Written Answers of 28 February 1992

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Students (Concessionary Fares)
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will re-introduce travel grants for students;

  (2) if, when he next meets the chairman of London Underground, he will raise the issue of concessionary fares for students.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  Under the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations, students who are disabled, who are attending a place away from their main college as part of a medical, dental or nursing course or who are attending an institution outside the United Kingdom as part of their course may have their travel costs reimbursed. The first part of any expenditure is disregarded in deciding claims. We have no plans to change these arrangements nor would we wish to raise the issue of concessionary fares for students with the chairman of London Underground.

  London Docklands
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish his Department's expenditure in relation to projects aimed at regeneration and redevelopment in London docklands in each year from 1980–81 to 1990–91.

  Mr. Eggar
  Expenditure related to projects aimed at regeneration and redevelopment in London docklands is a matter for the Secretary of State for the Environment. This Department pays grant in respect of capital expenditure at voluntary-aided and grant-maintained schools. Records of such expenditure cannot easily be disaggregated to show spending only in the docklands area of the local education authorities concerned.

  Pupil Statistics
  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils in each local education authority are educated in special schools outside their own local education authority area.

  Mr. Fallon
  [holding answer 19 February 1992]:The table shows the numbers of pupils belonging to the area of each authority who in January 1991 were attending maintained special schools outside that authority's area.

  Pupils1 belonging to the area of each local education authority who in January 1991 were attending maintained special schools outside that authority's area.

  Number

  City of London

  3

  Camden

  109

  Greenwich

  110

  Hackney

  172

  620

  Number

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  89

  Islington

  123

  Kensington and Chelsea

  178

  Lambeth

  222

  Lewisham

  171

  Southwark

  200

  Tower Hamlets

  101

  Wandsworth

  144

  Westminster

  129

  Barking

  27

  Barnet

  78

  Bexley

  78

  Brent

  72

  Bromley

  20

  Croydon

  51

  Ealing

  60

  Enfield

  101

  Haringey

  91

  Harrow

  36

  Havering

  52

  Hillingdon

  40

  Hounslow

  25

  Kingston

  18

  Merton

  57

  Newham

  62

  Redbridge

  55

  Richmond

  30

  Sutton

  45

  Waltham Forest

  19

  Birmingham

  28

  Coventry

  17

  Dudley

  69

  Sandwell

  63

  Solihull

  20

  Walsall

  19

  Wolverhampton

  21

  Knowsley

  10

  Liverpool

  22

  St. Helens

  38

  Sefton

  21

  Wirral

  21

  Bolton

  56

  Bury

  51

  Manchester

  43

  Oldham

  22

  Rochdale

  47

  Salford

  19

  Stockport

  39

  Tameside

  82

  Trafford

  27

  Wigan

  23

  Barnsley

  19

  Doncaster

  14

  Rotherham

  33

  Sheffield

  6

  Bradford

  13

  Calderdale

  13

  Kirklees

  29

  Leeds

  12

  Wakefield

  49

  Gateshead

  19

  Newcastle

  10

  North Tyneside

  10

  South Tyneside

  17

  Sunderland

  5

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  Avon

  9

  Bedfordshire

  15

  Berkshire

  36

  Buckinghamshire

  73

  Cambridgeshire

  10

  Cheshire

  72

  Cleveland

  7

  Cornwall

  29

  Cumbria

  6

  Derbyshire

  53

  Devon

  5

  Dorset

  11

  621

  Number

  Durham

  73

  East Sussex

  32

  Essex

  113

  Gloucestershire

  11

  Hampshire

  64

  Hereford and Worcester

  26

  Hertfordshire

  56

  Humberside

  27

  Isle of Wight

  1

  Kent

  67

  Lancashire

  84

  Leicestershire

  19

  Lincolnshire

  28

  Norfolk

  12

  North Yorkshire

  51

  Northamptonshire

  27

  Northumberland

  28

  Nottinghamshire

  18

  Oxfordshire

  12

  Shropshire

  22

  Somerset

  10

  Staffordshire

  48

  Suffolk

  26

  Surrey

  78

  Warwickshire

  53

  West Sussex

  27

  Wiltshire

  43

  1 Pupils aged 5 and over (as at 31 August 1990).

  Ms. Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils in each local education authority area in local education authority maintained special schools live in other local education authority areas.

  Mr. Fallon
  [holding answer 19 February 1992]:The table shows the numbers of pupils attending maintained special schools in each authority in January 1991 who belonged to the area of other LEAs.

  Pupils1 attending maintained special schools in each local education authority who in January 1991 who belonged to the area of other authorities

  Number

  City of London

  0

  Camden

  219

  Greenwich

  185

  Hackney

  180

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  265

  Islington

  100

  Kensington and Chelsea

  86

  Lambeth

  305

  Lewisham

  95

  Southwark

  147

  Tower Hamlets

  42

  Wandsworth

  349

  Westminster

  90

  Barking

  14

  Barnet

  49

  Bexley

  4

  Brent

  40

  Bromley

  36

  Croydon

  20

  Ealing

  14

  Enfield

  37

  Haringey

  55

  Harrow

  12

  Havering

  3

  Hillingdon

  2

  Hounslow

  18

  Kingston

  37

  Merton

  10

  Newham

  16

  Redbridge

  27

  Richmond

  18

  622

  Number

  Sutton

  28

  Waltham Forest

  312

  Birmingham

  137

  Coventry

  30

  Dudley

  3

  Sandwell

  21

  Solihull

  6

  Walsall

  18

  Wolverhampton

  33

  Knowsley

  39

  Liverpool

  53

  St. Helens

  17

  Sefton

  14

  Wirral

  3

  Bolton

  36

  Bury

  32

  Manchester

  159

  Oldham

  92

  Rochdale

  12

  Salford

  62

  Stockport

  8

  Tameside

  6

  Trafford

  15

  Wigan

  57

  Barnsley

  19

  Doncaster

  7

  Rotherham

  8

  Sheffield

  83

  Bradford

  40

  Calderdale

  1

  Kirklees

  6

  Leeds

  52

  Wakefield

  9

  Gateshead

  15

  Newcastle

  56

  North Tyneside

  9

  South Tyneside

  1

  Sunderland

  37

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  Avon

  34

  Bedfordshire

  6

  Berkshire

  38

  Buckinghamshire

  13

  Cambridgeshire

  18

  Cheshire

  40

  Cleveland

  40

  Cornwall

  0

  Cumbria

  0

  Derbyshire

  22

  Devon

  26

  Dorset

  14

  Durham

  10

  East Sussex

  33

  Essex

  31

  Gloucestershire

  12

  Hampshire

  66

  Hereford and Worcester

  35

  Hertfordshire

  103

  Humberside

  12

  Isle of Wight

  0

  Kent

  41

  Lancashire

  25

  Leicestershire

  4

  Lincolnshire

  19

  Norfolk

  10

  North Yorkshire

  25

  Northamptonshire

  6

  Northumberland

  14

  Nottinghamshire

  34

  Oxfordshire

  35

  Shropshire

  11

  Somerset

  5

  Staffordshire

  26

  Suffolk

  19

  Surrey

  132

  Warwickshire

  144

  West Sussex

  28

  Wiltshire

  3

  623

  1 Pupils aged five and over (as at 31 August 1990).

TRANSPORT

  Cash Limits
  Mr. Bevan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes he proposes to his Department's non-voted cash limits for 1991–92.

  Mr. Freeman
  With the agreement of my right hon. and learned Friend the Chief Secretary, the cash limit DTp/LACAP—Department of Transport/local authorities capital—covering credit approvals issued by my Department will be increased from £269,081,000 to £272,081,000. This increase will be matched by a reduction in the cash limit on class VII, vote 2 from £237,614,000 to £234,614,000.

  Midland Metro
  Mr. Bevan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on line one of the Midland metro.

  Mr. Freeman
  I strongly support the concept of the Midland metro line one. On present information, the scheme appears to meet the criteria for grant under section 56 of the Transport Act 1968. A decision on whether the project will be eligible for grant must await firm figures for capital costs based on tenders. I understand that the West Midlands passenger transport executive will be seeking tenders later this year. Provided the scheme meets the grant criteria in the light of these figures and provided sufficient resources are available, I can see no present reason why a grant for the construction of the project should not be made available at the appropriate time. The Government have already provided resources of £1·5 million for development work on the project. I am today authorising a further £3 million for development and preparatory work in the forthcoming financial year.

  Blackwall Tunnel
  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now keep, or request the Metropolitan police to maintain, a log of significant interruptions to free flow traffic conditions in and around the area of the Blackwall tunnel, and publish periodically the record of delays and their respective causes, together with any subsequent preventative action or investigation that is taken.

  Mr. Freeman
  Police controllers at the Blackwall tunnel keep a record of incidents. The Department's agents for the Blackwall tunnel also maintain an incident log. This ensures that information is readily available for those operating the system. Preventative action and investigation based on these logs and other information takes place as and when needed.

  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the respective duties, responsibilities and functions, including those for capital and other expenditures, of his Department, the London borough of Greenwich and the Metropolitan police for the Blackwall tunnel and its immediate approaches, together with a statement of the regular system of consultation and co-ordination between those officials most immediately concerned with its efficient management and maintenance.
  624
  Mr. Freeman
  The Secretary of State for Transport is the highway authority for trunk roads in England, including the Blackwall tunnels. The London borough of Greenwich is the Department's agent for the tunnels and the southern approach roads. The London borough of Tower Hamlets is the Department's agent for the northern approach roads. The traffic control systems unit is the Department's agent for installing and maintaining electrical and communication equipment. The Metropolitan police are responsible for managing the traffic flows, reporting offences and attending incidents. There is efficient co-operation and co-ordination between these parties who regularly discuss all the issues associated with day-to-day management of this section of the trunk road network.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out schedules of expenditure relating to the annual maintenance and improvement, respectively, of the Blackwall tunnel and its immediate approaches which show the costs of recent and planned capital improvements, the annual costs of structural and highway maintenance, respectively, the estimated cost of police surveillance and contracts relating to the removal of vehicles, distinguishing between the liabilities of each public body concerned, and stating the actual or notional interest charges arising from major improvments, including that of the recently installed traffic control system.

  Mr. Freeman
  Through its agents the London borough of Greenwich and the traffic control systems unit, the Department has spent £5·5 million over the past three years on maintenance and capital improvements for the Blackwall tunnels. In addition £21 million is being spent over five years on refurbishing the northbound tunnel. The east London traffic control system was equipped by the Department at a cost of £3·4 million. I will write to the hon. member shortly with the more detailed information he has requested.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the function of the new central traffic control system for the Blackwall tunnel and its surrounding area, together with the functions it is capable of performing additional to those of the system that it replaces, and the future functions that it could perform without significant further capital expenditure.

  Mr. Freeman
  The new east London traffic control system provides for the operation of tidal flow in the Blackwall tunnels, emergency tunnel closures, and the operation of signals on the tunnel approaches. It is easier to operate, maintain and repair than the old system, and provides additionally for the detection of incidents, queues or slow moving traffic. The system is capable of controlling traffic management on all major roads and tunnels in the east London area with additional expenditure only on roadside equipment.

  London Docklands
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish(a)total expenditure on the docklands light railway, (b)total expenditure on all other new rail and bus transport projects directly related to docklands regeneration, (c)total expenditure on all road developments and improvements and (d)any other

  625
  expenditure by his Department to assist in London docklands regeneration showing revenue and capital separately for each year from 1981–82 to 1991–92 (estimated) and plans for 1992–93 to 1994–95.

  Mr. Freeman
  Expenditure on the docklands light railway is:

  £ million

  Investment

  Revenue

  1984–85

  33·1

  0

  1985–86

  33·0

  0

  1986–87

  16·2

  0

  1987–88

  60·6

  3·5

  1988–89

  51·4

  4·6

  1989–90

  93·1

  7·7

  1990–91

  139·0

  10·4

  1991–92

  1162·8

  115·0

  1992–93 to 1994–95 3 year total £115 million1

  1 Forecast.

  It is not possible to distinguish expenditure on docklands by London Buses Ltd. and London Underground Limited's core business from their expenditure on other parts of London. The table gives investment on the Jubilee line extension:

  £ million

  1990–91

  40

  1991–92

  1101

  1992–93

  1393

  1993–94

  1614

  1994–95

  1454

  1 Forecast

  British Rail plans to spend £20 million refurbishing Stratford by 1996 when the docklands light railway and Jubilee line extensions are expected to be open.

  The following schemes in the national road programme which serve the London docklands area have been completed or are expected to be under construction by 1994–95.

  A2 Rochester Way Relief Road

  A13 Improvements Tower Hamlets/Newham

  A13 Heathway to M25 Improvements

  A12 Hackney to M11 Link

  East London River Crossing

  A406 South Woodford-Barking Relief Road

  East London Traffic Control System

  Expenditure on those schemes is:

  £ million

  21987–88

  119

  1988–89

  11

  1989–90

  10

  1990–91

  15

  1991–92

  114

  1992–93

  150

  1993–94

  1170

  1994–95

  1310

  1 Forecast

  2 Up to

  The Department is also responsible for maintenance and minor improvements to trunk roads in this area, and for the operation of the Woolwich ferry. Expenditure is as follows. Detailed figures for years prior to 1987–88 are not readily available.
  626

  £ million

  1987–88

  3

  1988–89

  6

  1989–90

  11

  1990–91

  110

  1991–92

  19

  1992–93

  110

  1993–94

  110

  1994–95

  110

  1 Forecast.

  In addition, there is expenditure on refurbishment of the Blackwell tunnel as follows:

  £ million

  1991–92

  110

  1992–93

  17

  1993–94

  15

  1 Forecast.

  The Thames RiverBus service received a £500,000 grant in 1989–90 to promote and improve the service in recognition of its road decongestion and docklands regeneration benefits.

  Supplementary credit approvals totalling £200,000 were given in February to the London borough of Newham in respect of bus priority schemes. Further resources are being held for possible allocation to Tower Hamlets when details are provided of their firm proposals.

  Subsidies
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the total of revenue subsidy given to(a)London Underground, (b)London Buses, (c)Network SouthEast and (d)British Rail in each year from 1980–81 to 1994–95 (estimated), showing the financing sources for such subsidy in each year.

  Mr. Freeman
  Government grant is not paid separately to London Underground and London Buses. London Transport makes a claim for block grant each year on the basis of the external financing limit announced in the previous year's autumn statement. It is not possible, in advance of the claim, to apportion the grant for future years between revenue and capital. Over the next three years, Government grant to LT will be about £3·7 billion.

  Subsidy is paid by the Government to the British Railways Board in the form of the public service obligation grant under EC regulation 1191/69 and section 3 of the Railways Act 1974, which compensates BR for maintaining loss-making passenger services. Grant is paid as a total to the board and the Government do not formally allocate it between sectors or geographical areas. However, estimates on the split for future grant allocations are now produced by the Department of Transport. Previous figures for NSE have been produced by BR in its document "Network Factfile 1991". The table shows BR's and NSE's PSO grant and LT revenue grant.

  1990–91 prices (£000m)

  PSO grant

  PSO (NSE) grant

  LT revenue grant

  1980

  1,039

  n.a.

  4166

  1981

  1,231

  n.a.

  4135

  1982

  1,249

  1471

  4286

  1983

  1,250

  1359

  4257

  1984–85

  1,487

  1326

  208

  627

  PSO grant

  PSO (NSE) grant

  LT revenue grant

  1985–86

  1,085

  165

  166

  1986–87

  883

  1184

  85

  1987–88

  925

  1214

  56

  1988–89

  606

  1141

  44

  1989–90

  541

  192

  51

  1990–91

  600

  1153

  84

  31991–92

  850

  325

  5114

  31992–9 3

  900

  350

  —

  31993–94

  700

  275

  —

  31994–95

  500

  75

  —

  1 Source:NSE document "Network Factfile 1991".

  2 1984–85 was a 15-month period. The figure quoted is the 12-month equivalent.

  3 Estimates—source: Department of Transport Report 1992.

  4 LT was the responsibility of GLC in these years.

  5 Forecast outturn.

  Liverpool-London Air Service
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport is he will ensure that the landing slots made available in London through the withdrawal of British Midland Airways of its Liverpool-London service are allocated only to an airline providing a similar service.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  No. An airline is free to decide how to use the take-off and landing slots that it holds. It is a matter for British Midland's commercial judgment whether to use the slots on another route, or to return them to the airport co-ordinator for re-allocation.

  Coaches
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet representatives of London local authorities to raise the issue of improving coach parking facilities.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have already chaired a working group considering initiatives to improve tourist coach parking facilities for the 1992 season. Representatives from London boroughs have been members of this group. I am also chairing meetings with London Transport and some of the central London boroughs most affected by coach traffic to discuss coach terminal and off-street parking facilities. I hope that an announcement can be made shortly about measures to improve coach parking facilities in central London.

  Thames River Bus
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conditions for public funding for the Thames Riverbus service were set with respect to requirements for information to be available to help visitors at landing stages.

  Mr. Freeman
  None; but at the piers at which their vessels call, Riverbus provides a real-time passenger information system giving the expected time of arrival of the next service which is updated at minute intervals based on the position of vessels. Leaflets, posters and timetables are also provided.

PRIME MINISTER

  South Africa
  Mr. Caborn
  To ask the Prime Minister if he raised at the meeting with Mr. De Klerk on 1 February, the proposition of giving the white electorate a veto on any agreement reached at the Conference for Democratic South Africa or otherwise over the negotiating process.

  The Prime Minister
  For President de Klerk to continue with his reforms, he has to have the support of the whole electorate. I discussed these reforms with President de Klerk on 1 February. I believe that the path of reform on which South Africa has embarked under President de Klerk's leadership is the only course which will allow her reintegration into the international community and enable her to attract the investment she needs for economic growth. That economic growth is in the interest of all South Africans.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Parole
  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a prisoner's continued denial of his or her guilt is a factor taken into account in deciding whether or not to accept a recommendation by the Parole Board to grant parole.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  When my right hon. Friend considers Parole Board recommendations to release prisoners, his principal concern is the risk involved. Denial of guilt per se does not dictate the outcome of the decision.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recommendations of the Parole Board in each year since 1986 were(a)accepted, and (b)rejected in England and Wales.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The information requested is given in the table.

  Recommendations1 for the release of prisoners on parole or licence by the Parole Board: by the outcome of recommendation 1986–90

  Accepted

  Rejected

  1986

  3,651

  29

  1987

  3,636

  35

  1988

  3,811

  29

  1989

  4,688

  45

  1990

  3,282

  77

  1 Excluding release on licence of prisoners detained for a period other than life under section 53(2) Children and Young Persons Act 1933.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parole decisions were referred by the Parole Board to him in each year since 1986 in England and Wales.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The information requested is given in the table. Under the provisions of section 60(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 only recommendations for release on parole are referred to the Secretary of State by the Parole Board.
  629

  Recommendations for the release of determinate sentence prisoners on parole by the Parole Board: 1986–1990

  Recommended for parole by the Parole Board

  1986

  3,560

  1987

  3,524

  1988

  3,749

  1989

  4,614

  1990

  3,221

  Notifiable offences recorded by the police

  Metropolitan Police District (including City of London)

  12 months ending

  Total

  Violent crime

  Burglary

  Homicide1

  September 1981

  625,646

  29,256

  142,682

  173

  September 1982

  675,501

  31,436

  154,206

  184

  September 1983

  677,548

  33,187

  154,100

  161

  September 1984

  703,686

  34,640

  166,212

  181

  September 1985

  738,574

  38,003

  158,238

  170

  September 1986

  774,898

  41,432

  158,173

  186

  September 1987

  746,658

  42,780

  150,664

  210

  September 1988

  739,437

  48,658

  147,596

  164

  September 1989

  745,354

  53,042

  145,143

  172

  September 1990

  812,285

  57,421

  166,863

  182

  September 1991

  916,648

  64,644

  188,999

  181

  England and Wales

  September 1981

  2,895,403

  138,228

  700,714

  606

  September 1982

  3,174,843

  147,088

  774,109

  614

  September 1983

  3,252,585

  153,250

  810,582

  553

  September 1984

  3,418,609

  156,554

  868,561

  623

  September 1985

  3,587,206

  166,856

  874,380

  615

  September 1986

  3,793,368

  177,691

  915,582

  637

  September 1987

  3,891,364

  192,451

  914,078

  682

  September 1988

  3,788,107

  212,267

  841,127

  651

  September 1989

  3,778,544

  236,411

  804,402

  654

  September 1990

  4,326,357

  245,582

  944,996

  643

  September 1991

  5,135,595

  261,409

  1,169,713

  690

  1 Includes murder, manslaughter and infanticide.

  Mandatory Life Imprisonment
  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons sentenced to a mandatory term of life imprisonment have served(a)more than 10 years, (b)15 years or more, (c)20 years or more and (d)25 years or more, in each year since 1987 in England and Wales.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The readily available information is published annually in "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (Table 8.3 of the latest volume, for 1990, Cm. 1800), copies of which are in the Library.

  Applications1 2 received for asylum in the United Kingdom, by nationality: January to December 1991 and January 1992

  January 1991

  February 1991

  March 1991

  April 1991

  May 1991

  June 1991

  July 1991

  Europe and Americas

  Bulgaria

  15

  45

  40

  40

  55

  45

  30

  Colombia

  20

  15

  15

  10

  15

  —

  5

  Romania

  25

  65

  80

  50

  35

  25

  40

  Turkey

  370

  205

  180

  205

  145

  160

  205

  USSR

  10

  35

  10

  25

  25

  10

  10

  Others

  *

  5

  15

  15

  10

  25

  10

  TOTAL

  440

  370

  340

  350

  285

  260

  295

  Africa

  Angola

  420

  370

  600

  940

  530

  440

  520

  Congo

  30

  15

  30

  40

  —

  20

  20

  Crime Statistics
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish figures for(a)total recorded offences, (b)all violent crimes, (c) burglaries and (d)murders in (i) England and Wales and (ii) the Metropolitan police area, including the City of London, for each year from 1980–81 to 1991–92.

  Mr. John Patten
  The available information is given in the table:

  Aylum
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will publish a table showing the number of applications for asylum in the United Kingdom by country of origin of the applicants in 1991;

  (2) how many applications for asylum in the United Kingdom were received in each month in 1991; and how many were received in January 1992.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The information requested is given in the table.
  631

  January 1991

  February 1991

  March 1991

  April 1991

  May 1991

  June 1991

  July 1991

  Ethiopia

  245

  150

  130

  195

  195

  120

  165

  Ghana

  195

  225

  245

  330

  370

  230

  230

  Somalia

  240

  190

  170

  260

  190

  180

  160

  Sudan

  70

  40

  35

  40

  40

  35

  135

  Togo/Ivory Coast

  65

  50

  80

  200

  175

  50

  190

  Uganda

  305

  225

  275

  200

  80

  25

  55

  Zaire

  435

  375

  615

  1,150

  550

  520

  625

  Others

  20

  25

  155

  355

  270

  180

  360

  TOTAL

  2,020

  1,665

  2,330

  3,715

  2,395

  1,805

  2,460

  Middle East

  Iran

  65

  55

  35

  65

  35

  35

  35

  Iraq

  125

  75

  110

  70

  55

  25

  45

  Lebanon

  295

  145

  65

  40

  25

  15

  15

  Others

  —

  —

  25

  45

  30

  20

  40

  TOTAL

  485

  275

  235

  225

  145

  95

  135

  Asia

  China

  20

  50

  45

  60

  55

  40

  55

  India

  230

  185

  160

  165

  170

  175

  165

  Pakistan

  350

  255

  305

  320

  305

  290

  245

  Sri Lanka

  585

  450

  385

  355

  360

  275

  255

  Others

  —

  —

  85

  85

  90

  55

  115

  TOTAL

  1,185

  940

  980

  990

  975

  835

  830

  Other nationalities3

  240

  195

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  GRAND TOTAL

  4,370

  3,445

  3,885

  5,275

  3,805

  3,000

  3,725

  August 1991

  September 1991

  October 1991

  November 1991

  December 1991

  1991 Total

  January 1992

  Europe and Americas

  Bulgaria

  20

  30

  15

  20

  15

  375

  25

  Colombia

  10

  20

  5

  15

  15

  140

  30

  Romania

  65

  60

  30

  45

  35

  555

  35

  Turkey

  155

  145

  125

  125

  95

  2,110

  205

  USSR

  20

  25

  25

  20

  25

  245

  20

  Others

  25

  50

  70

  110

  110

  450

  130

  TOTAL

  295

  335

  275

  335

  300

  3,875

  440

  Africa

  Angola

  360

  360

  600

  465

  170

  5,780

  40

  Congo

  25

  70

  50

  65

  15

  370

  10

  Ethiopia

  110

  150

  115

  65

  45

  1,685

  65

  Ghana

  145

  145

  115

  105

  70

  2,405

  140

  Somalia

  140

  145

  135

  110

  80

  1,995

  125

  Sudan

  160

  155

  175

  150

  120

  1,150

  100

  Togo/Ivory Coast

  185

  185

  360

  315

  45

  1,910

  35

  Uganda

  15

  55

  65

  50

  90

  1,440

  15

  Zaire

  420

  555

  725

  625

  410

  7,010

  105

  Others

  345

  500

  745

  625

  155

  3,740

  95

  TOTAL

  1,900

  2,320

  3,090

  2,580

  1,205

  27,490

  730

  Middle East

  Iran

  35

  50

  35

  50

  35

  530

  50

  Iraq

  75

  55

  70

  110

  85

  915

  125

  Lebanon

  35

  20

  35

  30

  35

  755

  35

  Others

  30

  35

  50

  35

  30

  340

  40

  TOTAL

  175

  170

  190

  225

  180

  2,540

  250

  Asia

  China

  25

  50

  50

  35

  45

  525

  35

  India

  155

  160

  190

  135

  165

  2,045

  245

  Pakistan

  240

  235

  290

  210

  150

  3,195

  160

  Sri Lanka

  285

  205

  225

  235

  135

  3,750

  255

  Others

  265

  50

  65

  40

  35

  890

  55

  TOTAL

  970

  700

  815

  655

  530

  10,405

  745

  632 633

  August 1991

  September 1991

  October 1991

  November 1991

  December 1991

  1991 Total

  January 1992

  Other nationalities3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  435

  —

  GRAND TOTAL

  3,340

  3,525

  4,375

  3,790

  2,210

  44,745

  2,165

  1 Excluding dependants.

  2 Figures rounded to the nearest five, with * = less than three.

  3 Includes applications in January and February 1991 from nationalities not specifically identified above. From March 1991 these are included in the "other" category for the relevant geographical area.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce regulations to require magistrates to use the power to remit the community charge in full or in part for those people who cannot pay as determined by the means inquiry at committal stage.

  Mr. John Patten
  No.

  Dangerous Dogs
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been made under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Criminal statistics are compiled annually. None are yet available in respect of prosecutions under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 which came into force on 12 August last year.

  Immigration
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes he proposes to make to entry qualifications for settlement from Pakistan after April; whether he will still accept applications for settlement on the basis of marriage from that date; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has no plans to make any changes in the immigration rules relating to the admission of Pakistani nationals.

  Election Expenses
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he now expects to publish and bring into force an order on the variation of limits of candidates' election expenses.

  Revenue Expenditure1

  £ million

  Region

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  21990–91

  31991–92

  Greater London

  3,854

  4,111

  4,677

  5,000

  4,676

  5,128

  5,408

  5,553

  5,969

  6,467

  6,987

  South East (excluding GL)

  3,284

  3,541

  3,691

  3,768

  3,933

  4,201

  4,582

  5,162

  5,395

  6,245

  6,934

  South West

  1,425

  1,549

  1,595

  1,613

  1,683

  1,879

  2,047

  2,211

  2,397

  2,735

  3,008

  East Anglia

  593

  659

  675

  693

  720

  776

  839

  941

  1,034

  1,179

  1,306

  West Midlands

  1,894

  2,015

  2,126

  2,146

  2,243

  2,377

  2,675

  2,907

  3,112

  3,617

  3,974

  East Midlands

  1,303

  1,478

  1,523

  1,528

  1,577

  1,754

  1,943

  2,118

  2,203

  2,550

  2,802

  North West

  2,644

  2,836

  2,921

  2,954

  3,085

  3,427

  3,719

  3,984

  4,261

  4,695

  5,085

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  1,902

  2,146

  2,165

  2,181

  2,271

  2,561

  2,689

  2,897

  3,048

  3,411

  3,727

  North

  1,271

  1,402

  1,438

  1,429

  1,472

  1,657

  1,784

  1,895

  1,986

  2,243

  2,435

  Total

  18,171

  19,737

  20,809

  21,312

  21,661

  23,760

  25,686

  27,667

  29,404

  33,142

  36,256

  634
  Mrs. Rumbold
  The draft Representation of the People (Variation of limits of Candidates' Elections Expenses) Order 1992 was laid before Parliament on Friday 21 February, and will come into force following approval by both Houses. It will increase the permitted levels of candidates' expenses at parliamentary elections throughout the United Kingdom, and at local elections in Great Britain.

ENVIRONMENT

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the statutory provisions relating to the levying by local authorities of a poll tax non-payment surcharge; and what is the total national cost of the non-payment surcharges levied by local authorities in England and Wales for 1991–92.

  Mr. Key
  To comply with section 32 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, an authority must make adequate allowance for estimated non-collection when setting its charges.

  Before the £140 general reduction, local authorities had made provision for £600 million for non-collection in 1991–92 when setting their charges.

  Mr. Squire
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the total of local government(a)revenue and (b)capital expenditure by local government within each region, showing Greater London separately, for each year from 1978–79 to 1991–92 (estimated).

  Mr. Key
  The available information is as follows:
  635

  Capital expenditure4

  £ million

  Region

  1985–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  51990–91

  61991–92

  Greater London

  1,362

  1,433

  1,592

  2,593

  1,431

  1,369

  South East (excluding Greater London)

  1,147

  1,265

  1,648

  2,103

  1,450

  1,457

  South West

  429

  448

  543

  744

  578

  608

  East Anglia

  196

  205

  263

  364

  263

  275

  West Midlands

  585

  603

  705

  964

  703

  693

  East Midlands

  401

  415

  456

  586

  448

  491

  North West

  801

  846

  856

  1,098

  893

  910

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  514

  591

  695

  872

  644

  677

  North

  411

  417

  447

  497

  379

  410

  Total

  5,846

  6,224

  7,206

  9,822

  6,788

  6,891

  1 Total expenditure figures are given for 1981–82 to 1989–90. Net revenue expenditure both are net of specific and supplementary grants, direct comparisons cannot be made as they derive from two different systems.

  2 Revised estimate.

  3 Budget.

  4 1986–87 includes amounts charged direct to revenue or of her funds and not capitalised, and 1991–92 are not strictly comparable to earlier years owing to the introduction of Polytechnics were transferred out of local government from 1 April 1989.

  5 Provisional outturn.

  6 Local authority forecast.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money was paid to local authorities to cover the cost of the £140 reduction for poll tax bills.

  Mr. Portillo
  The sum of £4·374 billion of grant is being paid in 1991–92 under the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991. The sum of £4·346 billion of this had already been paid in respect of charge income forgone, and represents 90 per cent. of the amount due, based on local authorities' own initial estimates of charge income to be collected for the year. Further payments are to be made, with effect from 1992–93, to bring the total amount paid into line with the total income forgone on charges actually collected for the year. In addition, I estimate the £28 million will have been paid by the end of the financial year to reimburse authorities for rebilling and other administrative costs directly resulting from the Act.

  Council House Building
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Emvironment how many local authority permanent dwellings were started in Great Britain in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Yeo
  The latest information for 1980 and 1990 is published in table 6.1 of "Housing and Construction Statistics: Great Britain: 1980–1990". Figures for 1979 appear in the 1979–1989 edition of the same publication. Provisional figures for 1991 were released in a departmental information bulletin (No. 87) on 5 February 1992—local authorities account for virtually all the starts by local authorities, new towns and Government Departments in 1991. Copies are in the Library.

  Recycling
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assistance he has provided for the development of paper, plastics and glass recycling plants in the United Kingdom; and if he has any plans to develop additional recycling plants.

  Mr. Baldry
  Our preferred approach is for industry to come up with recycling initiatives that will stand the test of 636
  time in a free market. The Government's role is to provide the appropriate legal and economic framework to encourage recycling.

  The legal framework is set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990, certain provisions of which are designed to make recycling more attractive. The Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of the Environment have also commissioned a study of economic instruments having the potential to encourage higher recycling rates.

  Industry can seek funding for research and development through the environmental technology innovation scheme—ETIS—operated jointly by my Department and the Department of Trade and Industry, and the DEMOS —the Department of Trade and Industry's environmental management option scheme—and Euroenviron schemes, administered by the Department of Trade and Industry.

  Recent ETIS grants include £100,500 to British Glass and £835,100 to Anaplast Ltd. to support research into new methods of recycling waste glass and plastic respectively; under the DEMOS scheme, a grant of £283,000 was awarded to Drinkwater Saby Ltd. as part of a collaborative project involving the collection of recyclable household waste and its sorting into marketable fractions; and a grant of £700,000 under the Euroenviron scheme was given to a collaborative project, including a United Kingdom firm, Rosehill Polymers, which aims to research ways in which waste tyres and plastic bottles can be recycled into marketable higher grade products.

  Unified Business Rate
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the entitlement to hardship relief for the unified business rate; and in what ways its availability is made known to businesses.

  Mr. Key
  Section 49 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 gives a charging authority discretion to reduce or remit the payment of non-domestic rates. But an authority may not give relief unless it is satisfied that the ratepayer would otherwise sustain hardship and it is reasonable to do so having regard to the interests of its community charge payers. Guidance has been issued to all authorities
  637
  but it is for them to consider the merits of each case and how the availability of relief should be made known to businesses. Seventy-five per cent. of the cost of any relief granted will be borne centrally by the non-domestic rates pool with the remainder being met locally by charge payers.

  Redmire to Redcar Rail Link
  Mr. Snape
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations he has had about the environmental impact of the possible closure of the Redmire to Redcar rail link; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the transfer of traffic from rail to road is in accordance with his Department's environmental objectives.

  Mr. Yeo
  None. As my hon. Friend the Minister for Public Transport said in answer to the hon. Member today, British Steel has agreed to continue transporting limestone on the Redmire line until the end of September, and officials from his Department are to host discussions to explore the scope for keeping the limestone traffic on the line in the longer term.

  Planning Authorities (Development Policy)
  Mr. Walden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to encourage local planning authorities to make known a clear presumption against development in areas unsuitable for development, in order to deter repeated applications.

  Mr. Yeo
  Guidance on the preparation of development plans in PPG12, published on 10 February 1992, emphasises that such plans provide the framework for sound and effective development control. While they must make adequate provision for development, full account must also be taken of the need to protect the built and natural environments. Planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. An applicant who proposes development which is clearly in conflict with the development plan would need to produce convincing reasons to demonstrate why the plan should not prevail.

  Development plans will therefore give much greater certainty about what development will and will not be acceptable in particular locations. Coupled with local planning authorities' power, under section 17 of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991, to turn away certain categories of repetitive planning applications, the new development plan system should reduce considerably the incidence of repeated applications.

  London Docklands
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish(a)the total grant paid to the London Docklands development corporation (b)expenditure by his Department outside the LDDC area but directly related to docklands redevelopment in east London and (c) other expenditure by his Department on regeneration within the LDDC area showing revenue and capital separately for each year from 1981–82 to 1991–92 (estimated) and plans for 1992–93 to 1994–95.
  638
  Mr. Portillo
  (a) Total grant paid to the London Docklands development corporation (LDDC) from 1981–82 to 1991–92 is:

  Revenue £ million

  Capital £ (rounded)

  1981–82

  2

  28

  1982–83

  8

  33

  1983–84

  9

  54

  1984–85

  11

  48

  1985–86

  11

  43

  1986–87

  12

  53

  1987–88

  12

  71

  1988–89

  18

  98

  1989–90

  20

  236

  1990–91

  22

  311

  11991–92

  22

  227

  1 Estimated.

  The provisional allocation for 1992–93 is £21 million (revenue) and £81 million (capital).

  Levels of grant for 1993–94 and 1994–95 have not be determined.

  (b) My Department's inner-city programmes support various regeneration activities. Although it is not possible to quantify the value of schemes relating directly to docklands redevelopment, inner-city expenditure (capital and revenue) in the boroughs of Newham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets, is:

  £ million (rounded)

  1981–82

  2

  1982–83

  1

  1983–84

  3

  1984–85

  5

  1985–86

  4

  1986–87

  7

  1987–88

  8

  1988–89

  8

  1989–90

  9

  1990–91

  9

  11991–92

  13

  1 Estimated.

  The allocation for 1992–93 has not yet been finalised, and grant levels for 1993–94 and 1994–95 have not been determined.

  (c) I will write to the hon. Member with this information.

  Shelters, London
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of new provision of shelters and other accommodation for the roofless in Greater London in 1990, 1991, 1992, including the numbers of places made available at each location.

  Mr. Yeo
  Between 1990 and 1992 my Department has provided 489 places in 19 hostels and 779 places in winter shelters in Greater London under the rough sleepers initiative. We have also provided bedspaces in permanent independent accommodation for rough sleepers to move on to. A list of the places made available in 1990, 1991 and so far in 1992 states:
  639

  List of hostel places

  Managing Agency

  Hostel Name

  Beds

  Opening date

  St. Mungo Association

  Nevern Square, SW5

  20

  December 1990

  St. Mungo Association

  Bassett Road, W10

  22

  December 1990

  Providence Row

  Crispin Street, E1

  8

  January 1991

  Look Ahead HA

  Princess Beatrice House, SW10

  4

  February 1991

  St. Mungo Association

  City Road, EC1

  45

  February 1991

  English Churches Housing Group

  Station Hotel, N1

  33

  April 1991

  English Churches Housing Group

  King George Hostel, SW1

  100

  April 1991

  Centrepoint Soho

  Vauxhall Hostel, SW8

  60

  May 1991

  St. Mungo Association

  Vartry Road, N15

  19

  May 1991

  Providence Row

  Crispin Street, E1

  16

  June 1991

  English Churches Housing Group

  Chevening Road, NW6

  6

  June 1991

  English Churches Housing Group

  St. Mark's Rectory, NW1

  13

  July 1991

  De Paul Trust

  Moorhouse Road, W2

  16

  July 1991

  Shaftesbury Society

  Sir John Kirk Centre, SE5

  22

  July 1991

  Shaftesbury Society

  Lansdowne Centre, SE1

  22

  August 1991

  YMCA National Council

  10–12 West Cromwell Road, SW5

  34

  September 1991

  United Kingdom Housing Trust

  Arlington House, NW1

  7

  September 1991

  Shaftesbury Society

  Aldershot Road, NW6

  6

  October 1991

  De Paul Trust

  Lord Clyde, SE11

  36

  October 1991

  List of places in winter shelters

  Managing Agency

  Hostel Name

  Beds

  Opening date

  London Borough of Hammersmith

  Bulwer Street, W12

  30

  February 1991

  (closed September 1991)

  Salvation Army

  Blackfriars Road, SE1

  80

  February 1991

  (closed March 1991)

  London Borough of Lambeth

  Coronation Hall, SE1

  16

  February 1991

  (closed March 1991)

  Croydon YMCA

  Causton Hall, Croydon

  25

  February 1991

  (closed April 1991)

  Centrepoint Soho

  Soho Square, W1

  40

  February 1991

  (closed May 1991)

  St. Mungo's Association

  Paddington Green, W2

  75

  February 1991

  City of Westminster

  Bruce House, Kemble Street, WC2

  60

  February 1991

  The Passage

  Westminster Cathedral Night Shelter, SW1

  40

  February 1991

  Crisis

  Tooley Street, SE1

  60

  December 1991

  English Churches Housing Group

  Rame House, Tooting Bee, SW17

  25

  December 1991

  Croydon YMCA

  Causton Hall, Croydon

  25

  December 1991

  South London Family Housing Association

  Lawrie Park Road, SE26

  50

  December 1991

  St. Christopher's Fellowship

  Ealing Hospital, W5

  25

  December 1991

  London Borough of Camden

  Heysham House, NW3

  30

  December 1991

  Salvation Army

  St. Ann's Street, SW1

  20

  December 1991

  London Borough of Lambeth

  Cynthia Molsey House, SE11

  25

  January 1992

  London Borough of Camden

  Grays Inn Road, WC1

  35

  January 1992

  London Borough of Camden

  Parker Street, WC1

  18

  January 1992

  Centrepoint Soho

  Soho Square, W1

  45

  January 1992

  Single Homeless Project

  Abbey Centre, Marsham Street, SW1

  35

  February 1992

  Salvation Army

  Atlantic House, EC2

  20

  February 1992

  In addition, we have provided 522 places in flats and houses leased from the private sector.

  Homeless Statistics
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the total numbers of homeless individuals in(a) England, (b) Greater London, (c) outer London and (d) inner London in each year from 1980–81 to 1991–92.

  Mr. Yeo
  The available information is on the numbers of households for whom local authorities accepted responsibility for securing permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing 640
  (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 and the Housing Act 1985. Estimates of the total number of persons in these households are not available centrally.

  Year

  England

  Greater London

  Inner London1

  Outer London

  1980

  60,400

  17,100

  9,820

  7,280

  1981

  66,990

  18,010

  10,080

  7,930

  1982

  71,620

  20,630

  11,880

  8,750

  1983

  75,470

  23,620

  12,590

  11,030

  1984

  80,500

  24,740

  15,330

  9,410

  1985

  91,010

  27,070

  16,600

  10,470

  1986

  100,490

  29,380

  18,160

  11,220

  1987

  109,170

  29,220

  18,390

  10,380

  1988

  113,770

  28,880

  16,680

  12,200

  1989

  122,180

  33,020

  20,290

  12,730

  1990

  140,350

  36,480

  21,890

  14,590

  21991

  110,740

  29,310

  17,920

  11,390

  641

  1 Inner London comprises City of London, Camden, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and Westminster.

  2 First 3 quarters only

  A new reporting system was introduced for the non-metropolitan districts from the fourth quarter 1980 and for London and other metropolitan authorities from the third quarter 1982 and figures for 1980 to 1982 are not strictly comparable with those for later periods. From the second quarter 1991 the definition of acceptance was altered to exclude intentionally homeless and all earlier figures have been adjusted to the new basis.

  Gravel
  Sir Michael McNair-Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what forecasts for gravel demand have been made by his Department for the next five, 10 and 20 years; and what steps are being taken to seek substitutes which would have less environmental impact than gravel extraction.

  Sir George Young
  Independent forecasts of the long-term national demand for primary aggregates, which include gravel, were published for consultation by the Department in May 1991. These covered the 20-year period to 2011 and showed projected annual demand in England and Wales could reach between 421 metric tonnes and 490 metric tonnes by that time. The Government have a comprehensive programme of research projects examining alternative sources of supply of aggregates. This includes marine dredged aggregates and coastal superquarries. The Government are also committed to increasing the use of waste and recycled materials. Research into the scope for using these as aggregates was published by the Department in July 1991. The research suggested various ways to stimulate increased usage. These are being progressed at present.

  Leigh Barton
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment at the present level of four general craftsmen involved in repair work, when he expects the historic monument of Leigh Barton to be open to the general public; how much has been spent on restoration and renovation work since the monument was taken into public ownership in 1986; whether the funds are available to complete the necessary work; and if he will make a statement as to his policy on restoring historic monuments so that they can be safely open to the public.

  Mr. Yeo
  Since its acquisition in 1974, work to Leigh Barton has cost about £300,000. English Heritage expects to have to spend another £250,000 before the programme of work can be completed. It has not been possible for it to give the work the priority that it would wish because of other demands on its financial resources. The work is now expected to recommence in 1994–95 and continue into 1995–96, when English Heritage will review the future opening arrangements.

  English Heritage is committed to putting its estate into good repair, maintaining it and managing it efficiently for the benefit of the nation. The properties in care cover a wide variety of England's historic buildings and monuments. In some instances it is appropriate for English Heritage to consider an alternative use for its properties,
  642
  rather than maintain them solely for public access with a custodial presence. In the case of Leigh Barton, English Heritage is looking at a possible alternative use for the farmhouse which could generate an income and be compatible with some future public access.

  RENAVAL
  Sir Robin Maxwell-Hyslop
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the statement on 17 February,Official Report, column 27, and the answer by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, on 24 February, Official Report, column 380, when he will issue the necessary instructions to enable the RENAVAL programme in Plymouth to commence.

  Sir George Young
  The RENAVAL programme for the travel-to-work area of Plymouth was approved by the European Commission on 20 December 1900. The inaugural meeting of the programme co-ordinating committee was held on 21 March 1991. Some European regional development fund payments have already been authorised in respect of the programme.

  UN Environment Programme
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte report on the efficiency of the United Nations environment programme with regard to the United Kingdom's donations to UNEP.

  Mr. Heseltine
  My Department already has a copy of this report.

  EC Funding
  Mr. Enright
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether those local authorities in areas eligible to receive European regional development fund assistance will enjoy an increase in their captial allocations to enable utilisation of European regional development fund allocations without a reduction in the proportion of supplementary credit allocation not available to match European regional development fund grant, but used to support housing, education, personal and social services and transport schemes.

  Mr. Yeo
  I refer the hon. Member to the statement made in the House on 17 February by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in which he indicated that future public expenditure plans would show forecast ERDF receipts separately and this would demonstrate that public expenditure cover would be clearly available for such receipts. The detailed arrangements for this are still the subject of dicussion amongst the relevant Government Departments.

  Rose Theatre
  Mr. Irvine
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give further consideration to including the site of the Rose theatre remains in Southwark in his schedule of ancient monuments.

  Mr. Yeo
  I am pleased to announce that, following a joint request by CMD Property Developments Ltd. and BriTel Fund Trustees Ltd. and consultation with English Heritage, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has
  643
  today included the site of the Rose theatre remains in his schedule of ancient monuments. Development of the Rose Court building which includes the provision of sufficient headroom over the remains to allow for their possible future display, is complete. Scheduling at this time will ensure that any proposals for works to the monument, including works in connection with its long term preservation and possible display, would be fully considered through the statutory scheduled monument consent procedures.

  "This Common Inheritance"
  Mr. Ken Hargreaves
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has completed the consultation on the policy of banning or discouraging all uses of asbestos as set out in the Government's White Paper, "This Common Inheritance—The First Year Report"; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  In September 1991 it was announced in the White Paper "This Common Inheritance—The First Year Report" that the Government were consulting on"a policy of banning or discouraging all uses of asbestos, expect for a number of existing uses were detailed risk assessment has shown that suitable substitutes are either not available or do not offer a materially better option in safety or other terms".
  Subsequently, the European Commission announced that it would propose a draft directive, to ban remaining types of asbestos, with exemptions for some uses of chrysotile (white asbestos).

  Consultations on the proposed policy and the expected directive have involved the Department of Trade and Industry, the Health and Safety Executive, the Department of the Environment's advisory committee on hazardous substances, the Confederation of British Industry and the asbestos industry. The consultation is now complete.

  In negotiating the expected draft directive, the Government's policy will be that remaining uses of asbestos should be limited to essential cases where less hazardous substitutes are not yet available, based on assessment of risks and costs during production, use and disposal. The Government's aim is to see this policy introduced Community-wide, as part of their strategy to assess, and where possible reduce, the potential health and environmental impacts of hazardous substances.

  The existing legislation, which prohibits the most dangerous types and uses of asbestos and controls work activities involving asbestos and disposal of asbestos, will remain. There will be no requirement to remove and dispose of asbestos materials already in place, such as in buildings (for example as insulation), in cars (for example, as brake pads) or in industrial situations (for example, as seals or gaskets). The Government advise that asbestos materials in poor condition should be removed, but that materials in good condition should remain in place. Further detailed advice is available in the Department of the Environment's booklet "Asbestos Materials in Buildings" which is available from HMSO.

  Fuel and Power Industry Processes
  Mr. Couchman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, when the remainder of the process guidance notes for the fuel and power industry processes prescribed under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 will be available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  [pursuant to his reply, 4 February 1992, c. 137]: I am very pleased to report that we have today issued 26 more guidance notes covering almost all the remaining processes which are to be prescribed for local authority air pollution control under the Act from 1 April. These notes have been drawn up after consultation with relevant industries, local authorities and other interested bodies. They will provide a sound framework within which local authorities will be able to exercise their new air pollution control functions.

  A set of notes will be placed in the Library of the House. The notes are also being sent to district and borough councils and to port health authorities.

  These notes substantially complete the guidance for the processes prescribed for local authority control under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. All the published notes will, however, be reviewed regularly, and additional or amended notes will be issued if and when the need arises.

  Renewable Energy Sources
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to publish a policy planning guidance note for the development of renewable energy sources.

  Mr. Yeo
  A consultation paper inviting comments on a draft planning policy guidance note (PPG) on this topic was issued by my Department on 5 December. Separate but parallel consultation is being carried out by the Welsh Office. My right hon. Friends intend to publish this PPG later this year.

  New Parliamentary Building
  Mr. Cormack
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a progress report on the design of the new parliamentary building; and what arrangements are being made to show the proposals to hon. Members.

  Mr. Heseltine
  I have kept in close touch with the development of the design of the new building, including making a number of visits to the offices of the architect Michael Hopkins and Partners to see the work at first hand. The design is making good progress, has received a favourable response from the Royal Fine Art Commission, and the informal consultations with Westminster city council and English Heritage are progressing well prior to making a submission for planning consent under DOE circular 18/84. The work is on target for completion of the final sketch design stage by Easter 1992 and I am confident that the design will develop to provide a building which, as the Services Committee said:"should come to be regarded world wide as an example of the very finest late twentieth century British architecture".

  My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House has announced that there will be a debate on the design

  645
  proposals on Monday 9 March. I understand that, to enable right hon. and hon. Members to form their own view on the proposals, the Accommodation and Works Committee has arranged for the model of the building together with plans, perspectives and elevations to be exhibited in Westminster Hall for two weeks from 2 March. A brochure describing the scheme is also being sent to all right hon. and hon. Members.

EMPLOYMENT

  Social Fund (Vocational Training)
  Ms. Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether unemployed claimants who are receiving unemployment benefit who participate in European social fund vocational training courses provided either by(a) voluntary organisations or local authorities, or (b) training and enterprise councils or local enterprise companies, are required to be available for and actively seeking employment.

  Mr. Jackson
  Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service executive agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.

  Industrial Relations
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a list of those who responded to the Green Paper, "Industrial Relations in the 1990s".

  Mr. Forth
  As with all previous Green Papers on this subject, the responses to "Industrial Relations in the 1990s" have been treated as confidential unless the organisations concerned have made their views public. This applies both to the content of particular representations and to the identification of their source. At the request of the hon. Member for Sedgefield, my Department has written to all those who responded to the latest Green Paper to ask if they would he willing to be identified.

  Wages Council
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the current wages councils and the numbers of(a) workers and (b) establishments covered by each council.

  Mr. Forth
  The latest information available is given in the table:

  Numbers of Establishments covered by wages councils in January 1990 and estimated numbers of workers covered in 1988

  Wages Councils

  Establishments

  Workers

  Aerated Waters

  264

  5,500

  Boot and Shoe Repairing

  2,970

  5,000

  Button Manufacturing

  49

  1,000

  Clothing Manufacturing

  6,513

  147,000

  Coffin Furniture and Cerement Making

  21

  200

  Cotton Waste Reclamation

  25

  300

  Flax and Hemp

  10

  500

  Fur

  187

  1,500

  General Waste Materials Reclamation

  1,443

  13,000

  646

  Wages Councils

  Establishments

  Workers

  Hairdressing

  33,941

  64,000

  Hat, Cap and Millinery

  124

  4,000

  Lace Finishing

  62

  900

  Laundry

  1,067

  26,000

  Licensed non-Residential Establishments

  67,734

  492,000

  Licensed Residential Establishments and Licensed Restaurants

  34,758

  379,000

  Linen and Cotton Handkerchief and Household Goods and Linen Piece Goods

  138

  2,500

  Made-Up Textiles

  289

  3,000

  Ostrich and Fancy Feather and Artificial Flower

  36

  500

  Perambulator and Invalid Carriage

  30

  2,000

  Retail Bespoke Tailoring

  481

  4,000

  Retail Food and Allied Trades

  111,029

  465,000

  Retail Trades (Non-Food)

  114,741

  745,000

  Rope Twine and Net

  91

  2,500

  Sack and Bag

  63

  1,000

  Toy Manufacturing

  218

  11,000

  Unlicensed Place of Refreshment

  18,897

  96,000

  Total

  395,181

  2,472,400

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the total number of employees in employment within(a) the south-east region, (b) Greater London, (c) outer London, (d) inner London and (e) each London borough in each year from 1980 to 1990.

  Mr. Jackson
  Information for areas smaller than the standard economic regions is only available from the censuses of employment for 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1989. The available information can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the total number of registered unemployed people there were in(a) the south-east region, (b) Greater London, (c) outer London, (d) inner London and (e) each London borough in each year from 1980 to 1990.

  Mr. Jackson
  The numbers of people claiming unemployment related benefits can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.

  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently in work in(a) the east midlands and (b) Derbyshire; and how many people were in work in these areas in 1979.

  Mr. Forth
  Estimates for areas within standard regions are available only from the census of employment. The earliest and most recent estimates for the county on a comparable basis are for 1981 and 1989. These are given in the table together with estimates for the region in 1979, 1991 and the two census dates.
  647

  Employees in employment

  (Thousandds)

  September of each year

  East Midlands

  Derbyshire

  1979

  1,565·4

  —

  1981

  1,466·5

  334·9

  1989

  1,573·6

  353·3

  1991

  1,520·7

  —

  Trade Unions
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received about the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians' conduct of its affairs; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment has received no such representations. However, deficiencies in the register of members of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians have been widely reported. These include the listing of people who are not union members. The Government intend to introduce legislation to strengthen the rights of union members against electoral fraud arising from such deficiencies in trade union registers.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 25 February,Official Report, column 457, what representations he has received about the conduct of the elections for (a) officials and (b) other bodies of the former National Union of Seamen in 1984, 1985 and 1986; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment has received no representations about any of the elections mentioned. Statutory requirements covering elections for members of trade unions' principal executive committees first came into effect in October 1985. The current requirements, together with the additional proposals in the Green Paper "Industrial Relations in the 1990s" (Cm. 1602), are intended to ensure that the basic right of union members to free and fair elections is effectively protected.

  Small Businesses
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received calling for legislation to help alleviate the problems caused to small businesses by the slow payment of bills; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment and I have both received representations for legislation from individual small business owners and managers, trade and other associations and from hon. Members. Although I understand the frustrations felt by small businesses because of delayed payments I remain to be convinced that legislation would be effective. The majority of organisations representing small firms share the Government's view that the effect of a legislative approach would be, at best, minimal and could even be damaging to the small firms sector. I have made it known, however, that I would be interested to receive views on how an effective legislative framework might operate.
  648
  My Department will continue to address late payment through a strategy of persuasion and education and, in addition to a number of measures already in place. I am keeping the issue under close review.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Homelessness
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what discussions he has had with local authorities regarding the provision of hostels for the homeless to match the reduction of resettlement units; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The management of the Ressettlement Agency and day-to-day negotiations with local authorities and voluntary bodies are matters for Mr. Tony Ward, the chief executive, although no unit is closed unless Ministers are satisfied with replacement proposals. He will write to my hon. Friend and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

  Claimants, Leeds
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will show for each year from 1987 to 1991 the number of people in the Leeds metropolitan district who claimed(a) family credit, (b) income support and (c) community charge benefit both (i) in total and (ii) by benefit office.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The administration of benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in the Leeds metropolitan district(a) applied for social fund, (i) community care grants, (ii) budgeting loans and (iii) crisis loans and (b) received community care grants, budgeting loans and crisis loans, shown (1) numerically and (2) in real cash terms every year from 1987 to 1991, shown both in totals and by benefit office.

  Mr. Scott
  The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

  Income Support
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will obtain for his departmental library, a copy of the research undertaken by Sean Stitt of Newcastle polytechnic into the viability of income support; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Department received a copy of this last year. We are always interested in research which might bear upon the effectiveness of income support, although we would not accept the assumptions made in this report.

  Pensions Uprating
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would have been the cost in each year to public funds at 1992 prices to have maintained since November 1980 the system by which statutory up-rating of pensions was required to increase by whichever was the higher of prices or earnings.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The annual cost to the national insurance fund (at 1991–92 prices at £ millions) of uprating basic retirement pensions each year by prices or earnings whichever was higher in each year starting in November 1980 for each financial year is given in the table:

  Financial Year

  Cost £ millions

  1980–81

  127

  1981–82

  552

  1982–83

  747

  1983–84

  833

  1984–85

  1,509

  1985–86

  1,679

  1986–87

  2,581

  1987–88

  3,769

  1988–89

  4,571

  1989–90

  5,430

  1990–91

  5,884

  1991–92

  6,271

  There would be some offsetting savings in expenditure on income-related benefits.

  The cost to the national insurance fund of these extra costs in 1991–92 would mean an increase of £8.70 per week in the combined national insurance contributions of a man on average earnings and his employer.

  Expenditure
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what change there has been in social security spending since 1978–79; and what change is expected for the future.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Total expenditure on social security increased by 52 per cent. or £23 billion in real terms between 1978–79 and 1991–92. Between 1991–92 and 1994–95, expenditure is expected to grow by £6.4 billion at 1991–92 prices. Of the overall increase, 32 per cent. relates to expenditure on benefits for elderly people, 39 per cent. on benefits for long-term sick and disabled people, and 13 per cent. on benefits for lone parent families. The figures given above for past growth, and for the division on future growth between client groups correct those given in the DSS departmental report (Cm. 1914).

  National Insurance Contributions
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing for each year since 1970 the number of males and females paying national insurance contributions and the amount collected in contributions as a percentage of gross domestic product to one place of decimals together with(a) the number earning more than the upper earnings limit, the amount earned by such males and females, and their aggregate incomes as a percentage of the amount by those paying national insurance and (b) the amount earned above the upper earnings limit as a proportion of the amount earned below it.
  650
  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 19 February 1992]: The information requested is in the tables:

  Numbers of people1 paying contributions (thousands)

  Amount collected in contributions as a percentage of GDP2

  Males

  Females

  1970–71

  —

  —

  4·6

  1971–72

  —

  —

  4·6

  1972–73

  —

  —

  4·7

  1973–74

  —

  —

  5·0

  1974–75

  —

  —

  5·3

  1975–76

  15,829

  9,265

  5·7

  1976–77

  15,722

  9,189

  6·2

  1977–78

  15,714

  9,273

  6·0

  1978–79

  15,654

  9,279

  5·5

  1979–80

  15,775

  9,533

  5·6

  1980–81

  15,256

  9,148

  6·2

  1981–82

  14,478

  8,793

  6·4

  1982–83

  14,166

  8,664

  6·8

  1983–84

  14,315

  8,692

  7·0

  1984–85

  14,243

  8,860

  6·7

  1985–86

  14,364

  9,170

  6·7

  1986–87

  14,369

  9,308

  6·5

  1987–88

  14,465

  9,633

  6·4

  1988–89

  14,670

  10,096

  6·5

  1 Source: 1 per cent. sample from Contributors and Contributions Statistics. Although some people pay a mixture of different types of contributions, each person is counted only once in the table. No figures are readily available for years prior to 1975 and are not yet available from 1989–90.

  2 All GDP data used are consistent with the Regional Accounts article published in Economic Trends November 1991. The contributions figures used in the calculations are the gross receipts for the NI fund which are set out in the NI fund accounts for each year.

  (a) It is estimated that in 1991–92 on average 2·6 million men and 0·4 million women earn more than the upper earnings limit. Their earnings are estimated to be:

  £ billion

  Men

  Women

  Total

  80

  10

  90

  Their total earnings are expected to be about 34 per cent. of the earnings of all those who pay national insurance.

  (b) It is estimated that the amount of all earnings above the upper earnings limit is about 11·5 per cent. of all the earnings below that limit.

  Information for earlier years is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Domestic Rates
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what will be the level of relief for domestic rates in Northern Ireland in consequence of the application of the poll tax in Great Britain in the current year: and if he will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The statutory rule which will give effect to the 1992–93 regional rate for Northern Ireland and to the reduction for domestic ratepayers will be laid before Parliament in early March, in accordance with the normal timetable.

  Departmental Staff
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number of employees in his Department; and how many are(a) black and (b) disabled.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  On 30 November 1991 there were 29,860 people in the non-industrial grades of the Northern Ireland civil service and 213 members of the home civil service working in the Northern Ireland Office.

  There were 1,284 staff in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (4·3 per cent. of the service) who self-reported a disability. Of these, 431 (1·4 per cent. of the service) were, or had been, registered as disabled. In addition, 35 registered disabled people were working in the Northern Ireland civil service under the sheltered placement scheme. There were no registered disabled staff in the Northern Ireland Office.

  The Race Relations Act 1976 does not apply to Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland civil service does not, therefore, monitor the ethnic origin of staff. The 109 London-based staff of the Northern Ireland Office have, however, been invited to take part in an ethnic monitoring survey and, of those who responded, 14 described themselves as belonging to an ethnic minority.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Mortgage Possession Orders
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 21 February,Official Report, columns 321–22, for what reason the number of mortgage possession orders made in Coventry court in 1991 exceeded the number of actions entered.

  The Attorney-General
  A greater number of orders made over actions entered is not necessarily an indication of error, since some of the orders will relate to actions entered during the previous year. However, the figures given in my answer to the hon. Member on 21 February were provisional and stated to be so. On checking the figures again, it has been established that the data given for orders made erroneously included rent actions. The figures have now been revised and the total number of actions entered and orders made, whilst still provisional, should now read 1,256 and 1,202 respectively.

  Departmental Staff
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will publish a table showing the number of(a) men and (b) women (x) in his Department and (y) in the Lord Chancellor's Department in each of grades (i) 1, (ii) 2, (iii) 3, (iv) 4, (v) 5, (vi) 6, (vii) 7, (viii) SEO, (ix) HEO, (x) administrative trainee, (xi) EO, (xii) CO and (xiii) CA.

  The Attorney-General
  The information requested is set out in the tables.

  (X) Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers

  (a) Men

  (b) Women

  Grade 1

  —

  —

  2

  —

  —

  3

  —

  1

  4

  2

  —

  5

  3

  —

  652

  (a) Men

  (b) Women

  6

  2

  1

  7

  —

  1

  SEO

  —

  —

  HEO

  1

  —

  Administration trainee

  —

  —

  EO

  2

  —

  AO

  1

  1

  AA

  —

  1

  (X) Treasury Solicitor's Department

  (a) Men

  (b) Women

  Grade 1

  1

  —

  2

  1

  —

  3

  9

  —

  4

  2

  —

  5

  35

  7

  6

  50

  11

  7

  59

  29

  SEO

  8

  3

  HEO

  22

  9

  Administration trainee

  —

  —

  EO

  27

  40

  AO

  26

  41

  AA

  4

  4

  (X) Crown Prosecution Service

  Grade

  (a) Men

  (b) Women

  1

  —

  —

  2

  —

  1

  3

  5

  —

  4

  9

  —

  5

  55

  2

  6

  165

  23

  7

  27

  5

  SEO

  84

  32

  HEO

  127

  174

  Administration trainee

  —

  —

  EO

  362

  809

  AO

  334

  954

  AA

  124

  312

  (X) Serious Fraud Office

  Grade

  (a) Men

  (b) Women

  1

  —

  —

  2

  —

  1

  3

  1

  —

  4

  —

  —

  5

  7

  1

  6

  7

  4

  7

  7

  1

  SEO

  7

  1

  HEO

  14

  5

  Administration trainee

  —

  —

  EO

  7

  11

  AO

  9

  13

  AA

  —

  —

  (Y) Lord Chancellor's Department

  Grade

  (a) Men

  (b) Women

  1

  1

  —

  2

  2

  —

  3

  11

  —

  4

  5

  —

  5

  27

  2

  6

  55·5

  19·5

  7

  123

  42·5

  SEO

  225

  85

  HEO

  522

  417·5

  653

  Grade

  (a) Men

  (b) Women

  AT/HEOD

  5

  4

  EO

  556·5

  1,185·5

  AO

  9,655

  2.949

  AA

  195

  511·5

  (A) The figures are based on full-time equivalents, ie part-time staff count as ·5.

  (B) Figures for grades 6 and 7 include figures for grade equivalents.

  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Attorney-General what is the total number of employees in(a) the Lord Chancellor's Department and (b) his Department; and how many are (i) black and (ii) disabled.

  The Attorney-General
  The total number of staff in(a) the Lord Chancellor's Department is 11,923. The total numbers of staff in my Departments (b) are:

  Department

  Numbers

  Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers

  23

  Treasury Solicitor's Department

  474

  Crown Prosecution Service

  5,758

  Serious Fraud Office

  129

  In the Lord Chancellor's Department 8,674 staff responded to an ethnic origin survey, and of these 622 were black or belonged to other ethnic minorities. As at 1 June 1991 the Lord Chacellor's Department had 171 staff who are registered as disabled.

  In the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers there are no black or registered disabled staff. In the Treasury Solicitor's Department there are 80 staff who are black or belong to other ethnic minorities. The Treasury Solicitor's Department had four members of staff who are registered as disabled.

  In the Crown prosecution service, 4,012 staff responded to an ethnic origin survey, and of these 248 were black or belonged to other ethnic minorities. As at 31 August 1991 the Crown prosecution service had 40 staff who are registered as disabled.

  The Serious Fraud Office has 17 staff who are black or belong to other ethnic minorities, but no employees who are registered as disabled.

  Stefan Kiszko
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Attorney-General why the results of the sperm test on Stefan Kiszko carried out by Dr. Edward Tierney were not disclosed to the defence at the time of his trial.

  The Attorney-General
  The sample of semen obtained by Dr. Tierney from Stefan Kiszko was submitted to the forensic science laboratory for examination. The Director of Public Prosecutions was provided with a witness statement made by the scientist concerned with the test and that statement was served as part of the committal document. The statement concluded withh an assertion that the maker had"found nothing else of evidential value"
  and the Director of Public Prosecutions relied upon that assertion. So far as can be ascertained from the DPP's case file, no information was received by his staff to put them on notice that further material evidence was in fact available. The conduct of the original inquiry is currently under investigation by the Lancashire police.

SCOTLAND

  Ambulance Services
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give, for the Scottish Ambulance Service, Greater Glasgow area, the success rate in percentage terms of achieving its ORCON standards for(a) reaction to a 999 call and (b) reaching the site.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The current rates of achievement for the Greater Glasgow area are:

  Emergency calls

  Percentage of calls

  Activation time

  83 per cent. of calls within three minutes

  Reaching scene

  81 per cent. of calls within 14 minutes

  The target for such calls is 95 per cent. and I have asked the general manager of the Scottish Ambulance Service to review the situation. In addition I am making an extra £250,000 available to the ambulance service in Glasgow specifically to help improve the success rate in response times.

  European Community Food Surpluses
  Mr. Andrew Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the procedures for distributing EC food surpluses to voluntary organisations in Scotland; and what action is being taken to ensure that such voluntary organisations are made fully aware of the availability of EC surplus food and are encouraged to assist in its distribution to those most in need.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  In reply to a question from the right hon. Member for Selby (Mr. Alison), my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food announced on 26 February,Official Report, column 507–8, the arrangements for operating the European Community surplus food scheme in the United Kingdom in 1992. Agriculture departments will shortly be inviting charitable and other non-profit making organisations wishing to take part to apply by 10 April for designation to distribute food. The details were set out in a joint agriculture departments press release. In addition to that publicity, the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department will be writing to all bodies participating in the 1991 scheme or which have expressed an interest in the 1992 scheme.

  Speech Therapy
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what level of resources have been allocated for speech therapy for children in Scotland with a formal statement of needs; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 26 February 1992]: General responsibility for the speech therapy needs of children in Scotland rests with health boards. Financial provision is made within the overall moneys made available to support their programmes, but the element devoted to speech therapy provision is not separately identified.

  Additionally, education authorities have a responsibility to provide for speech therapy which is identified as a special educational need in a record of needs. Under new arrangements, which will begin on 1 April 1992, education authorities will contract directly with health boards for the

  655
  provision of this service. The sum of £2 million has been included in the 1992–93 local government settlement to take account of the additional expenditure authorities will incur.

WALES

  Home Ownership Schemes
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many properties have been removed from the public sector via shared ownership schemes by each local authority in Wales in each year since 1988.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  Since 1988, one dwelling has been sold to the private sector under section 143 of the Housing Act 1985. This occurred in Alyn and Deeside in 1990.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Squire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the proportion of local authority revenue expenditure in Wales financed by(a) Government grant, (b) non-domestic rates and (c) local domestic taxation in each year from 1978–79 to 1990–91 and estimates for 1991–92 and 1992–93.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  The information available is given in the table. Prior to 1981–82 there was no separate rate support grant system for Wales and so figures are not available.

  Financing of local authority revenue expenditure1

  per cent.

  Government grants2

  Non-domestic rates3

  Domestic rates/community charges4

  1981–82

  71

  19

  12

  1982–83

  71

  18

  13

  1983–84

  71

  17

  11

  1984–85

  71

  17

  11

  1985–86

  70

  18

  12

  1986–87

  69

  19

  13

  1987–88

  69

  19

  13

  1988–89

  67

  19

  14

  1989–90

  65

  19

  15

  1990–915

  62

  20

  17

  1991–925

  72

  21

  6

  1992–936

  72

  21

  7

  1 The percentages do not add to 100 per cent. for technical reasons; these include rounding and authorities' use of balances. Local authority revenue expenditure is defined here (i) prior to 1990–91 as "relevant" expenditure plus expenditure on certain non-relevant items such as net expenditure on mandatory student awards (ii) for 1990–91 onwards as revenue expenditure "on a Total Standard Spending basis".

  2 Prior to 1990–91 comprises rate support grant, specific and supplementary grants within aggregate Exchequer grant, domestic

  Building for sale

  Building under licence

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  19901

  1991

  Alyn and Deeside

  —

  —

  —

  22

  —

  —

  South Pembrokeshire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  18

  —

  Cardiff

  —

  —

  —

  —

  7

  —

  Source: Welsh Office housing returns.

  1 Data for the last two quarters.

  656

  2 rate relief grant and rate rebate grants. For 1990–91 onwards comprises revenue support grant, specific and supplementary grants within aggregate external finance, community charge benefit grant, transitional relief/community/charge reduction scheme grants and community charge grant (1991–92).

  3 Prior to 1990–91 rate income, net of rebates. For 1990–91 onwards the distributable amount.

  4 Prior to 1990–91 rate income, net of domestic rate relief grant and rate rebates. For 1990–91 onwards net of community charge benefit grant, transitional relief/community charge reduction scheme grants and community charge grant (1991–92).

  5 Provisional.

  6 1992–93 settlement.

  Mr. Squire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the total of local government(a) revenue and (b) capital expenditure by local government within Wales for each year from 1978–79 to 1991–92 (estimated).

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  The information available is given in the table. Revenue expenditure figures are not available on a comparable basis prior to 1981–82.

  £ million

  Revenue expenditure1

  Capital expenditure2

  1978–79

  n/a

  201·7

  1979–80

  n/a

  241·8

  1980–81

  n/a

  271·4

  1981–82

  1,117·1

  244·4

  1982–83

  1,2072

  344·9

  1983–84

  1,267·3

  413·9

  1984–85

  1,304·0

  358·4

  1985–86

  1,352·8

  3432

  1986–87

  1,463·1

  413·7

  1987–88

  1,567·0

  499·1

  1988–89

  1,711·6

  510·4

  1989–90

  1,847·4

  644·9

  1990–913

  2,086·1

  584·3

  1991–923

  2,324·1

  648·6

  1 Prior to 1990–91 total expenditure for block grant purposes; for 1990–91 onwards new net revenue expenditure including community council expenditure. Whilst these two definitions are similar (for example, both are net of specific and supplementary grants) they are not directly comparable.

  2 Capital expenditure charged to the capital account

  3 Provisional.

  Building Schemes
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many properties have been developed under(a) building for sale schemes and (b) building under licence schemes in each local authority area in Wales in each year since 1988.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  Information on dwellings built by local authorities for sale is collected at the time of sale. Numbers of dwellings built under licence relate to those intended to be built at the time of disposal of land to the private developer and have been collected centrally only since the third quarter of 1990. Recorded activity since 1988 is given in the table:

  Health Service Staff
  Mr. Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of people employed by the NHS in Wales on a full-time and part-time basis.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  The latest available data, as at 30 September 1990 for medical and dental staff and 31 January 1992 for non-medical and dental staff, show that there were 72,146 staff employed by the NHS in Wales—including the Welsh Health Commons Services Authority but excluding staff in Gwent and South Glamorgan family health services authorities which are not on the payroll system for which this information is derived—this amounted to 117 staff as at 31 December 1991—the full and part time split is not held centrally. Of these 44,547 were full time and 27,599 were part time.

  Welsh Language Teachers
  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Welsh language teachers there were in each county in the Welsh education system in the years 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Due to the organisation of the curriculum in primary schools, teachers of the Welsh language cannot be separately identified. The number of Welsh language teachers in secondary schools is available only from the 1989 secondary school staffing survey and relates to that year. The information is given in the table.

  Number of teachers teaching the Welsh language in secondary schools in 19891

  Welsh language teachers

  Clwyd

  134

  Dyfed

  178

  Gwent

  16

  Gwynedd

  199

  Mid Glamorgan

  153

  Powys

  54

  South Glamorgan

  76

  West Glamorgan

  105

  Wales

  915

  1 Source: Secondary school staffing survey, March 1989.

HEALTH

  Dentists
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement explaining the circumstances in which dentists have been advised that their payments are to be reduced by 13 per cent.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to vary the national health service fees paid to general dental practitioners; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The proposed increase in target net income of 8·5 per cent. which was recommended by the Doctors and Dentists Remuneration Review Body was accepted by the Government. To ensure that the level at which fees are pitched in the coming year will deliver this proposed increase in dentists' net income, the health departments 658
  consulted the British Dental Association (BDA). Because of evidence of overpayments resulting from this year's level of fees, which suggest that on average dentists would be paid far more than the intended target gross income, the Government suggested an interim fee reduction from 1 April. Following discussions with the BDA and the health departments agreement was reached to suspend the reduction in fees proposed for 1 April. The health departments and the BDA will also hold a joint enquiry to review the level of payments to dentists in 1991–92; simultaneously, they will begin a more fundamental review of the structure of dentists' remuneration.

  Health Service Staff
  Mr. Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of people employed by the NHS in England on a full-time and part-time basis.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  At 30 September 1990, the latest date for which figures are held centrally, there were 585,300 full-time employees and 358,700 part-time employees.

  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the increase of staff in district health authorities since April 1989.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Figures at April 1989 are not available. The increase between September 1989 and September 1990, the latest date for which figures are held centrally, was 900 whole-time equivalents (0·1 per cent.). Over the same period there was an overall decrease of 200 whole-time equivalents in the NHS.

  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost of the campaign to recruit nurses in each of the last five years; and whether a similar campaign to recruit social service staff will be run.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The cost of the nurse recruitment campaigns in England in each of the last five years was:

  £

  1986–87

  1,126,770

  1987–88

  832,494

  1988–89

  2,338,093

  1989–90

  4,183,780

  1990–91

  3,367,420

  We have no plans for a campaign by the Department to recruit social service staff. It is for local authorities, as employers in the personal social services field, to take the lead in securing the provision of an adequate work force. We did however hold a seminar in March 1991 with the Association of Directors of Social Services and the local government management board on manpower planning and work force analysis issues. The Department is also funding a major programme of research on social services work force issues at the National Institute for Social Work.

  Food Poisoning
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of cases notified to him for 1991 in each health region for(a) food poisoning in general, (b) salmonella, (c) salmonella enteritidis, (d) salmonella enteritidis phage 4, (e) salmonella typhimurium, (f) campylobacter and (g) listeriosis.
  659
  Mr. Dorrell
  The information requested has been placed in the Library.

  The data show notifications of food poisoning to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and laboratory reports of specific organisms to the Public Health Laboratory Service's communicable disease surveillance centre.

  Drug Addiction
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his most recent estimate of totals of people in Great Britain who are addicted to drugs as a result of(a) the use of illegal drugs and (b) the use of medicinal products.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Home Office maintains an addicts index which indicates the number of people notified by doctors as dependent on a range of drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The number of new and existing drug addicts in Great Britain notified to the addicts index was 17,716 in 1990, the latest year for which figures are available.

  Regional health authorities in England and health authorities in Wales and Scotland are now implementing a drug misuse database which will provide data on drug users starting a new episode of treatment at services in any six-month period. This will provide anonymised data on a wider range of drugs than the Home Office addicts index and will include information on the use of some medicinal products, such as benzodiazepines. Some regions now have this information available and it is hoped that information for Great Britain will be available next year.

  York Health District

  11979

  11980

  21990–91

  Percentage change 1979 to 1990–91

  Percentage change 1980 to 1990–91

  In-patients

  27,296

  28,085

  39,530

  29·6

  26·0

  Day cases

  4,444

  4,658

  5,425

  22·1

  16·5

  Out-patients

  157,451

  162,638

  172,133

  9·3

  5·8

  1 In-patients: discharges and deaths.

  2 in-patients: finished consultant episodes.

  Percentage change in in-patient figures 1979 to 1990–91 and 1980 to 1990–91 on comparative basis.

  1990–91 figures provisional.

  Private Health Insurance
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state for each year since 1978 the percentage of the population covered by private health insurance.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 27 February 1992]: The information is given in the table.

  Year

  Persons Insured/millionss

  UK Population/millions

  Percentage insured

  1978

  2·4

  56·2

  4·3

  1979

  2·7

  56·2

  4·8

  1980

  3·6

  56·3

  6·4

  1981

  4·1

  56·4

  7·3

  1982

  4·2

  56·3

  7·5

  1983

  4·3

  56·3

  7·6

  11984

  4·4

  56·5

  7·8

  1985

  5·0

  56·6

  8·8

  1986

  5·3

  56·8

  9·3

  Hospital Cleaning Services
  Mr. Robin Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what national guidelines have been issued to district health authorities about quality of service expected from private contractors for cleaning services in hospitals; and when these guidelines were last reviewed.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The responsibility for specifying service requirements and quality standards for cleaning services in the NHS rests with the relevant local health authority. They are also responsible for monitoring performance to ensure the required quality standards are met.

  Departmental Achievements
  Mr. Gregory
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the expenditure and achievements of his Department in North Yorkshire during 1991; and what was the comparable position between June 1979 and May 1980.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 11 February 1992]: For the financial year 1979–80, the annual accounts of the North Yorkshire area health authority show total revenue expenditure of £60·4 million (cash) and capital expenditure attributable to the authority amounted to £2·8 million (cash).

  In 1990·91, the annual accounts of the four successor district health authorities show total revenue expenditure of £165·8 million (cash), with capital expenditure totalling £16·7 million (cash).

  These figures represent real-terms increases (measured at 1991–92 prices) of 26·3 per cent. for revenue expenditure and 173·3 per cent. for capital expenditure.

  Between 1979 and 1990–91 in York health authority the number of patients treated is shown in the table:

  Year

  Persons Insured/millionss

  UK Population/millions

  Percentage insured

  1987

  5·3

  56·9

  9·3

  21988

  6·8

  57·1

  11·9

  1989

  7·2

  57·2

  12·6

  1990

  7·6

  57·4

  13·2

  1 The basis of collection was changed from 1984. Figures to 1984 are for the three main provident insurers. Figures from 1985 onward include all companies.

  2 In 1988, 900,000 people covered by the Post Office and Civil Service Sanatorium Society, were included for the first time.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Departmental Staff
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total number of employees in his Ministry; and how many are(a) black and (b) disabled.

  Mr. Curry
  Figures taken from a survey covering 92·2 per cent. of our 10,048 non-industrial work force, with part-timers counting as one, show 416 staff to be of ethnic minority origin. The Department employs 141½ staff who are registered as disabled. This figure covers both non-industrial and industrial grades but does not include staff with disabilities who have chosen not to register and counts part-time staff as half units.

  EC Grant Aid
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total amount of EC grant aid that has been given to the salmon industry in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) the remainder of the EC since 1973.

  Mr. Curry
  EC grant aid to the salmon industry in the United Kingdom since 1973 has totalled over £13·6 million. Figures for Community aid granted specifically to the salmon industry in the rest of the EC are not available.

  Less-favoured Areas
  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the total level of present and planned spending on each of the schemes available to farmers in the less-favoured areas for capital, environmental and other grant aid; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  The forecast outturn of expenditure by the Ministry in 1991–92 on payments to farmers in the less-favoured areas (LFAs) in England on capital, environmental and other grant schemes is set out in the following table. The table also sets out estimates of the sums likely to be spent under those schemes in the LFAs in the years 1992–93 to 1994–95. Except in the case of environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) these estimates have been arrived at by applying the latest information on spend in the LFAs to the planning totals for future years. The planning totals do not hypothecate expenditure between particular parts of the country, nor in the case of capital grant, between particular types of investment. As regards ESAs, as the hon. Member will be aware, an expansion of the scheme is in train. It is not possible therefore to apply historic data to planning totals to produce estimates of future spend in the LFAs. For forward years, therefore, figures for planned expenditure on the scheme as a whole are given.

  £ million

  Scheme

  1991·921

  1992·932

  1993·942

  1994·952

  F and CGS

  5·3

  5·4

  5·8

  6·1

  FDGS3

  1·6

  1·5

  1·2

  1·2

  Set Aside

  0·2

  0·3

  0·3

  0·3

  FWS/FWPS

  0·03

  0·04

  0·06

  0·09

  ESAs

  2·8

  21·5

  37·4

  44·9

  Notes:

  1 Estimated Outturn.

  2 Estimated expenditure based on planning totals.

  662

  3 Statistics for the farm diversification grant scheme figures do not distinguish between LFA and non-LFA. The figures given are for total expenditure in MAFF Divisions covering LFA areas.

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much assistance has been given to farmers in the less-favoured areas in Northumberland in 1979, 1987 and the latest year for which figures are available, under each of the hill livestock compensatory allowance, suckler cow and other schemes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  Information for the area requested is available only for the hill livestock compensatory allowances scheme:

  £ million

  1979

  2·288

  1987

  4·669

  1991

  6·008

  Mr. Amos
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the current level of hill livestock compensatory allowance and suckler cow premium payments; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  I refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Jopling) and my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Sir J. Farr) on 11 February 1992,Official Report, column 496–98.

ENERGY

  Electricity Cables
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will estimate the cost of placing electricity cables underground compared with pylons; and what measures he is taking to encourage more electricity cables to be laid below ground.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The cost of placing electricity cables underground compared with overhead lines is a matter for the National Grid Company and the regional electricity companies, but for high voltage lines is approximately between nine and 10 times more expensive. All new overhead lines require a consent under section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 and, in considering applications, the Secretary of State must have regard to the preservation of amenity.

  Environmental Assessments
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on his policy on making environmental assessments for proposed energy policies, programmes and projects.

  Mr. Wakeham
  My ministerial colleagues and I give full weight to environmental factors when considering such proposals. In preparing their advice on proposals my officials take account, where appropriate, of the guidance set out in the Department of the Environment's guide on "Policy Appraisal and the Environment". The Department's report on the Government's expenditure plans within the energy sector 1992–93 to 1994–95 included
  663
  an account of the environmental aspects of the Department's activities. The departmental objectives as set out in that report have recently been extended to make clear our intention of seeking to ensure that environmental aspects are properly recognised in all areas of the Department's work.

  THORP
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if, pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen),Official Report, 24 February, column 674, on the thermal oxide reprocessing plant, he will set out (a) the proportion of the 30 tonnes of plutonium estimated to be recovered from reprocessing at THORP by the year 2000 that will arise from imported foreign spent fuel, (b) what safeguards will apply to the recovered plutonium and who will pay for the safeguards and (c) what arrangements exist for the return of the plutonium to the country of origin in terms of technical capability and treaty agreements.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL) estimates that, by the year 2000, some 80 per cent. of the plutonium recovered during reprocessing in THORP will arise from spent fuel owned by overseas customers. This plutonium will be subject to Eurotom safeguards and to the terms of the appropriate safeguards agreements signed by the United Kingdom and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The recovery of BNFL's costs arising from safeguards on its facilities is a commercial matter for the company. Costs of inspection and related activities are met by Eurotom and the IAEA.

  Plutonium arising from reprocessing in THORP is transferred overseas only subject to the application of safeguards and on receipt of assurances covering peaceful use, physical protection and controls on re-transfer.

  IAEA
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proposals to strengthen international nuclear safeguards have been submitted by the United Kingdom's ambassador to the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the agency's high level review of safeguards which began on 24 February.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The United Kingdom is a party to the proposals by the twelve EC member states for strengthening IAEA safeguards. These proposals were included in a statement made by the Netherlands on behalf of the EC and its member states to the general conference of the IAEA in September 1991: a copy of the statement has been placed in the Library of the House. The proposals are being fully explored in the board of governors of the IAEA.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the reason Her Majesty's Government has not paid in full the Kingdom's 1992 contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  In accordance with normal Government practice, the United Kingdom's 1992 contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency will be paid at the beginning of the United Kingdom's next financial year.

  Consultants
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list those parts of his Department, including executive agencies, carrying out reviews over the last 12 months into the pay and grading of staff and the firm of consultants engaged, where appropriate.

  Mr. Wakeham
  No reviews into the pay and grading of staff in my Department have been carried out in the past 12 months.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Nagorno Karabakh
  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments about the situation in Nagorno Karabakh; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The British Government are playing a full part in encouraging the international community to promote a peaceful settlement. We will continue to urge all involved in the dispute to settle this matter in accordance with international law and with full respect for human rights and conference on security and co-operation in Europe—CSCE—principles. However, the roots of the dispute in Nagorno Karabakh are deep and a lasting peace will not be achieved easily.

  We have raised with our European Community, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and CSCE partners our concern at the deteriorating situation. The Portuguese ambassador in Moscow, acting on behalf of the Twelve European Community Governments, made a demarche on 20 January to the representatives in Moscow of Armenia and Azerbaijan and to the Russian Foreign Ministry calling on all concerned to work towards a peaceful settlement of this dispute.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs reiterated this point in a recent telephone conversation with the Armenian Foreign Minister, Mr. Hovanissian, and in Moscow last month he used the opportunity of his meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister to encourage the Russians to do what they could to help find a solution to the dispute.

  In response to a British proposal, the CSCE Council of Ministers agreed on 31 January to send a mission to Armenia and Azerbaijan, including Nagorno Karabakh, to report on the situation. The team, which included a British representative, visited the region from 12 to 18 February. Its report and recommendations are being considered by the CSCE's committee of senior officials in Prague. CSCE countries will then consider how to carry the process forward using CSCE mechanisms.

  We welcome the agreement to call for a ceasefire and to set up working groups which was announced after the trilateral meeting with representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan convened by the Russian Foreign Minister on 20 February. However, since then there have been further reports of casualties in clashes in Nagorno Karabakh. There is a clear risk of a further deterioration in the situation. It is therefore important that the agreement reached in Moscow be backed up by immediate concrete action to prevent further tragic deaths.

  Embassy Cars
  Mr. Roger King
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list British embassies that previously qualified for a Rolls-Royce ambassadorial car, but now no longer do so; and if he will list the replacement vehicles.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The table lists posts which, in 1984, qualified for a Rolls-Royce ambassadorial car and which no longer do so.

  Replacement Car

  Post

  To be decided (Rolls-Royce provided in 1990)

  Canberra

  Range Rover

  Moscow

  Lincoln Town Car

  New York (UN)

  Mr. Roger King
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will indicate the type, cost and specification of the next official car for Her Majesty's ambassador to the United Nations.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  A standard specification Lincoln town car to be leased at an annual cost of US $5,900—about £3,410 at the current exchange rate—including maintenance and insurance.

  Eastern Europe
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out the new organisational structure within his Department for dealing with Eastern Europe and the area covered by the former Soviet Union.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Relations with Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Slovenia and Albania are handled by the central European department. Relations with the States formerly in the Soviet Union are handled by the eastern department. Both departments have been reinforced to take account of changes within these areas. The joint assistance unit was created in 1989 to administer the know-how fund, and has been increased over the past year to deal with important additional work in the former Soviet Union.

  Hong Kong (Ivory)
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current number of possession licences issued to holders of ivory stocks in Hong Kong.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  As at 26 February 1992, there were 963 possession licences held by commercial stockholders in Hong Kong.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of items from endangered species seized by the Hong Kong authorities in 1991 and the prosecution arising from such seizures.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  In 1991, the Hong Kong authorities seized a variety of specimens of endangered species from which 109 prosecutions arose.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any exports of ivory from Hong Kong have been authorised since 17 October 1990.
  666
  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  No commercial exports of ivory have been authorised by the Hong Kong authorities between 17 October 1990 and 25 February 1992 except for two pre-convention specimens of worked ivory of 0·1 kg each.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of ivory exported from Hong Kong during 1991.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  No commercial exports of ivory have been authorised by the Hong Kong authorities in 1991 except for one pre-convention specimen of 0·1 kg.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current quantity of all ivory known to be held in Hong Kong; and on what date it was last assessed.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The total commercial ivory stock held in Hong Kong on 17 July 1990 was 463 tonnes to the nearest tonne. No commercial exports of ivory have been authorised between then and 25 February 1992 except for two pre-convention specimens of worked ivory of 0·1 kg each.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many spot checks were made by the Hong Kong authorities of ivory-holding premises(a) since 19 October 1990 and (b) during 1991; and if any irregularities were discovered.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The Hong Kong authorities have made 354 spot checks on ivory holding premises between 17 October 1990 and 25 February 1992 of which 220 were conducted during 1991. No irregularities were discovered.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of ivory exported from Hong Kong since 25 March 1991.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  No commercial exports of ivory have been authorised by the Hong Kong authorities in 1991 except for one pre-convention specimen of 0·1 kg.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of any ivory confiscated by the Hong Kong authorities since(a) 17 October 1990 and (b) 31 January 1991; and if any prosecutions for illegal export have been entered since each of those dates.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Between 17 October 1990 and 25 February 1992, the Hong Kong authorities confiscated 181·36 kg of ivory. Between 31 January 1991 and 25 February 1992 they confiscated 162·30 kg of ivory. During the first period, two prosecutions for illegal export were entered and during the second period, one such prosecution was entered.

  Nuclear Waste, Russia
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he intends to make to the Russian Federation on the dumping of nuclear waste, from the Soviet fleet berthed at Murmansk, off the island of Novaya Zemlya.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Government are concerned about environmental issues related to nuclear waste, and
  667
  the operation and safety of nuclear plant in Russia. We have had discussions with the Russian Government already on these matters; and will ensure that our concerns about these recent reports are made clear to the Russian authorities.

  Council of Ministers
  Mr. Beaumont-Dark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement of forthcoming business in the European Community's Council of Ministers.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  The Foreign Affairs Council will meet on 2 March. The Council may review the European economic area agreement in the light of the Commission's request to the European Court of Justice for a second opinion on the compatibility of the revised draft agreement with the the treaty of Rome. The Council will consider relations with the former Soviet Union and will discuss the progress of negotiations in the GATT—general agreement on tariffs and trade—Uruguay round. The new Mediterranean policy will also be discussed by the Council which will prepare the Community position for the fifth meeting of the EC-Tunisia Co-operation Council to be held later that day. The Council will consider the Commission's future financing proposals for 1993 to 1997. Ministers will discuss a number of European political co-operation topics during lunch, including probably Yugoslavia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Zaire and aspects of the arrangements for a Common foreign and security policy.

  The Agriculture Council will also meet on 2 and 3 and, possibly, 4 March. Ministers will discuss reform of the common agricultural policy and agricultural aspects of the GATT Uruguay round. They may also discuss inward processing of milk products and olive oil control agencies.

  The Economic and Finance Council will meet on 16 March. Following the agreement reached on European Investment Bank lending at the July ECOFIN the Council will now consider the detailed terms and conditions under which lending will take place. The Council may also consider the Court of Auditors' report on the implementation of the 1990 Community budget, and communicate an opinion to the European Parliament. The Commission's proposals for the future financing of the Community may also be considered. The Council may also discuss the investment services directive, the large exposure directive and the capital adequacy directive. The Council will also discuss the draft seventh VAT directive on the sale of second-hand goods, works of art, antiques and collectors' items, and the draft directives for the harmonisation of excise duty structures on tobacco and mineral oil products.

  The Environment Council will meet on 23 March. It may agree to the proposed Council regulation on the supervision and control of waste shipments, and a directive on the sulphur content of gasoil. Ministers are also likely to discuss directives on air pollution caused by ground level ozone, minimum standards for keeping animals in zoos, the reduction and elimination of pollution caused by waste from the titanium oxide industry, and the United Nations conference on environmental development. If it is published in time, Ministers may also discuss the fifth environmental action programme.

  The Transport Council will meet on 26 and 27 March. Ministers' discussion will concentrate on liberalization
  668
  issues including: road haulage cabotage, passenger transport cabotage, maritime cabotage and the third aviation package. They may also discuss the general framework for external relations and inland transport market observation.

  The Agriculture Council will meet on 30 and 31 March. Ministers will discuss agricultural price fixing, wild game meat, fruit plants and vegetable plants. They may also discuss common agricultural policy reform, agricultural aspects of the GATT Uruguay round, and milk products.

  The Internal Market Council will meet on 31 March. It is likely to discuss rational use of medicines, pharmaceutical advertising and vehicle type approval. It may also consider frontier controls, trans-European networks, drug precursors and scientific co-operation on foodstuffs.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Overseas Investment
  Mr. Trotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will list the major investment projects attracted from overseas to the northern region since(a) 1979, (b) 1983 and (c) 1987, together with the capital costs of each project and the amount of grant offered.

  Mr. Leigh
  Details of major investments known to have located in the northern region since 1979 are listed. All these projects are known to have capital costs in excess of £5 million and all were assisted by grants of regional selective assistance. Comparable information on other forms of assistance is not readily available. The information is set out in the required chronological order and is based on when regional selective assistance was offered.

  Major Inward Investment in the Northern Region

  Company

  Project Cost (£'000)

  RSA Grant (£'000)

  1 January 1979 to 31 December 1982

  Eimco (GB) Ltd.

  5,426

  666

  Kimberly-Clark Ltd.

  26,787

  1,350

  3M UK Holdings Plc

  8,414

  650

  Black and Decker

  6,418

  950

  Coles Cranes Ltd.

  12,445

  1,582

  Formica Ltd.

  7,759

  500

  Rohm and Haas (UK) Ltd.

  7,219

  575

  Union Camp Corp. (USA)

  6,318

  300

  Fisher Price Toys

  12,816

  2,385

  DJB Eng. Ltd.

  9,131

  1,450

  Yates Circuit Foil Ltd.

  10,616

  250

  Albright and Wilson Ltd.

  5,550

  750

  1 January 1983 to 31 December 1986

  Kodak Ltd.

  61,044

  2,000

  Transfer-All Purpose Foils Ltd.

  5,344

  819

  Forbo-Mayfair Ltd.

  6,500

  700

  Black and Decker

  9,910

  2,000

  THC Fabricators (UK) Ltd.

  6,151

  575

  Philips Components Ltd.

  9,909

  900

  Black and Decker

  22,000

  2,450

  Komatsu Ltd.

  16,449

  1,200

  NSK Bearings Europe Ltd.

  32,000

  1,600

  TC Industries of Europe Ltd.

  5,970

  1,295

  Tolaram Polymers Ltd.

  14,377

  350

  Nissan UK Ltd.

  349,900

  35,000

  NSK Bearings Europe Ltd.

  15,093

  450

  Black and Decker

  9,760

  1,000

  1 January 1987 to 31 Janaury 1992

  British Alcan Aluminimum Plc

  7,000

  2,000

  669

  Company

  Project Cost (£'000)

  RSA Grant (£'000)

  Sterling-Winthorp Group Ltd.

  15,115

  3,382

  Key-Tech (Europe) Ltd.

  11,288

  1,200

  Swaddlers Ltd.

  8,780

  950

  Newcastle Chronicle and Journal Ltd.

  5,372

  700

  Fujitsu Microelectronics Ltd.

  400,000

  30,000

  Swilynn (UK) Ltd.

  14,145

  2,950

  Nissan UK Manufacturing Ltd.

  216,000

  14,400

  Cookson Fukuda Ltd.

  24,318

  650

  Hashimoto Ltd.

  9,850

  1,500

  3M UK Ltd.

  11,882

  1,700

  TRW Thompson

  30,300

  4,500

  Marley Kansei Ltd.

  7,694

  846

  Schurpack UK Ltd.

  6,235

  850

  MAS Electronics Ltd.

  8,615

  1,700

  Note:

  1. Major inward investment projects have been defined as those first time investments, or expansions of existing investments, by foreign owned companies which involve project costs in excess of £5 million.

  2. Details of grant are for offers of regional selective assistance (RSA) accepted by foreign owned companies since 1 January 1979.

  3. The Northern region is the north-east region plus Cumbria.

  Departmental Staff
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish a table showing the number of(a) men and (b) women in his Department in each of grades (i) 1, (ii) 2, (iii) 3, (iv) 4, (v) 5, (vi) 6, (vii) 7, (viii) SEO, (ix) HEO, (x) administrative trainee, (xi) EO, (xii) CO and (xiii) CA.

  Mr. Leigh
  The information requested is in the table.

  Headcount of staff in the Department of Trade and Industry by grade level and gender at 1 April 1991.

  Men

  Women

  Grade 1

  1

  0

  Grade 2

  12

  0

  Grade 3

  49

  4

  Grade 4

  11

  2

  Grade 5

  217

  31

  Grade 6

  176

  19

  Grade 7

  1,031

  141

  SEC,

  851

  130

  HEO

  1,335

  513

  Administrative Trainee (AT)

  6

  4

  EO (excluding AT)

  1,300

  959

  AO

  1,152

  1,990

  AA

  856

  2,038

  These figures include 84 men and 890 women who are part-time.

  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total number of employees in his Department; and how many are(a) black and (b) disabled.

  Mr. Leigh
  The Department employs 13,056 staff, including industrial staff, of whom:

  (a) 1,111 are known to be black. 81 per cent. of the Department's employees have declared their ethnic origin.

  (b) 184 are known to be disabled. This figure includes both registered and unregistered disabled officers.

  These figures are based on staff employed at 1 April 1991.

  Staffing and Budgets
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give full details of the numbers of staff and budget for each of the last 13 years allocated to the fairs and promotions branch.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  The table shows the average number of staff in post in fairs and promotions branch from 1986–87 to 1990–91 together with the branch running and programme costs for those years based on current prices.

  Figures for prior years are not available.

  Financial year

  Average staff in post

  Branch running costs £ million

  Net programme spend £ million

  1986–87

  160

  2·7

  14·0

  1987–88

  162

  2·9

  14·0

  1988–89

  159

  3·2

  17·4

  1989–90

  160

  3·5

  19·6

  1990–91

  160

  3·8

  19·6

  Internal Market Council
  Mr. Moate
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Internal Market Council held in Brussels on 25 February.

  Mr. Leigh
  I attended the Internal Market Council on 25 February.

  The Council quickly reached agreement on a decision to set up a programme of research in the important area of security of information held in electronic form, ie on computers.

  Following delivery of the European Parliament's opinion, the Council also agreed a common position on the third non-life insurance directive. This directive allows insurers access to European Community markets on the basis of a home state authorisation, and opens up opportunities for the United Kingdom insurance industry.

  There was a lengthy discussion of the Commission proposals to control trade in cultural goods. Greece, Spain and Italy argued that the proposals should be widened in scope, and are clearly concerned that the removal of border controls will make it easier to transfer nationally important works of art out of their countries of origin. Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark all argued to the contrary, that the scope of the proposals should be more narrowly focused to avoid undue interference in the healthy and legitimate international art market.

  The Commission introduced a discussion on border controls within the Community. In discussion, all member states agreed on the need for further work to enable controls on goods to be removed. The Council also discussed the effect that the removal of border controls will have on firms of independent customs agents, but reached no conclusion.

  Finally, the Commission gave a short presentation on trans-European networks, which cover energy, transport and communications. There was no discussion of this item.

  Vehicles (Recycling)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met representatives of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss progress made in promoting the recyclability of motor vehicles.
  671
  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 27 February 1992]: My right hon. Friend is due to meet shortly with representatives of the motor industry and others to discuss vehicle recycling issues.

DEFENCE

  Underground Nuclear Explosions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the paper on seismic monitoring by Professor Alan Douglas of his Department's verification centre at Blacknest, given to the seminar on the detection and recognition of underground nuclear explosions held at the Geological Society, London, on 14 February.

  Mr Archie Hamilton
  I have arranged for a pre-publication copy of the paper given by Professor Alan Douglas at the Geological Society on 14 February to be placed in the Library. This copy consists of the illustrations presented together with an explanatory commentary. A more comprehensive version of the paper is to be published, by the Royal Astronomical Society, in the symposium proceedings which will be available later in the year. When the published proceedings are available a copy will be placed in the Library.

  Low Flying
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide the statistical results of the monitoring of low flying by(a) covert deployments of RAF police and (b) Skyguard radars by year, for the last five years.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Covert deployments of RAF police, including those using the Skyguard radar system, have shown the consistent respect of aircrew for the low-flying regulations. It is not our practice to comment on the detailed findings of these surveys.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of the 22 January,Official Report, columns 236–37, if he can yet give the figures for the month of December 1991 in respect of listing the numbers of low-flying sorties by aircraft type.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The number of low-flying sorties by aircraft type carried out in the United Kingdom for December 1991 is:

  Low-flying sorties by aircraft type

  Aircraft type

  December 1991

  Buccaneer

  59

  F-4

  33

  Harrier

  383

  Hawk

  819

  Jaguar

  251

  Jet Provost

  213

  Tornado

  1,170

  Tucano

  181

  A-10

  300

  F-111

  375

  Other aircraft (including helicopters)

  2,624

  Total sorties

  6,408

  672
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the instances of breaches of low-flying regulations since 1988 which led to formal disciplinary action or courts martial under the terms of the Army Act 1955, Air Force Act 1955 or Naval Discipline Act 1957; and if he will list, for each case, the date, location and circumstances of the offence, the type of aircraft involved, the nature of the charge and the outcome of the proceedings.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Breaches of low-flying regulations that lead to proceedingss under the services disciplinary Acts are not recorded centrally.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the baseline year from which the expected reduction of 30 per cent. in jet low-flying over the United Kingdom, announced last October, was calculated.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  1988.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy on the maintenance of a fixed list of simulated targets for toss-and-dive attack in the United Kingdom low-flying system.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  A review of the usefulness of the simulated toss and dive attack target list concluded that although of limited value, the list continues to meet certain needs of a number of flying training units. It has therefore been retained, but will remain under review as part of the continuing monitoring of the United Kingdom low-flying system.

  DESO Office, Jakarta
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the main responsibilities of the Defence Export Services Organisation office in Jakarta; how many staff it employs; and what is the cost of running the office since it was established.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The DESO office in Jakarta is responsible for providing local assistance and advice to United Kingdom defence companies seeking to market and sell equipment and services to the Indonesian armed forces. The office has three staff. Its estimated running cost is £73,200 per annum.

  Territorial Army
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to encourage a new pool of recruits for the Territorial Army; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  As part of the restructuring of the Territorial Army, arrangements are being made to establish a recruits pool by 1 April 1995 with the aim of permitting greater flexibility in the future management of TA manpower. At the same time, we will continue to mount publicity and recruiting campaigns to attract the volunteers needed to ensure that the TA in the future is fully manned.

  Royal Navy
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the operational strengths of the Royal Navy and of other former South-East Asia Treaty Organisation countries.
  673
  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Royal Navy currently has three aircraft carriers, an escort fleet which is reducing to around 40 destroyers and frigates, two assault ships and other specialist amphibious shipping, and a substantial flotilla of smaller warships including mine countermeasures vessels and offshore patrol vessels. In addition to the four Polaris boats, we currently have fifteen nuclear-powered submarines and six diesel electric submarines. It is not our policy to comment on the strengths of other countries' armed forces.

  Services Properties
  Sir Peter Hordern
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many properties for service men are at present unoccupied; and how many have been unoccupied for more than one year.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  As at 31 December 1991, the latest date for which figures are available, 9,817 service married quarters were vacant and 2,161 of these, representing 3 per cent. of our total stock, had been vacant for more than one year. Many of these 9,817 vacant properties were either undergoing or awaiting major maintenance work or modernisation, some were already allotted to service families who were due to move in shortly and others were being considered for disposal. In addition, 1,560 dwellings were in the process of being sold.

  Departmental Staff
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table showing the number of(a) men and (b) women in his Department in each of grades (i) 1, (ii) 2, (iii) 3, (iv) 4, (v) 5, (vi) 6, (vii) 7, (viii) SEO, (ix) HEO, (x) administrative trainee, (xi) EO, (xii) CO and (xiii) CA.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The following full-time equivalent numbers of men and women in grade level equivalents grade 1 to AA were employed in the Ministry of Defence on 1 April 1991:

  Grade

  Men

  Women

  Total

  Grade 1

  4·0

  —

  4·0

  Grade 2

  11·0

  —

  11·0

  Grade 3

  63·0

  1·0

  64·0

  Grade 4

  31·0

  —

  31·0

  Grade 5

  370·0

  12·0

  382·0

  Grade 6

  832·0

  13·0

  845·0

  Grade 7

  3,079·0

  131·0

  3,210·0

  SEO

  6,290·5

  365·5

  6,656·0

  HEO

  12,008·5

  2,052·0

  14,060·5

  EO (Note 1)

  18,050·0

  4,153·5

  22,203·5

  AO (Note 2)

  10,416·5

  13,566·5

  23,983·0

  AA (Note 2)

  2,587·0

  10,352·5

  12,939·5

  Totals

  53,742·5

  30,647·0

  84,389·5

  Note 1. Five male administration trainees are included in the EO grade level equivalent figures.

  Note 2. Formerly titled CO and CA respectively.

  Rates of military salary Percentage increase in pay

  Financial year to financial year

  1975–76 to 1979–80

  1979–80 to 1985–86

  1985–86 to 1991–92

  Military salary: all ranks

  74·2

  68·4

  59·3

  Senior officers (Major General and above)

  40·6

  91·2

  63·3

  674
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total number of employees in his Department; and how many are(b) black and (b) disabled.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The information as at 1 January 1992, based on voluntary surveys, is:

  Staff

  Number

  Total staff (industrial and non-industrial)

  133,158

  Total Respondents to ethnic minority survey

  111,118

  Self-identified ethnic minority staff

  2,041

  Registered Disabled staff

  1,164

  Civilian Employees
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the number of civilian employees at RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Kinloss, RAF Leuchars, RN Bases Coulport, Faslane and Rosyth, and Royal Marine Base Condor.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  It is not our policy to divulge the number of employees at individual MOD establishments.

  Disarmament Proposals
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what issues will be discussed at the next planning meeting of the group of scientific experts on technical test—G SETT-2—of the United Nations committee on disarmament in Geneva in March; and what proposals United Kingdom representatives will make to the meeting.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The next meeting of the UN conference on disarmament ad hoc group of scientific experts' is to be held in Geneva between 2 and 13 March. The main subject for discussion at the meeting will be the preparation of the final report on the results of the group of scientific experts (GSE) technical test 2 for submission to the conference on disarmament. The United Kingdom will participate in the discussions aimed at achieving a consensus report. In addition, a technical working paper summarising local seismic information and aimed at improving the definition of United Kingdom seismic sources will be tabled. It is hoped this will stimulate other GSE participants to publish similar information for application to small seismic sources which occur within their national boundaries.

  Armed Services (Salary Increases)
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will tabulate the salary increases applicable to all ranks in the armed services from 1974 to 1979, from 1980 to 1985 and from 1985 to the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The salary increases applicable to all ranks of the armed services as requested by my hon. Friend are:
  675

  Financial year to financial year

  1975–76 to 1979–80

  1979–80 to 1985–86

  1985–86 to 1991–92

  Officers (up to Brigadier)

  63·3

  84·5

  62·1

  Other ranks (Sergeant and above)

  76·0

  70·6

  59·2

  Other ranks (up to Corporal)

  77·1

  61·3

  58·1

  Rank details in Army terms2

  Field Marshall (when in full·time military employment)

  41·6

  119·0

  68·9

  General

  41·7

  102·4

  61·5

  Lieutenant General

  44·7

  91·0

  54·2

  Major General

  38·9

  87·7

  67·0

  Brigadier

  52·5

  92·8

  70·1

  Colonel after 4 years in the rank

  57·0

  90·4

  66·9

  Lieutenant Colonel after 4 years in the rank

  62·0

  92·8

  66·2

  Major after 4 years in the rank

  65·2

  83·5

  61·5

  Captain after 3 years in the rank

  63·0

  82·1

  62·1

  Lieutenant after 2 years in the rank

  62·2

  79·5

  60·6

  Second Lieutenant

  62·7

  72·1

  57·0

  Warrant Officer I band 6, scale C; after 18 years1

  71·8

  77·0

  58·8

  Warrant Officer II band 6, scale C; after 18 years1

  72·1

  74·6

  59·3

  Staff Sergeant band 5, scale C; after 18 years1

  70·9

  70·4

  58·8

  Sergeant band 5, scale C; after 12 years1

  72·8

  68·5

  59·4

  Corporal class 1, band 2, scale C

  76·7

  64·1

  60·0

  Lance Corporal class 2, band 1, scale C

  76·6

  59·1

  58·5

  Private class 2, band 1, scale C

  73·5

  56·2

  56·1

  1 Includes long service increment payments

  Rates are based on gross pay, taking account of delayed and staged implementation of pay awards.

  2 These rates apply also to personnel of equivalent rank and pay bands in the other services.

  Details of 1974·75 are not available in the required format to enable use as the base year.

  Defence Expenditure
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his oral answer of 4 February,Official Report, column 119, to the hon. Member for Rhondda, (Mr. Rogers), over what time period the 25,000 redundancies occurred; whether the jobs lost were directly or indirectly dependent on defence expenditure; whether the jobs lost were dependent on equipment expenditure, non-equipment expenditure or exports; in which regions these job losses have occurred; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The source of the figure quoted was public announcements by major defence companies since 1990. Employment levels are a matter for the commercial judgment of the companies concerned, and my Department does not hold the further information that the hon. Gentleman requests.

  Polaris and Trident
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will now make it his policy to answer questions about the repair and maintenance programme of the(a) Polaris and (b) Trident fleets.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  All such questions will be, and have been, given answers subject only to commercial confidentiality and security constraints.

  Long-term Costings
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the financial implications that result from his policy regarding the release of information on long-term costings.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 7 February 1992.
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  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for the British defence industry of his policy regarding the release of information on long-term costings.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  No such assessment has been made, nor would be appropriate, as "Long Term Costing" is an internal planning document. The implications of our expenditure plans are discussed regularly with industry.

  Yugoslavia
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for "Options for Change" of the deployment of British service personnel with a United Nations peacekeeping force in Yugoslavia.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  We are still discussing with the United Nations what form a United Kingdom contribution to the peacekeeping operation in Yugoslavia might take. In selecting what British assets might be offered to the United Nations for this operation, the Government have taken account of its policy "Britain's Defence for the 90s".

  Environmental Manual
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many copies of the departmental environmental manual have been(a) printed and (b) distributed to staff; and how many copies of the proposed booklet on public access to the defence estate will be published for issue to the public.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Of an initial print run of 10,000 copies of the Ministry of Defence environmental manual some 8,400 copies have already been distributed. An additional 10,000 copies have been printed for further distribution and stock purposes. There will be an initial
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  print of 2,000 copies of the leaflet "Walks on Ministry of Defence land" to coincide with its planned launch in early March. Current plans envisage a final run print of up to 100,000 copies of the leaflet for distribution to the public.

  Defence Budget
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 7 February,Official Report, column 329, on the defence budget, on how many occasions in each of the last six months he has made available information on plans for, and progress of, individual projects.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  My Department makes available information on the plans and progress of projects in a wide variety of ways. These include parliamentary statements, debates and questions; the Statement of the Defence Estimates; press releases and briefings; and discussions with industry and trades union which range from the major conferences held by the Procurement Executive controllers to contacts in the normal course of business. It would not be feasible to list the information made available through these means in the last six months.

  Financial Planning and Management Group
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 7 February,Official Report, column 330, when the Financial Planning and Management Group was established; and what work it has carried out since its establishment.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Financial Management Group was established at the end of 1977. Its role is to oversee the Ministry of Defence's financial and management process and to make recommendations as necessary to the Secretary of State.

  Budget Holders
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 7 February,Official Report, columns 329–30, if he will publish the estimated future expenditure for higher level budget holders in each year for the next 10 years.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  This information is derived from the long-term costing. As explained by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement in his answer of 2 May last year,Official Report, column 294, it is not our practice to provide such details.

  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names of all the higher level budget holders.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The answer is:

  Commander, Training and Reserve Forces Royal Marines

  Major General Royal Marines, Headquarters Commando Forces

  Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Naval Personnel)

  Director General of Naval Personal Services

  Naval Secretary

  Medical Director General (Navy)

  Director General of Naval Manpower and Training

  Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff

  Director General Aircraft (Navy)

  Director General Ship Refitting

  Director General of Supplies and Transport (Naval)

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  Director General Fleet Support Policy and Services

  Hydrographer of the Navy

  Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Fleet Support)

  Flag Officer Portsmouth

  Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland

  Flag Officer Plymouth

  Naval Base Commander Portland

  Naval Base Commander Clyde

  Captain, Training Naval Home Command

  Chief Staff Officer Reserves

  Flag Officer Naval Aviation

  Chief of Staff, Headquarters Commander in Chief Fleet

  Flag Officer Surface Fleet

  Flag Officer Submarines

  Commodore Minor War Vessels

  Commander United Kingdom Field Army

  Inspector General Doctrine and Training

  Assistant Chief of Staff, General Staff Division 1, Headquarters British Army of the Rhine

  Deputy Chief of Staff, Headquarters British Army of the Rhine, General Staff Division 3

  Assistant Chief of Staff, General Staff Division 4, Headquarters British Army of the Rhine

  Director General Army Manning and Recruiting

  Director General of Personal Services (Army)

  Director General Logistic Policy (Army)

  Director General of Transport and Movements

  Director General of Ordnance Services

  Director General of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

  General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland

  Director General Territorial Army and Organisation

  Director General Military Survey

  Director General Command, Control, Communication and Information Systems (Army)

  Director General of Support Management

  Director General of Support Services

  Director General (Policy and Planning)—National Air Traffic Services

  Air Secretary

  Air Officer Commanding 1 Group

  Air Officer Commanding 11 Group

  Air Officer Commanding 18 Group

  Air Officer Administration, Headquarters Royal Air Force Strike Command

  Air Officer Training, Headquarters Royal Air Force Support Command

  Air Officer Maintenance, Headquarters Royal Air Force Support Command

  Air Officer Administration, Headquarters Royal Air Force Support Command

  Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Programmes and Personnel)

  Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Policy)

  Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Systems)

  Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Commitments)

  Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Civilian Management)

  Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Finance)

  Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Personnel and Logistics)

  Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Resources and Programmes)

  Assistant Chief Scientific Adviser (Capabilities)

  Assistant Chief Scientific Adviser (Research)

  Assistant Chief Scientific Adviser (Projects)

  Assistant Chief Scientific Adviser (Nuclear)

  Director of Strategic Defence Initiative Participation Office

  Director General Intelligence (Eurasia)

  Director General Management and Support of Intelligence

  Director General of Strategic and Technical Intelligence

  Director General Intelligence (Rest of the World)

  Director Operations Meteorological Office

  Director Commercial Services Meteorological Office

  Director Finance and Administration Meteorological Office

  Director Research Meteorological Office

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  Controller of the Navy

  Master General of the Ordnance

  Controller Aircraft

  Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Defence Procurement)

  Head of Defence Export Services

  Managing Director Military and Aerospace Divisions Defence Research Agency

  Managing Director Electronics Division Defence Research Agency

  Managing Director Maritime Division Defence Research Agency

  Married Quarters Estate
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on his reasons for proposing the transfer of the ownership and management of the married quarters estate to a new organisation;
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  (2) if he will describe the size and structure of the new organisation that is due to take over the ownership and management of the married quarters estate; who will staff it; when it will be established; what type of performance monitoring it will employ; how it will be financed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the note placed in the Library of the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in response to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Carrington) on 24 February at column 395. The recommendation of the housing task force that a new, non-profit making organisation should take over from the MOD the ownership and management of the married quarters estate for all three services is being considered in detail by my Department. Announcements on the decision on the recommendation will be made in due course.

  LEICESTER DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION: POWERS
  LEICESTER DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION: POWERS
  GUILDFORD DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE: POWERS
  GUILDFORD DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE: POWERS
  ROSE THEATRE: SCHEDULING
  ROSE THEATRE: SCHEDULING