asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend the existing planning regulations so that (a) his decision in relation to inquiries affecting highway routes and related matters should be accompanied by reasons and (b) the inspector's decision should be accompanied by reasons; and if he will make a statement.

The regulations governing highways inquiries procedures are the Highways (Inquiries Procedure) Rules 1976 (SI 1976 No. 721).Under these rules, the Secretary of State is required to notify objectors and others of his decision and the reasons

(a) Scheme	(b) Completion Date	(c) Local Authority Area	(d) Amount of EEC Grant Received	(e) Type of Grant
A69 Kingsway Flyover Junction	November 1985	Gateshead MBC	£1·02M	ERDF
A69 Cross Lane Junction	March 1986	Gateshead MBC	£0·67M	ERDF
A69 Eighteen Lodge Improvement	November 1987	Gateshead MBC	1—	—
Newcastle Western Bypass	October 1990	City of Newcastle	1—	—
A69 Norsley-Corbridge Improvement Scheme	December 1988	Tynedale DC	This scheme does not qualify for ERDF because it is not in an Assisted Area
A69 Warwick Bridge Bypass	Mid 1990	City of Carlisle	These schemes do not qualify for ERDF because they are not in Assisted Area
A69 Haltwhistle Relief Road	1992	Tynedale DC
A69 Brampton Bypass	1992–93	City of Carlisle
1 ERDF aid for these schemes has been sought, but grant is not payable until the work has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the latest statistics on the effectiveness of his drink-driving advertising programme; and if he will make a statement.

Complete statistics on the level of drinking and driving and casualties over the Christmas period are not yet available. A full analysis will be included in "Road Accidents in Great Britain 1986: The Casualty Report" to be published later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the numbers of passenger and aircraft movements at Stansted airport over the last 10 years to date.

The information is as follows:

Stansted airport
	Terminal passengers1	Aircraft movements1
1976–77	290,951	3,879
1977–78	291,818	4,179
1978–79	329,521	4,691
1979–80	344,351	4,937

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will (a) list the proposed completion date of each section of the Sunderland-Carlisle trunk road, (b) indicate the local authority areas in which each section is situated and (c) state the amount and type of funding received from the European Community for each section.

The information requested for the A69 Carlisle-Tyneside trunk road (formerly the Carlisle-Sunderland trunk road) is as follows. The schemes listed are those recently completed; under construction; or in preparation.

	Terminal passengers1	Aircraft movements1
1980–81	261,307	3,229
1981–82	273,463	6,155
1982–83	298,637	7,733
1983–84	357,180	8,593
1984–85	546,776	12,773
1985–86	504,368	14,155
1 Source: BAA Annual Report and Accounts.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current position concerning the draft Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas Regulations.

I have laid these regulations before Parliament today. They will come into force, for the most part, on 1 June 1987.The regulations and associated code of practice will replace nearly 300 sets of byelaws made under the Explosives Act 1875 and the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 and the whole or parts of some other harbour byelaws or local Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he proposes to lessen the hazard of slow-moving vehicles using high speed roads.

This is a problem that has caused concern especially on major roads. The Department will shortly be consulting interested organisations on a proposed amendment to the lighting regulations to require slow moving vehicles to use amber warning beacons when travelling on unrestricted dual carriageway roads.

asked the Paymaster General what representations he has received about differential pay rates in different parts of Britain.

I have received a number of letters on this issue since giving my lecture at the City university and business school on 11 February.

asked the Paymaster General when he intends to publish his latest proposals for trade union and industrial relations reform.

I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on Tuesday 24 February at column 146.

asked the Paymaster General if he will give the percentage unemployment figure for the constituency of Mid-Worcestershire for June 1983 and January 1987.

Unemployment rates are only calculated by the Department for self-contained labour market areas. The smallest such areas are travel-to-work areas.

asked the Paymaster General what is the total number of people registered as unemployed and available for work in St. Helens, South at the latest date available.

The following information is in the Library. On 8 January 1987, the number of unemployed people claiming unemployment benefit, supplementary benefit or national insurance credits in the St. Helens, South constituency was 7,642. Availability for work is a condition for receipt of these benefits and credits.

asked the Paymaster General what is the total number of people who have been unemployed for over 12 months in St. Helens, South at the latest date available.

The following information is in the Library. On 8 January 1987, the number of claimants who had been unemployed for over one year in the St. Helens, South constituency was 3,798.

asked the Paymaster General what is the total number of people who are presently on the Government's special employment and training schemes in St. Helens, South at the latest date available.

It is not possible to give a precise total figure for the St. Helens, South constituency because of the various bases on which local information is collected. At the latest available date, the number of people participating in the employment, training and enterprise measures in the St. Helens area were:

	Number	Date
Community Programme	1231	(January)
Community Industry	83	(January)
Enterprise Allowance Scheme	821	(February)
Job Release Schemes	73	(January)
New Workers Scheme1	1,484	(February)
Young Workers Scheme	45	(February)
Job Splitting Scheme	5	(February)
Voluntary Projects Programme	382	(December)
Adult Training Programmes	307	(February)
YTS	2,023	(February)
1 The New Workers Scheme figures are for Lancashire.

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish in the Official Report the numbers of 16 to 25-year-olds in Leicestershire participating in November 1986 in (a) the YTS, (b) the community programme, (c) the new workers scheme and (d) the enterprise allowance scheme.

On 30 November 1986 the number of 16 to 25-year-olds in Leicestershire participating in YTS and the enterprise allowance scheme was 4,892 and 237 respectively. On 28 November 1986 there were 2,292 participants in the community programme in Leicestershire. Information is not available on how many of these were under 25; they were all aged 18 or over.On 30 November 1986 there were 551 participants in the new workers scheme aged 18 and 19 in Leicestershire and Northampton. Separate figures are not available for Leicestershire.

asked the Paymaster General how many persons resident in Newcastle upon Tyne, North constituency are at present employed on a Government scheme.

The Government operate over 30 employment, enterprise and training measures which are available to people in the Newcastle area. It is not possible to give a precise figure for the Newcastle upon Tyne, North constituency because of the various bases on which local information is collected. The schemes which people participate as employees are as follows together with the numbers on the schemes in the Newcastle area at the latest available date.

	Number	Date
Community Programme	2,386	January
Community Industry	157	January
New Workers Scheme1	579	February
Young Workers Scheme	138	February
Job Splitting Scheme	39	February
1 The New Workers Scheme figures are for Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland.

asked the Paymaster General what is the latest estimate of the cost of the restart scheme in (a) Great Britain, (b) Scotland, (c) Strathclyde region and (d) Greenock and Port Glasgow.

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

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish in the Official Report the list of restart menu options that will be offered to unemployed 18 to 25-year-olds when the job training scheme is extended outside the current 10 pilot areas.

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

asked the Paymaster General how many days were lost through industrial disputes in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available in (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector.

The statistics are as follows

Working days lost through industrial disputes
United Kingdom: Thousand
Year	Public sector	Private sector	Total
1977	2,087	8,055	10,142
1978	1,433	7,972	9,405
1979	5,052	24,423	29,474
1980	9,825	2,139	11,964
1981	1,866	2,400	4,266
1982	3,378	1,935	5,313
1983	1,831	1,923	3,754
1984	23,866	3,270	27,135
1985	5,591	810	6,402
19861	874	977	1,852
1 Figures for 1986 are provisional.
Disputes are classified by sector as at the time of that occurrence.

asked the Paymaster General if he will list in the Official Report the skillcentres in Lancashire in June 1979 and at present, and the number of places provided at each centre for both dates.

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

asked the Paymaster General whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the increase in adult male earnings in the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors since 1979 and 1973; and if he will give a breakdown by industry for the manufacturing sector.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 February 1987]: Estimates from the new earnings survey for manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries are as follows:

asked the Paymaster General whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the increase in adult male earnings of skilled and unskilled workers in engineering since 1957, 1967 and 1977, or the nearest available dates on the nearest comparable basis, compared to adult male earnings generally.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 February 1987]: I have used a variety of sources to endeavour to produce a worthwhile reply as no one source is available which covers all the information requested. The resulting discontinuities in data sources over the period in question means that any comparisons can only provide a broad indication of trends. However, estimates from the information available are set out in the table:

Percentage change in gross weekly earnings of full-time adult1 male manual workers
	1963–85	1967–85	1977–85
Engineering (GB)2
All skilled employees	+819	+632	+133
All labourers	+842	+663	+120
All manufacturing3 (UK)	+886	+679	+132
1 Men aged 21 and over 1963, 1967 and 1977. Males on adult rates of pay 1985.
2 Figures for 1963, 1967 and 1977 are derived from the survey into earnings by occupation in Engineering and relate to June. Figures for 1985 are based on the New Earnings Survey.
3 Figures relate to October for all years shown.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the average figures served for life sentences imposed for offences of murder in the years 1960, 1970, 1975 and each year from 1980 to 1985.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the median average sentences imposed for mugging offences in each of the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Statistics do not separately distinguish offences of "mugging", a term which has no legal definition; most offences of the type often referred to as "mugging" are recorded as robbery. The most frequent sentence given to those convicted of robbery has been immediate imprisonment. Information about the distribution of the lengths of such sentences is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables Volume 2" (in table 2.4 of the 1985 volume under offence classification 34). In each of the years 1976 to 1985 the median sentence of unsuspended imprisonment for offences of robbery was about 2½ years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to how many offenders found guilty of crimes of violence against the person, including murder, in each of the past 10 years were unemployed at the time the offence was committed; and if he will make a statement.

The information collected centrally on court proceedings does not include the employment status of the offender.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to how many offenders found guilty of crimes of violence, including sexual offences, relate their crimes to motivation stimulated by television programmes.

Such information is not available. However, the Home Office research and planning unit recently published a paper, "Television Violence: A Note on Recent Research" (Research Bulletin 22/1986, a copy of which is in the Library) which reviews the studies undertaken in recent years on the relationship of television violence to aggression.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders found guilty of social security fraud during each of the past 10 years were immigrants from (a) the West Indies, (b) India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, (c) South Africa, (d) Eire, (e) the United States of America and (f) European Economic Community countries.

It is not possible from the records of the results of court proceedings to distinguish the nationality or place of birth of offenders.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of cars reported stolen in each of the last three years in (a) Lancashire, (b) Greater Manchester, (c) Merseyside and (d) Cheshire.

Numbers of recorded offences of theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle in each police force area are published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables" (Table S.3.1 in volume 3 of the issue for 1985).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the possibility of introducing a system of private prisons in Britain.

The Government are awaiting the views of the Home Affairs Select Committee, which I understand has looked at private prisons in the United States as part of its wider inquiry into prisons and penal reform. Before finalising our policy we shall consider those views together with evidence from other countries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of extra prison officers needed to be able to reduce to zero the average 16 hours overtime worked at present per week by prison officers.

A straight mathematical calculation is not possible since it would have to take account not only of the effectiveness or otherwise of the working arrangements in force but also of the work at present not done in establishments. Under the group working arrangements in the Department's fresh start proposals, we envisage being able to maintain and even extend existing regimes for prisoners with existing numbers of staff working a substantially reduced average working week, with the prospect of further efficiency improvements once the new systems are in place.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has of abuses of the police national computer by private detection agencies; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney General informs me that the inquiries to which he referred in his reply to the hon. Member on 30 January (Official Report, c. 406) are continuing. We are not aware of any other allegations of abuse of information held on the police national computer by private detection agencies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria underline the Government's decision to provide for the non accessible retention of computer fingerprint records rather than their destruction; and if he will make a statement.

Automatic fingerprint recognition systems rely for their efficacy on being able to search automatically a database of fingerprint images held on optical discs or other storage media. There are serious technical difficulties in trying to destroy an image held on such a database without adversely affecting adjacent images. The only practical way of ensuring that a particular fingerprint image is not accessible by an operator is by destroying the reference to it in the index to the database and this is what is proposed in clause 112 of the Criminal Justice Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he uses to assess the value for money provided by the activities of the fraud investigation squad of the Metropolitan police in the absence of information about the number of investigations which result in conviction.

This is an operational matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. For the kind of information collected to indicate how effectively the Metropolitan and City police company fraud branch is performing I refer the hon. Member to page 45 of the report of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for 1985 (Cmnd. 9790). The number of convictions is not necessarily a useful indicator because of the length of time between charge or summons and conviction.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals to put out to private contractors the enforcement under police supervision of traffic speed limits on motorways; and if he will make a statement.

No. The responsibility for enforcement of speed limits is, and should remain, a matter for the police service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will initiate an inquiry into the incidence of freemasonry within the police force and its implications for the efficiency of the police; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any proposals to extend participation of retained firemen in the fire service; and if he will make a statement.

The Audit Commission Occasional Paper No. 1 about value for money in the fire service addressed issues relevant to the retained fire service. These, together with other issues raised by the paper, are being considered by the Department. The local authority associations, as the representatives of the employers, and the fire service trade unions will also be looking closely at the recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of serving police officers in England and Wales at the latest available date; and what was the comparable number in May 1979.

There were 121,550 police officers in England and Wales on 31 December 1986 and 111,493 in May 1979. This is an increase of 10,057 since May 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial, technological and service improvements attachment of his Department's computer systems to the Government data network will bring to his Department.

The proposed Government data network would be a technological improvement, which would lead to both financial and service benefits to my Department. The cost of the network will not be known until tenders have been evaluated later this year. Economies of scale in the development, implementation and running of a shared network are expected, compared with the costs that would be incurred if each Department used public services or developed a network for its own needs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in favour of placing police forces under the operational control of local authority nominees; and if he will make a statement.

Our attention has been drawn on a number of occasions to proposals for giving local authorities control of police operations. We believe that the present arrangements provide best for effective policing and for the protection and freedom of the citizen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of reported cases of racial incidents in the London borough of Waltham Forest in 1986; in how many cases arrests were made; in how many cases charges were brought; and how many convictions were secured.

I am informed that 66 racial incidents were reported to the police in the London borough of Waltham Forest (including that part of Epping forest in the Chingford division) during 1986. In eight of these cases arrests were made.Further details could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy, following his discontinuation of funding for the experimental detoxification centres in Leeds, Birmingham and Aberdeen, on establishing similar detoxification centres; and if he will make a statement.

The Government remain committed to the policy of diverting drunkenness offenders from the criminal justice system. The establishment of detoxification centres or overnight shelters at Government expense has not been found a cost-effective means to this end; but we do not exclude the possibility of approving under section 34 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972 treatment centres funded from other sources.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the figures on expenditure on alcohol abuse and on drug abuse for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that information is not available in the form requested since in such areas as enforcement and treatment much expenditure on alcohol and drug misuse is not separately identified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to combat the incidence of drink driving offences other than the annual advertising campaign; and if he will make a statement.

The enforcement of the law on drinking and driving is a matter for the police. They appreciate the importance of effective enforcement throughout the year. The Home Office maintains regular contact with the Department of Transport about publicity and other preventive measures which complement police enforcement and is represented on the road traffic law review chaired by Dr. Peter North which is examining, inter alia, various aspects of the law relating to drinking and driving.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in tabular form, by police force area, such information as is available to him on the number of children under 17 years who were reported as missing in each of the past five years, and to date; and if he will make a statement.

The only information readily available is that from the Metropolitan police missing persons bureau. Their records are not comprehensive because cases are normally reported to the bureau only when the person has been missing for at least 48 hours and because other forces do not report cases to the bureau as a matter of course. However, I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the number of children aged 17 or under reported to the bureau as missing for each of the past five years was as follows:

	Sex	Metropolitan Police	Provincial police and Interpol	Total
1982	Boys	1,550	135	1,685
	Girls	1,823	141	1,964
1983	Boys	1,340	147	1,487
	Girls	1,534	174	1,708
1984	Boys	1,416	138	1,554
	Girls	1,733	153	1,886
1985	Boys	1,283	115	1,398
	Girls	1,699	121	1,820
1986	Boys	1,291	147	1,438
	Girls	1,586	142	1,728
Information by police force area is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from chief constables on the civilianisation initiatives in each of the police force areas, the number of posts so far civilianised, the number of further posts expected to be civilianised in the current year and the number of posts earmarked for civilianisation after the current year; and if he will make a statement.

It is estimated that in provincial forces in England and Wales civilianisation resulted in the release of about 500 police officers for operational work in 1985 and about 580 in 1986. As my right hon. Friend stated on 20 May 1986 in reply to a question from the hon. Member for Westminster, North (Mr. Wheeler) Official Report, columns 124–25, following a review by Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary of the manpower needs of provincial forces, we expect to see phased increases in civilian staff of approximately 1,350 over the next few years resulting in the release of at least 650 police officers to operational duty.In the Metropolitan police in the financial year 1985–86 civilianisation resulted in the release of 162 police officers to operational duties. The estimated number for 1986–87 is 108 and for 1987–88 the estimate is 160.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the three police authority areas with the highest murder and attempted murder rates in each of the last three years;(2) if he will list in the

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his latest information on the incidence of theft from farm houses and buildings; and what information he has about the comparable position in 1983.

This information is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to what chemical substances were used by the police at the News International plant at Wapping on 24 January; and if he will make a statement.

The Commissioner informs me that when demonstrators attempted to set fire to a lorry some police officers used halon fire extinguishers. No other chemical substances were carried or used by his officers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in encouraging the recruitment of higher numbers of black and Asian police officers; and what initiatives he is taking to stimulate further ethnic minority recruitment.

All police forces with substantial minority communities are anxious to increase the number of ethnic minority police officers and a variety of new initiatives have recently been taken to improve recruitment. As a result, the number of ethnic minority police officers in England and Wales increased from 386 in June 1982 to 761 in December 1985 and to 898 in December 1986. A conference of the officers in charge of recruitment in all police forces in England and Wales was held in October 1986 to consider what more might be done and this produced some useful ideas, which we are taking forward. An additional staff officer to Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary has also been appointed, with specific responsibility for co-ordinating the efforts of forces and for following up the conclusions of the conference.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many neighbourhood watch schemes are currently operating in the north-west; and if he will make a statement.

There are more than 9,500 neighbourhood or home watch schemes in the Cheshire, Cumbria, greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside police force areas, the number having more than doubled over the past 12 months. This increase in the number of schemes indicates the increasing public awareness of the part they can play in preventing crime. Neighbourhood or home watch schemes provide a focus for action for those who wish to work against crime.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has that the electoral register is being used by criminals to identify potential victims such as women on their own.

We are aware of suggestions that some criminals may use the electoral register as one of a number of possible sources of information about householders, but have not received specific information to suggest this has happened, except in two cases which have occurred in the Bristol area where the police think that the electoral register was used in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will seek to amend the Representation of the People Regulations 1986 so that people wishing to consult the electoral register should do so in the presence of the custodian;(2) if he will seek to amend the Representation of the People Regulations 1986 so that whilst the electoral register must be freely available to the general public, people who wish to consult it should be asked for their name and address and proof of identity.

We are not persuaded that such amendments should be made. Such restrictions could discourage members of the public from inspecting the electoral register, which provides an important check on its accuracy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on recent trends in sentencing in rape cases.

Court sentencing figures for 1986 are not yet complete but more recent information is available on the effective length of all the sentences (including consecutive sentences) of persons received into prison for the principal offence of rape. It suggests a lengthening of sentences since the Lord Chief Justice's guideline judgment of 21 February 1986 in R v. Billam: in March-September 1986, about 45 per cent, of those entering prison under sentence for rape or attempted rape had an effective sentence length of more than five years; in the corresponding period a year earlier, the proportion was about 20 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will issue guidance on the minimisation of animal suffering in the conduct of the Draize eye irritancy test.

Guidelines on this subject have been prepared and recently issued to establishments where this testing is carried out. Copies of the guidelines have been placed in the Library.Because of the importance of the eye, and its vulnerability to damage, safety testing of substances which may come into contact with the eye is essential and to date no satisfactory replacement for the Draize eye test exists. None the less, there is much which can be done to minimise the use of animals in the test and any suffering which may occur. The guidelines will ensure the adoption of best practice, covering the use of prior screening in vitro and with a single animal, use of reduced doses and dilution of test materials, inspection and withdrawal of animals from study and the use of analgesics. I am sure that the guidelines—which have been endorsed by the Advisory Committee on Animal Experiments— will result in the improvement of animal welfare whilst allowing essential safety testing to continue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the amounts paid in out of court settlements of claims arising from the wrongful arrests by metropolitan police officers in 1986; what were the amounts paid under awards made by courts in 1986; and the number of cases concluded in 1986.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 February 1987, c. 218]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that a total of £330,332·50p was paid in settlements out of court arising from allegations of wrongful acts by Metropolitan police officers. In 1986, 126 civil actions were concluded of which 52 were settled out of court, 41 dealt with at court, 22 struck out and 11 discontinued.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for 1986 the cases involving Metropolitan polios officers where civil damages have been awarded and where, following the conclusion of the case, details of the court's findings have been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for further action.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 February 1987, c. 218]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that of 41 civil actions dealt with at court in 1986 damages were awarded against the Metropolitan police for wrongful acts by police officers in 10 cases as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the total expenditure on the investigation of the case of Mrs. Cynthia Payne; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 23 February 1987, c. 28]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the overtime and other additional costs to the Metropolitan police of the investigation of the case of Miss Cynthia Payne was £2,300

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the subjects discussed during his ministerial meeting in Bonn on 25 February.

My right hon. and learned Friend's meetings with the Federal German Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture covered a number of topics of mutual interest in European Community and International affairs. Details of such discussions are confidential.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how soon after 31 March he hopes to be able to make the outcome of his consultations on new Welsh language legislation available to hon. Members.

I do not expect to be in a position to make any statement on this matter before the autumn at the earliest.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales are employed full-time in jobs directly connected to conservation of energy; and what was the number in each of the last seven years.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make available extra funding to enable Welsh football clubs playing in the English League to meet the costs of converting 50 per cent, of stadium capacity to member-only enclosures.

Football league clubs in Wales as well as England will be expected to introduce membership schemes for at least 50 per cent, of each ground's capacity at their own cost. A team of representatives comprising the League, the Football Association, the Football Trust and independent advisers will be available to help and assist those clubs in need of guidance.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will now announce the chairman of the Welsh Health Promotion Authority.

I have asked Dr. Simon Smail, the current chairman of the Health Education Advisory Committee for Wales, to become the Chairman of the new authority when it is established. Dr. Smail has agreed. I expect to announce the membership of the authority shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of sixth form students study at (i) state schools, (ii) independent schools and (iii) state sixth form colleges.

The numbers and proportions of pupils aged 16 and over in school studying at maintained secondary schools, independent schools and sixth form colleges in England in January 1986 were:

	Number of pupils aged 16 and over1	As a percentage of total
Maintained Secondary Schools2	240,426	65
Independent Schools	66,634	18
Sixth Form Colleges	64,231	17
Total	371,291	100
1 Ages at previous 31 August.
2 Excluding Sixth form Colleges.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many pupils study for GCE A-levels; and what proportion of their year group they represent;(2) what proportion of pupils remain in full-time education over the age of 16 years; how many enter the sixth form; and how many enter further education or non advanced further education.

The number and proportion aged 16,17 and 18 remaining in full-time education in schools and further education colleges and those studying for GCE A-levels are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those local education authorities which staff reception classes with a teacher and a nursery nurse or ancillary and those which staff such classes with a teacher only.

Information on the staffing of reception classes is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will report on the progress with the first general certificate of secondary education examinations; what consultation he is having on this matter; and what action he is taking to respond to representations made.

Last September some 600,000 pupils started courses which will lead to the first GCSE examinations in summer 1988. Direct Government funding has provided:

(i) for books and equipment, £20 million in 1986–87 and £10 million in 1987–88; and

(ii) for in-service teacher training, £9·5 million in 1986–87 and £15 million in 1987–88.

The Government's plans for the financial year 1987–88 provide for specific expenditure on GCSE non-teaching costs of £100 million.Discussions are being held with GCSE examining groups, LEAs and teachers' associations, and the information gained will help to determine future resource needs and policy developments.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those regions and those subjects in which assessment structures for general certificate of secondary education examinations were not in operation by the end of 1986.

None. All GCSE syllabuses give details of the associated schemes of assessment and examination structure, and mode I syllabuses in all subjects were distributed to schools before the end of 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will request Her Majesty's Inspectors to carry out an immediate review of the operation of the general certificate of secondary education courses in secondary schools.

HMI has four main strategies for monitoring the implementation of the GCSE:

(i) through the normal programme of school visits;

(ii) through specialist subject visits;

(iii) through termly discussions with LEA officers, inspectors and advisers; and

(iv) through the annual analysis of LEAs' expenditure policies

In addition HMI is evaluating GCSE in-service teacher training.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Yeovil on 11 February, Official Report, column 219, concerning a review of procedures regarding publication of reports by Heir Majesty's Inspectors, what changes have been made since December 1985 concerning ways of accelerating procedures; what are the present procedures; when he expects the current review of procedures to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate has asked a firm of management consultants to undertake a review of their procedures for the processing of inspection reports. Although some small changes have recently been introduced, and individual reports are given priority where appropriate, the procedures remain largely what they were in December 1985. The consultancy should be completed shortly after Easter. It will cover, and make recommendations about, arrangements for the preparation and clearance of reports as well as their printing and distribution.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answer of 18 February, Official Report, columns 660–61, to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conway (Mr. Thomas), if he will indicate the proportion of the total amount allocated from his Department's science budget to universities in each year since 1979 which is represented by the amount allocated to the constituent colleges of the university of Wales.

The Research Councils have been asked for this information. I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answer of 18 February, Official Report, columns 660–61, to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Thomas), if he will indicate the proportion of the total amount allocated from his Department's science budget to institutions other than universities in each year since 1979 which is represented by the amount allocated to such institutions in Wales.

The research councils have been asked for this information. I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether the Medical Research Council is currently sponsoring any research project involving the injection of foetal cells into sufferers of Alzheimer's disease or related conditions;(2) whether the Medical Reearch Council is aware of any existing or proposed project within the United Kingdom which involves the injection of foetal cells into sufferers of Alzheimer's disease or related conditions.

I understand that the Medical Research Council is not currently sponsoring any such research, nor is the Council aware of any existing project within the United Kingdom. However the MRC is aware that a number of United Kingdom research workers are discussing the possibility of collaborating with a Swedish group which proposes to graft foetal cells into patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many chartered librarians are employed as school librarians in England; what is the percentage of school librarians in England possessimg chartered status; and what is the equivalent figure in Scotland.

I understand that in Scotland some 160 chartered librarians are employed in school libraries and about 70 per cent, of school librarians possess chartered status. Equivalent figures for England are not available. However the report of the Working Party on School Library Services, "School Libraries: The Foundations of the Curriculum" (published in 1984), estimates for England and Wales that some 600 chartered librarians work in primary and secondary schools and that 7 per cent, of secondary schools have chartered librarians.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report the proportion of overseas aid expenditure from each Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member state routed through aid-trade provisions or similar arrangements for the latest year for which figures are available.

The debate within OECD over aid for commercial purposes has focused on mixed credits and less concessional tied aid loans (those with a grant element of less than 50 per cent.). Figures for these transactions by OECD countries are available on a commitment but not an expenditure basis. The figures below are an annual average for 1982–85: as commitment figures vary considerably from year to year, depending on the timing of contract and aid agreement signatures, the figures for any one year may not give a representative picture.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what respresentations he has had regarding the Overseas Development Agency's booklet, "Women and Development".

None. Most of the few comments we have had have been favourable.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has anything to add to the answer from the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Wallasey (Mrs. Chalker) of 10 February, Official Report, column 172, regarding the award of aid to Nicaragua; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that the reply by my hon. Friend was incorrect in respect of the aid provided by the European Community to Nicaragua. The figures should read:

	£
1981	5,010,000
1982	4,150,000
1983	4,520,000
1984	10,990,000
1985	9,760,000

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money has been paid to the Gibraltar Government for the purposes of refurbishing and maintaining the Gibrepair shipyard in Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

So far we have paid £29,845,175 to the Gibraltar Government out of the £30·4 million development aid grant for the conversion of the former naval dockyard into Gibrepair Ltd.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in view of the report by Price Waterhouse on Gibrepair Ltd., it is his intention to provide some of the additional finance required to retain this shipyard as the major employer in the dependent territory; and if he will make a statement.

The Price Waterhouse report on Gibrepair Ltd. was commissioned and financed by the Gibraltar Government who are responsible for any follow up action on it. As I told the House on 3 November 1986 at column 685, we agreed in 1983 to provide up to £28 million towards the establishment and initial working capital of Gibrepair Ltd. In 1986 we agreed to allocate a further £2·4 million for increased capital costs as a final contribution to the project. This position is unchanged by the Price Waterhouse report.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money has been paid out of Her Majesty's Government's funds to Appledore Ltd., managing agents at Gibrepair Ltd. shipyard in Gibraltar, since July 1983; and if he will make a statement.

Fees payable under the management contract between Appledore International Ltd. and Gibrepair Ltd. are not financed from Government funds. The costs of previous and separate consultancy arrangements since July 1983 between the Government and Appledore for the necessary groundwork before commercialisation of the shipyard are a matter of commercial confidence.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether, during the recent meeting in London with Sir Joshua Hassar, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, he discussed the financial difficulties of Gibrepair; and if he will make a statement;(2) what discussions he has had with the Gibraltar Government on the future funding of Gibrepair Ltd.; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend did not discuss this matter during the recent meetings in London with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar. The future funding of Gibrepair Ltd. is a matter for the Gibraltar Government, the owners.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the number of retired members of the former British Mandate Palestine Police Force currently in receipt of pensions from Her Majesty's Government; how many widows of former Palestine policemen are receiving a pension; what is the current level of such widow's pension; and what steps have been taken to maintain its level.

There are at present 700 overseas officers and 747 local officers in receipt of a Palestine pension. The number who served in the police force could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Seven widows of former Palestine policemen are in receipt of a pension. The current level of these pensions ranges from £367 to £1,928; they are uprated in accordance with the provisions of the United Kingdom pension increase legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the number of former expatriate public servants currently in receipt of pension under the Sierra Leone Order 1960 (S.I. 2415); how many of them are in receipt of indexation; and in how many cases are discretionary payments to individuals envisaged in schedule 1(1) being made under the instructions of the former governor.

131 expatriate officers are in receipt of a pension under the Sierra Leone Order 1960 (S.I. 2415). All but two are in receipt of an index-linked supplementary pension. It is not known how many, if any, of these pensions were awarded in accordance with the discretionary provision of schedule 1(1) of the scheme. The information could be retrieved only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment was made by his Department's demountable rack off-loading pick-up system selection team in 1983 about the effect on the size of storage areas of the ability to stack loaded flatracks; and if he will make a statement.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his Department has spent on (a) computer hardware ad (b) computer software for each year since 1984; and what is the projected expenditure for 1987;(2) to which firms his Department has awarded contracts for computer hardware for each year since 1984; and what was the value of each contract.

Information is not kept in the form requested. Many computer purchases form part of larger Defence projects, and are not separately identifiable. In addition, software is frequently included in what are essentially hardware procurements. Details of individual contract values are commercial in confidence.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Mon of 5 February, Official Report, column 798, what percentage reductions in vehicle holdings and the use of ammunition are being considered in his Department's review.

It is not normal practice to reveal detailed changes which may be made to our vehicle and ammunition holdings as a result of regular reviews designed to make the most cost-effective use of available resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of Winston camp, Larnark, and Ritchie camp, Kirknewton.

We have recently agreed in principle to make these sites available to the United States forces for use as peacetime medical storage facilities and as hospitals which would be activated in the event of war.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 18 February, Official Report, columns 686–7, if he will give the corresponding figures for the number of jobs estimated to be supported by United Kingdom defence exports for each year since 1978.

The numbers of jobs estimated to be supported by United Kindom defence exports are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 18 February, Official Report, columns 686–7, if he will give (a) a regional breakdown and (b) a breakdown by type of job of the jobs estimated to be supported by United Kingdom defence exports.

It is not possible to break down the figures in the ways requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the Official Report the type of contract and the individual value of such contracts awarded to Gibrepair Limited of Gibraltar since July 1983, listing each contract individually.

Gibraltar Shiprepair Limited did not come into being until 1 January 1985. Since that time, contracts have been awarded for the following Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel refits: RFA Sir Lancelot, RFA Sir Caradoc, RFA Engadine, RFA Bayleaf, RFA Appleleaf, RFA Brambeleaf and RFA Blue Rover.

It is not our practice to detail individual contract prices which are commercial in confidence. However, the total value of this work amounts to over £11·5 million.

In addition, period contracts have been awarded since 1 January 1985, the first for 15 months and the second for 12 months, each valued at about £1 million, for work on small naval support craft based at Gibraltar. The current contract expires on 31 March and it is expected that it will be renewed.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether Gibrepair in Gibraltar has sufficient skilled labour to carry out its 1987 programme of frigate modernisation; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will consider placing the 1987 frigate modernisation programme work with British shipyards; if he will consider Gibrepair Limited for the 1988 programme; and if he will make a statement.

Modernisation of warships (including frigates) is undertaken continuously as a minor part of their refit programmes. It is not practicable to undertake modernisations as a separate entity as this would involve an increase in non-operational time. All warship refit work is planned to be undertaken at Devonport and Rosyth and it is not intended to place any of it with Gibraltar Shiprepair Limited.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration Her Majesty's Government gave, when examining the United States request for the use of United Kingdom bases for the raid on Libya in April 1986, to the capability of the United States of America to carry out the raid from aircraft carriers.

I have nothing to add to what was said by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in her statement on 15 April 1986 at columns 729–30.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will specify the options being studied for the disposal of low, intermediate and high level nuclear waste arising from the dismantling of redundant submarines;(2) if he will list those parliamentary constituencies within which options for the disposal of low, intermediate and high level nuclear waste arising from the dismantling of redundant submarines are being studied.

I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current delay between application for, and award of, 1939 to 1945 war medals.

The celebration of world war 2 anniversaries in 1984 and 1985 resulted in greatly increased public interest in claiming world war 2 campaign medals. Currently the period between application and award of medals normally varies between 12 and 16 months.