asked the Prime Minister which Government Departments will be providing a financial contribution to the British pavilion at EXPO 88 in Brisbane.

The British pavilion at EXPO 88 is at present financed solely by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the progress of the privatisation programme pursued since 1979, the effects on British industry and the British economy, and the effects thereon of wider share ownership and of employee share ownership.

The programme of privatisation continues to be highly successful. Fourteen major companies and around 600,000 employees have been transferred to the private sector since 1979. The privatisation of British Gas was the largest flotation ever in Europe or America and survey evidence suggests that this sale alone may have created 2 million first-time shareholders. The privatisation programme is a key element in our strategy for widening share ownership, as a result of which we have succeeded in roughly trebling the number of people holding shares since 1979. The Government have encouraged employee ownership in companies being privatised; nearly 90 per cent. of employees in companies sold by flotation have become shareholders and therefore have a stake in the future of their companies. By transferring these companies to the private sector we have increased their incentives to greater efficiency and competitiveness, thus benefitting their employees, their shareholders and the economy as a whole.

asked the Prime Minister if there are any proposals to change the 1986–87 cash limit for the Cabinet Office.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for the Cabinet Office (class XX, vote 2) will be increased by £260,000 from £14,767,000 to £15,027,000 for essential new works concerned with security.

asked the Prime Minister if she will set up a commission of inquiry into the house-building fraud involving exemption certificates and public sector housing estates from which terrorists have benefited, as exposed by Mr. Justice Nicholson in a recent case heard in Belfast, and in particular into the workings of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in relation to those estates and into the scope of the fraud; what information she has as to whether there have been any similar cases in other parts of the United Kingdom and as to what sums of public money arc involved.

The recent case to which my hon. Friend refers was the latest in a long line of successful prosecutions for tax exemption fraud in Northern Ireland. In the past two years, 87 persons have been convicted in respect of frauds totalling in excess of £13,250,000; other cases are pending or remain under investigation. There is no evidence of any similar cases in the rest of the United Kingdom.I am satisfied that the Royal Ulster Constabulary, with the full support of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and other relevant agencies, has made commendable progress in combating this potential source of finance for terrorist organisations. I therefore, see no need for a commission in enquiry on the lines proposed by my hon. Friend.The Government will maintain their determined efforts to cut off all the sources of finance for such organisations.

asked the Attorney-General what proportion of persons awaiting trial solely or partially on the evidence of alleged accomplice witnesses have been refused bail; and what is the average period of remand for which persons detained without bail have been held to date after being charged on such evidence.

There are no persons currently awaiting trial on charges directed by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland where the Crown case includes the evidence of an alleged accomplice witness.

asked the Attorney-General how many applications for bail, by those held on remand for scheduled, non-scheduled offences, and both together, were refused in 1986.

In 1986, 825 applications for bail by those held on remand for scheduled offences were refused by the High Court and magistrates courts in Northern Ireland. The High Court also refused 284 applications in respect of persons on remand for non-scheduled offences. Information is not available in relation to unsuccessful applications in this category in the magistrates courts.

asked the Attorney-General how many cases in 1986 involving persons injured by plastic bullets in Northern Ireland have been considered by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland; and what action was taken in each case.

Figures for cases received during 1986 by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland involving persons injured by the alleged use of baton rounds are as follows:

asked the Attorney-General if he will take steps to improve the speed and efficiency of the Crown Prosecution Service in dealing with reimbursement of moneys paid over in cases where a prosecution is brought but when all charges have subsequently been dropped and the prosecution has been ordered to discharge the defendant's costs; and if he will make a statement.

Efforts are continually made by the Crown Prosecution Service to speed up the carrying out of all its functions, including the payments of costs.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give the total cost to public funds of the recently ended trial of Mrs. Cynthia Payne.

These cannot be ascertained with any degree of accuracy. The total cost of an individual trial comprises numerous elements, some of which may be part of the general running costs of the several Government Departments concerned and therefore cannot be ascertained as separate components except as an arbitrary estimate. So far as regards individual fees to the legal profession (prosecuting or defending) it is not the practice to publish these, and in any event they could not be ascertained until after taxation of bills of costs, which has not yet taken place. Allowance must also be made for proportion of judicial salaries.

asked the Attorney-General if he will list all the occasions since 1979 on which he has sought advice from outside Her Majesty's Government in cases involving alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Acts in relation to (a) his assessment of the extent of any damage to national security for the purposes of determining the need for and scope of police inquiries and (b) his subsequent decision as to whether to bring a prosecution; and if he will make a statement.

Any request for advice from outside Her Majesty's Government would be confidential, but it is not the Attorney-General's practice to seek such advice, other than on questions of law or evidence, in which event he may consult counsel or the police.

asked the Attorney-General to what extent (a) he and (b) the Director of Public Prosecutions are being kept informed about progress with the police inquiries initiated by him into alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Acts in relation to project Zircon; and if he will make a statement.

The Director of Public Prosecutions is being kept informed about the progress of the police inquiries and is himself keeping me generally informed. The Director has not yet received any papers from the police.

asked the Attorney-General what is his practice with regard to keeping other Ministers informed about the progress of police inquiries initiated by him into alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Acts; and if he will make a statement.

Whether and to what extent the Attorney-General would keep other Ministers informed about the progress of police inquiries into such alleged offences would depend on the circumstances of the particular case.

asked the Attorney-General if he sought any advice from outside Her Majesty's Government prior to initiating police inquiries into alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Acts in relation to project Zircon; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Attorney-General if he will list the legal qualifications of the part-time chairmen of industrial tribunals in Birmingham.

All part-time chairmen of industrial tribunals in the Birmingham region are barristers or solicitors of not less than seven years' standing.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will direct Her Majesty's Government's African aid programme more towards increasing domestic food production in recipient countries.

Yes. We aim to increase our assistance to food production and agriculture in Africa wherever we can do so effectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied with the existing co-ordination between the various British aid agencies that serve the development programme.

Yes. I am satisfied with the present degree of co-ordination between the Government and such other bodies as the British Council, the Crown Agents, the Commonwealth Development Corporation, the voluntary agencies, universities and specialist institutions, but I recognise that all concerned have to work hard to achieve our common objective of promoting development.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reforms have been proposed for the European Economic Community food aid system to increase its effectiveness in the Third world.

I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Dykes) on 26 January at column 18.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urgently dispatch aid and supplies to the Palestinian refugee camp at Bourj el Barajneh in the Lebanon; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Crawley (Mr. Soames) on 13 February. Regrettably little has changed, although a small amount of food has been allowed into the camp. We remain ready to provide help through the international agencies involved immediately it becomes possible to take more substantial supplies into the camp.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to increase public awareness of overseas development and

	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88
	£	£	£
Road user safety	2,379,000	2,416,000	2,344,000
Vehicle design, construction and safety	1,635,000	1,804,000	1,887,000
Highway engineering improvements	965,000	1,074,000	1,034,000
Research on general highway engineering of which road safety is a factor	(1,625,000)	(1,583,000)	(1,372,000)
Estimate 30 per cent, and 45 per cent, for road safety	650,000	679,000	549,000
TOTAL	5,629,000	5,973,000	5,814,000

Funding for road safety research in future years is under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the relevant local authority and other interested bodies concerning the finances of the Humber bridge; what conclusions have been reached; and if he will make a statement.

Officials of the Department and the Humber bridge board have been jointly evaluating ways of putting the finances of the bridge on a sound footing. The board is due to meet shortly to consider these assessments. It will then be for the board to put proposals to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans for improving the safety of the Chertsey turn-off on the eastbound carriageway of the M25; and if he will make a statement.

Consultants are currently preparing a scheme for additional fourth lanes on the M25 between junctions 11 (Chertsey) and 13 (Staines). This will include the improvement of the Chertsey junction.

Following a detailed review, we have decided to concentrate our activities in this field in the main through the official information programme. At the same time, I have agreed to provide a further grant of £100,000 to the Centre for World Development Education.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of his budget for research into ways of reducing road accidents and casualties for 1985–86 and 1986–87 and the amount proposed for 1987–88.

Details of the annual budget expenditure allocated for road safety research are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many designated lorry parks there are in England and Wales; if he is considering proposals to add to this number; and what range of charges are made for vehicles using lorry parks.

We do not keep records of lorry parks. Their provision is essentially a matter for local authorities and the private sector. Provision for parking heavy goods vehicles is a standard feature required at motorway service areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with those who franchise motorway service facilities with a view to improving facilities for those driving heavy goods vehicles.

In August last year, we wrote to operators asking for certain improvements in standards when new motorway service areas (MSAs) were being developed and existing ones improved. In the case of new MSAs, we now require provision of showers and shaver points, and ask tenderers to consider provision of separate eating facilities for drivers of heavy goods vehicles. Operators have scope within the terms of their leases for improving existing facilities for drivers. We have agreed that overnight accommodation can be built on sites where there is sufficient room for expansion to cope with the increased traffic.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what consultation he has had with interested parties about the provision of trunk road facilities for those driving heavy goods vehicles; if he is satisfied with present provisions for re-fuelling, parking, rest and refreshment; and if he will make a statement;(2) what representations he has received about trunk road facilities for those driving heavy goods vehicles; and what suggestions have been made for the improvement of such facilities.

Representations have been received in a report by the Association of County Councils published in December last year ("The Travel Needs of Road Users: The way to get things going"). This suggests, amongst other things, that there should be transit stopping facilities for heavy goods vehicles at intervals of roughly 30 minutes driving time.The provision of services for trunk road users is primarily a matter for private initiative within the framework of planning policies. We will consider in the light of the report whether there is a need for further action by the Department or local authorities to secure provision of facilities.There have been no recent formal consultations. I have discussed the issues with Jack Ashwell of the Transport and General Workers Union.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to have 1987 cost estimates for improving the A34 at Newbury as an alternative to a Weston by-pass; and if he will give the most recent cost estimate for underpassing the Robin Hood roundabout where the A4 meets the A34 in such a way as to separate north-south traffic from east-west traffic.

Estimates of the cost of a number of objectors' alternative proposals for improving the A34 at Newbury are being prepared for the likely public inquiry. They will be ready in the next few months.No estimate for an underpass at the Robin Hood roundabout only is available. Such a proposal would involve substantial property demolition and provide only a partial solution to the problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all regional and sub-regional outposts of his Department responsible for functions or services within the Greater London area, stating functions and responsibilities of such outposts and giving the total cost of such offices to public funds in 1986–87 and the total number of officials involved.

This answer can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all functions and responsibilities currently undertaken by any division and organisation within his Department which is concerned with local authority services solely within the Greater London area, stating the total estimated cost to public funds in 1986–87 and the total number of officials involved.

This answer can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if will list the total number of written communications between his Department and local authorities in the Greater London area in (a) 1979–80 and (b) 1986–87, to date.

No such record is kept.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if will list the additional functions and responsibilities undertaken by his Department of a temporary or permanent kind as a result of the abolition of the Greater London council, stating the total estimated cost to public funds in 1986–87 and the total number of officials involved.

These are set out in the Local Government Act 1985 and the associated statutory instruments. They were extensively discussed during the passage of the legislation. The total estimated cost to public funds and the total number of officials involved are not separately identifiable.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the action he has taken since the abolition of the Greater London council to ensure that the functions and responsibilities of his Department and its related non-departmental public bodies dealing with the Greater London area are co-ordinated with each other.

Appropriate arrangements for co-ordination between this Department, the British Railways Board, London Regional Transport and the London Regional Passengers Committee existed before abolition of the GLC.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has complied with the recommendation of Sir Frank Layfield in his summary of conclusions chapter 2, paragraph 3, that at least two members of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee should be advisors specifically to provide an independent expert environmental contribution to the handling of radioactive waste management.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy is currently considering Sir Frank Layfield's report on the CEGB application to build Sizewell B. The Secretary of State has a quasi-judicial role in the planning process and it would therefore be improper of me to comment on any part of the report. However, the House of Commons will have the opportunity to express its views before a decision is taken and a debate is being arranged in the week beginning 23 February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the dumping of nuclear waste at sea to be resumed by the United Kingdom.

I refer my hon. Friend to the Government's response to the Environment Committee's report on Radioactive Waste (Cmnd. 9852) in which it is stated that the Government, in common with many other countries, consider that the disposal of radioactive waste at sea is a safe disposal option, which should remain available. They will, however, continue to decide on any application for the disposal of such waste in the light of all the relevant factors.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what form of licence has been granted by his Department to Pharmacia Ltd. of Milton Keynes to deposit low level waste in a land fill site near Stewartby, Bedfordshire; and if he will publish the source of the materials involved and the identification of the isotopes.

Pharmacia (GB) Ltd. was issued on 11 April 1983 with a certificate of authorisation to dispose of low level radioactive waste by removal as refuse by a waste collection authority or by depositing it at a dump used for the deposit of substantial quantities of waste that are not readioactive waste. The terms of the authorisation do not specify a particualr location. The company is registered as a user of iodine-125 and cobalt-57 for sale and research.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to survey the state of health of urban trees in Britain.

Research is sponsored by the Department into the many factors which give rise to damage for single trees in a range of adverse evironmental conditions. No specific survey of urban trees is currently planned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what achievements he can list from the UK 2000 initiative; how many litter wardens have been appointed; if he is considering introducing on the spot fines for litter offenders; and if he has any proposals for encouraging people to return empty bottles to suppliers.

A report on the achievements of UK 2000 is given in my answer to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mr. Clwyd) on Wednesday 4 February at column 721.Information on the number of litter wardens is not held centrally. The Government see considerable difficulty in the content of on-the-spot fines for litter offenders.The Government support the recommendation of the Waste Management Advisory Council that the industry take steps to encourage recycling of bottles. Such steps include the introduction of readily identifiable return-ability symbols and a clearer indication of deposit rates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his statement on 27 January, Official Report, column 189, concerning radon levels in houses, for what period he expects the two stated recommended action levels to remain in force before review; whether he expects a review of these action levels to be initiated on publication of reviews during 1987 by (a) the International Commission on Radiological Protection, (b) the Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionising Radiation and (c) any other body; and if he will make a statement.

As I indicated on 27 January, the Government have followed the formal advice of the National Radiological Protection Board and the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment in setting the levels of radon in dwellings above which precautionary action is advisable. These levels will be kept under review in the light of any further evidence that emerges about the effects of radon on health.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his statement on 27 January, Official Report, column 189, concerning radon levels in houses, what discussions have taken place on the feasibility of a study of the health effects of such exposure to radon; how soon he expects a decision to be reached on whether to undertake such a study and about its duration.

The recommendations for action on radon in dwellings are based in part on epidemiological studies of the health effects of exposure on uranium miners. Both the National Radiological Protection Board and the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment consider that there is a need for a further study of the health effects on persons exposed to radon gas in the home. The feasibility of such a study and the way in which it might be set up are currently being investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to arrange for further sampling of radon levels in dwellings other than in Devon and Cornwall, and other than at the request of members of the public; and if he will make a statement.

As I indicated on 27 January, it is intended that the systematic survey of radon levels in houses should be restricted to Devon and Cornwall for the time being as most of the houses with the highest levels are likely to be located there. However, the need for systematic surveys in other parts of the country will be kept under review in the light of the results obtained from the free measurement service to be provided by the NRPB.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what measure the Government will take to ascertain whether existing homes are experiencing radon gas concentrations greater than the action level of 400 becquerels per cubic metre; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to my statement of 27 January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he will introduce to enable the financing and inspection of home improvements needed to protect people whose homes are experiencing Radon gas levels greater than 400 becquerels per cubic metre.

I refer my hon. Friend to my statement of 27 January. No decisions can be made about the implementation of remedial measures until the work in hand on establishing the extent of the problem and the most effective ways of dealing with it has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment pursuant to his statement on 27 January, Official Report, columns 189–90, concerning radon levels in houses, what number of houses in Somerset is to be included in the further survey announced; whether any parts of Somerset are areas where a measurement service will be provided at no cost to those concerned; what arrangements have been made for distribution in Somerset of his Department's leaflet; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1987, c. 115]: As I indicated on 27 January, it is intended that the systematic survey of radon levels in houses should be restricted to Devon and Cornwall for the time being. However, free measurements will be provided on request, through the National Radiological Protection Board, to people who live in areas of Somerset and other parts of the country where radon concentrations might be at or above

	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86
Thames	1,810	2,120	2,345	2,486	2,695
Southern	1,300	1,327	1,400	1,574	1,668
North West	1,350	1,288	1,385	2,241	2,202
Severn Trent	2,401	2,681	3,354	4,372	4,500
Wessex	844	790	966	1,125	993
South West	1,055	1,140	1,600	1,685	1,718
Anglian	1,095	1,077	1,288	1,557	1,707
Northumbrian	509	544	613	654	722
Yorkshire	1,136	1,020	1,165	1,536	2,006
Welsh	n/a	n/a	n/a	1,418	1,681
n/a = not available.

No breakdown of these figures is held centrally but details are available from the water authorities and, in some cases, are contained in the authorities' annual reports.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment at what levels it is possible to detect the toxicity of Decapol in (a) drinking water and (b) untreated water.

The toxic constituents in the Decapol range of products are acrylamides. The most toxic of these can be detected at 0·2 mg per litre in both drinking water and untreated water.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the report of research commissioned by his Department on radioactive waste management and radioactivity in the environment.

I received the 1984–86 report today. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment; further to his reply to the hon. Member for South Shields on 2 February, Official Report, column 494, concerning Her Majesty's radiochemical inspectorate, if he will estimate (a) the number of man-years' effort required to undertake the three-year programme of reviewing authorisations of radioactive discharges and (b) the number of man-years' effort required to complete such a review for a typical nuclear site; whether the staffing compliment of the inspectorate was increased by reason of that review programme; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the total number of water pollution incidents in respect of each of the 10 water authority regions in England and Wales for each of the last five years; and for each of the respective totals what is the number of incidents within the following categories according to the cause of the pollution incident (a) agriculture, (b) industry, (c) fish farms, (d) sewage and (e) other.

The total number of reported water pollution incidents in each of the 10 water authority areas in England and Wales since 1981–82 are as follows:

There is no typical nuclear site. The time required at each site will vary but will probably be no more than 150 and no less than 30 man days per review. Preliminary estimates suggest that provision for about 12 man years effort should be provided over the three-year period. The staffing complement of the inspectorate is kept under regular review and the effort required to review the authorisations has been taken into account. The last staffing review was held in October 1986 and authority to recruit additional inspectors has been given.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will carry out a review of the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1977 class VI—Agriculture, with a view to limiting its scope for the development of smallholdings of industrial, commercial and residential use.

Class VI of the General Development Order applies only to development for agricultural purposes. Change from agricultural use to industrial, commercial or residential use requires specific planning permission.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is now in a position to state whether he will intervene in the neglect of the commitments undertaken by the owner of Heveningham hall, Mr. A. A1-Ghazzi.

Not yet. It will depend on the advice I receive from the chairman of the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England, who I know is looking into the matter very carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his reply to the hon. Member for South Shields on 2 February, Official Report, column 494, concerning Her Majesty's radiochemical inspectorate, what is the total number of such inspectors presently in post; what is the authorised complement; when was the staffing level of the inspectorate last reviewed; and if he will make a statement.

The total number of Her Majesty's radiochemical inspectors in post is 22. The authorised complement is 32 but this complement is currently under review and an additional five inspectors have been approved for 1987–88.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 local authorities whose social services departments have experienced most demand from AIDS victims; and if he will state which of them were rate-capped in each year since rate capping began; and if he will give the total rate support grant to each of the local authorities in each year since 1982.

The collection of data on the incidence of AIDS is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services. I understand, however, that the relevant information is compiled by regional health authority, rather than local authority, areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report(a) the rate support grant spending assumption per head of population for 1987–88 for Adur, Hove and Worthing district councils and (b) the proposed grant to be received in 1987–88 per head of population in Adur, Hove and Worthing district councils; and if he will make a statement.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the number of flats currently owned by local authorities; how many are currently unoccupied; how many such flats he expects to be sold to tenants as a result of his Department's current campaign; what percentage take-up this represents and over what time scale; and if he will make a statement.

Local authorities in England are estimated to own 1·7 million flats. 113,000 local authority dwellings were unoccupied in April 1986; separate figures are not available for flats.Thirty five thousand local authority flats were sold in England between April 1979 and September 1986, representing 2 per cent. of the stock of flats. It is difficult to predict the rate of sale in future, but it is hoped that it will increase to over 10,000 a year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what planning restrictions on the use or development of agricultural dwelling houses would be removed by the policy contained in his draft circular "Development Involving Agricultural Land"; and if he will make a statement.

Policy on the development and use of agricultural dwelling houses in England and Wales is set out in the annex to DOE circular 24/73 (Welsh Office 49/73). Paragraph 4 states that, unless the applicant shows that there are valid reasons why a dwelling house should be erected on the farm rather than in a nearby village, the normal planning considerations will apply and the need for agricultural dwellings should be met as far as possible by building in an accessible village, hamlet or existing group of dwellings. It may sometimes be appropriate to impose conditions when planning permission is granted for such dwellings restricting occupancy to persons employed in agriculture in the locality. Such conditions, as in the case of all planning conditions, should only be imposed where they are necessary, relevant to planning and to the development to be permitted, enforceable, precise and reasonable in all other respects.The draft circular on development involving agricultural land does not propose any change in this policy although it urges that applications for removal of such agricultural conditions should be considered on the bases of realistic assessments of the continuing need for them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage the continuing role of homesteading as one of the ways to bring back into use local authority properties in disrepair.

I am continuing to encourage local authorities to look at a wide range of options for meeting people's housing needs and wishes, and I shall be reminding them of the value of homesteading in this context at the next suitable opportunity.Homesteading is a very useful way of bringing empty council flats and houses back into use. It also gives people a chance to become home owners at a relatively low cost. It does not suit all properties, and not all first-time buyers are willing and able to take on the often considerable work needed, but it can be very helpful indeed in areas where first-time buyers have the necessary skills to undertake renovation work but find it very difficult to afford the prices of houses on the ordinary market. In such cases, some local authorities will use homesteading, using their powers to offer mortgages and home imporvement grants where necessary. They can also, with the Secretary of State's consent, waive mortgage interest payments for up to five years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue a direction to the London residuary body to prevent the disposal at public auction of the catalogued items in the Greater London Council's heritage collection; and if he will make a statement.

No. 1 understand that the LRB does not intend to auction those items that have historical and traditional association.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will direct the London residuary body not to accept any proposal for the use of county hall which involves demolition of the building; and if he will make a statement.

No. Any proposals for the demolition of county hall would require listed building consent and the ususal procedures for obtaining that consent would apply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now introduce a home insulation scheme to allow claimants on supplementary benefit and housing benefit 90 per cent. grants to cover costs of draught proofing as well as loft insulation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Dame J. Knight) on Wednesday 28 January at col. 244.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his policy on the homes insulation scheme, in the light of the proposals made to him by Neighbourhood Energy Action.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 February 1987]: Neighbourhood Energy Action (NEA) have proposed that the changes to the homes insulation scheme should be extended to cover draught-proofing payments currently made by the DHSS. The future arrangements for help with the cost of materials for draught-proofing are under consideration between the relevant Government Departments concerned and the proposals made by NEA will be taken into account.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a breakdown of the other public bodies to which staff from the Greater London council and metropolitan city councils transferred following abolition.

Staff were transferred statutorily at abolition from the Greater London council and metropolitan county councils to the bodies specified in the following orders made under the Local Government Act 1985:

(i) The Local Government Reorganisation (Designation of Staff) Order 1986–1986/192

(ii) The Mersey Tunnels Order 1986–1986/297

(iii) The Tyne Tunnel Order 1986–1986/298

(iv) The Local Government Reorganisation (Airports) Order 1986–1986/425

(v) The London Government Reorganisation (Designation of Staff) Order 1986–1986/426

(vi) The Local Government Reorganisation (Designation of Metropolitan County Council Staff) Order 1986–1986/523

(vii) The Local Government Reorganisation (Designation of Staff) (No. 2) Order 1986–1986/582

No record is kept centrally of the recruitment by successor or other public bodies of former GLC or metropolitan county councils' employees.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a breakdown by residuary body of the total paid to date in detriment to staff transferred from the seven abolished authorities to successor bodies.

The information is as follows:

Residuary Body	Compensation for Detriment paid up to 31 December 1986
	£
London	695,000
Greater Manchester	5,631
Merseyside	96,400
South Yorkshire	645,389
Tyne and Wear	204,000
West Midlands	572,618
West Yorkshire	161,866
Total	2,380,904

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many additional staff were employed by central Government Departments following abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils.

Much of the Department's work on matters arising from the abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils is handled by staff within the appropriate policy areas or regional offices, and is not separately identifiable except at disproportionate cost. The number of staff currently employed centrally in the Department entirely on such matters is 17. The number of staff so employed in other Government Departments is a matter for the respective Secretaries of State.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will provide details of (a) the total number of staff declared redundant and (b) the total cost of redundancy pay for each of the authorities abolished by the Local Government Act 1985.

No record is held centrally of any staff having been declared redundant by the Greater London council or the metropolitan county councils in connection with the Local Government Act 1985. However, under that Act, all employees of those authorities who were in post on 31 March 1986 and who were not designated for transfer by order were treated as if they had been declared redundant by their employer immediately before the abolition date. Of those, 6,284 were entitled to redundancy payments or compensation. The details are as follows:

Abolition Council	Number of former employees entitled to redundancy payments or compensation	1Total costs to December 1986
		£
Greater London	3,188	21,851,333
Greater Manchester	637	6,739,798
Merseyside	370	3,520,174
South Yorkshire	480	3,421,137
Tyne and Wear	149	989,700
West Midlands	524	3,598,535
West Yorkshire	936	7,440,774
1 These figures include the costs of any redundancies among residuary bodies1 employees since 1 April 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the revenue collected from issuing dog licences, and the total cost of collection and administration, for each year since 1978; and if he will make a statement;(2) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that post offices acting as agents for local authorities issue dog licences when requested to by the general public; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will list in tabular form

I shall write to the hon. Lady.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to advise users of capacitors containing polychlorinated biphenol to replace them in view of their toxicity and non-biodegradability.

[pursuant to his reply, 12 February 1987, c. 314]: The Control of Pollution Act (Supply and Use of Injurious Substances) Regulations 1986, Statutory Instrument 1986 No. 902, banned the sale and new use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) throughout the United Kingdom.It is not planned to advise existing users of capacitors containing PCBs to replace them before the end of the service life of such equipment since PCBs pose no threat to human health or the environment whilst in use in secure equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he gives on the safe disposal of capacitors containing polychlorinated biphenol.

[pursuant to his reply, 12 February 1987, c. 314]: The main source of advice the Department gives on the disposal of wastes containing polychlorinated biphenyls is waste management paper No. 6 which includes advice on the safe disposal of capacitors.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a map of England identifying Country Heritage sites and areas of special importance for nature conservation which will be protected from industrial development and road planning.

[pursuant to his answer, 10 February 1987, c. 157]: The production of such a map is impracticable. However, details of all formally designated sites are notified to planning authorities so that their status can be properly considered when planning applications are made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest annual cost to the United Kingdom of the recent European Economic Community Agriculture Council decision that the financing of disposal of certain surplus Common Agricultural Policy stocks should be borne by national budgets for a period until repayments can be made from the European Economic Community budget; when this procedure was approved by European Economic Community finance ministers; what provision exists in the Public Expenditure White Paper for these costs; and if he will make a statement.

In the context of the package of economy measures agreed by the Agriculture Council in December, the Commission indicated that it would subsequently bring forward a proposal to defer reimbursement to member states in respect of losses on the disposal of 1 million tonnes of butter from intervention stocks in 1987 and 1988. Reimbursements are to be made in four equal instalments starting in 1989, by which time the Commission expect that their cost will be more than offset by savings to the Community budget from the reductions in milk production agreed in December. In the meantime, the member states' financing costs will be reimbursed.The Commission estimates that deferring reimbursement in this way will reduce EC budget expenditure in 1987 and 1988 by about 2,185 million ecu. The cost to the United Kingdom in postponed receipts from the Community budget is estimated to be broadly neutral, the delay in reimbursement being balanced by a saving in our contributions to the Community budget.The Council of Agricultural Ministers on 9–10 February approved the necessary regulation, subject to the views of the European Parliament. The subject was also discussed at the Council of Economic and Finance Ministers on 9 February.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of their income the richest 10 per cent. of households pay on tobacco duty; and what percentage of the income of the lowest 10 per cent. income group is expended on tobacco duty.

The information can be obtained from the tables on pages 107 and 108 of "Economic Trends", No. 397, November 1986, published by the Central Statistical Office, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to enable civil service employees to donate money to charity under the payroll giving scheme when the scheme comes into effect on 1 April.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details for the year ended December 1986 of the United Kingdom balance of payments position (a) overall and (b) with the European Economic Community, and the balance of trade in manufactured goods for the same period (i) overall and (ii) with the European Economic Community.

The preliminary estimates for the United Kingdom balance of payments in the fourth quarter and year 1986 will be published on 5 March. The first available estimate for the current account in 1986, which included a projected figure for the balance of invisible transactions in the fourth quarter, showed a deficit on £187 million. Estimates of the 1986 United Kingdom balance of payments with the European Community will not be available until this summer.On trade in manufactured goods, the United Kingdom recorded a deficit of £5,852 million with the rest of the world in 1986 and a deficit of £10,072 million with countries in the European Community.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations took place with the mail order industry before the consultation paper, "VAT: Small Business Review" was published.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1987; c. 37]: None, but officials of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise have met representatives of the industry to discuss their response to the consultation paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what compliance cost assessment of the costs and benefits to the mail order industry of the changes proposed in the consultation paper, "VAT: Small Business Review" was carried out by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in accordance with the provision of paragraph 3.12 of "Building Businesses … Not Barriers" (Cmnd. 9794) and if he will publish the findings.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1987, c. 37]: The compliance costs of those few proposals which may result in additional costs for certain classes of businesses are being taken into account together with the revenue and other possible benefits, in the consideration which the Government is giving to the responses to the consultation document proposals. No formal assessment will be completed until the Government have announced their decisions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the benefits to the United Kingdom economy as a whole of implementing the changes outlined in the consultation paper, "VAT: Small Business Review" in respect of the mail order industry.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1987, c. 37]: This is receiving further examination in the light of the responses to the consultation paper proposals.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise of the cost to retail traders providing self-financed credit facilities of compliance with the proposed new requirements in the consultation paper, "VAT: Small Business Review".

[pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1987, c. 37]: Representations received from retail traders providing self-financed credit facilities suggest that, if the proposal to abolish the standard method of reckoning gross takings for users of the VAT special retail schemes were to be implemented, revenue could be in excess of £25 million a year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise of the cost to retail business of compliance with the proposed new requirements in the consultation paper, "VAT: Small Business Review".

[pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1987, c. 37]: The consultation paper proposals are mostly beneficial to small retail businesses. I regret that there is no reliable basis for forecasting accurately the value of these benefits.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations were received from (a) business organisations and (b) individuals, regarding the present value added tax regulations for mail order firms in each of the years 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1987, c. 37]: There are no VAT regulations relating specifically to mail order firms. The only recent representations have been those at the end of 1986 in the context of the consultation document "VAT: Small Business Review" and special schemes for retailers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply of 6 February, if he will give sub-totals for the unclaimed prize money from premium bond draws by year; and what is his policy in respect of unclaimed prize money.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 February 1987, c. 233]: The unclaimed prize money from premium bond prize draws is as follows:

	Value £
1957	—
1958	50
1959	100
1960	325
1961	425
1962	875
1963	1,775
1964	2,250
1965	2,700
1966	3,325
1967	5,020
1968	7,200
1969	10,425
1970	14,625
1971	21,700
1972	28,500
1973	36,200
1974	43,700
1975	68,375
1976	87,425
1977	116,125
1978	143,475
1979	174,600
1980	291,400
1981	380,400
1982	489,900
1983	628,850
1984	773,450
1 1985	640,180

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government's policy on the spread of shareholdings of the incidence of dealings in shares of newly privatised companies on the Stock Exchange before letters of allotment have been sent out; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to the reply, 13 February 1987]: Arrangements for initial dealings in the shares of newly privatised companies are looked at in the circumstances of each case. The practical issues which need to be taken into account include the time needed to process large numbers of applications and the importance of allowing dealings on the stock exchange to begin as soon as possible.

asked the Paymaster General how much has been allocated since 1981 by the European social fund to each of the Manpower Services Commission's special training measures; and what sums have been applied for in 1987, for each individual programme.

The following table shows the amounts allocated from the European social fund to the main groups of Manpower Services Commission training programmes since 1981.

European Social Fund Allocation
£
1981
Youth Opportunities Programme	59,408,000
Unified Vocational Preparation	430,000
Training for Skills Programme	4,281,000
Threshold Computer Scheme	818,000
	64,937,000
1982
Youth Programmes	113,289,000
Training for Skills Programme	4,348,000
Threshold Computer Scheme	887,000
	118,524,000
1983
Youth Programmes	197,401,000
Threshold Computer Scheme	1,147,000
Training for Skills Programme	1,424,000
	199,972,000
1984
Youth Training Scheme	137,950,000
Training Opportunities Programme	31,040,000
Open Tech Programme	1,694,000
Training for Skills Programme	1,662,000
Threshold Computer Scheme	1,232,000

asked the Paymaster General, further to his reply to the hon. Member for South Shields on 3 February, Official Report, column 616, concerning the Health and Safety Executive assessment level of 0·17mSv radiation exposure in a year; when this assessment was introduced; what assessment level is recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection; and if he will make a statement.

The assessment level of the dose for any person outside the site boundary was first published by the Health and Safety Executive in April 1979 in "Safety Assessment Principles for Nuclear Power Reactors". The International Commission on Radiological Protection does not make recommendations on assessment levels; it recommends dose limits which are then used by Her Majesty's nuclear installations inspectorate of the HSE in devising the assessment level.

asked the Paymaster General what proportion of YTS students obtain permanent jobs within three months of completing their course in each region of the United Kingdom.

The Manpower Services Commission conducts regular surveys of young people leaving YTS. Results from these surveys (including data for regions) are placed in the Library of the House each month. I refer the hon. Member to these documents.

asked the Paymaster General what has been the impact on targeted community programme schemes in the eight task force areas of the embargo on recruitment of under-25-year-olds to community programme places in connection with the job training scheme; and if he will make a statement.

I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Paymaster General if he will list in the Official Report the number of (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions in England and Wales since 1981 for offences relating to the fraudulent misuse or misappropriation of moneys advanced by the Manpower Services Commission in connection with the community programme.

Central records are only held for cases dating back to 1984. Since then there have been 13 prosecutions, resulting in nine convictions; the other four have still to be determined. The Manpower Services Commission vigorously investigate any allegations of misuse of public funds on the community programme, referring serious cases to the police and seeking recovery of the moneys involved.

asked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the contribution by the financial services industries to the YTS; if he will state the numbers joining the scheme from banks, building societies, insurance companies, insurance brokers, accountants and estate agents, respectively; and how many such young people have subsequently found employment.

(a) Contribution by the financial services industries to YTS.The financial services industry are making an important contribution to the YTS.The major banks, building societies and insurance industry run substantial YTS clerical training schemes, designed to deliver transferable office skills. Additionally many insurance brokers, insurance offices and estate agents act as work placement providers for local managing agents.

asked the Paymaster General whether any statistics in the 1986 new earnings survey have not been published.

The published tables in the 1986 new earnings survey are the same as in previous years apart from results relating to the special questions on size of organisation. However, within the tables there may be small variations in the categories for which information is published which will depend on the reliability of the results including simple size and standard error of the estimate.

asked the Paymaster General what objections have been received from companies or employers' organisations to publication of figures in the new earnings survey.

No objections have been received from companies or employers' organisations to publication of figures in the new earnings survey other than on grounds of reliability of the data.

asked the Paymaster General what steps he is taking to ensure that the 1987 new earnings survey discloses figures for all industries including gas supply.

Consultations are taking place between employers and my officials where necessary to ensure that the 1987 new earnings survey returns provide reliable results.

asked the Paymaster General why the new earnings survey does not include any figures relating to manual workers in the gas industry, SIC 1620 public gas supply, gas workers NJIC agreement and gas fitters occupation.

Results for the following groups—manual workers in the gas industry SIC 1620 public gas supply, Gas Workers NJIC agreement and gas fitters occupation — are normally included in the new earnings survey published report. My Department took the decision to exclude figures from the 1986 report following advice from British Gas that the survey data were unreliable.

asked the Paymaster General how many data processing staff are in post within his Department; and how many of them are trainees.

At 12 February 1987, the Department of Employment group employed total of 406 professional data processing staff at the levels executive officer to grade 5. Eighteen were trainees.These figures exclude all staff at levels from clerical assistant to grade 7 employed on non DP work as well as staff at data processor and senior data processor levels.

asked the Paymaster General what was the average number of days training per year given to professional information technology staff within his Department who are no longer trainees in the most recent years for which figures are available.

The average figure for 1985 was nine days and for 1986 was 10 days for those parts of the Department for which figures are readily available.

asked the Paymaster General what are the implications for equal opportunities of the eligibility rules for the new job training scheme.

I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Paymaster General, pursuant to his reply of 10 February, if unemployed women who have been signing on as unemployed at an unemployment benefit office for six months or more, but who are ineligible for benefit, or who are only in indirect receipt of benefit via an unemployed spouse, will be eligible for a training allowance under the job training scheme.

The allowances paid to participants in the new job training scheme are at a rate equivalent to the amount of benefit in payment immediately before joining the scheme. Men and women not receiving benefit immediately before training will not, therefore, be eligible for a training allowance. They will become entitled to an allowance if a later change of circumstances would have entitled them to benefit had they remained unemployed. Benefits received by the spouse of a trainee who is not getting an allowance will not be affected.

asked the Paymaster General what is the value of past and current contracts between (a) the Manpower Services Commission and (b) the Merseyside Task Force and Liverpool Heritage Developments Limited formerly Dunebourne Limited.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1987, c. 53–54]: I understand that there are no current contracts between the Manpower Services Commission and Liverpool Heritage Developments Limited, formerly Dunebourne Limited, and nor have there been any in the past.I believe the hon. Member may be referring to the Manpower Services Commission's community programme contract with Merseyside Improvements Agency. I understand that the agency has arrangements with a number of sponsors, one of which involves restoration work on the Liverpool Royal Institute by Liverpool Heritage Developments Limited. The cost of the project is about £335,500.I also understand that there are no current contracts between Merseyside Task Force and Liverpool Heritage Developments Limited.In February 1986, Merseyside Task Force provided £200 to Liverpool Heritage Developments Limited for work involved in a presentation on the enterprise allowance scheme, in association with other local bodies.

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish a list showing the number of any notifiable incidents reported to Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate in each year since 1970 where such incidents involved a flask designed to transport nuclear fuel; whether reporting criteria for such incidents have been changed in the period; whether reporting criteria differ between incidents occurring inside and outside nuclear sites; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.Since 1970 the number of notifiable incidents relating to fuel flasks on nuclear sites has been:

	Number
1970 to 1973	none
1974	none
1975	none
1976	2
1977	5
1978	2
1979	4
1980	6
1981 to 1983	none
1984	1
1985 to 1986	none

Up to 1976, incidents were reported to comply with site licence conditions and the Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1963. In 1976, under arrangements announced by the Secretary of State for energy on 2 February at column 210, the reporting criteria were extended to include incidents of lesser significance. Modifications to those criteria were announced by the Under-Secretary of State for Energy on 26 July 1982 at column 374.Those arrangements relate to incidents on nuclear sites. Transport-related incidents off site are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were deported in each of the last three years; to which countries they went; and how many went to countries other than those from which they originally came.