To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department intends to make a decision on the replacement of HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Trotter) on 21 December 1989, at column 383.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Royal Air Force squadrons which are to be equipped with the European fighter aircraft will consist of the same numbers of aircraft as current fighter squadrons.

The precise number of EFA to be allocated to each squadron is still under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there has been an increase in the incidence of misfires with ammunition purchased from Greek suppliers.

No reports of misfires with ammunition purchased from Greek suppliers have been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Al-Hamanah Saudi arms deal provides for brokerage fees to his Department or the Defence Sales Organisation for sales placed in the United Kingdom; and in which years any such fees have been paid.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will announce any changes to the defence cash limit for 1989–90.

My right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced on 29 July 1989 an entitlement of £435,690,000 to increase the cash limit for 1989–90, resulting from carry forward of capital expenditure under the end-year flexibility scheme. I can now announce that we shall receive a further entitlement of £248,770,000. Of this new increase, £239,588,000 comes under the terms of the additional flexibility arrangements announced to the House on 19 December 1986, Official Report column 778. These arrangements provide for carry forward of underspend resulting from procurement decisions taken to improve contractors' performance and the value for money obtained from our defence procurement contracts during the 1988–89 financial year, including the Department's tauter approach to interim payments. The remaining £9,182,000 is to compensate the defence budget for the costs arising from the change in status of the Property Services Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's major procurement purchases which have followed competitive tendering in each year since 1984.

The following contracts valued –25 million or more were placed following competitive tendering during the period 1984 to 1989:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates of competitions held since 1984 to supply small calibre ammunition of 30 mm and

Calibre	Date	Type	Quantity	Tenderers	Winner
7·62mm	September 1985	Ball	10M	Norma (FFV), Sweden	Indep
				SFM, France
				Hirtenberger, Austria
				MEN, West Germany
				Dynamit Nobel, West Germany
				FN, Belgium
				Indep, Portugal
				GPC, Greece
				Raufoss, Norway
				Royal Ordnance, United Kingdom
	September 1985	4 Ball/1 Tracer	15M	FN, Belgium	Indep
				Indep, Portugal
				Raufoss, Norway
				FFV, Sweden
				MEN, West Germany
				Dynamit Nobel, West Germany
	September 1985	Blank belted	2·2M	FN, Belgium	FN
				Indep, Portugal
				Raufoss, Norway
				FFV, Sweden
				MEN, West Germany
				GPC, Greece
				Hirtenberger, Austria
9mm	September 1985	Ball	14M	FFV, Sweden	FFV
				SFM, France
				Hirtenberger, Austria
				MEN, West Germany
				Dynamit Nobel, West Germany
				FN, Sweden
				Indep, Portugal
				Royal Ordnance, United Kingdom
	January 1986	Ball	15M	FFV, Sweden	FFV
				SFM, France
				Hirtenberger, Austria
				MEN, West Germany
				Dynamit Nobel, West Germany
				FN, Belgium
				Indep, Portugal
				Royal Ordnance, United Kingdom
0·5 inch	September 1985	4 Ball/1 Tracer	440K	Eley, United Kingdom	GPC
				FN, Belgium,
				Eurometaal, Holland
		1 Ba11/1 Tracer	250K	GPC, Greece
				Accles & Shelvoke, Canada
	August 1986	1 Ball/1 Tracer	1.15M	Eley, United Kingdom	Eley
				Accles & Shelvoke, Canada
				Eurometaal, Holland
				FN, Belgium
0·5 inch	March 1988	1 Ball/1 Tracer	1·2M	Eley, United Kingdom	GPC
				FN, Belgium,
				Eurometaal, Holland
				Accles & Shelvoke, Canada
				GPC, Greece
20mm	October 1986	HE I	25·5K	Matra Manurhin, France	GPC
		HE I Tr	25·5K	GPC, Greece,
		Practice	105K	BMARC, United Kingdom
		Practice Tr	19K
	December 1984	Practice	250K	Olin Winchester, United States of America	Raufoss
				Raufoss, Norway
				Dekruithorn, Holland
				FN, Belgium
	December 1985	Practice	304K	Olin Winchester, United States of America	Dekruithorn
				Raufoss, Norway
				Dekruithorn, Holland
				FN, Belgium

The data requested are as follows:

Calibre	Date	Type	Quantity	Tenderers	Winner
	December 1986	Practice	304K	Olin Winchester, United States of America	Olin Winchester
				Raufoss, Norway
				Dekruithorn, Holland
				FN, Belgium
	December 1987	Practice	228K	Olin Winchester, United States of America	Olin Winchester
				Raufoss, Norway
				Dekruithorn, Holland
				FN, Belgium
25mm	July 1988	Practice	294K	Raufoss, Norway	Raufoss
				BMARC, United Kingdom

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are taken by his Department to ensure the quality of ammunition purchased from overseas.

The quality requirements called up in MOD tenders and contracts for ammunition are identical for United Kingdom and overseas suppliers. Our quality assurance branches ensure that the requirements are met irrespective of the place of manufacture.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total value of contracts awarded to overseas suppliers to provide the United Kingdom armed forces with small calibre ammunition, 30 mm and below, for each year since 1984.

The data for 1984–85 are not readily available. The approximate values for the subsequent years are:

Year	£ million
1985–86	31·4
1986–87	6·9
1987–88	28·5
1988–89	14·1

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total value of contracts awarded to United Kingdom suppliers to provide the United Kingdom armed forces with small calibre ammunition, of 30 mm and below, for each year since 1984.

The data for 1984–85 are not readily available. The approximate values for the subsequent years are:

Year	£ million
1985–86	76·6
1986–87	68·6
1987–88	52·5
1988–89	50·1

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which United Kingdom companies are still able to supply the United Kingdom armed forces with 0·5 in ammunition.

After the unsuccessful bid by Eley Ltd. for our last tender in 1988, there have been reports that it has closed its facility. There are no other established manufacturers for 0·5 in ammunition in the United Kingdom, but several could adapt their capabilities should our next requirement be attractive to them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which United Kingdom companies have in the past 20 years supplied his Department with 0·5 in ammunition.

The only United Kingdom company to have supplied 0·5 in ammunition to MOD in the past 20 years is Eley Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many surplus Ministry of Defence houses have been sold to service men to date.

As at 8 December 1989, a total of 2,241 surplus married quarters had been sold to service personnel through the Ministry of Defence's own discounted sales scheme since its inception on 1 December 1983.In addition, approximately 224 surplus quarters were sold to service personnel through the Ministry of Defence's non-discounted sales scheme, which operated from 1 April 1981 to 30 November 1983. We do not maintain records of surplus quarters that may have been sold to service personnel outside these two schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions when Royal Navy vessels have made visits to ports in Warsaw pact countries since 1985.

Visits made by Royal Navy vessels to ports in Warsaw pact countries since 1985 are as follows:

Port	Vessel	Date
Constanta, Romania	HMS Naiad	July 1985
Leningrad, USSR	HMS Bristol	May 1989
Gdynia, Poland	HMS Bristol	June 1989
Rostock, GDR	HMS Achilles	June 1989

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions when Warsaw pact naval vessels have visited British ports and naval bases since 1985.

The Polish destroyer Warszawa, which visited London during May 1989, is the only Warsaw pact warship to have visited a British port or naval base since 1985. A number of Warsaw pact naval sail training ships have also visited the United Kingdom during this period to take part in the annual tall ships race.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the current value of contracts awarded to United Kingdom companies as a result of the offset arrangement agreed for the purchase by his Department of seven AWACS aircraft.

Boeing has to date submitted five progress reports listing contracts placed with United Kingdom companies to the value of $1,176 million. Our evaluation is not yet complete, but we have so far agreed some $672 million to count for offset credit purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current minimum training commitment per year of Royal Navy Reserve officers and ratings enabling them to claim bounty payments.

The current minimum training commitment of Royal Navy Reserve officers and ratings for bounty purposes is a standard two continuous weeks and 50 drill nights per year, which may be reduced for certain specialist categories.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current minimum training commitment per year of Territorial Army officers and men enabling them to claim bounty payments.

In order to earn bounty, assuming other qualifying criteria are met, members of independent and specialist units of the Territorial Army must complete a minimum of 27 days and 19 days respectively in each training year. In both cases the overall requirement would normally include a continuous period of 15 days, either annual camp or a course in lieu. Where personal circumstances preclude an undertaking at the above level, facilities exist for individuals to carry out a lower training liability with a commensurately lower level of bounty being payable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government retained any share of the patent rights of Royal Ordnance when Royal Ordnance was sold off; and whether they have to pay for the use of any of the patents transferred to British Aerospace.

The transfer of patents to Royal Ordnance was subject to the right of the Secretary of State and any Government Department without payment to use and authorise others to use any of the patents for any Government purpose, except for patents for inventions arising out of work funded out of the ROF Trading Fund. These terms are unaffected by the purchase of Royal Ordnance by British Aerospace.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the number of Army man hours employed in ambulance duties per police authority to date.

[holding answer 8 January 1990]: Up to 5 January 1990, estimates of the number of Service man hours deployed are as shown. It is not possible to separate out the Army element without disproportionate cost.

Police Authority	Service Man Hours Deployed
London (Metropolitan & City)	215,220
Hertfordshire	32,028
Lincolnshire	6,460

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has any plans for specific legislation on waste oil discharges from incineration facilities;(2) if he has any plans to facilitate the collection of waste oil from small producers;(3) if he has any plans to introduce legislation to bring Britain into compliance with EEC directive 75/442 on waste by requiring establishments producing, collecting and disposing of at least 500 litres of waste oil each year to keep records and submit a report to the competent authorities;(4) if he has any plans to introduce legislation to bring Britain into compliance with EEC directive 75/442 on waste by requiring that information be provided on the quantity, quality, origin and location of waste oils as well as on their receipt and dispatch;(5) if he has any plans to introduce legislation to require mineral and synthetic oil retailers to take back waste oils free of charge;(6) if he has any plans to introduce legislation to require that in-house disposal of waste oils must be authorised or approved;(7) if he has any plans to introduce legislation to require the recycling of waste oils;(8) if he intends to introduce specific provisions to prohibit the discharge of waste oils into water bodies and drainage systems;(9) if he intends to introduce specific provisions to prohibit uncontrolled discharge of waste oils and to require that they be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

The Government are considering what further action to take to ensure compliance with EC directives 75/439, 75/442 and 87/101 regarding the disposal of waste oils. Most large industrial plants burning waste oils are already controlled by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution (HMIP) under the Alkali etc. Works Regulation Act 1906 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It is intended that waste oil burning will be included in processes listed in regulations made under the Environmental Protection Bill, when enacted, for part I control. The Government will also take steps to make the public aware of the need to dispose of waste oils in an environmentally responsible way.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to introduce legislation specifically concerning disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls and poly-chlorinated triphenyls.

The disposal of waste PCBs and PCTs is subject to the general legislation on the disposal of toxic waste. The storage and landfilling of waste PCBs/PCTs comes under the licensing system of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and their incineration under the registration system of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Alkali etc. Works Regulations Act 1906. It is intended that storage and landfilling will come under the revised licensing system and chemical incineration under the integrated pollution control system to be established under the Environmental Protection Bill.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to introduce legislation to require that the total polychlorinated biphenyl and halogen content of waste oils has to be recorded.

Under the Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations 1980, the PCB and halogen concentration of waste oils which are special wastes is stated on the consignment note which is raised when the waste is moved from the premises where it is produced. Copies of these consignment notes are kept on registers held by producers, carriers and waste disposal licence holders. The PCB and halogen content of waste oil, which brings it within the definition of special waste, is one of the matters covered in our proposals for revising the Special Waste Regulations which I shall announce shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to introduce legislation whereby a subsidy is paid to operators exchanging or retrofilling equipment containing poly chlorinated biphenyls or polychlorinated triphenyls.

No. Paying subsidies would be contrary to the polluter pays principle.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to ban the use of (a) nitro-tri-acetic acid, (b) ethylene diamino-tetra-acetic acid, (c) perborate bleach, (d) optical brighteners and (e) enzymes in cleaning products.

The Department has no plans to ban the use of these chemicals in cleaning products.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to limit the amount of (a) phosphates, (b) chlorine bleaches and (c) ethlylene diamino-tetra-acetic acid used in cleaning products; if he intends to limit the acidity of toilet cleaners; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has no plans at present to limit the amounts of these constituents in cleaning products but is planning to place a study contract to review any adverse effects which may occur if polyphosphates used in cleaning agents are replaced by other chemicals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to require an increase in the biodegradability of anionic and non-ionic surfactants.

The Department has no plans to require an increase in the biodegradability of anionic and non-ionic surfactants.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has obtained a report from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and the Health and Safety Executive on how a bar of uranium came to be on the premises of the Richmond Metal Company; what action has been taken; whether any breaches of security were involved; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and the Health and Safety Executive have carried out an extensive investigation into how the small bar of uranium came to be on the premises of the Richmond Metal Company. They have concluded that it arrived in a large batch of mixed scrap metal. The origin of the bar has not yet been established and this may prove difficult in view of the nature of scrap metal operations. Investigations are continuing and arrangements have been made to dispose of the uranium bar. There is no evidence of any breach of security.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make a statement on the findings of the European Commission's PAGIS study into the suitability of British geology for high-level radioactive waste disposal;(2) what account he will take of the European Commission's PAGIS study findings in determining Government policy on the disposal of high-level radioactive waste in Britain;(3) how his Department intends to use the findings of the European Commission's PAGIS assessment of the suitability of British geology for high-level radioactive waste disposal.

PAGIS—performance assessment of geological isolation systems—a six-year multinational research project on the safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste disposal, was launched in 1982 as part of the Community plan of action in the field of radioactive waste management. Reports of the PAGIS project have been published by the European Commission. The results indicate that vitrified high-level radioactive waste could be disposed of safely in a variety of geological formations. PAGIS reinforces Government policy on the management of high-level radioactive waste and due account will be taken of the methodology and results when considering its eventual disposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what contribution his Department made to the European Commission's PAGIS study into the suitability of British geology for high-level radioactive waste disposal.

My Department was represented on the PAGIS steering committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many personal journeys are made in the United Kingdom each year; and if he will initiate research to estimate gains to be made in vehicle pollution abatement by a ten fold expansion of cycling in the United Kingdom.

"Transport Statistics Great Britain, 1978–8" (HMSO, September 1989) includes tables showing the passenger/kilometres travelled using the main modes of transport, and journeys per person per week. No research is planned to estimate gains in vehicle pollution abatement following from an expansion of cycling.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what areas in west Yorkshire were involved in the study undertaken by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution on toxic wastes; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution's recent technical report "Determination of Polychlorinated biphenyls, Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans in United Kingdom Soils" report levels of PCB, PCDD and PCDF contamination at specific points on a regular 50 km grid across most of the United Kingdom.The report lists the grid references of all the sampling locations. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the areas in west Yorkshire where toxic wastes have been found; and if he will identify the so-called hot spots.

Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution's recent technical report "Determination of Polychlorinated biphenyls, Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans in United Kingdom Soils" reported levels of PCB, PCDD and PCDF contamination at specific points on a regular 50 km grid across most of the United Kingdom.The study was aimed at identifying the range of contamination levels of these chemicals in United Kingdom soils. There was no intention, in this study, to identify areas of abnormally high contamination (hot spots).The report lists the grid references of all the sampling locations. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the result of the soil samples taken from refuse tips in west Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution's recent technical report "Determination of Polychlorinated biphenyls, Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans in United Kingdom Soils" reported levels of PCB, PCDD and PCDF contamination at specific points on a regular 50 km grid. Copies have been placed in the Library.The study was aimed at identifying the range of contamination levels of these chemicals in United Kingdom soils. No refuse landfill sites were knowingly sampled in west Yorkshire or elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to increase the United Kingdom contribution to the east European programme of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to provide assistance in improving the ecological situation in Romania.

My Department has recently announced a contribution of £50,000 towards the east European programme of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It is a matter for the IUCN to decide how much of this programme should be devoted to assisting Romania.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment as a result of the recent revaluation, what percentage of businesses in the Chelmsford parliamentary constituency area have had their rateable value (a) cut, (b) increased by 1 to 10 per cent., (c) increased by 11 to 20 per cent., (d) increased by 21 to 30 per cent., (e) increased by 31 to 50 per cent., (f) increased by 51 to 100 per cent., (g) increased by over 100 per cent., (h) increased by over 150 per cent., and (i) increased by over 200 per cent., and if he will make a statement.

The information for which my hon. Friend asks is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will specify the date when Crown immunity will be removed from all hospital incinerators.

Crown immunity for hospital incinerators with a capacity of over 1 tonne an hour was lifted in March 1989 as a result of the Health and Safety (Emissions into the Atmosphere) (Amendment) Regulations 1989. Clause 54 of the National Health Service and Community Care Bill provides for a widespread removal of Crown immunity from National Health Service premises. This will cover all National Health Service incinerators. The provision will be brought into effect by commencement order at the earliest opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment from which persons and bodies he has received responses to the consultation paper on the control of radioactive substances.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Mr. Conway) on 6 December, Official Report, column 217.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further steps he proposes to take to control radioactive substances; and if he will make a statement.

The improvements we intend to make to the control of radioactive substances under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 were set out in a consultation document, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, and are incorporated in the Environmental Protection Bill now before the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department has had regard to the new ionising regulations in the United States based on proposals by the National Academy of Sciences in drawing up proposals for the control of radioactive substances in the United Kingdom.

The Radioactive Substances Act 1960 provides a comprehensive framework for controlling the keeping, use, accumulation and disposal of radioactive substances. We take into account legislation in other countries in amending United Kingdom legislation where appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what resources will be available for local authorities in the urban programme in 1990–91; and whether he will make a statement.

I am today announcing initial urban programme resource allocations for 1990–91, totalling over £258 million, an increase of £13 million over last year. The resources will be allocated to the 57 urban programme partnership and programme authorities. The money will be used to support a wide range of projects aimed at stimulating economic recovery, improving the environment and helping people to deal with social problems in urban areas.The urban programme encourages local authorities, in partnership with Government, to help revitalise our inner cities. It is a key part of the Government's Action for Cities programme, which includes the Department of the Environment's other urban initiative—urban development corporations, city grant and derelict land grant. Together, these Department of the Environment programmes will provide £920 million for inner city regeneration in 1990–91.The urban programme allocations made today, some three weeks earlier than last year, are provisional: formal allocations are made after inner area programmes (IAPs) have been assessed and approved. Allocations will not be confirmed until authorities have provided a satisfactory annual report on achievements through the UP in 1988–89. Redistribution of resources can sometimes occur within the course of the year which may lead to outturn being different from the initial allocations.Copies of the allocations to individual authorities have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment his Department has made of soil contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls throughout Britain.

[holding answer 16 January 1990]: Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution's recent report "Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans in UK Soils" contained details of the levels of PCBs found in soils in England, Wales and part of Scotland. The results show that PCBs are ubiquitous in soils, although the levels vary, being higher where there is a history of heavy industry and urbanisation. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of soil contamination throughout Britain from polychlorinated bi-phenyls, contamination from factory chimneys and the burning of plastic wastes in municipal incinerators.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: Details of PCB contamination of soils throughout Britain are given in the report by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution "Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans in UK Soils" published by HMSO, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. The use of PCBs is severely restricted by the Control of Pollution (Supply and Use of Injurious Substances) Regulations 1986. Thus they are not likely to be found in emissions from factory chimneys or to arise from the burning of plastic wastes in municipal incinerators.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the location of sites where landfill gases have been identified as a potential problem.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: Reliable and complete information on sites where landfill gas has been identified as a potential problem is not held centrally. Waste disposal authorities can advise about specific sites in their area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the sites, where landfill gases are a potential problem, that are located within 250m of housing.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: This information is not held centrally. Waste disposal authorities provide information to local planning authorities where development is proposed within 250m of a landfill site.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ensure that all future soil samples from the area around the Rechem incinerator at Pontypool required to be taken by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution are collected by persons in the direct employ of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: It is for Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution to determine the most effective use of its resources and, in part, this will mean deciding on the most appropriate way to obtain samples in particular areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will publish figures for the number of single homeless people for each year from 1979 to 1989;(2) how many single homeless people he estimates there are under the age of 25 years currently in England;(3) if he will publish the figures for the number of single homeless people in

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: Local authorities report the number of households for whom they accept responsibility to secure accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Acts; the single homeless are not separately identified and my Department has no estimates.For information about Wales and Scotland I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the Stonefrost inquiry report into the future of housing associations' development in central London.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: I was pleased to note the report's acknowledgement of the value of work carried out by London housing associations, and the part played in this by private finance. Since the inquiry was concluded, we have announced our decision to move over the next two years to a regional distribution of the Housing Corporation's capital investment programme based on the housing needs indicator, an objective measure of the relative need for investment by housing associations in different areas which was fully reviewed last year by my Department, the Housing Corporation and the National Federation of Housing Associations. As a result housing associations in London and the south-east will receive significantly higher levels of resources to help them continue their important work in providing homes for people in housing need.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received regarding homelessness.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: Following publication last November of our review of the homelessness legislation, we have received comments from a range of public and voluntary bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ensure that the general public has immediate and free access to the regional registers of water pollution levels.

Information on water quality and pollution is contained in the registers maintained by the National Rivers Authority in accordance with its duties under section 117 of the Water Act 1989. The public has free access to these registers at the authority's regional offices during normal working hours.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which of the beaches awarded blue flag safe bathing symbols were tested for, and failed the European Economic Community standards for coliforms, enteroviruses and salmonella.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: The results of the 1988 survey of bathing waters were placed in the Library on 21 February 1989. These included details of tests for coliforms, enteroviruses and salmonella. The award of blue flags for 1989 was announced on 5 June 1989 by the organisers of the blue flag campaign.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendations in the report "Public Transport and the Missing Six Million—What Can Be Learned?"

My Department is working closely with the disabled persons transpot advisory committee in following up the recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the number of motor vehicle accidents, excluding motor cycles, in each of the last five years involving fatalities and non-fatalities in England and Wales.

Information is only available for road accidents which involve personal injury. The information requested is as follows:

Motor vehicle accidents, excluding motor cycles England and Wales, 1984–1988
	Fatal	Non fatal	Total
1984	3,470	166,431	169,901
1985	3,309	165,629	168,938
1986	3,527	172,405	175,932
1987	3,390	171,024	174,414
1988	3,427	181,160	184,587

This table, as requested, counts accidents and not vehicles, and excludes all those accidents involving motor cycles including, for example, an accident involving car and motor cycle.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the number of motor vehicle accidents, excluding motor cycles, in each of the last five years involving drivers who had passed their test in the previous 12 months in England and Wales.

The information requested is not available; licence details of drivers involved in accidents are not recorded on the accident report form.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the number of people who are currently permitted to drive a car in England and Wales.

Over 28 million people in Great Britain have full licences to drive motor cars. There are no separate figures for England and Wales.

:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the number of people who have passed a driving test to drive a car in each of the last five years; and if he will specify what proportion of those people were aged (a))17 to 25 years, (b) 26 to 40 years, (c) 41 to 60 years and (d) over 60 years.

Statistics in this form are available only from 1985. Those for 1989 have not yet been completed. Figures for 1985–1988 are as follows:—

Year	Tests	Proportion in age-group: per cent.
	passed (cars)	17–25	26–40	41–60	Over 60
1985	863,339	71·6	22·9	5·1	0·4
1986	941,005	75·6	19·7	4·4	0·3
1987	958,087	74·2	20·8	4·7	0·3
1988	1,039,461	73·5	21·3	4·9	0·3

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his Department's preferred line of route for the A38 trunk road improvement Liskeard to Bodmin section.

As I informed my hon. Friend in my reply of 4 December, at column 95, I hope to announce the Department's preferred route early in 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he hopes to announce the consulting engineers to examine possible alternative routes for the A38 trunk road improvement, Saltash to Trevulefoot section.

I hope to announce the appointment of consulting engineers within the next few weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received in respect of the funding of the Mersey Ferries; if he will consider giving direct financial aid; and if he will make a statement.

The director general of the Merseyside passenger transport executive wrote to the Department of Transport on 21 July and 31 August 1989 with details of a project for developing the Mersey Ferries as a leisure facility, and the passenger transport authority also asked for this project to be taken into account in the determination of its annual capital guideline. The Department replied to the PTE on 9 October raising various questions on the project. We have received no representations since then. We would consider any application for direct financial assistance on its merits, in accordance with our normal criteria for grant for public transport projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a further statement on what was done with the Coastguard and British Telecom tapes of calls relating to the accidental drowning of Mark Woodward on 16 August 1989, following the coroner's inquest.

The multi-track tapes that recalled the content and timing of all telephone and radio messages to and from Coastguard stations were wiped clean one month after the coroner's inquest. Up to this time these tapes would have been available for examination should this have been requested. For the benefit of the inquest certain extracts of the tapes were taken, in cassette form, and these are currently held by the police, following their inquiry. These tapes will be returned to the Department's solicitor shortly and will be made available to interested parties. But also it should be noted that in cassette form the content is incomplete and cannot be linked to accurate time. The question of the British Telecom tapes is one which should be addressed to BT in the north Devon area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what subjects are covered by the commercially confidential matters to which he referred in his answer to the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Mailing of 21 December, Official Report, column 361.

The letters cover a wide range of issues, for example the commercial and financial structure of the proposed joint venture, which are now the subject of detailed negotiation between Eurorail and the British Railways Board. They also bear on the negotiations that need to take place with third parties before the joint venture can be established.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what improvements to the Al3 between the North Circular road and the Tower of London will be started before 31 December; at what cost; and when they will be completed;(2) what improvements to the Al3 between the North Circular road and the Tower of London are currently in progress; at what cost; and when they will be completed.

The Department's responsibilities are for the Al3 trunk road, which runs as far west as Butcher row. The remainder of the A13 known as Commercial road is the responsibility of the London borough of Tower Hamlets.Departmental schemes currently under construction are:

Scheme	Works £ million	Completion
Strengthening of Britannia Bridge	0·3	February 1990
Creation of access to "Financial Times"	10·6	February 1990
The following schemes are due to start before 31 December:
West India Dock Road junction interim improvements	1·2	Mid 1991
Cotton Street junction interim improvements2	4·0	Summer 1992
Leamouth Road junction interim improvements	2·0	Early 1991
Ironbridge waterproofing and resurfacing	0·2	September 1990
Cumberland Road Subway refurbishment	0·07	April 1990
Tollgate Road signalled junction	0·75	Summer 1990
1 Costs met by developer.
2 Progress dependent upon timely confirmation of LDDC's compulsory purchase order on land for redevelopment at Woolmore street.

Progress on most of the trunk road schemes are dependent on the completion of statutory processes which could be subject to public inquiry and delay. Completion dates are therefore provisional.Permanent schemes at Butcher row, West India Dock road and Blackwall tunnel northern approach-Cotton street will follow in 1993, when a three and a half year project will commence to make final improvements to the Leamouth road junction and widen the Ironbridge, including the connection of LDDC's East India dock link to the A13.Towards the end of this year we hope to publish Orders for improvement of the A13 junction with the A117 East Ham Manor way and to hold an exhibition of proposals for improvement of the Al3 junction with the A112 Prince Regent lane.The traffic control systems unit of the City of London is investigating on behalf of the Department the possible co-ordintation of signals on the Al3 trunk road in Tower Hamlets to expedite the flow of through traffic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the implications for the bus services of the change effected by the community charge on the method of raising finance for the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority from a precept to a levy on the five west Yorkshire districts; and what assessment has been made of the effect of fixing that levy at grant related expenditure.

It is up to the passenger transport authority to decide what level of bus services to provide and what levy to raise to achieve its objectives, in the same way as it decided on the level of services and set an appropriate precept for the present financial year. The districts influence PTA spending policy through their representations on the PTA. The PTA levy is only one of the elements making up total district expenditure, and there is no separate standard spending assessment for PTA services. Instead, districts' standard spending assessments will include an element designed to cover spending on these and other small services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of registered oil companies that have their own shipping.

The United Kingdom oil majors will have their own commercial arrangements for access to shipping, generally through ownership or chartering, but the information required to provide a more comprehensive reply is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of reported near-miss occurrences in the transit area that covers the area from Hucknall in the south, through Mansfield, Chesterfield, Worksop, Sheffield and Rotherham to Barnsley, Doncaster and Finningley, that have involved military and civilian aircraft for the last five years; what are the types of aircraft involved; and what is their nationality.

Within the area specified, three air misses have been reported, none of which involved commercial air traffic:

1. A civilian glider and a civilian Cessna 172 (2 November 1986).

2. An RAF Buccaneer and a civilian Cessna 152 (1 July 1987).

3. An RAF Tornado and civilian Cessna 152 (27 January 1988).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he has received from East Sussex county council a map detailing a possible route for the A27 dual carriageway from Lewes to Polegate; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will make it his policy that any scheme brought forward to dual the A27 from Lewes to Polegate will take into full account the landmark of Mount Caburn, and the views therefrom, and from Firle Beacon;(3) if he will make it his policy that any scheme brought forward to dual the A27 from Lewes to Polegate will bypass Wilmington rather than dualling the present road.

This scheme was admitted to the trunk road programme in May 1989 following a confidential scheme identification study undertaken for the Department by East Sussex county council. This study recommended the improvements to dual carriageway standards of the A27 between Lewes and Polegate, and identified one possible option.Design agents are to be appointed very shortly to investigate and prepare proposals for the improvement. They will identify and evaluate all feasible route options for the scheme, including combinations of on-line and off-line solutions, on which to consult the public. Their brief will include a requirement for environmental and landscape assessments of the alternatives identified. It is too soon, therefore, to predict what route the improvement might follow or how villages along the existing A27 might be placed in relation to it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is for compensating those people whose dwelling is (a) compulsorily purchased and (b) severely blighted as a result of major road improvements.

Where land is compulsorily purchased, the statutory basis for compensation is the open market value of the land, disregarding any alteration in value due to the scheme for which the land is being acquired. Vendors may also be eligible for additional payments, such as removal costs, reconnection and refitting charges, and legal expenses. A displaced houseowner who had lived in the property for at least five years is also entitled to a home loss payment. Entitlement to compensation is set out in a series of booklets "Land Compensation—Your rights Explained". There are copies in the Library of the House.Where a dwelling lies in the line of a road proposal and cannot be sold in the open market at a reasonable price, protection is given by the blight provisions in the Town and Country Planning Act 1971. An owner-occupier may serve a notice on the highway authority, requiring it to buy the property. In the early stages of a road proposal, before a preferred route is announced, there also exists a discretionary power to buy where there is a genuine possibility that the property will be required. Policy is to exercise this power to alleviate cases of serious hardship.When roadworks are imminent or in progress, there is discretionary power to buy dwellings not required for the road but likely to be severely affected by the construction works. There is also discretionary power to buy property severely affected by nuisance arising from the use of a new or improved road, up to one year after opening.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans exist for the construction of an M27 motorway; and if he will make a statement.

We have no present plans to extend the M27 motorway. However, consultants are carrying out a study into the possible need to increase the capacity of the existing roads and its junctions. They are expected to report in the spring.We are also improving progressively the south coast trunk route, running westwards from the M27 to Honiton and eastwards to Folkestone. The national trunk road programme currently includes 36 schemes at various stages of preparation, collectively valued at some £375 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each London borough (a) the transport supplementary grant and (b) the capital allocations or annual capital guideline for transport purposes for each of the years 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1990–91.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: Details of each London boroughs (a) transport supplementary grant and (b) transport capital allocation, annual capital guideline and supplementary credit approval for the period 1987–88 to 1990–91 are given in the table.

London boroughs' transport capital allocations 1987–88 to 1989–90 and annual capital guidelines/supplementary credit approvals 1990–91
£ million
	Capital allocations			1 ACG	2 SCA
Authority	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91
City of London	1·320	0·720	0·630	0·461	0·000
Barking and Dagenham	2·590	6·210	4·580	3,622	0·000
Barnet	1·340	1·110	0·790	0·571	0·000
Bexley	1·835	2·870	2·780	2·869	0·000
Brent	1·120	1·370	1·190	0·736	0·000
Bromley	1·710	8·880	8·880	4·328	0·000
Camden	1·430	0·710	0·260	1·095	0·000
Croydon	1·180	0·800	1·110	1·890	0·000
Ealing	5·145	6·820	6·450	3·592	1·710
Enfield	16·325	15·550	24·210	0·429	6·480
Greenwich	5·160	3·460	2·590	1·149	0·000
Hackney	1·675	1·910	1·550	0·791	0·000
Hammersmith and Fulham	0·360	0·285	0·410	1·303	0·000
Haringey	3·400	8·475	11·592	0·661	2·780
Harrow	4·130	9·690	8·980	5·668	0·000
Havering	3·510	1·330	0·960	0·568	0·000
Hillingdon	7·300	10·710	3·012	2·297	4·917
Hounslow	1·960	1·050	1·630	0·540	0·279
Islington	0·800	0·480	0·530	0·549	0·000
Kensington and Chelsea	0·710	1·170	1·570	0·694	0·000
Kingston upon Thames	9·770	5·690	3·870	1·881	0·000
Lambeth	1·140	0·850	0·610	0·280	0·000
Lewisham	1·840	2·530	11·030	3·081	0·000
Merton	7·780	6·850	9·400	7·282	1·150
Newham	3·510	2·850	2·420	2·869	0·000
Redbridge	2·800	1·980	0·900	0·598	0·000
Richmond upon Thames	0·920	0·850	0·610	0·633	0·000
Southwark	2·970	4·470	5·610	1·701	0·000
Sutton	2·180	2·830	2·330	3·168	0·000
Tower Hamlets	0·970	0·740	0·420	1·007	0·000
Waltham Forest	2·670	1·870	1·250	0·726	0·000

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the operation of buses in north-west Sussex, following deregulation.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: The Department has no detailed records of bus services in north-west Sussex. The operation of services is a matter for operators and local authorities. In West Sussex as a whole, bus mileage has increased whilst the county council has been able to reduce spending on bus support from some £1·5 million before deregulation to £610,000 for 1989–90.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list those maritime nations, on which he has information, that collect light dues from pleasure craft;(2) when he expects to reach a conclusion on the payment of light dues by yachtsmen.

The British Ports Federation has not yet completed its study on the feasibility of extending light dues to pleasure craft. I expect to invite views on its report from interested parties before reaching any conclusions. Charging practice in relation to navigational aids varies widely in other countries. I understand that almost half the states with membership of the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities levy dues of some kind as the sole source of finance, but information on the treatment of pleasure craft is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total liability of his Department, as of the end of December 1989, to reimburse the Haberdashers' company for expenses incurred to that date in connection with the proposed establishment of a city technology college in Deptford.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave yesterday at column 8.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children are currently educated in middle schools.

In January 1989 the number of pupils in maintained middle schools in England was 334,099.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the funding of primary age children in middle schools under schemes of local management of schools.

Under schemes' funding formulae, schools should receive a basic sum of money for each pupil of the same age; that sum should be the same whether the pupil is in a primary or a middle school. Schools will, however, receive additional resources over and above this basic allocation for a variety of reasons and this may lead to differences in funding both between primary schools and between primary and middle schools with similar numbers of pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to meet with the teachers' unions to discuss the establishment of negotiating machinery for teachers' pay and conditions; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend held a series of meetings with the teacher unions in October and November last year. He is considering carefully the points made to him then. Further meetings will take place in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the latest year for which his Department has any estimates of the numbers of students in higher education in the United Kingdom; and what is the estimate for that year.

The Department has not projected beyond the year 2000, when the most recent figures indicate that there will be about 1,130,000 students in higher education in Great Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his policy towards the funding of academic-only work in relation to opto-electronics.

The policy objectives for Department of Education and Science funding of civil science were set out in the Secretary of State's speech at the first plenary meeting of the Academia Europaea in London on 26 June 1989. Copies are available in the Library.The Government support scientific research through the science budget which funds the research councils and through the Universities Funding Council block grant to universities. Some research is also carried out by polytechnics funded through the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council. It is for the research councils and higher education institutions to determine the priority they accord to opto-electronics or any other scientific field, taking due account of the policy objectives referred to above.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the latest pupil-teacher ratio for England and Wales; and what was the ratio in 1978–79.

The overall pupil-teacher ratio in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England in January 1989 was 17 and in January 1979 was 18·9. Similar information for Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the Manchester university study on teacher shortage, a copy of which has been sent to his Department.

The Department has not received a copy of the report referred to. However, officials have been in touch with the authors of the report, and I understand that their findings are broadly consistent with the Department's statistics about teacher wastage. They confirm that the majority of those leaving teaching do so on retirement. Others resign on maternity, on moving house or on going abroad, and less than 1 per cent. of the work force leaves teaching for other employment, including self-employment.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the operation of the automatic agricultural stabilisers and the legally binding budgetary controls.