To ask the Prime Minister whom she intends to appoint to replace Sir Gerald Ronson on the board of trustees at the natural history museum.

There are at present no vacancies on the board of the natural history museum to which I appoint but any new appointments will be announced in due course.

To ask the Prime Minister what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on seeking a revaluation of the sterling exchange rate mechanism band.

Together with our European partners we are fully committed to maintain the system of central rates and intervention limits agreed with them over the weekend of 6 and 7 October.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has anything to add to her statement of 12 July 1989, Official Report, column 518, about the conditions for United Kingdom adherence to the European monetary system.

I have nothing to add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 15 October at columns 928–29.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the reply of the Lord President of the Council to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Sparkbrook (Mr. Hattersley), Official Report, 26 June, columns 179–80, whether she will make a further statement on progress towards a single European currency.

The Government remain opposed to the imposition of a single European currency as prescribed in stage 3 of the Delors report. The Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the Government's alternative proposals for developments beyond stage 1 on 20 June. These include a new institution, the European monetary fund, and a common European currency, the hard ecu.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the changes in economic circumstances which have taken place since 16 September.

Since 16 September there has been further evidence that sustained tight monetary policy backed by firm budgetary control has now checked demand growth and is reducing inflationary pressures in the economy. The Chancellor was able to announce, with effect from 8 October, a one-point reduction in interest rates and, at the same time, United Kingdom entry to the exchange rate mechanism of the European monetary system.

To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent by her office on official hospitality in 1989–90.

The cost of official hospitality met by my office during 1989–90 was £27,427.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will provide the final figures for 1989–90 for (a) the cost of maintaining and running No. 10 Downing street and additional costs at Chequers, (b) the grant-in-aid to the Chequers Trust and (c) the costs on a consistent basis and expressed at constant 1984–85 prices.

The figures requested are as follows:

To ask the Prime Minister if she will provide the final figure for 1989–90 for the total cost to public funds of all her offices, duties, accommodation and expenses.

The total cost of all my offices in 1989–90 was £7,704,396 (1).

To ask the Prime Minister what was the total cost of travel incurred by her office in 1989–90.

The total cost of my travel and that of my staff in 1989–90 was £948,656.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money (a) has been and (b) is to be allocated to each country under the know-how fund.

A total of £50 million has been allocated to Poland, and £25 million to Hungary both for expenditure over a period of years. The know-how fund was extended to the German Democratic Republic and Czechoslovakia in March and April respectively. No specific country financial limits were announced. The know-how fund for the GDR ceased on 3 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the projects funded by the know-how fund in each of the countries of eastern and central Europe since its inception.

I refer to the replies I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis) on 14 March at column 236, to my hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Dr. Woodcock) on 13 June at column 213 and to my hon. Friends the Members for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) and for Hazel Grove (Sir T. Arnold) on 2 July at column 417. The additional activities approved since then under the know-how fund are as follows:CZECHOSLOVAKIATitle:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the poll tax benefit case load, as at 31 May, for (a) Coventry, (b) Warwickshire and (c) each standard region.

I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as all the information becomes available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to raise the level of invalid care allowance to the level of other income maintenance benefits.

The Government are committed to increasing invalid care allowance in line with movements in the retail prices index.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) when the refugee monitoring and review programme was started at Woodgrange Park house, Forest Gate, London; and how many refugee cases were then in the office;(2) what method of identifying refugee status was used when fraud section staff inspected files at Woodgrange Park house, Forest Gate, London;

No system of monitoring and controlling claims from refugees has been used at Woodgrange Park house. Consequently, there has been no such identification of fraudulent claims. Normally statistics are not held on the number of claims from refugees, but in order to assess the resources needed to deal with an influx of claims, a special count was made on 19 July 1990. Identification of these claims was made in the normal way from claim forms, and as a result a total of 1,200 claims from refugees was identified on that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the number of men over retirement age; and what number are in receipt of means-tested benefits.

In mid-1988 there were approximately 3·5 million men over age 65 in Great Britain. Of these an estimated 1·1 million were in receipt of an income-related benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements he has made to transfer the money made available by the October 1989 changes in hostel dwellers' benefit entitlements to alternative funding sources.

In line with the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State on 16 March 1989 at columns 546–54, funds will be transferred from the Department of Social Security as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects the Medical Appeal Tribunal in Liverpool to arrange another hearing for Mr. John Pattinson, case no. L195/5/90, who first made a claim for industrial injury in 1983.

I have written to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the returns from each local office requested in circular RD TECH 100/90, showing the number of payments made and the total amount paid to claimants as a result of reviews following the commisioners' decisions CIS/144/89 and CIS/180/89.

Returns received up to and including 11 October 1990 are shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for review were received during the period April 1989 to March 1990 inclusive in respect of (a) social fund community care grants, (b) social fund budgeting loans and (c) social fund crisis loans, by each of his Department's local offices at Eston, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Stockton, and how many of each of these applications for review resulted in revised decisions.

[pursuant to his reply, 23 July 1990, columns 88–89]: Some of the information given in the table was found to have been misinterpreted. The corrected information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in support of relaxing present restrictions on advertising licensed bingo clubs; what consideration he is giving to this question; and if he will make a statement.

Since the reply by my right hon. and learned Friend to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 19 March at column 455, we have received a further 25 letters from hon. Members about the controls on the advertising of licensed bingo clubs.I understand that in April the Bingo Association of Great Britain resumed discussions with the Gaming Board for Great Britain on the scope, if any, for some partial relaxation of the controls on bingo club advertising, and that the board hopes soon to be in a position to report, for our consideration, its advice in light of these discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report the number of occasions in the past 10 years when public interest immunity certificates have been issued concerning matters before coroners and other courts preventing members of police forces and others within the remit of his Department from attending such courts, and to prevent such courts from hearing details of operations; indicating which operations were involved and how many individuals were covered by such certificates.

There is no systematic record kept centrally of all cases in which public interest immunity is claimed in respect of police forces and others within the responsibility of the Home Office and it would not be possible to provide the information sought except at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report the number of occasions in the past 10 years when public interest immunity certificates have been issued concerning matters before coroners and other courts preventing officials of his Department and others within the remit of his Department from attending such courts, and to prevent such courts from hearing details of operations, indicating which operations were involved and how many individuals were covered by such certificates.

It would not be possible to provide the information sought except at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Government of Sri Lanka about human rights violations in that country, including harassment and murder of lawyers.

We have made our concern about human rights known to the Sri Lankan Government on many occasions, both bilaterally in London and in Colombo, and together with our European partners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply of 26 July, Official Report, column 538, when he expects the high-level task force to complete its examination of further limitations on the offensive capabilities of conventional armed forces beyond those currently under negotiation at the CFE talks; and if he will place a copy of their report in the Library upon completion.

The London summit declaration set out the alliance's position that once a CFE treaty has been signed follow-on talks on the basis of the same membership and mandate should begin with the aim of building on the current agreement including measures to limit manpower in Europe. There is now agreement on this in Vienna and the HLTF is currently preparing the alliance's negotiating position. The London declaration also undertook to seek new conventional negotiations within the CSCE framework in the 1990s on further far-reaching measures to limit the offensive capability of conventional armed forces in Europe so as to prevent any nation from maintaining disproportionate military power in Europe. The HLTF will be formulating a detailed position for these talks.A copy of the London summit declaration has been placed in the Library. The contents of HLTF papers are, however, classified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps his Department has taken to try to expedite payment by the European social fund of an interim grant payment due to the Association of Community Enterprises—Highlands and Islands in June, following representations to his Department about the delay in receiving payment.

The association's claim for its interim payment from the European social fund was received in my Department on 22 June, and forwarded to the European Commission on 26 June.I understand from the Commission services that an interim payment of £42,089 was finally approved on 24 September, and that authority to pay should be received later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to publish the report on under-fives prepared by the group chaired by the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Mrs. Rumbold); and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has just received, and is now considering, the report of the committee of inquiry chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden. He will make a further statement in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy in relation to the provision of loans to Iraqi students at universities in the United Kingdom.

Students, of whatever nationality, are entitled to loans from the Student Loans Company provided that they meet the eligibility requirements set out in the Education (Student Loans) Regulations 1990. These include the condition that a student should satisfy the ordinary residence requirements set out in the schedule to the regulations or in the Students' Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 1987, or be a refugee—or a spouse or child of a refugee—who has been ordinarily resident in the British Islands since being recognised as a refugee.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, for each of the years 1975, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989 the names of those community homes and other facilities providing secure accommodation for young persons according to each local social services authority area.

Information in the form requested is not available for the full period. The table gives details of approved secure units in England, and their managing local authority, as at 31 December 1989. Comparable details covering the period 1984–1988 are given in the annual publication "Children Accommodated in Secure Units During the Year Ending 31 March", copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest total cost figure for military assistance during the recent ambulance workers' dispute; and whether more bills are expected from the Ministry of Defence.

The final total cost of military assistance was £7·2 million. Bills for this amount have been received and paid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he was consulted by the European Investment Bank over its decision to provide further loan finance to the channel tunnel project; and if he will make a statement.

Under the EIB statute, the bank is obliged to consult the host Government before making a loan to any project. As is the case with all proposed loans to projects in the United Kingdom, the Government were consulted on a further loan for the channel tunnel project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if it remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government not to engage in the provision of public funding for the channel tunnel project.

Yes. Section 2 of the Channel Tunnel Act 1987 specifically prohibits the provision of Government funds or guarantees for the project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to meet British Rail to discuss the shelving of the £750 million rail scheme for the Glasgow-London route; and if he will make a statement.

British Rail has not shelved its scheme for investment in the west coast main line from London to Glasgow, and currently plans for the first of the new trains to come into operation in the mid-1990s.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has about an incident involving the fishing vessel Moray Adventurer at noon on 4 October; what investigations have been or will be carried out; whether the report will be made public; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 October 1990]: A report was received by HM coastguards on 4 October that the fishing vessel Moray Adventurer had an object caught in her nets and was at one stage in danger of capsizing. The incident is being investigated by the marine accident investigation branch. No decision can be made about whether or not to publish a report on the incident until the investigation has been completed.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest estimate of the stocks of skimmed milk powder and butter in the European Economic Community; and what was the position 12 months previously.

Physical stocks of skimmed milk powder and butter (including aided private storage) in the European Community at the end of September were as follows:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will extend the suckler cow premium by putting young bulls into intervention.

My right hon. Friend the Minister has already announced that the suckler cow premium will be paid at the maximum rate allowed under Community legislation in the less-favoured areas, and will be maintained at last year's rate for other producers. This will provide an extra £8 million for beef farmers. Intervention coverage has also been extended, and expenditure so far this year has been over £130 million. It would be difficult to justify any further extension in intervention coverage in view of the substantial cost of existing measures.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has received to date from the Food Advisory Committee concerning health claims made for foods not requiring a medical product licence; what advice he has given to the European Commission on the issue; and when he intends to introduce new draft regulations.

The Food Advisory Committee is currently considering the question of health claims as part of the review of food labelling which I announced on 15 November 1989. My right hon. Friend expects to receive its report at the end of the year and it is likely that the European Commission will be advised of the relevant findings of the review. Any proposals for further legislation controls will be the subject of wide consultation with interested parties before any new draft regulations are introduced.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met European Commission Agriculture Ministers to discuss trade in beef.

I have regular contacts with Agriculture Ministers from other Community countries, in particular during meetings of the Agriculture Council. Matters related to the trade in beef are discussed as the need arises.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will repeal the Zoonoses Order.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest estimate of expenditure by the European Commission on the dairy sector during the 1990–91 dairy marketing year.

Estimates of EC expenditure are not available on a market year basis. The preliminary draft budget for 1991 includes provision of 4,927 million ecu (£3,433 million) for the dairy sector. This does not take account of any costs arising from German unification, which are still under consideration.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes have occurred in the level of consumption within the European Community of dairy products since 1983.

Consumption of the major milk products in 1983 and 1989, including disposals of skimmed milk powder for animal feed, was as follows:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he places on the effect of recent French action on the quantity and value of British-produced lamb sold to France.

The level of British lamb exports is influenced by a number of different factors. We cannot identify the effects of individual factors.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider interim relief for farmers in less-favoured areas by introducing the special premium scheme for ewes during the current financial year.

The payment to producers in the less-favoured areas (LFAs) of an additional 4 ecu per ewe in sheep annual premium, due to come into effect from the 1991 marketing year, could not be made this year without a proposal from the European Commission and agreement by member states. This is unlikely to happen. All sheep producers, however, will benefit from the decision to bring forward the second advance of annual premium; and we have decided to pay suckler cow premium at the maximum possible rate in the LFAs.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will monitor beef and lamb imports from eastern Europe with a view to reducing the volume if it proves detrimental to the interests of British producers.

I have made clear to the Commission our concern about the effects which such imports might have on the market and the need to monitor the situation closely.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he places on the effect, according to quantity and variety, of the hot summer on sales of British-produced meat.

It is not possible to isolate the effects of the hot weather from other factors affecting meat consumption. The latest figure for consumption of meat and meat products from the national food survey (which covers only domestic consumption and does not distinguish between home-produced and imported meat) covers the period from April to June 1990. The table gives the estimated average consumption per person per week for that period, for the same period in 1989, and for the first quarter of 1990.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met representatives of knackermen and slaughterhouses to discuss working conditions; and if he will make a statement.

I, and my officials, have regular meetings with representatives of knackermen and slaughterhouses to discuss a wide range of issues. However, working conditions in knackers yards and slaughterhouses are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in publishing his Department's arrangements for dealing with a nuclear emergency in the United Kingdom.

My right hon. Friend the Minister announced on 26 March this year at column 56 his intention to publish details of the Department's arrangements at each of the major United Kingdom nuclear sites. Plans have now been published for the nuclear installations at Sizewell, Bradwell, Hinkley Point, Oldbury, Winfrith, Capenhurst and Springfields. Copies are being sent to public libraries in the vicinity of each installation and have also been placed in the Library of the House. Plans for other installations will be issued as they become available.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what checks are carried out by his Department to monitor the transportation conditions of wild birds being imported into the United Kingdom.

The Ministry is responsible for legislation under the Animal Health Act 1981 to protect the welfare of animals and birds during transport and to prevent the introduction of diseases. This legislation is enforced by local authorities. Ministry veterinary staff maintain close liaison with the authorities concerned, particularly with the corporation of the city of London which operates the Animal Quarantine Station (AQS) at Heathrow airport through which all commercial consignments of wild birds are routed. On release from the AQS imported birds are held for 35 days at quarantine premises approved by the Ministry. During this period the health and welfare of the birds is monitored by veterinary inspectors including Ministry veterinary officers.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has regarding the number of wild birds imported into the United Kingdom during 1988 and 1989 which were dead on arrival or died in quarantine.

Details of mortalities in imported wild birds in 1988 compiled by the Ministry were published in December 1989 and placed in the Library of the House. The figures show that of 184,577 birds imported, 4,732 (2·6 per cent.) were found to be dead on arrival and a further 20,619 (11·2 per cent.) died during quarantine. A similar analysis of imports in 1989 is currently being compiled.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what increases or decreases have taken place in the surpluses of food and wine in the EEC, both in public and private storage, over the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available; and if he anticipates that they will increase or decline over the next 12 months.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total amount of land now covered by the set-aside arrangements; and what expenditure is involved in financing this per annum.

The latest information available indicates that the total amount of land to be set aside in England in the year commencing 1 October 1990 will be some 105,000 hectares. A total of £7·4 million was paid in the financial year 1989–90 to participants in the first year of the set-aside scheme and a further £17·5 million has been allocated in the 1990–91 financial year in respect of participants in the second year of the scheme.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many Spanish vessels will be permitted to engage in fishing of the United Kingdom quota in terms of the decision of the British and Euro courts on interim relief; how many United Kingdom boats are entitled to fish for the same quota; and if the Spanish vessels which have successfully claimed interim relief will be entitled to compensation from the United Kingdom Government.

Only United Kingdom-registered and licensed vessels may fish against the United Kingdom quota. The interim relief granted to applicants in the Factortame case is restricted to the requirement that owners and shareholders be resident and domiciled in this country and affects only 53 vessels. The requirement that vessels should be managed and their operations controlled from the United Kingdom remains.At present approximately 3,200 boats are licensed to fish in the United Kingdom. The House of Lords granted interim relief to the Factortame applicants on the grounds, among others, that damages would not be available.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Luxembourg on 15 and 16 October.

I represented the United Kingdom at this meeting together with my hon. Friend the Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry), Parliamentary Secretary in my Department.The main subject discussed was the Commission's proposal for a Community offer for reductions in agricultural support and protection in the current GATT round. Some Ministers were not able to take a definite stance and eventually the chairman decided to suspend the meeting and resume discussion on 19 October to allow them the opportunity for consultations in capitals.I much regret that, with so much preparation, this Council was not able to endorse the Commission's package, which provides a useful basis for taking forward the talks in the GATT round.The Council agreed on a useful amendment to the pesticides prohibition directive and on a resolution on veterinary measures required for the achievement of the single market.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the London residuary body made a full inventory of items of historic importance prior to the abolition of ILEA.

The London residuary body made an inventory of items known as the heritage collection once the Greater London council had been abolished.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply of 26 July, Official Report, column 702, if he will give details of the various pieces of ivory for which his Department has given formal consent for sale within the European Community.

No. Information contained in individual applications for CITES licences is considered by the Department as confidential and cannot be released.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many licences he has issued for the sale of elephant ivory since the current ban came into force.

Nine licences have been issued for sale of ivory within the United Kingdom, in conformity with the European Commission guidance and CITES regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply of 26 July, Official Report, column 702, if it remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government to allow the ivory ban to be lifted in some respects in the not-too-distant future.

The Government remain firmly committed to maintaining the ivory trade ban for as long as is necessary to ensure the survival and recovery of elephant populations. CITES provides for species to be removed from annex 1 when no longer endangered, but the Government have no plans to initiate proposals for such a reclarification.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the number of sea birds washed up dead on the beaches of East Anglia in each of the past five years; and what were the main recorded reasons for death.

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further information he has made available to local authorities about standard spending assessments.

Two publications, "Standard Spending Assessments: Background and Underlying Methodology", and the "Standard Spending Assessment Handbook 1990–91" were produced in August. These describe the way local authority services are reflected in standard spending assessments and how each SSA element is constructed. They are similar to the "Blue" and "Green Books" which we produced under the rate support grant system. Copies of the publications have today been placed in the Library of the House. Copies have also been sent to every local authority in England and to the local authority associations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will direct the London residuary body not to entertain any use of county hall, other than of a temporary nature, until after the next general election; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 16 October 1990]: No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has regarding damage to the interior and removal of contents from county hall; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 16 October 1990]: I am not aware of any damage to county hall.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when was the last occasion that staff from his Department responsible for listed buildings made an inspection of county hall.

[holding answer 16 October 1990]: This is a matter for English Heritage.