asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what new steps are being taken to ensure freedom of speech and greater security regarding the protection of visiting speakers on university and polytechnic campuses.

Section 43 of the Education No. 2 Act 1986, which places a duty on all concerned in the government of institutions of further and higher education in England and Wales to take all reasonably practicable steps to secure freedom of speech within the law for members, students and employees of the institution and for visiting speakers, is to be brought into force on 1 September 1987. By then governing bodies should have issued the codes of practice required by the section to facilitate the discharge of the duty imposed on them. The Department and the Welsh Office will be writing to

(b) Applicants for undergraduate study by region were:
	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986
London	6,888	6,114	6,605	5,990	6,248	5,771	5,892	7,222	8,079
South	4,080	3,884	4,552	4,126	4,354	3,959	3,693	4,729	5,466
South West	2,684	2,671	2,974	2,918	3,119	2,816	2,697	3,263	3,745
West Midlands	3,475	3,244	3,376	3,207	3,722	3,252	3,278	3,730	4,057
East Midlands	2,437	2,250	2,486	2,519	2,883	2,789	2,614	2,949	3,486
East Anglia	4,360	4,094	4,561	4,150	4,453	4,146	3,776	4,453	5,153
Yorkshire	2,913	2,532	2,901	2,791	2,944	3,051	2,739	3,130	3,298
North West	4,292	4,059	4,844	4,209	4,832	4,864	4,315	4,689	5,312
North	1,929	1,930	2,081	2,034	1,972	1,946	1,909	2,188	2,484
Wales	1,685	1,642	1,863	1,686	1,862	1,726	1,785	2,060	2,411
Scotland	3,819	3,608	4,275	4,399	4,731	4,408	4,523	6,168	6,704
Northern Ireland	986	1,000	1,120	956	1,008	1,213	1,037	1,162	1,195
South East	3,285	3,207	3,487	3,388	3,539	3,391	3,237	3,948	4,687
Total	42,833	40,235	45,125	42,373	45,667	43,332	41,495	49,691	56,077

(c) offers made to applicants for undergraduate study by region were:
	11981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986
London	3,912	5,580	5,176	4,315	3,997	4,109
South	2,560	3,703	3,614	2,958	2,812	2,801
South West	1,934	2,648	2,571	2,471	2,071	2,150
West Midlands	2,334	3,361	2,982	3,229	2,711	2,758
East Midlands	1,778	2,457	2,582	2,421	2,079	2,023
East Anglia	2,641	3,714	3,724	3,322	2,921	2,860
Yorkshire	2,091	2,695	2,790	2,707	2,459	2,605
North West	3,056	4,135	4,448	4,196	3,493	3,519
North	1,563	1,806	1,756	1,877	1,650	1,616
Wales	1,252	1,737	1,548	1,735	1,335	1,407
Scotland	2,929	4,129	4,014	3,355	3,281	3,124
Northern Ireland	742	933	1,095	1,045	901	840
South East	2,114	3,024	3,045	2,771	2,373	2,508
Total	28,906	39,922	39,345	36,402	32,083	32,320

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has for the Open university, regarding (a) the inquiries for undergraduate study by region (b) the applicants for undergraduate study by region (c) the offers made to applicants for undergraduate study by region and (d) the initial registration for Undergraduate study by region, for each year since 1978–79.

The following information is on the basis of the university's academic (calendar) year.

(a) The Open university does not record inquiries on a regional basis. The total number of inquiries each year was as follows:
	Number
1978	85,335
1979	81,783
1980	93,399
1981	84,051
1982	102,045
1983	100,597
1984	98,639
1985	110,029
1986	149,017

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied that Surrey county council is making adequate provision for the educational needs of dyslexic children.

The Education Act 1981 imposes duties on all local education authorities to identify, assess and make appropriate provisions for all children including dyslexics in their areas with special educational needs. Any parents within Surrey, as in any other part of the country, who are not content with the arrangements proposed by a local education authority for their child, may appeal to the Secretary of State either under section 5(6) of the Act, if the authority decides that it is not required to maintain a statement determining the special educational provision to be made for the child; or under section 8(6), if the parents are not satisfied with the educational provision specified in the statement and their appeal to a local appeal committee has failed. The Secretary of State considers each individual case on its own merits.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has to the subjects and the syllabi for which there are no suitable text books available for schools providing General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.

The introduction of the GCSE does not require the wholesale replacement of existing textbooks: the need is rather for these to be supplemented and updated over time. The GCSE examining groups have given the Educational Publishers' Council every possible assistance to enable a full range of GCSE text books to be produced, and many have already been published. The Government have, of course, provided substantial resources to ensure that schools are able to purchase additional books and equipment for GCSE courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he is now taking to ensure that General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations are satisfactorily funded.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 26 February 1987.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many companies have been approached by his Department to fund city technology colleges; and how many companies have expressed a willingness to provide funding.

Preliminary approaches were made to over 1800 companies. Earlier this week, Hanson Trust PLC made public their decision to contribute £1 million in sponsorship of the first city technology college. Several other companies have expressed a willingness to provide funding, but some of these offers are conditional or subject to discussion and I am not prepared to confirm offers until sponsors are ready to make their decision public.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recommendations he has made about fees for students on courses of further and higher education in the academic year 1987–88.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what statistics are available to him concerning the number of road accidents in which (a) learner drivers and (b) drivers who have recently passed their driving test are involved.

Information on driver licence status is not included in road accident reports.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what figures are available to indicate the number of claimants in Northern Ireland of severe weather payments in respect of the weeks beginning 12 January and 19 January who are on fuel direct.

No figures are available and they could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has on the prices in Northern Ireland of (i) a bag of coal, (ii) a bag of anthracite, (iii) a unit of electricity, (iv) a cylinder of gas and (v) a litre of central heating oil; and on comparable prices in each region of Great Britain.

Regional prices of a bag of house coal (Group 2), a bag of anthracite and a unit of electricity are as follows:

Town	Group 2 house coal	Anthracite/grains
	£	£
Newcastle	4·30	6·50
Leeds	4·30	6·91
Nottingham	4·40	7·20
Belfast	5·04	7·77
Glasgow	5·10	7·70
Liverpool	5·30	7·62
Ipswich	5·70	7·65
Cardiff	5·70	7·30
Inverness	5·90	8·20
London district	6·10	7·75
Bournemouth	6·40	3·32
Exeter	6·40	8·40

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the catering and other services carried out by private enterprise for (a) the Northern Ireland Electricity Service, (b) the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, (c) hospitals, (d) education and library boards, (c) Government training centres and (f) other public establishments; and what other services are to be put out to contract.

Services now carried out by private enterprise include the following categories:

• (a) Northern Ireland Electricity
• Catering
• Cleaning services
• Security
• Maintenance

• (b) The Northern Ireland Housing Executive
• Catering
• Cleaning services
• Maintenance
• Security

• (c) Hospitals
• Maintenance
• Cleaning services
• Maintenance of vehicles

• (d) Education and Library Boards
• Catering
• School transport
• Maintenance and repair of musical instruments Maintenance of vehicles

• (e) Government Training Centres
• Catering

• (f) Other Public Establishments
• Security
• Cleaning services
• Laundry
• Catering
• Maintenance
• Printing
• Specialist conservation services
• Maintenance of vehicles
• Grounds maintenance
• Courier services

Putting services out to contract is always an option where it is appropriate and cost effective.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will publish in the Official Report a list of those cases where members of security forces have been charged with offences causing (a) the death or (b) injury to civilians for each year since 1969, indicating the branch of the service involved Royal Ulster Constabulary, Ulster Defence Regiment, Army, Marines

	1979	1984	1985	1986	1979	1986
					numerical change	minus percentage change
Civil Service1
Full-time	717	613	588	582	135	(-18·9)2
Part-time	30	21	22	25	5
Full-time equivalent	732	624	599	594	138	(-18·8)2
Local Authorities
Full-time3	1,980	1,880	1,880	1,890	-90	(-4·5)
Part-time3	1,020	1,000	1,010	1,020	0
Full-time equivalent	2,368	2,275	2,273	2,286	-82	(-3·5)
(excludes Community Programme FTE	—	45	52	66)
1 Figures at 1 April.
2 Percentages calculated from unrounded figures.
3 To nearest 10,000 — mid year figures.
Sources: Treasury statistics of Civil Service manpower, and data underlying 'Employment in the Public and Private Sectors, 1980–86' Economic Trends, December 1986.

Smith asked the Prime Minister if, pursuant to her answers to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury of 15 April, Official Report, column 330 and 18 April 1986, Official Report, column 525, she has

[pursuant to his reply, 23 February 1987]: I shall write to the hon. Member giving the available information as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give details for 1986 of the number of members of the Ulster Defence Regiment, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, their respective reserves, and the British Army, who have been charged with offences and who have been convicted of offences, giving details of custodial sentences imposed, and separately for charges and convictions concerning: murder, attempted murder, membership of illegal organisations, conspiracy to cause explosions, withholding information concerning terrorist activities, possession of explosives, possession of explosives with intent to cause bodily harm, possession of firearms, possession of firearms with intent to cause bodily harm and other offences classified as scheduled offences.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987]: I shall write to the hon. Member giving the available information as soon as possible.

asked the Prime Minister what was the number of persons, full and part-time (a) in the Civil Service and (b) in local government in the United Kingdom for the years 1979, 1984,1985 and 1986; and, in each case, what was the reduction of persons employed in percentage terms and numerically.

The figures are as follows (thousands):received any new information in the past 10 months about the uses to which plutonium produced by the reprocessing of spent fuel from any British civil reactor was put under previous Administrations and in particular about whether such plutonium has ever been used for a nuclear weapons programme.

I have nothing to add to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) of 15 April, Official Report, column 330, and 18 April 1986, Official Report, column 525.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, following the release of 140 Soviet political prisoners, he will estimate the number of political and religious prisoners still held in the Soviet Union in prisons and labour camps.

A further 600–700 names are known. It is likely that there are many hundreds more of whom we have no record.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement of forthcoming business in the European Community Council of Ministers.

The usual forecast was deposited in the House earlier today. At present, eight meetings of the Council of Ministers are planned for March.The Agriculture Council is expected to meet on 2–3 March and 30–31 March to discuss the 1987 price fixing proposals, which will include reviews of the green currency system and the oils and fats regime. It may also discuss socio-structural proposals. intervention in dairy produce, milk quotas and French national aid for small milk producers.The Economic and Finance Council will meet on 9 March to consider the Commission's quarterly review of the economic situation in the Community, and the European Court of Auditors annual report on the 1985 financial year. The Council may also discuss the budget reference framework for 1988; a proposed directive on prospectuses to be published when securities are offered for subscription or sale to the public, and amendment to directive 80/390 on listing particulars for admission of securities to official stock exchange listing.The Foreign Affairs Council will meet on 16–17 March. The Council will discuss EC-Japan relations. It will also discuss the EC student mobility programme (ERASMUS). The Council may consider a draft negotiating mandate for an EC-Hungary trade and economic co-operation agreement; and Commission proposals for a new generation of financial protocols for some of the Community's preferential partners.The Industry Council will meet on 19 March and will consider the next steps in European steel policy.The Environment Council will meet on 19–20 March and will discuss large combustion plants; vehicle emissions; sulphur content of gas oil; the fourth environment action programme; export of dangerous chemicals; and regular leaded petrol.The Transport Council will meet on 23–24 March. Discussion is likely to concentrate on the aviation package, but the Council will also discuss road haulage liberalisation, infrastructure spending and vehicle taxation.The Research Council is scheduled to meet on 24 March. The agenda includes discussion on the Community's Framework Programme for Research and development in the period 1987–91. Three individual research programmes — RACE (Telecommunications), Science and Technology for Development and Medical and Public Health — may also be discussed, although final agreement may not be possible in advance of agreement on the framework programme. The Council may also consider the report of the industrial panel on the future role and organisation of the Community's joint research centre.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the level of income tax in the Falkland Islands; what information he has as to the levels of banking and commercial secrecy; if he has any evidence of use of the Falkland Islands as a tax haven; and if he will make a statement.

In the current financial year, personal income tax in the Falkland Islands is chargeable as follows:

	Per cent.
On the first £500 of chargeable income	20
On the next £500 of chargeable income	25
On the next £6,500 of chargeable income	30
On the next £2,500 of chargeable income	40
On the remainder of chargeable income	50

Deductions that may be claimed:	£
Personal income	2,100
For wife	1,200
Wife's earned income relief	12,100
Dependent relative	650
Insurance premium or pension fund contribution	2
1 Maximum.
2 Up to one-sixth of total income after deducting wife's earned income relief.

Banking in the Falkland Islands is regulated by the 1972 Ordinance no. 7 for the licensing and control of banking in the colony. A copy and subsequent amendments have been laid in the Library of the House. We have no evidence of the use of the Falkland Islands as a tax haven.

asked the Paymaster-General if he will make a statement on the future funding of the numbers involved in the community programme.

Expenditure on the community programme is planned to rise from about £1,038 million this year to about £1,120 million in 1987–88. The programme will continue to provide worthwhile opportunities on work of value to the community for some 300,000 long term unemployed people in a year.

asked the Paymaster General if he will list the various work creation schemes introduced by this Government or inherited and continued from the previous Administration; if he will show against each the amount of central Government funding in all its forms; and if he will show the estimated numbers of people who have participated in each scheme in each year since its inception.

Information in the form requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The employment, enterprise and training measures which were operating in 1979 together with those introduced since are listed below. Details of expenditure on and coverage of these measures are published each year in the public expenditure white paper.

• Training Opportunities Scheme¹
• Youth Opportunities Programme¹
• Youth Employment Subsidy¹
• Job Creation Programme¹
• Special Temporary Employment Programme¹
• Temporary Short Time Working Compensation Scheme¹
• Short Time Working Compensation Scheme¹
• Adult Employment Subsidy¹
• Temporary Employment Subsidy¹
• Small Firms Employment Subsidy¹
• Young Workers Scheme²
• Community Employment Programme²
• Part-time Job Release Scheme²
• Community Industry3 Job Release Scheme³
• Community Programme Job Splitting Scheme Enterprise Allowance Scheme
• Voluntary Projects Programme
• Restart
• Jobstart
• New Job Training Scheme
• New Workers Scheme Jobclubs
• Career Development Loans
• YTS
• Job Training Scheme
• Training for Enterprise
• Training Grants for Employers
• Access to Information Technology
• Wider Opportunities Training Programme
• Open Learning
• Loan Guarantee Scheme
• Business Expansion Scheme
• ¹ Introduced before 1979 and now closed.
• ² Introduced since 1979 and now closed.
• ³ Introduced pre-1979 and still in operation.

asked the Paymaster General if he will list the legislative measures introduced by this Government designed to assist directly the small business community; if he will show against each the amount of central Government funding in all forms of advice and assistance;

asked the Paymaster General if he will list the legislative measures introduced by this Government designed to assist directly the small business community; if he will show against each the amount of central Government funding in all forms of advice and assistance; and if he is able to show the estimated increase in small business formation associated with each measure.

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

asked the Paymaster General what is the present number of quarterly signers signing on at unemployment benefit offices in Cleveland at (a) Stockton: Bayheath house, Prince Regent street, (b) Stockton: Daryl house, Park terrace, (c) Billingham: Kingsway house, West Precinct, (d) Guisborough: Morgan drive, Guisborough: Loftus market place, (f) Hartlepool: Raby road, (g) Middlesbrough: 36 Grange road and (h) Middlesbrough: Crown house, Wilson street.

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

asked the Paymaster General when will the proposed new skillcentre at Irvine be given the go-ahead, and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to the reply, 23 February 1987, c. 88]: We have asked the Manpower Services Commission to review its skills training agency's capital expenditure policies and arrangements. This follows upon a review last year of the agency's personnel policies and practices in the light of its experience as a trading organisation. Until the further review is completed, the agency has decided that the Irvine skillcentre should continue at its present site.

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.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 February 1987]: There are two skillcentres in Lancashire; East Lancs skillcentre in Hyndburn and Preston skillcentre. Both were in operation in 1979. As I stated in my reply to the hon. Member's question on 25 June 1986 at column 339, statistics on skillcentre training volumes have, since 1983, been kept in terms of training weeks available rather than places available. In January 1987, East Lancs provided 697 training weeks, and Preston provided 639 training weeks. Figures for 1979 are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many males aged between 16 years and 21 years were, respectively, prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned for consensual sexual acts with other males aged 16 years to 21 years in 1985; and, in the case of those imprisoned, what were the maximum, minimum and average sentences served by such men.

Information is not available in exactly the form requested. However, records available to me for England and Wales, which may be incomplete, show 10 males aged 16–20 proceeded against in 1985 for buggery or attempted buggery with another male person aged 16 or over with consent and six defendants found guilty: 42 males aged 16–20 proceeded against for indecency between males; and 43 defendants found guilty some of whom may have initially been proceeded against for a more serious offence or in a previous year. Of the 49 found guilty for these offences, two were given custodial sentences, each receiving 18 months' custody.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths occurred in the United Kingdom in the latest year for which figures are available from fires caused by electrical wiring defects.

In 1984 there were 20 deaths in fires attended by local authority fire brigades in the United Kingdom for which a fault in electrical wiring was recorded by the brigade as the source of ignition.

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 reasons why a copy of the statement taken by the police from Mr. Narendra Sethia in connection with alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act has not been made available to Mr. Sethia; and if he will make a statement.

It is not the normal practice of the police to provide copies of statements to those who make them. A copy would only be provided upon written request by the person making the statement and with the

£ million
	(a) HRA		(b) non-HRA		(c) SSHA		(d) New Towns		(e) Homing Corporation
	(i)	(ii)	(i)	(ii)	(i)	(ii)	(i)	(ii)	(i)	(ii)
	Cash	Estimated 1987–88 prices	Cash	Estimated 1987–88 prices	Cash	Estimated 1987–88 prices	Cash	Estimated 1987–88 prices	Cash	Estimated 1987–88 prices
1978–79	216·617	437·6	50·0	101·0	48·9	98·8	41·8	84·4	31·4	63·4
1979–80	230·7	398·8	48·6	84·0	40·0	69·1	33·3	57·6	48·5	83·8
1980–81	231·738	337·7	59·35	86·5	49·0	71·4	36·1	52·6	65·7	95·7
1981–82	250·158	331·9	76·994	102·2	47·2	62·6	40·7	54·0	85·0	112·8
1982–83	279·637	345·9	106·59	131·9	61·9	76·6	38·3	47·4	108·5	134·2
1983–84	310·485	367·7	98·061	116·1	72·9	86·3	38·1	45·1	109·0	129·1
1984–85	245·989	279·3	172·1	195·4	65·0	73·8	33·4	37·9	99·6	113·1
1985–86	290·274	310·2	124·979	133·6	52·1	55·7	26·9	28·7	104·1	111·2
1986–87	322·355	334·4	119·210	123·7	50·0	51·9	27·4	28·4	112·8	117·0
1987–88	362·5	362·5	147·5	147·5	52·75	52·75	24·2	24·2	120·4	120·4

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report, for each district and island council area, his estimate of the housing surplus or deficit.

The table below gives a crude measure of housing surpluses, by areas, obtained by subtracting the estimated number of households at 30 June 1985 from the numbers of domestic subjects on the valuation rolls at 1 April 1985. It is not possible to give figures for both series on the same day. Moreover, definitional differences

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide the capital allocation in Scotland for (a) the housing revenue account for local authorities, (b) the non-housing revenue account for local authorities, (c) the Scottish Special Housing Association, (d) the new towns and (e) the Housing Corporation for the years 1978–79 to 1987–88, inclusive, showing all figures at (i) cash prices and (ii) estimated 1987–88 outturn prices.

The information at cash prices and estimated 1987–88 constant prices is as follows:between the two series mean that estimates of housing surpluses in any authority obtained by the subtraction must be considered to be very approximate.

	Estimated households at 30 June 1985	Domestic subjects on valuation roll at 1 April 1985	Crude surplus
SCOTLAND	1,913,430	2,036,180	122,750
Borders	40,150	45,340	5,190
Berwickshire	7,250	8,540	1,290

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received concerning the possible provision of disposable syringes to sufferers from chronic diabetes; what estimate he has of the cost of such a provision to these patients alone; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend has received a number of letters on this matter both from members of the public and hon. Members on behalf of their constituents. He has also had correspondence with representatives of the British Diabetic Association and some members of the medical profession. The additional cost to the NHS in Scotland for the provision of disposable syringes and needles to diabetics through the general practitioner service is estimated at £0·7 million per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to make a statement on the secondary mortgage market.

I hope to receive a report from the working group on the secondary mortgage market within the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps his Department takes to encourage local councils to reduce their level of rent arrears;(2) if he will publish in the

I have nothing to add at present to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on December 10 at column 188–89.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the number of schemes for which derelict land grants were paid in Staffordshire for the last five years, the amount of the grant paid, and the value in each respect.

In the period 1982–87, 292 grants were paid totalling £19,782,125. Total value of these schemes was £20,240,910.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the Sports Council on the problems of the use of illegal substances in sport.

I met representatives of the Sports Council on 26 January to discuss the work of the council's drug abuse advisory group. We reviewed progress made since this issue was raised at the Conference of European Sport Ministers in Dublin last year and discussed what further measures could be taken now by the United Kingdom and European Governments and the governing bodies of sport.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the effect of the Housing and Planning Act 1986 on the flow of applications for the purchase of their homes by secure tenants.

The provisions of the Housing and Planning Act which concern the right to buy came into operation on 7 January. Statistics on applications received from that date are not yet available, but I expect to see an increase in the number of flats sold.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now seek to make it mandatory for local authorities to allow commercial property owners to pay their rates by instalments in the same way as domestic ratepayers; and if he will make a statement.

Since 1 April 1985, all business ratepayers have been entitled to pay their rates by instalments.

	Period ended
	31 December 19821	30 June 1983	31 December 1983	30 June 1984	31 December 1984	50 June 1985	31 December 1985	30 June 1986	31 December 1986
Area of land recorded on the land register at end of period	110,200	109,100	111,500	114,100	113,100	113,000	110,000	106,900	100,100
Area of land added	122,400	700	5,900	5,000	2,700	4,000	3,600	200	1,100
Area of land removed
(i) Area sold	5,500	300	2,500	1,200	2,700	2,500	4,200	1,800	4,700
(ii) Area broughl back into use	2,700	100	900	600	700	800	1,000	800	1,400
(iii) Area removed for other reasons	4,000	1,400	100	600	300	800	1,400	700	1,800

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is proposing to write to all local authorities with a questionnaire seeking detailed information on their interests in any Companies Act companies.

Yes. My Department has consulted the English local authority associations about such a questionnaire to provide a firm, factual basis for consideration of the recommendations of the Widdicombe committee on local authority companies. The four associations which have so far replied see no objection in principle to what is proposed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce regulations to require unregistered residential care homes to be inspected by the local environmental health and fire prevention officers; and if he will make a statement.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to introduce legislation in respect of uniform connection charges by water authorities.

[pursuant to his answer, 26 February 1987]: My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. However, proposals for modifications in the present arrangements for requisitioning of sewers and water mains were set out in the Department's consultation paper `Water and Sewerage Law' published in March 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each six-month period since 1 January 1982 and for the latest available period (a) how much underused public land was on the land registers, (b) how much land was added to the registers, (c) how much land was removed from the registers, divided between the amounts sold, the amounts brought back into use and the amounts removed in other ways, (d) how many notices he issued under section 99 of the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980 and how much land was involved and (e) how many directions he issued under section 98 of the 1980 Act and how much land was involved.

[pursuant to his answer, 25 February 1987]: Following is the information:

asked the Minister for the Arts how many specialist children's librarians are employed by public library services in England; and what steps he is taking to ensure more specialist support to combat illiteracy.

[pursuant to his reply 26 February 1987]: There are no statistics readily available on this. My Office has commissioned research into statistics and patterns of service delivery for public library services to children and young people. The results should be available shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what approximate amount the yield of corporation tax 1986–87 would be increased had there been no agreed losses, excluding the public sector, available for offsetting profits.

Use of accumulated past losses is estimated to reduce corporation tax receipts in 1986–87 by £1 billion to £2 billion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply of 12 February, why he is unable to quantify the total of losses, excluding the public sector, agreed for corporation tax purposes by the Inland Revenue.

Where a company has an amount of loss to carry forward against profits in subsequent accounting periods, agreed or estimated figures are available within the tax district, but they are not formally recorded on a tax assessment form and full details of such losses are not available centrally. The estimates in my reply of 12 February were therefore based on a projection from a small sample of tax district records.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply of 12 February, for what reason he excludes the public sector from the total estimate of losses.

Because the circumstances of the public sector organisations are such that, in the main, there are no implications for corporation tax receipts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Mid-Kent (Mr. Rowe) on 20 January, Official Report, column 467, whether he expects the EEC Commission's cash flow problem to continue during 1987–88.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Forth) on 20 February, Official Report col. 880, concerning the European Commission's current cash position. The adoption on 19 February of a budget for the European Economic Community for 1987 will provide the Commission with additional revenue which will ease its cash difficulties, although the pressures on available resources are likely to continue. The Government's public expenditure plans for 1986–87 and 1987–88 assume that an advance of £130 million will be required from April to March 1987 (Cm. 56–11, page 70, paragraph 11).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the additional revenue in 1987–88 of taxing all real capital gains, after allowing for inflation, at 40 per cent. but with separate taxation of husband and wife, excluding gains arising on disposals of a person's only or main residence.

The present yield of capital gains tax would be reduced by about one-third.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the definition of the term "negative reserves" as used in his statement on the outcome of the February Budget Council, Official Report, 17 February, column 542.

A negative reserve is a provision in the Reserve Chapter 100 for unspecified reductions in expenditure elsewhere in the Budget. It involves the Commission proposing transfers from this reserve on to substantive budget lines during the budgetary year, thereby cancelling equivalent amounts of unused expenditure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table like that published in a written answer on 27 January columns 229–30, showing for the years 1974–75 to 1978–79 the actual proceeds of public sector sales of assets outside the central privatisation proceed.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the opening and closing price on the first day of trading of the shares sold in the privatisation share issues, together with, in each case, the number of shares sold.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the arrangements that have been made for the payment of a pension to Sheila, Lady Maybray-King, the widow of the former Speaker, Lord Maybray-King pending the approval of the Parliamentary and other Pensions Bill.

The Parliamentary and other Pensions Bill which my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal introduced yesterday includes provision for a pension to be paid as a charge on the Consolidated Fund to Sheila, Lady Maybray-King when that Bill comes into force. In the meantime an advance of £4,903·66 has been sought from the Contingencies Fund to provide for the gross payment of this pension in respect of the period between Lord Maybray-King's death on 3 Sepember 1986 and 31 March 1987. Repayment of this sum to the Fund will be made by means of the special omnibus Vote (Other Services: repayments to the Contingencies Fund). A further small advance may be necessary from the Contingencies Fund, to be repaid by the same means, for the period from 1 April 1987 until the Parliamentary and other Pensions Bill comes into force.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the marginal propensity to import for each additional increment of consumer demand for each year since 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 19 February 1987, c. 829]: The marginal propensity to import is defined as the ratio of the change from the previous year in the volume of imports of consumer goods to the change from the previous year in the volume of consumers expenditure. Imports of consumer goods (including passenger motor vehicles) along with imports of food, drink and tobacco. The table gives the figures for 1979 to 1986:

	Marginal propensity to import
1979	0·28
1980	3·13
1981	8·78
1982	0·63
1983	0·16

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total revenue from the taxation of cars of benefits in kind in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what was the percentage change in such revenues on the preceding year in each case.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 February 1987]: The table gives the estimated income tax liability from the taxation of cars (and fuel from 1983–84) and all expenses and benefits provided by employers. The percentage changes from the previous year are given in brackets.

£ million
Year	Cars provided by employer (including fuel from 1983–84)2		All expenses and benefits
1977–78	60		75
1978–79	70	(+17%)	100	(+33%)
1979–80	75	(+7%)	125	(+25%)
1980–81	85	(+13%)	140	(+12%)
1981–82	115	(+35%)	190	(+36%)
1982–83	130	(+13%)	250	(+32%)
1983–84	240	2	370	(+48%)
1984–851	280	(+17%)	420	(+14%)
1985–861	340	(+21%)	500	(+19%)
1986–87'	410	(+21%)	580	(+16%)
1 Provisional
2 The method of taxing car fuel benefit changed from 1983–84 when a scale charge was introduced: from 1983–84 the tax liability from the scale charge is included in the first column; so those figures are not comparable with the figures for earlier years. Liability on car fuel benefit is included in the second column for all years, but the amounts for years prior to 1983–84 cannot be separately identified.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many recommendations of the Schanschieff report on dentistry have been implemented; what progress is expected on the remaining proposals; and whether he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Mr. Conway) on 26 February.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many single payments for maternity items were made to women in Sheffield in the last year for which figures are available.

I regret that the information requested is not collected by individual local offices and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.