To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths and injuries due to road accidents there have been in Northern Ireland since 1969.

The figures are 5,421 and 171,998 respectively to the end of 1989. The detail was as follows:

Year	Killed	Injured
1969	257	7,124
1970	272	7,902
1971	304	7,658
1972	372	8,025
1973	335	7,662
1974	316	7,188
1975	313	7,340
1976	300	7,319
1977	355	7,849
1978	288	8,080
1979	293	7,628
1980	229	7,035
1981	223	7,557
1982	216	7,923
1983	173	7,540
1984	189	8,561
1985	177	8,460
1986	236	9,206
1987	214	9,722
1988	178	10,789
1989	181	11,430
Total	5,421	171,998

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the RUC and RUC reserve are currently estimated to be Catholics; how many people were recruited to the RUC and RUCR in 1989; and what proportion of those recruits were Catholics.

[ holding answer 4 July 1990]: I am advised by the Chief Constable that at 1 January 1990, 855 members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and its reserves were perceived to be Roman Catholic. The religion of a further 388 officers could not be determined.In 1989, 556 officers were recruited to the RUC and its reserves. Seven per cent. of these were perceived to be Roman Catholic and a further 5.4 per cent. could not be determined.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants in his Department of the rank of principal or equivalent and above are graduates of Oxford and Cambridge; and how many are graduates of other universities.

[holding answer 12 July 1990]: Within the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments 991 civil servants of the rank of principal or equivalent and above are graduates.Information as to which university each individual attended is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give details of (a) the future work programme of the equal opportunities unit of the Northern Ireland civil service, in relation to the representation of (i) females and (ii) Catholics in the higher grades of the Northern Ireland civil service and (b) the timetable for the introduction and implementation of this programme of action.

[holding answer 16 July 1990]: The future work programme of the equal opportunities unit of the Northern Ireland civil service is multi-faceted. It ranges from the essential maintenance and development of its computer monitoring system, through analysis of recruitment and promotion competitions to researching ways and means of dealing with specific issues such as the adverse impact of recruitment selection procedures and the low level of representation of females and of Roman Catholics in the higher grades of the service.As I indicated in my reply to a previous question on 18 April, Vol. 170, col.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the United Kingdom is expected to ratify the United Nations convention on conservation.

I shall write to the honourable Member.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the amount of income tax the Exchequer would forgo in 1990–91 if the threshold for the starting point for the higher rate of income tax were raised to (a) £30,000, (b) £40,000, (c) £50,000, (d) £60,000, (e) £70,000, (f) £80,000, (g) £90,000 and (h) £100,000.

Estimates are as follows:

Increases to the basic rate limit from £20,700
New basic rate limit £	Direct revenue cost1 £ billion
30,000	1.6
40,000	2.5
50,000	3.0
60,000	3.3
70,000	3.5
80,000	3.7
90,000	3.8
100,000	3.9
1 for a full year at 1990–91 projected levels of income

The estimates are based on a projection of the 1987–88 survey of personal incomes and are therefore provisional, the estimates for basic rate limits above £70,000 being particularly tentative.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Gloucester on 13 July, Official Report, column 353, what is the administrative cost of implementing the change whereby value added tax is applied to (a) gas and (b) electricity bills for supplies made to domestic premises for business purposes.

I regret that no estimate is available. However, the arrangements to ease the administrative burden of taxing some supplies of fuel and power, which was required following the judgment of the European Court of Justice in June 1988, were formulated after extensive consultation with representatives of fuel and power suppliers.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures the Government intend to introduce to encourage an increase in the United Kingdom's manufacturing base.

The Finance Bill contains proposals to increase the small profits limit for the small companies' corporation tax rate and to introduce a comprehensive system of VAT relief on bad debts.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his answer of 4 April, Official Report, column 608, he will make a statement on the outcome of the price variation negotiations with Racal Data Networks Ltd. for the Government data network.

I confirm that these negotiations between the Treasury and Racal Data Networks Ltd. (RDNL) have now been completed.RDNL has the right under the Government data network contract to increase the tariff by 6.75 per cent. for the year beginning 1 April 1990. The company has agreed, however, to limit the effective rate of increase over this period to 5.06 per cent. by applying this price adjustment from 1 July 1990 instead of 1 April 1990.As foreshadowed in my answer on 4 April 1990, column

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those landfill sites surveyed earlier in the current year by Government—sponsored research which were found to be (a) poorly managed and (b) contributory to water pollution problems.

The hon. Member may be referring to the UKAEA Harwell paper published earlier this year and based on a survey two years ago on behalf of my Department. The co-operation of the site owners was given on the understanding that statistical information only would be published and no sites identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many subject access requests under the terms of the Data Protection Act his Department has received; what was his estimate of the number of requests that would be received; what consideration he is giving to the subject access fee charged by his Department as a result; and whether he will make a statement.

By 16 July 1990 my Department—including PSA—had received 491 subject access requests. No prior estimate of this number had been made and I have no plans to reconsider the level of the fee charged.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to meet local authority leaders to discuss his proposals for amending the community charge.

My right hon. Friend will be meeting the leaders of the local authority associations at the consultative council on local government finance in September. They may wish to raise the matters dealt with in his statement of 19 July, Official Report, columns 1185–89, and discussed in the consultation document issued that day.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the risk of explosion in respect of the presence of acetone or alcohol solvents in radioactive waste subject to storage and disposal; and if he will make a statement.

Conditions imposed in certificates of authorisation issued by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 for the short-term accumulation and disposal of radioactive waste take full account of the assessment made in each case concerning the nature and activity of the waste in question.For example, in the case of flammable liquids contaminated with radioactivity, conditions imposed require the waste to be kept in closed containers in a locked store which is designed and constructed so that the waste is reasonably protected from fire and that the store contains nothing else which is explosive or flammable. All authorised premises are subject to inspection by HMIP to ensure that these conditions are being met.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the report of the group of experts on cryptosporidium in water supplies is to be published.

The report of the expert group chaired by Sir John Badenoch is being published today by HMSO. I have placed copies in the Library.Following an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Swindon and that part of Oxfordshire supplied by water from Farmoor reservoir, the group was appointed in March 1989 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health and asked to examine the implications for water supplies generally. It produced an interim report in July 1989 which formed the basis of guidance issued by Government Departments to the water industry.Cryptosporidium has long been recognised as a parasite of animals and birds, but it was not until 1976 that it was shown to be capable of producing illness in man. Infection with cryptosporidium may cause acute diarrhoea. In 1989 there were about 9,000 reported cases of cryptosporidiosis in Britain; an increase over previous years which can be attributed in part to recent changes in laboratory sampling policies. The report concluded that water supplies can act as a source of human infection although the illness also spreads in other ways. Nationally, waterborne cases of cryptosporidiosis represent only a very small fraction of all cases of diarrhoea.When operated optimally, the background levels of cryptosporidium oocysts in raw water sources, current water treatment processes appear able to prevent contamination of drinking water. However, they cannot be relied upon to remove all oocysts from heavily contaminated raw water.The group highlights the importance of trying to prevent heavy contamination of raw water and of developing alternative disinfection processes to kill oocysts. It does not advocate routine monitoring of treated water for the parasite until more is known about the occurrence of cryptosporidium in the water environment and techniques for its isolation and identification are improved. The group recommends that each water undertaker should develop a strategy for monitoring in certain specific situations; and that water undertakers, health authorities and local authorities should collaborate to produce detailed contingency plans for identifying, and dealing with, any outbreak of cryptosporidiosis. The report identifies a number of subjects on which further research is required.My right hon. and right hon. and learned Friends are most grateful to Sir John Badenoch and the other members of the expert group for producing such a comprehensive and authoritative account of the present state of knowledge. The Government had accepted and endorsed their recommendations, and I have put in the Library a copy of our detailed response. Many of the recommendations involve action by other bodies, and copies of the report and the response are being sent to all water undertakers, health authorities and local authorities.The Government already have wide-ranging polices to reduce pollution of source waters from farming activities. These include advice to farmers, generous grant aid, and regulations currently being finalised. In addition, we intend to increase the maximum fine in magistrates and sheriff courts for polluting controlled waters from the present £2,000 to £20,000 at the next legislative opportunity.Some of the specific topics which the report identifies as needing further research have already been incorporated into a national research programme funded by this Department, the National Rivers Authority, the Foundation for Water Research and water undertakers, and supported by the Public Health Laboratory Service. This will now be extended to cover the remaining subjects.The Government will keep the position under review, and will consider the need for further action when the findings from the research programme become available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the reply he gave on 19 March to the hon. Members for Basildon (Mr. Amess) and for Glasgow, Rutherglen (Mr. McAvoy), Official Report, column 483–84, if he has made a further assessment of the effect of the new business rate upon sports facilities now that the rating lists have come into force.

The 25,591 sports grounds, sports stadia, playing fields and clubhouses in the rating lists for England which came into force on 1 April have average rate bills under the new system, excluding the effect of the transitional arrangements, 3.05 per cent. higher than in 1989–90. This represents a fall of about 4.5 per cent. in real terms. Average rate bills for the 3,300 golf courses, swimming pools and tennis courts in the new lists have risen by 20.6 per cent. and those for leisure and sports centres, of which there are 2,105 in the lists, by 30.3 per cent, again without transition.These figures take no account of rate relief: local authorities have discretion to grant up to 100 per cent. rate relief on property occupied by non-profit making bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the current timetable for competitive tendering for street cleaning services in the light of the proposed code of practice on litter under the Environmental Protection Bill.

A number of authorities are now making preparations to let contracts for street cleaning from 1 January 1991. We have proposed, in the Environmental Protection Bill, that there should be a new litter duty on local authorities from 1 April 1991 and that, in fulfilling that duty, authorities should have regard to standards contained in a code of practice. While consultation on that code is well advanced, it is not yet in its definitive form, and I recognise that authorities cannot easily settle the basis for new street cleaning contracts until the standards are finalised. In the case of those authorities to which the deadline of 1 January 1991 currently applies, I intend, therefore, to substitute a later deadline of 1 August 1991. In the case of those authorities to which the deadline of 1 August 1991 currently applies, I intend to substitute a later deadline of 1 January 1992. In the case of those authorities to which the deadline of 1 January 1992 applies, I intend to make no change to the deadline. I shall bring forward regulations to give effect to these changes.My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales will be making similar arrangements in respect of the competitive tendering deadlines applicable to Scottish and Welsh authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his best estimate of the current average cost of landfilling non-hazardous municipal and industrial waste per tonne; and what is the estimated cost per tonne resulting from the implementation of the Environmental Protection Bill.

[holding answer 19 July 1990]: The Department is currently reviewing the availability of waste disposal statistics, but there are no firm figures on costs currently available. We estimate that the current average cost of landfilling non-hazardous waste is about £7 per tonne and that disposal to the highest possible standards reflected in the terms of the Environmental Protection Bill is likely to be in the region of £10 to £13 per tonne or more.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department will send an official to the Brno environmental exhibition in Czechoslovakia; and if he will make a statement on British participation.

[holding answer 19 July 1990]: This Department has not received an invitation to the environmental exhibition "ENVIBRNO" in Brno, Czechoslovakia, on 23 to 25 October. On the information available to me, however, I think it unlikely that an official from this Department will attend. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade and Industry has today answered an associated question on the involvement of his Department and British industry in the exhibition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which boroughs in London have made claims to his Department for the refund of community charge benefit; and in respect of how many people in each borough such a claim has been made.

All local authorities are currently receiving monthly payments of subsidy from the Department based on their estimated 1990–91 expenditure on community charge benefit. It is largely a matter for local authorities to determine the basis for such estimates. At the end of the financial year each authority is required to make a final claim for subsidy based on the actual outturn expenditure on community charge benefit. Any difference in subsidy between the estimated claim and the final claim is adjusted accordingly.Information about numbers receiving benefit is collected independently from the subsidy information. Returns of the numbers receiving community charge benefit on 31 May have not yet been received from all London boroughs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will now publish the 1987 data on households below average income.

We expect to publish the 1987 data on households below average income shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his answer of 13 July to the right hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Sir D. Steel), Official Report, column 349, if he will give the money figures for per capita income in £ sterling and include the United Kingdom in the table.

The information is as follows:

Average GNP per capita in low income countries (excluding India and China) and average GNP per capita for DAC member countries and United Kingdom 1979–1988
Year	Low income countries GNP per capita £ sterling	DAC member countries GNP per capita £ sterling	United Kingdom GNP per capita £ sterling
1979	125	4,559	3,455
1980	168	4,597	4,046
1981	183	5,296	4,462
1982	199	6,080	4,901
1983	208	7,250	5,345
1984	178	8,644	5,671
1985	242	9,373	6,186
1986	221	10,074	6,673
1987	161	10,394	7,282
1988	194	10,617	8,051

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to the reply of 24 May, Official Report, column 368, what progress has been made on establishing a computing/information technology mission (a) in Czechoslovakia and (b) in Hungary.

We hope that information technology missions will visit Hungary and Czechoslovakia in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the value of goods and services procured by the European development fund from United Kingdom companies for each £1 contributed by the United Kingdom Government.

As at 31 March 1990, United Kingdom companies had won contracts to the value of 133.15 million ecu under the current (sixth) European development fund. This represents 13.7 per cent. of total procurement—some 27 per cent. of which is won by recipient countries. The United Kingdom contributes 16.58 per cent. of EDF VI.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries of eastern Europe and the amount that each is due to receive in each of the next five years from the know-how fund.

[holding answer 19 July 1990]: It is not possible to list the amounts that each eastern European country will receive over the next five years. These will depend on the total resources available for eastern Europe which have to be agreed in the context of the public expenditure survey, plans for spending those resources, which will depend on developments in the countries concerned, and the pattern of actual disbursements. Support under the know-how fund is at present available to Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and East Germany.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any proposals for re-opening of the Leicester to Burton railway link; and if he will make a statement.

Leicestershire county council has made an application for grant aid and credit approval in respect of the proposed reopening to passengers of this railway line. We are considering this application, but no decisions on resources for the project can be taken until the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will meet the chairman of British Rail to discuss alternative sites for the parking of railway oil tankers at Port Talbot.

Safety issues are discussed, if appropriate, at our regular meetings. I understand that loaded fuel trains are stopped briefly at Port Talbot while a new crew takes over and the train is checked. Certain empty trains returning to the refinery wait during the night at Port Talbot for periods up to four hours.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ask the railways inspectorate to examine British Rail's compliance with its statutory duties so far as safety is concerned in respect of the parking of rail-borne tankers at stations.

The railway inspectorate is examining the practice of holding fuel tanker trains at stations to ensure that all reasonably practical safety measures are being taken. I am writing to the right hon. and learned Member with further details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many passenger journeys were travelled by underground within London in 1989; what was the figure in the previous three years; and if he will make a statement;(2) how many passenger journeys were travelled by bus within London in 1989; what were the figures for the previous three years; and if he will make a statement.

The available information is given in the table:

Passenger journeys on London Regional Transport services
	Underground millions	Bus millions
1986–87	769	1,158
1987–88	798	1,249
1988–89	815	1,244
1989–90	765	1,221

The number of passenger journeys during 1989–90 was, of course, affected by industrial action during the summer of last year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to attract commuters to the London underground and London bus systems.

A total of 83 per cent. of commuters into central London already use public transport. I trust that the major investment programme being undertaken by London Transport, coupled with the quality of service objectives which the Government have set it will encourage more commuters to use its services.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what age a boy or girl may be committed to prison in England and Wales.

Although a sentence of imprisonment cannot be passed on anyone under the age of 21, other custodial sentences are available. The minimum ages for custodial sentences for boys and girls are as follows. The sentence of detention in a young offender institution is available for boys from the age of 14 and girls from the age of 15 convicted of imprisonable offences. Detention under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 is available from the age of 10 for young people of either sex convicted of murder or manslaughter; and from the age of 14 for those convicted of other offences for which an adult may be imprisoned for 14 years or more.Boys aged 15 or 16 charged with criminal offences and refused bail may be remanded in prison department custody if a court certifies them as being too unruly to be safely committed to local authority care. The adult remand arrangements apply to young people of either sex from the age of 17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what authority the 247 British citizens deported from Italy during the World Cup tournament were photographed upon arrival at Gatwick airport; what was the purpose of this photographing; what use is to be made of these photographs; and what action is open to these people to ensure that such photographs are destroyed and no records retained.

People who were returned from Italy on 26 June following incidents of violence in Rimini were photographed on their arrival at Gatwick airport by the national football intelligence unit (NFIU), which is responsible for obtaining, collating and analysing information about individuals who are suspected of being involved in acts of football hooliganism.Personal information held by NFIU on computer is subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if the pay scales of immigration officers are designed to reward proficiency in more than one language;(2) if immigration officers at ports of entry to the United Kingdom are required to speak foreign languages.

The possession of foreign language skills is not a pre-requisite of employment as an immigration officer, but it is the policy of the Department to attract new recruits who have language skills and to encourage the use of those skills in existing staff. Immigration officers who are successful in departmental language examinations are paid an allowance for each language in which they reach the required standard up to a financial limit which is reviewed regularly. Individual language allowances are higher for the more difficult languages.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the results of his evaluation of the operation of section 39 of the Public Order Act 1986 with particular reference to the interpretation of police forces of the circumstances under which the relevant powers should be exercised.

We are considering the representations which we received in response to the announcement of the evaluation of section 39 and hope to reach conclusions by the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the numbers of subject access requests made to police forces; whether he will introduce regulations to make it an offence for any person to require a data subject to seek subject access to personal data held by the police; whether he will introduce legislation to determine when police records may be used for vetting purposes; and whether he will make a statement.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that from July 1989 to June 1990 the subject access office of the national identification bureau received 10,818 requests for subject access under the Data Protection Act 1984. Of these 1,371 requests were made initially to the Metropolitan police and 9,447 to other forces. We are currently discussing with representatives of the police service and the Data Protection Registrar how to deal with enforced subject access. The Home Department is planning to mount a scrutiny in the autumn to examine the most appropriate arrangements for the maintenance of, and disclosure from, the national collection of criminal records.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision is to be taken on the application to the post in Islamabad by Shamim Ayaz, born on 31 July 1965, Home Office reference: H.162359, to join his family in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

I shall write to the hon. Member about this case shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the regulations concerning the imprisonment on remand in adult prisons of juvenile detainees.

The provisions which govern the detention in prison custody of unconvicted and convicted unsentenced juveniles are sections 23 and 34 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969, section 69 of the Children Act 1975, section 37 of the Magistrates Courts Act 1980, the Certificates of Unruly Character (Conditions) Order 1977 (Statutory Instrument 1977/1037) and the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 (Transitional Modifications of Part I) Orders 1979 and 1981 (Statutory Instruments 1979/125 and 1981/81). By virtue of section 37 of the 1980 Act, when a magistrates court commits in custody to the Crown court for sentence a young offender aged 15 or 16, the committal may be only to a remand centre or prison. By virtue of the other provisions quoted, the only other unsentenced young persons who may be committed in custody to a remand centre or prison are boys aged 15 or 16 whom a criminal court has certified to be of so unruly a character that they cannot safely be committed to the care of a local authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juveniles are held on remand at each adult prison in the United Kingdom at the latest available date.

The available information is given in the table:

Untried and convicted unsentenced males1 aged under 17 held in adult prisons2 in England and Wales on 30 April 1990: by establishment
Establishment	Number
Bristol	3
Hull	12
Leeds	1
Manchester	2
Pentonville	2
Shrewsbury	1
Winchester	1
All adult prisons	22
1 No unsentenced juvenile girls were held on 30 April 1990.
2 A further 62 were held in remand centres taking only prisoners aged under 21.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many youngsters aged 16 years or under have committed suicide while in custody in each of the last 20 years; at which institutions; and what was the age of each.

[holding answer 19 July 1990]: In the last 20 years six inmates aged 16 or under have died at their own hand while in prison custody. The details are as follows:

Year	Establishment	Age	Verdict recorded at Coroner's inquest
1971	Cardiff	15	Suicide
1976	Pucklechurch	15	Suicide
1978	Hindley	16	Suicide
1981	Rochester	16	Suicide
1983	Manchester	16	Suicide
1990	Swansea	15	Not yet held

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders aged under 17 years are in Her Majesty's prisons at present.

[holding answer 19 July 1990]: According to the records held centrally, on 30 April 1990, the latest date for which information is readily available, 65 untried, 19 convicted unsentenced and 21 sentenced juveniles were held in prisons and remand centres in England and Wales. Of these 44 untried and 18 convicted unsentenced juveniles were held in remand centres for young offenders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the correspondence between the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde and his Department's Under-Secretary for State on the subject of increases in charges made for policing at Football League grounds in England and Wales.

A reply to the hon. Member's letter to me of 12 July about this matter will be sent to him as soon as possible. A copy will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines he is issuing to police authorities on the assessment of charges for the policing of football matches following recent increases in the levels of such charges.

These charges are a matter for police authorities. Lord Justice Taylor's report recommended that their charges should be more realistic. We are therefore consulting the football authorities, the local authority associations and police representative bodies on the terms of the Home Office circular advising police authorities to recover as far as practicable the full cost of providing police officers inside football grounds.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the death of Philip Andrew Knight in Swansea prison.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Philip Knight will, as in all cases of death in prison custody, be thoroughly investigated at a coroner's inquest. It would not be right for me to comment on the details of the case until the inquest has taken place.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the regulations pertaining in (a) adult prisons and (b) juvenile penal establishments concerning the observation of prisoners considered to be at risk of committing suicide.

Once an inmate has been identified as potentially suicidal it is for the prison medical officer to decide what form of special supervision is needed, depending on the seriousness of the risk. Broadly speaking, continuous supervision is considered appropriate where the medical officer believes there is an immediate risk of the inmate harming him or herself. Where continuous supervision is impracticable, or where the medical officer considers the inmate to present some suicide risk but not so immediately as to require continuous supervision, the inmate should normally be placed under intermittent supervision. Where this is ordered, the inmate will normally be observed by a member of staff at approximately 15-minute intervals. Where, exceptionally, this is not possible, the governor or medical officer may order the frequency of observation to be reduced, but not below once every 30 minutes.Detailed guidance on special supervision procedures, and on all other aspects of suicide prevention (for example, the location of suicidal inmates and sources of help and support), is set out in circular instruction 20/1989, a copy of which is in the Library. The guidance applies to all prison service establishments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many autopsies were carried out in England and Wales for the latest year for which information is available.

The number of post mortems ordered by coroners is published in table 1 of the Home Office statistical bulletin issue 14/90 "Statistics of Deaths reported to Coroners: England and Wales 1989", a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for pollution have been undertaken against the owners of (a) lorries, (b) buses, (c) motor cycles and (d) other motor vehicles in respect of air pollution and noise, respectively, in the past 12 month for which figures are available; and what are the comparable figures for the previous 12-month period.

The available information about offences relating to motor vehicles is published annually in Home Office statistical publications. These statistics do not identify the type of vehicle involved. Summary information is set out in the bulletin entitled "Offences relating to Motor Vehicles, England and Wales"; the most recent number 34/89, included data for 1988. Detailed information is given in the publication "Offences relating to Motor Vehicles, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables". Copies of these publications are available in the Library.Details of noise offences, offence group 22, are included in the supplementary tables publications. Emission of smoke offences are not separately identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he or his colleagues last met the chairman of ADT Ltd. regarding the opening of city technology colleges in Wandsworth.

My right hon. Friend last met Mr. Michael Ashcroft, the chairman of ADT plc, on 9 January 1990 to discuss the proposal to establish a city technology college at Wandsworth. They also met informally at a dinner given by the CTC Trust on 31 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received on the introduction of a baccalaureate; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett) on 8 May 1990, Official Report, col. 10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his talks about proposed negotiating machinery for teachers' pay and conditions.

My right hon. Friend is now considering the responses of the teacher unions and employers to his proposals for new permanent pay negotiation machinery. He will announce his conclusions in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has completed his review of the arrangements made by local education authorities to give effect to the recommendations in his Department's circular No. 4/88 for the protection of children from abuse.

This review has recently been completed, and the Department is writing today to local education authorities to convey my right hon. Friend's thanks for their co-operation with it and to give them some feedback. We are encouraged both by the positive manner in which authorities have responded to our advice and by the confirmation that the measures we recommended are proving generally helpful and workable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools in England of fewer than 50 pupils closed in (a) 1975, (b) 1980, (c) 1985 and (d) 1989; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 16 July 1990]: The information for the years, 1985, 1980 and 1975 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.In England, 36 maintained schools with fewer than 50 pupils were closed in 1989.The criteria against which my right hon. Friend considers proposals to reorganise schools are set out in the Department's circular 3/87, which makes it clear that assessing the viability of an individual school is not solely a matter of the number of pupils on roll. A copy of the circular is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 13 June to the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns), Official Report, column 212, what further progress is being made on the implementation of the European Commission bank accounts directive.

My Department has today issued a consultative document inviting comments on draft regulations to implement the EC bank accounts directive. Copies will be placed in the Library. Views are invited on the draft regulations attached to the consultative document by 19 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has yet received the formal Community decision on the Rover Group.

I received the formal Community decision on 19 July, and have placed copies in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the reasons there was an exceptional tax allowance pool prior to the sale of Rover in August 1988.

[holding answer 17 July 1990]: I presume the hon. Member has in mind the reference in the National Audit Office report (appendix 2, paragraph 2.1.2) to

"the exceptional size of the capital allowance pools"

As that paragraph went on to explain, this was

"resulting from previous disclaimers of allowances".

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest information available to the Government about the current value to British Aerospace of the lifting of the ring fences on Rover's capital losses and allowances in July 1988.

[holding answer 17 July 1990]: This must be a matter for British Aerospace, but the report by Touche Ross for the National Audit Office in September 1989 put the commercial net present value of the trading losses and capital allowance pools at £33 million to £40 million and assigned a "negligible or nil value" to the capital losses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby on 3 April, Official Report, column 507, he can now indicate the Auditing Practices Committee's policy on release of information.

I understand that the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies is now undertaking a comprehensive review of the methods of operation of its Auditing Practices Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will seek to amend the Companies Act to provide a statutory definition of (a) revenue, (b) an expense and (c) liability.

No. These terms are in general use and well understood. If definitions are required in particular contexts, that is best dealt with in accounting standards or other professional guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many licences have been granted in the last 10 years for the export of tear gas to (a) Yugoslavia and (b) Tunisia.

Such information is not readily available, and could be produced only at extremely disproportionate cost, as export licensing does not maintain records of export licence applications by specific products.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new initiatives he has taken to improve trade relations with Germany.

I intend to maintain close contacts with my German counterparts on all aspects of bilateral and EC business involving my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department is intending to pay compensation to those investors who dealt with Dunsdale Securities when it was under Department of Trade and Industry licence.

I see no grounds for considering compensation payments to investors who placed money with Dunsdale Securities Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) of 26 June, Official Report, column 129, (1) whether the auditors' certificates issued by his Department to Dunsdale Securities were qualified in any way;(2) whether the auditors of Dunsdale Securities appointed by his Department were fully recognised by an appropriate accountancy body.

[holding answer 12 July 1990]: The Department does not issue audit certificates to companies or appoint their auditors, nor did it do so under the regulatory system put in place by the Prevention of Fraud (Investments) Act 1958 which was repealed in April 1988 upon entry into force of the Financial Services Act 1986. The auditors' reports and verifications provided to the Department in relation to applications and annual monitoring returns for Dunsdale Securities were in accordance with the requirements of the Dealers in Securities (Licensing) Regulations 1983 made under the Prevention of Fraud (Investments) Act 1958: they were not subject to any qualifications. Dunsdale Securities Ltd. employed auditors who, when they signed the reports and verifications, were members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, were qualified in accordance with the law and held a practising certificate issued by the institute. One of the auditors was subsequently excluded from membership of the institute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest index of output figures for the textile and clothing industries; and what the figures were one year ago.

The information is as follows:

Index of Production (1985=100)
	Textiles (SIC 43)	Clothing (SIC 453)
May 1989	98	97
May 1990	92	98
Percentage change	-5.8	+0.2
March-May 1989	99.8	97.1
March-May 1990	92.7	100.6
Percentage change	-7.1	+3.6

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will provide the latest available statistics for the import content of raw materials consumption.

Based on information published in the latest available input-output tables for 1984, the proportion of all purchases by the energy and manufacturing industries accounted for by imports was approximately 26 per cent. Purchases include both raw materials and semi-manufactures, which cannot be separately distinguished. I will write to my hon. Friend in more detail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what involvement his Department has had in encouraging British firms to sell environmental control equipment to the countries of eastern Europe at the forthcoming Brno exhibition in Czechoslovakia; with what results; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 19 July 1990]: When my Department's programme of assistance of overseas trade for 1990–91 was drawn up last year, consideration was given to the inclusion of a British group at the exhibition to which the hon. Member refers (ENVIBRNO). However, demand for support at other trade fairs worldwide was so great that it was not possible to include ENVIBRNO in the programme. There was, of course, nothing to prevent United Kingdom firms from attending ENVIBRNO if they wished to do so.The Department is providing support for some 60 British companies at the annual Brno general engineering fair in September, where it is expected that some will be exhibiting environmental control equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what is his estimate of the United Kingdom content of television sets produced in the United Kingdom in 1973, 1975, 1985 and the latest year for which an estimate is feasible;(2) what is his estimate of the United Kingdom content of cars and commercial vehicles produced in the United Kingdom in 1973, 1979, 1985 and the latest year for which an estimate is feasible.

[holding answer 18 July 1990]: Information on which to base a reliable estimate is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the annual exports from the United Kingdom of chlorofluorocarbons for each year from 1979 to 1989; what is the figure for 1990 to the most recent practicable date; and what estimate he has made of the quantities which will be exported in 1991 and 1992.

[holding answer 19 July 1990]: This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his reply of 16 July, Official Report, column 384, under what legal provision EEC inspectors entered the office of Lord King, chairman of British Airways, and inspected the chairman's personal banking papers; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 19 July 1990]: Commission officials visited British Airways on 23–24 February, by prior arrangement with the company. The Commission was investigating an agreement between BA, KLM and Sabena which had been notified by the airlines under the Community's competition rules. The relevant powers are set out in article 11 of Council regulation (EEC) 3975/87, which lays down competition procedures for air transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give the most recently available output figures for the United Kingdom machine tool industry in money and real physical output terms, and the equivalent figures in Germany, France and Italy, for the latest available statistical periods.

[holding answer 18 July 1990]: Information on numbers or weight of machine tools produced is not readily available. The most recent data on output of machine tools in money terms may be found in the latest issue of "Engineering Sales and Orders", a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library. The table shows the most recent international comparisons from industry sources:

	Machine tool production in 1989 (£ million)
United Kingdom	969
France	590
West Germany	4,840
Italy	1,835

To ask the Prime Minister whether she has any plans to convene meetings to assess the characteristics of any or each of the European Community countries for the development of European policy.

I have nothing further to add to the replies given to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Sparkbrook (Mr. Hattersley) on 17 July 1990, at column 859.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what instructions have been issued to the Training Agency with regard to the treatment of child care costs for single parent employment training trainees.

Training and enterprise councils (TECs) and Training Agency area offices must ensure that provision is made for the costs of caring for children of lone parents who have one or more children under the age of 16 and who are participants in assessment or training on ET. TECs may also make provision for child care out of their local initiative funds. Funding arrangements for child care are for negotiation between individual training agents, training managers and the TEC or area office concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how the cost of child care for single parent employment training trainees is to be covered under the new contract; and whether the Training Agency is including child care costs as part of the single unit per training place.

Contracts with training agents and training managers require them to ensure that child care provision is made for lone parents who have one or more children under the age of 16 and who are participating in assessment or are trainees on ET. Arrangements for funding child care are for negotiation between individual training agents and training managers and the training and enterprise council or Training Agency area office concerned. Provision for child care may be included within composite unit costs or funded separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the effects of illiteracy and innumeracy upon future prospects for British employers.

Available evidence indicates that as many as 6 million people in the adult population may have experienced some difficulty with literacy or numeracy either in the workplace or outside. Lack of basic word and number skills is clearly a barrier to effective performance at work and, in turn, profitability. The problem is as much the concern of employers as of individuals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the Government's measures to encourage the tourism industry since 1979.

The then Secretary of State announced the conclusions of the Government's major review of their support to the tourism industry on 6 July and 28 November 1989. With the sharper focus of Government support, my right hon. and learned Friend is confident that the industry will continue to prosper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to the statements of the Minister of State of 29 November 1989, Official Report, column 761, concerning the Government's estimates of the cost of establishing a minimum wage, if he will state when the research referred to was conducted and completed.

Work estimating the effect of a national minimum wage in the context of the social charter started in early October 1989. The estimate of the costs of imposing the national minimum wage, referred to on 29 November, became available in mid-November. Subsequently, a note on method was written, and the work continued to be under review until the end of January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 9 July, Official Report, column 98, to the hon. Member for Stretford, on the effects on pay differentials from the introduction of a minimum wage, what would be the total effects if it is assumed that differentials are restored by one half only (a) where, according to the new earnings survey and other departmental sources, more than 50 per cent. of workers in a particular industry earn between half and two thirds of national average earnings, (b) where more than half the workers in an industry are paid below the minimum wage, (c) for those earning up to two thirds average earnings and (d) in the (i) retailing, (ii) distributive trades, (iii) miscellaneous services and (iv) national and local government industries.

Such estimates could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Stretford, 2 February, Official Report, column 375, on minimum wage effects, what is the estimated direct cost of raising all those to the minimum wage assumed in the note, broken down as follows: (a) industrial category, (b) region, (c) public sector and (d) private sector and the costs in each case.

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 9 July, Official Report, column 98, to the hon. Member for Stretford, regarding the assumptions contained in the Treasury model on the demand effects of the introduction of a minimum wage (a) how many jobs will be gained as a direct result of the higher wages paid according to the simulations done for the Treasury paper, "The Relationship Between Employment and Wages" and (b) what are the estimated demand effects according to the latest version of the Treasury model.

The simulations reviewed in the Treasury paper, "The Relationship Between Employment and Wages" produced an estimate of the impact of changes in real wages on employment. This is an estimate of the net change taking into account both the effects on consumer demand of changes in real wages, as well as the offsetting effects on company sector demand which arise from corresponding changes in their costs. It is, therefore, not possible to make a separate estimate of how many jobs will be gained as a direct result of the higher wages paid.It has not, since 1978, been the practice to run particular simulations on the Treasury model to meet specific outside requests, but the hon. Member will be aware that the current version of the model is available in the Library for Members' use.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what criteria are used in deciding whether accident prevention advisory unit reports are made public by (a) the Health and Safety Executive or (b) the employer involved.

It is not the Health and Safety Executive's policy to publish the reports of its accident prevention advisory unit which rely on information provided in confidence by employers. Publication by employers is a matter for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Health and Safety Executive intends to make public the full findings of the accident prevention advisory unit report into health and safety issues arising from construction of the channel tunnel; and if he will make a statement.

The Health and Safety Executive does not intend to publish the report but has sent a copy to the Select Committee on Employment, at its request. Chapter 16, which contains the report's conclusions, has already been published by the contractors, who, with assistance from HSE, are bringing the report to the attention of their work force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the arrangements for approving training providers under new youth training and employment training.

In April 1986, three years after its introduction, the youth training scheme was extended into a two-year programme. At the same time all YTS training providers were required to achieve approved training organisation status. The purpose of the approval process was to ensure that all providers developed and maintained training of the highest possible quality. By October 1988 all providers delivering YTS met the required standards. These arrangements have been carried forward into new youth training which I launched on 28 June.Drawing on the YTS experience a similar stringent approval process was introduced into employment training from its outset in September 1988. In April 1990 the approvals process was streamlined so that seven common criteria now apply to both employment training and new youth training. These are:Stage1:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what secure units, and how many places, are available for young offenders in (a) the Swansea area, (b) south Wales and (c) Wales as a whole.

The following secure units, and places, are available in Wales:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what responsibility he has for Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution's operations and activities in Wales.

My right hon. Friend has joint responsibility with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment for the operations and activities of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will consult Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution as regards pollution created by BP Chemicals at Baglen bay, Port Talbot;(2) if he will take appropriate action to deal with pollution created by BP Chemicals at Baglen bay, Port Talbot.

I am advised by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution (HMIP) that the pollution referred to in these questions is primarily that associated with the flaring of light hydrocarbon material during periods of major plant commissioning or plant upset. The impact of such flaring is a high luminosity flame, and noise associated with the use of steam injection to ensure complete combustion of flared material. HMIP received complaints during the commissioning period of the BP petrochemical complex from 27 May to 10 June. It had 95 representations via BP Chemicals' complaint procedure system, and a similar number via Port Talbot borough council environmental health department. Six complaints were received directly by HMIP. We understand that most complaints were received by BP and the local authority over the critical period from 1 June to 5 June when instability in the refrigeration system resulted in flaring.HMIP tells me that the commissioning of any major petrochemical works will inevitably result in some degree of flaring as the flare system is vital for major equipment protection and safety of personnel. HMIP assures me, however, that it is being kept fully informed of the situation at BP Chemicals by communications with the company and is currently assessing the results of internal investigations into the flaring incidents and will be taking any action deemed necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements have been made to continue the outstanding commitments on Corlan housing association's grant-aided development programme.

Under the terms of the rescue package for Corlan housing association drawn up by Housing for Wales, the outstanding commitments on Corlan's grant-aided development programme will be taken over by Housing for Wales and then placed with other housing associations.As an interim arrangement instead of paying housing association grant, Housing for Wales will need to make payments direct to contractors. Parliamentary approval of this expenditure will be sought in a winter supplementary estimate for class XVI, vote 6. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at a total cost of £6.4 million is being met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will place in the Library copies of all notifications provided by his Department to the European Commission relating to the level and extent of the non-fossil fuel obligation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ashfield (Mr. Haynes) on Monday 26 March at column 5.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey, Official Report, 10 July, column 155, on the fossil fuel levy, if he will give details of the projected scope for efficiency savings within Nuclear Electric until 1998 as identified by his Department.

No. This is a commercial matter for Nuclear Electric plc.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to update the projections in energy paper 55; and if he will make a statement.

I expect to review energy paper 55 in 1991. This will include both the projections and Government programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his most recent estimate of the maximum potential for wind power generation in the United Kingdom.

Government views on the potential for renewable energy sources were laid out in energy paper 55. A contribution of up to 30 TWh/y from land-based turbines was estimated by the year 2025 if R and D programmes were successful and the technology could be deployed commercially.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) with whom discussions have taken place about the sale by private treaty of PowerGen;(2) which companies are advising him on the possible sale of PowerGen by private treaty;(3) what steps are being taken to protect public financial interests under the private treaty method of sale for PowerGen.

In preparing the electricity industry for privatisation, I am bound to consider with my financial advisers all options for maximising proceeds consistent with the Government's objectives for the industry. All such discussions are confidential. It would not be right to rule out the possibility of a trade sale if a suitable purchaser emerged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is (a) the total quantity and (b) the total percentage of plutonium arising from the reprocessing of foreign spent fuel that has been returned to its country of origin, for each foreign country whose fuel has been accepted, for each year from 1965 to 1989, inclusive.

I understand from British Nuclear Fuels plc that, between 1965 and 1989, some 3.5 tonnes of plutonium from the reprocessing of overseas spent fuel were returned to the country of origin or sent to a country specified by the owner of the plutonium. The bulk of this plutonium has been of Japanese or Italian origin with smaller amounts originating in Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, Spain or Switzerland. At the end of 1989, some 0.5 tonnes of extracted plutonium were held in stock at Sellafield awaiting return to overseas owners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement about the proposed capital reduction for the National Grid Company.

A court hearing is scheduled for Monday 30 July. This is an important part of the process for establishing the capital structure of the company in preparation for the move to the private sector as part of the sale of the 12 regional electricity companies later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish the report of the Hinkley Point C inquiry before he announces his decision and before the House rises for the summer Adjournment.

[pursuant to his reply 2 July 1990, c. 431]: I am now in a position to inform the House that I shall not be able to announce my decision regarding Nuclear Electric's application before the House rises for the summer Adjournment. As I have previously indicated it is my intention to publish my decision and the inspector's report simultaneously in the late summer.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now ban the use of those offals specified in the bovine offals order in (a) pet food and (b) feed for pigs and poultry.

I am considering the recommendation by the Select Committee on Agriculture of a statutory ban on the use of these materials in pet food. In doing so I will need to bear in mind whether there is any scientific evidence for such action.There is no evidence to support banning the use of these materials in pig and poultry feed.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy in respect of disposal of those cattle offals banned for use for human consumption which are not held in storage by the rendering industry.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 7 December 1989, (Official Report, column 374).

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now instigate an inquiry into the production of animal feed.

I am considering the recommendation of the Select Committee on Agriculture that such an inquiry should be undertaken.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has of the prevalence of the practice of feeding chicken manure to (a) cattle, (b) pigs and (c) poultry; what is his policy in respect of this practice; and if he will make a statement.

As far as I am aware, chicken manure is not fed direct to animals and ensiled poultry litter is fed only to cattle. Free-range chickens may of course naturally eat their own and other chicken's droppings.Anyone ensiling such material is subject to the provisions of the Processed Animal Protein Order 1989 which requires registration with the Department and microbiological testing of the end product. Regular checks on the ensiling process are carried out by the state veterinary service.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now introduce a comprehensive system for identifying and tracking the offspring of cattle.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 4 July, Official Report, column 590.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now ban the splitting of cattle heads in abattoirs.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 10 July 1990, Official Report, column 270.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details for June 1989 and June 1990 of all (a) non-cod and (b) cod landings from sea area VIIA broken down by vessel length band for (i) east coast Scottish, (ii) west coast Scottish, (iii) English, (iv) Welsh and (v) Northern Irish, indicating within each category the number of vessels and tonnages landed.

I regret that it would be too expensive to give a detailed response to the questions posed by my hon. Friend. I will, however, make a general statement about the alleged misreporting of cod in the Irish sea and off the west coast of Ireland.The non-sector's quota of cod in the Irish sea for 1990 is 1,858 tonnes. Approximately half this quota was apparently taken by Scottish vessels and landed into Scotland during June and early July. In addition, landings into Scotland of cod reported as taken from the west of Ireland (areas VIIb and VIIc) have shown a marked increase in the second half of June. The Irish sea cod fishery has had to be closed to the non-sector as its quota for the year has already been exhausted.The industry has stated its view that some Scottish vessels have been misreporting fish caught in the North sea or off the west coast of Scotland as coming from the Irish sea or off the west coast of Ireland, and has asked that catches should be reallocated from the latter to the former areas.Fisheries Departments accept that the circumstantial evidence points to misreporting having taken place. The Irish sea cod fishery is traditionally a spring and winter fishery and high catches in summer are unusual. The pattern of landings this year is very different from experience. Moreover, the rate of uptake by the non-sector has not been paralleled by the sector. However, departments cannot act to penalise a particular group of vessels or to compensate Irish sea fishermen affected on the basis of rumour or circumstantial evidence; they can act only following successful prosecution of offenders. Departments are examining all fishing documents and, if they can secure hard evidence of misreporting, they will prosecute.In the meantime, Departments are looking urgently at ways of limiting misreporting in future, and hope to be able to set up a system later this year. I know that the industry has in the past rejected tougher enforcement measures in view of their cost and inconvenience, but if it is serious about limiting misreporting, I hope that it will now accept the need for firm action.If a system to limit misreporting can be established quickly, Departments will try to obtain more quota from another member state with the aim of reopening the Irish sea cod fishery to the non-sector later this year. However, such a swap would depend on the successful identification of another United Kingdom stock to offer in exchange.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of persons on hospital waiting lists per 1,000 persons within (a) Norwich district health authority, (b) East Anglian regional health authority and (c) all district health authorities in England.

The information requested has been placed in the Library. The waiting list per thousand resident population may be misleading because a significant, though varying, proportion of patients on the waiting list are referred by general practitioners in other districts. The relevant population for comparison is therefore the "catchment" population which in many cases varies substantially from the resident population.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the number of people who have been treated for psychiatric or physical injuries following harassment for being HIV-positive.

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all projects in the United Kingdom of which he is aware involved in researching the AIDS virus, together with their expenditure, noting specifically where the Government have financed or partly financed them.