To ask the Attorney-General if Her Majesty's Government plan to proceed against Mr. John T. Saxon, of Springfield, New Jersey, for alleged breach of duty of confidentiality to the Crown in respect of observations attributed to him as a former member of the British Security Service, in the recent biography of Klaus Fuchs, by Professor Robert Williams; and if he will make a statement.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give consideration to the provision of a passport issuing office in Birmingham.

We have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notices have been issued under sections 7(1), 9(1) and 23, respectively, of the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987 since the Act came into force.

Section 7 of the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987 has not been brought into force. We have ascertained that between 1 January 1988, when section 9(1) came into force, and 31 March 15 notices prohibiting and 31 restricting use have been issued, under section 10 of the Fire Precautions Act 1971, by 12 tire authorities in England and Wales in respect of 25 buildings. For some of the buildings in multiple occupation more than one notice was served. Information about notices issued by local authorities under section 10 of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 as amended by section 23 of the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases of conviction on indictment he has recommended to Her Majesty the Queen (a) a free pardon, (b) remission of imprisonment, (c) remission of detention and (d) remission of time in the years 1986 and 1987.

No free pardons were granted in 1986 or 1987 to any person convicted on indictment. In 1986, 94 persons and in 1987, 81 persons convicted at a Crown court were granted remission of sentences as follows :

	1986	1987
Imprisonment	79	66
Youth custody	15	15
Fines	—	—
Total	94	81

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of the murder of the representative of the African National Congress in France, he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the level of police protection he intends to provide for the African National Congress's representatives in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Leading members of the African National Congress were given further advice about their personal security by the police on 29 March. The police have also instituted other measures, but it would not be appropriate to disclose these publicly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if consideration has been given to the recommendation in the Chief Inspector of Prisons report on the Brockhill remand centre to the effect that regular meetings be held between the governors of remand centres and prison department officials to identify common problems and solutions; and if he will make a statement.

Existing regional and national conferences should normally provide an adequate opportunity for discussion of matters common to particular classes of establishment. But we do not rule out the possibility at some future date of an ad hoc conference along the lines suggested by the chief inspector.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the context of his response to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons report on Brockhill remand centre, he will indicate (a) if routine monitoring of the allocation of prisoners from ethnic minorities to accommodation and work has been introduced; if disciplinary charges are recorded according to race; and if time has been allocated on the essential task list for the work of the race relations liaison officer and (b) what steps have been or are due to be taken to improve the state of accommodation and the poverty of the regime at Brockhill.

The position is as follows :

(a) yes, except that the number of adjudications by race is monitored regularly (one week per month) but not continuously; and

(b) considerable improvements have been made. Defective windows have been replaced and floor surfaces repaired; improvements to the kitchen and servery have been carried out and repairs to the activity centre, recess areas, and waiting accommodation for visitors completed. An additional association and activities room has been provided for D wing and day-time association has been increased for other wings. Visits have been extended for 15 minutes to up to two hours.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken in response to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons' report on Brockhill remand centre, and in particular (a) what action is being taken to reduce the proportion of prisoners who are unemployed and who spend 15 to 20 hours per day in their cells and (b) what plans exist to provide integral sanitation and to improve sanitary facilities on the landings.

The chief inspector made a total of 95 recommendations. Many of the deficiencies identified have been remedied. In particular, following the introduction of new working arrangements known as fresh start, the frequency of day-time association has been increased for inmates on all wings and an additional association and activities room has been provided for D wing. Those inmates not in employment are now offered education classes, on a roster basis. The length of visits has also been extended considerably. Remedial repairs have been carried out to existing sanitary facilities and a continuous programme of cleaning and repairs has been introduced. There are no plans to introduce integral sanitation in advance of the intended closure of the establishment in 1990 and its conversion to other use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the context of his response to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons' report on Brockhill remand centre he will indicate whether (a) prisoners now receive one kit change per week, (b) any remand prisoners are still sharing accommodation with convicted prisoners and (c) there are now pillows in all cells and fire retardant covers for all mattresses.

The position is as follows :

(a) it is now the normal practice for kit to be changed twice a week;

(b) no;

(c) yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration cases have been referred to the Minister of State responsible for immigration by right hon. and hon. Members for each year since 1979.

The available information relates to the number of immigration files created following representations by right hon. and hon. Members, and is as follows :

	Number
1979	10,395
1980	10,029
1981	8,945
1982	9,931
1983	11,456
1984	13,164
1985	16,024
1986	17,511
1987	11,842

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of arrivals in the United Kingdom refused entry at the port of entry for each year since 1979.

The numbers of persons removed from the United Kingdom, after being refused entry at a port, for the years 1979 to 1986 are given in table 4·2 of the Home Office publication "Immigration Nationality and Passports—A Report on the Work of the Departments; October 1987" a copy of which is in the Library. The corresponding figure for 1987 was 19,319.

To ask 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 how many arrests there have been arising from incidents at Arsenal football ground since January 1987.

There have been 424 such arrests since January 1987.

To ask 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 number of police deployed per match since September 1987 in the vicinity of Arsenal football ground.

The number of police officers on duty at football matches depends on the teams involved, and the police assessment of the likelihood of disorder. I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that Arsenal has played 21 matches at Highbury since September 1987, and that the average number of police officers deployed per match was 332.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Official Secrets Act so as to provide that police officers investigating alleged breaches of the law or of police regulations shall be authorised persons for the purposes of the Act.

We are in the course of preparing proposals for the reform of section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 and are not yet in a position to announce detailed conclusions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he received a full report of the shootings by Michael Ryan in Hungerford; whether he sought further information; and if he will make a statement.

The chief constable's full report on the police handling of the Hungerford incident was received on 1 October 1987. My right hon. Friend did not ask for any further information. He did, however, arrange for Her Majesty's inspector of constabulary to discuss some of the issues raised in the report with the chief constable and to identify any lessons which the police service as a whole might learn from the incident. Her Majesty's inspector's report is expected shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he estimates to be the size of the recidivist prison population; and if he will make a statement.

The readily available information shows the sentenced prison population analysed by the number of previous convictions (tables 3.11, 4.10, 5.10 of the latest issue of "Prison Statistics England and Wales", for 1986, Cm. 210, copies of which are in the Library). Table 8(a) provides the information also available on the proportion of prisoners who were reconvicted within two years of the discharge from their sentence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received concerning the policing of rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

As I explained in answer to a Question from the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 21 January, at column 785, it is for chief officers of police to determine the most suitable methods of policing rural areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for extradition in respect of British citizens deserting from United States of America armed forces have been received from the United States Government in the past three years.

Requests by the United States authorities for the return of deserters from the United States armed forces are dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the Visiting Forces Act 1952. I understand that there have been three requests in the last three years in respect of persons with dual British and United States citizenship.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will increase the manpower levels of the North Wales police, in the light of the representations by the North Wales chief constable; and if he will make a statement.

The North Wales police authority has applied for 40 additional police posts in 1988–89. The application is being considered, together with those from other police authorities, in the light of advice from Her Majesty's inspectors of constabulary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recently published crime statistics in north Wales.

In 1987 the increase in recorded crime in north Wales was greater than in England and Wales as a whole, but the number of offences per 100,000 population was well below the national average. The increase in the clear-up rate from 32 to 43 per cent. is encouraging. We also welcome the above-average fall in domestic burglaries, and the increase in the number of these offences cleared up following a growth in neighbourhood watch and other crime prevention activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to bring trespass and illegal occupation of land and buildings, including squatting, entirely within the terms of the criminal law so as to enable land and home owners to gain more rapid repossession of their land, building and homes.Mr. John Patten

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has about the number of cases of drug misuse involving animals within the racing industry since 1979.(2) if he will introduce legislation to make it a criminal offence to misuse restricted drugs, particularly steroids, in the horse and dog racing industries; and if he will make a statement.(3) if he has received any request for funds from the horse and dog racing industries to help combat the misuse of drugs on either race horses or dogs; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 January, 1988, c. 564]: If drugs are used on racing animals, in appropriate circumstances conspiracy to defraud could be charged. The Law Commission, in its working paper number 104, has asked for views on whether this law should be reformed and, in particular, whether gambling swindles involving drugs on animals should be covered by statutory offences. My right hon. Friend will consider its advice in due course. We do not have occasion to collect information about the incidence of positive tests for drugs in horses and dogs which are raced. But I understand such information is made available, respectively by the Jockey Club in its weekly "Calendar" and annual report, and by the British Greyhound Racing Board in its fortnightly "Calendar." We have received no request to contribute to the relevant expenditure by the industries.

To ask the Prime Minister on what basis she met the Head of Government of the regime in Fiji; what subjects were discussed at the meeting; what agreements were reached in relation to the resumption of training of Fijian military personnel in the United Kingdom and the selection of participants for such training; what assurances she was given regarding the return to elected conventional Government in Fiji; and if she will make a statement.

I met the Prime Minister of Fiji on 29 March for talks on all aspects of our relations. He told me of his efforts to return Fiji to parliamentary democracy and constitutional rule. These have the full support of Her Majesty's Government. We have offered to increase our technical assistance programme in Fiji. On military training, we shall resume the acceptance of a number of trainee officers from Fiji at staff colleges and other training establishments in the United Kingdom. Candidates will be selected by Fiji and approved by us in the normal way.

To ask the Prime Minister on what occasions since 1979 she has met the elected Head of Government of Fiji at 10 Downing street.

I met the Prime Minister of Fiji at 10 Downing street on 1 April 1981, 27 April 1983 and 29 March 1988.

To ask the Prime Minister when she last met a Head of Government from an illegal regime.

The British Government recognise states, not Governments.

To ask the Prime Minister whom she plans to meet during her visit to Turkey.

I visited Turkey between 6 and 8 April. I had talks with President Evren, Prime Minister Ozal and the Leader of the Opposition, Professor Inonu, and met a large number of others active in public life.

To ask the Prime Minister which Ministers from the Foreign Office accompanied her on her recent official visit to Turkey.

None.

To ask the Prime Minister if the statements made to the Chilean press by the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food concerning the conduct of the plebiscite, and expressing support by the United Kingdom, represent the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

During his visit to Chile in January my right hon. Friend the Minister of State made it clear, both in public and private discussions, that the British Government remained concerned about human rights violations in Chile and wanted that country to return peacefully to its democratic tradition. He also met the Cardinal Archbishop and other Church leaders active in the field of human rights as well as a widely representative group of opposition leaders. He indicated that it was not for the British Government to comment on the rectitude or otherwise of a plebiscite.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to improve the co-ordination of the Government's information effort on the subject of schools opting out of local authority control in Scotland; and if she will make a statement.

No. The Government's position is clear. There are no plans to allow Scottish schools to opt out of education authority control in the School Boards (Scotland) Bill which is currently before Parliament. For the future, provision for opting out in Scotland remains a possibility.

To ask the Prime Minister what was the cost per editor of the reception for editors of regional daily newspapers at 10 Downing street in the evening of 21 March; and what was its purpose.

The cost per person was £7·20. The purpose of the reception was to meet the editors of regional daily newspapers.

To ask the Prime Minister if, in the light of complaints about the processing of applications to register for British citizenship, she will dismiss the Minister of State, Home Office, the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Renton).

No.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 12 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 12 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 12 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 12 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 12 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 12 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 12 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 12 April.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 12 April.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. I was also present at Windsor for the arrival of His Majesty The King of Norway. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I will be attending a state banquet in honour of His Majesty the King of Norway.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will seek to amend Standing Order No. 10 to extend to all right. hon. and hon. Members the current power of a Minister to move that a sitting be suspended and be resumed at 10 am the next day.

No.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what representations he has received seeking an early debate on each of the outstanding reports of the Procedure Committee; and if he will make a statement.

A number of hon. Members have made representations to me. Motions relating to two of the outstanding recommendations of the Procedure Committee are now on the Order Paper. Discussions are continuing through the usual channels about the most appropriate way of handling the main body of the Committee's other recommendations.

To ask the Lord President of the Council why the issue of the Official Report, number 125 of volume 130, dated 29 March did not contain all the written answers to parliamentary questions; and when he expects each daily issue to be complete up to 10.30 pm with debates and answers to questions.

The volume of copy for written answers received on 28 and 29 March 1988 was considerably above the norm. It also included some intricate tabular matter which further extended production time scales. The carry over of written answers from the night of 28 March for inclusion in the issue referred to was such that the available capacity for printing written answers received on 29 March was severely reduced. It was, therefore, necessary to publish the remaining written answers in subsequent issues of the Official Report.Hansard Press regularly incorporates in the daily

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which the economic policies of Mozambique have responded to the World Bank's report of June 1985 on the Mozambican economy.

In the aftermath of the World Bank's. report of June 1985 the Mozambican Government held extensive consultations with the bank and the International Monetary Fund on economic policy. They then embarked on a radical programme of liberalisation and economic reform. This covered, inter alia, agricultural prices, controls on the prices of other goods and services, freedom to trade, the exchange rate and monetary and fiscal restraint. There have now been further steps to adjust the exchange rate, increase producer prices, reduce the bureaucracy, improve financial management in government and put enterprises and the banks on a more commercial footing. Foreign investment is welcomed.The economy of Mozambique has, within the limits imposed by constant guerrilla warfare, dislocation of communications and drought, responded positively to these measures. GNP growth in 1987 is estimated at 3 to 4 per cent., after years of stagnant or falling income.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of the extent to which Mozambique has benefited from joining the third Lomè convention (1984) and her improved access to European Community markets.

Over the five years to 1990 Mozambique will get 145 million ecu (about £100 million) in planned aid from the European development fund, in addition to benefiting from SADCC and other regional projects. Mozambique is also eligible for lending by the European Investment Bank, finance under the STABEX scheme, aid to heavily indebted poor ACP countries and emergency aid. Last year Mozambique received EDF emergency aid worth about £4 million.Mozambique has not so far benefited significantly from the trade arrangements of the Lomè convention, but under it her industrial products and the great majority of her agricultural products can enter the Community free of tariff or other restrictions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement, on the role of the Southern Africa development co-ordination conference as an agency for diminishing Mozambique's economic dependence on the Republic of South Africa.

The Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference aims to enhance the economic prospects of its member states, and to give them greater freedom of choice in their economic relationships, by developing sectors of mutual economic benefit. The rehabilitation of transport routes through Mozambique under the auspices of SADCC will contribute to the country's development both through the foreign exchange they generate and indirectly through the establishment of ancillary economic activity. SADCC also aims to diversity the sources of goods and services in the region, to provide common research services in the natural resources sector and to encourage co-operation in attracting investment and tourism from outside the region. Mozambique should benefit from these activities as they develop.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list United Kingdom contributions to Mozambican development through national, Commonwealth and European Community action since 1983.

Gross bilateral aid and the estimated British share of European Community aid to Mozambique since 1983 have been as follows :

£'000
	1983	1984	1985	1986
Gross bilateral aid	1,805	4,182	8,366	7,424
Estimated UK share of EC aid	2,280	3,690	4,560	5,090
Figures for 1987 are not yet available

In addition, the United Kingdom's share of expenditure from the Commonwealth special fund for Mozambique set up in 1976 was £17,637 in the year ending 30 June 1983, and £2,619 in the year ending 30 June 1984.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will now consider the provision of humanitarian aid to Saharawi refugees through the mediation of British non-governmental organisations.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 14 July 1987, at column 431.We have no current requests for help from nongovernmental organisations, but are maintaining our assistance through existing multilateral channels.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office whether he will make a contribution towards the UNICEF programme for child immunisation and water supplies in Lebanon; and what additional support he is able to give to other UNICEF programmes for mother and child care elsewhere.

I recently approved a grant of £1·093 million for UNICEF to help mothers and children in extremely difficult circumstances in the Lebanon. The money will be used for immunisation, essential drugs, water supply and education.I also made grants to UNICEF programmes in the following countries :

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in relation to the Sheffield education authority area, how many responses he has received in support of the proposals contained in the Education Reform Bill from that area; and how many of these responses express concern or opposition to the proposals.

My right hon. Friend has received representations from some 30 organisations in the Sheffield area and a substantial number from individual parents and teachers. Many of the responses commented in detail on our proposals and cannot be categorised in the form requested by the hon. Member. Copies of all responses, except those from individuals, are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from the National Union of Students concerning student loans.

The Student Support Review Group has received written and oral evidence from the National Union of Students, and I have had informal discussions with representatives of the union about the review and the possibility of a loans scheme. Several hon. Members have also drawn my attention to a letter from the president of the NUS about student loans which they received last month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in the light of his policy that universities and polytechnics should enjoy parity of esteem, he will take steps to ensure that they enjoy similar staffing levels.

Levels of staffing are matters for individual universities and polytechnics to decide having regard to the teaching and research they aim to provide and to available resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will consider allowing polytechnics to be renamed polytechnic universities to underline their parity with universities.

Subject to the passage of the Education Reform Bill, it will fall to my right hon. Friend to reestablish the polytechnics and colleges now maintained by local education authorities under names to be given in a statutory order. He is not persuaded of the merit of the title "polytechnic university".

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost of introducing the general certificate of secondary education both in aggregate and per capita terms; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have made available some £250 million for the introduction of GCSE in England over the three financial years 1986–87 to 1988–89, including £40 million expenditure on GCSE-related in-service training. This is equivalent to some £145 per pupil in each of the first three GCSE cohorts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide information on the numbers of mentally handicapped children leaving ESN(S) schools for each year from 1978–79 to 1986–87, and on the expected numbers leaving in each of the five years from 1987–88

The information is not available. Pupils in special schools are not included in the Department's annual sample survey of school leavers. Moreover, since 1983 pupils in England and Wales have not been classified in accordance with categories of handicap. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is responsible for special education in that area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the reasons for the delay in the decision on Stoke-on-Trent school reorganisation in Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend approved on 5 April Staffordshire's proposals to cease to maintain Burnwood and Chell high schools in Stoke-on-Trent and establish a new secondary school in the Chell premises, and to cease to maintain Chell and Fegg Hayes primary schools and establish a new primary school at Fegg Hayes. I am meeting representatives of the authority on 13 April regarding its proposals to cease to maintain Brookhouse and Willfield high schools and establish a new secondary school at Brookhouse and it is hoped that a decision will be announced very soon. The other proposals to rationalise provision in Stoke-on-Trent attracted no statutory objections and the LEA has therefore determined to implement them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimates he has made of the cost of the creation and administration of a student loans scheme.

School closures
	Approved			Rejected
Year	Primary	Secondary	Total	Primary	Secondary	Total
1980	83	27	110	n/a	n/a	n/a
1981	189	36	225	4	6	10
1982	175	72	247	9	17	26
1983	225	70	295	15	24	39
1984	203	56	259	13	7	20
1985	148	61	209	2	12	14
1986	81	53	134	3	17	20
1987	88	43	131	11	10	21
Totals	1,192	418	1,610	57	93	150
n/a—Not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in the light of the proposed abolition of the Inner London education authority, he will obtain and publish the views of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education concerning future optimum arrangements for the educational facilities within that area, in respect of

The costs would depend on the nature of the scheme and the arrangements for its administration. We are examining various models.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the number of local education authority-supported primary and secondary schools which have submitted proposals for school closures or mergers in each year under the provisions of the Education Act 1980; how many of these schools actually closed or merged; how many of these schools were not closed or merged; what was the average length of time from the submission of the proposal for closure or merger until he either approved, modified, or rejected the proposals; what was the shortest period and what was the longest period; and how many proposals have not yet received a reply.

In the period from 1980 to 1987, 1,192 primary and 418 secondary schools were approved for closure as a result of proposals published by local education authorities under section 12 of the Education Act 1980 which were either approved by my right hon. Friend or his predecessors or determined by the local education authorities. In the same period my right hon. Friend or his predecessors rejected proposals which would have resulted in the closure of a further 57 primary and 93 secondary schools. Details are given in the table. Local education authorities have a statutory duty to implement all such proposals which have been approved or determined.Information on the average time taken to reach decisions on school closure proposals is not available in the form requested. In 1987 the average time taken to decide all proposals under sections 12 to 15 of the Education Act 1980 which came before my right hon. Friend was 7·1 months. My right hon. Friend is currently considering 84 proposals by local education authorities to cease to maintain schools.

The Department will be issuing draft guidance on the preparation of development plans shortly. This will provide a basis for discussion with the inner London councils of subjects such as those mentioned by the hon. Member. Members of Her Majesty's inspectorate will be closely involved in these discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek to obtain and publish the views of (a) the Sports Council, (b) the Greater London and South Eastern Sports Council, and (c) governing bodies or national representative bodies of all sports and recreational facilities presently available within the Inner London education authority area, on the retention of the standards and range of facilities for all such activities for school pupils and others after the proposed abolition of the Inner London education authority.

This is one of the subjects the Department will wish to discuss with the inner London councils over the coming months as the councils draw up their development plans. Any representations by organisations such as those mentioned by the hon. Member would of course be taken into account in those discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in the light of the proposed abolition of the Inner London education authority, he will seek to obtain and publish the views, in respect of the teaching, appreciation of, and opportunities for, performance of music, together with supply of instruments and specialist advice relating thereto, of (a) the boards or presidents of the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music, respectively, (b) the Council for Music Education and Training, (c) Her Majesty's Service Inspectors of Music in Schools and (d) the Master of the Queen's Music, as to the best means of retaining, or improving, the standards achieved and opportunities currently available.

The Department will seek to discuss with the inner London councils and others with an interest in this subject the best arrangements for securing high quality music provision in inner London. Any representations by organisations and individuals such as those mentioned by the hon. Member would of course be taken into account in those discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the per capita spending on primary and secondary education in each local education authority.

The latest information available on actual expenditure is for the financial year 1986–87. The net institutional expenditure per pupil in primary and secondary schools in each local education authority is set out in the table. The figures include the cost of salaries and wages, premises and certain supplies and services. They do not include the cost of school meals, central administration and inspection, debt charges and revenue contributions to capital outlay.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, when he receives the report from the Berkshire education committee on the deaths of four boys from Altwood school, Maidenhead, he will make it his policy to draw up guidelines defining the responsibilities at all times of teachers or those in charge of authorised school trips, both at home and abroad.

My Department expects shortly to receive a preliminary report on the accident from the Berkshire LEA and this will receive very careful consideration.Guidance from the Department on safety aspects of school visits is provided in the booklet "Safety in Outdoor Pursuits". A revised version of this is in preparation and any lessons emerging from the tragedy in Austria will be taken into account in this.The responsibilities for safety matters, both statutory and common law, of local authorities, schools and teachers were re-emphasised in a document the Department circulated last year on first aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether institutions in the new polytechnics and colleges sector will be able to hold contingency reserves and carry over unspent balances from one financial year to the next.

Subject to the passage of the Education Reform Bill, the institutions in the new sector will be able to earn income from a variety of sources, to maintain balances in their accounts and to carry balances forward from year to year, subject to the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council's general oversight of the level of balances.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information is available regarding the level of subsidy or grant aid available from the relevant Government to those; (a) European shipbuilders in each EC country, (b) far east shipbuilders and (c) Brazilian shipbuilders who are perceived to be the main competitors of United Kingdom shipbuilders; and if he will make a statement.

There is no direct support to shipbuilders in Japan or South Korea. I shall write to the hon. Member about Brazil in the light of inquiries now in hand.All assistance to the shipbuilding industry within the EEC has to conform with the framework established by the Council directive of 26 January 1987 on aid to shipbuilding (87/167/EEC) (the sixth directive) which came into effect on 1 January 1987 and will last to 31 December 1990. This directive ensures that both direct and indirect aids are taken into account and, in addition, establishes a ceiling on aid which is based on the monitored gap between the costs of the most efficient European shipbuilders and the prices quoted by the far east market leaders. The ceiling on aid in 1988 has again been set at 28 per cent. of the cost of building a ship. Member states wishing to establish support schemes for their shipping industries have to submit their proposals for approval to the EC Commission before putting them into effect. The following countries have had their schemes approved:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what advice his Department is giving to export industries regarding the level of sterling.

As with other market conditions, the Department can provide factual information but industry must form its own view of future developments. The Department also offers industry a range of practical assistance through the enterprise initiatives to help improve performance in both home and overseas markets.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will make a statement on the failure of the sponsorship and assistance management information systems as uncovered by the National Audit Office; and what plans his Department has to remedy the loss of data through its inaccuracies on the reports of regional grants;(2) what was the total amount of pounds sterling in real terms wasted through the inaccuracies and poor quality control of the sponsorship and assistance management information systems, as uncovered by the National Audit Office;(3) what steps he will take to improve the accuracy of data which have been found to be deficient by the National Audit Office.

The National Audit Office report on "Arrangements for Regional Industrial Incentives" (report no. 346) says (para 4·6) that the sponsorship and assistance management information systems was less useful for monitoring or evaluation than it might be because :

(a) the expected timing of jobs to be created in projects approval for regional development grants was not stated; and

(b) there were minor inaccuracies in 34 out of 80 cases examined, while total payments as recorded on SAMIS could not be reconciled with the Department's financial management information system: hence data were not wholly reliable.

Concerning

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received asking him to reconsider his decision not to contribute to the European Space Agency's Columbus space platform programme.

Since 10 February, when my right hon. and learned Friend announced that the United Kingdom would not be joining the Columbus programme in the form then proposed, we have received representations on the subject from hon. and right hon. Members, interested parties and members of the public. In the meantime the European Space Agency has been re-assessing with NASA the polar platform requirement, and significant modifications to the target configuration are likely to result. Against the background of these developments, we are reconsidering our position in consultation with ESA, United Kingdom industry and users.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what was the total output of motor cycles, the percentage exported and the proportion of the domestic market taken by imports in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) West Germany, (c) Italy, and (d) Japan and (e) France in 1958, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975 and in each year from 1979 to 1987;(2) what was the total output of bicycles, the percentage exported and the proportion of the domestic market taken by imports in

For the United Kingdom and for years from 1975 onwards I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 29 February 1988 in the Official Report columns 412-13 The information available for earlier years is shown in the table. Information on West Germany, Italy, Japan and France could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

£ million
	1965	1970
Motor Cycles
Sales by United Kingdom manufacturers	1·7	1·6
Exports	8·3	15·6
Imports	4·4	4·4
Bicycles
Sales by United Kingdom manufacturers	12·6	17·4

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will investigate whether the French and German Governments are giving financial assistance to equipment subcontractors bidding for work on the A330 and A340 Airbus projects; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that financial support may be made available to French and German equipment companies by the Governments in those countries. It is too early to be more specific since the equipments for the A330 and A340 have not yet been selected.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list grants made under the relevant legislation to United Kingdom equipment suppliers seeking launch aid; what applications are outstanding; and if he will make a statement.

No launch aid has been provided to equipment suppliers under section 1 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982. An approach from the Dowty Group has been made, seeking launch aid to assist its bid for work on the A330'340 Airbus programme. It has been the Department's policy to provide launch aid only to airframe and aeroengine manufacturers, and while Dowty is free to submit a formal application, the Department has not been persuaded, by the arguments that have been made, to depart from this policy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what consultations there have been between his Department and British Aerospace as regards the construction of air combat manouevring system platforms in the North sea; and if he will make a statement.

There have been no such consultations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether in the light of the Cecchini report published by the European Commission on 31 March, relating to the gains for the European Community as a whole from achieving the single market in 1992, he will take steps to assess the relative economic gains for the United Kingdom within this total, and to publish his conclusions.

Community member states have committed themselves to completing the single market by 1992 and it will provide major opportunities for the Community as a whole. The initial results of the recent study by the European Commission appear to confirm the potential benefits. We shall, of course, analyse carefully the findings of the full report when it is published, but we have no plans to commission any formal studies. The extent of the relative economic gains for the United Kingdom will depend crucially on how business responds to the opportunities that will arise.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the number of pairs and the value of imports of footwear from Taiwan for the last 12 quarters for which figures are available.

The information is given in the following table:

United Kingdom imports of footwear from Taiwan 1985–87
Pairs in million
Value £ million
	1985	1986	1987
1st quarter
Number of pairs	8·5	7·1	7·8
Value	£22·0	£13·3	£22·8
2nd quarter
Number of pairs	4·2	4·1	7·4
Value	£15·7	£13·3	£23·9
3rd quarter
Number of pairs	3·7	4·6	6·6
Value	£11·3	£13·4	£24·7
4th quarter
Number of pairs	2·4	4·0	4·9
Value	£6·8	£13·9	£16·4

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has recently received on footwear imports from Taiwan; and if he intends to take any action in response to such imports.

I have received representatives of the industry recently to discuss their concern about footwear imports from Taiwan. The industry is currently drawing together the facts in order that we can consider what action, if any, would be appropriate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has received any response from the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Association to the recent White Paper from his Department; what action he intends to take to assist the Yorkshire and Humberside region; and if he will make a statement.

A copy of a paper by the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Association, "Implications of the current Department of Trade and Industry White Paper for Yorkshire and Humberside", was sent to me last week.Firms in the Yorkshire and Humberside region can benefit from assistance offered under the enterprise initiative, which includes support for consultancy in the areas of design, marketing, quality, manufacturing technology, business planning and business information systems (available at a higher rate in assisted areas and urban programme areas), together with support for exports, research and technology and business education.In the assisted areas of the region regional selective assistance is also available to support projects which would not otherwise go ahead. In development areas small firms (with fewer than 25 employees) are eligible for regional enterprise grants for investment and innovation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to publish its report on the operations of Access and Barclaycard; and if he will make a statement.

The Monopolies and Mergers Commission is due to submit its report on the supply of credit card services in the United Kingdom to my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State by 26 May 1989.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will introduce legislation to establish a national consumer credit register; and if he will make a statement.

I welcome current moves by some lending organisations to increase the effectiveness of the role played by the existing credit reference agencies by providing them with full and comprehensive information. The availability of such information should help to ensure responsible lending and minimise consumer over-indebtedness. I have no plans to introduce legislation to establish a national consumer credit register.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he is considering to introduce further competition into United Kingdom based telecommunications following the expiry of the British Telecom/Mercury duopoly in November 1990; and if he will make a statement.

The Government remain committed to the duopoly policy in telecommunications which was announced in November 1983. The duopoly is not due to be reviewed until at least November 1990 and it would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcome at this stage.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) when the north Peckham task force was first approached for assistance in respect of a co-operative shop on the Gloucester grove estate;(2) what ministerial involvement there was in the consideration of the application to the north Peckham task force for funds for a co-operative shop on the Gloucester grove estate.

I have been closedly involved in the progress of the proposal to establish a co-operative shop on the Gloucester grove estate since the north Peckham task force was first approached formally by the Gloucester grove co-operative in August 1986 for a £500 grant to carry out market research to determine the feasibility of establishing such a shop. I approved this grant on 1 September 1986. Following the completion of the feasibility study and the decision to locate the shop in part of derelict garages at Winchcombe court, I approved a further grant of £86,000 on 23 March 1987 to pay for conversion costs, together with a grant of £1,200 to pay for drawing up a business plan and temporary office costs. The grant of £86,000 for conversion was subject to Southwark council agreeing to fund revenue costs initially.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the annual pay of the north Peckham task force leader Daniel Levy.

The leader of the north Peckham task force is a fee-paid consultant. It is not the practice to disclose the value of individual contracts between my Department and its consultants and advisers in order to preserve commercial confidentiality.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the total annual cost of the north Peckham task force, including travel, office, furniture, publicity and staff and including an estimate of the cost of administrative work carried out at his Department in respect of the task force, and the amount paid to outside organisations to monitor its work.

The administrative cost of the north Peckham task force during 1987–88 was around £125,000. It is not possible to estimate the cost of work carried out exclusively on behalf of the north Peckham task force by the headquarters unit, which is responsible among other matters for the operation of the Government's task forces. It is not the practice to disclose the value of individual contracts between the Department and outside consultants and advisers in order to protect commercial confidentiality.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the cost to the north Peckham task force of (a) the local link leaflet, and how many were produced and distributed, (b) the buffet lunch on the open day on 1 February and (c) any other costs of the open day on 1 February.

The information requested is as follows:

£
(a)	Design, printing and distribution of 10,000 local link leaflets	2,678
(b)	Buffet available throughout open day on 1 February 1988	1,906
(c)	(i) Invitations for open day	62
	(ii) Fees for plans and display in connection with the Spike community association's presentation of proposals for developing managed workspace in north Peckham	200

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the cost of his Department's current television advertisement campaign.

The cost of the Department's enterprise initiative television advertising campaign, which ended on 27 March 1988, was £5·6 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from which countries Britain purchased poppy products or poppy derivatives, by amount, for each of the last 10 years.

These products are not separately identified in the overseas trade statistics.