To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recruitment procedure to be followed for the chief executive and other staff of the Football Licensing Authority.

This will be a matter for the Football Licensing Authority but we expect that the chief executive and other executive staff will be seconded from the civil service, and that other staff will be recruited by the authority locally or by competition as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women currently held at Her Majesty's pleasure are allowed to keep their children with them during their detention.

There are no women detained during Her Majesty's pleasure, under section 53(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, or serving life sentences, who currently have their children with them in prison. If the mother of a baby receives a custodial sentence of any length, she may apply to be admitted with her child to a prison mother and baby unit. Approval of such an application depends upon there being an available place and upon the mother's admission being considered to be in the best interests of the child. A child is not normally allowed to remain with its mother in prison beyond the age of 18 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about staffing levels and industrial relations at Blundeston prison, Suffolk in the light of the present dispute in the prison service.

At present there are 240.5 staff in post at Her Majesty's prison Blundeston. Of these, 149 are officers, including principal and senior officers, compared with the target officer in post figure set for 31 March 1991 of 148.The Prison Officers Association has not declared a dispute at the prison.Prison officers voted in June to take national industrial action. A majority of POA members at Blundeston voted in favour of national industrial action.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of West Yorkshire on the full cost of the police operation at Millfield quarry lagoon, Hurbury, Wakefield on Sunday 17 June.

I understand from the chief constable of West Yorkshire police that the full additional cost of the police operation at Hurbury was £10,073.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter dated 24 May from the hon. Member for South Hams concerning the transfer to Dartmoor prison for Mr. Willcox, currently a prison officer at Ford open prison, west Sussex.

I have written to my hon. Friend today.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any proposals to introduce legislation to make any class of person responsible in law for an offence of which he had no prior knowledge.

The criminal law contains a range of provisions establishing liability, from knowing of and intending to commit an offence, to offences of strict liability not requiring conscious knowledge, for instance those involving motor vehicle defects. If the hon. Gentleman has a particular legislative proposal in mind perhaps he would let me know of his precise concern.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to whether he intends to investigate allegations of forged documents relating to TVS Entertainment Ltd.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis this matter is now the subject of a police investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department intends to implement the recommendation contained in Lord Justice Taylor's final report into the Hillsborough disaster that it should be made an offence to sell tickets on the day of a football match without authority from the home club to do so; and if he will make a statement.

We hope to reach a conclusion shortly on whether to create such an offence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he uses when deciding which documents to pass on to the Public Record Office.

The Department complies with the guidelines issued by the Public Record Office on the selection of documents for permanent preservation. Decisions on which documents are transferred to the Public Record Office for this purpose are taken in consultation with Public Record Office inspecting officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what system he employs to classify, log and otherwise record each document generated by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Documents originating from the Home Office are recorded on official files which are indexed according to standard subject headings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of, and how many documents in 1989 he estimates were (a) passed on to the Public Record Office intact, (b) passed on to the Public Record Office in censored form, (c) retained by his Department in full, (d) retained by his Department in part, (e) destroyed, (f) otherwise disposed of and (g) otherwise unaccounted for.

No document falls due for selection and transfer to the Public Record Office until it is at least 30 years old. A document's suitability for permanent preservation under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958 will be reviewed during that period. The Act does not require statistics to be kept in the form requested and to do so would inevitably incur disproportionate cost. However, in order to comply with its duties under the Act, the Department ensures that all documentary records are properly preserved with a view to possible transfer to the Public Record Office and eventual release to the public. The general criteria under which the Department may retain documents over 30 years old are set out in section 3(4) of the Public Records Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 25 June, Official Report, column 35, if he is able to provide the details of age, sex, offence, last known address and prison or place of confinement of those people who were remanded and are still remaining in custody following the incidents in Trafalgar square on 31 March.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers of the Devon and Cornwall police are working on the inquiry into the Birmingham pub-bombing cases.

I understand from the chief constable of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary that 45 police officers from that force are currently engaged in carrying out inquiries into various matters which have been raised about the safety of the convictions of the Birmingham Six.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the trial Judge, Lord Bridge, has been consulted either by his Department or by any of the various inquiries since 1986 into the safety of the Birmingham pub-bombing convictions.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the terms of reference of the inquiry by the Devon and Cornwall police into the Birmingham pub-bombing convictions; and if they have been amended since the inquiry was first commissioned.

In March 1990, I asked the chief constable of the West Midlands police for a report on a number of matters arising out of representations made by the solicitor acting on behalf of the Birmingham Six. Since then, I have asked the chief constable for a report on a number of further matters which have been raised with him about the safety of the convictions of the Birmingham Six. The chief constable has asked the Devon and Cornwall constabulary to undertake inquiries on my behalf.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps the Home Office has taken to satisfy itself that the named day-to-day care person, with a statutory responsibility under the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, within the National Institute for Medical Research, carried out his or her duties to the full, relating to Professor Feldberg's experiments;(2) what steps the Home Office has taken to satisfy itself that the named veterinarian, with a statutory responsibility under the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, within the National Institute for Medical Research, carried out his or her duties to the full relating to Professor Feldberg's experiments.

It would not be right to make any comment on matters such as these while the Medical Research Council is conducting an inquiry into the circumstances which gave rise to the allegations about the work carried out by Professor Feldberg.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Government policy on the treatment of lesbians and gay men under the law.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Mr. Strang) on 1 February 1990 at columns 304–6, and to my letter to him of 1 June 1990, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to publish a new edition of the handbook, "The Sentence of the Court".

I am glad to say that a new edition is published today and is being distributed to all judges and magistrates. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to announce any further appointments to the Animal Procedures Committee.

I am pleased to be able to announce the appointment to the Animal Procedures Committee of Professor Margaret Brazier, of the department of law, university of Manchester and Professor Onora O'Neill, of the department of philosophy, university of Essex. I am grateful to Professor Brazier and Professor O'Neill for agreeing to serve on this committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding applications for (a) registration and (b) naturalisation are awaiting

Citizenship applications outstanding in caseworking groups
	Registration	Naturalisation	Total
December 1987	n/a	n/a	55,374
March 1988	45,723	28,674	74,397
June 1988	n/a	n/a	79,143
September 1988	n/a	n/a	95,971
December 1988	n/a	n/a	119,276
March 1989	84,438	41,154	125,592
June 1989	86,452	52,318	138,770
September 1989	70,858	63,877	134,735
December 1989	55,239	64,930	120,169
March 1990	38,832	65,050	103,882
May 1990	33,755	64,273	98,028

n/a = not availableThe average processing times for cases completed in May 1990 was 24 months for registrations and 29 months for naturalisations. We aim to reduce these waiting times as soon as practicable.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been taken out of tax over the past 11 years; if he has any plans to take more people out of tax; and if he will make a statement.

If the 1978–79 income tax regime were reintroduced after indexation of thresholds to 1990–91 levels, the number of individual taxpayers would increase by a little under 2 million. Tax thresholds have been increased by almost 25 per cent. in real terms under this Government. We shall continue to review their levels in the future.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) on what authority the Inland Revenue has decided to distinguish between established performers/artists who are being taxed under schedule D and new performers/artists who are to be taxed under schedule E;(2) with whom the Inland Revenue has agreed a gradual transition to the schedule E treatment of performers.

[holding answer 5 June 1990]: The Inland Revenue has a duty to implement tax law. The change in the tax treatment of certain performers/artists is based on decisions made in the courts. The arrangements to put their tax treatment on to the correct basis over a transitional period were made by the Inland Revenue, with decision at the latest available date and at each quarter since 31 December 1987; what is the average time taken from receipt of application to taking a decision on each application; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 26 June 1990]: The available information about outstanding cases relates to applications in the nationality division caseworking groups and is in the table. In addition, on 31 December 1987, there were an estimated 210,000 applications in Lunar house that had not reached caseworking groups, and these were transferred to the nationality division over the course of the next 18 months.the approval of Treasury Ministers, under its powers for the general "care and management of the income tax in the Taxes Management Act 1970.These arrangements have been discussed, over an extended period, with representatives of all sides of the theatre industry and take into account their concern that an abrupt change to schedule E for all those involved could be disruptive to the industry, and, in some cases, cause hardship.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what relative consideration the Inland Revenue has given to the cases of Fall v. Hitchen and Davies v. Braithwaite, in deciding whether schedule E was the correct schedule of charge for income tax for performers and artists undertaking theatrical engagements;(2) on what legal authority the Inland Revenue based its claim that generally performers and artists undertaking theatrical engagements under standard contracts are, in law, employees.

[holding answer 5 June 1990]: I understand that the Inland Revenue's view on the taxation position of theatrical performers working under standard contracts is based on legal advice they have received relating to the 1972 Fall v Hitchen High Court case, which indicated that a typical standard contract of engagement, based on terms agreed between Equity and theatre managements, was a contract of employment, and a number of subsequent Court decisions on the general issue of whether people are employees or self-employed. The Revenue has explained its views on these issues to the theatre industry on several occasions in the past.In Fall

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors led to the revision of the figures for manufacturing investment in the north-east for the years 1979 to 1987 between the answer of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to the hon. Member for Sunderland, South of 6 June 1989, Official Report, column 70, and his answer of 25 June 1990.

[holding answer 28 June 1990]: The figures have not been revised. As stated in these replies the information provided on 6 June 1989 was based on constant 1985 prices while that provided on 25 June was based on current prices. The earlier constant price figures used price indices which are applicable to manufacturing investment for the United Kingdom as a whole. The Central Statistical Office, which now has responsibility for the figures, considers these may be inappropriate for individual regions because of the different mix of industries and the possibility of differing prices and price movements in each. There are no regional price indices.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his statement of 18 June, Official Report, columns 777–80, if he will indicate by weight and volume the loaded capacity of the vehicles which arrived at the Natural Beauty Products in Bridgend on 2 February, and the assessment the value added tax official then made of the weight, and value, actual and auction, volume, of the finished goods, raw materials, factory equipment and office equipment which he intended to remove from the factory.

[holding answer 28 June 1990]: Customs and Excise had no responsibility for any vehicle that arrived at Natural Beauty Products in Bridgend on 24 February.On 1 February, Customs instructed the bailiff to commence removal of the finished goods subject to distraint. Although a Ford Transit van and Ford Cargo 60 cwt. pantechnicon called to the premises, only the latter was used to remove the goods. On 2 February a Ford Cargo lorry and a furniture removal van arrived at the pemises but no goods were removed because of the prior appointment of an administrative receiver. On both these dates the provision of the transport was arranged by the bailiff.Customs and Excise made no assessment of the weight of the goods subject to the levy. The total volume was estimated to require four 60 cwt. pantechnicons to complete the removal of all items subject to distraint.The administrative receiver's estimate of the book value of the finished goods, raw materials, factory equipment and office equipment was £228,875. No deduction was made for possible tax liability and no account was taken of any other expenses or charges that may accrue on their disposal. The estimated auction value was £29,200.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation he has had regarding funding for care in the community in future years.

We have discussed all aspects of community care, including funding, with a wide range of interested organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to consider how best to fund a scheme to look at the design and provision of wheelchairs for use on public transport services.

We have no plans to fund such a scheme. The accommodation of wheelchairs on public transport is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received advocating the replacement of section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948;(2) what plans he has to reform section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948.

Representations were received in the form of amendments to the National Health Service and Community Care Bill, and correspondence from Age Concern, (England).We have no plans to reform section 47 but we shall be keeping the operation of these provisions under review as our new community care arrangements take effect.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the total number of people who have been infected with HIV.

The latest estimate of the total number of people who have been infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in England and Wales was published by the Public Health Laboratory Service in January 1990 as a supplement to the communicable disease report. In this report, "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in England and Wales to end 1993" (the Day report), it was estimated that there were between 12,250 and 26,400 HIV-infected people in England and Wales at the end of 1988.A separate group is currently preparing new estimates of short-term predictions of HIV incidence and prevalence estimates of the numbers of AIDS cases in Scotland as a revision of the earlier report of national working party on health service implications of HIV infection (the Tayler report). Copies of both the Day and Tayler reports are available in the Library.Reported incidence in Northern Ireland is too low to make accurate estimates of the likely spread of HIV infection.Results from the HIV prevalence monitoring programme using the unlinked anonymous technique will help to reduce uncertainty in these estimates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the proportion of the total fees paid to dentists under the national health service which is attributable to dental laboratory costs; and what arrangements exist to ensure that such proportion is duly paid to the laboratories.

In the current scale of fees for national health service dental treatment which came into effect on 1 October 1989, approximately 18 per cent. of the total fees to be paid to dentists is attributable to dental laboratory costs. The price which individual dentists pay for laboratory-made dental appliances is, however, entirely a private arrangement between the dentist and the laboratory concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any plans to introduce a charge for general practitioner home visits.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance his Department gives to the Child Migrants Trust; and if he will make a statement regarding future developments.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 27 June at column 249.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which officials at national, regional or local level are responsible for drawing up rules for family practitioner committees on the appointment of their chief executive.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 25 June at column 88.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to implement the recommendation of the third report of the Committee for Monitoring Agreements on Tobacco Advertising and Sponsorship that all cigarette advertisements should carry a health warning; and if he will make a statement.

This was not a formal recommendation of the committee as a whole, but the view of the chairman expressed in his foreword. The Government fully accept the chairman's concerns, and is currently negotiating with the tobacco industry on this matter. We hope to make an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish any written evidence given by the national health service trusts unit to district health authorities, regional health authorities, project managers or trust sponsors on the preparation or revision of draft business plans for units seeking self-governing status; and if he will make a statement.

We intend to publish a compendium on national health service trusts in the autumn, which will update and bring together advice on the establishment and operation of NHS trusts which has been provided by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his policy on general social work practice within local authorities.

The Department promotes effective and efficient social work by working constructively with local authorities, and representatives of the professions concerned, to promote the development of services which will provide quality of care combined with value for money for clients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department has made any estimate of the possible cash savings arising as a result of the assessment and case management procedure contained in the Government's community care proposals.

We expect local authorities to make more cost effective use of resources as they develop their ability to offer a more individual response to clients' needs through improved procedures for assessment and case management. The extent to which this will be achieved will depend on the decisions of individual authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what external evaluation of his Department's draft guidance on the implementation of the Government's proposals on community care took place between the deliberations of the guidance working parties and their despatch to interested organisations.

Representatives from external organisations contributed to the community care development project groups whose reports helped to inform the draft guidance. The Department has recently sent this draft guidance for formal consultation to a wide range of external bodies involved in community care services. These include the local authority associations, the Association of Directors of Social Services, national health service regional general managers, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, representative organisations of the medical and nursing professions and other representative organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from dial-a-ride, regarding transport arrangements for the disabled; and what measures he intends to introduce.

There are many dial-a-ride and similar services for people with disabilities in operation all over the country. Outside London their funding and development is a matter for local authorities. London Transport has responsibility for administering the scheme in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to hold discussions with United Kingdom passenger transport authorities on improvements in access by disabled citizens to fixed and mobile facilities.

My Department is in regular contact, both direct and through the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, with transport authorities and operators throughout the country to promote ways of improving access for people with disabilities both to vehicles and systems.

To ask the Secretary of State how many times in the last month the fire brigade has been called to be in attendance at a London underground station.

London Underground tells me that its record consists of four-week periods rather than calendar months. Figures are not yet available for the whole of the four-week period ending 23 June 1990, but from 27 May to 21 June the fire brigade was called to be in attendance at a London underground station on 474 occasions. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms. Ruddock) on 8 May, Official Report, column 7.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he intends to visit the north-west to discuss with interested parties the maximisation of benefit from the channel tunnel to the region.

I look forward to several visits to the north-west and would be happy to meet my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the adequacy of the transport infrastructure in Essex.

My hon. Friend's report entitled "South Essex Transport—A Preliminary Report" is the only representation I have received on this matter. It is being considered by my officials and a full reply will be sent shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the statutory provisions relating to vehicular access to public beaches.

No public general Act contains any provision relating expressly to such access.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce a requirement that vehicles satisfy a maximum exhaust carbon emission test as part of the MOT test.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Hayes) on 28 June, Official Report, column 305.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in light of the recent decision by the House of Lords in the case of James v. Eastleigh borough council, what advice he is now offering to transport undertakings, in respect of concessionary fares for elderly people.

This decision has no relevance for local authority concessionary fares schemes for people of pensionable age, which are based on statutory provision unaffected by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total financial subvention from public funds for running the railways in each of the EC countries; and how many miles of track each country has.

The most recent comprehensive information available to my Department on the public subsidy levels of the European Community's railway systems is contained in the 10th Commission report on the transposed annual accounts of railway undertakings for 1986 [COM (89) 364 final]. These have been converted to sterling on purchasing power parity, together with figures for route mileage; track mileage figures are not available.

Country	Support (£ million sterling)	Route mileage
Belgium	454	2,221
Denmark	158	1,547
France	1,845	21,602
Greece	123	1,549
Ireland	92	1,215
Italy	4,403	10,009
Luxembourg	83	170
Netherlands	319	1,766
Portugal	161	2,255
United Kingdom	815	10,374
West Germany	2,138	17,052

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his response to proposals for an integrated high speed rail network to service United Kingdom industry and commerce from the year 2000 onwards.

I will be glad to look at any proposals put to me by British Rail for high-speed passenger services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the status, programming, funding and timetabling of the proposed by-pass of Wrentham, on the A12 in Suffolk.

Wrentham by-pass forms part of my Department's proposals for the A12, Saxmundham by-pass to the Lowestoft widening scheme, which was included in the report "Trunk Roads, England: Into the 1990s" published earlier this year. The design commission for part of the scheme including a by-pass of Wrentham, has been awarded by the Department to Suffolk county council. Council staff will carry out preliminary investigation of the options for a dual carriageway by-pass before the public are consulted next year. Announcement of a preferred route will follow. Timing of construction will be dependent on the completion of the remaining statutory procedures and the availability of funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what system he employs to classify, log and otherwise record each document generated by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Most individual documents are not separately registered. Documents are lodged on registered files which are part of a structured filing system which is regulated by the Department's chief registrar.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria he uses when deciding which documents to pass on to the Public Record Office.

The Department complies with the guidelines issued by the Public Record Office on the selection of documents for permanent preservation. Decisions on which documents are transferred to the Public Record Office for this purpose are taken in consultation with PRO inspecting officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of, and how many documents in 1989 he estimates were (a) passed on to the Public Record Office intact, (b) passed on to the Public Record Office in censored form, (c) retained by his Department in full, (d) retained by his Department in part, (e) destroyed, (f) otherwise disposed of and (g) otherwise unaccounted for.

No document falls due for selection and transfer to the Public Record Office until it is at least 30 years old. A document's suitability for permanent preservation under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958 will be reviewed during that period. The Act does not require statistics to be kept in the form requested and to do so would inevitably incur disproportionate cost. However, in order to comply with duties under the Act, the Department is obliged to ensure that all documentary records are properly preserved with a view to possible transfer to the Public Record Office and eventual release to the public. The general criteria under which the Department may retain documents over 30 years old are set out in section 3(4) of the Public Records Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 26 June to the hon. Member for Uxbridge, what were the reasons for the increase in the estimated cost of the A40 Western avenue improvement at the junction with Long lane, Hillingdon from £18.2 million between November 1987 at 1986 prices to £34.1 million at 1987 prices.

The most significant element in the increase in the estimated cost of constructing the scheme was that the cost of piling and structural work in London has exceeded the rate of inflation. In addition, there were increases in the cost of London Underground's scheme to reconstruct Hillingdon station to higher, more up to date standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the United Kingdom has taken within the Council of Ministers of the European Community to urge Greece to release the 250 conscientious objectors detained in Avlona military prison.

None. Under Greece's military service provisions, conscientious objectors can opt for unarmed military service of double the annual period. But it is an offence to refuse to do military service altogether.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters were discussed during the recent NATO Foreign Ministers meeting at Turnberry.

The meeting usefully prepared the ground for discussion at this week's NATO summit, on how NATO should adapt to changing times. We also discussed the external aspects of German unification; the future of CSCE; and current arms control issues. A copy of the communique has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average time taken to issue explanatory statements by entry clearance offices following receipt of an appeal or request to provide one.

The majority of posts are able to meet our targets of despatching settlement appeals to the appellate authorities within three months of the date of receipt and visit appeals within one month. Staffing levels are being increased at the few posts which, because of growing demand for visas, have been unable to meet these targets during the past year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of, and how many documents in 1989 he estimates were (a) passed on to the Public Record Office intact, (b) passed on to the Public Record Office in censored form, (c) retained by his Department in full, (d) retained by his Department in part, (e) destroyed, (f) otherwise disposed of and (g) otherwise unaccounted for.

No document falls due for selection and transfer to the Public Record Office until it is at least 30 years old. A document's suitability for permanent preservation under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958 will be reviewed during that period. The Act does not require statistics to be kept in the form requested and to do so would inevitably incur disproportionate cost. However, in order to comply with their duties under the Act, Departments are obliged to ensure that all documentary records are properly preserved with a view to possible transfer to the Public Record Office and eventual release to the public. The general criteria under which the Department may retain documents over 30 years old are set out in section 3(4) of the Public Records Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what system he employs to classify, log and otherwise record each document generated by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Documents in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are normally placed on departmental files and processed in accordance with departmental instructions and registry practices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he uses when deciding which documents to pass on to the Public Record Office.

The Department complies with the guidelines issued by the Public Record Office on the selection of documents for permanent preservation. Decisions on which documents are transferred to the Public Record Office for this purpose are taken in consultation with PRO inspecting officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his letter of 25 June to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, whether he has received any representations from institutions in other European countries about the recent changes in the natural history museum.

Maintained school leavers in England Aggregated over 1986, 1987, 1988
	Percentage of all leavers with grades A-C at GCSE/'O' level/CSE
Local education authority	Modern foreign language	Rank	Mathematics	Rank	English	Rank
Barking	6·0	(95)	17·9	(92)	24·0	(95)
Barnet	28·0	(1)	46·5	(1)	51·9	(2)
Bexley	15·2	(32)	33·0	(15)	40·7	(26)
Brent	12·9	(53)	24·4	(70)	33·7	(69)
Bromley	19·3	(12)	35·0	(10)	44·1	(12)
Croydon	14·8	(35)	28·6	(48)	40·1	(32)
Ealing	9·6	(84)	24·4	(72)	30·4	(79)
Enfield	16·5	(22)	31·2	(27)	38·7	(41)
Haringey	11·5	(68)	19·5	(89)	32·1	(75)
Harrow	18·2	(15)	43·9	(2)	53·5	(1)
Havering	11·7	(65)	30·0	(38)	38·6	(42)
Hillingdon	9·8	(81)	30·1	(35)	35·0	(60)
Hounslow	12·8	(55)	28·2	(50)	35·4	(57)
Kingston upon Thames	20·7	(6)	32·9	(16)	51·2	(4)
Merton	16·5	(21)	28·7	(47)	36·9	(49)
Newham	7·7	(93)	18·8	(91)	28·5	(87)
Redbridge	14·5	(38)	30·0	(37)	37·6	(47)
Richmond upon Thames	20·4	(7)	32·8	(17)	42·8	(18)
Sutton	25·8	(2)	40·0	(3)	46·2	(7)
Waltham Forest	9·0	(87)	15·9	(94)	24·5	(94)
Birmingham	11·2	(70)	20·8	(80)	32·2	(74)
Coventry	11·6	(66)	22·3	(76)	34·3	(63)
Dudley	14·2	(39)	27·2	(58)	33·9	(68)
Sandwell	8·0	(91)	15·4	(96)	24·6	(93)
Solihull	20·0	(8)	34·0	(13)	45·6	(8)
Walsall	12·8	(56)	21·9	(78)	32·8	(73)

No. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not received any such representations. We understand that the museum will continue to meet its statutory national and international obligations.

To ask the Attorney-General why the appeal on behalf of Danny McNamee currently imprisoned in Parkhurst prison was cancelled for July and put back to November; and if he will make a statement.

The listing of cases in the Court of Appeal criminal division is entirely a matter for the Court. I understand that Mr. McNamee's application for leave to appeal against conviction was originally listed to be heard by the court on 16 July but was relisted for 12 November, with the agreement of the parties, to enable the court to deal with another case on 16 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list, by county education authority in England, in rank order, the percentage of all pupils gaining a higher grade GCSE pass A to C in (a) a modern European language, (b) mathematics and (c) English, in 1989.

Information for 1989 is not yet available. The table gives information for school leavers, for county and metropolitan local education authorities, aggregated over the three years 1986–88 to reduce sampling error.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in rank order the percentage of all pupils gaining five or more higher grades A to C at GCSE in 1989, by county education authority in England.

Information for 1989 is not yet available. For the latest available information I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pembroke (Mr. Nicholas Bennett) on 18 January 1990, Official Report, column 333·

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps have been taken to ensure that there is ample provision within the national curriculum to allow for taking the three main sciences separately to O-level standard.

The national curriculum for science sets out a balanced science curriculum. This includes the material from the three main sciences appropriate at GCSE level as a basis for further study in the separate sciences at A-level. It will be possible for schools to cover the curriculum through separate subject science teaching but decisions on the proposed arrangements for assessment of science at age 16 have not yet been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any evidence of links between spending on education, excluding teachers' salaries, and achievements by children at nine, 13, 16 and 18 years plus; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is not aware of any such evidence. Socio-economic background is known to be linked with examination achievement at 16 and 18 years plus; research has indicated that there is no marked correlation between education spending and pupils' achievements once allowance has been made for these links.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the number of home students currently in higher education, both full-time and sandwich students other than postgraduates in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom as a whole;(2) what is the number of full-time home postgraduate students studying at levels beyond first degree in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom as a whole.

The information is as follows.

Home students in higher education in the United Kingdom by country of study and level of courses, 1987–88
Country of study	Postgraduate	First degree and other higher education	Total
England	37·7	405·6	443·2
Wales	2·6	27·1	29·7
Scotland	6·0	70·8	76·8

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what criteria he is using to decide on the establishment of a city technology college in Derby.

The criteria for choice of city technology college locations are set out in the booklet "City Technology Colleges—A New Choice of School", published in October 1986. This is available in the Library. My right hon. Friend will make his decision with regard to these criteria and in the light of comments received during the consultation he is currently undertaking with interested parties in the area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much private sector money has been (a) pledged and (b) received for the proposed city technology college in Derby.

A total of £1·15 million has so far been promised by the private sector for the proposed Derby city technology college. Of this sum, £233,000 has been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he has taken to ensure that progress regarding planning permission for the land for the city technology college in Derby is halted pending the conclusion of the consultation process.

My right hon. Friend has taken no such steps.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much public sector money has been allocated for the proposed city technology college in Derby.

The total of public sector money spent upon the proposed city technology college in Derby amounted to £1·145 million by the end of May 1990. Apart from some small administrative costs, no further funds have been, or will be, allocated until my right hon. Friend has made his decision upon the proposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to issue guidelines for consultation for the establishment of a city technology college; and if he will lay them before Parliament.

My right hon. Friend will be issuing no such guidelines. He will take decisions concerning the proposals to establish city technology colleges on which he is currently consulting in the light of all comments received from any interested parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what criteria he uses when deciding which documents to pass on to the Public Record Office.

The Department complies with the guidelines issued by the Public Record Office on the selection of documents for permanent preservation. Decisions on which documents are transferred to the Public Record Office for this purpose are taken in consultation with PRO inspecting officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what system he employs to classify, log and otherwise record each document generated by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

The Department's library maintains an online database which records every document published by the Department. Comprehensive printed lists are generated each month and cumulated annually. They are available to the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of and how many documents in 1989 he estimates were (a) passed on to the Public Record Office intact, (b) passed on to the Public Record Office in censored form, (c) retained by his Department in full, (d) retained by his Department in part, (e) destroyed, (f) otherwise disposed of and (g) otherwise unaccounted for.

No document falls due for selection and transfer to the Public Record Office until it is at least 30 years old. A document's suitability for permanent preservation under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958 will be reviewed during that period. The Act does not require statistics to be kept in the form requested and to do so would inevitably incur disproportionate cost. However, in order to comply with their duties under the Act, Departments are obliged to ensure that all documentary records are properly preserved with a view to possible transfer to the Public Record Office and eventual release to the public. The general criteria under which the Department may retain documents over 30 years old are set out in section 3(4) of the Public Records Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements he has made for calculating the general schools budget of a local education authority with regard to funding of grant-maintained schools should all the schools within that local education authority become grant maintained.

My right hon. Friend will keep in mind the prospective need for such arrangements as the grant-maintained sector grows.