand for primary aggregates to be published in the draft revision on MPG6 will be taken when we have considered the comments received about the recent forecasts shown in figure 3 in the document "Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England and Wales—Review of MPG6".

  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the long-term forecasts of national demand for primary aggregates recently published by his Department in "Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England and Wales Review of MPG6" will he subject to further review in the light of comments on the forecasts received by his Department.

  Mr. Yeo
  We welcome comments on the recently published forecasts and these will be carefully considered before any decision on whether there should be a review of the present forecasts.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the regional aggregates working parties will be preparing new regional commentaries on the basis of the revised forecasts and resulting regional apportionments based on the AM89 survey.

  Mr. Yeo
  A regional apportionment of the recently published forecasts based on the results of the AM89 survey has been made available to the regional aggregates working parties (RAWPS) as advice which they may wish 320
  to take into account as they prepare their regional commentaries. It is also open to the RAWPS to prepare regional commentaries using their own assessment of possible long-term future regional demand.

  Minerals Act 1981 (Review)
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) in undertaking the review of the Minerals Act 1981, what place has been allowed for representation for the minerals industry, local authorities and statutory and non-statutory conservation organisations;

  (2) what are the terms of reference for the review now being carried out by his Department of the Minerals Act 1981;

  (3) what steps he is taking to consult representatives of voluntary conservation organisations as part of the review of the Minerals Act 1981.

  Mr. Yeo
  The Government announced in the White Paper on the Environment "This Common Inheritance" their intention to review the operation of the provisions introduced by the Town and Country Planning (Minerals) Act 1981, and the compensation arrangements under it. That review is underway and will consider:—the nature and extent of the problem, including old permissions, particularly interim development order permissions, and historic dereliction.
  —the effectiveness of the provisions of the 1981 Act and associated regulations in dealing with these problems, including reviews of mineral working sites, order making powers, level of compensation, and restoration and aftercare conditions.
  —whether there are solutions or approaches outside the current legislation, including restoration bonds and/or levies.

  As I stated in reply to a question by the hon. Member on 17 June, the review is being undertaken by officials with the assistance of a small informal working group comprising three representatives of the County Planning Officers Society and three representatives of the minerals industry. The review, which is already underway, is examining the technical details of the provisions. The Government have no plans to change the membership of the working group. However, interested bodies are welcome to submit representations, and any proposed changes arising from the review will be the subject of full public consultation, including environmental and amenity groups, before decisions are taken.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Emergency Planning
  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by location for London the authorities that have developed emergency control centres; and how many(a) emergency planning officers and (b) clerical support staff for emergency planning officers are employed by each borough.

  Mr. John Patten
  According to the most recent information provided by London authorities, the following have developed emergency centres:

  Hillingdon

  Islington

  City of London

  Westminster

  Waltham Forest

  Barking

  Merton

  Hackney

  Richmond

  Havering

  321

  Bromley

  Newham

  Bexley

  Redbridge

  Brent

  Tower Hamlets

  Hammersmith

  Kingston

  Harrow

  Lambeth

  Hounslow

  Sutton

  Kensington

  Wandsworth

  Barnet

  Croydon

  Camden

  Greenwich

  Enfield

  Lewisham

  Haringey

  Southwark

  Details of emergency planning staff employed by the London boroughs are not held centrally.

  TV Purchases
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Cambridgeshire, South-East on 27 June,Official Report, column 509, whether he has any proposals to ensure that the BBC does not gain commercial advantage from the monopolistic information it received concerning television purchases since 1 April or to ensure that such information is made available to other organisations who may wish to use it for commercial purposes.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  As I explained in my answer of 27 June the use made of television licensing records created after 31 March 1991 is a matter for the BBC, not the Secretary of State. It is always open for people to approach the Data Protection Registrar if they believe the BBC's use of computerised records contravenes the Data Protection Act, or the Director General of Fair Trading if they consider the BBC are unfairly exploiting a monopoly position.

  Bingo
  Mr. Fry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his consideration of the gaming board's recommendation of the relaxation of regulations on the advertising of bingo.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  We have recently completed our consideration of the gaming board's advice on the scope for partial relaxation of the controls, in section 42 of the Gaming Act 1968, on the advertising of licensed bingo clubs. We have concluded that there is a case for relaxing the controls on print advertising, provided there is a prohibition on all advertising of prizes away from club premises so as to prevent undue emphasis being placed on the gambling rather than the social aspects of the clubs. We do not believe that bingo advertising on local radio should be permitted. We will be writing to the Bingo Association of Great Britain in the near future to invite their views on these proposals.

  Derek Bentley
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will recommend the grant of a posthumous pardon to Derek Bentley.

  Mr. John Patten
  Representations made in this case are still under consideration.

  United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the 1991–92 grant to UKIAS; and what is the proposed grant in 1992–93.
  322
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Home Office grant-in-aid to UKIAS for 1991–92 set at the beginning of the year amounted to £1,467 million. The further amounts to be paid in this and subsequent years as a result of the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 2 July will be determined in the light of discussions with the organisation.

  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with UKIAS with a view to that organisation providing legal advice and assistance in respect of immigration and asylum cases.

  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of whether the proposed additional resources for UKIAS will enable that organisation to send representatives to interviews with immigration officers, to provide interpreters, to obtain medical reports and to attend police stations and posts in relation to political asylum cases.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  In the light of the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 2 July, Home Office officials are discussing with UK LAS the implications for its workload and organisation and the extra resources needed. Those discussions include the range of additional functions which the service will be asked to undertake as a result of the changes announced last week.

  Police Vehicles (Blue Lights)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what restrictions exist on the use of devices that emit blue light on police vehicles that are not (i) warning beacons or (ii) special warning lamps.

  Mr. Chope
  I have been asked to reply.

  Apart from the rules on warning beacons and special warning lamps, the only restriction under the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 on the use of other devices which emit blue light on police vehicles is that they must not be used so as to cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other road users.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Telephone Systems
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many call line identification telephone systems have been installed in the United Kingdom; arid if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  Any equipment that is to be connected to the public telephone network first has to be approved. At present no equipment has been approved that would enable customers to have calling line identification for telephone calls over the public network.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Director of OFTEL about the introduction of the call line identification telephone system to the United Kingdom as a security measure against nuisance telephone calls; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  My Department is in touch with OFTEL about the possible introduction of calling line identification (CLI) in the United Kingdom. This raises a number
  323
  of issues including the need for a telephone call to be carried via a digital exchange at both ends and the requirement for new equipment to be approved before it is connected to the public telephone network. OFTEL expects to publish a consultation paper on CLI later this year.

  Video Telephones
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many video-telephones have been installed in the United Kingdom; what areas of the United Kingdom has video-phone cable network installed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  All terminal equipment that is to be connected to the public switched telephone network first has to be approved. No video-telephones have been submitted for approval in the United Kingdom. Technically it is possible to have video-telephones that can operate on the standard telephone network.

  Inner Cities Programme
  Mr. Norris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the annual allocations to the area of the London borough of Hackney through his Department's inner cities programme since its inception, and the projects supported.

  Mr. Leigh
  No projects in the London borough of Hackney have so far been supported by the Government's inner cities task forces.

  On 9 May last, I announced that we would open a task force in Hackney later this year. Programme expenditure in 1991–92 will be set in consultation with the task force leader when he or she is appointed, but spend in a full financial year is usually of the order of £1 million.

  Soft Drinks
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what consideration has been given to the implications on the soft drinks industry of the findings of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of carbonated soft drinks;

  (2) what representations he has received on the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of carbonated soft drinks;

  (3) when he expects to publish the findings of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of carbonated soft drinks;

  (4) what period of consultation he will give the drinks industry and other interested parties after publication of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of carbonated soft drinks.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on carbonated drinks is currently being considered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The report will be published as quickly as is practicable.

  The contents of all MMC reports remain confidential until publication. If the MMC finds no adverse effects the Secretary of State has no power to act. If the MMC has reached any adverse findings he will decide what steps, if any, should be taken to remedy the situation. He will also consider whether or not to announce a period of consultation before reaching his conclusions.
  324
  The Secretary of State does not receive representations before an MMC report has been published. Interested parties have had the opportunity to put views directly to the MMC. The Secretary of State's decision is based on the full examination and analysis contained in the MMC report. It would be inappropriate for his view to be influenced by representations from particular interest groups, since, while the report remains confidential, he is unable to seek views of others on the same points.

  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed in the United Kingdom soft drinks industry.

  Mr. Redwood
  Latest published figures show that employment in the United Kingdom soft drinks manufacturing industry (SIC 4283) was 17,400 in September 1989.

  Auditing Practices Board
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library his Department's response to the CCAB Ltd. report on the restructuring of the Auditing Practices Board.

  Mr. Redwood
  Copies of my Department's press notice welcoming the proposals for the new Auditing Practices Board have been placed in the Library.

  Company Pension Funds
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to review(a) the treatment of company pension funds in company accounts and (b) the control of the assets of such pension funds.

  Mr. Redwood
  The accounting treatment of company contributions to pension funds is dealt with by SSAP 24 issued in 1988 by the Accounting Standards Committee. In due course, the Accounting Standards Board will be reviewing SSAP 24 as part of its programme of reviewing all standards in existence when the board was created. The control of pension fund assets is the responsibility of the trustees, who have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the members of the scheme in accordance with the deeds and rules. It is for them to take any action necessary to protect the fund's assets.

  Company Accounts
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to review the present treatment of leasing in company accounts; and what provision is currently made in respect of such treatment to allow fair comparison between company performances by investors.

  Mr. Redwood
  Accounting standards are intended to foster greater comparability among company accounts. Accounting for leases is dealt with in statement of standard accounting practice 21 (SSAP21) issued by the Accounting Standards Committee in 1984 and, together with all other then existing standards, adopted by the Accounting Standards Board (ASB) on its formation in August 1990. The ASB announced then that it would, in due course, review all those standards. My Department has drawn the attention of the ASB to several points which will need to be considered when SSAP 21 is reviewed.

  Open-ended Investment Companies
  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about proposals received from the Unit Trust Association for legislation facilitating the creation of open-ended investment companies.

  Mr. Redwood
  I am still awaiting the Unit Trust Association's proposals.

  Arms Industries
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Clywd, South-West (Mr. Jones)Official Report, 27 June, column 524, information on arms conversion to non-arms production is collected by (a) any executive agency of his Department or (b) in any compilation of regional statistics.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: Information on arms conversion is not systematically collected by any executive agency, or published in any official compilation of regional statistics.

  "Markets for Environmental Monitoring Instrumentation"
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many copies of his Department's report, "Markets for Environmental Monitoring Instrumentation" have been printed and at what cost; and to whom copies have been distributed.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: The publishing rights for this report were passed to HMSO. The DTI did not therefore incur any costs in relation to the publication of the report nor take any decision as to the number of copies printed. However, a number of pre-publication copies of the report were provided to GAMBICA, the monitoring equipment manufacturers trade association, in view of the considerable assistance it provided towards the report's preparation.

  The report is available, at a cost of £22, through local HMSO outlets.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Sri Lanka
  Mr. Gerald Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account has been taken of Sri Lanka's human rights record in reaching decisions on aid.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We announced in October 1990 that we were delaying implementation of a £3 million pledge of programme aid pending a review of all relevant factors, including Sri Lanka's human rights performance.

  This review has now been carried out, and our conclusion is that, despite some encouraging steps taken by the Sri Lanka Government earlier this year, the overall satisfactory human rights situation has not improved significantly. I have therefore decided to withdraw the offer of programme aid.

  Existing project aid, including technical assistance and relief activities, will continue. However, we have made it clear that any major new aid commitments will be reviewed in the light of the human rights situation.

  Tropical Forests
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to propose to the forthcoming Group of Seven summit a policy for a clear commitment to cease support of multilateral and bilateral aid that causes unsustainable damage to intact tropical forests.

  Mrs. Chalker
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: The Government believe that multilateral and bilateral aid should not support unsustainable activities in tropical forests. They take every opportunity to make this position clear and are prepared to do so, if necessary, at the summit.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the development of a legally binding global instrument to conserve the world's forests;

  (2) what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken towards facilitating the establishment of an international instrument on forests, to be signed in Brazil at the Earth Summit in 1992.

  Mrs. Chalker
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: The Government support proposals for a statement of principles on the management of the world's forests which is to be endorsed by world leaders at the UN conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Brazil in June 1992. The Government are also grateful for the agreement of a legally binding instrument thereafter. We are engaged in discussions with a wide variety of developed and developing countries in the context of the preparations for the UNCED towards this end.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Income Support
  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will publish a table showing the number of people receiving income support who, at the time the award was made, were living in the postcode areas covering Tower Hamlets;

  (2) if he will publish a table showing the number of families receiving family credit who, at the time the award was made, were living in the postcode areas covering Tower Hamlets.

  Miss Widdecombe
  I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information in relation to income support is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Mr. Bichard will write to the hon. Member with the information in relation to family credit, and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

  Housing and Community Charge Benefits
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table reconciling for the years 1985–86 to 1990–91 the figures for England, Scotland and Wales for housing and community charge benefits, as given in table 3 of Cm. 1514, with those for housing benefits, as given in the Official Report, 28 March, column 516.

  Miss Widdecombe
  It is not possible to publish such a table because the information given in column 516 of the

  327
  Official Report for 28 March was taken from the 1989 public expenditure White Paper (Cm. 621), and is based on local authority returns which are subject to adjustment. The information given in table 3 of the departmental report (Cm. 1514), is more recent and therefore includes subsequent adjustments.

  Departmental Agencies
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many staff were in post on the date that each agency in his Department was established as an executive agency; and how many staff are in post now.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The information requested is in the table.

  On establishment

  At 1 June 1991

  Date established

  Resettlement Agency

  540

  505

  24 May 1989

  Information Technology Services Agency

  2,996

  3,732

  2 April 1990

  Contributions Agency

  7,171

  7,255

  10 April 1991

  Benefits Agency

  65,604

  64,979

  10 April 1991

  Note: Figures are whole time equivalent permanent staff only.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list new facilities for staff including nurseries and health care schemes which have been introduced in each agency in his Department since its establishment as an executive agency.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Benefits Agency has opened three workplace nurseries in Brixton, Hinchley Wood and Newcastle Upon Tyne. The Newcastle nursery is a joint venture with the Contributions Agency and Information Technology Services Agency. The Information Technology Services Agency has introduced a holiday playscheme at Lytham St. Annes.

  Number of claimants

  Average weekly payment (£)

  Total payment per annum (£ million)

  Current

  1990 prices

  1975

  98,000

  3·93

  20

  68

  1976

  123,000

  4·22

  27

  80

  1977

  124,000

  5·12

  33

  87

  1978

  105,000

  4·81

  26

  63

  1979

  98,000

  5·96

  31

  64

  1980

  134,000

  10·18

  71

  128

  1981

  196,000

  12·18

  124

  200

  1982

  235,000

  13·87

  170

  260

  1983

  242,000

  11·93

  150

  218

  1984

  277,000

  15·18

  219

  304

  1986

  356,000

  18·96

  351

  458

  1987

  334,000

  19·31

  335

  415

  1988

  200,000

  18·33

  286

  340

  1989

  281,000

  24·18

  353

  387

  Source: Annual Statistical Enquiries.

  Notes: Figures for numbers of claimants are rounded to the nearest 100,000.

  Figures from 1983 onwards are not comparable with earlier figures because they were collected on a different basis.

  Current prices are inflated to 1990 price level by use of the RPI index.

  In 1985 no Enquiry was undertaken.

  The 1990 Enquiry will be published shortly.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost of paying mortgage interest payments in full for the first 16 weeks of an income support claim.
  328
  In regard to healthcare schemes all staff aged 35 and over employed in the Department's executive agencies are to be offered the opportunity of a comprehensive health screen, including lifestyle counselling, concentrating on the main causes of premature death in the United Kingdom, coronary heart disease, and breast and cervical cancer.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the new forms of alternative working patterns introduced into each agency in his Department since its establishment as an executive agency; and if he will publish a breakdown by grade of the numbers of staff taking up each new working pattern.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Information Technology Services Agency has introduced two new forms of alternative working patterns:(a) recurring temporary appointments and (b) short notice appointments. These cater respectively for staff contracted to work for short periods each year, and for staff employed at short notice and usually for a short period. To date the only such appointments made relate to two executive officers employed on a recurring temporary appointments basis.

  The Benefits Agency, the Contributions Agency and the Resettlement Agency have not introduced any new forms of alternative working patterns since their inception as executive agencies.

  Mortgages
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total amount paid by central Government through social security payments to home owners in mortgage interest payments each year since 1975–76 at(a) real and (h) 1990 costings.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Estimates of amounts included for mortgage interest in the assessment of supplementary benefit and, from 1988, income support, are given in the table:

  Miss Widdecombe
  The cost in 1989, the latest year for which annual statistical inquiry information is available, is estimated at about £35 million.

  Child Benefit
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will arrange for the Benefits Agency to consider analysing child benefit payments for lone and two-parent households by post code and publishing the statistics by local authority area.

  Mr. Jack
  I refer my hon. Friend to the replies he received from my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 5 July at columns 220–21. The information is not available.

HEALTH

  Residential Care Homes
  Sir David Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued by his Department on the employment of placement officers whose role it is to make decisions on the transfer of people from the national health service to independent nursing homes.

  Mr. Dorrell
  In 1989 the Department issued health circular (89)5 together with an accompanying booklet, copies of which are available in the Library. This gave health authorities general guidance on procedures and arrangements for the discharge of patients from hospital. Employment of placement officers is a matter for local decision.

  Mr. Bellotti
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial support is available to residents living in private residential care homes for the mentally ill.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  People in private residential care homes can claim income support and other social security benefits. Apart from this, local authorities can offer financial support at their discretion to residents under pensionable age by meeting any shortfall between the charge made by the care home and the individual's ability to pay, taking any benefit entitlement into account. Authorities must however meet in full the cost of providing or arranging residential care under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948 offset only by charges levied on residents under the terms of that Act.

  NHS Employment
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were employed by the National Health Service in 1961; and how many are employed today.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The latest—provisional—figures show that 797,300 whole-time equivalent staff were employed by the hospital and community health services in England at 30 September 1990, compared with 629,500 at 30 September 1971, the earliest year for which comparable figures are available.

  Occupational Health Nurses
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of occupational health nurses working in the United Kingdom.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The latest available—provisional—figures relate to the position at 30 September 330
  1990. On that date there were 610 occupational health nurses employed in the hospital and community health services in England. Figures are not collected by the Department for occupational health nurses working elsewhere.

  Oral Health
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to launch a campaign to improve oral health.

  Mr. Dorrell
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced on 9 May that up to £750,000 would be made available from the Department of Health to support oral health education projects in 1991–92. More than £1 million has already been spent in support of such projects since the publication of the White Paper "Promoting Better Health". Departmental funds will be used to support innovative local projects and to disseminate examples of good practice. Several proposals are currently under consideration and we shall be interested to receive others.

  School Milk
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to reintroduce free milk for all school children.

  Mr. Dorrell
  We have no plans to reintroduce free milk for all school children. Local authorities already have the powers to provide milk at midday free of charge to children of families in receipt of income support. This together with the provisions available under the welfare food scheme ensures that the children in most need receive a quota of free milk each day.

  NHS Trust
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he gives to the stated opposition to trust status of a hospital within a district health authority in his consideration of an application for trust status by that authority.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  An application for trust status may be made involving a number of units; such an application is subject to the normal public consultation and, while no group has a veto, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will consider carefully all responses received.

  Sir David Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is being collected by his Department on the operation of national health service trusts.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  My Department will be collecting the necessary information to monitor the performance of trusts against their three key financial duties—to achieve a 6 per cent. rate of return on net assets, to break even taking one year with another and to keep within their external financing limit. It will also be collecting certain items of information from trusts, as from all NHS provider units on manpower, activity and waiting lists.

  Sir David Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue guidance relating to the publication
  331
  of business plans to those hospitals and units submitting applications to become national health service trusts in April 1992.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The Department is currently revising its guidance in this area. Although the financial pro formas prepared by units applying for second wave trust status will be submitted to the Department in confidence, trusts will be asked to publish business plans for 1992–93.

  Health Authority Staff (Transfers)
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to health authorities relating to the transfer of staff from health authority employment to local authority employment in preparation for implementation of part III of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  None, but any necessary guidance will be issued in good time to allow health authorities to implement it by the time part III, including section 49, of the National Health Service Act 1990 comes into operation in 1993.

  At 31 March

  Residential Homes

  Residents aged over 65

  LA

  Voluntary

  Private

  LA

  Voluntary

  Private

  1981

  9

  3

  0

  405

  92

  0

  1982

  9

  3

  0

  405

  92

  0

  1983

  9

  3

  0

  405

  92

  0

  1984

  9

  3

  0

  405

  92

  0

  1985

  9

  3

  0

  367

  106

  0

  1986

  8

  3

  0

  366

  103

  0

  1987

  9

  3

  0

  393

  103

  0

  1988

  8

  3

  0

  363

  103

  0

  1989

  8

  4

  0

  300

  117

  0

  1990

  7

  4

  0

  271

  118

  0

  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner budget holders are now established in Tower Hamlets health authority; and what percentage of the population they cover.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I understand from the chairman of the North East Thames regional health authority that there are no general practices presently participating in GP fundholding within the area of Tower Hamlets district health authority.

  Mental Handicap Nursing Service
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what examination has been made of the compatibility of the planned discontinuation of the community mental handicap nursing service in Somerset with the guidelines issued by his Department in association with the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Department has made specific inquiries to satisfy itself that people in Somerset with learning disabilities will continue to receive the care they need, within the terms of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 and departmental guidance.

  Tower Hamlets
  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) privately registered homes, (b) voluntary registered homes and (c) local authority homes for the elderly there were in Tower Hamlets for each year since 1979; and how many residents there were in each of those years.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The information readily available for the period refers to homes catering primarily for elderly people or younger people who are physically handicapped and is given in the table. Information is not available for 1979 and 1980. Detailed information, including information on homes catering primarily for elderly people is available, from 1987, in the annual publication "Residential Accommodation for Elderly and Younger Physically Handicapped People: All residents in Local Authority, Voluntary and Private Homes (RA/2)", a copy of which is available in the Library.

  The number of homes and residents aged over 65 in residential homes primarily for elderly people and younger people who are physically handicapped, by sector, Tower Hamlets:

  Psittacosis
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those health authorities in which psittacosis is a notifiable disease; if he will indicate the most common ways in which psittacosis is transmitted; and how far its transmission can be controlled.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Psittacosis is an acute infection with variable clinical symptoms such as fever and respiratory infection. It is usually acquired by inhaling the bacterium from desiccated droppings and secretions of infected birds in an enclosed space or directly from infected birds. Household birds are a source of infection. Turkeys, ducks and pigeons are occasionally responsible for human disease. It is, however, a very rare disease. Control methods include regulating the importation of birds and the maintenance of good standards of hygiene and rearing by owners.

  Psittacosis is a notifiable disease only in the districts covered by East and South Cambridgeshire district councils.

  NHS Evaluation
  Sir David Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those organisations outside Government Departments commissioned to carry out evaluation programmes of the national health service; and when the results of these studies are likely to be published.
  333
  Mr. Dorrell
  This information is not collected centrally.

  Sir David Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial resources are being allocated to any national health service evaluation programmes(a) currently in operation and (b) planned for the future.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The NHS research and development strategy, now being developed, will pay particular attention to the cost-effective use of resources and the introduction of improved methods of health care.

  The information currently available centrally, which relates to evaluations of cost-effectiveness of health technologies financed from the Department's existing health and personal social services research programme is as follows:

  Existing work title

  Total costs £

  1. Screening for foot problems in patients with diabetes

  58,798

  2. Hormone replacement therapy

  79,814

  3. Ultra sound screening in abdominal aortic aneurism

  89,063

  4. Breast cancer screening

  1,284,000

  5. Laser technologies in medical care

  91,530

  6. New technologies in general practice

  301,899

  7. Percutaneous nucleotomy compared to lumbar microdiscectomy in lumbar disc disease

  87,840

  8. Programme of work at Brunei University's Health Economics Research Group

  511,308

  9. Support to Cancer Screening Evaluation Unit

  1343,000

  2365,000

  PLANNED WORK Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS)

  350,000

  1 1990–91.

  2 1991–92.

  Part III Homes
  Mr. Andrew Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on local authorities' continuing responsibilities for(a) residents of local authority part III homes which are closed down, (b) former residents of part III homes which were transferred to the private or voluntary sector before 25 June arid (c) former residents of part III homes which are transferred to the private or voluntary sector between 25 June and the date on which directions issued under section 21(1) of the National Assistance Act 1948 and paragraph 2 of schedule 8 to the National Health Service Act 1977 take effect.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Local authorities have, and will continue to have a statutory duty to provide residential accommodation for people in need of care and attention which is not otherwise available. This duty is not affected by any arrangements local authorities may make to transfer or close their residential care homes.

  Where residential accommodation previously provided under part III of the National Assistance Act 1948 is transferred to the private or voluntary sector the extent of the local authorities' continuing responsibility for residents in these homes currently depends upon the terms on which the transfer was made. It is our intention that the status of people who are resident in homes which are transferred after the introduction of the proposed directions will remain unchanged by the transfer, in that
  334
  the full cost of the accommodation and care will continue to be the responsibility of the local authority which placed them there, subject to the relevant charging provisions.

  Health Service Commissioner (Annual Report)
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive the annual report of the Health Service Commissioner for 1990–91.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The Health Service Commissioner has, as in previous years, made a report on the performance of his functions in England, Scotland and Wales.

  My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales and I presented the report to the House on 28 June.

  It was published on 2 July (HC536) and copies are available from the Vote Office.

  OPCS Staff (Confidentiality)
  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taken to ensure that all staff in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys are covered by the additional confidentiality provisions inserted into the Census Act 1920 by the Census (Confidentiality) Act 1991; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Registrar General for England and Wales has designated the office of director of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys for the purposes of section 8 of the Census Act 1920 as amended. The post of director of OPCS is the other office that the registrar general holds. Its designation has ensured that all staff who are or have been under his control, and all those people who provided or have provided services to him, are now bound by the confidentiality provisions of the Census Act 1920 as amended if they have access to any personal census data. This applies whether they work or have worked for him as registrar general or as director of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

  Sleeping Rough
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people sleeping rough were counted in the 1991 census in England and Wales.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Registrar General for England and Wales informs me that 2,703 people—1,275 in London and 1,428 elsewhere—were counted as sleeping rough on the night of 21 to 22 April 1991 at 444 sites which had been identified beforehand by voluntary organisations, local authorities, and churches. These sites, spread throughout the country, were visited by specially recruited enumerators, many of whom also worked for voluntary organisations. The count does not include those who spent census night in a hostel or shelter or some other form of accommodation, but who occasionally sleep rough; nor does it include any people who slept rough on census night but not on identified sites. Some of these will have been counted as part of the normal enumeration.

  The corresponding figures for sites in individual local authority areas will be published around the end of July in a census monitor. Final figures for local areas, including any people sleeping rough who were enumerated away

  335
  from the identified sites, will be given in the series of county reports scheduled for publication between December 1991 and October 1992. Those reports will include information about the age and sex of people sleeping rough.

  Steroids
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, for each of the past four years for which figures are available, the numbers of prosecutions brought by his Department against people claimed to be dealing illegally in anabolic steroids; and at which level of the courts such cases were pursued.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The information requested is as follows:

  Year

  Prosecutions

  Court

  1990

  One (7 charges)

  Magistrates

  1989

  Two (2 charges)

  Magistrates

  1989

  Two (10 charges)

  Crown

  1988

  Two (48 charges)

  Crown

  1987

  Three (3 charges)

  Crown

  Fluoridation
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the water authorities which have agreed to a request from a health authority to supply floridated water.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Shersby) on 14 June at columns 721–22 and the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman) on 27 June at column 547.

  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the health authorities in which(a) the whole and (b) part of the authority's population receives fluoridated water.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The latest information relates to 1988 when a survey of artificial fluoride levels in England was conducted by the British Fluoridation Society. Table 1 lists the district health authority areas where all the population received water artificially fluoridated to at least 0·9 ppm. Table 2 shows those districts where some of the population received water artificially fluoridated to that level.

  Table 1.

  Districts where artificially fluoridated water at 0·9 ppm was received by all population in the district in 1988.

  North West Durham

  Gateshead

  Newcastle

  Bassetlaw

  Sandwell

  Walsall

  Solihull

  North Birmingham

  East Birmingham

  Central Birmingham

  West Birmingham

  South Birmingham

  Table 2.

  Districts where artificially fluoridated water at 0·9 ppm was received by some of the population in the district in 1988.

  East Cumbria

  West Cumbria

  Durham

  South West Durham

  Northumberland

  336

  North Tyneside

  Grimsby

  Scunthorpe

  Huddersfield

  Chester

  Crewe

  North Derbyshire

  South Derbyshire

  North Lincolnshire

  South Lincolnshire

  Central Nottingham

  Doncaster

  Dudley

  Wolverhampton

  Worcester

  Bromsgrove and Redditch

  North Warwickshire

  South Warwickshire

  Rugby

  Coventry

  Mid Staffordshire

  East Staffordshire

  Oxford

  Wycombe

  North Bedfordshire

  South Bedfordshire

  South West Hertfordshire

  Regional Health Authorities
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the details of the request by the national health service management executive to regional health authorities to lend money to two of the Thames regional health authorities.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  No. Details of the NHS management executive's discussions with regional NHS management are not normally published.

  Hexachlorocyclomexanes
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the implication for human health of hexachlorocyclomexanes; and what exposure limits there are.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Department has been advised by the Committee on Toxicity and the Committee on the Safety of Medicines and has taken account also of the advice of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, the joint meeting on pesticide residues—JMPR—convened by the World Health Organisation, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

  The only hexachlorocyclohexane currently available for use in approved products with insecticidal properties in the United Kingdom is the gamma isomer more commonly known as lindane. Little information is available, and no occupational exposure limits are set, for the other isomers. Exposure limits for pesticide residues in food are determined on the basis of the acceptable daily intake—ADI. The United Kingdom has accepted on health grounds, the ADI for lindane of 0 to 0·008 mg per kg of body weight set by the JMPR in 1989. Worker exposure levels set, by the Health and Safety Commission, are 0·5 mg per cu m of air for eight hours time weighted average —TWA—for long-term exposures and 1·5 mg per cu m of air for 10 minutes TWA for brief exposures. Low concentrations are used as an insecticide in licensed medicinal products for external use.

  NHS Employees
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the percentage change in the number of administrative and clerical staff in the national health service in England between September 1979 and the latest available date.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Between 30 September 1979 and 30 September 1990 the number of administrative and clerical staff, including managerial staff, in the hospital and community health services in England increased by 26 per cent. to 129,700 whole-time equivalents. Within this overall rise, the greatest increase was among staff who work in direct support of clinicians whose numbers rose by 269 per cent. to 40,620 whole-time equivalents.

  Centre for Applied Microbiological Research
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health(a) when he expects to reach a conclusion on the future of the Centre for Applied Microbiological Research, Porton Down and (b) when his Department's current review of the future of the Centre for Applied Microbiological Research commenced.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I expect to make an announcement very shortly about the future of the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research—CAMR. The latest review of the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research commenced in April 1989 and led to several detailed studies.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

  Director of Works
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will set out the series of procedures by which the Director of Works of the Palace of Westminster is to be appointed.

  Mr. Beith
  An internal public service trawl was conducted in late January and early February. The 17 potential candidates revealed by this method were considered insufficient in both number and qualifications to form the pool from which a successful candidate for this important post should be selected. The Commission therefore decided in February that the net should be cast wider by employing management consultants both to advertise the post and to identify further candidates by search. As a result of these latter exercises, a total of about 85 serious candidates was identified.

  A group consisting of senior officers of both Houses, the Department of the Environment and the Civil Service Commission sifted all applications, with the assistance of the management consultants, in mid-April, and in early May the final shortlist was interviewed by a board including the Serjeant at Arms and Black Rod, a former Director General of Property Holdings and a senior vice-president of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The board was chaired by a former chief valuer of the board of Inland Revenue.

  The Commission agreed in March that the post of Director of Works should, like a number of other senior appointments in the House of Commons service, be made
  338
  by Mr. Speaker, but in view of the intention that the director will serve both Houses it was also agreed that Mr. Speaker should consult the Lord Chairman of Committees before making his decision. In the light of the advice of the interview board, and after duly consulting the Lord Chairman, the appointment by Mr. Speaker of Mr. Henry Webber as the first Director of Works was announced on 27 June.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  New Parliamentary Building
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Lord President of the Council what criteria are being used in the allocation of rooms to Members and staff in the new Parliament street building; and when he expects the allocation to be made.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The New Building Sub-Committee resolved at its meeting on 21 May 1991 that the allocation of offices in phase 1 as between Members of political parties should be on the following basis:

  Second Floor: offices for Labour (or other Opposition party) Members

  Third Floor: offices for Conservative Members

  Fourth Floor: offices to be divided between Labour (or other Opposition party) and Conservative Members

  Fifth Floor: offices for Conservative Members

  Sixth Floor: offices for Labour (or other Opposition party) Members.

  Individual offices will be allocated to Members by the accommodation Whips of the Government and official Opposition parties on behalf of the Services Committee in the usual way.

  European Study
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Lord President of the Council if there are any proposals to offer hon. Members who serve on European Standing Committees the opportunity to study the operations of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers; what plans there are to arrange any study visits; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. MacGregor
  There are no such proposals for Members in their capacity as members of the European Standing Committees.

  Recycling and Energy Saving
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will give consideration to implementing a policy of(a) recycling aluminium cans and (b) using ozone-friendly sprays where possible; and if he will make a statement on his general policies regarding recycling and energy saving measures within the Palace of Westminster.

  Mr. MacGregor
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: The authorities of both Houses have been in consultation about arrangements for the collection of used aluminium cans. Although this does pose practical problems, the matter is to be considered by the Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee.

  The Departments responsible for cleaning the House and the parliamentary estate and the contracted cleaners are required to use cleaning materials which are environmentally acceptable. It is understood that this requirement governs the products themselves and, where appropriate, their propellants.
  339
  Both Houses co-operate to promote practicable recycling measures. At present, this includes the collection of waste paper and bottles, which are recycled in accordance with the terms of a parliamentary works office contract; and the supply of a wide range of stationery products made from recycled paper.

  Energy conservation work is treated both as a specific task and as an integral part of both the maintenance of the fabric of the buildings and services on the parliamentary estate and the design of new facilities. During the year the coverage of the building energy management system will be extended, further energy efficient lighting will be installed, another major step in the modernisation of the heating system will be completed and other minor work will be carried out as the opportunity arises.

  Staff of the parliamentary works office have a continuing brief to draw the attention of energy liaison officers where lighting is left on repeatedly, and security staff are asked to switch off lighting in empty rooms. It is, of course, incumbent upon all occupants of the parliamentary buildings to adopt a commonsense approach to the use of lighting and other energy-consuming equipment.

  Lords Amendments
  Sir Peter Emery
  To ask the Lord President of the Council what plans he has to conduct the trial to cover the proposals in the second report of the Procedure Select Committee for Session 1990–91 to deal with the documents required for Commons consideration of amendments from the Lords to Bills when they are considered by the House.

  Mr. MacGregor
  [pursuant to his reply, 5 June 1991, c. 234] I propose to extend the operational trial to include all Bills returning from the Lords until the House rises for the Summer adjournment.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Dioxins
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields of 2 July,Official Report, column 132, to what guideline figure on the levels of dioxins in milk and other foodstuffs, in nanogrammes per kg, his Ministry was working prior to setting the level at 0·2 nanogrammes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  In 1989, in the absence of any international evaluation, the Committee of Toxicity established a guideline level of 0·002 nanogrammes per kg bodyweight per day to assess intakes of dioxins from milk and other foodstuffs. This guideline was not a safety limit and has been superseded by the tolerable daily intake or 0·01 nanogrammes per kg bodyweight per day recommend by the World Health Organisation in 1990 from which the action level of 0–07 nanogrammes per kg of milk was calculated.

  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will supply the information as to the 27 locations in the Bolsover and North Derbyshire area where monitoring took place in respect of dioxin levels in milk.
  340
  Mr. Maclean
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 1 July at column 73.

  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will meet representatives of farmers affected by dioxin levels in milk to discuss arrangements for payment to the farmers affected.

  Mr. Maclean
  On the question of compensation, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 2 July at column 133.

  Blue Ear Pig Disease
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether restrictions have now been imposed as a result of blue ear disease in each of the counties listed in his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields on 24 June,Official Report, column 383.

  Mr. Gummer
  Restrictions as a result of suspected or confirmed disease have been imposed in, among the counties listed, County Durham, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, north Yorkshire, and west Yorkshire. Elsewhere, since 13 June restrictions have been imposed on premises which had received pigs from infected or suspect holdings in the previous 56 days.

  Cetaceans
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received from Greenpeace and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society on the dangers to small cetaceans.

  Mr. Curry
  I met representatives of these organisations together with other members of Wildlife Link on 4 July and discussed our mutual concern about the dangers to small cetaceans from high seas drift nets.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what investigations have been carried out in each of the past 10 years of the numbers of cetaceans that have been caught by drift nets in the waters of(a) Britain and (b) other EEC countries.

  Mr. Curry
  Reliable historical information on the number of incidental by-catches by EC vessels is not available. However, following a United Kingdom initiative the North sea states have agreed a co-operative framework for the conservation of small cetaceans, including a commitment to develop schemes to monitor incidental catches more closely. In addition, the United Kingdom is supporting an EC proposal to ban drift nets above 2·2 km in length, to guard against their possible indiscriminate operation.

  Agricultural Development Advisory Service
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many visits have been made to farmers by ADAS staff to give free advice to farmers on pollution avoidance for each year since 1986; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  Statistics on the number of visits to farms to give free advice on farm-related pollution matters are being collected with effect from 1 April 1991. Information in this form is not available for previous years.

  Irradiated Food
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether food containing irradiated spices is required to be labelled as containing irradiated ingredients; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  Under The Food Labelling (Amendment) (Irradiated Food) Regulations 1990, which came into force on 1 January 1991, all irradiated prepacked foods and listed food ingredients, including herbs and spices, are required to carry an indication on the label that they have been irradiated, using the words "irradiated" or "treated with ionising radiation". Similar provisions apply to non-prepacked foods. In the case of foods sold in catering establishments, for practical reasons, a general statement is permitted for herbs and spices to the effect that food sold in the establishment contains, or may contain, irradiated seasonings.

  Fisheries Council
  Mr. Knapman
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 8 July.

  Mr. Curry
  I attended the Council of Fisheries Ministers in Brussels on 8 July 1991 together with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office.

  In the Council's key discussion on improved technical conservation measures I made clear the importance of urgent action; particularly in the North sea and west of Scotland to safeguard cod and haddock stocks. I drew attention to the measures the United Kingdom introduced unilaterally on 1 July to require the use of 90 mm square mesh panels and the substantial benefit it will have particularly in reducing discards of young haddock. I am pleased that it is now wholly accepted that EC measures are needed. For the North sea and west of Scotland it is clear that the only possible basis for an agreement on mesh sizes is a minimum diamond mesh of 100 mm with a 90 mm square mesh panel option. In addition, there is widespread support for an increase to 80 mm in the Irish sea, a change which our industry has been seeking for some time, and for a number of other improvements mainly designed to reduce wasteful catches of fish not yet ready for the market plus some simplifications of existing EC rules.

  I called for urgent agreement on measures to control the use of extensive drift nets and supported the length limit of 2·5 km proposed by the Commission. While recognising that EC fleets do not engage in the sort of large scale indiscriminate drift netting which prompted the 1989 United Nations resolution, I stressed the importance of the EC showing its support for the international effort to curb such fishing.

  I am pleased that there was a clear commitment from the Council and the Commission to make every effort to enable final decisions on drift nets and technical conservation measures to be taken at a special Council which is to be held in late October or early November.

DEFENCE

  Army Recruits
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of Army recruits comes from(a) Wales, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) elsewhere.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  In 1990–91, the proportion of regular Army recruits from each country was:

  (a) Wales 7·0 per cent.;

  (b) England 79·0 per cent.;

  (c) Scotland 11·0 per cent.;

  (d) Northern Ireland 2·0 per cent.; and

  (e) Elsewhere 1·0 per cent.

  The Gulf
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest assessment of the effects on British service men of chemical and biological reagents released in Iraq during the recent hostilities.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The tactics used in attacking Iraqi chemical and biological facilities during the Gulf conflict were designed to minimise the risk of contamination outside the sites. We are not aware of any releases of chemical or biological reagents in Iraq outside such facilities.

SCOTLAND

  Mental Illness Grant
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the level of mental illness specific grant taken up by each local authority in the current year;

  (2) what level of funding has been allocated to the mental illness specific grant in Scotland for the current year.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Wallace) on 5 July at columns 235–36.

  Community Care
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how he plans to monitor the use local authorities make of funds allocated for community care to ensure t hat the money is not used to fund other local authority services.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Department will shortly be consulting local authorities and other interested parties, including health boards and relevant voluntary organisations, on a draft circular detailing the proposed arrangements for monitoring community care.

  Bird Killing
  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 in order to prevent serious agricultural damage for winter 1990–91 and the total number of geese of each species killed under licence on Islay.
  343
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information is as follows:

  Barnacles

  White-fronts

  Number of licences issued

  24

  13

  Number reported shot

  1,365

  62

  Land Register
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to introduce a land register which reveals beneficial as well as nominal ownership of estates.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Information on the ownership of land in Scotland is already available to the public by inspection of the General Register of Sasines or the Land Register of Scotland as appropriate, both of which are maintained by the Registers of Scotland Executive Agency. The Government have no plans to introduce a further register of land ownership in Scotland.

  Careers Servics
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the expenditure on the careers service by Scottish local authorities in each year since 1979, expressed both in actual sums spent and at 1990 prices.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information is the following:

  Year

  Actual Expenditure

  Expenditure at 1990 prices £'000

  1979–80

  3,827

  8,274

  1980–81

  4,719

  8,622

  1981–82

  5,315

  8,855

  1982–83

  5,602

  8,717

  1983–84

  6,377

  9,483

  1984–85

  6,939

  9,819

  1985–86

  7,420

  9,958

  1986–87

  7,758

  10,062

  1987–88

  8,945

  11,020

  1988–89

  9,696

  11,112

  1989–90

  10,878

  11,716

  1990–91

  13,873

  13,873

  Establishment Grants (for planting, restocking and natural regeneration)

  Management Grants Standard

  Special

  Area (hectares)

  £ per hectare

  Area (hectares)

  £ per hectare

  £ per hectare

  Less than 1

  1,575

  Less than 10

  35

  45

  1—2·9

  1,375

  3—9·9

  1,175

  10 and over

  975

  10 and over

  25

  35

  SSSIs
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he received from voluntary conservation movements concerning the new clause to the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Bill relating to the advisory committee on sites of special scientific interest.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The Scottish Office has received letters from the following voluntary conservation organisations on the subject of the advisory committee on SSSIs: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Friends of the Earth (Scotland), and the Ramblers' Association. In addition, I had a meeting at their request

  Scottish Natural Heritage
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Nature Conservancy Council or Scottish Natural Heritage has budgeted money to fund the new natural heritage body.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Resources for Scottish Natural Heritage will be considered in this year's public expenditure round.

  Caledon Forest
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what impact he estimates his policy for the future of Scotland's native Caledon forest will have on forest cover in 50 years' time;

  (2) whether he will identify those areas of the Caledon forest which he hopes (a) to survive and (b) to expand in the next 10 years.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Government's policy for native pinewoods is to prevent any reduction in their area and to encourage their sensitive management and expansion through the Forestry Commission's woodland grant scheme. In addition, particularly important areas for nature conservation are designated as sites of special scientific interest. As a result of these policies, the area of native pinewoods in Scotland is expected to increase significantly over the next 10 and 50 years, although it is not possible to predict the future of any individual area.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the present levels of compensation to owners of the Caledon forest to ensure its survival, and its expansion.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  To encourage the maintenance, good management and expansion of native pinewoods the Forestry Commission offers the following establishment and management grants under its woodland grant scheme:

  with representatives of the RSPB on 12 June. My officials also met representatives of all the organisations listed on 18 June to discuss the new provision.

  Regional Development Assistance
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland to whom in Scotland, outside Government, details of companies in receipt of regional development assistance have been passed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  Details of all companies receiving regional development grant or regional selective assistance where the total grant offered exceeds certain amounts are published quarterly in The Department of Employment

  345
  Gazette. Details of grants offered are subject to the normal constraints of commercial confidentiality and, apart from the published details, information on individual cases is not disclosed to third parties without companies' consent.

  Fife Scottish Bus Company
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if any of the bidders for the Fife Scottish Bus company are in receipt of Government grants or investment.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  None of the bidders for Fife Scottish Omnibuses Limited has received any direct Government funding for which my right hon. Friend is responsible. In January 1989 the Scottish Development Agency however made an investment on commercial terms of £500,000 in preference shares in Stagecoach (Holdings) Limited, alongside a number of other investors. These shares are now held by Scottish Enterprise.

  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any director of Scottish Enterpise has received remuneration from either of the current bidders for the Fife Scottish Bus company; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  The managing director of Stagecoach (Holdings) Ltd. one of the bidders for Fife Scottish, was a board member of Scottish Enterprise from 5 March 1990 until her resignation through pressure of business on 29 October 1990. The affairs of Fife Scottish Bus company, or of the current bidders, have not been discussed by the Scottish Enterprise board. Consequently there has been no occasion for board members to declare any personal interest in the bidders, and the private financial affairs of board members are not a matter for my right hon. Friend. So far as I am aware, however, no other Scottish Enterprise board member nor any senior employee has, since appointment, received remuneration from any bidder.

  Government Assistance to Companies
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland to whom in Scotland, outside Government, any details of individuals, companies or providers in receipt of either employment training, youth training, business growth training or enterprise allowance scheme have been passed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  I am not in a position to say, for every case in Scotland, to whom outside Government details have been passed of individuals, companies or providers involved with employment training, youth training, business growth training or the enterprise allowance scheme.

  In normal circumstances details relating to current trainees will be held by training managers and training agents and will be made available to local enterprise officials and officials of Scottish Enterprise or Highlands and Islands Enterprise as necessary for operational purposes. Details of individual trainees may also be given to placement providers and to the careers service where it is appropriate to do so for the purposes of securing suitable training.

  Details of companies and training providers will normally be held by local enterprise companies and in
  346
  some cases their agents but Scottish Enterprise or Highlands and Islands Enterprise officials may have access to that information for operational purposes.

  Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and local enterprise companies will not normally divulge any information they hold to a third party unless they are satisfied that the trainee, company or provider has acquiesced to the provision of that information or where the person or body seeking the information has authority to demand it—for example, the police.

  AIDS
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the expenditure on HIV/AIDS treatment care and prevention by each of the Scottish health boards in 1990–91 in(a) cash and (b) 1991–92 prices.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: This information is not yet available centrally, but will be included in reports being prepared by health boards under the AIDS (Control) Act 1987.

  Housing
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how the number of properties to be inspected in each local authority area for the national house condition survey is to be determined.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: The number of dwellings which will be surveyed in each local authority area will depend on the outcome of a random sample selection. At least 15,000 dwellings in Scotland will be surveyed, and to achieve this a large number will initially be selected.

  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will allocate resources to Sutherland district council and Caithness district council to enable those authorities to undertake a housing conditions survey which complies with the Scottish Office model.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: Sutherland and Caithness district councils should include any plans for carrying out local house condition surveys in their housing capital programmes which are due to be submitted to the Scottish Office environment department in November. Any such plans will be taken into account in determining the level of housing capital allocations for these authorities in 1992–93.

  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in what manner the findings of the Scottish Office building inspectorate study of weather conditions and their effect on houses are reflected in the capital allocations made to Sutherland district council.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 8 July 1991]: It is for local authorities to take account of all relevant factors when assessing their housing needs and reflecting these in the housing capital programmes which the Scottish Office environment department asks to be submitted in November each year. Housing capital programmes are taken into account when decisions are made on capital allocations.

  Careers Service
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many responses were received to the recently published consultation document "The Future of the Careers Service"; and if he will place copies of these responses in the Library;

  (2) how many responses which he received on the consultation paper "The Future of the Careers Service" favoured (a) local enterprise companies acquiring full responsibility for providing the service, (b) education/ business partnerships becoming responsible, (c) the service being contracted out through competitive tender and (d) the service continuing to be run by the education authorities.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Sixty-one responses were received up to 5 July. Of these seven supported the provision of the careers service through local enterprise companies; 23 favoured some form of partnership; two saw merit in contracting out and 29 suggested a continuation of the current arrangements. Some further responses are expected.

  Copies of all responses received are being placed in the Library.

EMPLOYMENT

  Environmental Training Initiatives
  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to support future environmental training initiatives in the Sheffield area following the withdrawal of training and enterprise council funding of environmental training projects.

  Mr. Jackson
  My right hon. and learned Friend announced extra resources for training on 19 June. It is for Sheffield TEC to decide, within its contract with my Department, what training, including environmental training, to support in the Sheffield area.

  Enterprise Allowance Scheme
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people have founded their own business since 1983 under the enterprise allowance scheme.

  Mr. Forth
  Between August 1983 and May 1991, the latest date for which figures are available, the enterprise allowance scheme has helped 571,953 people to start their own business.

  National Vocational Qualifications
  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received about his proposals to extend national vocational qualifications; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  The proposals relating to national vocational qualifications in the Government's White Paper "Education and Training for the 21st Century" have been widely welcomed. The National Council for Vocational Qualifications is on target to produce by the end of 1992 NVQs covering 80 per cent. of the work force up to level 4 of its framework. The council has also been asked to lead on developing more general national vocational qualifications.

  Low Pay
  Mrs Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of employed persons paid less than £3·40 per hour.

  Mr. Howard
  We estimate that the number paid less than this is around 4 million, of whom 1 million are teenagers.

  Unemployment
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the percentage change in the level of unemployment in the last 12 months in (i) Leyton and (ii) London.

  Mr. Jackson
  In the parliamentary constituency of Leyton and in the Greater London region, unemployment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by 60 per cent. in the 12 months to May 1991.

  Small Firms Service
  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the work of the small firms service.

  Mr. Forth
  The small firms service has an excellent reputation in providing high quality information, advice and business counselling to new and existing small businesses. It dealt with over 317,000 inquiries and gave more than 50,000 counselling sessions in its last full year of operation. The service is now being transferred to the emerging network of training and enterprise councils who have plans to make further significant improvements to make it even more effective in meeting local needs.

  Nuclear Inspectors
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to increase the complement of qualified nuclear inspectors.

  Mr. Forth
  On 1 June 1991, there were 163 nuclear inspectors in post in the Health and Safety Executive. HSE plans to increase this to 176 by 1 April 1992.

  Training, Stockport and Tameside
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on training in Stockport and Tameside.

  Mr. Jackson
  A wide range of services and programmes are provided by the two local training and enterprise councils which benefit businesses and individuals in Stockport and Tameside.

  European Social Charter
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he last met the EC Social Affairs Commissioner to discuss the social charter.

  Mr. Howard
  I met Mrs. Papandreou at the Social Affairs Council on 25 June.

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union regarding proposals for a national statutory minimum wage.

  Mr. Howard
  I have not received any representations from the EETPU, but the union's general secretary has made it clear that his members would strongly oppose any wage restraint for higher paid workers linked to Labour's proposals for the introduction of a national legal minimum wage. If differentials were fully restored up to 2 million jobs could be lost.

  Mr. Sumberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received seeking the introduction of a statutory minimum wage; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  Most of the representations I receive are strongly opposed to any statutory wage fixing. The Labour party's proposal for a national legal minimum wage has been condemned by employers, academics and trades unions.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he will take to help the TECs provide a higher level of training for the south-west.

  Mr. Jackson
  Training and enterprise councils have been given the resources to undertake training which is relevant to the needs of their local areas.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of people in work in(a) 1979 and (b) the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Howard
  The work force in employment in the United Kingdom stood at 25,365,000 in June 1979 and at 26,666,000 in December 1990—an increase of 1·3 million over the period.

  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were registered unemployed in Tower Hamlets in each year since 1970, by electoral ward.

  Mr. Jackson
  Information, relating to claimants at unemployment benefit offices, is available from June 1983 and can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the House of Commons Library.

  Trade Unions (Complaints)
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many complaints the trade union certification officer has received from trade union members in each of the last two years.

  Mr. Forth
  The certification officer is an independent authority appointed under statute. I understand that he received five formal complaints under specific statutory provisions from trade union members during 1989, and 12 350
  such complaints during 1990. Details are given in the certification officer's annual reports to the Secretary of State, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Rugby and Daventry Travel to Work Area
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many are now employed in the Rugby/Daventry travel to work area; and what the number was when the Rugby/Daventry travel to work area was first established.

  Mr. Jackson
  The most recent estimates of employment in travel-to-work areas are taken from the September 1989 census of employment. There were then an estimated 49,400 employees in employment in the Rugby and Daventry travel-to-work area. This compares with a figure of 44,100 in September 1981, the earliest date for which figures are available.

  EC Social Affairs Directives
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many social affairs directives of the EC have been implemented by(a) the United Kingdom, (b) France, (c) Germany and (d) Italy; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  A European Commission report in November 1990 showed that the United Kingdom had implemented all 18 measures agreed in the social area, France and Germany had implemented 17, and Italy 11.

  These figures support our view that the Community needs to pay as much attention to implementation and enforcement of agreed measures as it does to new proposals.

  Salary Increases
  Mr. Beaumont-Dark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the effect of high salary increases on employment.

  Mr. Howard
  There is no doubt that high pay increases cost jobs. It is estimated that a 1 per cent. increase in the average real wage lowers employment by about 110,000 to 220,000.

  Disabled People
  Sir Michael McNair-Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what appeal mechanism exists for disabled persons who are refused employment because of their disability.

  Mr. Jackson
  Where people feel that they have been refused employment because of their disability they can take up the matter with the disablement advisory service or a disablement resettlement officer who, where appropriate, can contact the employer and seek to overcome any prejudice or misunderstanding including providing guidance on the wide range of help available for integrating people with disabilities into the work force.

  Training Schemes, Avon
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the amounts of allocations agreed from the European social fund for employment and training schemes in the Avon training area for the years commencing 1 April 1989, 1990 and 1991.
  351
  Mr. Forth
  Allocations for the European social fund are determined on a calendar year basis. The amounts per calendar year for individual schemes supported outside the Government sector in Avon are as follows:

  Year

  Amount £

  1989

  478,387

  1990

  490,697

  1991

  648,782

  Allocations for 1991 have not yet been finalised and are therefore provisional. In addition to these specific allocations, the Avon area benefits from the European social fund through support for national programmes such as employment training and youth training.

  Government Measures
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment is made of the impact on employment of new Government measures; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  The new measures that my right hon. and learned Friend announced on 19 June will promote employment by helping unemployed people back to work, preparing them for the jobs that are available and keeping them in touch with the labour market. They will raise the total number of opportunities which the Government are making available to unemployed people from 650,000 to 840,000 this year and to 900,000 next year—more than ever before.

  HEPATITIS B—CASES IN PRISONS
  HEPATITIS B—CASES IN PRISONS