To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the responsibilities of each of the deputy secretaries in his Department and the numbers and ranks of staff reporting to each.

The responsibilities of the deputy secretaries and the numbers of their staff are as follows:

Responsibilities	Number of staff1
Broadcasting and miscellaneous department, equal opportunities and general department, immigration and nationality department, and passport department	5,100
Criminal justice and constitutional department, criminal policy department, research and statistics department	500
Establishment department, finance and manpower department, fire and emergency planning department	2,000
Legal adviser's branch	27
Police department	2,400
Prison service	32,400
1 To the nearest hundred, except for legal adviser's branch.

The deputy secretaries have staff reporting to them in a wide variety of grades; detailed information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been issued on the practice of courts sending offenders to the Newton Lodge, Wakefield secure unit; what information he has on the current practice; and if he will make a statement.

Courts have powers under the Mental Health Act 1983 to authorise the detention of accused and convicted persons in hospital if the relevant requirements of the Act are met. The Home Office has issued circulars on the provisions of the Act in 1983 and 1984, but we do not provide guidance on the use of these powers in relation to individual secure units. We maintain regular contact with the Newton Lodge unit whose management is the responsibility of the district health authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requests or instructions have been given to the Metropolitan police by the Government concerning development of revenue-earning potential.

No such approach has been made to the Metropolitan police by the Government. However, the Commissioner announced in his strategy statement for 1990 that he has initiated a study of the scope for increasing receipts to the force as part of his concern to see that the best possible use is made of available resources. Any proposals which emerge will be put to me as police authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis on what steps are being taken to end unlawful parking in Green street and Katherine road in the London borough of Newham and as to how many parking offenders had their cars clamped in the London borough of Newham in the last 12 months.

I understand from the Commissioner that traffic wardens patrol the area daily and these roads are among those in the area targeted for enforcement by the area traffic unit. Vehicle removal teams are also deployed in the area from time to time. Wheelclamping may take place only in areas where it has been authorised by order by the Secretary of State. It has not been authorised in the borough of Newham.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violence have been reported as having occurred at Wandsworth prison during each of the years 1984 to 1989, inclusive.

Information is not available in the form requested.The table shows numbers of charges of assault on which prisoners were found guilty on adjudication:

Year	Staff	Assault on inmate	Other	Fighting
1984	151	30	3	—
1985	146	26	1	—
1986	78	31	—	—
1987	61	30	—	—
1988	65	30	—	—
1989	87	17	2	62

The figures include cases of gross personal violence. which ceased to be a separate offence on 31 March 1989. and charges of attempt—and also, since 1 April 1989, incitement and assisting another prisoner—to commit an offence. The new offence of fighting also came into force on 1 April 1989. The 1989 figures are provisional.In the following numbers of other incidents, acts of violence by a prisoner on a member of staff or another person were reported:

Year	Escape/ attempted escape from escort	Hostage taking	Concerted indiscipline	Miscellaneous other incidents
1984	1	—	—	—
1985	—	—	—	1
1986	1	1	—	—
1987	1	—	—	1
1988	2	—	1	—
1989	—	—	1	2

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the requirements laid down for members appointed by him to bodies such as the Independent Broadcasting Authority to register their private interests; and where the register of interests is kept.

Under paragraph 4 of schedule 1 to the Broadcasting Act 1981, I have to be satisfied, before appointing a person to be a member of the Independent Broadcasting Authority, that he has no financial or other interest likely to prejudice the discharge of his duties as a member. This applies in particular to interests in programme contractors, advertising agencies and manufacture or sale of wireless or other telegraphic equipment.Assurances are sought from potential new members and repeated annually for existing members. Other broadcasting bodies are generally covered by comparable arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been placed in custody without being charged with any offence for more than a year in (a) the last five years and (b) the last 10 years, in the United Kingdom.

All persons in prison service establishments are held following a charge, conviction or sentence for a criminal offence, except for persons committed to prison for contempt of court and for certain civil debts and those detained under the Immigration Act 1971 and for a maximum of seven days under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1976. Information for all years on non-criminal prisoners held in prison service establishments could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, according to records held centrally no non-criminal prisoners in prison service establishments in England and Wales on 31 December 1979, 1984 or 1989 had been held for more than one year.The information requested on persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 in immigration detention centres is not available. However, no person currently detained solely under Immigration Act powers in the United Kingdom has been held for more than a year. Such cases are very rare.Persons held in police custody prior to charge are subject to the provisions of either the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which places an upper limit of 96 hours on the period of detention; or the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989, which enables them to be detained for up to 48 hours on police authority and for up to an additional five days on that of the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to publish his comprehensive Guide to Fire Precautions in Existing Places of Public Entertainment and Like Premises.

Our "Guide to Fire Precautions in Existing Places of Entertainment and Like Premises" was published on 8 March. Copies have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the subject matter of the internal audit report that was drawn to the attention of a Minister in his Department in 1989.

The internal audit report was of a systems review of Her Majesty's fire service inspectorate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many crimes involving indecency were reported to the police in London during 1989; and if he will give the number in each of the categories used by the police force;(2) how many crimes of malicious damage and vandalism were reported to the London police during 1989;(3) how many crimes of violence against the person (non-sexual) were reported to the police in London during 1989; and if he will give the number in each of the categories used by the police force;(4) how many drugs offences were reported to the London police during 1989;(5) how many thefts by housebreaking and attempted housebreaking were reported to the London police during 1989.

Information about crime in London in 1989 will be available later this month when the regular annual statistical bulletin on recorded crime is published. The corresponding information for 1988 was published in table S3.1 of "Criminal statistics, England and Wales, Supplementary tables 1988, Vol.3", a copy of which is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the dates on which Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons or any member of his staff has visited Risley remand centre since the inspection of February 1988; what reports were compiled following such visits; and whether copies of such reports have been placed in the Library.

Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons has not visited Risley remand centre since his full inspection in 1988. One inspector visited Risley on 20 April 1989 as part of his review of the working of remand centres. He briefed Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons on his return, but no report was submitted either to my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr. Hurd) or to my right hon. and learned Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the pension that an inspector in the police force will receive, having completed maximum years' service, on retirement at the end of March; and what is the pension currently received by inspectors with similar service who retired in March 1980 and March 1970;(2) what is the value at current prices of the average pension received by police of all ranks on their retirement in

Particulars of average police and fire service pensions are not held centrally and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The information requested about the relative pension position of police inspectors retiring at certain dates is given in the table.

Retirement date	Current annual pension
	£
31 March 1970	7,337
31 March 1980	9,023
31 March 1990	13,238

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which London boroughs are not members of the local police consultative committee; and if he will make a statement.

Five London borough councils have refused to nominate representatives to their local police-community consultative group: Brent, Ealing, Hackney, Haringey and Lambeth.We deplore the fact that these five groups are obliged to operate without the support of their local council and without the resources which other councils make available. I hope that they will reconsider their position. The fact that these groups nevertheless operate effectively reflects great credit on all of those involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many male and female prisoners in England and Wales have been found to have contracted the human immuno deficiency virus since monitoring commenced in March 1985; and how many prisoners are currently HIV positive.

On 19 March 1991) the prison population of England and Wales included 61 male and seven female prisoners reported as having been identified as HIV antibody positive. On the same date the numbers of identified cases reported since March 1985 were 242 males and 42 females.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many needles or syringes., contrary to prison rules, have been found in prison establishments in England and Wales during the past three years.

The following numbers of finds were reported by prison service establishments in 1987–89:

	Needles	Syringes
1987	49	92
1988	77	114
1989	98	187

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what additional funding will be allocated for health and social services boards in Northern Ireland for the financial year beginning on 1 April; what is the basis of the calculation on which the allocations are made to the separate boards; and how much will be allocated to the Eastern health and social services board.

In 1990–91 the health and social services boards will have available to them an extra £55 million. In addition they will have the proceeds of their cost improvement programmes amounting to some £9 million. These resources are being allocated to boards to enable them to cover the forecast level of inflation, to advance services in a number of priority areas and to continue progress towards the regional strategy objectives through their operational plans. The 1990–91 allocations also continue the process of progressive equalisation of resources between boards.The Eastern health and social services board's allocation for 1990–91 will be £386,804,000. In addition it will receive the major share of some £5·85 million which has been reserved for key developments including regional medical services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the code of practice mentioned in his reply of 21 February, Official Report, column 768, to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East has been agreed with the Fair Employment Commission.

Although the code of practice has not been agreed with the Fair Employment Commission, which came into being on 1 January 1990, it was agreed with its predecessor, the Fair Employment Agency in 1985.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the cost of police and Army time spent in protecting, checking and clearing explosives from the tracks of Northern Ireland railways in each of the last five years.

[holding answer 27 February 1990]: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what child care provision his Department provides for pre-school age children of employees; what child care provision for school holidays or after-school care is provided for employees' children aged five years or over; what plans there are for increasing provision in the next five years; and how these are to be funded.

[holding answer 5 March 1990]: The Northern Ireland Civil Service is considering with the trade unions whether child care facilities for under five-year-olds can be provided for its staff. Two holiday playschemes, which were funded by parental fees and grants from the Northern Ireland Civil Service, were established on a pilot basis during the 1989 summer holidays and one scheme in the 1989 Christmas holiday. These schemes are now being evaluated to gauge their success and to consider if further playschemes should be developed.The small home Civil Service part of the Northern Ireland Office which comprises about 200 staff divided between London and Belfast, does not provide child care facilities of its own. Staff can, however, link into schemes already set up by larger Departments, both in London and Belfast and we hope to continue to be able to take advantage of any new schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he has implemented to ensure that recruitment and promotion policy in his Department does not directly or indirectly discriminate against applicants who were mature students or women returning to work following a career break due to child care.

[holding answer 5 March 1990]: It is the policy of the Northern Ireland Civil Service and home Civil Service that all eligible persons shall have equal opportunity for employment and promotion on the basis of their ability, qualifications and aptitude for the work.The detailed policy statement on equality of opportunity issued by the Northern Ireland Civil Service makes it clear that any advertisements, whether internal or external, must not indicate or appear to indicate any intention to discriminate in selection for recruitment and promotion. It also states that opportunities to obtain information on careers in the Civil Service must be readily available to all existing and potential applicants and that the eligibility criteria for recruitment should be formulated to ensure that they are related to job performance and are non-discriminatory.There is no age limit for recruits except in the case of administrative trainees (age limit 36) and direct entrant executive officers II (age limit 50). These limits are necessary in order that recruits can realise the career expectation associated with recruitment to the grades in question.There are no age limits which preclude officers from considerations for promotion. In pursuance of its equal opportunity policy, an equal opportunities unit has been established within the Department of Finance and Personnel. The unit has introduced a detailed monitoring system which includes recruitment and promotion. Details of its work are contained within three published reports; copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of civil servants in his Department are women at each of the grades (a) seven, (b) six, (c) five, (d) four, (e) three, (f) two and (g) one.

[holding answer 5 March 1990]: The proportion of staff who are female in each of the following grades in the Northern Ireland Civil Service is:

Grade	Per cent. Female
7	6·0
6	7·9
5	5·5
4	—
3	2·9
2	—
1	—

With regard to the home Civil Service part of the Northern Ireland Office, female staff account for 4 to 5 per cent. of the total at grade 7 level; there are currently no female staff at grades 1 to 6.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by his Department in 1979–80 and in each subsequent year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91.

[holding answer 12 March 1990]: The information is as follows:

	£
1979–80	Nil
1980–81	Nil
1981–82	Nil
1982–83	Nil
1983–84	Nil
1984–85	Nil
1985–86	52,380
1986–87	4,298
1987–88	2,411
1988–89	1,549,937
11989–90	2,760,488
11990–91	1,800,000
1 Estimated

To ask the Prime Minister if she will refer the circumstances surrounding the case of Colin Wallace to the Security Commission under Lord Griffiths of Govilon or the security services tribunal under the chairmanship of Lord Stuart-Smith.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister which arts institutions she has visited officially since 1 January.

To ask the Prime Minister which arts institutions she has visited officially since 1 January.

To ask the Prime Minister which arts institutions she has visited officially since 1 January.

To ask the Prime Minister which arts institutions she has visited officially since 1 January.

On 24 January I visited the Tate gallery, and on 28 February I went to the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford. On 1 March I attended a performance of "Don Pasquale" at the Royal Opera House, and the following day I visited the Arts Council. I also visited the Burrell collection in Glasgow on 10 March.

To ask the Prime Minister when last she travelled officially on a passenger ferry between the Scottish mainland and one of the Scottish islands; and if she has any plans to undertake such a journey in the near future.

I hope to do so if a suitable opportunity arises.

To ask the Prime Minister how many quangos were in being in June 1979; and how many there are at the present time.

On 1 April 1979 there were 2,167 non-departmental public bodies and on 1 April 1989 there were 1,555.

To ask the Prime Minister on what occasions since 1980 Her Majesty's Government have made representations of concern to the Zimbabwean Government about the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe; and what has been the cause of this concern.

We are opposed to abuses of human rights wherever they occur. We have made a number of representations since 1980 on behalf of individuals detained without charge in Zimbabwe, including most recently Mr. Lewis-Walker, Mrs. Brown, Mr. Clive Harding and Mr. Ivor Harding, all of whom were subsequently released.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will state the Government's policy in relation to the use of bases in the United Kingdom which are in control of other countries for military purposes elsewhere in the world and on prior consultation concerning such use.

Under long-standing arrangements, the use by the United States of bases in the United Kingdom in an emergency would be a matter for joint decision by Her Majesty's Government and the United States Government in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time. No other country has operational military facilities made available to it in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Prime Minister what was the total publicity and advertising expenditure including for privatisation of her Department and public bodies for which she has responsibility in (a) 1979 and (b) 1989.

Expenditure for 1979 is not available except at disproportionate cost. The estimated total expenditure on publicity and advertising by the Cabinet Office and those public bodies for which I am responsible in 1989–90 is £2,543,290. None of it is for privatisation. Over 84 per cent. of the total represents recruitment advertising by the Civil Service Commission.

To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to a National Health Service hospital.

I have visited various National Health hospitals eight times during the past year including Dewsbury hospital last month.

To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to New York.

I have no plans to visit New York.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 20 March.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 20 March.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 20 March.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 20 March.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 20 March.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an audience of Her Majesty the Queen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what target date it is his policy to set for the publication of the figures for the incidence of leukaemia, lung cancer, colon cancer and stomach cancer (a) for Wales generally and (b) for each district in Wales following the end of each year.

As indicated in the answer I gave the hon. Gentleman on 15 March there is no set target date for the publication of this data. The Department is, however, considering what steps might be taken to ensure prompt publication of this information in future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the number of new dwelling units which will be built in 1990–91 in (a) the private sector and (b) the public sector.

No estimates are available for the number of new dwelling units to be built in 1990–91.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will commission a study into the number of mid-career teachers in primary and secondary schools in Wales giving notice of their resignation in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990.

No. The Department of Education and Science maintains records of the number of mid-career teachers in primary and secondary schools in Wales who have actually resigned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will commission a study into the numbers and percentages of head teachers, deputy heads and teachers in primary and secondary schools in Wales who applied for early retirement in 1990, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989.

No. The Department of Education and Science maintains records of the number and percentages of head teachers, deputy heads and teachers in primary and secondary schools in Wales who have actually left on early retirement terms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will institute a study into the numbers of applications for deputy headships and headships in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Wales in 1990, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the most up-to-date estimates available to him of the numbers of teachers applying for vacant deputy headships and headships in (a) primary and (b) secondary education in Wales covering the period 1985 to 1990.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made on implementing the licensed teachers and articled teachers schemes.

Although education support grant was made available to support the training of licensed teachers in 1990–91, no local education authority in Wales submitted a bid. One authority in Wales has shown an interest in the articled teachers scheme, but it was not possible to support the consortium of which it was a member. We are currently considering whether to make local authority training grant money available to support these schemes in 1991–92.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what allowance he proposes to make in the setting of tests for children at seven, 11, 14 and 16 in pursuit of the national curriculum where education has been disrupted for six weeks or more by natural or man-made disasters affecting the availability of school buildings.

The School Examinations and Assessment Council is currently considering the range of circumstances in which exceptional arrangements may need to apply and its further advice is awaited.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning the Stoneleigh Club and Dunraven Court flats in Porthcawl; and if he will make a statement.

No representations concerning the Dunraven Court flats in Porthcawl have been recorded since the Dunraven (Porthcawl) Housing Society Ltd. went into voluntary liquidation in July 1984. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman about the Stoneleigh Club.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many primary school Welsh language units are currently recognised in each county in Wales; and what is his Department's policy relating to (a) Welsh medium units and (b)> Welsh medium schools as a means of providing Welsh language education.

There is no standard definition of a Welsh language unit. The number of schools having classes where Welsh is the sole or main medium of instruction of first and second language pupils in each county is set out in the table:

	Numbers
Clwyd	32
Dyfed	117
Gwent	6
Gwynedd	138
Mid Glamorgan	29
Powys	20
South Glamorgan	9
West Glamorgan	17

Welsh Office policy on Welsh medium education was set out in the publication "Welsh in Schools" (July 1981) which encouraged local education authorities to make available bilingual education for pupils whose parents desired it for them. The means of making this provision would be a matter for individual local education authorities to determine.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will undertake a review of the funding of Welsh medium schools and units in Wales.

Funding of schools is a matter for the LEAs. The publication of school budget and outturn statements under LMS will help in identifying any extra costs associated with bilingual education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which higher education establishments have expressed an interest in receiving polytechnic designation; which are likely to meet the new criteria which he has issued; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has accepted the criteria proposed by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council for the designation of new polytechnics and has invited the council to advise him before the end of May whether any colleges currently meet, or whether there is a clear prospect that they will meet within the next two years, its criteria for polytechnic designation. It is now for the council to consider evidence from individual institutions and advise my right hon. Friend.The higher education establishments which, I understand, have expressed an interest in receiving polytechnic designation are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the Government's policy on promoting the teaching of parenting skills and the care of children in schools.

Section 1 of the Education Reform Act places a duty on the Secretary of State, local education authorities, school governors and head teachers to ensure that the curriculum as a whole prepares young people for the responsibilities and experiences of adult life. The science order within the national curriculum, being implemented under the Education Reform Act, requires that pupils should understand the factors necessary for the well-being of young children in the early stages of their development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he has taken to ensure that there is sufficient time available for schools to include in the curriculum parenting skills and the care of children.

Section 4(3) of the Education Reform Act precludes the Secretary of State from requiring schools to allocate particular periods of time to any aspect of the national curriculum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will obtain details from the London borough of Bromley of its secondary schools admissions policy.

The Department has received some details from the London borough of Bromley about its school admissions policy and these are currently under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what date in 1989 he published the amount of the training grants available for each local education authority; when he expects to publish the figures applicable to the financial year 1990–91; and what advice he has given to these authorities in respect of determination of their education budgets and related revenue decisions.

Indicative maximum amounts of expenditure which my right hon. Friend had it in mind to support in each priority area in each local education authority (LEA) under the LEA training grants scheme in 1990–91 were first set out in a circular issued on 18 August 1989. Final allocations were notified in letters to each LEA sent on 15 December 1989. The financial arrangements governing the training grants scheme for 1990–91 were explained in the August 1989 circular.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the primary and secondary school pupil-teacher ratio for 1979, 1983, 1987 and the most recent year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

The pupil-teacher ratios in maintained primary and secondary schools in England in 1979, 1983 and 1987 and 1989 were as follows:

	Primary	Secondary
1979	23·1	16·7
1983	22·3	16·5
1987	21·9	15·6
1989	22·0	15·3

The pupil-teacher ratio in both primary and secondary schools has improved since 1979. It is for local education authorities and schools to make the best use of the available teacher resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has made of how much it would cost to provide full-time nursery education for all three and four-year-olds in the United Kingdom in 1991–92.

My right hon. Friend's responsibilities for schools do not extend beyond England. The Department has not attempted detailed costings of the introduction of universal, full-time nursery education for three and four-year-olds in England. However, a broad extrapolation from the estimated cost per pupil for all forms of provision made by local education authorities for the under-fives¹ suggests an annual recurrent cost of the order of £1·65 billion in 1989–90 prices. In addition there would be a substantial capital cost; and costs would also be incurred in training or retraining the additional teaching and ancillary staff who would be needed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has made an assessment of the implications for that element of food safety research, which may be of benefit to the consumer but is unlikely to offer a worthwhile return to industry, of the Government's decision to withdraw from near-market funding.

The policy decision to withdraw from funding near-market research has not altered the Government's commitment to basic and strategic research in the area of food safety. Funding for such research has been increased in real terms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he held with the Agricultural and Food Research Council in respect of the Bristol laboratory of the Institute of Food Research, prior to the decision by the Agricultural and Food Research Council to close it; and if he will make a statement.

The Agricultural and Food Research Council is an independent body which is grant-aided by Government. The council announced its intention to concentrate physical restructuring of its institutes, including the Institute of Food Research, in its corporate plan 1989–94, published in February 1989. The council kept the Department informed of its consideration of proposals for restructuring but the evaluation of those proposals and the decisions taken concerning it were entirely a matter for the council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total number of children being educated in first, middle and upper schools in the metropolitan district of Bradford in the current academic year.

The number of pupils on roll in January 1989 in first, middle and upper schools in Bradford was 78,555, the latest year for which figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the subject matter of the two internal audit reports that were drawn to the attention of Ministers in his Department in 1989.

The internal audit reports covered controls over adult education grants and education support grants both of which were taken into account in policy reviews.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local education authorities intend to retain middle school systems; and which have proposals to change status from middle school systems to transfer to secondary provision at 11 years.

The local education authorities that operate middle school systems are listed in the table:

• Barnsley
• Bedfordshire
• Berkshire
• Birmingham
• Bradford
• Buckinghamshire
• Cambridgeshire
• Devon
• Doncaster
• Dorset
• Dudley
• Ealing
• East Sussex
• Hampshire
• Harrow
• Hereford and Worcester
• Hertfordshire
• Humberside
• Isle of Wight
• Kent
• Kirklees
• Leicestershire
• Leeds
• Merton
• Newcastle-upon-Tyne
• Norfolk
• North Tyneside
• North Yorkshire
• Northamptonshire
• Northumberland
• Nottinghamshire
• Oxfordshire
• Rochdale
• Sheffield
• Shropshire
• Somerset
• Staffordshire
• Suffolk
• Surrey
• Wakefield
• Warwickshire
• West Sussex
• Wiltshire

Of these authorities, only Leeds has published statutory proposals to change to a system of primary-secondary provision which are currently under consideration. In addition, the Secretary of State has approved proposals for Shropshire, Humberside, Rochdale and Barnsley LEAs which are still to be implemented, all in September 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is his most up-to-date estimate of the date, terms and conditions of the repayment of the repayable grant made by the University Grants Committee to University College of Wales, Cardiff in 1988;(2) what representations he has received concerning the date and terms of repayment of the £4·4 million repayable grant made by the University Grants Committee to the University of Wales College at Cardiff in 1988;

A repayable grant of £4·4 million was made available by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Education and Science to University College, Cardiff in September 1988. The covering agreement requires the college and its successor to apply the net proceeds from the disposal of surplus assets towards repaying the grant. To date some £270,000 has been repaid. My right hon. Friend has received no representations about the agreement, and has no plans to review it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what he estimates will be the cost of student loans in Scotland in 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93.

[holding answer 19 March 1990]: I have been asked to reply. The estimated cost of loans for Scottish domiciled students is as follows:

	£ million
1990–91	15·7
1991–92	25·5
1992–93	25·6

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what approaches have been received from the United States authorities concerning the deployment of a United States Navy submarine tender ship to Holy loch certified to handle, load, store and maintain nuclear and conventional Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missiles;(2) what discussions have taken place, or are under way, concerning the continued use of Holy loch by the United States Navy after the date when United States Poseidon ballistic missile-carrying submarines based at Holy loch are decommissioned;(3) what information he has on the effect of United States plans for the future of its Poseidon SSBNs on the future of the facility at Holy loch.

The long-term use of the Holy loch facility is a matter for discussion between the United Kingdom and United States Governments. No decision has yet been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities exist at Holy loch for the maintenance, repair, storage and transfer of Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missiles.

A normal range of facilities exist at Holy loch for the logistic support of United States Navy nuclear-powered submarines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if current agreements between the British and United States Governments require the United States authorities to seek permission or inform his Department before a visit is made by a United States Navy attack submarine to the Holy loch submarine facility;(2) if the current agreements between the British and United States Governments concerning the use of the Holy loch submarine facility require the United States authorities to seek and obtain the permission of the British Government before the replacement of the current submarine tender with another vessel certified to load, maintain and store submarine-launched cruise missiles;(3) if the United States authorities informed his Department before replacing the previous submarine tender at the Holy loch with the USS Simon Lake.

The Governments of the United Kingdom and the United States maintain the closest links over the use of the facilities at Holy loch.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the annual running costs for the transportation of nuclear weapons in road convoys; and if he will make a statement.

The number of nuclear weapon movements is kept to a minimum. However, it is the long-standing policy of this and previous Governments not to comment on the methods of transportation of nuclear weapons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the annual running costs of storing and maintaining the Chevaline nuclear weapon and the air-launched WE177 weapon; and if he will make a statement.

It would not be in the national interest to reveal such information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will place in the Library the relevant extracts of the contracts, or a summary of them, relating to the improved United Kingdom air defence ground environment which relate to intellectual property rights; and if he will make a statement.

No. The contracts are commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what date he expects the proposed contractorisation of atomic weapons establishments to commence and to be completed.

The invitations to tender for the interim AWE management contract due to commence later this year will be issued shortly. The timing of the subsequent transfer to full contractorisation is dependent on the passage of legislation but will not be before 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions his Department has had with the trade unions representing personnel in the atomic weapons establishments; and if he will guarantee their pension rights when these establishments are contractorised.

A consultative document was issued to trades unions on 5 December 1989. Although no formal response has yet been received, a preliminary consultative meeting with the non-industrial trades unions took place on 11 January and joint consultative committees are being set up to discuss the Government's proposals for the future of AWE.Staff who are transferred out of the Civil Service cannot remain in the principal Civil Service pension scheme (PCSPS). It is the Government's intention to make available to AWE staff at the time of contractorisation new pension arrangements which would provide benefits which, taken as a whole, would be no less favourable than those of the PCSPS. Proposals for future pension arrangements will be subject to full consultation with trades unions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the accident in January between a Ministry of Defence vehicle carrying radioactive material and a bus on the Dumfries-Annan road.

We have no knowledge of any such incident.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what current proposals there are for hearings on a comprehensive nuclear test ban in the United Nations permanent conference on disarmament.

Discussions are under way at the conference on disarmament about the possible establishment of an ad hoc committee on a nuclear test ban.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Namibian independence constitution abides by the principles formulated by the western Governments on 12 July 1982; and if he will make a statement.

We have only just received a copy of the constitution as passed by the Namibian constituent assembly and are still studying it. The United Nations Secretary-General reported to the Security Council on 16 March that he was satisfied that the constitution complied with the constitutional principles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what diplomatic exchanges have taken place with the Government of the Sudan on humanitarian matters.

We are in frequent touch with the Sudanese Government about humanitarian issues. We continue to press, together with other donors, for an early and effective resumption of the relief operation in Sudan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the EEC infraction proceedings against Spain in relation to the Coto Donana national park.

We strongly support the work of the European Commission in ensuring that EC environmental legislation is respected throughout the Community. We welcome the recent decision to publicise the record of member states in this area. But, except where United Kingdom interests are directly at stake, we would not wish to comment on individual cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total capital investment currently proposed for the European bank for reconstruction and development; and when it is expected to commence operations.

We hope that the articles of the bank will be agreed in the near future and that the bank will commence operations as soon as possible thereafter. The size of the capital stock is still under discussion, but the figure currently under consideration is 10 billion ecu, 30 per cent. of which might be paid in.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the progress of privatisation of industries in (i) Poland, (ii) Czechoslovakia and (iii) Hungary; and if he will make a statement.

We understand that legislation is in place in Hungary enabling state enterprises to be transformed into private companies: some privatisations have taken place. In Poland privatisation legislation has been approved by the Government and is now being considered in parliamentary committee prior to submission to the full Parliament. The Czechoslovak Government are considering legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the subject matter of the internal audit report that was drawn to the attention of a Minister in his Department in 1989.

The contents of the report are the subject of investigations which are not yet complete.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what was the total publicity and advertising expenditure of his office and its predecessor and public bodies for which his office, and its predecessor, has responsibility in (a) 1979 and (b) 1989.

Press and publicity work for the Office of Arts and Libraries and the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service is carried out by the Cabinet Office press office, whose budget for 1989–90 is £205,650. My office did not incur any expenditure on advertising in 1989. Comparable information is not available for 1979. Nor is such information available for public arts bodies.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service, pursuant to his answer of 5 March, what action he is taking on the issue of the obligations to the Crown in Parliament, as a result of the meeting on 7 February, when the head of the home Civil Service met the Civil Service unions.

No such action is necessary. The constitutional position of civil servants remains unchanged; civil servants are responsible to Ministers and Ministers are responsible to Parliament.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the tax relief granted on capital allowances granted in the financial year 1987–88 on (a) plant and machinery, excluding private use motor vehicles, and (b) in respect of investment incurred in the first year for which capital allowances were due.

The direct revenue cost of capital allowances for plant and machinery, including vehicles, claimed in accounting periods ending in 1987–88 is provisionally estimated at £6·6 billion. No separate estimates are available for private use motor vehicles, or for new investment in the year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply of 27 February, Official Report, column 104, what stage proceedings against four directors of the Beaulieu Group of Companies have reached; and if he will make a statement.

Jan De Clerck, Dominiek De Clerck, Luc De Clerck and Francis De Clerck are next due to appear upon a remand before the Harrogate justices on 26 April 1990. The prosecution will seek to pursue committal proceedings on a date to be fixed by the court following representations by the parties at the remand hearing.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his answer of 13 March, Official Report, column 160, to whom the European investment bank loan was made.

The European investment bank loan, referred to in my reply of 13 March, was made to Eurotunnel Finance SA and Eurotunnel Finance Ltd.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether European investment bank loans which are not repaid can be written off against tax as bad debts.

The European investment bank is exempted from all direct United Kingdom taxes by virtue of articles 3 and 22 of the protocol on the privileges and immunities of the European Communities. The question of relief for bad debts does not therefore arise.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any plans to meet Mr. Vaclav Kaus, Czechoslovakian Finance Minister.

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has no plans to meet the Czechoslovak Finance Minister.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information was collected for each of the Lancashire district councils at the last revaluation on the number of rateable domestic dwellings at rateable values of (i) up to £50, (ii) £51 to £75, (iii) £76 to £100, (iv) £101 to £125, (v) £126 to £150, (vi) £151 to £175, (vii) £176 to £200, and up to (viii) £250, (ix) £300, (x) £350, (xi) £400, (xii) £450, (xiii) £500, and (xiv) £500 plus.

This information could not be produced without a disproportionate expenditure of time and resources.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the total amount payable under the Civil List Acts to the royal family in the calendar years 1989 and 1990.

The information on amounts payable to the royal family in the present and previous calendar year is as follows:

	1989	1990
	£	£
The Queen's Civil List	4,658,000	5,090,000
HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother	404,000	439,500
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh	225,300	245,000
HRH The Duke of York	155,400	169,000
HRH The Prince Edward	20,000	20,000
HRH The Princess Royal	140,400	154,500
HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon	136,700	148,500
HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester	55,400	60,500
HRH The Duke of Gloucester	110,000	119,500
HRH The Duke of Kent	148,500	161,500
HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy	141,600	154,000
Total	6,195,300	6,762,000
Refunded by Her Majesty The Queen	400,100	435,000
	5,795,200	6,327,000

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total loss or gain to the average mortgagor who is (a) a one-earner couple with two children and (b) a two-earner couple with two children claiming mortgage interest relief resulting from changes since the 1988 Budget in (i) direct taxation (ii) increases in the rate of interest on mortgages and (iii) interest payments net of mortgage tax relief in all cases counting child benefit as a negative tax.

[holding answer 8 March 1990]: Information for a one-earner married couple with an average mortgage was given in my reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) on 26 February, Official Report, column 13 The changes in income tax and NIC for a two-earner married couple with an average outstanding mortgage of £17,000 in 1987–88 and with average gross earnings of £22,500 are given in the table on the same basis as my previous reply. There has been no change in child benefit since the 1988 Budget.

	11987–88	1989–90	£ per year change
Income tax and NIC2	6,141	5,444	−697
1 After indexation.
2 Before relief due under MIRAS and assuming that the income is all earned with the husband earning £18,000 and the wife £4,500, that no allowances or reliefs are available other than the married man's allowances and the wife's earned income allowance, that they are both contracted into SERPS and that the post-October 1989 NIC rates and limits apply for 1989–90.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total loss or gain to the average new mortgagor in 1988 claiming mortgage interest relief resulting from changes since the 1988 Budget in (a) direct taxation, (b) increases in the rate of interest on mortgages and (c) interest payments net of mortgage tax relief.

[holding answer 8 March 1990]: I regret that information is not available on the changes in taxation of the average new mortgagor in 1988. I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) on 26 February, Official Report, column 13, for the gain to the average mortgagor.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the gain to the average family on an average mortgage from changes made in the Budgets of 1988 and 1989; and what is their estimated increase in mortgage repayments, on the basis of the same assumptions used in the answer to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury, of 13 February, Official Report, column 128.

[holding answer 13 March 1990]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) on 26 February, Official Report, column 13.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in tabular form and at constant prices the amounts which would be payable each month at 15·4 per cent. on a standard repayment mortgage repayable over 25 years of each of the regional average new mortgages listed in his answer of 19 February, Official Report, column 518 to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen).

[holding answer 19 March 1990]: The monthly interest payments, after deduction of basic rate tax relief, are given in the table.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what level of income (a) a single person and (b) a married man currently pays a greater proportion of their income in income tax and national insurance contributions than they did in equivalent circumstances in 1978–79.

[holding answer 13 March 1990]: Since income tax rates have been reduced and the main personal allowances increased by substantially more than the rate of inflation, taxpayers will now pay a lower proportion of their income in tax than in 1978–79 unless their incomes have risen even more rapidly than allowances. Average earnings have risen rather more than this.For taxpayers of working age whose incomes have increased in line with average earnings, average rates of income tax and national insurance contributions are lower than in 1978–79 for everyone except some married men with earnings up to and including three quarters of the average. On the same basis, real take-home pay is higher than in 1978–79 at all levels of earnings.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on (a) company car taxation and (b) company car parking places taxation.

[holding answer 19 March 1990]: My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations on the taxation of the benefit to employees of the private use of a company car and the use of company car parking places.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what monitoring his Department conducts of the (a) range and (b) average rental cost of BES tenancies per month; and what information he has on the proportion of tenants in BES properties who receive housing benefit (a) in inner London, (b) in outer London, (c) in other metropolitan areas and (d) in the country as a whole.

I have been asked to reply.This information is not available at present. The Department has, however, commissioned research into BES funded assured tenancy schemes, which will investigate, inter alia, the rents charged and the characteristics of tenants, including their incomes, savings and the benefits they receive.

To ask the Attorney-General what financial resources will be made available to the county courts to enable them to take over High Court work under the Courts and Legal Services Bill.

The Lord Chancellor has already announced his intention to increase the number of court staff by around 350 in the next financial year and subsequently by up to a further 100 during the transitional period while new initiatives are being introduced. In addition the introduction of a computerised summons production centre in January and, from next month, the curtailment of the county court banking function will, over time, release staff time savings equivalent to around 350 staff.The injection of resources will take place during 1990–91 and will put the courts in a strong position to implement from 1991 onwards the new case allocation arrangements, and other reforms flowing from the civil justice review and the Children Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total publicity and advertising expenditure of the Overseas Development Administration and public bodies for which it has responsibility in (a) 1979 and (b) 1989.

The figures are as follows:

	1979–80	1989–90
ODA	215,000	820,000
Crown Agents	—	95,000
CDC	—	267,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by how much has the European Community aid to developing countries increased from the 1989 to the 1990 budget; how much European Community food aid has been provided to eastern Europe in that period; and from which budget it was taken.

Provision for aid spending in the 1989 European Community budget was just under 980 mecu (about £660 million). The corresponding figure for 1990 was 1,102 mecu (£742 million). These figures exclude aid to developing countries under the Lome convention, which is financed direct by member states and not from the Community's budget. This rose from 1,299 mecu (£875 million) in 1989, to 1,319 mecu (£888 million) in 1990.In 1989 and 1990 the European Community has also provided free food worth 158 mecu (£106 million) to Poland and 40 mecu (£27 million) to Romania. This has been financed from the agricultural guarantee fund of the European Community budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the total United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees budget in the period 1980 to the nearest available full year.

The figures are as follows:

	US$ million
1980	497
1981	474
1982	407
1983	398
1984	444
1985	458
1986	441
1987	460
1988	552
1989	570