asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, if he will list those members of the Government who are ex-officio Church Commissioners; and which meetings of the commissioners each of these office holders has attended during the last 15 years.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now in a position to approve the urban aid application submitted through Glasgow district council for the new riding centre for the disabled at Summerston.

Glasgow district council was informed on 27 March that this project has been approved for funding under the urban programme in 1987–88.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the names of those organisations which have commented upon the Government's proposals of December 1986 on landscape conservation orders.

The following organisations in Scotland responded with comments to the consultation paper issued by the Department of the Environment entitled "Protecting the Countryside".

• Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland.
• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
• Countryside Commission for Scotland.
• Crofters Commission.
• National Farmers' Union of Scotland.
• National Trust for Scotland.
• Scottish Landowners' Federation.
• Scottish Wildlife Trust.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to deal with correspondence inquiring about advertising expenditure on AIDS, referred by the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill on 17 February.

My noble Friend the Minister of State has written to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the percentage increase in gross research and development expenditure in Britain in real terms since 1979; and what is the position of Britain in real terms compared with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

The available information is given in the table.

Increase in gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) adjusted for changes in prices: 1983 compared with 1978 or 1979 for some OECD member countries
	Percentage increase in GERD
United Kingdom	12·3
Australia	19·8
Canada	29·8
Finland	43·9
France	24·0
Germany	8·1
Iceland	14·0
Ireland	9·1
Italy	36·3
Japan	42·5
Netherlands	7·6
Norway	15·4
Spain	27·6
Sweden	38·4
Switzerland	0·4
United States	19·2

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the United Kingdom share of European Economic Community exports of goods in Standard Industrial Trade Classifications 5, 6, 7 and 8. respectively, in 1979, 1985 and the latest period of 12 months for which figures are available; and what information he has as to how these compare with the share held by Germany, France and Italy.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year from 1957 gross and net domestic fixed capital formation by manufacturing industry at current and at 1980 prices.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 March 1987, c. 361]: The requested information is shown in the following table:

Gross and net domestic fixed capital formation by manufacturing industry at current and 1980 prices
£ million
Year	GDFCF		NDFCF
	Current prices	1980 prices	Current prices	1980 prices
1957	884	5,020	438	2,557
1958	863	4,741	387	2,172
1959	847	4,657	355	1,982
1960	1,016	5,542	495	2,741
1961	1,244	6,592	672	3,630
1962	1,181	6,118	563	2,990
1963	1,058	5,286	398	2,013
1964	1,221	5,981	514	2,563
1965	1,413	6,637	638	3,043
1966	1,483	6,674	637	2,887
1967	1,413	6,322	524	2,349
1968	1,569	6,798	616	2,641
1969	1,774	7,412	729	3,057
1970	2,089	7,966	901	3,395
1971	2,102	7,276	727	2,496
1972	1,968	6,331	434	1,377
1973	2,356	6,792	597	1,675
1974	3,062	7,435	892	2,132
1975	3,458	6,781	687	1,304
	(3,646)	(7,138)
1976	3,910	6,475	541	851
	(4,146)	(6,844)
1977	4,730	6,774	734	1,001
	(5,083)	(7,254)
1978	5,624	7,221	1,033	1,291
	(6,169)	(7,905)
1979	6,515	7,496	1,243	1,399
	(7,154)	(8,230)
1980	6,478	6,478	237	237
	(7,313)	(7,313)
1981	5,318	4,865	-1,536	-1,447
	(6,236)	(5,697)
1982	5,480	4,704	-1,822	-1,629
	(6,522)	(5,600)
1983	5,854	4,780	-1,810	-1,562
	(6,820)	(5,558)
1984	7,341	5,762	-675	-595
	(8,429)	(6,599)
1985	7,950	5,852	-651	-524
	(9,498)	(6,971)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in which years since 1957 gross fixed investment in plant and machinery in manufacturing industry in real terms has exceeded the 1979 level; and if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing on the basis of 1979 = 100 the amount of real investment in plant and machinery in each year since 1957 by manufacturing industry.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 March 1987, c. 361]: Gross fixed investment on plant and machinery at 1980 prices has not exceeded the 1979 level in any year in the period from 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, of the funds made available to the Royal Society of Arts during Industry Year 1986 to publicise the importance of Enterprise Education, (a) how much and (b) what proportion of the total amount was spent on (i) publicity materials in schools in the United Kingdom (ii) publicity materials in schools in Wales and (iii) publicity materials in the Welsh language.

[pursuant to his reply, 31 March 1987]: The Government made funds available to the Royal Society for the encouragement of arts, manufacturers and commerce, during Industry Year 1986, to increase awareness of the role of industry and its service to the community. These were spent on all aspects of the campaign. £300,000 (29 per cent.), exclusive of staff costs, design and other overheads was spent on materials for schools in the United Kingdom. These were distributed to all schools including those in Wales. Figures for supply to schools in Wales cannot be separately identified. £11,696 (1·1 per cent.) was spent on translating and printing schools materials in the Welsh language.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what were the full costs of running the British military hospital in Dharan, Nepal in 1984 and 1985.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 March 1987, c. 382]: The full running costs of the British military hospital Dharan, Nepal were:

Financial year	£
1984–85	1,153,600
1985–86	1,362,300

Figures are reported by financial years only.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the British military hospital in Dharan, Nepal.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 March 1987, c. 382]: All defence programmes, including those in Nepal, are kept constantly under review. However, no decision has been taken on the future of BMH Dharan.

asked the Prime Minister what action she purposes to take, in the light of her message to the member states of the European Community, the Commission and the European Parliament in European Road Safety Year, to implement and seek further solutions aimed at reducing the frequency and severity of road accident casualties both nationally and in conjunction with European Economic Community members.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will soon be reporting to Parliament the outcome of the Government's review of road safety policy. The main conclusion to emerge from the review—that available resources be directed towards proven and cost-effective means of reducing road casualties—is already being reflected in increased funding for low-cost road safety engineering and for road safety research.Within the Community we shall continue to work with our partners on issues which require action at international level, particularly vehicle safety. We are also expanding bilateral exchanges where we can learn from the experience of countries which have developed effective ways of reducing casualties.

asked the Attorney-General what steps he proposes to take to stop the practice of gazumping in England and Wales.

The Law Commission's report on "Subject to Contract" agreements (Law Com. No. 65, published in 1975) concluded that legislation to impose civil or criminal liability for "gazumping" would be counter-productive. The Government hope that buyers and sellers of houses and flats will give favourable consideration to the pre-contract deposit agreement recommended by the conveyancing standing committee in January last.

asked the Attorney-General what representations he has received on proposals to give the judiciary a complete discretion to decide whether documents given in evidence in court should remain confidential; and if he will make a statement.

By the close of the consultation period on 20 March the Lord Chancellor had received 27 replies to his consultation paper proposing amendments to the "Rules of the Supreme Court" to give effect to the friendly settlement reached in the case brought by the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman) against the United Kingdom. Six of those replies express the view that the amendments give too much discretion to the judges. Changes will be considered in the light of the comments received, but it is an express term of the settlement that it will continue to be possible for a document to be subject to an order preventing its disclosure otherwise than to the parties to the action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the procedure laid down by his Department for the protection of the prison officers involved with prisoners in the custody of Her Majesty's prisons who are known to be AIDS victims or carriers of that virus;(2) if he will make a statement on the procedure laid down by his Department for the protection of the prison officers involved with prisoners in the custody of Her Majesty's Government who are known to be hepatitis B victims or carriers of that virus.

The procedural guidance issued by the prison department provides for infected prisoners who are ill (in the acute phase of hepatitis B infection or suffering from symptoms of AIDS or an AIDS-related condition) to be located either in a prison hospital or removed to National Health Service facilities. For both hepatitis B and HIV carriers who are asymptomatic certain regime restrictions have been advised, the precise restrictions applied in a particular case being a matter for the medical officer. Arrangements have also been introduced which enable appropriate staff to be informed, in such a way that medical confidentiality is preserved, of cases in which restrictions have been applied. Other measures taken include guidance on procedures to be followed in the event of incidents involving risk of exposure to infection, and the introduction of arrangements under which health care staff are offered the opportunity to he vaccinated against hepatitis B.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements exist within his Department, within the central headquarters or in any regional or sub-regional organisation, for dealing with his responsibilities regarding public services or any other function in respect of the Greater London area; and how many full-time equivalent staff are involved in such work.

I have well established consultative and other arrangements for assisting in the discharge of my duties with regard to the various services for which I have responsibility. However, these generally relate to England and Wales as a whole and it would not be possible to identify separately those relating exclusively to Greater London or the numbers of staff which are involved.Seven officials work full-time on duties in connection with my responsibilities for the Metropolitan police. But the police department is organised on a functional basis and all its officials are available to advise me depending on the matter under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which Departments and non-departmental bodies his Department, and its related non-departmental public bodies, has consulted during 1986–87 in respect of services provided within Greater London; approximately how often such consultations have taken place; and what issues were discussed.

I regularly consult many other Government Departments and non-departmental bodies in connection with the discharge of my duties; these consultations take place as and when necessary. The Treasury and the Department of the Environment are consulted regularly on aspects of Metropolitan police resources. It would be possible to provide the other detailed information requested only at disproportionate expense.

Number of offences
	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
Gross personal violence to inmate:
Charge proved	66	68	62	39	37
Referred to police	16	29	31	21	22
Adjudication not completed	2	2	1	1	—
Charge dismissed	8	12	11	13	11
Sub-total	92	111	105	74	70
Attempted gross personal violence:
Charge proved	11	10	7	7	7
Referred to police	—	—	—	—	7
Adjudication not completed	—	—	—	—	—
Charge dismissed	—	1	—	—	—
Sub-total	11	11	7	7	8
Assault on inmate:
Charge proved	2,096	1,876	1,830	1,657	1,774
Referred to police	7	11	16	12	26
Adjudication not completed	10	11	9	10	13
Charge dismissed	132	119	152	151	156
Sub-total	2,245	2,017	2,007	1,830	1,969
Attempted assault:
Charge proved	99	50	32	23	46
Referred to police	—	—	—	—	1
Adjudication not completed	—	—	—	—	—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there are any proposals to change the arrangements for discharging his Department's responsibilities regarding public services or any other function in respect of the Greater London area during the forthcoming year.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he has any plans to include airlines in the bodies authorised to inspect intending passenger passports;(2) if he has any plans to introduce legislation to allow airlines the right to inspect passports of intending passengers.

Airlines are already able to examine the documents of passengers leaving the United Kingdom on their flights. We have no plans to introduce legislation for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attacks there have been by one prisoner on another in any penal establishment in each of the last five years.

Information is not available in the form requested. The following table relates to adjudications in prison department establishments in each of the years 1981 to 1985 where an inmate was charged with an offence of gross personal violence to another inmate, or of assault upon another inmate, or with an attempt to commit such an offence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many rate defaulters have been sent to prison in each of the last 10 years; and what were the average maximum and minimum sentences.

Information on the number of persons received on committal by magistrates' courts in default of

Persons received into Prison Department establishments in England and Wales on committal for non payment of rates: by length of committal and type of court 1975, 1980 and 1985
Number of persons1
	1975		1980		1985
Length of committal	Magistrates' courts	County courts	Magistrates' courts	County courts	Magistrates' courts	County courts
Up to one week	2	4	6	—	9	1
Over one up to two weeks	22	15	33	3	38	3
Over two up to three weeks	11	1	12	1	30	2
Over three weeks up to one month	58	4	120	2	115	3
Over one up to two months	93	1	95	—	83	—
Over two up to three months	117	—	152	1	78	1
Over three up to six months	11	—	1	—	1	—
Over six months	—	—	—	—	—	—
Not recorded	4	—	—	—	—	—
Total	318	25	419	7	354	10
1 Based on information recorded centrally, which is approximate. Checking of individual cases would involve disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received any complaints in the last year concerning Oxfam's alleged support in the United Kingdom of the South West Africa People's Organisation.

Correspondence has recently been received mentioning a possible link between Oxfam and the South West Africa People's Organisation. This is being considered by the Charity Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received any complaints concerning the alleged political activities of charities, and of Oxfam in particular.

Such complaints are received from time to time. They are a matter for the Charity Commission which has issued detailed guidelines on political activities by charities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases since 1983 he has refused to accept a recommendation from an adjudicator that he reconsider an application outside the immigration rules.

Whenever an adjudicator makes such a recommendation, the case is always fully and carefully reconsidered. Any decision riot to exercise the use of discretion in an appellant's favour outside the immigration rules is taken at a senior level in the immigration department or, where appropriate or where an hon. Member has made representations on the appellant's behalf, at ministerial level. Statistics of the outcome of such cases are not separately maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to seek to secure the extradition from the United States of Mr. John Fleming; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Fleming was deported from the United States to this country on 26 March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with, and what advice was received from, the Data Protection Registrar relating to the accessibility of fingerprints held on police computers; and if he will make a statement.

None. We are satisfied that the arrangements for access to fingerprint images held on police computers comply with the Data Protection Act 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with, and what advice was received from, the Data Protection Registrar in relation to the proposed new police computers; and if he has any plans to amend the Data Protection Act in consequence.

None. Police computer systems are subjects to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984 and any new application on the police national computer (or any other police computer which contains personal data) will be registered, as appropriate, under the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now announce the composition of the Animal Procedures Committee under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

I have now appointed the Animal Procedures Committee under section 19 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) At 1986, acting jointly with the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland under section 29 of the Act. The new committee replaces my non-statutory Advisory Committee on Animal Experiments. I am most grateful to all who served on the advisory committee for the invaluable advice they have given to successive Home Secretaries, and to a number of its members for agreeing to join the Animal Procedures Committee, which has been appointed as follows:

• Professor D. G. T. Williams (Chairman), Rouse Ball Professor of English Law and President of Wolfson College, Cambridge.
• Dr. Michael Balls, Reader in Medical Cell Biology, Nottingham University and Chairman of the Trustees of th Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments.
• Mr. Edward Bernard FIAT, Oxford Laboratory Animal Colonies, Bicester.
• Mr. Jason Brice, Consultant Neurosurgeon.
• Dr. Roger Brimblecombe, Vice President of Smith, Kline and French Laboratories.
• Mr. Henry Carter, Veterinary Surgeon.
• Dr. Charles Coid, Head of Division of Comparative Medicine, Clinical Research Centre, Northwick Park, Harrow.
• Professor Anthony Dayan, Professor of Toxicology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College.
• Professor Gordon Dunstan, formerly Professor of Moral Theology, King's College, London.
• Mr. Roger Ewbank, Director of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare.
• Mr. T. G. Field-Fisher, QC, Chairman of RSPCA Legal Committee.
• Dr. Judith Hampson, formerly Animal Experimentation Officer of the RSPCA, now freelance Consultant.
• Mr. Clive Hollands, Secretary to the Committee for the Reform of Animal Experimentation.
• Sir Andrew Huxley OM FRS, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.
• Professor Sheila Jennett, Professor of Physiology, Glasgow University.
• Dr. John Ledingham, Reader in Medicine, Oxford University.
• Dr. Brian Newbould, Research Director of ICI Pharmaceuticals.
• Professor Lawson Soulsby, Professor of Animal Pathology, Cambridge University and past-President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
• Professor Peter Venables, Professor of Psychology at York University.

We intend to make one further appointment to the committee presently.It is the committee's duty under the Act to advise me and the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland on such matters concerned with the Act and our functions under it as the committee may determine or as we may refer to it. The committee is required in its consideration of any matter to have regard both to the legitimate requirements of science and industry and to the protection of animals against avoidable suffering and unnecessary use in scientific procedures; and to make an annual report on its activities. I am required to lay the report before Parliament and, under section 21 of the Act, to consult the committee before issuing or altering guidance on the operation of the Act and codes of practice on the care and use of animals. The advice of the committee will also be sought on all applications for licences for projects involving cosmetics, microsurgery, and the testing of tobacco products on conscious animals. I am very grateful to Professor Williams and all his colleagues for letting us have the benefit of their considerable expertise in the new committee which has a most important role to play in the rigorous system of controls established by the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on his Department's recently published crime statistics.

A number of letters from members of the public have been received in the Department about the latest statistics. Figures are, however, not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the response of the island authorities of Jersey and Guernsey to the Government's request for the islands to make voluntary annual contributions towards the costs of defence and international representation undertaken by the United Kingdom.

I am pleased to announce that both Jersey and Guernsey have responded positively to the request.As from 1 April 1987, Guernsey will assume from Her Majesty's Government the responsibility for the maintenance of the Alderney breakwater (completed in 1865 to shelter the British fleet, make an annual contribution towards the cost of maintaining the Royal Naval port headquarters in Guernsey and remit fees collected for the issue of passports in Guernsey, in all amounting to approximately £700,000 in 1987–88.In determining the form of its contribution, Jersey has voted to establish on the island a Territoral Army unit whose costs it will bear. Detailed discussions on the feasibility of this are being undertaken urgently between representatives of the Jersey States and the Ministry of Defence. In the interim, Jersey has made a cash contribution of £800,000.Agreement has also been reached with both island authorities that they should pay the costs of international representation undertaken by the United Kingdom specifically on the islands' behalf.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy with which individuals and organisations he has had consultations about the recommendations of the Waddilove report on subsidence damage.

My right hon. Friend and I have consulted colleagues in other Government Departments, the National Farmers Union and British Coal. We have also received written representations from a range of individuals and interested organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total amount paid out in state benefits, including mortgage interest relief, to people earning more than (a) the national average wage and (b) two thirds of the national average wage at the latest date for which figures are available.

In 1985–86, the estimated cost of mortgage interest relief in the United Kingdom to people with taxable incomes above two thirds average gross adult male full-time earnings (£130) was £4 billion. About £3 billion of this was to people with taxable incomes above average earnings (£195). On the same income basis, the corresponding social security expenditures in Great Britain were £7·2 billion and £3·9 billion in 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to raise the level of the amount of charitable income that can be disregarded for supplementary benefit purposes.

We have no plans to raise the level of the amount of charitable income that can be disregarded for supplementary benefit purposes. However, we shall be putting forward proposals to increase the amount of any voluntary or charitable payment that can be disregarded in the new income support scheme from April 1988 from £4 to £5 a week. The disregard level will apply also to the new housing benefit and family credit schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for tables 5.14 and 5.15 of the latest issue of "Social Trends" the median figure for gross earnings on the horizontal axis and the actual figures and percentages for each category on the vertical axis at that level of earnings.

The information is as follows:

July 1986
	Median earnings1 £	Total income support2 £	Replacement ratio3 percentage
Family type
Single person (householder)	187	100·06	30
Married couple	187	107·42	45
Married couple with one child (aged 3)	187	112·17	56
Married couple with two children (aged 4 and 6)	187	117·52	64
Married couple with three children (aged 3, 8, 11)	187	124·62	74
Married couple with four children (aged 3, 8, 11, and 16)	187	131·72	86
Single person with one child (aged 3)	125	78·33	56
1 Estimated median earnings at July 1986 for:
adult male full-time employees for all family types except single person plus child
adult, female full-time employees for single person plus child.
2 Net income (including the value of benefits in kind) less housing costs and travel to work expenses— referred to as "net weekly spending power" in Social Trends.
3 Total income support (TIS) out of work and receiving supplementary benefit as a percentage of TIS in work.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many places there are in local authority homes and hostels for mentally ill and mentally handicapped people.

The Department's booklets "Homes and Hostels for the Mentally Ill and the Mentally Handicapped", copies of which have been placed in the Library, give the number of places provided for mentally ill and mentally handicapped people in homes and hostels provided by local authority social services departments at 31 March each year. The latest available figures, for 31 March 1985, are 4,363 places for mentally ill people and 15,152 places for mentally handicapped people.The hon. Member will be aware that the great majority of mentally ill people who are living in the community live in ordinary family homes. Others have their home in housing, including group homes, provided by local authority housing departments. We cannot give figures as these are not identified in central statistics. Mentally handicapped people similarly live in a range of alternative forms of housing, including small NHS units in the community.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report the number of deaths in England and Wales from each form of cancer, broken down for men and women, for each of the last 10 years up to the latest year for which figures are available.

The information is contained in table 2 of the OPCS annual volume "Mortality Statistics—cause", England and Wales, series DH2 (Her Majesty's Stationery Office). Copies for each year 1976–84 inclusive can be found in the Library. The figures for 1985 are shown in the table.

ICD	Cause of Death		All ages
140–239	Neoplasms	M	74,324
		F	67,294
140–149	Malignant neoplasm of lip, oral cavity and pharynx	M	1,003
		F	694
140	Malignant neoplasm of lip	M	23
141	Malignant neoplasm of tongue	M	229
		F	163
142	Malignant neoplasm of major salivary glands	M	88
		F	75
143	Malignant neoplasm of gum	M	58
		F	43
144	Malignant neoplasm of floor of mouth	M	66
		F	40
145	Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of mouth	M	115
		F	87
146	Malignant neoplasm of oropharynx	M	128
		F	54
147	Malignant neoplasm of nasopharynx	M	82
		F	45
148	Malignant neoplasm of hypopharynx	M	127
		F	127
149	Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites within the lip, oral cavity and pharynx	M	87
		F	51
150–159	Malignant neoplasm of digestive organs and peritoneum	M	21,478
		F	19,660
150	Malignant neoplasm of oesophagus	M	2,719
		F	1,851
151	Malignant neoplasm of stomach	M	5,922
		F	4,049
152	Malignant neoplasm of small intestine, including duodenum	M	130
		F	113
153	Malignant neoplasm of colon	M	4,923
		F	6,364
154	Malignant neoplasm of rectum, rectosigmoid junction and anus	M	3,289
		F	2,751
155	Malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts	M	680
		F	499
156	Malignant neoplasm of gallbladder and extrahepatic bile ducts	M	329
		F	632
157	Malignant neoplasm of pancreas	M	3,063
		F	3,014
158	Malignant neoplasm of retroperitoneum and peritoneum	M	109
		F	69
159	Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites within the digestive organs and peritoneum	M	314
		F	318
160–165	Malignant neoplasm of respiratory and intrathoracic organs	M	27,124
		F	10,139
160	Malignant neoplasm of nasal cavities, middle ear and accessory sinuses	M	100
		F	89
161	Malignant neoplasm of larynx	M	669
		F	166
162	Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung	M	25,994
		F	9,798
163	Malignant neoplasm of pleura	M	325
		F	42
164	Malignant neoplasm of thymus, heart and mediastinum	M	34
		F	43
165	Other malignant neoplasms within the respiratory system and intrathoracic organs	M	2
		F	1
170–175	Malignant neoplasm of bone, connective tissue, skin and breast	M	1,206
		F	14,600

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many representations he has received in the current year concerning the implementations of the Disabled Persons Act 1986.

Since the beginning of 1987, 60 written representations have been received from organisations or individuals relating to implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986. I also met representatives of the local authority associations on 24 February to discuss a number of issues relating to the implementation of the Act and today, at their request, I met members of the steering group of major disability organisations which has been set up to monitor implementation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what financial assistance has been given from central Government funds for the capital costs of the installation of fluoridation plants following the passage of the Water (Fluoridation) Act 1985;(2) what additional public expenditure has arisen from the Water (Fluoridation) Act 1985.

There has been no additional public expenditure arising from the passage of the Water (Fluoridation) Act 1985. The Department has continued to provide some financial assistance to health authorities with the capital costs of fluoridation schemes that were agreed prior to 1985, as it has done since 1975. In the financial year 1985–86 this assistance amounted to £285,000 and to £262,000 in the current financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost in a full year at 1987–88 rates of (a) increasing the state pension by £5 per week for single and £8 for married persons, respectively, and (b) increasing supplementary benefits for pensioners between mid-December and the end of March by £5 per week to cover fuel bills.

The estimated cost (a) of increasing the state pension (retirement, invalidity and widow's pension, supplementary pension and the linked needs allowance for housing benefit) by £5 a week for single and £8 a week for married persons would be £2·7 billion in a full year, (b) of paying £5 a week between mid-December and the end of March to those pensioners currently receiving supplementary benefit would be £150 million; there could also be a substantial extra cost in respect of other pensioners who would then become entitled to supplementary pension during the winter months.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has any plans to review the criteria for eligibility to Motability; and if he will make a statement.

Motability is an independent voluntary organsiation set up in 1977 with Government support, specifically to help disabled people in receipt of mobility allowance to exchange the cash benefit for a vehicle.In view of Motability's independent status any review of the criteria for eligibility under the scheme would be essentially a matter for Motability itself in conjuction with the Department which meets the organisation's administration expenses. There are, however, no plans for such a review at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has about the age at which young people are entitled to claim social security payments on their own behalf in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other OECD countries.

In all countries social security payments under contributory benefits schemes depend primarily on the individual's contribution record, which is normally a function of length of time in covered employment. The minimum age for the payment of contributions to the United Kingdom national insurance scheme is 16.Payment of non-contributory benefits is much more various. The age at which child allowance ceases ranges between 16 and 27 in the countries referred to, and is linked with the status—student, trainee or other—of the young person. This clearly influences the age at which social welfare payments can be made available to the young person on his own behalf. There may in any case be a gap between the end of the child allowance and entitlement (if any) to welfare payments during which a young person is still considered dependent on his parents. In some countries (for example, United States of America, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland) young people without dependants have no entitlement to social welfare payments.In the United Kingdom child benefit continues to age 19 if the young person is in non-advanced education. Young people aged over 16 are eligible to claim supplementary benefit in their own right from fixed dates at the end of the holiday following the term in which they complete their full-time non-advanced education.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been total National Health Service spending in monetary and real terms annually since 1974 (a) nationally, (b) for the Wessex regional health authority area and (c) following reorganisation, for the Portsmouth and Southampton district health authority areas; and if he will provide a breakdown of these figures between capital and revenue expenditure in each case.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether any consideration is being given to amending supplementary benefit regulations for people aged over 50 years to allow higher part-time earnings before supplementary benefit is reduced; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will estimate the cost of raising the earnings limit to £20 per week for people aged over 50 years, before supplementary benefit is reduced; how many people he estimates would benefit; and if he will make a statement.

We have no present plans to increase the amount that people, including those aged over 50, can earn before supplementary benefit is reduced. To increase the limit to £20 for all those in this age group including those who are already receiving supplementary benefit would give increased entitlement to some 35,000 people at a cost of £20 million a year. We do not have a reliable estimate of the number who might be brought into entitlement or what the additional cost might be.For the future we have announced proposals for changes in the levels of disregards of earnings in the income support scheme that replaces supplementary benefit from April 1988. The standard disregard would be increased from £4 to £5 a week although the separate disregard of work expenses would end. There would be a higher disregard of £15 a week for couples who have been unemployed two years, lone parents and those qualifying for the disability premium.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the Social Security Advisory Committee will be publishing its next annual report.

I understand that the Social Security Advisory Committee's Fifth Report is being published today. Copies are available in the Vote Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what further action he is taking to ensure the effective implementation of the Government's policies for cervical and breast cancer screening.

I have asked Sir Roy Griffiths, deputy chairman of the NHS management board, to lead a small team whose task will be to oversee the implementation of the Government's policy on cervical and breast cancer screening.Sir Roy and his team will be working with health authorities and family practitioner committees to make sure that they have viable plans, not only for installing computerised call and recall systems, but also to improve take-up of screening and to follow up when women do not respond after being called for screening.I shall be asking Sir Roy to make regular reports to me so that I can keep the House informed, particularly about progress towards the target date of 31 March 1988 for the cervical cancer screening service throughout England.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to amend the Noise Insulation Regulations 1975; and if he will make a statement.

Later this year we will be laying before the House a minor amendment to the Noise Insulation Regulations in the form of a revision of the 1975 edition of "Calculation of Road Traffic Noise". This technical memorandum is prescribed in regulation 6. It sets out the method and procedure for ascertaining noise levels for the purposes of the regulations.We are considering other possible amendments to the regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has about the sale prices of National Bus Company subsidiaries sold off so far.

The prices obtained for individual National Bus Company subsidiaries are confidential while sales are in progress. A report will be made to the House in due course on the aggregate proceeds of sale.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the proposed opening date of the Witchford bypass.

Witchford lies on the A142 principal road. It is for Cambridgeshire county council, as highway authority, to determine when a bypass should be built and opened.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads in the last year in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, respectively.

Road accident information for 1986 will not be available before May 1987. The local authorities concerned may have provisional estimates and my hon. Friend may wish to get in touch with them. Data for 1985 can be found in "Road Accidents Great Britain 1985". A copy is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many reported accidents have occurred during the past 12 months on trains without guards on the London Transport underground system.

Excluding minor injury accidents (which are reported on bulk returns and cannot be related to specific trains or lines) there have been no reported accidents on these trains during the past 12 months.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to bring forward the construction of the new Exeter to Exmouth relief road.

The improvement of the A376 Exeter-Exmouth route is a matter for Devon county council as local highway authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport which existing construction and United Kingdom regulations apply to community transport vehicles used for conveying wheelchair-bound passengers; if he intends to introduce fresh regulations applying only to new vehicles of this type; and if he will make a statement.

Following the recent consultation with interested organisations we shall shortly be issuing a new code of practice on the carriage of passengers in wheelchairs on buses. This new code makes no distinction between community transport vehicles, public service vehicles and private vehicles. It represents the best advice available on how to secure people in wheelchairs on buses. There are no plans to make special regulations for vehicles used to carry people in wheelchairs.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the implications for British war graves in France of the routes proposed for the construction of certain new roads for Channel tunnel traffic; and what reply he has made.

My Department has received two representations on this subject. This is primarily a matter for the French Government, but my understanding is that proposals for new roads connected with the Channel tunnel project could not conceivably affect British war cemeteries in northern France.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list those organisations he has asked to comment on the terms of reference of stage 2 of the road assessment studies for London;(2) when he intends to publish the first terms of reference of the stage 2 consultation of the road assessment studies for London.

All 20 local authorities in the study areas are being consulted and the organisations listed have been asked for their views by 19 June. We will also consider comments from anyone else. The final terms of reference will be published once we have considered comments received.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what reply he is making to the Greater Manchester passenger transport authority's application for section 56 grant towards the cost of a rail link to Manchester airport; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to have completed his consideration of the application for section 56 grant-aid for the Manchester airport rail link; and if he will make a statement.

The PTA's application, which I requested in December, was sent to me on 10 March. It does not deal with a number of key issues, such as the way in which is proposed to share the costs and revenues of the project, and the economic benefits which are claimed to justify the scheme.I have written today to the chairman of Greater Manchester PTA pointing out these deficiencies and proposing an early meeting between officials to consider the further work which is required.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the cost of reducing by one year the age of independence for student grants.

The estimated cost of reducing the age of independence to 24 is £3 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has about the percentage of the higher education budget that is allocated to student maintenance in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other OECD countries.

I shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has about the percentage of students in higher education who are living other than in the parental home in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other OECD countries.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of three-year-old and what proportion of four-year-old children receive nursery education.

The proportion of three-year-old children receiving education in maintained nursery schools and in nursery classes in maintained primary schools in England in January 1986 was 32 per cent. The corresponding proportion for four-year-olds was 14 per cent. since the majority of this age group are in infant classes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table showing the number of classes and of pupils in classes of more than 35 pupils for each year since 1979.

The number of classes with more than 35 pupils and the number of pupils in these classes in maintained primary and secondary schools in England each year since 1979 is given in the table. The analyses are in respect of classes taught by one teacher on a specified period on the day of the census count in January of each year. The figures may not be representative of the pattern of classes over the academic year as a whole.

January each year	One teacher classes with more than 35 pupils	Pupils in these classes
1979	6,727	253,198
1980	5,078	192,651
1981	4,313	162,974
1982	4,028	152,508
1983	3,433	130,497
1984	2,926	111,126
1985	2,892	110,307
1986	2,768	106,984