To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current percentage collection rate by each local authority for the poll tax; what is the shortfall in revenue; and by how much poll tax rates would have to be increased in each case to compensate for the loss of revenue from non-payment.

The Government have no comprehensive information on current collection rates. We shall be receiving details of collection rates at 30 September 1990 from local authorities and this information will be collated and made available to the local authority associations in the same way as was the information for 30 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the latest figures he has for actual spending in 1989–90 and planned spending in 1990–91 for (a) each of the London boroughs, (b) the metropolitan districts of Salford, Stockport, Trafford, Sefton, Wirral, Coventry, Sandwell, Bradford and Leeds and (c) the shire counties of Cambridgeshire, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hereford and Worcestershire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

The available information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, what was (a) the capital expenditure and (b) the revenue expenditure of (i) Baleigh district council, (ii) Forest Heath district council, (iii) Ipswich borough council, (iv) Mid-Suffolk district council, (v) St. Edmundsbury district council, (vi) Suffolk Coastal district council, (vii) Waveney district council and (viii) Suffolk county council in each year from (1) 1985–86 and (2) to 1990–91.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will detail the amounts received by (a) Baleigh district council, (b) Forest Heath district council, (c) Ipswich borough council, (d) Mid-Suffolk district council, (e) St. Edmundsbury district council, (f) Suffolk coastal district council, (g) Waveney district council, (h)

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the relationship of community charge to rates in the manner of his answer to the hon. Member for Ealing, Acton (Sir G. Young) on 19 June, Official Report, column 480, using actual rates of community charge set by local authorities.

The analyses already provided offer the most valid illustration of the distributional effects of the introduction of the community charge system. Use of actual community charges would not provide a proper comparison with 1989–90 rates since increases in local authority spending mean that the community charge is raising 30 per cent. more revenue than was raised by domestic rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on the implementation of the Local Government Superannuation (Amendment) Regulations 1990; and if he will make a statement.

The Local Government Superannuation (Amendment) Regulations 1990 came into force on 17 September. Comments on the draft regulations were invited from interested parties in April, and 14 replies were received. These included a detailed response from the United Kingdom steering committee on behalf of local authorities in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 18 July, Official Report, column 562, what consideration he has given to the most appropriate measures for protecting archaeological finds made on unscheduled sites.

My Department is currently discussing this issue with English Heritage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements will be made arising from the proposed reorganisation of the Nature Conservancy Council to co-ordinate applications for nature conservation grants for projects with a Great Britain interest or which relate to more than one country; and whether the Joint Nature Conservation Committee will take a co-ordinating role.

The Government has already made it clear that the new agencies should agree efficient procedures for dealing with applications for nature conservation grants which cover more than one agency's interests, in order to prevent duplication of funding and to avoid unnecessary work for applicants. Grants are an executive function for the country agencies themselves and there is no need for any statutory or other formal provision for involvement by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list each nitrate derogation which has been granted to each water company in England and Wales, giving the date when each derogation was issued and the expiry date;(2) if he will list each centre of population which receives drinking water which is in breach of European Community nitrate limits.

Derogations for nitrate which were granted in 1985 were withdrawn by the government in 1988. For those supplies which breach the EC and national standard for nitrate, or where there has been a past breach which is likely to recur, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has accepted an undertaking from the water company under section 20 of the Water Act 1989 to secure compliance with the standard. All supplies will comply by 1995 at the latest. Those supplies which do not meet the standard in the interim are not considered to endanger health. Copies of the undertakings by the water service companies are available in the Library.I am arranging for copies of the undertakings my right hon. Friend has accepted from the statutory water companies to be placed in the Library.Undertakings accepted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales are a matter for the Welsh Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment further to his reply of 19 July, Official Report, column 729, if he will give details and results of all surveys of groundwater contamination in Staffordshire undertaken by the National Rivers Authority.

The National Rivers Authority has a network of 75 regularly measured groundwater quality monitoring points in Staffordshire. The network particularly covers the triassic sandstone aquifer which is a major source of public water supplies in the county. The data collected from the monitoring surveys is lodged on the public Water Act register which is held at the authority's Severn Trent region's office.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps he has taken to ensure that the chargepayer's privacy is adequately protected when information is disclosed by a community charge registration office or charging authority without the knowledge or consent of the charge payer; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether he will introduce regulations to provide that a community charges registration officer should not disclose information about a charge payer to another community charges registration officer without the knowledge or informed and express consent of the charge payer; and whether he will make a statement.

Community charges registration officers and charging authorities may only make use of information they have obtained in carrying out their statutory functions in accordance with their powers under the Local Government Finance Act 1988, and are bound by the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984. There is no intention to alter this position.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department will take positive steps to discuss with the Data Protection Registrar, all his Department's legislation that impacts on the use, collection, processing or holding of personal data; and whether he will make a statement.

I am reminding my officials of the need to consult the registrar about proposed legislation which might affect or be affected by the Data Protection Act 1984.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his answer of 19 July, Official Report, column 726, when he intends to publish the results of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution's survey into landfill sites to determine those with the potential to generate landfill gas; and which sites have been and are being monitored in Staffordshire.

The results of the survey are expected to be published in the near future. The survey has identified 22 gassing or potentially gassing sites in Staffordshire. It

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has given to local authorities concerning advice to the general public of health hazards associated with blue-green algae.

Advice from the Department of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is included in the standard letters sent by the National Rivers Authority to chief environmental health officers, medical officers of environmental health and site owners when particular water bodies are identified as being likely to develop potentially toxic algal blooms. This advice is also included in a leaflet containing information on the dangers associated with blue-green algae published by the National Rivers Authority on 6 June. The wide distribution given to this leaflet included environmental health officers as well as owners and users of recreational water facilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of all research currently undertaken into blue-green algae.

As part of the work of its task group on blue-green algae, the National Rivers Authority has undertaken a comprehensive survey of research into this field, both in this country and overseas. Details are included in the report published by the National Rivers Authority on 1 October. The report makes a number of detailed recommendations for further research which are being carefully considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of home ownership currently (a) in number and (b) as a percentage of all housing; and what are the comparable figures for 1980, 1970 and 1960.

The information is as follows:would be for Staffordshire county council as the waste disposal authority to provide any details about the number of sites currently being monitored.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many voluntary agencies, who in 1989 received Government funding under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985, did not do so in the current year.

Fourteen. However, the following 23 organisations received section 73 grant for the first time this year:

• Brighton Housing Trust
• Centrepoint (Soho)
• Chester Lodgings and Support Group
• Coventry Day Centre
• Housing Aid for Youth, Blyth
• Key House Project, Keighley
• Leicester Night Shelter
• Lodgers
• The London Connection
• St. Martin in the Fields Social Care Unit
• The National Foster Care Association
• Newark Young Single Homeless Trust
• North Lambeth Day Centre
• The Passage Day Centre, Westminster
• The Portsmouth Housing Trust
• Reading Emergency Accommodation Project
• Riverpoint Single Homeless Ltd., London
• St Basil's Centre, Birmingham
• The Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, London
• Thames Reach, London
• Threshold, Hammersmith
• West End Co-ordinated Voluntary Services for Homeless Single People, London
• Yeldall Christian Centre.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further criteria were used to determine which voluntary agencies received funding in the current year in addition to section 73 of the Housing Act 1985.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedfordshire, North (Sir T. Skeet), on 5 June, at column 485.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on the timetable for the cleaning of the exterior of the inner courtyards of the Palace of Westminster.

The work to repair and clean the stonework in the courtyards is due to begin in 1994–95 following the completion of the work to the Victoria tower.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the typical gross rate of return on uncontrolled rents of private residences in the private sector in (a) central London and (b) north-west England as a percentage of the capital value of the asset.

We do not yet have sufficient information on the level of rents being charged for assured tenancies to serve as a basis for estimates of the rate of return on capital. A survey intended to provide such information is currently in hand.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account the autumn statement on standard spending assessment will take of the necessary expenditure incurred by local authorities on (a) pollution control, (b) enforcement, (c) prevention, (d) training of staff and (e) all extra duties to be conferred following the enactment of the Environmental Protection Bill.

Extra duties falling to local authorities were one element in my right hon. Friend's decision to increase aggregate external finance for local authorities by 12·8 per cent. for 1991–92. He expects to make his proposals for standard spending assessments, including control totals for service blocks, in the next few weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reach conclusions about measures necessary to conserve peatlands; if he is satisfied that the current options offer sufficient scope to accommodate both continued peat extraction and conservation; and if he will make a statement.

The noble Lord Reay's response to the debate on peatland issues, which took place in another place on 9 May 1990, indicated that there were a considerable number of matters to be addressed. Work on these is progressing both in my Department and elsewhere, but information on some key aspects is not yet available. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State hopes to be able to make a statement about measures necessary to conserve peatlands during the first half of 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his efforts in the last three months to establish the extent of the changes in the population of frogs and other amphibians over the last decade; and if he will detail the effect on frogs of habitat loss and pesticides.

The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) has commissioned Leicester Polytechnic to undertake an inquiry to provide information on the current status of widespread species of amphibians and reptiles.Provisional information shows that the status of the frog has continued to improve during the 1980s; it has increased in seven of the NCC's regions and not changed appreciably in the other eight. The crested newt has done least well of the species studied, but the rate of decline has slowed. The toad, the smooth newt and the palmate newt have more or less held their own nationally during the 1980s.In instances where frog numbers had declined, and where the reasons for decline were given, 88 per cent. of correspondents mentioned habitat loss. Nobody specifically mentioned pesticides.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by region, and date of completion, all projects completed where city grant has been paid, the name of company, the amount of private investment and the amount of grant paid for these projects.

The information requested is shown in the following table. Although some schemes are physically complete some of them are still incurring expenditure and in those cases final claims are still to come. A further 54 schemes are currently under construction.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he has received about the effects on residents of the introduction of Sunday markets;(2) whether he intends to take any action to control the spread of Sunday markets.

The Department has received a small number of representations about Sunday markets during the last 12 months. The representations have commonly raised issues relating to noise nuisance, traffic congestion, permitted development rights, unauthorised operators, and amenity.Local authorities already have a variety of statutory powers to control markets, and my right hon. Friend has no plans for further legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the pressure on the resources of the NCC of their increased volume of planning applications coming from the south-east of England; and if he will make a statement.

The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) has drawn attention to this pressure in the corporate planning documents submitted this year. It will be taken into account when determining the grant-in-aid to be made available to the Nature Conservancy Council for England next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his proposed guidelines to the chairmen of development corporations will include arrangements relating to compulsory purchase powers in respect of land acquisition; and if he will make a statement.

The guidance will contain advice on handling any conflicts of interest which may appear to arise from the use of compulsory purchase powers by an urban development corporation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the procedures adopted for the letting of contracts or the offering of consultancies by the Sheffield development corporation have conformed with the procedures outlined in his answer of 20 December 1989, Official Report, column 329; and if he will make a statement;(2) what steps his Department takes to ensure that all development corporations are following the procedures laid down in regulations arising out of the Local Government Act 1988 or similar previous enactments relating to competitive tendering, together with appropriate EC directives; and if he will make a statement.

Guidance on the competitive tendering requirements of the Local Government Act 1988 and EC directives was issued to all UDCs, including Sheffield, in December 1988. The Department monitors compliance through arrangements for project approval, post implementation sampling of projects, and the work of external auditors appointed by the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will now publish the report of the investigation into the running of Sheffield development corporation; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he intends to take any action arising from the recommendations of the inquiry into the operation of the Sheffield development corporation in respect of separating out potential conflict of interest arising out of appointments held in companies or organisations who may have a commercial or other similar relationship with the development corporation, to review the membership of the Sheffield development corporation board; and if he will make a statement.

Those who gave evidence to Sir John Garlick's inquiry did so in confidence. I do not therefore believe that it would be fair or appropriate to publish the report.On 29 August, I issued the following statement:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has anything to add to his answer of 20 December 1990, Official Report, column 329, in respect of the practice adopted by the development corporations in the letting of contracts or the funding of consultancies, following the statement issued by the Minister of State on 29 August in respect of the investigation which had been undertaken into the running of the Sheffield Development Corporation; and if he will make a statement on the new guidance to be given to the chairmen of development corporations in respect of the separation of public and private interest.

I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend on 20 December 1989. When the Department's revised guidance to UDC chairmen and board members on handling conflicts of interest is issued a copy will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in the guidelines to be issued to development corporation chairmen, advice will be given on (a) the appointment of staff without public advertisement or interview for the post concerned, (b) the separation of payment from public and private funds for those employed by, or paid on behalf of, the development corporation and (c) the calling of ad hoc and unminuted meetings of selected members of the board of development corporations for discussion of business to be considered by the whole of the board membership; and if he will make a statement.

All urban development corporations have been advised that staff should be recruited on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and in accordance with the standards expected of public sector employers. My Department will shortly issue guidance on the separation of payment from public and private funds for those employed by or paid by UDCs. Arrangements relating to meetings of a UDC board are a matter for the corporation to determine.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when officials of his Department were notified of suggestions of impropriety or concerns relating to the procedural or other conduct of the workings of the Sheffield development corporation about which he subsequently initiated inquiries; what action was taken at that time as a consequence of the reference made; and if he will make a statement.

In July 1989 a member of the public expressed concern about the conduct of SDC's affairs. In September that year the chief executive raised similar concerns informally with the Department. In neither case did the Department consider that there was any evidence of impropriety.At the end of May this year, the chief executive wrote to the Department criticising the chairman's role in the conduct of the corporation's business, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State asked Sir John Garlick to carry out a formal investigation. That investigation found no grounds whatever for thinking that the chairman had attempted to secure improper financial gain through his role as SDC chairman.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether development corporations are now to be made subject to the provisions of the compulsory competitive tendering legislation contained in regulations arising out of the Local Government Act 1988; and if he will make a statement.

Urban development corporations have always been subject to the provisions of parts I and II of the Local Government Act 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what further resources he has made available for successor agencies to the Nature Conservancy Council in addition to his estimate of the notional cost required to perform the new range of statutory duties;(2) pursuant to his reply of 25 July,

The Government have made an extra £1·4 million available in the current financial year to cover initial reorganisation costs. Detailed work on the cost of reorganisation in 1991–92 has been carried out by the existing agencies and the relevant Government Departments. It is already the Government's intention to make the main results of this work available to Parliament very shortly and before the Environmental Protection Bill concludes its parliamentary stages.The Government's statement will include details of the manpower requirements of the new agencies and the outcome of the current work being undertaken by the Nature Conservancy Council and Countryside Commission to meet those requirements by assigning existing staff to the new agencies. Any vacancies which remain will be filled by trawls or recruitment and every effort will be made to complete this process before 1 April 1991.Decisions about the total resources to be made available to the successor agencies to cover all their responsibilities in 1991–92 will be taken within the timetable and context of the annual public expenditure round.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state the number of grants given by the Nature Conservancy Council in the year ending 31 March 1990 for the management of land which is not SSSI and not related to net profits forgone, and the total cost of such grants.

This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what dates in 1988, 1989, and 1990 he met the chairman of the Nature Conservancy Council to discuss formally his proposed changes in the Nature Conservancy Council.

The Secretary of State or his predecessor, as well as other Ministers, met the chairman of the Nature Conservancy Council on a number of occasions in 1989 and 1990 to discuss the Government's proposals to reorganise the Nature Conservancy Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what weight his inspectors attach to restrictive covenants when considering and determining planning appeals.

The weight to be attached to any relevant planning consideration is a matter for the inspector to assess within the particular circumstances of each appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 26 July, Official Report, column 387, if he will make a statement on the final report into evaluation of nitrogen oxide abatement technologies for large combustion plant.

My Department has not yet received the final report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what finance has been made available to local authorities in London to assist the needs of Kurdish asylum seekers in the past two years.

The Department has to date made payments of £790,174 to London boroughs on the basis of initial claims under the terms of the scheme of special financial assistance established in January 1990 for London local authorities which incurred in 1989–90 extra expenditure directly as a result of the influx of Turkish asylum seekers into the United Kingdom in April, May and June 1989. Final audited claims are due to be submitted to the Department by 31 December 1990. The housing investment programme allocations made to the London authorities for 1990–91 took account of the housing capital needs related to the arrival of refugees, including Turkish asylum seekers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the management consultancies (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible have employed in connection with the Next Steps agency programme; and if he will list the task for which they were employed, and the fee paid.

Consultants have been employed on eight occasions to advise on the development of financial and management systems for my Department's agencies and agency candidates. Details of the individual contracts are commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a list of land disposals by regional water undertakers, stating in each case the reasons for the disposal of each parcel of land.

No. The Department does not hold this information since land disposals do not normally require the Secretary of State's specific approval. Customers interests in disposals are protected by the Director General of Water Services. Proposed disposals in National Parks, the Broads, areas of outstanding natural beauty and sites of special scientific interest must be cleared by the Countryside Commission, and, in the case of SSSIs, the Nature Conservancy Council. Water undertakers as private companies can exercise their commercial judgment on disposals, subject to meeting their obligations under the Water Act 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to end the entitlement of the mature student spouse of a top income tax rate payer to pay the reduced rate of 20 per cent. community charge.

Pursuant to the reply given on Tuesday 24 July at column 182, a student for the purposes of the community charge is defined by reference to the nature of the studies undertaken not the source or level of income available. The administrative cost of assessing the resources of all students and their spouses would far outweigh the increased charge revenue collected to the disadvantage of all chargepayers and taxpayers and would serve only to create new anomalies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the result of the work of a team from his Department and English Heritage in investigating the stonework round the crypt font in the Palace of Westminster.

Work to solve the problem of damp penetration which has caused the deterioration of the marble is proceeding on two fronts.Recent excavations by English Heritage have revealed evidence of a pre-Victorian culvert running parallel to the south wall of St. Stephen's Hall. The culvert is damp leading to the thought that it may be drawing up ground water. English Heritage's proposals are now awaited for further excavations to try to establish the relationship, if any, of the culvert to the dampness in the Chapel.Consultant architects have also been considering the means of preventing the seepage of moisture through the stonework. Because of the pressure of the rising ground water they do not recommend the application of a damp proof outer membrane. Instead they propose the construction of a new waterproof retaining wall. This will be considered together with the results of English Heritage's further work.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his Department's discussions with the sculpture conservation department of the Tate gallery on the progress of the restoration of the purbeck marble in the Crypt of the House of Commons.

The head of sculpture conservation at the Tate gallery visited the Crypt Chapel in January 1990 when he saw at first hand the complexity of the conservation problem under consideration. It was agreed that before any action could be taken within the Chapel, the source and entry route of the ground water has to be established.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the level of United Kingdom overseas aid and the ways in which it is allocated; and if he will make a statement.

Increasingly people who talk to me about aid recognise the importance of aid supporting sound economic policies and good government, and doing more to tackle the key issues of poverty, population and the environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy in respect of aid to encourage sheep farming in the third world.

Sheep play an important role in the livelihoods of many poor communities, as they exist on marginal land and produce a range of products which provide subsistence and cash income.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total amount of aid to Bangladesh granted over each of the past three years.

Gross disbursements of bilateral official development assistance provided by the United Kingdom to Bangladesh over the calendar years 1987, 1988 and 1989 amounted to £31·6 million, £44·9 million and £52·9 million respectively. In addition the share of aid given through multilateral institutions, and attributed to the United Kingdom was £25·3 million in 1987 and £27·2 million in 1988. Figures for 1989 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he propposes to take to assist the work of the Relief Society of Tigray.

We have committed emergency aid worth over £35 million to Ethiopia since the beginning of 1989. This includes the provision of 5,859 tonnes of sorghum, and other relief assistance, totalling some £6·18 million for the hungry in those areas of northern Ethiopia where the Relief Society of Tigray works. A further 2,500 tonnes of wheat valued at £0·733 million is currently on its way to Tigray.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what animal conservation projects are currently being considered by his Department for funding.

Several possible projects are under consideration of which animal conservation would be an important element. They include the following:

• Anguilla: Coastal zone inventory.
• Belize: Coastal zone inventory.
• British Virgin Islands: Coastal zone inventory.
• Cameroon: Environmental advice.
• Egypt: Study of impact of pollution on acquatic communities, Lake Manzala; Ecological studies, Lake Maryut.
• Kenya: Further support for Kenya Wildlife Service.
• Madagascar and Mauritius: Creation of nature reserve areas on off-shore islets.
• Namibia: Fisheries resource management.
• Nigeria: Conservation adviser, conservation education programme.
• Tanzania: Support for Ruaha game park.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list any requests he has received from the Government of Zambia for specific items of aid since July.

Since July of this year, the Government of Zambia have formally requested:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals Her Majesty's Government have to increase aid to Brazil to tackle environmental problems.

Under the memorandum of understanding on environmental co-operation, signed in July 1989, we have agreed four projects with the Brazilian authorities with a total cost to Her Majesty's Government of £4·6 million. We expect to agree a further four projects soon. We are discussing a number of further proposals with the Brazilian authorities.As part of our programme of environmental assistance, we are also supporting—as a tripartite initiative, involving the Brazilian Government and ICI—a conference on the theme of "Ecological Restoration for Forest Conservation". It will be held in Brasilia from 30 October to 1 November 1990. I am looking forward to the conference and I will be taking the opportunity whilst in Brazil of discussing with the Brazilian authorities, including their Secretary for the Environment, our present and proposed programme of environmental projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on emergency relief aid expended under the United Kingdom's aid programme.

Providing immediate and effective humanitarian assistance is one of the key areas of the aid programme. Last year we spent over £61 million in disaster relief, help for refugees and emergency food aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the discussions of the right hon. Member for Wallasey (Mrs. Chalker) over the summer with Dr. Neil Chalmers, Dr. John Peake and other officials of the natural history museum about the future of the collections relative to the Overseas Development Administration.

My recent visit to the natural history museum was informative and useful. Working particularly with our Natural Resources Institute, the museum will play a valuable role in ODA's research and development programmes for developing countries and identify new opportunities for fruitful collaboration. The institute and museum will pursue these opportunities and I will be kept informed of developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the letter of 9 July from the Minister for Overseas Development to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, if she will make a statement on the interim results of the strategic study she has commissioned on biological diversity in marine environments, with particular reference to work on reefs.

We are studying the first draft of the report that we commissioned on marine biological diversity. I shall let the hon. Member know the outcome.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many housing projects in Bophuthatswana have been assisted by the Overseas Development Administration;(2) what community development projects are being assisted by the Overseas Development Administration in Bophuthatswana;(3) if the British awards scheme has funded academic support at South African universities for any students from Bophuthatswana;(4) what proportion of British aid to black South Africans is directed to Bophuthatswana;(5) how many scholarships and training awards in Britain are being provided for undergraduates and postgraduates from Bophuthatswana.

While we and other countries, with the exception of South Africa itself, do not recognise Bophuthatswana as an independent state, assistance has been approved since April 1989 for 12 community development projects located within that territory. We see no reason, however, to keep records of the geographical origin of those receiving help under scholarship and housing assistance programmes which are intended to benefit disadvantaged black people throughout South Africa.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was to public funds of publishing the 1990 overseas aid annual review; and how many copies were printed.

15,000 copies were produced at a total cost of £76,504·90, a unit cost of £5·10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 18 June, Official Report, column 682, if he will make a statement about Britain's current humanitarian and other assistance to the people of Cambodia.

I am monitoring the situation closely and announced that I would make up to £100,000 available for British non-government organisations to help civil war displaced people inside Cambodia. My officials are in touch with interested NGOs about this.Since 1988–89 under the Overseas Development Administration's joint funding scheme we have committed £565,000 in support of 12 humanitarian assistance projects carried out by non-government organisations. We currently have a number of other NGO project proposals under consideration and expect to receive more applications. In addition we have allocated £1·25 million to support programmes in Cambodia carried out by the United Nation's Children's Fund, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation; these include provision of safe water supplies, food for work schemes, primary health care, education and assistance for agricultural development. We have also provided nearly £15 million since 1979 in assistance for refugees on the Thai-Cambodian border.For the future, we are ready to consider with other donors, initially in a reconvened Paris International Conference on Cambodia, how refugee repatriation and development/reconstruction needs might best be met in the context of a comprehensive political settlement.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a further statement on the implications of the European Court of Justice decision on interim relief to Spanish fishermen from the 1988 Act; and if she will consider submitting all future draft bills to the court for its consideration with a view to avoiding administrative complexities involved with interim relief.

I have nothing to add to my earlier answers on the subject of the European Court of Justice's decision on interim relief. I have no plans to take up my hon. Friend's suggestion.

To ask the Prime Minister what guidance is given to civil servants concerning the scope of advice and information given to local authority officials prior to the passage of relevant legislation through Parliament; and whether she will make a statement concerning advice surrounding the establishment of the Waverley Housing Trust.

Civil servants may give information and advice to outside organisations and individuals concerning the Government's policies, consistent with the general rules governing conduct and the requirements of statute regarding the disclosure of information. Where information is given about policies whose implementation is dependent on the passage of legislation through Parliament, this would be made clear.I shall ask my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland to write to the right hon. Member once his information into contacts between civil servants and those who established the Waverley Housing Trust is complete.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will accept the invitation to attend the world summit for children to be held at the United Nations on 29 and 30 September.

To ask the Prime Minister if she proposes to accept the invitation to attend the United Nations world summit for children in New York during September.

I attended the world summit for children in New York on 29 and 30 September where I gave an address on the role of the family in child development.

To ask the Prime Minister which new initiative designed to protect British children in the areas of (a) health, (b) education rights and (c) environment Her Majesty's Government are taking as a result of the recent New York international conference.

The United Nations world summit for children drew upon the experience of developed countries in drawing up an action plan for improving the health and welfare of all children. We have already made substantial progress in most of the areas mentioned and are undertaking a number of relevant initiatives which, where appropriate, we will be progressing in co-operation with overseas countries.Examples in the field of health care include the treatment and prevention of AIDS, childhood immunisation programmes aimed at controlling infectious diseases and better nutrition for pregnant mothers and young children.In the United Kingdom rights to education are already provided for in legislation. Section 8 of the 1944 Education Act places a duty on local education authorities to "secure provision of Primary and Secondary schools". Futhermore, British education aims to develop fully the abilities of all children, with compulsory school starting at 5 years of age.The White Paper "This Common Inheritance", which sets out the Government's environmental policies for the next decade and beyond, emphasises our duty to protect the environment for the benefit of future generations.

To ask the Prime Minister what specific measures Her Majesty's Government are proposing in order (a) to help children in the Third world in the areas of health and education and (b) to combat child labour exploitation both at home and abroad; and if she will make a statement.

Through our aid programme we provide a great deal of assistance to children, both through our bilateral programme, and multilaterally through organisations such as UNICEF and WHO. Our policy is to support the development of health care services for all the family as the best way of improving child health.In education, we support programmes of assistance to educational institutions in the developing world covering school buildings, training of teachers, the provision of materials and educational planning.The Government deplore the exploitation of children for economic purposes. However in many countries children in the cities and the countryside have to work in order to survive. Widespread exploitation of children can only be overcome by the alleviation of poverty and by more appropriate policies for economic growth and social development. We are assisting in this through our aid programme.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the visits she has made during the recess in her capacity as Minister for co-ordinating science policy in appropriate cases.

On 28 September I hosted a seminar given by young scientists on the following subjects, antibody engineering, novel materials, collision physics: human genetic disease, enzymology and astronomy.

To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will take positive steps to discuss with the Data Protection Registrar all legislation that impacts on the use, collection, processing or holding of personal data; and whether she will make a statement.

My colleagues in charge of Departments have been asked to ensure that officials are aware of the need to consult the registrar about proposed legislation which might affect or be affected by the Data Protection Act 1984.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions she has had with other heads of Government in the European Community about the enlargement of the Community territorially.

Heads of Government reaffirmed at their meeting in November 1989 that there should be no decisions on EC enlargement until the work on the single market has been completed. However I have made clear on many occasions our view that the Community should remain open to all the countries of Europe once they are democratic and ready to join.

To ask the Prime Minister what assessment she has made of the benefits child benefit has given to families on income support since it was introduced.

Families on income support do not gain any overall financial advantage from child benefit because it is taken fully into account in the assessment of their income support entitlement. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security has indicated on many occasions, this is one of the factors he has to take into account when he reviews the level of child benefit.

To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will introduce legislation to (a) disallow business expenditure on the supply or running costs of passenger cars other than light vans as a business expense and (b) charge the full cost of such vehicles to the keeper for income tax purposes; and if she will provide an estimate of the revenue yield in each case.

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion. The detailed information needed to give estimates of yield is not available.

To ask the Prime Minister whether she will make it her policy that the Private Office will in future return to the sender all requests addressed to her for intervention at departmental level with a request to make representations direct to those concerned.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make it her policy to release to the press any letters she receives asking for favours or intervention with Departments of State.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will place in the Library a copy of her reply to the letter sent to her on 21 July by Mr. Colin Wallace, 14 Dalloway road, Arundel, about the Calcutt inquiry.

No. It is not my normal practice to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister whether she has now completed her review of Departmental responsibilities for nautical archaeology; and if she will make a statement.

We have completed the review of Departmental responsibilities for nautical archaeology. We have now proposed, in paragraph 9·36 of the White Paper "This Common Inheritance", that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment should assume responsibility for the protection of historic wrecks in English waters, and that similar transfers of responsibility should take place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This will bring together control of archaeology on land with that under water. We will be responding more fully to the Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee on the other matters raised in its report, "Heritage at Sea".

To ask the Prime Minister if she will take urgent steps to help those Third world countries which as a direct consequence of the Gulf crisis are in danger of economic hardship.

The best way to help countries damaged by the Gulf crisis is to bring an end to the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and restore stability to the region. Britain has made a very substantial contribution to that effort, including the decision to send over 15,000 servicemen to the Gulf. We have also contributed to the cost of resettling refugees and shall also contribute to the European Community's special programme of assistance to Jordan, Egypt and Turkey. But the bulk of assistance to affected countries will need to come through adjustment assistance to be given by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and from those countries which are not participating in the military effort.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list the Third world countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America most seriously affected (a) by the oil price increases and (b) by the trade embargo ordered by the United Nations as a consequence of the Gulf crisis.

The economies of Egypt, Jordan and Turkey have been most directly affected by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the consequent application of UN sanctions against Iraq.All net oil-importing countries are being adversely affected by the increase in oil prices, but there is no single measure of which are the most seriously affected. This will depend on the source and volume of their oil imports and access to alternative energy sources, as well as on the initial strength of their economies and their ability to adjust to the new situation.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will create a veterans' Department.

No. The Government and everyone in this country recognise the immense debt of gratitude owed to war veterans and other ex-Service personnel. It is essential that departments deal with their affairs efficiently. However, although it might seem convenient to have a separate Department of veterans' affairs, I do not believe that this would result in better service and it could have the effect of confusing responsibilities which at present fall clearly on each departmental Minister.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether his Department will take positive steps to discuss with the Data Protection Registrar all his Department's legislation that impacts on the use, collection, processing or holding of personal data; and whether he will make a statement.