Written Answers of 11 March 1991

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Animal Experiments
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animals, by species, were killed during the last year for which details are available specifically for the provision of cell or tissue material for research or experimental purposes.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 controls scientific procedures only on living animals and no statistics are collected of animals killed by the exempted methods set out in schedule 1 to the 1986 Act for in vitro work.

  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department proposes in respect of those recommendations of the Medical Research Council inquiry team investigating the conduct of experiments on animals by Professor Wilhelm Feldberg at the National Institute for Medical Research laborato-ries, Mill Hill, London, which relate to the functions and decisions of the Home Department; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The Home Office accepts the Medical Research Council inquiry report's finding that, as a result of a failure by Professor Feldberg and Mr. Stean to maintain anaesthesia of sufficient depth, up to four rabbits were caused avoidable suffering.

  Primary responsibility for ensuring that procedures regulated by the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are carried out properly at an establishment lies with the holder of the certificate of designation. In the light of the report, officials have discussed with the certificate holder for the National Institute for Medical Research proposals for improving the management, control and monitoring of animals procedures at the institute, which he is now considering. We have also asked the MRC for the evidence of the alleged deliberate breaches of the Act referred to in the report.

  As for the two recommendations contained in the report relating to the Home Office, initial proposals have been put to the Animal Procedures Committee about the position of aging licensees and we shall consider what action may be necessary when the committee has completed its consideration of the issues arising from this case.

  We do not accept the recommendation in the report for an increase in the number of animal (scientific procedures) inspectors. Although the report suggests that inspectors should be more closely involved in monitoring the treatment of animals during experiments, this is principally the responsibility of personal licensees, who have a duty under the law for the care of their animals. It would be impractical to expect inspectors to be present whenever animal procedures are carried out.
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  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the estimate of the number of wild-caught primates, by species, currently held in British scientific institutions for the purposes of experimentation;

  (2) how many wild-caught primates were used in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years for experimental purposes.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Statistics about the origin of primates held or used are not kept centrally. In general, smaller primates, like marmosets, are bred in captivity. Primates larger than rhesus or cynomolgous monkeys are difficult to breed successfully in captivity, even abroad.

  Wildlife Protection
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specific provision is made in each of the police authorities in Wales for the enforcement of wildlife protection legislation.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I understand from the chief constables in each of the police forces in Wales that each force has well-established liaison arrangements with those other agencies which have an interest in wildlife protection. The allocation of resources to the enforcement of wildlife protection legislation is a matter for chief officers.

  Escapees
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which prison Lydia A. Gyamifi escaped on 8 February 1988; and whether she has since been recaptured.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Lydia A. Gyamifi absconded from Her Majesty's prison Askham Grange and is still unlawfully at large.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answers to the right hon. Member for Swansea, West of 28 February and 1 March,Official Report, columns 568 and 648, on recapture of escapees, which of the escapees were on drug-related offences, which of the escapees were in debt to the courts; and which escapees' passports are in the possession of his Department.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The 10 women concerned had all been convicted of drug offences. None is known to have been in debt to the courts at the time of absconding from prison. The passports of five of the 10 women are in the possession of the Home Office.

  Metropolitan Police
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the Metropolitan police precept for 1990–91 per community charge payer, and also the police precept per community charge payer for each of the English counties.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  The Metropolitan police precept for 1990–91 was 112·79 per head of relevant population. County police forces in England and Wales do not produce identifiable precepts; their budgets form part of the expenditure of the relevant county councils, which precept on the community charge collection fund for the totality of their needs.

  Welsh Police Forces
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the present state of the police forces in Wales.

  Police strength1

  Establishment2

  Civilian strength1

  Number of officers returned to operational duties 1985–89

  Dyfed-Powys

  936

  943

  243

  21

  Gwent

  1,001

  1,009

  290

  23

  North Wales

  1,339

  1,351

  439

  28

  South Wales

  3,123

  3,168

  1,111

  134

  Total

  6,399

  6,471

  2,083

  206

  1 As at 31 December 1990.

  2 As at 1 April 1990.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Between 5 January 1990 and 7 March 1991 we received 187 such letters from Members of the European Parliament. As I explained in my reply on 4 April 1990, at column 638, to a question from the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Mr. Young), where Members of the European Parliament raise matters that are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As to other correspondence, replies would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.

  Tobacco Sponsorship
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Independent Television Commission about the desirability of maintaining the practice of not televising tobacco-sponsored sporting events; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Broadcasting Act 1990 requires the ITC to draw up and consult about a code on the sponsorship of programmes. My right hon. Friend was consulted about the present code, which lays down standards for any broadcast coverage of tobacco-sponsored events. Whether to cover such events remains a decision for the television companies.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the British Broadcasting Corporation about the exposure of tobacco brand names and logos in television coverage of sponsored sporting events; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  None. The BBC is, however, aware of the special issues raised by tobacco company sponsorship which are fully reflected in its guidelines to programme makers. The BBC observes the terms of the voluntary agreement reached between the Minister for Sport and the Tobacco Advisory Council in 1987.
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  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The information is set out in the table:

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  Wide publicity has been given throughout my Department to the aims of the eighth No Smoking Day, to take place on 13 March.

  Postal and Proxy Voting
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what newspapers and magazines were used to advertise the availability of postal and proxy voting during the period before the 1987 general election; and at what cost.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Advertisements were placed in the following newspapers. The campaign cost £431,000.

  Sun

  Daily Star

  Daily Mirror

  Today

  Daily Express

  Daily Mail

  Sunday Mirror

  Sunday People

  News of the World

  Sunday Express

  The Mail on Sunday

  The Sunday Times

  The Times

  The Guardian

  The Independent

  The Daily Telegraph

  Financial Times

  Morning Star

  The Observer

  The Sunday Telegraph

  News on Sunday

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Teachers' Negotiating Rights
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from the European trade union committee for education on negotiating rights for teachers; and if he will make a statement.
  337
  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I received a letter dated 22 December 1990 from the European trade union committee for education about teachers' negotiating rights on 3 January 1991

  Autism
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has undertaken a full evaluation of the work of the Higashi school for autistic children in Boston, USA; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Fallon
  The Department has not undertaken a full evaluation of the Higashi school, but is continuing to seek information about its principles, methods and effectiveness.

  Child Care
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of workplaces for civil servants in his Department; what proportion of the total number have an on-site nursery facility; how many and what proportion of workplaces provide a holiday play scheme; how many and what proportion of work places provide after-school child care facilities; what charges are made for use of any facility; what the net cost has been for the provision of these facilities; and what estimate he can make of any future expenditure.

  Mr. Eggar
  In addition to the Department's two main sites in London and Darlington, there are 41 HMI local offices each containing fewer than 12 members of staff. The Darlington site has a holiday play scheme for which in 1990–91 parents paid £4 per day for the first child and £3 for each subsequent child. The net cost to the Department of the provision was £3,800 which is expected to rise to £4,000 in 1991–92. There are plans to provide nursery facilities at the Darlington site but no plans for after-school child care.

  The Department has no plans to provide any on-site child care provision in London. However, the Westminster holiday play scheme, supported by this and other Departments, is available during each of the school holiday periods to employees' children. In addition, the Department is considering with other Departments the establishment of interdepartmental creche facilities in London and commuting areas.

  Science and Engineering Research Council.
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will consider additional funding for the next financial year for the Science and Engineering Research Council; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The science budget for 1991–92 has already been fully allocated to the five research councils and related bodies.

  City Technology Colleges
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish details of all voluntary-aided city technology colleges that are planned and their intended locations, together with(a) the cost to local
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  authorities, (b) the total public expenditure involved and (c) the amount of sponsorship (i) pledged and (ii) confirmed; who the sponsors are; and if he will make a statement on their legal and financial status.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I am still considering the legal and financial implications of proposals that voluntary-aided schools with the characteristics of city technology colleges might offer a worthwhile new means of extending the undoubted benefits of the CTC programme.

  Education, Norfolk
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the percentage increase in teachers employed by Norfolk county council between 1961 and(a) 1970, (b) 1980 and (c) 1990 in actual and full-time equivalent terms and the percentage increase over the same period in the number of children being educated by Norfolk county council, excluding nursery pupils and nursery teachers.

  Mr. Fallon
  Information for individual local authorities for 1961 and 1970 is not readily available on a basis comparable to later years because of local government reorganisation in 1974. The table gives the requested information for 1980 and 1990.

  Maintained Primary1 and Secondary schools in Norfolk

  Teachers

  Actual number (thousands)

  Full-time equivalent (thousands)

  Pupils Fill-time equivalent (thousands)

  1980

  6·3

  6·0

  115·9

  1990

  6·4

  5·8

  99·4

  Per cent. change

  +2·5

  -2·6

  -14·3

  Northern Region
  Mr. Trotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will give the numbers attending full-time courses at(a) universities and (b) polytechnics in the Northern region in 1980 and 1990, together with the percentage change.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The information is given in the table. Data for 1990 are not yet available.

  Full-time and sandwich students in higher education courses at Universities and Polytechnics in the Northern Region

  1980–81

  1989–90

  Percentage change

  Universities

  12,575

  13,702

  9

  Polytechnics

  10,093

  17,742

  76

  Total

  22,668

  31,444

  39

  Source: Universities Statistical Record.

  Further Education Statistical Record.

  Tobacco Industry
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many meetings he, his predecessor, his Ministers and his Department's officials have had with representatives of the tobacco industry since 1 January 1989; and if he will list the dates, venues and purpose of each meeting.

  Mr. Atkins
  I met representatives from the Tobacco Advisory Council on 12 December 1990 at their request to
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  discuss a range of issues relating to tobacco sponsorship of sport. Department officials meet representatives from the tobacco industry at meetings of the committee for monitoring agreements on tobacco advertising and sponsorship—COMATAS.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the current annual total sponsorship of sports by tobacco companies; if he will list these individually; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The latest available information, provided by the Tobacco Advisory Council, on the total sponsorship of sports in the United Kingdom by British tobacco companies is £5·329 million for the year ending 31 March 1989. A breakdown of this figure is not available. This sum compares with £7·699 million in 1986–87.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will invite representatives of the health professions to participate in his Department's current negotiations with the tobacco industry on the control of tobacco sponsorship; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will report on the progress of his Department's negotiations to date with the tobacco companies on the control of tobacco sponsorship of sporting events; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  There are no current negotiations with the tobacco industry on the control of tobacco sponsorship of sporting events.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  No special arrangements have been made for No Smoking Day, but staff who need help and advice can, as always, obtain this from our staff welfare service.

  Disabled Teachers
  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what advice his Department gives to TASC—the teaching as a career unit—regarding the recruitment and employment of teachers with disabilities;

  (2) what advice he is seeking on the recruitment and employment of teachers with disabilities in preparation for new guidelines for LMS;

  (3) what advice he has given to local education authorities regarding the employment of teachers with disabilities.

  Mr. Fallon
  The Department's guidance to employers, teacher training institutions and other bodies is contained in circular 1/88, "Physical and mental fitness to teach of teachers and of entrants to teacher training". My right hon. and learned Friend sees no need for any further advice to TASC or to LEAs or in connection with LMS regarding the recruitment or employment of teachers with disabilities.

  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the proportion of teachers employed by each local education authority who are disabled.
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  Mr. Fallon
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Institute of Food Research
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the new Institute of Food Research building at Reading university has been completed; when staff will start to occupy it; what is the latest estimate of the cost of its construction; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The Agricultural Food Research Council expects that the new building for the Institute of Food Research on the campus of the university of Reading will be completed in June this year. Scientists on the present Shinfield site will transfer to the new building in August. The estimated cost of construction is £9·6 million. This new building will provide the Reading laboratory of the IFR with excellent facilities to house the strong scientific programmes on microbiological food safety, consumer sciences, molecular sciences and biotechnology under way at Shinfield. It will also enhance the institute's position as an internationally recognised centre of excellence in food sciences.

  Education, Gloucestershire
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many(a) administrative staff and (b) teaching staff were employed by Gloucestershire education authority in each year from 1985 to 1990.

  Mr. Fallon
  The total employees of Gloucestershire local education authority in March 1990 were as follows:

  Number

  Full-time teachers and lecturers

  4,600

  Part-time teachers and lecturers

  2,800

  Full-time other employees

  2,000

  Part-time other employees

  3,800

  These figures include the nursery, primary and secondary schools sector, special and further education and central administration. Comparable figures for other years are not available.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils attended schools administered by Gloucestershire education authority in each year from 1981 to 1990.

  Mr. Fallon
  The number of pupils attending maintained schools in Gloucestershire each year from 1981 to 1990 is as follows:

  Year

  Pupils on Roll

  1981

  87,450

  1982

  84,752

  1983

  82,009

  1984

  80,115

  1985

  78,797

  1986

  76,913

  1987

  76,019

  1988

  75,264

  1989

  74,550

  1990

  74,133

  Education Expenditure
  Mr. Butterfill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table showing the proportion of total education spending which is spent on the provision of central services in respect of each local education authority in England and Wales.

  Mr. Fallon
  The latest available information for England relates to LEA spending on central services for schools which are categorised as discretionary excepted items under local management of schools. The eighty-seven LEAs that introduced local management of schools in April 1990 have published budget statements for 1990–91 which show how much of the potential schools budget is withheld from schools to be spent on discretionary excepted items. The figure for each LEA is given in the table. Comparable information is not available for the FE or other education sectors. Information about Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  1990–91 Budgets Percentage of potential schools budget spent on discretionary excepted items

  Local education authority

  Discretionary exceptions as percentage of potential schools budget

  Westminster

  22·02

  Kingston upon Thames

  21·54

  Haringey

  20·64

  Waltham Forest

  20·35

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  20·25

  Merton

  20·21

  Richmond upon Thames

  20·02

  Bromley

  19·30

  Cambridgeshire

  19·25

  Coventry

  19·07

  Bexley

  18·67

  Oxfordshire

  18·63

  Enfield

  18·50

  Harrow

  18·48

  Hounslow

  18·41

  Oldham

  18·36

  Ealing

  18·34

  Humberside

  18·29

  Wolverhampton

  18·23

  Dorset

  18·15

  Calderdale

  18·14

  Knowsley

  18·09

  Bury

  18·08

  Avon

  17·70

  North Tyneside

  17·70

  Wiltshire

  17·65

  Isle of Wight

  17·52

  Cumbria

  17·47

  Sheffield

  17·39

  North Yorkshire

  17·38

  Lancashire

  17·34

  Redbridge

  17·29

  Nottinghamshire

  17·28

  Wakefield

  17·13

  Somerset

  17·09

  Birmingham

  16·96

  Devon

  16·89

  Durham

  16·87

  Sandwell

  16·76

  St. Helens

  16·73

  Wigan

  16·72

  Gateshead

  16·71

  Derbyshire

  16·63

  Barnsley

  16·62

  Kirklees

  16·62

  Sutton

  16·56

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  Local education authority

  Discretionary exceptions as percentage of potential schools budget

  Cornwall

  16·43

  Norfolk

  16·38

  Brent

  16·37

  Cleveland

  16·37

  South Tyneside

  16·24

  Havering

  16·13

  Dudley

  16·02

  Bedfordshire

  15·98

  Essex

  15·97

  East Sussex

  15·91

  Cheshire

  15·69

  Barnet

  15·64

  Salford

  15·63

  Trafford

  15·62

  Tameside

  15·60

  Shropshire

  15·40

  Staffordshire

  15·39

  Northamptonshire

  15·26

  Kent

  15·13

  Buckinghamshire

  15·12

  Liverpool

  15·09

  Lincolnshire

  14·87

  Warwickshire

  14·76

  Solihull

  14·69

  Doncaster

  14·55

  Surrey

  14·43

  Suffolk

  14·34

  Walsall

  14·28

  Rochdale

  14·26

  Hampshire

  14·22

  Bradford

  13·96

  Leeds

  13·88

  Rotherham

  13·87

  Northumberland

  13·46

  Gloucestershire

  13·22

  Sunderland

  13·14

  Barking and Dagenham

  12·99

  Sefton

  12·56

  West Sussex

  12·51

  Berkshire

  12·32

  Bolton

  10·90

  Special Needs
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make regulations under section 13 of the Education Act 1981 relating to the approval of independent schools to admit pupils with statements of special educational needs; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Fallon
  The Secretaries of State for Education and Science and for Wales have today laid such regulations before Parliament and issued related circulars. Copies have been placed in the Library.

  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he intends to lay amending regulations made under section 12 of the Education Act 1981 relating to the approval of special schools, on which he issued a draft for consultation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Fallon
  The Secretaries of State for Education and Science and Wales have today laid before Parliament regulations to amend the Education (Approval of Special Schools) Regulations 1983. The Department has also issued circular 3/91, which replaces circular 6/83 and explains the updated requirements for the approval of special schools. A copy has been placed in the Library.

  Public Bodies (Appointments)
  Sir John Wheeler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science to which posts in public bodies he appoints individuals where the posts are(a) part-time and (b) remunerated by more than £50,000 per annum.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 6 March 1991]: The details of such appointments are listed on pages 15 to 17 of the Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies 1990", which is available in the Library. There are no part-time posts remunerated by more than £50,000 per annum.

  Sports Council
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements he has made for continuing the payment of Government grant-in-aid to the Sports Council.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [pursuant to his reply, 30 January 1991, c. 511]: Parliamentary approval for my Department to make grant-in aid to the Sports Council will be sought in a spring supplementary estimate for the schools, research and miscellaneous services vote—class XI, vote 1. This will provide for expenditure of £1 million in addition to £14,161,000 transferred from the Department of the Environment for the last quarter of 1990–91. The additional expenditure will be offset by a saving elsewhere on the vote. Pending Parliament's approval, urgent expenditure against this additional £1 million will be met by repayable advance from the Contingencies Fund.

HEALTH

  Funding, Leeds
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Leeds, North-West (Dr. Hampson) of 21 February,Official Report, column 239, how much expenditure has been allocated to Leeds from regional and central funding in each year since 1979 (a) at 1990–91 prices and (b) as a percentage of the 1990–91 expenditure.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information requested is shown in the table. The source and notes to my earlier reply remain applicable.

  Leeds health authorities—total expenditure on hospital and community health services (HCHS)

  Year

  Revenue expenditure

  Capital expenditure

  £000 (at 1990–91 prices)

  As a percentage

  £000 (at 1990–91 prices)

  As a percentage

  1979–80

  187,054

  74·6

  16,751

  112·7

  1980–81

  204,642

  81·6

  20,751

  139·6

  1981–82

  206,799

  82·5

  23,862

  160·6

  1982–83

  205,284

  81·9

  21,602

  145·4

  1983–84

  210,709

  84·0

  19,566

  131·6

  1984–85

  213,272

  85·0

  13,742

  92·5

  1985–86

  215,733

  86·0

  13,334

  89·7

  1986–87

  223,665

  89·2

  10,273

  69·1

  1987–88

  235,516

  93·9

  10,623

  71·5

  1988–89

  245,116

  97·7

  14,136

  95·1

  1989–90

  250,762

  100·0

  14,862

  100·0

  Note: The figures have been expressed at 1990–91 prices by the use of the Gross Domestic Product deflator. The percentages are calculated on those constant-price values but are related to 1989–90 (the latest year for which actual expenditure data are available).

  NHS Trusts
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will name the members of the group representing the interests of national health service trusts at his most recent meeting.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  Two seminars for NHS trust chairmen were arranged last month. I attended on 25 February, when 26 of the 57 trusts were represented. All the chairmen had been invited to attend the seminars. A list of the names of trust chairmen is held in the Library.

  Pharmaceutical Licensing Authority
  Mr. Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to support the creation of a central EC pharmaceutical product licensing authority.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  It is the Government's stated policy to support in principle the European Commission's proposals for the future licensing of medicines, including the creation of a central licensing authority.

  Child Protection
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances, and by whose authority, children are placed on child protection registers; how many children are on such registers in the London region; how many of these do not have an allocated social worker; what similar figures are available for other parts of the United Kingdom; what are the present legal responsibilities of local authorities towards children on the register; how these will alter when the Children Act comes into force; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  A child's name is normally placed on the child protection register following discussion at a case conference, convened by the social services department or by the NSPCC in areas where this function is undertaken by the NSPCC in agreement with the social services department, when abuse or potential abuse is confirmed and an inter-agency agreement is made to work co-operatively to protect the child. When a registered child moves the child should be registered at once pending the first case conference in the new area.

  The latest information about the number of children on the registers in London boroughs who are not allocated to a social worker is published in "Child Protection Services in London, Aspects of Management Arrangements in Social Services Departments, 31 December 1989", together with numbers on the registers at the time at which the survey took place. Copies are available in the Library. Similar information is not available centrally for the rest of England.

  The most up-to-date information about numbers on child protection registers relates to 31 March 1990. This information is collected from all local authorities in England and is published in the provisional feedback "Children and Young Persons on Child Protection Registers, year ending 31 March 1990, England". Copies are available in the Library.

  Similar statistics covering the rest of the United Kingdom are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, for Wales and for Scotland.

  The present legal responsibilities of local authorities towards children on the register are the same general

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  duties as those towards all children under the Child Care Act 1980: to promote the welfare of children and the Children and Young Persons Act 1969, to investigate the possible need for care proceedings and, if necessary, to take them.

  When the Children Act comes into force children on child protection registers will generally be children in need and entitled to the provision of services set out in section 17 of the Act, whether or not they are looked after by the local authority. Generally the powers to investigate are greater than before, particularly where there is refusal of access to the child.

  Ambulance Service
  Mr. Illsley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total amount of money spent by the South Yorkshire metropolitan ambulance service on(a) preparing its declaration of intent to apply for national health service trust status and (b) hosting seminars on material prepared by the accountants, Parnell, Kerr and Foster.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information requested is not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to write to the chief ambulance officer of the South Yorkshire metropolitan ambulance service for details.

  Food Safety
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to achieve effective industry self-regulation in food safety and food hygiene;

  (2) which sectors and organisations within the food industry (a) operate and (b) propose to operate voluntary codes of practice in respect of food safety and food hygiene;

  (3) if he will list by sector those food industry organisations that have submitted proposals in respect of achieving effective industry self-regulation.

  Mr. Dorrell
  It is the responsibility of the food industry itself to produce safe food and, like the Richmond committee, the Government encourage self-regulation. Although comprehensive information is not held centrally, we are aware of a number of food industry organisations which have prepared or are preparing guidance on food safety issues for the benefit of their members.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list seminars, workshops and other meetings, indicating whether they were addressed by(a) Ministers or (b) civil servants, on the issue of food safety and food hygiene in each of the years 1989, 1990 and 1991.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Ministers and officials from the Department of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Scottish Office and the Welsh Office have addressed a large number of conferences, seminars and other meetings to publicise the Food Safety Act 1990 to consumers, enforcement authorities and the food industry. A complete list could not be suppplied except at disproportionate cost.

  Cholesterol Testing
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any plans to make cholesterol testing more widely available.
  346
  Mr. Dorrell
  The Standing Medical Advisory Committee was asked to consider the cost-effectiveness of opportunistic cholesterol testing and reported in May last year. Because the report indicated that this is an area of divergent medical opinion, it was decided to issue the report for widespread consultation. Consultation has now been completed and a large number of responses were received. We expect to be in a position to consider the findings soon.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. Dorrell
  We have received 94 such letters. As with other correspondence, replies would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned if the original letter had been copied in this way.

  Lung Cancer
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of deaths from lung cancer he attributes to smoking; how many such deaths occurred in people under 65 years of age, and in all age groups, in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The table shows the total number of people whose deaths were registered in England and Wales in the years 1985–89 with an underlying cause of malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung; and the number of those aged under 65. It is estimated that at least 90 per cent. of these deaths can be attributed to tobacco smoking.

  Number of deaths with lung cancer1 as underlying cause of death, England and Wales, 1985–89

  Year

  All ages

  0–64 years

  1985

  35,792

  10,665

  1986

  35,257

  10,094

  1987

  35,138

  9,549

  1988

  35,302

  9,571

  1989

  34,581

  8,936

  1 International classification of diseases (9th revision) code 162 —malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung.

  Smoking
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the annual cost to the national health service of treatment of smoking-related diseases for each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Member for St. Helens, North (Mr. Evans) on 4 July 1990 at column 594. This estimate is not sufficiently precise to justify the calculation of yearly figures, although it is checked on a regular basis.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working days his Department estimates are lost due to smoking-related illness; what is the estimated cost to the gross national product from such days lost; and if he will make a statement.
  347
  Mr. Dorrell
  The Royal College of Physicians has estimated that over 50 million working days are lost each year due to smoking related disease. The likely cost in terms of lost production is about £2,200 million to £3,200 million.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the fourth annual report of the committee for monitoring agreements on tobacco advertising and sponsorship will be published; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  We expect the committee's fourth annual report to be published by the summer.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress of his Department's negotiations to date with the tobacco industry on the control of tobacco advertising.

  Date

  Venue

  Purpose

  30 January 1990

  Department of Health

  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords) met the Tobacco Advisory Council to discuss the draft EC Tobacco Advertising Directive

  31 January 1990

  Department of Health

  The Secretary of State met the Tobacco Advisory Council to open negotiations on updating the voluntary agreements on tobacco advertising and product modification

  27 March 1990

  Department of Health

  Officials met the Tobacco Advisory Council to carry forward negotiations on updating the voluntary agreements

  15 May 1990

  Department of Health

  Officials met the Tobacco Advisory Council to carry forward negotiations on updating the voluntary agreements

  14 November 1990

  House of Lords

  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords) met the Tobacco Advisory Council to discuss the implementation of EC Directives on Tobacco

  23 January 1991

  Department of Health

  The Secretary of State met a representative of Imperial Tobacco Ltd. to discuss various tobacco related issues.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of acute beds in national health service hospitals and the total number of in-patient bed days per annum he estimates are used by patients suffering from smoking-related diseases; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The number of bed-days attributable to smoking-related disease was estimated in 1985 to be between 2·8 million and 4·8 million a year. The current figure is likely to be of the same order.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has of the relationship between consumption of cigarettes, particularly by children, and increases in prices; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chislehurst (Mr. Sims) on 13 January 1989 at column 768. We are not aware of any new studies which have become available since 1989.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the future of the Health Promotion Research Trust.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The funds given to the trust by the tobacco industry will soon be exhausted. I understand that the trustees are prepared to examine other possibilities for continuing the work of the trust.
  348
  Mr. Dorrell
  Discussions have been under way with the tobacco industry on updating the voluntary agreement on tobacco advertising since the beginning of 1990. Some progress has been made, but the industry is reluctant to conclude a new agreement until it is clear about the impact on its business of European Community directives to complete the single market. We are pressing the industry to conclude a new agreement in the near future.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings he, his predecessor, his Ministers and his Department's officials have had with representatives of the tobacco industry since 1 January 1989; and if he will list the dates, venues and purpose of each meeting.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Officials regularly meet the tobacco industry to discuss a whole range of issues including the working of the voluntary agreements and EC measures on tobacco. Following is a list of the main meetings since 1 January 1989:

  Oral Tobacco
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ban the sale of all new oral tobacco products in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The supply of oral snuff products was banned in the United Kingdom on 13 March 1990 by means of regulations under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. On 21 December 1990 the regulations were quashed by the divisional court on a procedural point. We have appealed against that decision.

  Tobacco Advertising
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a full copy of the research commissioned by the committee for monitoring agree-ments on tobacco advertising and sponsorship; if he will list the subjects covered by that research, the period this research covered and the findings of this research; who was commissioned to undertake this research; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Details of the research commissioned by the committee for monitoring agreements on tobacco advertising and sponsorship are contained in the first, second and third annual reports of the committee, published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office—ISBNs 0 11 321138 4, 0 11 321225 9 and 0 11 321306 9—copies of which are in the Library. In addition, Coopers and
  349
  Lybrand Deloitte has recently completed some research on the tobacco industry's adherence to the cigarette voluntary code for promotions with specific reference to direct mail. The period covered by the research was 1989 to 1990. Details will be published in the Committee's fourth report. My hon. Friend is aware that the original research reports are not published because the industry, which meets half the cost of the research, has objected on various grounds. This position was set out in the reply my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State gave him on 27 October 1989 at column 631.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the members of the committee for monitoring agreements on tobacco advertising and sponsorship; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The membership of the committee is as follows:

  Mr. D. Adams—Welsh Office

  Mr. R. R. Boxall—Gallaher Ltd.

  Mr. W. J. Burroughs—Department of Health

  Mr. N. M. Hale—Department of Health

  Mr. D. R. Hare—Tobacco Advisory Council

  Mr. B. C. W. Heard—Imported Tobacco Products Advisory Council

  Mr. T. S. Heppell—Department of Health

  Mr. A. King—Scottish Office

  Mr. P. Middleton—Imperial Tobacco Ltd.

  Mr. W. C. Owen—Tobacco Advisory Council

  Mr. E. D. Oxberry—Rothmans (UK) Ltd.

  Mr. J. Scott—Department of Health and Social Security (Northern Ireland)

  Mr. P. J. Vaughan—Department of Education and Science

  One place on the industry side of the committee is temporarily vacant. The post of independent chairman is also temporarily vacant following the resignation of Sir Peter Lazarus in January. The Government and the tobacco industry hope to make a new appointment to this post shortly.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will invite representatives of the health professions to

  Indicative Allocation

  Bid

  Amount of allocation not taken up

  Per cent, of grant allocation not taken up

  £

  £

  £

  Salford

  110,000

  nil

  110,000

  100·0

  Bromley

  130,000

  76,160

  53,840

  70·1

  Bolton

  120,000

  98,200

  21,800

  22·2

  Havering

  90,000

  75,000

  15,000

  20·0

  Redbridge

  110,000

  100,000

  10,000

  10·0

  Tameside

  90,000

  84,000

  6,000

  7·1

  Essex

  560,000

  531,600

  28,390

  5·3

  Hampshire

  550,000

  532,888

  17,112

  3·2

  Bury

  70,000

  67,900

  2,100

  3·1

  Surrey

  370,000

  364,399

  5,601

  1·5

  Oxfordshire

  200,000

  198,940

  1,060

  0·5

  Sefton

  110,000

  109,685

  315

  0·3

  Avon

  370,000

  369,437

  563

  0·2

  Stockport

  110,000

  109,807

  193

  0·2

  Hereford

  220,000

  219,649

  351

  0·1

  Nottinghamshire

  400,000

  399,700

  300

  <0·1

  Warwickshire

  170,000

  169,995

  5

  <0·1

  Hammersmith

  150,000

  149,940

  60

  <0·1

  350
  participate in his Department's current negotiations with the tobacco industry on the control of tobacco advertising; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Department's own professional advisers have considerable expertise in these matters and are represented at the negotiating sessions.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  National No Smoking Day has been publicised widely in the Department. The following activities are planned for 13 March:manned information points in building foyers with publicity and leaflets on leading a healthy lifestyle, and encouragement to enrol for stop smoking courses sponsored by the Department.
  opportunities for smokers to hand in their cigarettes and enter a prize draw.
  publicity in staff canteen.
  exhibitions by the Occupational Health Service and the Look After Your Heart project manned by professional advisers available to give advice on giving up smoking.

  The aims of national No Smoking Day and the initiatives outlined above have the full support of Ministers in the Department.

  Mental Health Grant
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the local authorities which have indicated that they are not taking up the full amount of the new mental health specific grant.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The local authorities which have indicated that they are not taking up the full amount of the new mental illness specific grant are;

  Bed Closures
  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate for the number of hospital bed closures during the current financial year; and when figures will be available on an area basis.

  Mr. Dorrell
  We do not routinely collect this information centrally, since bed numbers are not a good indicator of levels of service in the national health service. It is for each health authority to determine the level and mix of health service provision in its area, taking account of local circumstances and the increased resources available to them.

  Diabetics
  Mr. Terry Davis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health why it has been decided not to make the needles used with Novapen syringes available at no charge to people who receive a free supply of insulin on prescription.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  NHS supply arrangements for insulin pens and needles need to be considered together. Subject to our normal evaluation of individual brands, including Novapen, we would consider making pens and needles prescribable as an alternative to syringes, if this could be done without additional cost. Discussions with suppliers are currently in progress.

  Laboratory Services
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the survey of laboratory backlogs and workload carried out in the second half of 1990 referred to in his answer of 21 February,Official Report, column 240.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The survey dealt only with those district health authorities in which the processing time for cervical smear tests was over one month on 1 July 1990. These are listed in the table with the length of the backlog and the number of smears received in the period March to May 1990. Since the length of backlogs changes over time, the current position is likely to vary from that shown. Two out of three health authorities processed smear tests within the requested one month.

  Survey of laboratory backlogs and workloads: July 1990

  DHA

  Backlog (weeks)

  Smears Received March-May 1990

  Northern

  North West Durham

  7·5

  3,171

  Newcastle

  5·5

  24,053

  North Tyneside

  Northumberland

  Yorkshire

  Hull

  7

  13,116

  East Yorkshire

  Grimsby

  6

  5,684

  Bradford

  6

  12,956

  Airedale

  Wakefield

  6

  5,589

  Trent

  South Derbyshire

  6

  16,061

  Nottingham

  12

  22,205

  Doncaster

  12

  7,942

  Rotherham

  8

  n/a

  Sheffield

  6

  14,420

  East Anglia

  Cambridge

  12

  8,254

  352

  DHA

  Backlog (weeks)

  Smears Received March-May 1990

  West Norfolk

  6

  n/a

  North West Thames

  North Bedfordshire

  8

  6,396

  Barnet

  5

  n/a

  North East Thames

  North East Essex

  12

  8,155

  Southend

  11

  11,144

  Haringey

  5

  4,623

  Basildon and Thurrock

  13

  8,091

  Redbridge

  14

  5,260

  West Essex

  10

  6,933

  Mid Essex

  6·5

  8,769

  Enfield

  5·5

  n/a

  South East Thames

  Canterbury/Thanet

  5

  7,510

  Dartford/Gravesend

  5

  6,144

  Medway

  5

  8,244

  Tunbridge Wells

  7

  6,167

  Greenwich

  12

  3,975

  Bromley

  7

  9,300

  Lewisham and North Southwark (Guy's)

  13

  3,630

  South West Thames

  Worthing

  9

  n/a

  Merton/Sutton

  5

  n/a

  South West Surrey

  7

  n/a

  Wessex

  West Dorset

  5

  n/a

  Portsmouth

  8·5

  n/a

  Southampton

  5

  n/a

  Swindon

  7

  n/a

  Bath

  8

  n/a

  Oxford

  Oxfordshire

  5·5

  n/a

  East Berkshire

  10

  10,915

  Aylesbury Vale

  5

  12,969

  South Western

  Bristol and Weston

  5

  14,911

  Frenchay

  Southmead

  Cornwall

  7

  11,651

  Exeter

  7

  11,959

  Torbay

  7

  6,708

  West Midlands

  Herefordshire

  6

  4,443

  Worcestershire

  8

  5,557

  Shropshire

  7

  12,295

  South Warwickshire

  6

  7,349

  Central Birmingham (part)

  5

  8,072

  West Birmingham

  5

  8,010

  Coventry

  5

  10,569

  Mersey

  Liverpool (part)

  5

  4,016

  St. Helens and Knowlsey

  6·5

  5,820

  Chester

  6

  6,161

  North Western

  West Lancashire

  8

  1,491

  Bolton

  7

  7,698

  Rochdale

  10

  4,174

  Stockport

  8

  3,212

  Nursing Homes
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will extend the consideration of the fitness of applicants to run private care and nursing homes to include an assessment of the fitness of persons holding office in companies in ownership of homes.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  There are no plans to do so.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sanctions are available to registration authorities when a successful prosecution for the operation of an unregistered home does not lead to the closure of the home.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  It would be open to the registration authority to take fresh proceedings against the person running the home.

  The Registered Homes (Amendment) Bill of my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, West (Mr. Butterfill) will, if it becomes law, extend the requirement to register to residential care homes with fewer than four residents.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action can be taken by registration authorities against private or voluntary residential care or nursing homes which fail to produce and provide residents with a written complaints procedure.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Persons registered under the Registered Homes Act 1984 are required to inform residents in residential care homes in writing how any complaints will be dealt with and to see that complaints received are fully investigated. If this requirement is not observed the response of the registration authority will depend on the particular circumstances of the case. The objective will always be to ensure that an effective complaints procedure is in place.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a requirement for the public display of complaints procedures within residential care and nursing homes.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  There are no plans to do so.

  Prescription Charges
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about NHS prescription and related charges and optical vouchers.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I have today laid before the House regulations for increases in prescription charges in the national health service in England and Wales which will take effect from 1 April 1991. The prescription charge will increase by 35p from £3·05 to £3·40. The increase of nearly 11·5 per cent. reflects the higher cost of the pharmaceutical services and will provide about £17 million extra income to the resources available to the health service in England and Wales.

  The new charge will continue to represent less than half the cost of an average prescription to the NHS. The existing exemption arrangements under which about four out of five of all prescription items are provided free of charge remain unchanged. The four-monthly and annual prepayment certificates will continue to be available, the
  354
  fees for which will increase from £15·80 and £43·50 to £17·60 and £48·50 respectively. The effect of the wide-ranging exemption arrangements and the continued availability of prepayment certificates is that a charge will be paid in respect of less than 20 per cent. of all items dispensed in the NHS.

  The charges for elastic stockings and tights, fabric supports and wigs supplied through the hospital service will also be increased from 1 April, as set out in table A.

  Turning now to general dental services, at present those patients who are liable to pay a dental charge contribute a fixed proportion—75 per cent.—of the cost of each course of treatment, up to a maximum of £150. The House has already been informed that we have no plans to increase the proportional charge. However, the maximum charge has remained unchanged since 1988 and, from 1 April 1991, it will be raised to £200.

  I am pleased to announce increased help for people who receive vouchers towards the cost of their spectacles. Overall the value of spectacle vouchers will increase by 6 per cent. from 1 April and the most frequently prescribed A, B and D vouchers will go up by 7·2, 6·1 and 6·5 per cent. respectively. In addition we shall be making changes to the voucher regulations to ensure that people with certain unusual optical prescriptions will be entitled both to free NHS sight tests and to the highest value spectacle vouchers.

  Voucher values for the hospital eye service will rise by 6 per cent. for spectacle vouchers and 11·5 per cent. for contact lens vouchers. The maximum charge payable by patients will also increase.

  The revised voucher values are set out in table B.

  Table A

  New hospital service charges from 1 April 1991 (present charge in brackets)

  Elastic Stockings and tights, wigs and fabric supports

  £

  £

  Each elastic stocking

  3·40

  (3·05)

  Tights supplied through the hospital service

  6·80

  (6·10)

  Surgical brassiere

  14·50

  (13·00)

  Abdominal or spinal support

  19·00

  (17·00)

  Stock modacrylic wig

  29·00)

  (26·00

  Partial human hair wig

  74·50

  (67·00)

  Full bespoke human hair wig

  108·00

  (97·00)

  Table B

  National Health Service Spectacle Voucher Values

  Voucher

  From 1 April 1991 £

  Present value £

  A

  19·30

  18·00

  B

  30·50

  28·75

  C

  48·00

  47·00

  D

  37·00

  34·75

  E

  61·00

  59·75

  F

  102·00

  100·00

  G1

  102·00

  100·00

  H1

  232·15

  228·85

  Complex lenses

  Single vision

  3·60

  3·50

  Bifocal

  19·25

  18·75

  Prisms per lens

  Single vision

  4·10

  4·00

  Bifocal

  5·10

  5·00

  Tints per lens

  Single vision

  2·05

  2·00

  355

  Voucher

  From 1 April 1991 £

  Present value £

  Bifocal

  2·55

  2·50

  Photochromic per lens1

  Single vision

  2·05

  2·00

  Bifocal

  2·55

  2·50

  Small Frame Supplement

  35·20

  34·50

  Supplement for Special Facial Characteristics1

  35·20

  34·50

  1 Hospital Eye Service

  2 Per Lens

PRIME MINISTER

  Purchasing and Distribution
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Prime Minister what is the full annual cost, including overheads, of his Department's purchasing activity.

  The Prime Minister
  The full cost of the purchasing activity in the Cabinet Office for the current financial year is estimated to be £26 million.

  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Prime Minister how many people in the Cabinet Office are wholly or substantially involved in purchasing stores and distribution activities.

  The Prime Minister
  The number of people involved either wholly or substantially in these activities is nine.

  Value for Money
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Prime Minister what measures of performance are employed by his Department to ensure value for money.

  The Prime Minister
  Although the nature of much of the Cabinet Office's work precludes assessment by way of formal performance measures, the identification of value-for-money targets is an integral part of the Department's planning and budgeting system. The system provides for the regular monitoring of progress towards targets and their achievement.

WALES

  Duffryn Workshops
  Mr. John Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will ensure that the West Wales training and enterprise council is adequately funded to avoid Duffryn Workshops in the Afan valley closing during the next month.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I announced on 28 February that over £8 million additional funding would be made available for employment training in Wales in 1991–92. It is the TEC's responsibility to determine which training providers can best meet the training requirements of the locality and to contract accordingly.

  Primary Education
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the present state of education at primary level in Ceredigion and Dyfed.
  356
  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The pattern of provision of maintained primary education in Dyfed is for the local education authority, not for me. However, in response to concerns expressed by some parents, mainly in the Teifi valley area, I have asked the local education authority for details of its introduction of categorisation of primary schools in terms of their use of Welsh as a medium of teaching.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans his Department has to help smokers give up smoking on No Smoking Day; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Welsh Office staff have been fully informed about this year's No Smoking Day and reminded of the standing invitation to join a smoking cessation group.

  European Community
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times he has visited Brussels concerning his Department's responsibilities in the European Community.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Since becoming Secretary of State for Wales on 4 May 1990 I have not visited Brussels to discuss matters relating to Wales and the European Community, but my Department is in close contact with the European Commission and the office of the United Kingdom permanent representative in Brussels, with officials visiting Brussels regularly to discuss specific policy interests. I am, of course, ready to visit Brussels when it becomes appropriate to do so in pursuit of my departmental responsibilities.

ENERGY

  Gas Turbine Power Stations
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many licences he has issued for combined cycle gas turbine power stations; what information he has on how many are under construction or for which construction contracts have been let; and which companies are building the plants.

  Mr. Wakeham
  The following combined cycle gas turbine generating—CCGT—stations have been given planning consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989:

  Deeside Power Development Company Ltd.—Deeside Industrial Park, Clywd

  Energy Resources Company Ltd.—Keadby, Humberside

  National Power plc—Killingholme, South Humberside

  National Power plc—Little Barford, Bedfordshire

  PowerGen plc—Killingholme, South Humberside

  PowerGen plc—Rye House, Hertfordshire

  Teesside Power Ltd.—Wilton, Cleveland

  The following applications for consent for CCGT generating stations are still being considered:

  Barking Power Ltd.—Barking, London

  Coryton Cogen Ltd.—Coryton, Essex

  National Power plc—Didcot, Oxfordshire

  National Power plc—Staythorpe, Nottinghamshire

  PowerGen plc—Plymouth, Devon

  Rugby Power Co. Ltd.—Rugby, Warwickshire

  Texaco Ltd.—Angle Bay, Dyfed

  357
  The following projects incorporating CCGT technology have received approval under section 14(1) of the Energy Act 1976, that is, to establish an electricity generating station to be fuelled by natural gas, or for the conversion of an electricity generating station with a view to its being so fuelled:

  Barking Power Ltd.—Barking, London

  Berisford Bristar plc—Brigg, South Humberside

  British Nuclear Fuels plc—Calder Hall, Sellafield

  British Sugar plc—Bury St. Edmunds

  Rugby Power Co. Ltd.—Rugby, Warwickshire

  Coryton Cogen Ltd.—Coryton Essex

  Deeside Power Development Company Ltd.—Deeside Industrial Park, Clywd

  National Power plc—Killingholme, South Humberside

  National Power plc—Little Barford, Bedfordshire

  PowerGen plc—Rye House, Hertfordshire

  Sheffield Heat and Power—Sheffield

  Shell UK Exploration and Production—Shellhaven, Essex Texaco Ltd./Mission Energy—Angle Bay, Dyfed

  Wiggins Teape—Stoneywood Mill

  The following projects incorporating CCGT technology have received approval under both sections 14(1) and 14(2) of the Energy Act 1976, that is, to establish an electricity generating station fuelled by natural gas and to enter into contractual arrangements for obtaining a supply of natural gas for an electricity generating station, or to extend any such arrangements:

  The Boots Company plc—Beeston, Nottingham

  BP Chemicals Ltd.—Baglan Bay, West Glamorgan

  British Sugar plc—Wissington, Suffolk

  Hawker Siddeley—Corby, South Humberside

  Hawker Siddeley—Peterborough

  ICI plc—Wilton, Cleveland

  Lakeland Power—Roosecote, Cumbria

  Leicester Energy Ltd.—Raw Dykes Road, Leicester

  Occidental Petroleum—Flotta

  PowerGen plc—Killingholme, South Humberside

  Ranger Oil/PowerGen plc—South Denes, Great Yarmouth

  Teesside Power Ltd.—Wilton, Cleveland

  The further information requested by the hon. Member covers commercial matters for the companies concerned.

  Child Care
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the number of workplaces for civil servants in his Department; what proportion of the total number have an on-site nursery facility; how many and what proportion of workplaces provide a holiday play scheme; how many and what proportion of workplaces provide after-school child care facilities; what charges are made for use of any facility; what the net cost has been for the provision of these facilities; and what estimate he can make of any future expenditure.

  Mr. Wakeham
  My Department's staff are located at seven sites. In addition, there are various small offices where some two to three staff work. My Department does not provide nurseries, holiday play schemes, or after-school care and has no current plans to do so. However, my Department has participated in the holiday play scheme organised in the Westminster area by the office of the Minister for the Civil Service.

  Purchasing and Distribution
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many people in his Department are wholly or substantially involved in purchasing stores and distribu-tion activities.
  358
  Mr. Wakeham
  These figures are reported annually to the Treasury's central unit on purchasing. The number reported for 1989–90 was seven.

  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the full annual cost, including overheads, of his Department's purchasing activity.

  Mr. Wakeham
  These figures are reported annually to the Treasury's central unit on purchasing. The amount reported for 1989–90 was £293,000.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many letters he has received, since 4 January 1990, from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice, where the former are concerned, to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. Wakeham
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Mr Young) on 4 April 1990, at column 629.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Wakeham
  My Department has no plans to publicise this occasion, but a two-day exhibition on various health-related issues is being organised for early April as part of the Look After Your Heart campaign. An important feature of the exhibition will be making information and advice available to staff about smoking.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Soviet Union
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made in respect of Yefim Rokhvarg, Iosef Roginsky and Evgeny Pisarevsky of Leningrad who have been unsuccessfully applying to leave the Soviet Union.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  Mr. Pisarevsky's name was included in a list of cases brought to the attention of the Soviet authorities in advance of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's recent visit to Moscow. We shall take account of the cases of Mr. Rokhvarg and Mr. Roginsky in our future representations.

  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made in respect of Vladimir Kodess, David Gurevich and Yuri Gindin of Leningrad, who have been unsuccessfully applying to leave the Soviet Union.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  We can certainly raise these cases with the Soviet authorities, but in order to make our representations most effective we shall need further details.

  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations
  359
  have been made in respect of Lev Lazarevich Kunin and Pavel Izakson of Moscow, who have been unsuccessfully applying to leave the Soviet Union.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  Mr. Kunin's name was included in a list of cases brought to the attention of the Soviet authorities in advance of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's recent visit to Moscow. We shall take account of the case of Mr. Izakson in our future representations.

  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made in respect of Vladimir Gorodetsky, who has been unsuccessfully applying to leave the Soviet Union.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  We have now added Mr. Gorodetsky's name to the list of cases regularly brought to the attention of the Soviet authorities and will make firm representations in support of his application to leave the Soviet Union.

  Ghana
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made recently to the Ghanaian Government concerning law No. 78 which allows for execution for political offences, and of law 4 which allows imprisonment without access to legal advice.

  Mrs. Chalker
  We have made no recent representations about these laws. We maintain regular ministerial and official contact with the Government of Ghana and they are well aware of our concern at some of their internal policies and on those concerning human rights issues.

  Immigration
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current length of time applicants wishing to join spouses in the United Kingdom are having to wait for interview by British high commission staff in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; and what action is in hand to reduce waiting times.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) on 20 February, at column 175. During the past two years we have considerably reduced waiting times in the Indian sub-continent. No first-time applicant for settlement now waits longer than nine months for interview. We have increased staffing levels in Bombay and New Delhi. The construction of new premises in Islamabad, Dhaka and New Delhi and the move to new premises in Bombay will improve administrative procedures and are expected to reduce waiting times.

  Child Care
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the number of workplaces for civil servants in his Department; what proportion of the total number have an on-site nursery facility; how many and what proportion of workplaces provide a holiday play scheme; how many and what proportion of workplaces provide after-school child care facilities; what charges are made for use of any facility; what the net cost has been for the provision of these facilities; and what estimate he can make of any future expenditure.
  360
  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The information requested is as follows:

  DIPLOMATIC WING

  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is located in 15 buildings in the United Kingdom. Members of the Diplomatic Service also staff over 200 posts overseas. None has an on-site nursery facility, holiday play scheme or after-school child care facility at present, although places in the Westminster holiday play scheme, administered by the office of the Minister for the Civil Service, are open to FCO staff working in the Westminster area.

  An on-site workplace nursery is being set up at Hanslope park, near Milton Keynes. Start-up costs are currently estimated at £45,000.

  AID WING

  The number of workplaces for Overseas Development Administration staff is three. None has an on-site nursery facility or provides after-school child care facilities. Two provide a holiday play scheme; places on the Westminster holiday play scheme are open to staff at the third. The ODA also provides accommodation for the Westminster holiday play scheme.

  Details of charges, net cost and future expenditure in respect of the two workplaces which provide holiday play schemes are as follows:

  A

  B

  Charges made for use of facility

  £3·25 per child per day plus £5 annual registration fee

  £5 per child per day

  Net cost of provision of facility

  £850 (1990–91)

  £1,600

  Estimate of any further expenditure

  The Aid Wing expects to support both schemes in 1991–92 but precise figures are not yet available

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  The information is not readily available in the form requested. Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned.

  A separate arrangement applies in respect of consular cases raised by MEPs. Our normal practice is to copy our response to the appropriate hon. Member in view of the direct personal involvement in such cases of the latter's constituent.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  This Department will be publicising No Smoking Day with posters and leaflets. Giving up smoking also features as part of this Department's programme of occupational health for both the diplomatic and aid wings of the FCO.

  Israel
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the help and support being given by Her Majesty's ambassador in Tel Aviv to British firms seeking contracts in Israel for housing Soviet immigrants; and what progress has been made in discussions with the Government of Israel in that regard.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  Discussions are continuing between the Export Credits Guarantee Department and the Israeli authorities concerning the establishment of a line of credit to finance housing projects to be located in Israel. This will have to be on the condition that none of the funds are to be spent on housing in the occupied territories including east Jerusalem.

  Jordan
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the difficulties experienced in Jordan in obtaining dried milk for babies, as a result of an embargo imposed at Aqaba by United States forces; and whether he has taken any steps to relieve this situation.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  We have no information to suggest that activity in support of United Nations sanctions against Iraq by United States forces in the Red sea has created a shortage of dried milk in Jordan.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Westminster County Court
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Attorney-General whether any counter-notice was served in respect of a notice to terminate the lease of Westminster county court.

  The Attorney-General
  Notice to terminate the lease of Westminster county court has not yet been given. No counter-notice has therefore been served.

  Court of Appeal
  Mr. Hayes
  To ask the Attorney-General how many convictions have been quashed by the Court of Appeal criminal division since the coming into force of section 43 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 on 31 July 1989.

  The Attorney-General
  Between 1 August 1989 and 22 February 1991, a total of 382 convictions were quashed.

  Mr. Hayes
  To ask the Attorney-General how many retrials have been ordered by the Court of Appeal criminal division since 31 July 1989.
  362
  The Attorney-General
  Between 1 August 1989 and 22 February 1991, four retrials were ordered.

  Mr. Hayes
  To ask the Attorney-General how many persons convicted after a trial on indictment had their sentences remitted by the Court of Appeal in each of the last two years.

  The Attorney-General
  The Court of Appeal has varied the sentence pronounced in the court in the following number of cases. These figures include cases which were committed for sentence to the Crown court as well as cases tried on indictment. The latter are not held separately.

  Cases

  1989

  1,314

  1990

  1,526

  Incendiary Weapons
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Attorney-General whether the Government have ratified the 1981 specific conventional weapons convention and the protocol on prohibitions or restrictions on the use of incendiary weapons.

  The Attorney-General
  The United Kingdom signed the convention on prohibitions or restrictions on the use of certain conventional weapons which may be deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects on 10 April 1981. It has not ratified the convention or accepted the protocol on prohibitions or restrictions on the use of incendiary weapons—protocol III to the convention.

ENVIRONMENT

  Woodland (Planning)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to call in any application by a local authority to itself for permission for any development which would destroy ancient woodland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  No. My right hon. Friend's policy is to exercise his power to call in planning applications very selectively, and generally only when planning issues of more than local importance are involved. However, my right hon. Friend will pay close attention to any request by the Nature Conservancy Council that a planning application which affects ancient woodland which has been classed as a site of special scientific interest should be called in for his decision.

  My hon. Friend the Member for Worcestershire, South (Mr. Spicer), then the Minister for Housing and Planning, announced on 25 July 1990, Official Report, column 372, that my right hon. Friend intends to amend the Town and Country Planning (Development Plans) (England) Direction 1981 so as to require local authorities to report to him any development proposal by them or on their land which would conflict with the development plan, to enable him to consider calling in such proposals for his own decision.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the number of community charge payers in Exeter who(a) received

  363
  rebates in 1989–90 under the rates rebate scheme (b) received relief in 1990–91 under the community charge relief scheme and (c) will receive refunds under the community charge scheme.

  Mr. Key
  An average of 8,327 households in Exeter received a rate rebate in 1989–90; around 16,800 individuals in Exeter have benefited from transitional relief in 1990–91. No information is yet available on the number of people in Exeter who will be helped by the community charge reduction scheme. However, if Exeter district council sets its charge for 1991–92 at or above its scheme charge of £344, a couple living in an averagely rated property who have not moved since 31 March 1990 could look forward to a joint reduction of £183.

  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what income was received from the standard community charge in(a) Westminster and (b) Rotherham during 1990–91; what is his estimate of this income in 1991–92; and whether this income is taken into account in the determination of standard spending grant.

  Mr. Key
  [holding answer 7 March 1991]: Income from standard community charges is not taken into account in the revenue support grant settlement.

  Budgeted income from standard community charges (£million)

  1990–91

  Westminster city council

  4·5

  Rotherham MBC

  11·0

  1 Pre-capping estimate.

  The information for 1991–92 is not yet available.

  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what sum will be provided from central funds in support of the local authorities of(a) Wandsworth, (b) Westminster and (c) Rotherham in 1990–91; and what is the estimated (1) expenditure, (2) central support and (3) per capita expenditure of each of those authorities in 1991–92.

  Mr. Key
  [holding answer 7 March 1991]: The information about central Government support is as follows:

  External support 1990–91 £million

  External support 1991–92 £million

  Wandsworth

  213·5

  235·9

  Westminster

  153·5

  188·1

  Rotherham

  119·5

  124·2

  The external support is paid to the receiving authority's collection fund. It finances expenditure by policy and fire and civil defence authorities as well as expenditure by the charging authority.

  Information regarding their budgeted expenditure in 1991–92 has not yet been submitted to the Secretary of State for the Environment by these authorities.

  Mr. Duffy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what grant per poll tax payer is received by Sheffield.

  Mr. Key
  Government grants, consisting of revenue support grant, special grants, specific grants in aggregate 364
  external finance, community charge benefit grant and transitional relief grant, per head of relevant population in 1990–91 are £309 in Sheffield.

  Tyne and Wear UDC
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) of 27 February,Official Report, column 528, if he will indicate how the figure of 5,500 as the number of jobs created as a result of the existence of the Tyne and Wear UDC was calculated;

  (2) pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 661, how his Department calculated the figure of 1,630 as the number of jobs created or gained, to March 1990, in the Tyne and Wear UDC; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  The jobs figures of 1,630 to March 1990 and 5,500 to date have been derived from three sources by the Tyne and Wear development corporation:

  1. Property development projects in receipt of city grant for commercial end use.

  2. Business development projects where financial support is given or committed to assist relocation or expansion.

  3. Property and business development projects promoted and assisted by the Corporation, in the main on sites they have developed, but not involving direct grant assistance.

  In all cases the jobs figures are based on actual employees together with jobs estimated by the company to be created within two years of the completion of the investment to which the company is committed.

  Habitats Directive
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what he is doing to speed up progress towards the adoption of the habitats directive; and what is his estimate of the cost of ensuring effective implementa-tion of the directive.

  Mr. Trippier
  In recent months my Department has taken an active part in discussions with our European Community partners to agree a text for a directive. I intend to reinforce our support at the Environment Council on 18 March. The cost of implementing the directive in the Community as a whole is expected to be substantial, but definitive figures are not yet available. The United Kingdom system of nature conservation is relatively well developed and the additional costs in the United Kingdom are not expected to be great.

  Royal Parks Constabulary
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will detail the total cost of the Royal Parks Constabulary for the last three years and the number of serving officers and establishment.

  Sir George Young
  The figures are:

  Manpower

  Year

  Cost £

  Authorised

  Actual

  1987–88

  2,381,000

  164

  151

  1988–89

  2,876,000

  163

  156

  1989–90

  3,346,000

  163

  152

  365
  The cost figures exclude accommodation and super-vision which are not separately identifiable. Manpower figures are as at 31 December of each year.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the differences in pay and conditions of service for the Royal Parks Constabulary from equivalent Metropolitan police force ranks.

  Sir George Young
  Basic pay rates in the Royal Parks Constabulary are set at 85·5 per cent. of the equivalent rates for Home Department police forces. Officers receive the same rate of London weighting, but they do not receive the special London allowance paid to officers in the Metropolitan police. RPC officers are members of the civil service pension scheme which is non-contributory. Metropolitan police officers are members of the standard Home Department forces pension scheme which is contributory. Other conditions of service, including discipline codes, are similar for both forces.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State far the Environment if he will list the number and types of vehicles used by the Royal Parks Constabulary.

  Sir George Young
  The Royal Parks Constabulary currently has a fleet of 28 vehicles:

  Number

  Saloon cars (Ford Escort/Vauxhall Astra)

  6

  Vans (Ford Transit/Freight Rover Sherpa)

  8

  Personnel Carriers (Ford Transit)

  2

  1988

  1989

  1990

  Crimes

  Arrests

  Crimes

  Arrests

  Crimes

  Arrests

  Crimes of violence

  51

  25

  28

  14

  37

  25

  Sexual offences

  62

  47

  77

  41

  74

  42

  Burglary

  45

  1

  52

  9

  47

  5

  Robbery

  33

  3

  28

  5

  16

  5

  Theft

  420

  95

  448

  58

  470

  76

  Criminal damage

  70

  27

  80

  24

  59

  20

  Other

  338

  414

  347

  333

  332

  320

  TOTAL

  1,069

  612

  1,060

  484

  1,035

  493

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Royal Parks Constabulary's duties and responsibilities were last reviewed.

  Sir George Young
  An inspection of the force was carried out by one of Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary in 1980. The constabulary and its arrangements have since been strengthened to reflect the increased emphasis on security protection which now forms an important part of its duties.

  Urban Development Corporations
  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has discussed with local authorities the winding-up of the urban development corporations and the transfer of their functions; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what are the proposed dates for the winding-up of the 10 urban development corporations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  UDCs were given indicative lifetimes at designation. On that basis, their projected wind-up dates would be:366

  Number

  Land Rover

  1

  Motorcycles (BMW)

  11

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the duties of the Royal Parks Constabulary in the hours between locking the park gates and unlocking them.

  Sir George Young
  Of the 21 parks, gardens and open spaces policed by the Royal Parks Constabulary, 10 are fully closed at night. In the closed parks officers check unoccupied premises—park yards, restaurants, sports clubs, and so on—and prevent unauthorised access to the locked areas. In addition, some of the closed parks have security-sensitive premises located within them and officers carry out security patrols.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of arrests and successful prosecutions by type of offences for the last three years of the Royal Parks Constabulary.

  Sir George Young
  All persons arrested by the Royal Parks Constabulary are handed over to the Metropolitan police for processing. My Department does not keep a central record of the outcome of prosecutions. The numbers of reported crimes and arrests are:

  Year

  First Generation:

  London Docklands

  1996

  Merseyside

  1996

  Second Generation:

  Black Country

  1997

  Teesside

  1997

  Trafford Park

  1997

  Tyne and Wear

  1997

  Third Generation:

  Bristol

  1994

  Central Manchester

  1993

  Leeds

  1993

  Sheffield

  1995

  We are keeping their lifetimes under review, and will discuss the implications of wind-up with local authorities and others in due course.

  Electricians
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward a mandatory registration scheme for electricians.
  367
  Mr. Yeo
  No. I am satisfied that the existing self-regulation of electrical contractors is operating satisfactorily.

  Value for Money
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures of performance are employed by his Department to ensure value for money.

  Mr. Heseltine
  The Department's annual report—Cm. 1508—sets out a comprehensive range of performance measures associated with my expenditure programmes and in chapter A 11 describes a number of other mechanisms used by my Department to secure value for money.

  The Gulf
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his oral answer of 18 February,Official Report, column 16, what estimate he has made of the number of civil servants involved, technically or administratively, in requests from neighbouring Arab states in the Gulf for help in cleaning up oil slicks.

  Mr. Heseltine
  In my Department, which has had the lead in environmental aspects of the Gulf conflict, around 20 civil servants have been involved to some degree in responding to these issues, including requests for assistance from the Gulf states. For about five staff, this has been a major part of their work. In other Departments closely involved the position is similar.

  Community Charge
  Mr. Marlow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by district or London authority in rank order the percentage of budgeted community charge so far received by each authority, starting with that authority which thus far has received the largest percentage.

  Mr. Key
  I am arranging for the information to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many people within the city of Gloucester will benefit from the community charge reduction scheme;

  (2) what amounts will be made available to residents of Gloucester as a result of the community charge reduction scheme.

  Mr. Key
  Information on the total number of community charge payers in each charging authority who will benefit from a reduction and the amount of reduction scheme grant payable to each authority will be available once charging authorities have submitted their claims to my Department. However, a couple who have not moved since 31 March 1990 living in a property that had an average rates bill for the Gloucester area could look forward to a joint reduction in their bills for 1991–92 of £197.

  Mr. Marlow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, given declared community charge levels by each district authority, what is the increased payment per couple which will be required before the community charge reduction scheme applies.
  368
  Mr. Key
  Many chargepayers will receive reductions even if charging authorities set their personal community charge below or at the same level as last year.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heseltine
  Posters advertising the day and information leaflets will be displayed in all the Department's main offices throughout the country and an article placed in the in-house journal. Guidance has been given to all staff on damage to health caused by smoking. Welfare officers are on hand to give help and advice to staff who wish to give up smoking and on the availability of cessation classes.

  Housing, Waveney
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what are the criteria for housing investment programme allocations for non-urban authorities; and how they were applied for 1991–92 for Waveney district council;

  (2) how the general needs index applies to Government grant aid for housing purposes for Waveney district council for 1991–92; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  Housing investment programme—HIP— allocations for 1991–92 for non-metropolitan district authorities, including Waveney, as well as for metropolitan districts and London authorities, were made in part by references to an objective measure of need—the generalised needs index—and in part on the basis of recommendations by my Department's housing regional controllers to reflect their knowledge of local needs and circumstances. Local authorities were able to explain their needs and priorities to the Department in their annual HIP returns and strategy statements and subsequent HIP meetings.

  The generalised needs index is not used directly in the distribution of Government grant aid, although both housing revenue account subsidy and specified capital grants, mainly for house renovations, are available to authorities in support of housing investment programme expenditure.

  Housing Authorities
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage local housing authorities wishing to become enabling authorities instead of direct providers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  My Department has issued guidance to all local authorities on how to develop their enabling role: I am sending my hon. Friend a copy and placing a copy in the Library. I am pleased by the extent to which many authorities are responding to encouragement to adopt a mainly enabling role, assessing the needs of their areas and helping housing associations, private landlords and developers to meet those needs, rather than concentrating exclusively on direct provision of council housing.

  Urban Programme
  Mr. Terry Davis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the report from Victor Hausner and Associates on their research into the use of the urban programme in creating employment opportunities for black and ethnic minority communities in the inner cities.

  Mr. Key
  My right hon. Friend hopes to receive the final report of this research project soon.

  Saltley Renewal Area
  Mr. Terry Davis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the purpose of the visit by the Minister for Housing and Planning to the Saltley renewal area on 26 February; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir George Young
  I visited Saltley to see the progress being made in regenerating this area of older private housing in Birmingham and to meet some of the residents. I am impressed by the partnership between the city council, the Heartlands urban development agency, the housing associations and the residents and the way in which the programme for improvement is being carried forward, using to good effect the additional resources which we have made available over several years.

  Radioactive Material
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his present policy in respect of the dry storage of radioactive material.

  Mr. Trippier
  Other than on licensed nuclear sites, no person shall keep, use, or cause or permit to be kept or used, radioactive material unless he is registered under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 or exempted from being so. Dry storage of spent nuclear fuel is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy.

  Dartmoor National Park
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he hopes to sign the order varying the Dartmoor national park boundary; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  The statutory period for representations ended on 28 February. A decision on the boundary variation order will be reached as soon as we have considered all the representations made.

  Radioactive Waste
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures he has in respect of the volume of disposal of low-level radioactive waste(a) at Drigg and (b) at local authority landfill sites.

  Mr. Trippier
  The latest figures showing volumes of low-level radioactive waste disposals to the disposal facility operated by BNFL at Drigg, Cumbria are set out in the BNFL publication "Radioactive Discharges and Monitoring of the Environment 1989", a copy of which is in the Library.

  Small amounts of low-level radioactive waste are authorised under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 for
  370
  disposal at local landfill sites following careful safety assessments in each case. However, the Department does not maintain a central record of the volume of waste involved in these disposals.

  Colliery Spoil
  Mr. Stevens
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received the Ove Arup report on the monitoring of the use of the evaluative framework for the disposal of colliery spoil; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  Although there has been a decrease in the amount of colliery spoil produced in recent years, its disposal is still a problem. Version 1 of the evaluative framework, published in 1987, was designed to assist decision making on future disposal schemes for deep mine colliery spoil. It has encouraged systematic investigation of both environmental and financial aspects of alternative options.

  My Department commissioned research to monitor the effectiveness of the framework and it has now been modified to include the lessons learnt. The contractors have now submitted their main research report to my Department and published version 2 of the evaluative framework. I have today placed copies in the House Library. I am sure that the publication of this updated version will improve its usefulness to both the local authorities and the coal industry and will help resolve many of the problems that have been experienced.

  London Boroughs Grant Scheme
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to approve a budget for the London boroughs grant scheme; and what steps he is taking to ensure the future well-being of those schemes approved for the current financial year.

  Mr. Portillo
  [holding answer 6 March 1991]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no power to approve a budget for the London boroughs grants scheme. This is a matter for agreement by the constituent boroughs. However, at the request of the London boroughs grants committee, he has agreed to exercise his power to set a limit on the maximum expenditure of the scheme in 1991–92 and has set it at £30·155 million.

  Planning Applications
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the current parliamentary Session he has had local authority planning applications referred to him which contravened both the local county structure plan and the local rural areas plan; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  [holding answer 8 March 1991]: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  At present, local authorities are required to report to my right hon. Friend only those proposals which would materially conflict with or prejudice the implementation of the development plan. In 1990 local authorities reported to my right hon. Friend 278 proposals which, in their opinion, materially conflicted with a development plan.

  Benzene
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the legal benzene limits in petrol in other countries of the world; and what is the legal benzene limit in petrol in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have been asked to reply.

  The benzene content of petrol in the United Kingdom, in common with all the other EC member states, is limited to a maximum of 5 per cent. by volume by EC directive 85/210/EEC. The Department of Energy does not hold information on legal benzene limits in non-EC countries, but we understand that there is no country which imposes a lower legal limit.

  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the level of benzene in(a) four-star petrol, (b) three-star petrol and (c) unleaded petrol.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have been asked to reply.

  In 1988 petrol quality surveys in the United Kingdom market suggested a range of benzene contents for leaded petrol of 2·9 to 4·7 per cent. and for unleaded petrol of 3·4 to 4·5 per cent. Three-star petrol is no longer sold in the United Kingdom.

  Genetically Modified Organisms
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many genetically modified organisms have been released to the environment in the United Kingdom in the years 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991.

  Mr. Forth
  I have been asked to reply.

  The number of releases of genetically modified organisms into the environment since 1986 are as follows:

  Year

  Number of releases

  1986

  1

  1987

  3

  1988

  6

  1989

  5

  1990

  113

  1991

  2Nil

  1 In 1990, in addition to 13 small-scale field trials, one product —a genetically modified bakers yeast—was cleared for marketing.

  2 In 1991, no releases have taken place to date. One trial has been cleared to take place later in 1991.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Community Charge
  Mr. Maxton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects to save from community charge benefit in Scotland as a result of the introduction of the community charge reduction scheme.

  Mr. Mellor
  Some £15 million.

  Mr. Dover
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if community charge reductions operative from 1 April will be taken into account in the calculation of future retail prices indices.
  372
  Mr. Maples
  Yes.

  Mr. Favell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the reduction in the retail prices index, if the community charge were abolished and the expenditure transferred to the central Exchequer.

  Mr. Maples
  It is not the practice to provide estimates of the effects on the retail prices index of such hypothetical changes to the public finances. The effects would depend on how the expenditure currently financed by the community charge would subsequently be funded and how the Central Statistical Office would treat the abolition of the community charge in the RPI.

  Exchange Rates
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the change in the real and the nominal exchange rate of sterling against(a) the deutschmark, (b) the United States dollar and (c) the yen, between the last quarter of 1986 and the last quarter of 1990.

  Mr. Maples
  The nominal and real exchange rate changes between the last quarter of 1986 and the third quarter of 1990 are shown in the table. There are several ways in which changes in the real exchange rate can be measured. The table shows the changes indicated by the different increases in GDP deflators over the relevant period.

  Change 1986Q4 to 1990Q3 per cent.

  DM/Sterling

  $/Sterling

  Yen/Sterling

  3·38

  30·15

  17·93

  121·36

  245·73

  345·82

  1 Real DM/Sterling.

  2 Real $/Sterling.

  3 Real Yen/Sterling.

  Data are not yet available to calculate real exchange rates up to the fourth quarter of 1990.

  Child Care
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost of provision for child care for civil servants.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  In 1989 the Treasury gave Departments discretion to contribute towards the costs of child care facilities where this offered value for money and could be contained within existing departmental running costs limits. Information on how much has been spent on child care is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Birds and Animals (Seizures)
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state any conveniently available figures for the number of occasions in the past five years when Customs officers have delivered seized specimens of birds or animals to airlines for return to their country of origin.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Live creatures seized by Customs under endangered species legislation are, whenever feasible, returned to their country of origin for
  373
  eventual release back into the wild. This is in accordance with one of the principles established in the Washington convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. Figures are held centrally, in conveniently accessible form, only from 1989 onwards. In that time there has been one operation involving the return of birds to Turkey.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quarantine arrangements have been made in the new Stansted terminal for wild birds and other animals confiscated in accordance with the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  None. Quarantine facilities are not generally available at, ports and airports. Their absence does not impair Customs ability to enforce the controls on endangered species.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action was taken by Customs and Excise officials in relation to the unlawful concealment of goldfinches in the luggage of Mr. I. H. of Wood Green, Essex, discovered at Stansted airport on 18 September 1990.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Action was taken to seize and forfeit the birds under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979.

  Civil Servants, South Wales
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to improve the career structure for civil servants employed in south Wales.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Although there are no central plans specific to south Wales, my right hon. Friend keeps all aspects of the staffing of the civil service under review.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  Since 4 January 1990 Treasury Ministers have received 79 letters from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or United Kingdom matters. Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to such communications would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.

  Alcohol Duties
  Mr. Cartwright
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what he bases his February forecast of a 13·3 per cent. increase in the revenue from alcohol duties for 1990–91; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Several factors were taken into account in deriving the forecast which is based on the 374
  Chancellor's 1990 autumn statement. The most important of these were the forecast growth in real consumers' expenditure in 1990, the 1990 Budget changes in excise duties on alcoholic drinks and the path of revenue receipts in the year to date at the time the forecast was made.

  An estimate of the revenue outturn in 1990–91 will be available when the Chancellor issues his 1991 Financial Statement and Budget Report.

  Tobacco Taxation
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received in favour of(a) an increase in the taxation of tobacco products and (b) decreasing the taxation of tobacco products in his forthcoming Budget; if he will list them; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  I have received many letters this year about the taxation of tobacco products. Those asking for a freeze outnumber those asking for an increase. I do not propose to list all those that have written. However, most of those asking for a freeze consist of small shopkeepers acting on a campaign organised by the Tobacco Alliance while the majority of those asking for an increase consist of various health organisations, regional health authorities and members of the public.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the yield, in current and in real terms, from tobacco tax in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what is the estimated yield for the current year; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Following is the available information:

  £ million

  Tobacco Duty Receipts

  Estimates of VAT on Tobacco Expenditure

  At Current prices

  At 1989–90 prices

  At Current pices

  At 1989–90 prices

  1985–86

  4,459

  5,470

  920

  1,130

  1986–87

  4,755

  5,650

  990

  1,180

  1987–88

  4,767

  5,450

  1,000

  1,150

  1988–89

  4,990

  5,380

  1,050

  1,130

  1989–90

  5,035

  5,035

  1,080

  1,080

  The 1990 autumn statement forecast of receipts in current prices from tobacco duty for 1990–91 was £5·5 billion. Comparable forecasts for the other elements shown in the table are not available. The next estimate for the yield from tobacco duty in 1990–91 will be published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the effect on the retail prices index of raising the tax on a packet of 20 cigarettes by(a) 20p, (b) 32p and (c) 50p; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  If the increases in tax were fully reflected in cigarette prices the direct effects on the retail prices index would be approximately as follows:

  Increases in tax on 20 cigarettes

  Percentage points effect on RPI

  20p

  +0·4

  32p

  +0·6

  50p

  +0·9

  375
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue would arise in a full financial year from raising the tax on a packet of 20 cigarettes by(a) 20p, (b) 32p and (c) 50p; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The revenue yield from these tax increases can be estimated by using the tax revenue ready reckoner in table 4.7 of chapter 4 of the 1990 autumn statement.

  Capital Transfers
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he issued any instructions in the period 1982 to 1987 to allow exemption by the Inland Revenue on capital transfers between companies from capital duties; and when such transfers were treated as gifts;

  (2) if he will publish the guidelines used in exempting capital transfers between companies from capital duty in the period 1982 to 1987;

  (3) if he will furnish an estimate of the value of capital transfers between United Kingdom stockbrokers and their parent banks exempted from capital duty in the period 1982 to 1987 by the Inland Revenue.

  Mr. Maude
  [holding answer 8 March 1991]: Capital duty was charged not on capital transfers but on contributions of capital to a company—for example on the formation of the company. The scope of the duty was laid down in legislation.

  It is not clear what information the hon. Member has in mind. If he will write to me I shall be able to consider his points in more detail.

  Mobility Allowance
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will specify the circumstances in which a person in receipt of mobility allowance is not required to pay(a) VAT or (b) car tax on the purchase of a motor vehicle; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  [holding answer 7 March 1991]: All handicapped persons, including those in receipt of mobility allowance, are eligible for VAT and car tax relief when they purchase a motor vehicle, but only if that vehicle has been designed or substantially and permanently adapted for their use.

  Cigarette Prices
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the ratio of the price of an average priced packet of 20 cigarettes to the average weekly wage in each of(a) 1961, (b) 1971, (c) 1981 and (d) the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maples
  The table shows the average price of 20 cigarettes as a percentage of average gross weekly wages for adult male manual workers in manufacturing industries.

  Per cent.

  October 1961

  1·4

  October 1971

  0·9

  October 1981

  0·8

  October 1990

  0·7

EMPLOYMENT

  Disabled People
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the measures taken by Her Majesty's Government since 1979 to assist in the employment of disabled people.

  Mr. Jackson
  The Government have an impressive record over recent years on measures which assist people with disabilities to find and keep employment and to develop within it. My Department has lead responsibility within government for this matter and in 1989–90 the Department spent around £400 million on helping 225,000 people with disabilities through its general and special programmes and services.

  Initiatives aimed at improving the prospects for people with disabilities, including their employment prospects, are promoted by Government Departments in co-operation with a range of agencies and organisations. Measures taken since 1979 by my Department and other Government Departments are listed in the table. Other measures introduced before 1979 have also been continuing since then. People with disabilities can also participate alongside non-disabled people wherever possible in much mainstream provision as is not mentioned here.

  1979: The Fit for Work Award Scheme was introduced by the Department of Employment Group.

  1981: The Department of Employment Group replaced Disablement Advisory Committees by Committees for the Employment of Disabled People.

  1981: A review of the Department of Employment Group's Employment Rehabilitation Service was undertaken.

  1982: Report by the Department of Employment Group on its Review of Assistance to Disabled People.

  1982: The Department of Social Security's Mobility Allowance, for people who are unable to walk or virtually unable to walk due to physical disablement, was made tax free.

  1982: The Department of Trade and Industry introduced support for Information Technology projects for people with disabilities.

  1983: The Department of Employment Group guaranteed a one year training place under the Youth Training Scheme to all those leaving school without a job to go to regardless of race, sex, religion, or disability up to the age of 18 years.

  1983: The Department of Employment Group introduced the Disablement Advisory Service which helps advise employers on how to integrate people with disabilities into their workforce and promote good employment and development policies.

  1983: The Department of Employment Group's Individual Training Throughout with an Employer scheme was introduced under which people with disabilities were placed with an employer and given training in a skill or semi-skill on an individual basis.

  1983: The Department of Employment Group introduced its Release For Training scheme which provided support for people with disabilities already in employment who were experiencing difficulties which required a period of essential training.

  1983: The Department of Employment Group introduced the Professional Training Scheme which provided assistance, to a maximum of three years, for people with disabilities who had been refused an LEA grant, to help meet the costs of courses of higher level study, including university courses.

  1984: The Department of Employment Group launched the Code of Good Practice on the Employment of Disabled People.

  1984: The Department of Employment Group published a report on Proposals for the Development of the Employment Rehabilitation Service.

  377

  1984: The Department of Employment Group's Asset Centres were set up to provide assessment and rehabilitation services in areas not well served by Employment Rehabilitation Centres.

  1984: Introduction in Scotland under the Building Standards (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 1984 of Part T `Facilities for Disabled Persons' which ensures that account is taken of the needs of people with disabilities in the construction of most new buildings and during alterations and extensions of certain existing buildings.

  1985: The Department of Employment Group introduced the Sheltered Placement Scheme to enable individuals with severe disabilities to work in open employment alongside non-disabled workers.

  1985: The Department of Employment Group introduced the Wider Opportunities Training Programme aimed to help unemployed people, including people with disabilities, to improve their competitiveness for employment or further vocational training.

  1985: The Department of Employment Group introduced the Job Training Scheme which provided vocational training to those who were unemployed to help them compete in the labour market and had relaxed eligibility rules for people with disabilities.

  1985: The Department of Employment Group set up the Residential Training Unit to provide funds centrally for Residential Training. Four residential training colleges and a number of private training colleges are supported to provide training in a wide range of courses and catering for a variety of disabilities, most offering qualifications.

  1985: The Department of Employment Group introduced the Other Training Arrangements scheme which provided additional funding to purchase training for people with disabilities where mainstream training precluded certain skill areas or specialist provision was needed.

  1985: The Building (Fourth Amendment) Regulations 1985 require new offices, shops, single storey independent educational buildings and other single story buildings in England and Wales to which the public is to be admitted to be constructed with suitable means of access for people with disabilities.

  1985: The Companies Act introduced a requirement for Directors' Reports for companies with over 250 employees to state company policy on the recruitment, retention and development of staff with disabilities.

  1985: The Office for the Minister for the Civil service issued a Code of Practice on the Employment of People with Disabilities in the Civil Service which aimed to help departments and agencies to achieve equality of opportunity for people with disabilities and to make full use of the skills and abilities they possess.

  1986: The Department of Trade and Industry launched the 'Concerned Technology' scheme which supported Information Technology projects such as information provision (e.g. through computer databases) for people with disabilities and the purchase of home work units for people with disabilities.

  1986: The Department of Employment Group introduced two year Youth Training Scheme providing vocational training leading to specific qualifications. Premium grants were available for a number of high quality training places for young people with special needs, with additional funding for young people with disabilities with particular training needs. Other special arrangements for people with disabilities included extension of the YTS guarantee up to the age of 21 years for people with disabilities who needed to stay in full time education, relaxed eligibility criterial and residential training where appropriate.

  1986: The Health and Safety Commission's action programme on occupational health encouraged employers to have access to occupational health advice. This assists job retention and job adaptation when people in work become disabled.

  1987: The Building (Disabled People) Regulations 1987 came into force applying access regulations for people with disabilities to three additional categories of multi-storey premises: namely, factories, independent educational establishments and premises to which the public is admitted.

  378

  1987: Under the Department of Employment Group's New Job Training Scheme four special schemes were introduced to help people with disabilities gain maximum benefit from training. These were:

  Special Aids to Employment;

  Adaptations to Premises and Equipment;

  Personal Reader Service for the Blind; and

  Communication Service for the Deaf.

  1987: The Department of Employment Group published its Asset Evaluation Report which identified the strength and weakness of Assets and Employment Rehabilitation Centres.

  1987: The Department of Employment Group published its report on the Development of the Employment Rehabilitation Service.

  1988: The Department of Health made available sophisticat-ed "Environmental Control" equipment designed to be used in employment or education with the users' own computer.

  1988: The Department of Employment Group evaluated its Sheltered Placement Scheme.

  1988: Employment Training was introduced by the Department of Employment Group to help unemployed people gain the skills and experience needed to compete for jobs locally. Aspects of Employment Training which particularly assist people with disabilities, include relaxed eligibility criteria; individual training plans; in depth assessment; part-time training; residential training; and special help and provision where necessary.

  1988: The Department of Employment Group's Special Training Provision was introduced as part of Employment Training to pay for the more specialised assessment and training needs of people with disabilities and could also be used for training lasting up to a maximum of two years where extra time was necessary.

  1989: Local housing authorities given wide discretion under the Local Government Housing Act 1989 to approve disabled facilities grants for works to make a dwelling or building suitable for the accommodation, welfare or employment of a disabled occupant.

  1989: The Department of Transport's "Transport and Disability—A Statement of Aims and Priorities" was issued setting out the improvements to public and private transport which have opened up new opportunities for people with disabilities and identifies the aims for the future.

  1989: The Department of Employment Group published Building on Ability, a guide for training people with disabilities.

  1990: The Department of Employment Group introduced Youth Training with new fiexibilities for young people with disabilities.

  1990: The Office for the Minister for the Civil Service updated its Code of Practice on the Employment of People with Disabilities in the Civil Service.

  1990: The Department of Employment Group published a consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities" aimed at ensuring the Department's services meet the needs of people with disabilities in the 1990s.

  1990: The Department of Employment Group published an evaluation of their special schemes for people with disabilities and consulted on the need for change.

  1990: "Employment and Handicap" was published, reporting on research funded by the Department of Employment Group which was undertaken by the Social and Community Planning Research to estimate the size of the population of people with disabilities who might be eligible for or need help from Department of Employment Group services.

  1990: The Department of Employment Group published a research paper on the policies and practices of employers entitled "The Employment of People with Disabilities".

  1990: The Department of Social Security published "The Way Ahead" announcing its proposals for a new benefit (Disability Working Allowance) to provide better help and opportunities for people with disabilities wishing to work.

  379

  1990: The Department of Employment Group introduced a new symbol for employers to adopt to show their commitment to good policies for the employment of people with disabilities.

  1990: The publication of the Disability Living Allowance and the Disability Working Allowance Bill.

  1990: The Department of Employment Group announced its aim to make an offer of a place to unemployed people with disabilities on one of its four main employment and training programmes—Employment Training, the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, the Job Interview Guarantee and Jobclubs.

  1991: The Scottish Office Education Department commis-sioned research into the post-school placement of children and young persons with Record of Needs, including how different educational placements influence a young person's later changes of employment.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will consider introducing a communicator service for employees who are deaf or hard of hearing, following his Department's evaluation of special schemes for people with disabilities.

  Mr. Jackson
  [holding answer 8 March 1991]: The consultation period for the evaluation paper ended on 1 February 1991. My Department is currently analysing the responses received. We will consider carefully all suggestions made for changes to the schemes, including the suggestion that a communicator service should be introduced for employees who are deaf or hard of hearing.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what local monitoring arrangements he has in place to ensure that training and enterprise councils are aware of, and provide for, the special training needs of people with disabilities.

  Mr. Jackson
  [holding answer 8 March 1991]: Each training and enterprise council is required to set out in its corporate and business plans how it intends to meet the needs of people with disabilities. These plans are subject to approval by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State.

  Specific contractual requirements common to all TECs include providing appropriate training to people with special training needs, including those with a disability. My Department has produced guidance on how to plan for and deliver training to meet those needs.

  TECs' performance against their plans will be regularly monitored by my Department. In addition, the Training Standards Advisory Service will be appraising the quality of training offered by TECs including provision for people with disabilities.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received about the closure of employment rehabilitation centres for disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  [holding answer 8 March 1991]: My right hon. and learned Friend has received very few representations about the possible closure of individual employment rehabilitation centres.

  The Government's intentions for assessment and rehabilitation services were set out in the consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities" published in June 1990. These involve improving geographical coverage and our capacity to respond flexibly to the needs of people with disabilities through establishing local employment service assessment
  380
  teams and increasing the extent to which, particularly in rehabilitation, services are purchased from voluntary and other appropriate organisations.

  Comments were invited on how the plans for developing rehabilitation might most effectively be implemented. Analysis of comments received on the consultative document is not yet complete.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration he has given to the recommendation of the Employment Select Committee's first report on disability and employment for full Government commitment to improving the 3 per cent. quota system; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  [holding answer 8 March 1991]: My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State has written to the Chairman of the Committee to express his pleasure at the participation of the Committee in the consultative process, to say that the Committee's report will be given full consideration along with all other responses received and to commit himself to keeping the Committee informed on progress on all the issues that it raised.

  In the consultative document we made no firm proposals about the quota scheme, but invited comments on its merits and demerits. We are still considering the responses, including that of the Employment Committee.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the responses to the recent consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities" supported the introduction of legislation to outlaw unjustifiable discrimination on the grounds of disability; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  The consultative document invited comments on the merits and demerits of various legislative approaches to securing good practice in the employment of people with disabilities. A number of respondents have expressed support for legislation which they describe in a variety of ways, some more precisely than others. It is not possible to state the percentage which support outlawing unjustifiable discrimination on the grounds of disability without the risk of oversimplifying or misinterpreting views and giving misleading information. We are still considering the comments we have received.

  Mr. Ashley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if, following his consultation on the employment and training of disabled people, he will consider introducing a legislative framework on the employment of disabled people.

  Mr. Jackson
  In the consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities" we sought comments on the merits and demerits of the existing legislative framework on the employment of disabled people and possible legislative alternatives. We are still considering the responses we have received.

  Census Enumerators
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what the effect of advertising for census enumerators in jobcentres has been on the seasonally adjusted increase in unemployment figures in January.
  381
  Mr. Jackson
  The effect, if any, is likely to have been extremely small because recruitment began in early January and for the vast majority of jobs advertised the period of employment will not commence until late March.

  Crown Immunity
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the lifting of Crown immunity from Government Departments in respect of the 3 per cent. quota of jobs for disabled people.

  Mr. Jackson
  The Government's consultative docu-ment "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities" invited comments on the merits and demerits of the quota scheme. We are presently considering the response to the consultations.

  Chemical Testing
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has formulated any response to the European Community Commission's EINECS proposal on chemical testing.

  Mr. Forth
  There is no EINECS proposal on chemical testing. EINECS is the European inventory of existing commercial chemical substances, a list of approximately 100,000 chemicals which were on the European Community market between 1 January 1971 and 18 January 1981. Such substances are exempt from the notification scheme for new substances established by the sixth amendment to the European Community dangerous substances directive.

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which committees of the European Community on which Her Majesty's Government are represented are currently reviewing the subject of chemical testing.

  Mr. Forth
  Her Majesty's Government are represented on three main committees which review industrial chemical testing. Those currently in existence are:The competent authorities committee for the implementation of directive 79/831/EEC.
  The national co-ordination committee for testing methods which oversees all testing methods.
  The technical progress committee which is responsible for approving changes in legislation for testing methods.

  P and O
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what response he has made to the ruling of the International Labour Organisation in respect of the dismissal of staff involved in an industrial dispute with the P and O shipping company in 1988; what is the relationship between the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 and the ILO conventions on freedom of association; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  There has been no such ruling. Having considered certain complaints from the National Union of Seamen, the International Labour Organisation's commit-tee on freedom of association—CFA—has made certain recommendations. The CFA has referred these to the ILO committee of experts. The Government will continue to respond fully to all parts of the ILO supervisory machinery on this matter as and when appropriate.
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  The Government remain convinced that nothing in United Kingdom general employment legislation—includ-ing the provisions of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, as subsequently amended—is incompatible with guarantees afforded by ratified ILO conventions.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. Forth
  A total of 96 such letters were received between 4 January 1990 and 1 March 1991. Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to such communications would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.

  North of England Building Society
  Mr. Madel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will invite the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service to meet the North of England building society and the Banking, Insurance and Finance Union to discuss arrangements by which the request of the building society's staff to be represented by the union could be considered.

  Dr. Bray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will invite the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service to meet the North of England building society and the Banking, Insurance and Finance Union to discuss arrangements by which the wishes of the building society's staff to be represented by the union can be met.

  Mr. Forth
  No. In any matter of this kind, it is entirely for the parties concerned to decide whether or not to seek the assistance of the independent Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by how much the Devon and Cornwall 'TEC budget for adult training has been reduced in the current year; what plans he has to reinstate these cuts; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  The contract with Devon and Cornwall TEC is at present subject to negotiation.

  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from TECs over delays in announcing financial arrangements for the current year and over the withdrawal of approval for courses without prior consultation or notice.
  383
  Mr. Jackson
  I have received several representations from TECs on a variety of financial issues. It is for TECs themselves to decide on the arrangements for contracting with training providers.

  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which training and enterprise councils have signed operational contracts since July 1990; and if he will list the organisations represented on the TEC.

  Mr. Jackson
  The following training and enterprise councils have signed operational contracts since 1 July 1990:

  South East

  Essex

  Hampshire

  Heart of England

  Isle of Wight

  Kent

  Milton Keynes and North Buckinghamshire

  London

  AZTEC

  South West

  Gloucestershire

  Somerset

  West Midlands

  Birmingham

  Coventry and Warwickshire

  Staffordshire

  Walsall

  East Midlands and Anglia

  CAMBSTEC (Central and South Cambridgeshire)

  Greater Peterborough

  Norfolk and Waveney

  Suffolk

  Southern Derbyshire

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  Barnsley and Doncaster

  Bradford and District

  Leeds

  Rotherham

  Sheffield

  Wakefield

  North West

  Bolton and Bury

  Manchester

  Stockport and High Peak

  METROTEC (Wigan)

  Northern

  County Durham

  Northumberland

  Wales

  Gwent

  Mid Glamorgan

  North East Wales

  North West Wales

  Powys

  South Glamorgan

  West Wales

  TEC board members are directors in their own right and do not serve as representatives of any organisation. An up-to-date list of directors of each operational TEC is held in the House of Commons Library.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  A number of localised initiatives will be taking place and literature has been widely distributed. My Department provides support throughout the year to smokers who wish to give up and will continue to do so.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Flakt System
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has on the Flakt system to recover and recycle flue gases from waste incineration plants; and if he will evaluate its applicability to the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Leigh
  The Flakt system is one of a number of systems for cleaning flue gases.

  I understand that Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, which is involved in the enforcement of pollution control legislation relating to waste incincera-tion, is aware of the class of pollution abatement system to which the Flakt type belong. However, it is for individual operators of plants which produce flue gases, rather than my Department or the inspectorate, to evaluate particular technologies which may help such plants to meet the requirements of pollution control legislation.

  Unsolicited Sales Literature
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will introduce legislation to ban the sending of unsolicited sales literature by fax.

  Mr. Redwood
  The branch systems licence under the Telecommunications Act 1984 provides for people not wishing to receive unsolicited sales literature by fax to place their fax numbers on a special register. Anyone sending such unsolicitied material to a number on the register will be in breach of the licence and ultimately the Director General of Telecommunications can remove the right to operate under the licence from a persistent offender, making him unable to use his telephone systems. The arrangements for the register are being finalised by the director general in discussion with interested parties.

  Newspapers
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he proposes to refer the current arrangements for the distribution of newspapers, together with the recently introduced reduction of terms to retailers, to the Director of Fair Trading and the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Office of Fair Trading is currently looking at various aspects of newspaper wholesaling, including distribution arrangements, carriage charges and the reduction in terms to retailers recently introduced for certain national newspapers. The director general will decide in the light of these inquiries whether further action
  385
  under the competition legislation is warranted. It would not be appropriate for me to speculate what the outcome of these inquiries will be.

  EC Insurance Directive
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the third insurance directive of the EC will come before the Council of Ministers; and whether it is the intention of the EC that this directive will be subject to the Cumul rule.

  Mr. Redwood
  The European Commission sent its proposal for the third non-life insurance directive to the Council of Ministers on 27 July 1990. The proposal for the third life insurance directive will be sent to the Council shortly. The Commission has proposed that the third non-life directive should be adopted by the Council in the course of 1992 and the third life directive by December 1992. Both directives propose the abolition of the ability of member states to restrict Cumul.

  EC Trade Marks
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress his Department has made in seeking to secure the planned new EC trade marks office in a United Kingdom location; and what consideration he has recently given to specific United Kingdom sites, including the London borough of Harrow.

  Mr. Leigh
  The location of the Community trade marks office has become linked with the wider issue of the location of other Community bodies, on which there has been no progress in recent years. In view of the uncertainty in timing, no consideration has recently been given to specific sites. However, the United Kingdom bid to locate the office in London remains on the table.

  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he expects the United Kingdom to meet its obligations under the Community trade marks harmonisation directive before 31 December; and when he expects to publish new domestic trade marks legislation to implement this and related objectives.

  Mr. Leigh
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Southend, West (Mr. Channon) on Friday 1 March,Official Report, column 656.

  Post Office Staff
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will direct the Post Office to act in accordance with best practice in the matter of relocating displaced Post Office staff in Quadrant.

  Mr. Leigh
  The reorganisation of Quadrant is an operational matter for Post Office management and it would not therefore be appropriate for me to comment on the relocation of staff.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will meet the chairman of the Post Office to discuss the changes which took place among senior Post Office Quadrant staff in 1990 and the reasons for departures of staff.

  Mr. Leigh
  Matters of appointment and termination of employment of Post Office staff are a matter for the Post Office and its employees.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many letters he has received, since 4 January 1990, from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice, where the former are concerned, to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  DTI Ministers have received 78 communications from Members of the European Parliament since 4 January 1990. Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to such communications would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.

  National House Building Council
  Mr. Dover
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to make a statement on the National House Building Council reference made to him recently.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Monopolies and Mergers Commission report "Structural Warranty Services in Relation to New Homes" was published on 6 March 1991. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library of the House together with a copy of the Department's press notice announcing publication. At the time of publication the Secretary of State also announced a period of consultation on possible changes to the rules of the National House Building Council, to eliminate the adverse effects identified by the Commission.

  Coffee
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date he received the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the soluble coffee market.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of soluble coffee for retail sale within the United Kingdom was received on 8 January 1991. It was published on 8 March 1991 and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Digital Exchanges
  Dr. Kim Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what estimate he has of investment in integrated services digital networks in Wales; and if he will list by geographical location the networks so far completed in Wales and those for which definite plans exist;

  (2) what estimate he has of investment in integrated services digital network 2 in Wales; and if he will list by geographical location the integrated services digital network 2 installations in Wales and those for which definite plans exist.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 5 March 1991]: The information requested is primarily for the telecommunica-tions companies concerned.
  387
  British Telecom offers two types of ISDN service, ISDN 2 for small to medium-sized organisations, and ISDN 30 for large organisations. ISDN 2 is currently available in Cardiff, Cwmbran, Llanrumney, Neath, Newport Gwent, Port Talbot, Rhyl, Swansea and Wrexham. By the end of March 1991, the service should also be available in Llanelli, Maeglas and Pembroke. By the end of 1991, British Telecom plans to make ISDN 2 available in every major high street and business centre, subject to identified market demand. ISDN 30 is now available to all large organisations whose digital switchboards can be connected to a local digital exchange.

  Dr. Kim Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what estimate he has of investment in the installation of digital exchanges in Wales; and if he will list by geographical location the exchanges so far installed in Wales and those for which definite plans exist;

  (2) what estimate he has of investment in the upgrading of cabling in Wales.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 5 March 1991]: The information requested is primarily for the telecommunications companies concerned. British Telecom has a running investment programme of approximately £100 million per annum for network modernisation in Wales and the Marches. Almost every major town is now served by a digital exchange. In addition, Mercury's digital trunk network extends to Swansea, Cardiff and Newport.

  Telephone Cables (Al Jubayl)
  Mr. Ashley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will request the Saudi Arabian Government to speed up the provision of a telephone cable in order to operate the 20 Mercury telephones waiting to be installed in Al Jubayl.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 7 March 1991]: I am informed that Mercury Communications Ltd. is now in the process of providing equipment so that its 20 payphones in the Al-Jubayl area may become operational. The complete system is scheduled to be in service within 10 days.

  International Space University
  Mr. Warren
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's bid to obtain the siting of the international space university in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 8 March 1991]: The British National Space Centre has offered a grant towards the costs of holding the 1991 session of the international space university in the United Kingdom. The Government would welcome the presence of ISU here this year, but space industry sponsorship will also be sought.

CIVIL SERVICE

  International Organisations
  Rathbone
  44. Mr. To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he is encouraging more civil servants to apply for postings in international organisations of which Britain is a member.

  Mr. Renton
  We attach great importance to Britain's being properly represented in international organisations.
  388
  With that in mind we have launched the European fast stream which is aimed at preparing British candidates for the recruitment competitions of the European Community institutions.

  "Next Steps" Agencies
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how the "next steps" initiative will affect services to the general public; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Renton
  "Next steps" is already delivering improved service to the public. We have recently published a White Paper—Cm 1261—giving many examples of what agencies are doing to consult their customers and give better service. We should see more and more of this.

  Civil Service College
  Mr. David Martin
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how equal opportunities is incorporated in training at the Civil Service college.

  Mr. Renton
  Equality of opportunity is an integral part of each of the management development, fast stream, and personnel management training programmes. Management skills courses in this area are also provided for line managers and equal opportunities officers.

  Child Care
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will take steps to ensure that there will be adequate funds for and co-ordination of the London child care project, the proposed central London nursery and the London ring; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Renton
  The office of the Minister for the Civil Service provides appropriate co-ordination for the London child care project. Decisions on establishing and funding child care facilities are for Departments and agencies. In total, there are now 10 nurseries and over 70 play schemes in operation across the country, with more planned.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Traffic Statistics
  Mr. Clifford Forsythe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of vehicles passing along Hightown road in Newtownabbey between Mallusk road and Upper Hightown road per 24-hour period; and what was the maximum and minimum hourly traffic flows at the latest available date.

  Mr. Hanley
  Latest traffic survey figures for the Hightown road between Mallusk road and Upper Hightown road are:

  Date of survey

  Total traffic flow vehicles per day

  Maximum vehicles per hour

  Minimum vehicles per hour

  18 February to 1 March 199

  3,433

  169

  3

  Mr. Clifford Forsythe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of vehicles per
  389
  24-hour period passing along (a) the A26 between Antrim and Ballymena, (b) the B59 between Doagh and the A36, (c) the B98 between the A26 and the B59 and (d) the B53 between the A26 and the A36; and what were the maximum and minimum hourly traffic flows in each case for the latest available date.

  Mr. Hanley
  Some of the information requested is not available. Traffic survey figures that are available for the roads in question are:

  Date of survey

  Total traffic flow vehicles per day

  Maximum vehicles per hour

  Minimum vehicles per hour

  (a) January 1991

  15,568

  1,695

  21

  (b) August 1980

  1,847

  206

  1

  (c) July 1982

  2,002

  1

  1

  (d) June 1990

  752

  1

  1

  1 Not available.

  Mr. Clifford Forsythe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of vehicles in Newtownabbey passing along(a) the Hightown road between Hamin park and Glengormley, (b) the Antrim road between Glencairn park and Glengormley, (c) the Ballyclare road between Glencairn drive and Glengormley per 24-hour period; and what were the maximum and minimum hourly traffic flows in each case at the latest available date.

  Mr. Hanley
  In November 1988 the maximum hourly traffic flows for the roads in question were:

  Location

  Maximum vehicles per hour

  Hightown road

  714

  Antrim road

  712

  Ballyclare road

  718

  The remainder of the information requested is not available.

  Downshire Hospital, Downpatrick
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions have been held with staff and trade union representatives about the continuing retraction of mental health services in the Downshire hospital, Downpatrick, located in the Down and Lisburn unit of management.

  Mr. Hanley
  The changes in services at Downshire hospital, which are fully in line with the Department of Health and Social Services regional strategy, have been the subject of detailed discussions with staff on the site. The Down and Lisburn unit of management's draft business plan 1991–92, which reflects the Eastern board's response to the regional strategy, was discussed with the Northern Ireland committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on 29 October 1990 and I understand that a further meeting has been offered. Alongside the formal trade union consultation process, three seminars have been held in the last month with staff on the site.

  Rural Development
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many area co-ordinators will be appointed to the rural development division of the Department of Agriculture; and where they will be located;

  (2) what is the membership and terms of reference of the recently established Rural Development Council for Northern Ireland;

  (3) when the Department of Agriculture will publish a summary, conclusions and recommendations in respect of the work of the interdepartmental committee on rural development.

  Mr. Hanley
  I have asked officials to prepare a summary of the work, conclusions and recommendations of the interdepartmental committee on rural development. This will be available for publication when the pressures of establishing the Rural Development Council and the co-ordination structure for rural development within the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland permit.

  Work to establish a Rural Development Council is under way with the intention to have it in operation early in the 1991–92 financial year. Membership will be drawn from a wide spectrum of rural interests and I will make a further statement as soon as possible.

  While the number of co-ordinators ultimately required will depend on the workload which arises, initially three will be appointed and located in the south, west and north of the Province.

  Rural Housing
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions have taken place about the allocation of funding to the Housing Executive to enable it to execute a programme to address increasing rural unfitness; and if the Government will allocate special funding to undertake a programme of rural rehabilitation.

  Mr. Hanley
  Rural housing unfitness is a complex problem largely confined to private owner-occupied properties. The means of tackling it is therefore through the renovation grants scheme and the executive's continuing grants programme which is targeted on those individuals and properties most in need. Funding for the executive's grants programme has been provided in response to its annual stategy review which supports its bid and is discussed as part of the public expenditure survey process.

  The executive recently issued a consultative document "Leading the Way" as a means of reviewing its rural housing policies and has conducted an extensive series of meetings with various interested local groups. Following an analysis of the detailed responses to this exercise the executive will be presenting its proposals to the Department for further consideration and discussion.

  Education and Libraries Boards
  Mr. Peter Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many field officers have been employed by each of the education and library boards in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years;

  (2) what has been the cost of employing field officers by each of the education and library boards in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.
  391
  Dr. Mawhinney
  The number of field officer posts in each board's curriculum support service in 1989–90 and 1990–91 and the associated estimated cost was as follows:

  Number of posts

  1989–90 Estimated cost (£ thousands)

  Number of posts

  1990–91 Estimated cost (£ thousands)

  Belfast

  30

  409

  38

  568

  Western

  48

  677

  56

  880

  North Eastern

  43

  615

  53

  799

  South Eastern

  42

  582

  50

  777

  Southern

  43

  632

  51

  786

  Figures are not available for earlier years.

  Cancer
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there is any evidence that the incidence of cancers has increased in recent years in the coastal areas of Northern Ireland as compared with inland areas.

  Mr. Hanley
  Information on the incidence of cancer is not normally collected on the basis of whether a person lives in a coastal or inland area. However, an independent committee investigating patterns of disease with a possible association with radiation which reported in 1989 found no evidence of a higher incidence of childhood leukaemia in coastal compared with inland areas.

  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any evidence that the incidence of cancers has increased in areas affected by the fallout from Chernobyl.

  Mr. Hanley
  None.

  Family Credit
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases ex-gratia payments have been made in respect of claims for family credit; and what were the criteria on which such ex-gratia payments were made.

  Mr. Hanley
  Only one ex-gratia payment has been made since the introduction of family credit in April 1988.

  An ex-gratia payment is made where the Department of Health and Social Services is satisfied that an officer has wrongly advised a person and this has resulted in loss of benefit; where a person has provided all the information required but the Department of Health and Social Services failed to take the necessary action; and where it is clear that a person gave the Department of Health and Social Services information that indicated prima facie entitlement to benefit but the Department failed to follow it up.

  Pensioners
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number of pensioners in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Hanley
  At 31 March 1990, the latest date for which figures are available, 215,604 people were receiving retirement pension and non-contributory retirement pension.

  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners in Northern Ireland are in receipt of income support.
  392
  Mr. Hanley
  On 31 May 1989, the latest date for which information is readily available, the number of income support recipients aged over 65—men—and 60—women —was 55,680.

  Source: 5 per cent. sample.

  Security Force Operations
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many instances ex-gratia payments have been made in response to claims for compensation as a result of security force operations or installations; and what were the criteria on which these payments were made.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Ex-gratia compensation is paid by the Police Authority for Northern Ireland where property was damaged in the course of action by Army technical officers to clear suspect explosive devices. The criteria for making such payments are:—

  (i) that the RUC gave instructions for the ATO's action;

  (ii) that the RUC are satisfied that the claimant was not criminally involved in the incident;

  (iii) that there were no explosives found in the vehicle or property.

  Payments have been made under this scheme since 1982. In the 1989–90 financial year compensation was paid in 148 cases and in this financial year to 31 December 1990 compensation has been paid in 108 cases. Ex-gratia payments made by the Ministry of Defence are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has to help smokers give up smoking on No Smoking Day; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  The Health Promotion Agency and health and social services boards are responsible for promoting good health in Northern Ireland. They are involved with other organisations in drawing public attention to No Smoking Day and the hazards of smoking, in encouraging smokers to stop on that day, and in assisting and supporting those who wish to give up smoking altogether. I was pleased to launch the campaign leading up to No Smoking Day recently. Other initiatives being taken include the widespread distribution of material, the provision of clinics to help smokers give up the habit and the organisation of numerous local events throughout Northern Ireland to promote No Smoking Day.

  Motor Vehicles
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will introduce legislation to ensure that no accident-damaged motor vehicle which has been written off by an insurance company can be imported into Northern Ireland, repaired and/or re-registered and sold without first undergoing an MOT examination.

  Mr. Hanley
  No. Decisions about write-offs are taken on economic grounds and many vehicles involved in road accidents are not written off. It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure that his or her vehicle is roadworthy.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Cereals
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the tonnage and average price of grain exported from the United Kingdom was(a) generally and (b) separately for each country to which grain was exported in 1989 and 1990.

  Mr. Curry
  The table shows the tonnage and value in 1989 and 1990 of United Kingdom exports of cereals. The list of individual countries shown is restricted to those for

  United Kingdom exports of cereals1

  Country

  1989

  1990

  Tonnage (000 tonnes)

  Value (£000)

  Tonnage (000 tonnes)

  Value (£000)

  EC countries

  1,768

  208,404

  2,804

  334,364

  of which:

  Belgium-Luxembourg

  450

  52,821

  720

  85,346

  Federal Republic of Germany

  489

  56,670

  72

  9,245

  Greece

  27

  3,336

  112

  13,761

  Irish Republic

  127

  16,390

  145

  18,751

  Italy

  303

  35,542

  724

  83,814

  Netherlands

  332

  38,642

  605

  71,824

  Spain

  2

  7

  419

  50,206

  Non-EC countries

  4,794

  370,691

  3,700

  282,151

  of which:

  Bangladesh

  164

  14,502

  —

  —

  Bulgaria

  164

  11,206

  —

  —

  China

  258

  27,090

  713

  59,425

  Cuba

  321

  25,598

  184

  10,653

  Egypt

  52

  5,767

  175

  11,308

  German Democratic Republic

  363

  26,679

  36

  2,597

  Iran

  608

  49,463

  135

  10,321

  Iraq

  130

  11,163

  —

  —

  Norway

  157

  11,939

  47

  3,739

  Saudi Arabia

  452

  31,719

  139

  9,956

  Soviet Union

  1,682

  120,098

  1,687

  132,952

  TOTAL

  6,562

  579,095

  6,504

  616,515

  1 Excluding rice.

  2 Less than half the units shown.

  Source: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many days' supply of grain are currently in store in the United Kingdom(a) in intervention storage and (b) in all storage; and what the figures were for each of the past three years.

  Mr. Curry
  United Kingdom intervention stocks of cereals in mid-February 1991 represented around 12 days' supply compared with 11 days, 20 days and 25 days at the middle of February 1990, 1989 and 1988 respectively.

  The latest available information on the quantity of grain in commercial storage is in the form of estimates of stocks of wheat, barley and oats at 31 December 1990. Adding these estimates to the intervention stocks at the time gives total storage figures representing about 238, 256, 286 and 286 days' supply for December 1990, 1989, 1988 and 1987 respectively.

  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest estimate of the stocks of grain which will be in store at the end of June(a) in Britain, (b) in the EC and (c) in the world, expressed in tonnes and days' supply; and what is the latest estimate of the stocks of grain at the present time in (i) Britain, (ii) the EC and (iii) the world expressed in tonnes and days' supply.
  394
  which the amount exported was in excess of 100,000 tonnes in either year. Total value has been provided instead of price because of the difficulty of providing meaningful comparative figures for the latter.

  Mr. Curry
  Current estimates of cereals likely to be in store in the United Kingdom and the European Community as a whole at the end of the 1990–91 marketing year on 30 June 1991 are as follows:

  Million tonnes

  Days' supply

  United Kingdom

  3

  55

  European Community

  31

  79

  These figures are based on the Commission of the European Communities balance sheet for cereals.

  The International Wheat Council's estimate of world stocks of grain is an aggregate of national figures based on different definitions of marketing years and therefore does not relate to a particular date. However, the council's latest estimate for world stocks for the end of the 1990–91 crop year is 242 million tonnes or around 62 days' supply.

  The latest estimate of current stocks of grain in the United Kingdom is for 31 December 1990 when the total was 13 million tonnes, representing about 238 days' supply. Estimates for the European Community and the world are not available.
  395
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was(a) the total amount paid by each member state of the EEC in cereals co-responsibility levy for each year since the co-responsibility levy has been operative, expressed in both the member state's national currency and in pounds sterling and (b) the total tonnage of cereals produced in each member state of the EEC, showing in each case how much per tonne the co-responsibility levy represents.

  Mr. Curry
  The latest information provided by the Commission of the European Communities on cereals co-responsibility levy receipts in each member state was given to my hon. Friend on 18 December 1990,Official

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  Production MT

  Receipts divided by production ECU/T

  Production MT

  Receipts divided by production ECU/T

  Production MT

  Receipts divided by production ECU/T

  Production MT

  Receipts divided by production ECU/T

  Belgium

  2·1

  2·48

  2·3

  8·24

  1·9

  7·27

  2·2

  5·86

  Denmark

  8·0

  0·23

  8·0

  1·51

  7·3

  1·32

  8·1

  4·37

  Germany

  25·9

  0·65

  25·5

  2·55

  23·8

  5·58

  27·1

  2·48

  Greece

  4·3

  0·20

  5·3

  0·28

  5·1

  1·19

  4·6

  1·35

  France

  56·1

  0·18

  50·1

  2·07

  52·2

  5·84

  55·9

  5·57

  Ireland

  1·8

  0·43

  1·8

  2·30

  2·0

  4·70

  2·0

  3·34

  Italy

  17·1

  0·59

  17·8

  2·10

  17·4

  1·93

  16·6

  3·39

  Luxembourg

  0·1

  0·69

  0·1

  4·19

  0·1

  2·80

  0·1

  3·00

  Netherlands

  1·1

  0·70

  1·3

  17·01

  1·1

  18·37

  1·2

  5·62

  Spain

  20·3

  —

  16·0

  2·42

  19·8

  1·72

  23·1

  3·03

  United Kingdom

  22·5

  0·43

  24·5

  2·56

  21·7

  3·31

  21·1

  5·50

  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the current state of the cereal sector.

  Mr. Curry
  The 1990 United Kingdom cereals harvest is estimated to have been 22·4 million tonnes. Yields were higher than in 1989 and the quality of both wheat and barley crops were good, with a marked increase in supplies of malting barley. Ex-farm prices for breadmaking wheat have been 5 to 11 per cent. higher than last year for most of the season, feed wheat prices 4 to 7 per cent. higher and feed barley prices 2 to 6 per cent. higher; premium malting barley prices have generally been 7 to 12 per cent. lower than last season. By the end of February some 146,000 tonnes of grain had been offered into intervention. Provisional figures show exports of 4·2 million tonnes by mid-February. The net farm income for cereal farms in the United Kingdom is forcast to have risen in real terms over the last two years.

  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what the total tonnage and average price of imported grain from each country which exported grain to the United Kingdom was in 1990;

  (2) what the total tonnage and average price per tonne of all cereals imported into the United Kingdom was in 1989 and 1990.

  Mr. Curry
  In 1989, the United Kingdom imported 5,102,000 tonnes of cereals valued at £361,486,000. Information for 1990 is shown in the table in total and by country. The list of individual countries is restricted to those for which the amount imported was in excess of 50,000 tonnes in 1990. Total value has been provided instead of price because of the difficulty of providing meaningful comparative figures for the latter.
  396
  Report column 133. The sums collected are expressed in budgetary ecus. It is not possible accurately to convert them into national currencies and sterling because no information is available on the timing of levy payments over the course of each year.

  Commission figures for annual cereals production in each member state where co-responsibility levy was collected are set out below, as is the levy collected divided by national production. It should be noted, however, that there is not an exact correspondence between the year in which grain is harvested and the following year's levy receipts. Nor is levy necessarily collected in the country of origin of the grain.

  United Kingdom imports of cereals1

  Country

  Tonnage (thousand tonnes)

  Value (£ thousands)

  EC countries of which:

  2,213

  314,645

  Belgium-Luxembourg

  79

  10,424

  Denmark

  76

  12,046

  Greece

  92

  14,278

  France

  1,530

  215,888

  Irish Republic

  255

  32,683

  Spain

  127

  20,686

  Non-EC countries of which:

  610

  60,297

  Argentina

  119

  9,553

  Canada

  320

  33,754

  South Africa

  101

  8,011

  Unites States of America

  66

  7,997

  Total

  2,823

  374,942

  1 Excluding rice.

  Source: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the level of imports into the United Kingdom of(a) cereals and (b) cereal substitutes in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Curry
  The information requested is as follows:

  Volume of United Kingdom imports of cereals and cereal substitutes ('000 tonnes)

  Cereals1

  Cereal substitutes2

  1979

  6,187

  432

  1980

  5,339

  519

  1981

  4,191

  1,382

  1982

  3,747

  2,129

  1983

  3,245

  1,440

  1984

  2,769

  1,049

  1985

  3,308

  1,037

  1986

  3,517

  1,036

  397

  Cereals1

  Cereal substitutes2

  1987

  3,521

  1,091

  1988

  3,370

  1,144

  1989

  5,102

  833

  1990

  2,823

  1,235

  1 Excluding rice.

  2 As defined in Annex D of EC Regulation 2727/75.

  Source: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

  Sheep Dip
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many reports of damage to farm workers have been received as a result of handling or being exposed to organophosphorous sheep dip.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Department has received 55 reports of suspected adverse reactions affecting farmers and farm workers following exposure to organophosphorous sheep dips since 1985. Five of these concern a product withdrawn from the market in 1986.

  Somerset Moors
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions officials of his Department have had with the Somerset trust for nature conservation regarding water levels on the Somerset moors.

  Mr. Curry
  Our officials have received representations from the Somerset trust for nature conservation pressing for a higher water level regime on the Somerset moors. Its views will be fully taken into account in my current review of the ESA policy.

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what provisions are contained in Somerset levels ESA agreements on the maintenance of water levels to assist nature conservation.

  Mr. Curry
  The agreements require that, where rhyne water levels are within the farmers' control, suitable levels must be maintained for grazing livestock between 31 March and 1 November and that at no time are the ditches or rhynes allowed to dry out.

  Food Prices
  Mr. Ralph Howell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the proportion of the value of food which has gone to(a) the producer and (b) the processor, wholesaler and retailer in each year since 1973.

  Mr. Curry
  I have no information to add to that given to my hon. Friend on 29 March 1990,Official Report, column 255.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.
  398
  Mr. Curry
  We have received a number of inquiries during the period. Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to such communications would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.

  Irradiated Food
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has received applications for approval for licensing irradiation plants in the United Kingdom; if he will list any plants which have received such approval; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have received inquiries, but no formal application has yet been made.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out the process for the approval of plants in the United Kingdom which will irradiate food; what is the name of the committee which will consider such approvals; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  Applications for licences will be considered by a committee of officials of the Argiculture and Health Departments of the countries concerned. The committee will include scientists and administrators with expertise in the fields of medicine, radiation science, toxicology, microbiology, nutrition, and food hygiene. The committee will seek such other advice as it considers necessary. The recommendations of the committee will be considered by the Agriculture and Health Ministers acting jointly.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his answers to the hon. Member for South Shields of 20 December,Official Report, column 297, whether he has now (a) given approval to irradiation plants in non-EC countries or (b) given official authorisation to irradiation plants in EC countries to import irradiated foods into the United Kingdom; and if he will list all such plants.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have nothing to add to the answers given to the hon. Member on 20 December 1990, at column 297.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day, on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  All staff in my Department have been advised of No Smoking Day. We are soon to introduce a smoking policy with restrictions on areas where smoking is permitted. All staff will be told that welfare officers in the Department have been given training which will enable them to advise and give practical help to anyone who wishes to stop smoking.

  Butter
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields of 26 February,Official Report, column 433, whether any butter from the United Kingdom has been or is due to be exported to the Soviet Union.

  Mr. Gummer
  No butter was exported from the United Kingdom to the USSR in January, the latest month for which data are available. I am not aware of any future exports.

  Infant Formulae
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if Her Majesty's Government propose to support European directive iii/3712/90/EN revision 3 on infant formulae and follow-up foods; and what are its implications for labelling of such foods.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government have been pressing, and will continue to do so, for amendments to the text of the draft directive to align it more closely with the World Health Organisation international code on the marketing of breast milk substitutes. Nevertheless, mindful of the important compositional, nutritional, health and safety controls in the draft we do not rule out a United Kingdom vote in favour of the directive. If adopted, for the first time there will be specific labelling controls laid down in law for infant formulae and follow-on formulae.

  Food Hygiene
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement regarding the implications of the Ministry of Agriculture's research at Torry for the planned implementation of the Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulations 1990.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I have been asked to reply.

  I refer the hon. Member to my reply on Tuesday 26 February to the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Mr. Maclennan).

SCOTLAND

  Mink Farms
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many licences were issued for mink farms for each region in Scotland for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information is as follows:

  Region or Islands area

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  Central

  1

  1

  1

  1

  1

  Grampian

  2

  2

  1

  1

  1

  Lothian

  1

  1

  1

  —

  —

  Shetland

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Strathclyde

  2

  2

  3

  2

  3

  Tayside

  2

  2

  2

  2

  1

  TOTAL

  9

  8

  8

  6

  6

  Local Authorities Legislation
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those Acts passed by Parliament since 1979 concerning(a) local government finance and (b) local authority duties, powers and responsibilities that relate to Scotland.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  The following Acts passed since 1979 have contained provisions relating to local government finance in Scotland:

  Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980

  Local Government and Planning (Amendment) Act 1981

  Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1981

  Local Government and Planning (Scotland) Act 1982

  Local Authorities (Expenditure Powers) Act 1983

  Rating and Valuation (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1984

  Local Government Act 1986

  Local Government Finance Act 1987

  Abolition of Domestic Rates Etc. (Scotland) Act 1987

  Local Government Act 1988

  Local Government Finance Act 1988

  Local Government and Housing Act 1989

  Caravans (Standard Community Charge and Rating) Act 1990

  The second part of the hon. Member's question could be answered only at disproportionate cost given the wide range of local authority activities affected by legislation since 1979.

  Parking
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the regulations applying to the conditions relating to whether vehicles are allowed to park on a double yellow line.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Double yellow lines give effect to a traffic regulation order made under the provisions of sections 1, 2, 4, 9 or 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to prohibit or restrict the waiting of vehicles for at least eight hours during the period between 7 am and 7 pm on at least four days per week. The timing and direction of the prohibition or restrictions are displayed on plates placed at regular intervals along the length of the carriageway so restricted. It is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend to make orders prohibiting or restricting the waiting of vehicles on trunk roads and of the local authorities for their roads. The terms of each order may vary according to the circumstances for which it is required.

  School Tests
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the total annual cost of the national tests in primary schools, including all aspects of design, compilation, printing, marking, standardisation and collation of results.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Moray (Mrs. Ewing) on 6 February 1991 at col.87.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the exact arrangments to be made for transferring primary seven test results to secondary schools; when and by whom a decision was made on this; and when the decision was communicated to the regional councils, COSLA and the unions.
  401
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Testing in Primary Schools (Scotland) Regulations 1990 require test results from 1992 onwards to be entered in the pupil's progress record. This document goes with a pupil throughout his or her school career. The intention to pass the P7 test results of pupils to secondary schools was made clear in the consultation document "Curriculum and Assessment: A Policy for the 90s" issued in November 1987.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he obtained from(a) the General Teaching Council, (b) the Scottish Examination Board and (c) the Scottish Council for Research in Education on national primary tests.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The General Teaching Council and the Scottish Council for Research in Education responded to the consultation document "Curriculum and Assessment: A Policy for the 90s". Tests have been developed through the primary assessment unit of the Scottish Examination Board.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who is responsible for the design of the national tests for primary school children; and what recommendations were made to him by Her Majesty's inspectorate about the tests, the subjects to be included and validation and standardisation of the tests.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The preparation of test units, including their validation and standardisation, is the responsibility of the primary assessment unit of the Scottish Examination Board. Representatives of Her Majesty's inspectorate maintain close liaison with the unit. The intention to introduce tests in language and mathematics was announced in the consultation document, "Curriculum and Assessment: A Policy for the 90s" issued in November 1987.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what organisations or individuals have contacted him expressing(a) support and (b) opposition to national tests in primary schools.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Rutherglen (Mr. McAvoy) on 6 March 1991 at columns 281–82.

  Rural Housing
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if his office has considered the views of the housing committee of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities in response to the policy statement on rural housing published by Scottish Homes; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  No. The views of the housing committee of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities are in response to the Rural Strategy document issued by Scottish Homes.

  It is therefore for Scottish Homes to consider the views put forward by the convention and respond accordingly.

  Cold Weather
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information and statistics he has from health boards in Scotland relating to increases in cold-related diseases during periods of cold weather; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information and statistics on cold-related diseases during periods of cold weather are not held centrally.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many letters he has received, since 4 January 1990, from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. Lang
  One hundred and six. There are no plans to copy such items of correspondence to the hon. Members for the constituencies concerned.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans his Department has to provide support to smokers seeking to give up smoking on No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  In Scotland the main responsibility for health education and the prevention of ill health lies at present with the Scottish Health Education Group. The group is supporting No Smoking Day through sponsorship of a free telephone helpline to provide support to smokers seeking to give up smoking. In addition the United Kingdom No Smoking Day Committee, on which the group is represented, has distributed supportive materials to over 1,000 organisations in Scotland, including health boards, local authorities, youth organisa-tions and large businesses.

  Child Care Law
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he has given to the recommendations of the committee set up to review child care law in Scotland and in particular to the recommendations relating to the issue of parental access to children in care.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  We are considering the recommendations of the review, including those of parental access, in the light of the comments that we have received.

  Place of Safety Orders
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) in respect of place of safety orders executed in Scotland in 1990, what information he has on the number of occasions the relevant children's hearing considered the order on(a) the same day as execution, (b) the following day, (c) two days after execution, (d) three days after execution, (e) four days after execution, (f) five days after execution, (g) six days after execution and (h) seven days after execution;
  403
  (2) what information he has regarding the number of place of safety orders executed in Scotland in 1990.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Latest available information is for the calender year 1989, when 1,329 place of safety authorisations were made. Of those 1,238 resulted in a hearing taking place. Figures showing the number of days a child was detained in a place of safety prior to a hearing are as follows:

  Number

  1 day1

  115

  2 days

  101

  3 days

  125

  4 days

  197

  5 days

  160

  6 days

  221

  7 days

  319

  1 Includes detentions which are shorter than 24 hours.

  Intervention Stores
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current level of intervention food stores by commodity, respectively, at the most recent date for which figures are available in public and private storage, respectively.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer Tuesday 5 March 1991]: Information on a United Kingdom basis is deposited regularly in the Library of the House. Information on stores located in Scotland as at 31 January 1991 is given in the table. Comparable United Kingdom figures are shown in brackets.

  Tonnage

  Food commodity

  Public storage

  Aided private storage

  Beef

  5,570

  (81,016)

  Nil

  (Nil)

  Butter

  Nil

  (22,474)

  Nil

  (974)

  Lamb

  Nil

  (Nil)

  Nil

  (598)

  Pigmeat

  Nil

  (Nil)

  Nil

  (137)

  Wheat

  Nil

  (35,011)

  Nil

  (Nil)

  Barley

  298,896

  (616,011)

  Nil

  (Nil)

  Rye

  Nil

  (203)

  Nil

  (Nil)

  Further inquiries about operational aspects of intervention should be addressed to the chief executive of the intervention board.

  Qualified nurses: by status, grade and health board: at 30 September 1990

  Number

  Scotland

  Argyll and Clyde

  Ayrshire and Arran

  Borders

  Dumfries and Galloway

  Fife

  Forth Valley

  Grampian

  Management

  583

  96

  12

  9

  9

  15

  23

  30

  CANO1

  8

  1

  —

  1

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Director of nursing1

  70

  12

  2

  2

  3

  3

  3

  6

  Senior nurse 1–6

  234

  7

  9

  1

  6

  6

  13

  19

  Senior nurse 7–8

  5

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  —

  3

  Scale I

  116

  51

  —

  2

  —

  4

  1

  —

  Scale H

  114

  23

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  2

  Scale G

  31

  1

  —

  2

  —

  1

  4

  —

  Scale F

  5

  —

  1

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Teachers

  905

  53

  39

  13

  26

  45

  43

  94

  Grade 7

  6

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Grade 6

  6

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  —

  Grade 5

  8

  —

  1

  —

  1

  —

  —

  1

  Forestry Commission
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about his plans for the sale of the Forestry Commission.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 7 March 1991]: Our policy on the disposal of Forestry Commission woodlands was set out by my right hon. and learned Friend the then Secretary of State for Scotland on 16 June 1989 columns at 544–45.

  Kelvin Valley
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many representations he has had on the proposed line of the M80 through the Kelvin valley; and how many of these representations(a) favoured and (b) opposed the Kelvin valley option.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 7 March 1991]: The route through the Kelvin valley is one of two routes assessed by the consulting engineers in the feasibility study submitted recently to the Scottish Office Environment Department. The respective merits of these are currently under consideration and only after a preferred route is identified will draft road orders be published. At that stage representations will be invited.

  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his proposals for the line of the M80 through the Kelvin valley.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 7 March 1991]: Discussions on the feasibility study received from the Scottish Office Environment Department's consulting engineers are still continuing. On completion of these formal presentations will be made to regional and district councils and other affected parties. Thereafter, a decision will be taken on the preferred route for the M80.

  Nurses
  Mr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many nurses are employed by each of the health boards(a) at each grade and (b) in total.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 7 March 1991]: The latest available information held centrally for the number of nurses employed at 30 September 1990 by each of the health boards at each grade and in total is given in the tables.
  405

  Scotland

  Argyll and Clyde

  Ayrshire and Arran

  Borders

  Dumfries and Galloway

  Fife

  Forth Valley

  Grampian

  Grade 4

  27

  4

  2

  2

  2

  1

  2

  2

  Grade 3

  103

  2

  3

  2

  5

  5

  4

  8

  Grade 2

  469

  27

  20

  7

  14

  21

  23

  45

  Grade 1

  286

  19

  13

  2

  4

  17

  13

  37

  Clinical grades

  40,905

  2,907

  2,343

  777

  1,275

  2,376

  2,228

  4,442

  Scale I

  445

  10

  30

  11

  23

  41

  33

  71

  Scale H

  1,014

  82

  44

  24

  36

  58

  46

  84

  Scale G

  8,135

  656

  481

  155

  233

  442

  454

  731

  Scale F

  3,516

  412

  318

  121

  129

  119

  104

  324

  Scale E

  137,400

  738

  750

  244

  436

  826

  850

  1,092

  Scale D

  10,298

  739

  506

  131

  336

  623

  557

  1,549

  Scale C

  3,757

  270

  214

  91

  82

  267

  184

  591

  Number

  Greater Glasgow

  Highland

  Lanarkshire

  Lothian

  Orkney

  Shetland

  Tayside

  Western Isles

  Management

  111

  15

  108

  98

  1

  5

  49

  2

  CANO1

  1

  —

  1

  —

  —

  1

  1

  1

  Director of nursing1

  14

  2

  5

  8

  —

  —

  9

  1

  Senior nurse 1–6

  63

  10

  25

  40

  1

  3

  31

  —

  Senior nurse 7–8

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Scale I

  5

  2

  11

  38

  —

  1

  1

  —

  Scale H

  15

  1

  58

  8

  —

  —

  6

  —

  Scale G

  10

  —

  8

  4

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Scale F

  3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Teachers

  243

  31

  66

  165

  —

  1

  86

  —

  Grade 7

  2

  —

  1

  2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Grade 6

  2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Grade 5

  1

  1

  1

  1

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Grade 4

  7

  1

  —

  3

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Grade 3

  26

  11

  8

  20

  —

  —

  9

  —

  Grade 2

  135

  6

  42

  90

  —

  —

  39

  —

  Grade 1

  70

  12

  14

  49

  —

  1

  35

  —

  Clinical grades

  8,690

  1,763

  3,780

  5,716

  174

  169

  3,982

  283

  Scale I

  71

  40

  15

  67

  2

  —

  26

  5

  Scale H

  265

  52

  56

  128

  3

  7

  125

  4

  Scale G

  1,825

  367

  715

  1,230

  43

  44

  684

  75

  Scale F

  632

  212

  249

  514

  26

  17

  321

  18

  Scale E

  3,047

  728

  1,315

  2,179

  22

  28

  1,381

  104

  Scale D

  2,290

  309

  892

  1,309

  38

  20

  953

  46

  Scale C

  560

  55

  538

  289

  40

  53

  492

  31

  1 Chief area nursing officers and directors of nursing services may be classified either as nursing staff or administrative staff—those shown in this table are classifed as nursing staff.

  Qualified nurses: by status, grade and health board: at 30 September 1990

  Whole-time equivalent

  Scotland

  Argyll and Clyde

  Ayrshire and Arran

  Borders

  Dumfries and Galloway

  Fife

  Forth Valley

  Grampian

  Management

  576·8

  96·0

  11·5

  7·7

  9·0

  15·0

  22·6

  30·0

  CANO1

  8·0

  1·0

  —

  1·0

  —

  —

  1·0

  —

  Director of nursing

  70·0

  12·0

  2·0

  2·0

  3·0

  3·0

  3·0

  6·0

  Senior nurse 1–6

  232·1

  7·0

  8·5

  0·5

  6·0

  6·0

  12·6

  19·0

  Senior nurse 7–8

  5·0

  1·0

  —

  —

  —

  1·0

  —

  3·0

  Scale I

  115·5

  51·5

  —

  2·0

  —

  4·0

  1·0

  —

  Scale H

  113·0

  23·0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1·0

  2·0

  Scale G

  28·7

  1·0

  —

  1·2

  —

  1·0

  4·0

  —

  Scale F

  4·5

  —

  1·0

  1·0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Teachers

  886·0

  52·8

  37·0

  13·0

  25·5

  44·5

  42·9

  91·0

  Grade 7

  6·0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1·0

  Grade 6

  6·0

  1·0

  —

  —

  —

  1·0

  1·0

  —

  Grade 5

  8·0

  —

  1·0

  —

  1·0

  —

  —

  1·0

  Grade 4

  27·0

  4·0

  2·0

  2·0

  2·0

  1·0

  2·0

  2·0

  Grade 3

  102·4

  2·0

  3·0

  2·0

  5·0

  5·0

  4·0

  8·0

  Grade 2

  462·0

  27·0

  19·0

  7·0

  14·0

  21·0

  22·9

  44·2

  Grade 1

  274·6

  18·8

  12·0

  2·0

  3·5

  16·5

  13·0

  34·8

  Clinical grades

  347,38·1

  2,426·6

  2,026·8

  660·6

  1,056·2

  2,055·1

  1,851·2

  3,453·8

  Scale I

  444·7

  10·0

  30·0

  11·0

  23·0

  41·0

  33·0

  71·0

  406

  407

  Scotland

  Argyll and Clyde

  Ayrshire and Arran

  Borders

  Dumfries and Galloway

  Fife

  Forth Valley

  Grampian

  Scale H

  1,004·9

  79·8

  44·0

  24·0

  36·0

  57·9

  45·6

  83·1

  Scale G

  7,600·3

  605·7

  456·9

  146·6

  218·7

  421·4

  436·2

  682·6

  Scale F

  2,935·7

  323·7

  276·4

  93·9

  107·4

  96·5

  82·7

  244·2

  Scale E

  11,296·8

  592·4

  614·7

  200·0

  333·8

  683·8

  672·2

  882·8

  Scale D

  84,60·0

  583·4

  437·7

  112·7

  280·5

  530·6

  449·1

  1,083·9

  Scale C

  2,995·7

  231·6

  167·1

  72·4

  56·8

  223·9

  132·4

  406·2

  Whole time equivalent

  Greater Glasgow

  Highland

  Lanark-shire

  Lothian

  Orkney

  Shetland

  Tayside

  Western Isles

  Management

  109·6

  15·0

  107·0

  97·5

  1·0

  5·0

  47·9

  2·0

  CANO1

  1·0

  —

  1·0

  —

  —

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  Director of nursing1

  14·0

  2·0

  5·0

  8·0

  —

  —

  9·0

  1·0

  Senior nurse 1–6

  63·0

  10·0

  24·5

  40·0

  1·0

  3·0

  31·0

  —

  Senior nurse 7–8

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Scale I

  5·0

  2·0

  11·0

  37·5

  —

  1·0

  1·0

  —

  Scale H

  15·0

  1·0

  57·5

  8·0

  —

  —

  5·5

  —

  Scale G

  9·1

  —

  8·0

  4·0

  —

  —

  0·4

  —

  Scale F

  2·5

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Teachers

  234·8

  30·5

  65·4

  162·9

  —

  1·0

  84·7

  —

  Grade 7

  2·0

  —

  1·0

  2·0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Grade 6

  2·0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1·0

  —

  Grade 5

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  —

  —

  1·0

  —

  Grade 4

  7·0

  1·0

  —

  3·0

  —

  —

  1·0

  —

  Grade 3

  26·0

  11·0

  7·4

  20·0

  —

  —

  9·0

  —

  Grade 2

  130·8

  6·0

  42·0

  89·3

  —

  —

  38·8

  —

  Grade 1

  66·0

  11·5

  14·0

  47·6

  —

  1·0

  33·9

  —

  Clinical grades

  7,629·4

  1,474·1

  3,191·5

  4,987·5

  152·0

  148·9

  3,423·7

  200·7

  Scale I

  70·7

  40·0

  15·0

  67·0

  2·0

  —

  26·0

  5·0

  Scale H

  263·3

  49·3

  56·0

  127·1

  3·0

  7·0

  124·8

  4·0

  Scale G

  1,688·3

  326·3

  671·8

  1,135·8

  41·7

  42·4

  659·6

  66·3

  Scale F

  563·0

  179·9

  191·1

  440·0

  20·8

  14·1

  289·0

  13·0

  Scale E

  2,618·7

  578·8

  1,083·3

  1,831·2

  19·9

  23·1

  1,099·4

  62·7

  Scale D

  1,962·4

  258·8

  745·1

  1,129·6

  29·4

  17·1

  812·4

  27·3

  Scale C

  463·0

  41·0

  429·2

  256·8

  35·2

  45·2

  412·5

  22·4

  1 Chief area nursing officers and directors of nursing services may be classified either as nursing staff or administrative staff—those shown in this table are classified as nursing staff.

DEFENCE

  The Gulf
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British fatalities were incurred in the conflict with Iraq; what were the circumstances in which each such death occurred; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Ashton) on 8 March, at column 330.

  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the civil service contributions to the military effort in the Gulf.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the opportunity to pay tribute to the very great efforts that have been and are still being made by the civil service in support of all operations in the Gulf.

  Mr. Marlow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent 1st Armoured Division has been dependent on assistance from non-United Kingdom helicopters during the Gulf conflict.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The 1st Armoured Division operated as an integral part of the United States 7th Army Corps and, as such, British commanders were able to call 408
  on United States helicopter assistance. British Army and RAF helicopters undertook similar missions in support of United States ground forces.

  Radiation
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give a breakdown for(a) Rosyth dockyard, (b) Devonport dockyard, (c) Aldermaston atomic weapons establishment and (d) Coulport RNAD of individual radiation dose exposures for workers in the bands (i) 0 to 10, (ii) 10 to 15, (iii) 15 to 20, (iv) 20 to 30, (v) 30 to 40 and (vi) greater than 40 mSv for the year 1990.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The final radiation dose exposures for 1990 in respect of workers at these establishments are not yet available.

  War Widows' Pensions
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will explain the rules which govern the restoration of a widow's pension in circumstances where a woman has been widowed a first time and granted a Ministry of Defence pension, subsequently remarries, so losing her Ministry of Defence pension, and is then widowed a second time and seeks restoration of her Ministry of Defence pension.
  409
  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Under the rules both of the armed forces pension scheme and of the principal civil service pension scheme, a widow loses her entitlement to a widow's pension on remarriage. Any subsequent resumption of payment is discretionary, but a pension may be restored to a widow on second widowhood if she is worse off after her second husband's death, without her former public service widow's pension, than she was on first widowhood with that pension.

  Discretion to restore the pension lies with the Ministry of Defence in respect of the armed forces pension scheme, and with Her Majesty's Treasury in respect of the principal civil service pension scheme. In both cases, account is taken of all the widow's financial circumstances, including any pension entitlement which may accrue to her from her second marriage.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  My right hon. Friend has received six letters from Members of the European Parliament about local or national matters since 4 January 1990. If there is no European Community content in the MEP's letter and a constituency interest predominates, the MEP would be advised to refer the case to the MP for the constituency concerned.

  Missiles
  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the reasons for the delay so far in the issue of the invitation to tender—ITT—for ASRAAM—the advanced short-range air-to-air missile.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  It is taking longer than we hoped to finalise the terms of the ITT because of the complexities associated with this procurement.

  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent so far by his Department on the ASRAAM project.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  This information is classified.

  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he intends to preserve the family of weapons now covering the advanced short-range and medium-range air-to-air missiles.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  We are currently discussing with the United States the status Of the family of weapons memorandum of understanding.

  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether any missile other than BAe's ASRAAM proposal meets the specification of staff requirement (air) 1234.

  (2) whether the British Aerospace ASRAAM proposal meets the specification of staff requirement (air) 1234.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The evaluation of responses to the ITT will determine which proposals meet the specification of SR(A) 1234.
  410
  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when an invitation to tender for ASRAAM will be released to industry.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The ITT will be issued as soon as possible.

  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department intends to proceed with a European solution to the ASRAAM requirement.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  We plan to seek competitive proposals for solutions to our advanced short-range missile requirements.

  Mr. Hayward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated benefit to the United Kingdom of the export potential of ASRAAM.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  It is too early to say.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The Department is publicising national No Smoking Day by the distribution of some 2,000 posters and by a message to all staff encouraging them to give up smoking. The Department's policy is to discourage smoking at the workplace. Counselling is available for those who wish to give up.

  Territorial Army
  Mr. Allen McKay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the number of personnel in the Territorial Army in 1979, 1985 and 1991.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The strength of the Territorial Army, including the Home Service Force was, as at 31 January in each year, 59,103 in 1979, 73,462 in 1985 and 75,135 in 1991.

  Gulf Casualties
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pension or other payments will be made(a) to the relatives of British service men killed in the Gulf war, and (b) to service men disabled in the Gulf war.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Pensions and other benefits are payable in respect of casualties of the Gulf conflict under the provisions of the armed forces pension scheme.

  In respect of personnel killed these take the form of lump sums and a pension to an eligible widow(er), with an additional pension in respect of each eligible child up to a maximum of four; where there is no eligible widow(er), benefits in respect of any eligibile children are increased. A lump sum is payable into the estate of a service man or service woman who leaves neither an eligible widow(er) nor an eligible child.

  Personnel invalided as the result of injury which is attributable to service receive a lump sum or sums and, where disability is assessed at 20 per cent. or more or qualifying service given is at least two years, a pension.

  The amounts payable are related to service rank held and also, in the case of personnel discharged as the result of injury, to the assessed degree of disability. In certain circumstances the length of service given is also relevant.
  411
  Benefits are also payable under the provisions of the war pensions scheme administered by the Department of Social Security.

  Main Battle Tank
  Mr. Clelland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will announce the awarding of the contract for main battle tanks for the British Army; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) on 8 March at columns 290–91.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 4 February,Official Report, columns 58–59, on the real value of SERPS, if he will give the figures for the scheme as it was before the Social Security Act 1986 changes, but otherwise on the same basis.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The information requested is in the table. It is important to note that calculations of this nature can provide only a hypothetical view of the distant future based, as they are, on unchanged assumptions about economic variables and policies.

  Amounts of additional pension at award in 1990 price terms pre 1986 act basis weekly amounts of additional pension payable on retirement on 6 April each year

  Year

  UEL1

  Average earnings

  Half average earnings

  1990

  48·65

  31·85

  12·70

  1991

  53·20

  34·95

  13·90

  1992

  57·55

  38·10

  15·15

  1993

  62·15

  41·50

  16·65

  1994

  66·70

  44·90

  18·00

  1995

  71·35

  48·40

  19·45

  1996

  76·25

  52·25

  21·15

  1997

  81·10

  56·00

  22·75

  1998

  86·00

  59·90

  24·45

  1999

  87·25

  60·85

  24·85

  2000

  88·75

  61·95

  25·45

  2001

  90·10

  62·95

  25·95

  2002

  91·55

  64·00

  26·45

  2003

  93·00

  65·05

  26·95

  2004

  94·50

  66·20

  27·55

  2005

  96·05

  67·35

  28·15

  2006

  97·55

  68·40

  28·65

  2007

  99·10

  69·55

  29·20

  2008

  100·65

  70·70

  29·80

  2009

  102·30

  71·90

  30·40

  2010

  103·90

  73·05

  30·95

  2011

  105·50

  74·25

  31·55

  2012

  107·20

  75·45

  32·20

  2013

  108·85

  76·65

  32·75

  2014

  110·55

  77·90

  33·35

  2015

  112·30

  79·20

  34·00

  2016

  114·10

  80·55

  34·70

  2017

  115·90

  81·85

  35·35

  2018

  117·65

  83·10

  36·00

  2019

  119·55

  84·50

  36·70

  2020

  121·35

  85·80

  37·35

  2021

  123·30

  87·25

  38·05

  2022

  125·20

  88·65

  38·75

  2023

  127·15

  90·05

  39·45

  2024

  129·15

  91·50

  40·20

  2025

  131·10

  92·95

  40·90

  2026

  133·15

  94·45

  41·65

  412

  Year

  UEL1

  Average earnings

  Half average earnings

  2027

  135·25

  95·95

  42·40

  2028

  135·50

  97·20

  43·05

  2029

  135·85

  98·30

  43·55

  From 1990 onwards 5 per cent. prices and 6·5 per cent. earnings assumed.

  1 UEL = Upper Earnings Limit.

  Unemployed Persons (Costs)
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he makes of the average cost to the Treasury of each unemployed person in unemployment benefit and lost revenues from taxes and national insurance.

  Mr. Jack
  In 1990–91 the estimated average weekly cost of unemployment benefit per person was £40·35. Estimates of national insurance and tax revenue forgone are not available.

  War Widow's Pensions
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will explain the rules which govern the restoration of a widow's pension in circumstances where a woman has been widowed a first time and granted a war widow's pension, subsequently remarries and loses her war widow's pension, and is then widowed a second time and seeks restoration of her war widow's pension.

  Miss Widdecombe
  War widow's pensions cease on remarriage. Widows of ranks other than officers receive a gratuity equal to one year's war widow's pension, but may not have their pension restored if widowed through non-service causes a second time. Officers' widows do not receive a gratuity, but if widowed a second time, may have their war widow's pension reinstated subject to need. In effect this means that any other income is topped up to the level of war widow's pensions. A joint working group set up in 1985 with the Council of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations agreed that there was a need for a change in these provisions. However, there was no consensus of opinion about what changes should be made to these very long-standing provisions; and it was decided to leave matters as they were.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice, where the former are concerned, to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her correspondence.

  Mr. Jack
  Between 4 January 1990 and 6 March 1991 we received 26 such letters. Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which concern exclusively local matters, our normal practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP refers the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to such communications would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Department has undertaken extensive publicity to make staff aware of no smoking day, including Health Education Authority posters on all notice boards, articles in house magazines, reminders in weekly circulars and competitions to encourage staff to give up smoking. In addition, under the Department's established policy on non-smoking, staff are allowed paid time off to attend recognised courses to help them stop smoking.

  Social Fund Loans
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of income support claimants are now repaying social fund loans; and what is the total outstanding loan debt.

  Mr. Scott
  At 31 January 1991, 10 per cent. of income support claimants were repaying social fund loans; the total debt outstanding was £135 million.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current level of repayment of social fund loans; and if he will remove the cash limit on local office loan budgets where repayment levels are high.

  Mr. Scott
  From April 1990 to the end of January, £105 million was recovered from loan expenditure. We have no plans to remove the limits on local office loan budgets, but additional budget allocations are made where appropriate.

  Nursing Homes
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 6 March to the hon. Member for Wakefield, whether, if a suitable person acting on behalf of the resident placed in a care home trust is a local authority social worker, the resident would be eligible for income support.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Eligibility for income support is not affected by the person acting as appointee, but is based solely on the circumstances of the individual claimant.

  Delayed Payments
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what steps have been taken by his Department to inform hon. Members of the Department's compensa-tion scheme for delayed payments;

  (2) what system exists for compensating those whose pension or benefit is paid more than a year late; and if he will publish the rules which govern such a system;

  (3) how many individuals received compensation payments for delayed payments for each of the years for which figures are available; and how many claims for such payments were unsuccessful.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Ex-gratia compensation may be paid when payment of benefit amounting to £50 or more has either been delayed for 12 months or longer, or interrupted for at least three months, because of clear and 414
  unambiguous official error. If claimants do not themselves raise the matter, the Department's local offices are required to identify cases eligible to be considered for such compensation. These arrangements are in accordance with the general principles concerning ex-gratia payments in "Government Accounting", the Treasury's guide to accounting and financial procedures in government. Each case is decided within those general principles, taking into account its particular facts and circumstances, which vary widely from case to case. The annual reports of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration have drawn attention to the availability of compensation.

  Payments have been made as follows:

  Year

  Number of individual payments

  1989–90

  385

  1988–89

  529

  1987–88

  911

  1986–87

  654

  1985–86

  540

  1984–85

  171

  Information on the number of unsuccessful cases is not available.

  Child Support
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what period or periods he intends to prescribe as the maximum for reductions of benefit under clause 22 of the Child Support Bill; and whether adjudication officers and social security appeal tribunals will be given unfettered discretion to decide, within the prescribed maxima, the amount and duration of such reduction.

  Mr. Jack
  Every child has a right to care from his or her parents, and the payment of child maintenance is one crucial way in which parents fulfil their responsibilities towards their children. A caring parent who is in receipt of income support, family credit or any other prescribed benefit will be required to co-operate with the Child Support Agency in obtaining maintenance for his or her children from the absent parent, unless there is good cause not to do so. Where there is no good cause, and the caring parent fails to fulfil this requirement, his or her benefit will be reduced.

  The detailed operation of the arrangements for which clause 22 makes provision, and which will in due course be set out in regulations, is still under consideration.

  Family Credit
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much has been spent on advertising family credit in each year since 1988–89; and what is the expected expenditure in 1990–91 and 1991–92.

  Mr. Jack
  The information is as follows:

  £

  1988–89

  3,061,000

  1989–90

  5,835,000

  1990–91

  13,894,000

  1991–92

  23,000,000

  1 This includes £1·5 million for the current TV advertising campaign drawing the attention of 6·8 million families to the

  415
  personalised message about family credit which now appears in child benefit order books. This tells the family that they may be able to get family credit if their income is less than the figure quoted in the message which is individual to that family.

  2 Expected.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many family credit awards were current, and

  Number of family credit awards current at end of month1

  Caseload (including backdated awards) as at end of month

  Employees

  Self-employed

  Total

  April 1989

  251,897

  235,820

  43,160

  278,980

  May 1989

  235,751

  255,420

  44,620

  300,040

  June 1989

  263,480

  263,200

  45,520

  308,720

  July 1989

  275,414

  268,140

  45,080

  313,220

  August 1989

  281,734

  269,100

  44,440

  313,540

  September 1989

  288,631

  273,560

  44,700

  318,260

  October 1989

  278,122

  268,880

  43,660

  312,540

  November 1989

  274,194

  257,660

  43,080

  300,740

  December 1989

  263,135

  249,760

  41,340

  291,100

  January 1990

  265,548

  255,300

  44,100

  299,400

  February 1990

  278,392

  261,960

  44,860

  306,820

  March 1990

  281,559

  263,360

  45,920

  309,280

  April 1990

  280,898

  267,240

  46,760

  314,000

  May 1990

  268,933

  267,940

  47,260

  315,200

  June 1990

  275,250

  272,360

  47,480

  319,840

  July 1990

  279,856

  277,620

  48,200

  325,820

  August 1990

  281,414

  —

  —

  2324,000

  September 1990

  282,019

  —

  —

  2326,000

  October 1990

  280,744

  —

  —

  2326,000

  November 1990

  293,343

  —

  —

  2324,000

  December 1990

  284,429

  —

  —

  3

  January 1991

  281,250

  —

  —

  3

  February 1991

  288,924

  —

  —

  3

  1 A breakdown between employees and self-employed is not available.

  2 Provisional totals: no breakdown between employers and employed at this stage.

  3 Meaningful figures not yet available because of claims not yet decided.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest information he has as to the number of employees and self-employed people, respectively, who are eligible for family credit; and whether he will arrange a special examination of 1989 and 1990 family expenditure survey returns, similar to that carried out on the 1988 return.

  Mr. Jack
  The latest information about the number of families eligible for family credit is from the special examination of family expenditure survey returns for 1988. This showed that the total eligible population of employees at that time was about 500,000. Reliable estimates of the number of self-employed who are eligible are not possible from family expenditure survey data. It is clear from administrative information and other research that families are moving into and out of eligibility for family credit all the time, so that the composition of the eligible population is constantly changing.

  Claims registered

  Decisions made which resulted in an award of family credit

  Number

  Percentage of all decisions

  Date

  New

  Renewal

  Total

  New

  Renewal

  New

  Renewal

  May 1989

  94,900

  30,162

  125,062

  20,484

  18,703

  35·4

  86·7

  June 1989

  79,906

  35,340

  115,246

  39,721

  34,057

  40·0

  86·5

  July 1989

  41,671

  25,639

  66,948

  26,599

  23,405

  47·8

  86·5

  August 1989

  37,059

  25,639

  62,698

  23,675

  24,483

  51·4

  86·5

  September 1989

  47,534

  33,110

  80,644

  25,696

  28,802

  51·6

  86·7

  October 1989

  39,629

  40,729

  80,358

  21,693

  28,817

  53·0

  84·0

  November 1989

  45,523

  36,790

  82,313

  21,497

  33,580

  51·6

  82·2

  December 1989

  42,890

  28,054

  70,944

  18,687

  25,007

  47·2

  81·4

  January 1990

  43,471

  35,301

  78,772

  20,701

  29,524

  46·6

  82·4

  February 1990

  46,288

  29,824

  76,112

  23,680

  28,092

  50·9

  83·9

  416
  what was the caseload including backdated awards at the end of each month since April 1989, for employees and self-employed people, respectively.

  Mr. Jack
  The available information is as follows:

  The special examination of the 1988 family expenditure survey returns, which cost over £10,000, was undertaken in early 1989 because we were considering a major advertising campaign. The actual size of the eligible population at any one time is therefore only one, albeit important, factor which needs to be considered. We have no plans to arrange a special examination of family expenditure survey returns for 1989 and 1990.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) new claims and (b) renewal claims for family credit were made in each month since April 1989; and how many and what percentage were successful, distinguishing, for both new and renewal claims, between those made by employees and those made by self-employed people.

  Mr. Jack
  The available information is as follows:
  417

  Claims registered

  Decisions made which resulted in an award of family credit

  Number

  Percentage of all decisions

  Date

  New

  Renewal

  Total

  New

  Renewal

  New

  Renewal

  March 1990

  50,906

  39,025

  89,931

  26,273

  31,688

  50·5

  85·4

  April 1990

  41,118

  35,568

  76,686

  18,225

  24,569

  52·2

  88·3

  May 1990

  50,119

  43,033

  93,152

  24,279

  34,919

  55·0

  88·4

  June 1990

  43,528

  26,937

  70,465

  20,622

  26,199

  53·8

  87·7

  July 1990

  45,967

  29,357

  75,324

  24,536

  27,574

  53·0

  87·0

  August 1990

  53,147

  39,596

  92,531

  24,905

  29,122

  52·5

  86·0

  September 1990

  42,702

  34,328

  76,546

  20,362

  25,680

  50·5

  84·3

  October 1990

  41,590

  40,269

  81,625

  24,196

  33,652

  53·4

  83·8

  November 1990

  50,339

  47,119

  97,458

  31,208

  46,533

  54·9

  84·3

  December 1990

  21,479

  21,486

  42,965

  13,214

  19,702

  54·5

  85·0

  January 1991

  27,541

  41,158

  40,405

  17,442

  31,130

  50·6

  84·1

  February 1991

  47,350

  34,148

  81,498

  21,749

  31,972

  52·4

  85·0

  Note:

  1. The figures are for the four or five weeks ending on the last Friday of each month.

  2. Separate information for employees and self-employed people is only available at disproportionate cost either for claims or for decisions made.

  Disability
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library the full detailed secondary analysis of the reports of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys on the prevalence of disability which relate to the number of disabled people who need special diets and their eligibility or ineligibility for the new lower care component of disability laving allowance; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  When devising the lower rate care component of the disability living allowance, we looked at the OPCS evidence about people who said that they had care needs in connection with bodily functions or key daily tasks, but who would not be eligible for either of the existing rates of attendance allowance. We then looked more closely at the circumstances of these people to see whether we had identified a sensible target group. In particular we looked at what other disabilities these people suffered from—including whether they needed a special diet. The evidence suggests that, as with the existing rates of benefit, the new lower rates are convenient means of identifying people with a whole range of disabilities.

TRANSPORT

  Bristol Channel
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the arrangements for liaison between his Department and the Ministry of Defence in the Bristol channel area; and if he will make a statement on the work of Her Majesty's coastguard on Friday 22 February 1991 when shipping was advised to clear the area during a simulation exercise on the jettisoning of bombs by B52 bombers.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Close liaison between my Department and the Ministry of Defence is maintained by the maritime rescue co-ordination centres of Her Majesty's coastguard at Falmouth and Swansea and the joint RAF-Royal Navy maritime HQ at Plymouth.

  Her Majesty's coastguard had neither knowledge of, nor involvement in, any exercises in the Bristol channel area on 22 February 1991.

  Channel Tunnel
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about discussions with British Rail about a channel tunnel freight terminal in Greater Manchester.

  Mr. Freeman
  The location of channel tunnel freight terminals is a commercial matter for British Rail. I understand that it expects to decide later this year between two possible sites to serve Greater Manchester for the start of tunnel operations.

  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the report of the consultants W. S. Atkins on the evaluation of channel tunnel rail link options; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

  Mr. Freeman
  W. S. Atkins published on 4 March its interim report to British Rail proposing the detailed methodology for British Rail's comparison of the options for the rail link. I have placed a copy in the Library.

  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive details of the British Rail proposals for the route of the high-speed rail link to the channel tunnel.

  Mr. Freeman
  In April or May.

  Auxiliary Coastguard Service
  Mr. Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the review of the auxiliary coastguard service.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  As intended, the review has attracted numerous representations, mostly addressed to the coastguard regional controllers.

  Network SouthEast
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on Network SouthEast's achievements against its performance objectives in this year.

  Mr. Freeman
  There are parts of NSE where quality of service is not yet up to the standard passengers have a right to expect, although there has been a general improvement
  419
  during 1990–91. As NSE's investment programme comes to fruition, quality of service on all routes should show further improvements.

  Traffic Speed, London
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated current speed of traffic in London; what are his future projections; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  Speeds vary between areas, from around 11 mph in central London—with little variation through the working day—to 17 mph and 20 mph in the peak and off-peak in outer London. These figures indicate that average speeds on London's major roads are about 16 mph in the peak periods and 19 mph during the rest of the day. We do not produce forecasts of overall traffic speeds.

  Rural Railways
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to review rural railway investment.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  No. It is for the British Railways Board to carry out any such review.

  Road Construction
  Mr. Hague
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road schemes are under construction in the current financial year.

  Mr. Chope
  In the current financial year 107 schemes have been or will be under construction. The total length is some 337 miles with a value of over £1·5 billion.

  Toll Roads
  Mr. Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his policy towards the inclusion of privately toll-funded stretches within the national roads programme.

  Mr. Freeman
  We are confident that the private sector has a worth while and increasing part to play in the provision of new roads infrastructure in the United Kingdom.

  British Rail Vehicles
  Mr. Knapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new vehicles British Rail currently has on order.

  Mr. Freeman
  British Rail has on order 111 locomotives, 606 electric multiple units, 490 diesel multiple units, 70 coaches, 745 wagons, and 14 channel tunnel trains consisting of 252 coaches and 28 power cars.

  London Regional Transport
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what levels of investment he expects to see in London Regional Transport during 1990–91; and what they were in 1989–90.

  Mr. Freeman
  Investment by London Transport in 1989–90 was £443 million. Investment this year is forecast to be £630 million—an increase, in cash terms, of over 40 per cent.

  London Underground
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will next meet the chairman of London Underground to discuss the operation of the London underground.

  Mr. Freeman
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Carrington) earlier today.

  M4
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his latest estimate of the date on which construction works for the widening of the M4 between the M25 and Swindon will start; and if he will make a statement on the progress of preliminary works.

  Mr. Chope
  We have three separate scheme commissions looking at the options for widening the length of M4 betweeen the M25 and Swindon. All three are progressing satisfactorily and we aim to make announcements about preferred options before the end of the year. Because timing is heavily dependent on the type of works proposed the planned programme will be part of those announcements.

  Footpaths (Cycling)
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy on the control of the use of footpaths by cyclists; how many injuries to pedestrians on footpaths caused by cycles there have been; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  It is illegal to cycle on footpaths; the exclusive right of way is on foot. The responsibility for the control and use of footpaths rests with individual local authorities. The Department has published advice on aspects of shared use by pedestrians and cyclists in local transport note 2/86—HMSO—copies of which have been placed in the Library. Figures for injuries caused by cyclists to pedestrians on footpaths are not collected centrally.

  Buttermere Valley (Parking)
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will call in under reserve powers available to him the decision of Cumbria county council to restrict parking in the Buttermere valley.

  Mr. Chope
  No. This is essentially a local highways issue. The authority would be expected to comply with those sections of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 and traffic signs manual covering environmentally sensitive areas.

  Pipelines
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 11 February,Official Report, column 309, what will be the capacity of the new pipeline from Goyt valley to Audenshaw; and what percentage of treatment capacity at Denton could be met by this supply at any given time.

  Mr. Chope
  The pipeline will be capable of transferring 44 megalitres of untreated water per day to the Audenshaw
  421
  reservoirs. This will enable North West Water to maintain the existing 28-day emergency supply. Treatment capacity should remain the same.

  North Devon fink Road
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many compensation claims have been submitted in respect of the North Devon link road steps 2(a) and 2(b); in which years they were submitted; how many are still outstanding; and, where a figure has been agreed, how long it takes for payment to be made.

  Mr. Chope
  A total of 132 claims have been received: 58 date from 1986, 69 from 1987, 4 from 1988 and one from 1989; 118 are still outstanding, of which 22 are in the last stages of legal completion. Advance payments are available on request from the date entry is taken and 92 claimants have received at least one such payment. The figures exclude the 1 ft square plots at Great Western green where 129 claims out of 130 remain outstanding.

  Once compensation is agreed, it takes an average of six months to complete the legal processes and make the final payment, but this time can be affected by a number of factors outside the Department's control. Claims attract interest, at statutory rates, from the date of entry on to the land until payment is made.

  Public Transport Infrastructure
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (I) how many applications for section 56 grants under the Transport Act 1968 his Department has received; and in how many of these cases grants have been provided;

  (2) if he will list those applications for section 56 grants under the Transport Act 1968 which have been successful indicating in each case the project concerned, the level of support provided and the date on which the grant application was approved.

  Mr. Freeman
  Since 1985, when such grants became available for large new public transport infrastructure projects, there have been 12 applications. Of these, three have been approved and a further four are under consideration. A number of promoters have been in contact with the Department about the possibility of grants for other projects, but have not made full applications. The successful applications are listed in the table.

  Project

  Date approved

  Grant £ million

  Merseyrail safety work

  March 1989

  0·3

  Manchester Metrolink

  October 1989

  153·0

  Sheffield Supertram

  December 1990

  2

  1 Approximate figure; grant is being paid towards 50 per cent, of eligible costs within a cash ceiling.

  2 Exact figure not yet determined.

  Bicycle Lights
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that all bicycles are sold with working front and rear lights.

  Mr. Chope
  I refer to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley) on 1 March, at column 625.

  Members of the European Parliament
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice, where the former are concerned, to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Ministers at the Department of Transport have received 134 written communications from Members of the European Parliament since 4 January 1990 that concern local or national matters. If there is no Community content at all in the MEP's letter and a constituency interest predominates it is our general practice to suggest that the MEP should refer the case to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to MEPs' letters would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Posters advertising No Smoking Day and information leaflets will be displayed in all the Department's main offices throughout the country, and an article will be placed in the Department's in-house journal. Guidance has been given to all staff on damage to health caused by smoking. Welfare officers are on hand to give help and advice to staff who wish to give up smoking and on the availability of classes for this purpose. However, in the end it is a matter of individual choice.

  Heathrow-Glasgow Flights
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce his decision on the appeal by British Midland Airways against unfair competition on the Heathrow to Glasgow air service.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  My right hon. and learned Friend is considering British Midland Airways' appeal against the Civil Aviation Authority's decision in respect of services on the London Heathrow to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast routes. His decision will be announced as soon as possible.

  Earphones
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission a study into the effects of wearing earphones connected to transistor radios or cassette players on the safety of pedestrians and cyclists using public roads.

  Mr. Chope
  No. The highway code for young road users already contains advice about the potential danger of wearing personal stereos.

  M1-M62 Link
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement with regard to the proposed route of the M1-M62 link road in West Yorkshire.
  423
  Mr. Chope
  I hope that, following consultation on route options later this year, it will be possible to announce a preferred route in 1992.

  Buses, London
  Mr. Haslehurst
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to announce his plans for the deregulation of the London bus market.

  Mr. Rifkind
  I have today published the consultation paper "A Bus Strategy For London" which sets out our plans for the deregulation of the London bus market together with a range of proposals aimed at making bus services in London more attractive to passengers. The closing date for comments is 7 May.

  The Government are firmly committed to the future of bus services in London. Deregulation will bring more competition between more operators which will increase the choice and quality of services available to the passenger. However, deregulation will require primary legislation to safeguard the future of the concessionary fares scheme for London as a whole, and to alter London Transport's statutory duties to make them more compatible with a deregulated bus industry. Primary legislation must await a suitable opportunity, so I am unable yet to give any firm indication of timing.

THE ARTS

  Area Museum Councils
  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Minister for the Arts what proposals he has to improve the relationship between the work of the Museum and Galleries Commission and the area museum councils.

  Mr. Renton
  The Museums and Galleries Commission enjoys a good working relationship with the area museum councils in the United Kingdom. From the grant-in-aid it is to receive from the Office of Arts and Libraries in 1991–92, the commission has allocated nearly £3·3 million to the area museum councils in England. This represents an overall increase of 15 per cent. on the allocations for 1990–91.

  Museums and Galleries (Refurbishment)
  Mr. Arbuthnot
  To ask the Minister for the Arts what steps he is taking to ensure that the necessary refurbishment of museums and galleries is being systematically and professionally undertaken.

  Mr. Renton
  I have commissioned Arup Research and Development to conduct a survey of the building renovation needs of the museums and galleries which I sponsor. I expect to receive its report in summer 1991.

  School Libraries
  Mrs. Heal
  To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he plans to update the Office of Arts and Libraries' report entitled "School Libraries: The Foundations of the Curriculum".

  Mr. Renton
  This report was produced by the Library and Information Services Council for England. It has no plans to update it, but the council maintains a regular interest in school libraries and associated services.

  Greater London Arts
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Minister for the Arts when he next plans to meet the chair of the Arts Council to discuss the financial support for Greater London Arts.

  Mr. Renton
  I meet the chairman of the Arts Council regularly to discuss a wide range of matters affecting the performing arts. The funding of Greater London Arts is a matter for the Arts Council, and the chairman has kept me closely informed of developments.

  Tobacco Companies (Sponsorship)
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Minister for the Arts what information he has on the current annual total of sponsorship of the arts by tobacco companies; if he will list these individually; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Renton
  Business sponsorship of the arts in the United Kingdom now stands at over £35 million a year. The current annual total of sponsorship by tobacco companies is not known. Arts organisations take their own decisions in choosing what sponsorship to accept.

  Tobacco Industry
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Minister for the Arts how many meetings he, his predecessor or his Department's officials have had with representatives of the tobacco industry since 1 January 1989; and if he will list the dates, venues and purpose of each meeting.

  Mr. Renton
  No meetings have taken place with representatives of the tobacco industry during the period in question.

  No Smoking Day
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Minister for the Arts what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Renton
  I welcome the proposed No Smoking Day. The Office of Arts and Libraries has permanent restrictions on smoking in the workplace. Counselling is always available, for smokers and for those who wish to give up the habit, through the departmental welfare officer.

  British Library
  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he expects the British Library to be completed by the agreed date; and whether the works will be within budget.

  Mr. Renton
  Work on the new British Library building at St. Pancras is on schedule for the planned opening of the first phase in 1993 and for completion in 1996. The project is proceeding within budget. The Government are investing £450 million in the project which will bring together most of the Library's London-based stocks and reading rooms on a single site, and will provide vastly improved facilities and better conservation.

  ETHIOPIA: HUMAN RIGHTS
  ETHIOPIA: HUMAN RIGHTS
  SOUTH AFRICAN ARMS AND AMMUNITION: IMPORT BAN
  SOUTH AFRICAN ARMS AND AMMUNITION: IMPORT BAN
  SOUTH AFRICA: POLITICAL PROGRESS
  SOUTH AFRICA: POLITICAL PROGRESS
  IRAQI NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS: ALLIED ATTACKS
  IRAQI NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS: ALLIED ATTACKS
  TOBACCO INDUSTRIES IN THE EC
  TOBACCO INDUSTRIES IN THE EC
  HEALTH VISITORS: HEALTH PROMOTION ROLE
  HEALTH VISITORS: HEALTH PROMOTION ROLE
  NURSES' PAY INCREASE: IMPLEMENTATION
  NURSES' PAY INCREASE: IMPLEMENTATION
  CHIEF DENTAL OFFICER
  CHIEF DENTAL OFFICER