To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to raise the maximum penalty in the magistrates' court for prosecutions under the health and safety legislation.

We have no present plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Acts 1974, 1976 and 1984 were subsequently convicted on the basis of confession evidence only; and how many of those convictions were contested by the defence.

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many times access to a solicitor has been delayed under section 58(13) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act to individuals being held in police custody under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1984 since I January 1986; and for how long;(2) how many times section 56(11) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 has been invoked since 1 January 1986 to delay action to inform a relative, friend or person interested in the welfare of an individual being held in police custody under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1984, and for how long.

This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will list the occasions on which he has met Sir Basil Feldman since 1 January and discussed Sunday trading deregulation;(2) on what occasions his departmental officials have met Sir Basil Feldman since 1 January; and which officials were in attendance at these meetings;(3) what information was available to his Department before it agreed to meet Sir Basil Feldman, concerning the nature of his fiancial involvement in the campaign for Sunday trading deregulation; and whether he will make a statement;(4) whether he will make it his policy to refuse to meet persons involved in the campaign for the deregulation of Sunday trading who are contracted to receive success fees in relation to that campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Basil Feldman called on me on 25 January and on my right hon. Friend on 25 May to discuss Sunday trading. Private secretaries and officials concerned with this issue were present on each occasion. Officials have not otherwise met Sir Basil Feldman except at a conference organised by him on 17 February, which I also attended. Sir Basil Feldman has informed my right hon. Friend that his involvement in the Sunday trading campaign is voluntary and that he is under no contract to receive either a fee or a success-related fee in connection with the campaign.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of the South Yorkshire constabulary as to when the Sheffield police will return to Mr. Stuart Holmes his extendable banner, seized outside the Crucible theatre during the world professional snooker championships; and if he will make a statement.

I understand from the chief constable of South Yorkshire police that the banner is being retained for evidential purposes and will be returned to Mr. Holmes when the legal proceedings are complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to grant the Police Complaints Authority powers to carry out itself the investigation of serious allegations against police officers.

No. My right hon. Friend is not persuaded of the need to extend the powers already possessed by the Police Complaints Authority, to which I referred in my reply to the hon. Member's question on 18 May, at column 462.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will bring forward legislation to amend the Sex Discrimination Act to bring private clubs with both male and female members within the scope of the Act.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to a question from the hon. Member for Barking (Ms. Richardson) on 14 March, at columns 422–23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions involving wildlife trade have been taken under (a) the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1985, (b) the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976 and (c) the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979; and in each case what penalties were imposed.

Records available to me for 1986, which may be incomplete, show no prosecutions under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1985 and one prosecution under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976 which resulted in a conviction and a fine of £600. The number of prosecutions under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 which involved wildlife is not available separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many neighbourhood watch schemes there were in the Chelmsford local authority area in each year from 1982 to the latest available year.

I understand from the chief constable of Essex police that at the end of 1987 there were 160 neighbourhood watch schemes in the Chelmsford police sub-division, the boundary of which is roughly conterminous with that of Chelmsford borough council. The first scheme in Chelmsford was established in October 1984. There were seven schemes at the end of 1984, 49 at the end of 1985 and 108 at the end of 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects that the private office of the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Renton), will respond to the telephone query of the hon. Member for Stretford of 6 June and the subsequent telephone calls of the hon. Member concerning the case of the passports of Mr. S. A. H. (Home Office Ref. Nos. H209976 and H 392426) and of his relation Mrs. A. B.

My Private Office supplied the information requested by the hon. Member on 10 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to issue a code of practice on the tape recording of police interviews with suspects, in accordance with section 60(1)(a) and section 67 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

In accordance with sections 60(1)(a) and 67(3) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, I have today laid before Parliament a draft code of practice on the tape recording of police interviews with suspects at police stations.The draft code published today has been produced after extensive consultations, but publication affords an opportunity for me to consider any further representations about the draft, which should reach my Department by 11 July.The Act provides for the code to be brought into operation by an order made by statutory instrument and approved by both Houses of Parliament. I propose to lay such an order before each House as soon as possible after 11 July.After the code has come into operation it will need to be applied in separate orders to particular police force areas. It is my intention to make the necessary orders, under section 60(1)(b) of the 1984 Act, in relation to individual police force areas, or parts thereof, when chief officers, in consultation with other agencies in the criminal justice system, have made satisfactory arrangements for the tape recording of interviews in the areas to be covered by the order. The effect of such an order will be to require the tape recording of interviews with persons suspected of specified offences in accordance with the provisions of the code. But police forces may proceed with arrangements for tape recording in advance of an order applying to their area, and most forces are already doing so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to the proportion of senior civil servants in his Department who were educated in (a) private schools and (b) state schools.

One third of the Department's staff at grade 3 and above attended state schools and two thirds attended private schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to review the current standards and administration of the general certificate of secondary education; and if he will make a statement.

The Secondary Examinations Council (SEC) and the GCSE examining groups are collaborating to review experience of the first GCSE examinations this summer and to make any necessary improvements quickly. My right hon. Friend looks to the SEC and its intended successor body, the School Examinations and Assessment Council, to report on the outcome of the review by the end of this year, and to recommend changes as necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received concerning the Higgingson report; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend on 7 June, at column 436, to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey), in which he announced the publication of the report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of 16-year-olds leave school at the first legal opportunity.

The proportion of pupils aged 16 at the end of August 1986 in England that had left school by January 1987 was 70·5 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will meet a deputation from Derbyshire county council to discuss its education capital expenditure for 1988–89 to 1990–91;(2) how many requests he has received from Derbyshire county council to discuss its education capital expenditure for 1988–89 to 1990–91.

My right hon. Friend has received one substantive request. A meeting has been arranged for 27 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimates have been made of the cost of early retirement of head teachers during 1988–89 and 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's expenditure plans for 1988–89, set out in Cm. 288, provide for spending of £80 million on the costs of premature retirement compensation in the schools sector. The costs of early retirement of head teachers cannot be separately identified within this sum. Detailed plans for 1989–90 have yet to be settled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many citizens of the Republic of Ireland are attending United Kingdom universities and colleges of higher education.

In 1986, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 1,042 students from the Irish Republic on higher education courses in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what evaluation studies will be carried out on the bursary schemes for initial teacher training in shortage subjects; what are his targets for the proportion of persons in receipt of such bursaries to take up a first appointment in the maintained sector; and if he will make a statement.

An evaluation of the bursary scheme is being carried out by Bath university school of education as part of a review of the major Government initiatives introduced to combat teacher shortage. A summary of phase 1 of the review, which was completed this spring, will be published this month and a copy will be placed in the Library.The evaluation confirmed that the bursary has made an important contribution to the increased numbers of students entering initial teacher training in the shortage subjects.All those in receipt of the bursary have to sign an undertaking that they intend to teach in the maintained sector on qualification and we expect all those who satisfactorily complete their training to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is undertaking a leak inquiry into the leaking of the briefing given to him by civil servants about leak inquiries relating to the unauthorised disclosure of a letter from Mr. Paul Gray to Mr. Tom Jeffrey, regarding educational testing, in relation to questions for answer on 17 May from the hon. Members for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mrs. Fyfe) and for Linlithgow.

All unauthorised disclosures of information are investigated by whatever means seem appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from schools in the north-west in response to his proposal that state schools should be permitted to opt out of local authority control.

All individual schools which have approached the Department have done so on the basis that their interest will be treated in confidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are his latest estimates of numbers of 19-year-olds still at school.

In January 1987 the number of pupils aged 19 and over in school was 2,707.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will arrange for the document published by his Department "The Bangladeshis in Britain" to be made available in Bengali; and if he will make a statement.

"Bangladeshis in Britain" was not published by my Department. It was a report of the Home Affairs Committee in the 1986–87 Session.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his assessment of the effect which the proposed technological studies course will have, if implemented, on the standard of technical drawing and on the number of students qualified in technical drawing.

With the introduction of technology as a foundation subject in the national curriculum, all pupils will be introduced to the principles and practice of good design, the application of theoretical knowledge to practical problems and, within that context, the practical craft, design and communication skills needed for realising their designs in a range of materials. My right hon. Friend believes this will increase the opportunities for students to obtain qualifications in all aspects of design and technology and provide a sounder foundation for the development of specialised skills such as technical drawing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is aware of any proposals or plans for a city technology college in Sunderland.

My right hon. Friend has as yet received no proposals to establish a city technology college in Sunderland. If there is support in industry and in the local community for doing so he would be pleased to consider any proposals which are put forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the amount of public funds payable to the City Technology Colleges Trust for each year since its establishment; what grant is planned for future years; for what purpose this grant is payable; and what proportion the grant represents of the total income of the City Technology College Trust for each year.

Grant is being paid to the City Technology College Trust to support work in obtaining premises for CTCs and in briefing prospective sponsors. It is envisaged that the trust will also provide support for individual CTC bodies, for example, in curriculum and staff development. If so, the Department is prepared to make a temporary contribution to the cost of these activities.I envisage that grants to the trust for these purposes will not exceed £200,000 over the next three years, including the current financial year, and that the amount of grant will be limited to a maximum of two thirds of the trust's total relevant expenditure. The trust has secured money from private sources to meet the balance. The trust has submitted claims totalling £20,140 in respect of the financial year 1987–88 and is expected to submit claims totalling £90,000 in the current financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list respectively, how many officials at what grade, and at what estimated cost (a) comprise his Department's city technology college unit, (b) work outside this unit but in respect of city technology colleges, (c) work on the abolition of the Inner London education authority and (d) work on grant maintained schools.

(a) The city technology colleges unit comprises:

• 1 Grade 5
• 1 Grade 5 HMI for approximately ⅔ of his time
• 2 Grade 7s
• 1 Higher Executive Officer
• 1 Executive Officer
• 2 Personal Secretaries
• 1 Administrative Officer

The unit's salary cost is currently about £14,000 per month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science of what plans he is aware for the establishment of any trust or other body to support or encourage the development of grant-maintained schools; and what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards such trusts or bodies receiving finanical assistance from public funds.

I am aware that there are plans to establish an independent trust with the aim of supporting the development of grant-maintained schools. I welcome this initiative. If such a body were in due course to make an application to my Department for financial assistance towards specific activities intended to provide support or advice for schools which had acquired grant-maintained status, the Department would be prepared to consider it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to be in a position to make a statement on the conclusion of the review of student finance and on when it will be published.

The student support review has not yet completed its work. The Government's proposals for the future of student support will be published in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give central Government spending on universities per head of university population since 1979 at constant prices, including planned expenditure per head for 1988–89 to 1990–91, together with the intake to universities of undergraduate students for each of these years.

[holding answer 10 June 1988]: In the following table Government expenditure has been taken as University Grants Committee recurrent grant to universities in Great Britain plus home student fee income. Per capita figures for each financial year have been derived by dividing by full-time equivalent home student numbers. The figures are at constant 1986–87 prices as measured by the gross domestic product deflator. The full-time home undergraduate student intake shown relates to the corresponding academic year.

	Government expenditure per student	New Undergraduate entrants
	£ (constant prices)	000's
1979–80	5,421	74·7
1980–81	5,773	76·4
1981–82	5,589	74·0
1982–83	5,796	71·6
1983–84	5,830	69·2

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the number of (a) village schools closed since 1979 and (b) the capital spending on local authority schools falling within metropolitan areas, in each year since 1979 at constant prices.

[holding answer 10 June 1988]: In the period from 1979 to 1987, 590 primary and 27 secondary schools in rural areas 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. Local education authorities have a statutory duty to implement all such proposals which have been approved or determined.The gross capital expenditure on schools by metropolitan district councils (excluding Greater London) in England is as follows:

Year	Expenditure at 1986–87
	Prices (£000s)
11986–87	82,350
1985–86	96,242
1984–85	97,639
1983–84	99,278
1982–83	107,628
1981–82	86,268
1980–81	129,475
1979–80	124,297

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the average expenditure per pupil in local authority schools on (a) books, (b) scientific equipment, (c) computers, (d) sports facilities, (e) school meals and milk, (f) teachers, (g) in-service teachers training and (h) school buildings, at constant and current prices, for each year since 1979.

[holding answer 10 June 1988]: The available information is set out in the following table:

To ask the Prime Minister to which Department is allocated the responsibility for publicity relating to (a) prime ministerial and (b) other ministerial visits to Scotland.

The prime responsibility for publicity in connection with prime ministerial and other ministerial visits to Scotland rests with the office or Department of the Minister concerned. Scottish information office provides valuable support.

To ask the Prime Minister what is her estimate of the cost of removing graffiti from all statues, vehicles, buildings, and other structures; and if she will make a statement.

The information is not available.

To ask the Prime Minister which Minister in Her Majesty's Government is currently responsible for psychological operations activities in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain.

"Psychological operations" is a military term. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has primary responsibility for military questions.

To ask the Prime Minister what was the total cost of the visit to London by President Reagan on June 2; and what official gifts were given to the President.

[holding answer 10 June 1988]: Since President Reagan came on 2 June as a special visitor rather than as a guest of Her Majesty's Government, the Americans were responsible for most of the costs. Her Majesty's Government's expenditure amounted to about £14,600.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about United Kingdom contributions of aid to Ethiopia during the last five years.

United Kingdom public expenditure on aid to Ethiopia through bilateral and multilateral channels, over the calendar years 1983 to 1987, has been as follows:

£ thousands
		Bilateral	Multilateral1
	1983	3,433	11,920
	1984	7,004	14,150
	1985	28,058	23,200
	1986	9,627	n/a
	1987	8,554	n/a
1 United Kingdom share.
n/a—not available.

The bulk of this aid has been in the form of assistance for famine relief and rehabilitation. Information on the United Kingdom share of multilateral expenditure in Ethiopia in 1986 and 1987 is not yet available. Since January 1987 the United Kingdom has committed over £45 million for famine relief in Ethiopia, including our share of European Community assistance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current Overseas Development Administration budget expressed as a percentage of gross national product.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current level of overseas development spending.

The Overseas Development Administration budget for overseas aid for the current financial year is £1,337 million. What proportion of gross national product this will represent depends on developments in the economy during the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department will institute the practice of evaluating the development projects it supports for the impact they have on women.

Since 1986 it has been the practice when evaluating projects to consider their impact on women. The terms of reference for all projects evaluations include this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received on his Green Paper entitled "Financing our Public Library Service" from individuals or organisations in Wales.

At 1 June comments had been submitted by six individuals and organisations in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many unemployed people have started businesses in Wales in 1987 under the enterprise allowance scheme; and if he will make a statement.

In 1987, 6,438 unemployed people started businesses in Wales under the enterprise allowance scheme. Since the scheme began in August 1983, over 21,000 unemployed people have joined in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to eliminate long-term unemployment in Clwyd; and if he will make a statement.

The number of long-term unemployed people in Clwyd has fallen in each quarter since January 1986. At April 1988 there were 6,358 long-term unemployed people in Clwyd, 3,770 less than in January 1986.The reduction reflects the Government's comprehensive range of measures to help long-term unemployed people find jobs. In particular, employment training, which begins in September 1988, will offer a flexible training programme designed to meet individual needs, and is specifically aimed to give longer-term unemployed people the skills they need to get and keep jobs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of jobs that might accrue to Wales-based companies in the building of the Channel tunnel; and if he will make a statement.

There are no available estimates of the total number of jobs directly resulting from construction of the Channel fixed link. I am keen that industry in Wales should be involved whenever possible and the Welsh Office is actively informing companies of construction opportunities that arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many manufacturing jobs have been lost in (i) Clywd and (ii) Wales since May 1979; and if he will make a statement.

While comprehensive information regarding jobs lost is not available, Department of Employment estimates show that there were 109,000 fewer employees in employment in manufacturing industry (SIC 1980 divisions 2–4) in Wales in June 1987 than in June 1979.Equivalent information is not available for Clwyd, but my Department's regional data system (which is restricted to companies of over 10 employees and uses a slightly different definition of manufacturing industry) indicates there to have been a fall of 7,800 in the numbers employed in manufacturing in Clwyd between 1979 and the latest available results.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many young people who are in employment in (i) Clwyd and (ii) the Shotton travel-to-work area are participating in YTS.

Information is available only at Training Commission area office level. The most recent information relates to the end of April 1988 when 6,688 trainees were participating in YTS in the Clwyd, Gwynedd and Powys area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales in the restart scheme are disabled and mentally handicapped; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his plans to tackle skills shortages in Wales.

The strength of the economy is leading to increasing demand for skills. The Government have made a massive increase in investment in training since 1979, when the Training Commission's expenditure in Wales was £31 million. Estimated expenditure in the next two years will be over £200 million.The Training Commission is continuing to develop its programmes, and employment training, which begins in September 1988, will provide unemployed adults with the skills employers need.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review the use by the Singaporean Government of the internal radio transmitter formerly controlled by the British Forces Broadcasting Service.

We are aware of no internal radio transmitter, formerly controlled by the British Forces Broadcasting Service, and now used by the Singapore Government. The former BFBS transmitter at Tanglin was handed over to the BBC in the early 1970s and replaced in 1987 by a new FM transmitter which is used exclusively to relay the BBC world service to Singapore listeners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Singapore concerning the statements made by the Prime Minister of Singapore concerning possible legal action against a former President of Singapore.

This is a private matter between Mr. Lee and Mr. Devan Nair.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review the instructions given to British diplomatic staff at the Office of the United Kingdom high commission in Singapore following the recent expulsion of the first secretary of the United States embassy in Singapore for alleged political interference.

Mr. Hendrickson's expulsion is a matter for the Governments of the United States and of Singapore. The British high commissioner and his staff will continue to discharge their duties in the normal manner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make representations to the Government of Singapore concerning the arrest, detention arid re-arrest of Singaporeans involved in political activities in the run-up to the 1988 Singapore general election;(2) if he will make representations to the Government of Singapore concerning the use of the Internal Security Act during the 1988 Singapore general election.

We are not aware that any date has yet been set for the next general election in Singapore. Singapore's record on human rights has in the past generally been good. However, the recent detentions have caused concern to friends of Singapore. In the margins of the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the countries of the European Community and the Association of South East Asian Nations in Dusseldorf on 2 and 3 May, the 12 EC countries made their concerns known to the Singapore authorities. We have since heard that three detainees were released on 18 May, although the others of course remain in detention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all approaches made to Her Majesty's Government since 1984 by the United States administration for help in securing the export of arms directly or indirectly to rebel forces in Nicaragua; and if he will make a statement.

As the hon. Gentleman knows, it is our well established policy not to comment on matters of this kind. We have made it clear that we have never supplied arms to the Contras directly or indirectly, nor have we ever had any intention of doing so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the import of worked ivory into Hong Kong in each of the last five years, by weight and value, and what were the countries of origin.

The Hong Kong Government's records of the importation of worked ivory are currently collated on the basis of value and of the previous country of export. Imports, by value, in the last five years are:

	Hong Kong dollars million	£ million
1983	22	1·6
1984	26	1·9
1985	39	2·8
1986	55	3·9
1987	61	4·4

The bulk of this ivory was imported into Hong Kong from China, Macau, Japan and Singapore, all of which are party to the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to ensure that Hong Kong complies with the provisions of conf. 6·16 of the CITES regulation agreed in Ottawa in 1987.

CITES resolution conf. 6·16 adopted in Ottawa in 1987 made a number of recommendations for the tighter control of worked ivory. The Hong Kong Government plan to introduce subsidiary legislation to implement these recommendations during July.We are in close and regular touch with the Hong Kong Government about this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Hong Kong authorities intend to ban the sale of all medicinal products containing rhino horn as from July; and if he will make a statement.

The Hong Kong Government will ban the internal sale of rhino horn in July. They intend to implement a ban on the internal sale of medicinal products claiming to contain rhino horn as soon as possible. They have concluded that such a ban cannot be achieved administratively, as they had earlier intended, but will require new legislation, which they plan to introduce later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being given to east African countries to combat the poaching of elephants; and what information he has about the current levels of the elephant population in Africa.

Our aid includes the provision of Land Rovers for anti-poaching patrols in Tanzania, and three technical co-operation officers in the Kenyan Wildlife Department. We understand that wildlife experts put the current level of the elephant population in Africa at some 750,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution has as to the number of sites in England and Wales that have dangerous emissions of carbon dioxide and methane.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution has received replies to its letters on landfill gas of 18 December from the majority of English and Welsh waste disposal authorities, and is processing the responses. I await its report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the interests of the preservation of the habitats of many species of wildlife, he plans to introduce measures to reduce the destruction of hedgerows.

We believe the preservation of hedgerows depends on the voluntary co-operation of farmers and others. Agricultural advisers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food encourage farmers to retain hedgerows wherever possible and to manage them effectively. MAFF gives grants for the planting of new hedgerows and for hedgerow laying. Where appropriate, the Countryside Commission and Nature Conservancy Council can also offer assistance.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities whose budgeted total expenditure for 1988–89 exceeds their total expenditure for 1987–88 by more than 6 per cent. and those authorities whose budgeted total expenditure for 1988–89 exceeds their grant-related expenditure assessment by more than 5 per cent., ranking the authorities according to the amount by which their budgeted expenditure exceeds their grant-related expenditure assessment, and showing for each authority (a) the authority's grant-related expenditure assessment, (b) its budgeted total expenditure for 1988–89, (c) its total expenditure for 1987–88, (d) the percentage by which its budgeted total expenditure exceeds or falls below its grant-related expenditure assessment and (e) the percentage by which its budget total expenditure for 1988–89 exceeds or falls below its total expenditure for 1987–88.

I have today placed the information in the Library of the House. The total expenditure information for 1987–88 (revised budget) and for 1988–89 (budget) has been taken from the 1988–89 returns of expenditure and rates (RER89). Where these returns have not been received, the latest information available has been used and the figures are provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department conducted any analysis of the achievements and difficulties of the London Docklands Development Corporation and the Merseyside Development Corporation, before deciding to establish more urban development corporations.

My Department continuously monitors both London Docklands Development Corporation and Merseyside Development Corporation. I took account of their experience when I decided to establish more urban development corporations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will investigate the reasons why his Department has told Lichfield district council that it is out of stock of right-to-buy forms; how many other local authorities who are pursuing right-to-buy policies have been similarly informed; how long these forms have been out of stock; and what steps he is taking to have fresh supplies printed forthwith and to ensure that this situation does not recur.

Supplies were unavailable between 6 May and 7 June, and local authorities which ordered forms during this period were so informed. The difficulty arose from a defect in the reordering system, which is being remedied, coupled with a greater than expected demand for the form earlier this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the sum raised by sales made by the New Towns Commission in Corby for each year since 1980.

The sums raised from the sale of property in Corby by the Commission for the New Towns have been as follows:

Year ending 31 March	£'000
1980	615
1981	952
1982	580
1983	5,840
1984	2,517
1985	1,506
1986	1,826
1987	4,464
1988	10,564

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what regulations govern the disposal by hospitals of clinical waste; what measures exist to prevent accidental infection being caused to waste disposal operatives by hypodermic syringes and similar articles; and if he has any proposals for establishing clinical waste incinerators as an alternative to the use of the normal public waste disposal arrangements.

Arrangements for the disposal of clinical waste from hospitals are a matter for health authorities. The Health and Safety Commission guidance document of 1982, and waste management paper No. 25, give guidance on disposal of clinical waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to be able to provide a substantive reply to the letters dated 7 March and 9 May from the hon. Member for Slough to the Minister for Housing and Planning about a right-to-buy case.

I sent my hon. Friend a substantive reply on 9 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Pontypridd of 23 May, Official Report, column 77, he will list the names and Civil Service grades of the 16 civil servants appointed as directors of public liability companies, building societies or other outside bodies specified therein; and of which such companies or other outside bodies they have been appointed;(2) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Pontypridd,

Following is the answer:

	Grade	Company
Mr. P. C. McQuail	2	Generation Securities Ltd.
Mr. F. A. Osborn	2	Trafalgar House Oil and Gas Ltd.
Mr. J. P. G. Rowcliffe	2	Bradford and Bingley Building Society
Mr. C. J. S. Brearley	3	John McLean and Sons Ltd.
Dr. D. J. Fisk	3	Hydraulics Research Ltd.
Mr. P. J. Fletcher	3	John Mowlem Homes Ltd.
Mr. R. J. Green	3	Butterley Brick Ltd.
Miss D. A. Nichols	3	John Laing ETE Ltd.
Mr. B. D. Ponsford	3	Smiths Industries Medical Systems Group
Mr. R. J. A. Sharp	3	ARC Concrete Ltd.
Mr. K. E. C. Sorensen	3	Balfour Beatty Construction International Ltd.
Mr. N. W. Summerton	3	Redland Bricks Ltd.
Miss E. C. Turton	3	Woolwich Equitable Building Society
Mr. A. G. Watson	3	Denco Ltd.
Mr. R. Johnson	6	Salveson Homes Ltd.
Mr. M. Tucker	7	Thamesmead Town

Dr. Fisk's appointment as a non-executive director of Hydraulics Research Ltd. arises directly from his official duties. The appointment of Mr. Tucker as a non-executive director of Thamesmead Town followed an approach to him by the directors of the company; he currently serves on secondment to the company. The other appointments as non-excecutive directors listed in the table were arranged by senior departmental officers with a view to providing opportunities for civil servants to obtain direct experience of the operation of the private sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the number of planning appeals made to his Department in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, (b) the number of such appeals that were allowed and (c) the percentage that (b) represents of (a).

The table shows the number of planning appeals received, withdrawn prior to decision, decided and allowed. The success rate given is the number of appeals allowed as a percentage of the total number decided in each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether 19-year-olds still at school will receive any assistance with poll tax by way of rebates, student discount or total exemption; and from what resources he expects any residual liability to be met.

Individuals aged over 18 who are still at school and in respect of whom child benefit is payable will be exempt from the community charge. Child benefit is not payable in respect of 19-year-olds still at school. They will be eligible for rebates of up to 80 per cent. of the community charge according to their incomes. The residual liability will be met from the same sources as their other living expenses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any proposals for regulating local authorities' involvement in Companies Act companies; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has today published a consultation paper setting out proposals for a statutory framework for local authorities' involvement in companies. Copies of the paper have been placed in the Library.The report of the committee of inquiry into the conduct of local authority business (the Widdicombe committee) highlighted a number of concerns about companies used by local authorities, under their control or influence, to conduct various activities. In the light of these concerns, the Government have examined the policy issues involved, with the help of specialist assistance from Coopers and Lybrand. As background to this work, my Department conducted a survey of local authorities about their involvement with companies, the results of which are set out in the paper. The survey found that companies are being used by authorities for a very wide range of activities and that their number and the scale of operation is tending to increase.The Government do not wish to prevent local authorities from becoming involved in companies where there are operational advantages in doing so. Local authorities' use of companies has proved useful in a variety of cases, particularly in joint ventures with the private sector.The Government have, however, concluded that it is anomalous that local authorities' interests in companies, and the control of influence that these can give, are outside various rules governing the conduct of local authority business, which are intended to ensure that local authorities demonstrably conduct their affairs in accordance with the principles which should govern all public authorities. The proposals set out in the consultation paper are designed to remove this anomaly.The essence of the proposals is that where a local authority or authorities control a company or have a dominant influence on it, there should be, and should be seen to be, accountability and propriety in the conduct of its affairs; and that such companies should not be capable of being used as a means of avoiding the controls imposed by Parliament on local authorities. These objectives are more difficult to achieve in cases where local authorities do not control a company. It is therefore proposed that local authorities will be able to hold a minority interest in a company only in circumstances where an important policy end is served. The paper sets out the circumstances proposed by the Government.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is consulting separately on these proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure that unvented hot water storage systems are installed by registered plumbers under the terms of the scheme operated by the British Board of Agrèment.

The installation of an unvented hot water system is covered by the safety requirements set out in part G3 of the Building Regulations 1984. Guidance has been given that such a system should be installed by an approved installer, but there is no legal requirement to this effect, although there are requirements that the building control authority must be told whether or not the installer of a system has been approved. We have taken steps to make building control authorities aware of the dangers arising from improper installation, and we have actively encouraged plumbers to seek registration as approved installers. Nevertheless, I am aware that the British Board of Agrèment remains concerned about this issue and my officials will be meeting it shortly to consider whether the present arrangements need to be reviewed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the danger of importing vermin with American domestic waste proposed to be dumped in the north-west and south-west of England.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 9 June, at column 654.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the future of the Merseyside task force.

The task force has played a major role in the regeneration of Merseyside. My right hon. Friend has no plans to change this role.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list those landfill sites identified by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution officials as emitting methane and/or carbon dioxide; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will estimate how many homes have been evacuated because of concern at the level of methane and carbon dioxide gas given off at sites

[holding answer 10 June 1988]: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution has received replies to its letter on landfill gas of 18 December from the majority of English and Welsh waste disposal authorities, and is processing the responses. I await its report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) Official Report, 1 March,

Tax unit type	Number paying charge	Total gross community charge bills	Number entitled to community charge rebate	Total value of rebates
	(millions)	(£ millions)	(millions)	(£ millions)
Primary tax units
Single pensioner	3·0	611	1·8	263
One parent family	0·7	147	0·3	56
Other single adult	2·4	514	0·5	77
Couple—no children	6·5	2,592	1·5	348
Couple—one child	2·2	863	0·3	81
Couple—two children	2·6	1,008	0·3	87
Couple—three or more children	1·0	404	0·2	68
All	18·4	6,140	5·2	980
Secondary tax units
Single pensioner	0·4	85	0·3	40
One parent family	0·1	18	0·1	9
Other single adult	3·8	772	1·0	145
Couple—no children	0·1	35	0·0	7
Couple—one child	0·0	15	0·0	4
Couple—two children	0·0	9	0·0	3
Couple—three or more children	0·0	5	0·0	1
All	4·4	939	1·3	208

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will give the asset value of the land, buildings and capital equipment for each of those categories at the National Engineering Laboratory, East Kilbride;

[holding answer 9 June 1988]: The tables give the requested update of the figures provided by my right hon. Friend on 1 March 1988. As before, the figures should be treated as indicative only. They show that, as a result of reducing the community charge rebate taper from 20p to 15p in the pound, around 400,000 extra households are expected to contain individuals entitled to a rebate. Households where someone is presently projected to be entitled to less than the maximum rebate will also benefit from the reduced taper, with a total of 5 million adults gaining. As before, the estimated value of rebates does not include the benefit of uprating of income support in respect of the 20 per cent. minimum contribution to rates in 1988–89. The net cost of community charges to tax unit types is not therefore simply the difference between gross community charges and the value of rates. These figures relate to England only and are in 1986–87 prices, like the earlier table.

Household type	Number1 millions
Single pensioner	1·5
Other single adult	0·7
Two adults	2·7
Three plus adults	1·2
All	6·2

My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has today placed in the Library an information pack which contains the requested information which is currently available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the male and female rate of unemployment in each (a) development area and (b) intermediate area in April for Great Britain.

The following information is in the Library. The tables show the number of unemployed male and female claimants, expressed as a percentage of employees in employment plus the unemployed for each development area and intermediate area in Great Britain on 8 April 1988.

Unemployment rate April 1988
Region and development areas	Male	Female
South West
Falmouth	18·60	13·10
Helston	22·00	13·20
Newquay	23·10	17·30
Penzance and St. Ives	21·30	12·00
Redruth and Camborne	20·10	13·00
East Midlands
Corby	11·70	9·30
Yorkshire and Humberside
Rotherham and Mexborough	24·20	12·20
Scunthorpe	15·60	9·70
Whitby	21·10	10·30
North West
Liverpool	24·50	10·90
Widnes and Runcorn	19·30	11·70
Wigan and St. Helens	20·00	10·50
Wirral and Chester	20·70	9·80
Workington	13·70	12·10
North
Bishop Auckland	20·30	11·20
Hartlepool	26·10	12·10
Middlesbrough	24·60	10·70
Newcastle upon Tyne	18·30	8·60
South Tyneside	27·50	13·40
Stockton on Tees	18·60	10·70
Sunderland	22·90	11·20
Wales
Aberdare	28·20	12·80
Blaenau Gwent and Abergavenney	21·50	9·60
Cardigan	22·50	20·90
Holyhead	22·10	16·70
Lampeter and Aberaeron	18·80	11·80
Merthyr and Rhymney	21·60	11·70
Neath and Port Talbot	15·30	11·20
Pontypridd and Rhondda	20·00	9·20
Shotton, Flint and Rhyl	16·10	10·10
South Pembrokeshire	24·70	16·90
Wrexham	14·60	9·80
Scotland
Arbroath	21·50	14·50
Bathgate	19·50	10·80
Cumnock and Sanquhar	33·60	16·70
Dumbarton	21·40	14·50
Dundee	17·20	9·30
Glasgow	20·30	9·60
Greenock	25·10	11·70
Irvine	25·90	13·80
Kilmarnock	20·10	10·00
Lanarkshire	22·20	11·30