To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the report on the explosives incident at Vibroplant, Peterborough, will be published; and if he will make a statement on the current position.

The report by the Health and Safety Executive of its investigation into the explosion on 22 March 1989 is published today. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.The HSE investigation into the incident concluded that the source of the fire and cause of the resulting explosion was a box of Cerium fusehead combs in transit to a local fireworks manufacturer. The combs were in unauthorised and unsafe packaging. On 11 April 1990, the company operating the vehicle was fined £250,000 at Peterborough Crown court.In line with the undertaking given at the time by my hon. Friend the Member for Eltham (Mr. Bottomley) the Health and Safety Commission's advisory committee on dangerous substances sub-committee considering the major hazard aspects of the transport of dangerous substances will study the report both for its general relevance to transport questions and its specific relevance to the safe transport of explosives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many jobs offered by his Department to executive officer recruits offer above the adult minimum starting salaries; what is the spine point that is offered in each case; and whether they are offered in (a) London and the south-east or (b) elsewhere.

The normal minimum starting salary for adult recruits (ie those who are 20 years or above) is minimum of the pay scale plus two spine points. The following figures show the starting salaries awarded to all adult direct entry EO recruits to the Department of Transport from April 1989, the date it split from the Department of the Environment, to the present.

DTp Civil Service Commission EO recruits:
April 1989 to September 1990
Starting pay	London and South-East	1 Elsewhere	Total
Minimum plus 2 spine points	110	67	177
Minimum plus 3 spine points	1	—	1
Minimum plus 4 spine points	—	—	—
Minimum plus 5 spine points	—	—	—
Maximum	1	—	1
Total	112	67	179
1 Including staff in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Vehicle Inspectorate Executive Agency, the Driving Standards Agency and the Vehicle Certification Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has finalised proposals for the implementation of the red route pilot scheme in London; and if he will make a statement.

Following the announcement to the House on 27 March at columns 222–24 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State of the intention to conduct a pilot scheme for a priority route network in London we have conducted an extensive consultation exercise on it through publications, public meetings, and site visits and discussions. This culminated in exhibitions of our initial proposals from 14 August to 28 September. A brochure and a leaflet were widely circulated and copies are in the Library. As a result of comments received we have accepted certain changes to the proposals largely aimed at increasing provision for loading and unloading to satisfy essential business needs. Plans of the final proposals are being made available to the boroughs concerned and a leaflet will be published for general interest.We need now to make a start on the pilot scheme itself as soon as possible. We intend to bring the new signing and lining, including bus lanes, into force on the trunk road part of the route—the A1 from Highgate to the Angel—on 7 January. Preliminary works will take place during December. Further measures such as improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists will follow as soon as possible. Implementation of measures on local roads will depend on the boroughs concerned. I hope that they will be able to introduce them quickly. Enforcement will be the key to the success of the pilot scheme, and the Metropolitan police have agreed the timetable for this start on 7 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the projected date for the introduction of red routes into London.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I have given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Summerson) on the implementation of the pilot scheme. Full implementation of the network depends on legislation which will be introduced at the earliest opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce red routes in London; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to section 2 of the consultation document on the "Traffic in London" legislative proposals published on 23 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received concerning the proposed red route from Highgate to the City; if any of these have been in its favour; and what replies he has sent.

As a result of the public exhibitions of proposals 343 responses were received. Other comments were made, some in favour and some against, at public meetings and numerous on-site discussions. In response to these representations, some of the detailed proposals have been changed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made by his Department of the introduction of priority routes in Paris; and if he will make such information available to those currently involved in the consultation exercise about red routes.

Officials visited Paris earlier this month to obtain information. Axes rouges (red routes) were introduced last month on 27 km of roads in central Paris. Although it is too early to make a full assessment, a network of 100 km is planned. The initial effect has been to increase average speeds significantly with little increase in traffic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the powers of London traffic commissioner; to whom this person will report; and what will be the involvement with London borough councils.

I refer the hon. Member to section 2 of the consultation document on the "Traffic in London" legislative proposals published on 23 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance is issued to British Rail regarding co-operation with other agencies in planning emergency liaison procedures.

Such guidance as is necessary, depending on the circumstances. If the hon. Member has a specific case in mind perhaps he would write to me.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet the chairman of British Rail to discuss British Rail's compliance with its quality of service objectives in regard to (a) Network SouthEast services and (b) the Barking to Gospel Oak service.

My officials will meet the Network SouthEast quality control director on 30 October. I will write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list by year since 1980 to date (a) the number of bulk carrier ships that have sunk and (b) the number of crew lost; and if he will show in his answer the number of British ships and crew involved.

Figures of vessels which sank, and of the number of crew lost, are not recorded. The numbers of ore/bulk/oil carriers recorded as total losses are as follows:

Year	Number
1980	21
1981	16
1982	17
1983	26
1984	17
1985	22
1986	20
1987	18
1988	8
1989	12

Only one ship was United Kingdom registered—the Derbyshire which sank in September 1980 with the loss of 44 lives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what qualifications, other than a seagoing master's certificate, are required for masters of seagoing vessels loading ballast from land or from other vessels within the limits of the Port of London Authority and proceeding to discharge into places also within those limits; and if he will make a statement.

In addition to a seagoing master's certificate, required for masters of seagoing vessels loading ballast from land or from other vessels within the limits of the Port of London Authority, the masters or first mates of ships over 50 m in length would require a pilotage exemption certificate if they wished to navigate their ships through the compulsory pilotage area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many shipping accidents there have been in the Pentland firth in each of the last 10 years that have involved collisions, groundings and sinkings; and if he will specify the types of vessels involved.

This can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those who have resigned from the employ of the London Docklands development corporation during the last three months.

Staffing matters are for the LDDC board.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to decide on the structure plan proposals for Warwickshire.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to publish his proposed modifications to the Warwickshire structure plan early next year and, having considered any objections or representations, to issue his decision on the plan by the middle of next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by location for England and Wales the opencast coal sites currently being worked.

This information is not held centrally by my Department. Information about the location of British Coal Corporation opencast sites currently being worked and sites worked by operators under licences issued by the corporation can be obtained from the corporation's Opencast Executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the consultations will be completed on the revised code of guidance on housing and homeless persons under part III of the Housing Act 1985; and when the code will be issued.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the revised draft code of guidance to homelessness legislation will be published in England and Wales.

My officials have had a number of helpful meetings with the local authority associations about the revision of the code of guidance. We will be consulting the associations and others on a revised draft code shortly. We aim to complete the consultation process and publish a revised code early in the new year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement listing those initiatives which he is currently undertaking or supporting which are intended to reduce the problem of homelessness in Cheshire; and if he will indicate in each case the resources allocated to these initiatives.

[holding answer 26 October 1990]: My right hon. Friend is currently supporting the Chester lodgings and support project which seeks to increase the supply of suitable accommodation for homeless and vulnerable people in Chester. A grant of up to a maximum of £14,530 has been earmarked to be paid this financial year.In addition, homelessness is a factor which is taken into account in determining local authorities' annual housing investment allocations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the three locations considered by Nirex for repositories of radioactive waste accessed from an offshore structure.

My right hon. Friend has no information about any locations considered by Nirex for a radioactive waste repository accessed from an offshore structure. The Government have accepted Nirex's proposal that the repository should be in the form of a mine under the land, and site investigations are currently under way at Sellafield and Dounreay.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the monitoring his Department carries out into how local authorities are making all their property accessible to the disabled.

Local authorities when designing certain new buildings, including offices and public buildings, have a duty under the Building Regulations 1985 to make reasonable provision for access for disabled people. Elsewhere my Department does not monitor how local authorities make their property accessible to the disabled.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice his Department gives to local planning authorities on making private and public buildings accessible to the disabled; and if he will make a statement.

Advice on the scope of planning powers is given in my Department's development control policy note No. 16, "Access for the disabled". The approved document which accompanies the Building Regulations 1985 gives practical guidance on ways to meet the requirements of part M of the regulations, which requires reasonable provision to be made to enable disabled people to gain access to relevant premises of certain new buildings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those species of flora and of fauna which are now protected as endangered species under the terms of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, formerly the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act 1975.

This information is contained in schedules 1, 5 and 8 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as amended. A copy of the 1981 Act and subsequent amending orders are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will state the number of public sector housing starts in 1978 and so far in 1990;(2) if he will state the number of housing association starts in 1978 and so far in 1990.

The latest estimates for starts by housing associations and local authorities, new towns and Government Departments, for 1980 to August 1990, appear in tables 1 and 2 of the housebuilding press release (No. 548) issued by the Department on 5 October. Corresponding figures for 1978 and 1979 appear in table 6.1 of "Housing and Construction Statistics 1978–1988: Great Britain". Copies of both are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, for each British region, all the sites at which evidence of eutrophication or the presence of algal blooms has been discovered this summer by the National Rivers Authority.

[holding answer 24 October 1990]: I have asked the National Rivers Authority to send the hon. Member a list of the sites in England and Wales where blue-green algae have been identified this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes for rent have been owned by Congleton borough council in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

[holding answer 26 October 1990]: The numbers of council-owned dwellings reported by Congleton borough council in its annual housing investment programme returns (HIP1) are as follows:

Stock at 1 April each year
	Number
1981	5,887
1982	5,653
1983	5,457

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning (a) the average length of time currently taken by a local authority to re-let vacant homes and (b) the average length of time taken by the Congleton borough council to re-let vacant homes.

[holding answer 26 October 1990]: The 1988 survey, "Empty Local Authority Dwellings in England at 1 October and Re-lets between 1 April and 30 September 1988", showed that—at that time—the overall average re-let period for all authorities was eight weeks. The corresponding figure reported by Congleton borough council was six weeks, including vacant dwellings in modernisation programmes. A copy of the national report is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funds have been made available by his Department in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available to Congleton borough council to assist with the provision of housing for rent.

[holding answer 26 October 1990]: The Department makes housing investment programme (HIP) allocations to local authorities each year, which convey borrowing approval (under the new capital finance system, in the form of credit approvals). Thus housing capital expenditure is funded from borrowing, capital receipts and from revenue contributions. The Department does pay a general housing subsidy, but the costs of borrowing are only one element of this.Within these totals it is for each local authority to decide how its resources should be spent.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning the amount spent in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available by Congleton borough council on the provision of housing; what percentage of total expenditure by the authority is represented by this figure in each of those years; and what is the national average in the latest single year for which figures are available.

[holding answer 26 October 1990]: Capital expenditure by Congleton borough council on housing and all services (including housing) is as follows:

£ thousands per cent.
	Housing	All services	Housing as a percentage of all services
1981–82	1,542	2,245	69
1982–83	2,256	3,132	72
1983–84	2,760	3,378	82
1984–85	2,134	2,615	82
1985–86	2,067	2,613	79
1986–87	2,779	3,342	83
1987–88	2,964	4,014	74
1988–89	2,942	3,197	92
1989–90	3,931	4,703	84

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the light of the judgment of 21 October, in the High Court on the granting of planning permission by Ealing borough council in 1987 for a mosque and town houses on the Northolt industrial site, he will bring forward proposals to amend the law relating to the restrictions of planning permission by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 26 October 1990]: I will consider the implications of this case for the planning system when I have studied the judgment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what powers local authorities have to rescind planning permissions granted for the building of religious buildings and town houses on industrial estates; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 26 October 1990]: Under section 97 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, if it appears to the local planning authority that it is expedient to revoke or modify any permission to develop land granted on a planning application made under part III of the Act, the authority may by order revoke or modify the permission to such extent as it considers expedient.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which company is supplying the main door drive units at RAF Mawgan; and whether extensive prototype tests have been carried out to the satisfaction of the Property Services Agency.

Pursuant to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Chope) on 3 July at column 505, subsequent investigation has shown that the units have been assembled from a variety of components from various sources by CIMOLAI, the steelwork sub-contractor, to designs developed from the earlier prototype tests. NEUERO'S involvement was restricted to giving limited advice on request to CIMOLAI.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has on the (a) number of church grants approved to date in 1990–91, (b) their value and (c) the sums remaining to be distributed in the current year;(2) what was the total sum available for church grants in 1990–91;(3) how many applications he has received for funds under the church grant scheme.

Responsibility for the allocation of historic building repair grant resources to ecclesiastical buildings, and for holding data on the number of applications for such grants are matters for English Heritage. I have asked its chairman, Lord Montagu, to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute an inquiry into the leaking of information and photographs from Ford open prison.

Ford prison is an open establishment which occupies a 114 acre site and has no secure boundary. It may therefore be surveyed from many points within its grounds as well as from neighbouring properties, and despite all reasonable precautions taken by the governor and the police, certain prisoners were clearly photographed recently in this way. Furthermore, as prisoners have unlimited access to the telephone it is not possible to prevent them from communicating information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any recommendations for improved surveillance by the use of video cameras at Her Majesty's prison Kingston (Portsmouth), have been rejected on the grounds of cost during the past year.

No. Closed circuit TV cameras have recently been installed at the establishment and a bid for an additional camera is currently under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further consideration is being given to providing at reduced cost television licences for pensioners where they are the sole occupiers residing in all types of housing accommodation.

None. We have no plans to extend the present concessions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place a copy of the Home Office's recent report on the private security industry in the Library.

We are considering a range of options for improving the regulation of the private security industry. When consideration of this issue has been completed, we will decide what circulation to give to the working group's report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a regional breakdown of the increase in (a) violent crimes and (b) all crimes between 1979 and 1989 in percentage terms and also the percentage clear-up rates.

The readily available regional information is published in table 8.1 of "Regional Trends 25", which shows the figures for 1981 and 1988. A copy of this publication is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he plans a national campaign to encourage the recruitment of special constables.

Yes. A national publicity campaign will be launched early in 1991. Its purpose, over three years, is to enhance public awareness of the role and value of the special constabulary and to increase the number of special constables recruited locally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any officials specialising in civil defence protection will be attending the fifth international conference of nuclear-free zone local authorities, to be held in Glasgow on 8 to 12 November.

I understand that there are no plans for any officials from our emergency planning division to attend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been convicted of involvement in dog fighting during the last five years; how many of these have been given custodial sentences and of the number convicted how many have been sentenced in respect of repeated offences.

Information collected centrally does not distinguish offences relating to dog fights from other offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to what investigations are being conducted in respect of the publication and distribution of the publication entitled "Holocaust News No. 2".

I understand that inquiries are in progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received the Police Complaints Authority report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Jamie Lloyd Stewart in Holloway police station in July 1989; whether he proposes to take any further action; and if he will make a statement.

The Police Complaints Authority is independent from both the police and the Government. It is not required to report the outcome of investigations which it supervises to the Home Secretary. However, it is understood that the investigating officer's report on the circumstances surrounding Mr. Stewart's death has been considered by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Police Complaints Authority. They have concluded that there are no grounds for taking criminal or disciplinary action against any police officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all deaths that have occurred in 1990 of persons detained in prison department establishments, stating in each case the age and sex of the inmate, and cause of death, the inquest verdict, whether the inmate was sentenced or on remand, the establishment where the inmate was detained, and whether the death occurred there or in an outside hospital, and where the

Deaths of inmates in Her Majesty s Prison Service custody in 1990 (to 24 October 1990)
Date	Establishment	Age	Sex	Status	Cause of death	Inquest verdict	Location at time of death1
6 January	Durham	20	M	S	Hanging	Not yet held	OL
6 January	Bristol	22	M	S	Hanging	Suicide	OL
10 January	Lincoln	46	M	R	Suffocation	Open	PH
14 January	Winchester	69	M	R	Angina	Natural	PH
22 January	Liverpool	47	M	S	Hanging	Open	PH
25 January	Manchester	37	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	OL
10 February	Reading	35	M	S	Brain Haemorrhage	Natural	OH
14 February	Winchester	19	M	R	Hanging	Open	OL
21 February	Camp Hill	24	M	S	Hanging	Suicide	OL
22 February	Bedford	29	M	R	Hanging	Suicide	OL
28 February	Hindley	18	M	R	Hanging	Suicide	OH
2 March	Brixton	29	M	R	Hanging	Open	PH
2 March	Manchester	37	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	OL
3 March	Pentonville	34	M	R	Asphyxiation	Misadventure	5—
14 March	Wakefield	56	M	S	Heart Attack	Natural	5—
16 March	Durham	27	M	S	Hanging	Suicide	OL
23 March	Bristol	31	M	R	Hanging	Suicide	SEG
29 March	Coldingley	24	M	S	Unknown	Not yet held	2—
3 April	Swansea	25	M	R	Hanging	Suicide	SEG(OP)
7 April	Dartmoor	27	M	S	Fire	Suicide	OL
8 April	Highpoint	59	M	S	Asphyxia	Suicide	OL
8 April	Stocken	35	M	S	Heart Attack	Not yet held	5—
11 April	Wandsworth	31	M	S	Undetermined	Open	OL
15 April	Wakefield	49	M	S	Heart Failure	Natural	5—
19 April	Channings Wood	61	M	S	Carcinomatosis	Natural	OH
23 April	Wayland	50	M	S	Heart Failure	Natural	5—
26 April	Wandsworth	27	M	R	Meningitis	Natural	PH
9 May	Wellingborough	54	M	S	Heart Failure	Not yet held	5—
11 May	Wakefield	58	M	S	Carcinoma Bronchus	Natural	OH
18 May	Exeter	31	M	R	Coronary Sclerosis	Natural	5—
19 May	Wormwood Scrubs	25	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	PH
19 May	Ashwell	61	M	S	Cancer	Not yet held	PH
20 May	Acklington	26	M	S	Hanging	Suicide	OL
28 May	Cardiff	70	M	S	Cancer	Not yet held	OH
4 June	Durham	35	F	S	Hanging	Suicide	OL
20 June	Liverpool	54	M	S	Cancer	Natural	OH
22 June	The Verne	40	M	S	Heart Attack	Natural	5—
25 June	Hindley	18	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	SEG(GOAD)
25 June	Hindley	18	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	SEG(GOAD)
26 June	Bedford	27	M	R	Hanging	Suicide	PH
7 July	Wakefield	52	M	S	Cerebral oedema	Open	OH
13 July	Swansea	15	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	OH
18 July	Long Lartin	27	M	S	Stab Wound	Not yet held	PH
20 July	Wandsworth	29	M	S	Pneumonia	Not yet held	OH
21 July	Parkhurst	55	M	S	Lung cancer	Natural	OH
25 July	Lewes	32	M	R	Hanging	Suicide	SEG(OP)
29 July	Standford Hill	25	M	S	Heart Attack	Not yet held	5—
30 July	Parkhurst	43	M	S	Drug overdose	Accidental death	5—
1 August	Parkhurst	42	M	S	Heart Attack	Natural	PH
5 August	Winchester	41	M	S	Hanging	Not yet held	OL
12 August	Wakefield	31	M	S	Unknown	Natural	OH
12 August	Leeds	17	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	OL
15 August	Bristol	23	M	S	Hanging	Open	SEG(OP)
1 September	Wandsworth	22	M	S	Hanging	Not yet held	OL
5 September	Birmingham	35	M	S	Hanging	Not yet held	OL
7 September	Brixton	38	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	OH
14 September	North Sea Camp	37	M	S	Heart Attack	Natural	3—
15 September	Oxford	23	M	S	Hanging	Not yet held	OL
16 September	Brixton	39	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	PH
21 September	Lewes	30	M	S	Hanging	Not yet held	SEG(OP)
24 September	Channings Wood	50	M	S	Cerebral oedema	Not yet held	4—
28 September	Liverpool	29	M	R	Hanging	Not yet held	OL
28 September	Wormwood Scrubs	36	M	S	Diabetes	Not yet held	5—

The information is given in the table. Deaths occurred within the establishment unless otherwise indicated. Information about the location of the inmate at the time of death is not readily available in every case and I shall write to the hon. Member. None of the inmates located in the prison hospital at the time of death was segregated under rule 43 of the prison rules.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the Lloyds bank report on the future of the Tote; and whether he will publish that report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's response to the recommendations of the Lloyds bank report on the Tote; and if he will publish the report.

The report by Lloyds merchant bank will not be published because it was made in confidence and contains commercially and managerially sensitive information. I announced on 3 October that the Government have accepted the case for some restructuring of the Tote Board to include executive members, as recommended by Lloyds merchant bank in its report. This recommendation was independent of the issue of privatisation, on which an announcement of the Government's conclusions will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by the working party set up to revise the guide to safety at sports grounds in accordance with the recommendations of Lord Justice Taylor's final report into the Hillsborough disaster; and when the revised guide will be published.

Revision of the guide to safety at sports grounds in order to reflect the relevant recommendations by the Hillsborough inquiry has progressed well. A draft of the guide was sent out for wide consultation last August. The draft has been revised in the light of comments received and has been sent to members of the working group which meets again this week. We hope to publish the revised guide very soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many magistrates are (a) men and (b) women.

I have been asked to reply.As at 1 January 1990, there were 16,090 men and 12,577 women sitting as lay magistrates in England and Wales.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list each international visit which she has undertaken since 26 July indicating in each case, the purpose, the matters discussed, and the estimated cost of each visit.

I have paid official visits to the following countries since 26 July 1990:

• 2–7 August—United States of America
• To address the Aspen Institute and for meetings with President Bush;
• 28–30 August—Finland
• For bilateral discussions and to attend the European Democratic Union in Helsinki;
• 16–18 September—Czechoslovakia
• 18–20 September—Hungary
• To support political and economic reform in those countries and for bilateral discussions;
• 20–21 September—Switzerland
• For bilateral discussions;
• 29 September to 1 October—United States of America
• To attend the World Summit for Children in New York.
• Estimated costs of the visits are not yet available.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will publish a list of meetings which she has hosted since 26 July with (a) foreign heads of state, (b) other foreign politicians and (c) heads of international intergovernmental agencies.

Since 26 July I have had interesting and valuable talks with a number of heads of state, foreign politicians and heads of intergovernmental agencies. Contacts at all levels are maintained on a day-to-day basis.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the discussions which she has had with (a) the Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and (b) the Secretary General of the Western European Union concerning the deployment of United Kingdom forces in the Gulf.

I saw Dr. Woerner briefly in Washington on 6 August and was able to tell him at that time of our decision to send Royal Navy ships to the Gulf. I have had no subsequent discussion with him, nor any with Dr. van Eekelen concerning the deployment of United Kingdom forces in the Gulf. United Kingdom Ministers and officials of course continue to be in close touch with both NATO and the WEU about a range of matters, including the Gulf crisis.

To ask the Prime Minister what response she made to the United Kingdom National Peace Council and the Fellowship of Reconciliation and Pax Christi following their submission on the Gulf situation, presented on 16 August.

We have no trace of having received the submission referred to.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the number of possession orders for rent arrears granted in each English region, for the years (a) 1986, (b) 1987, (c) 1988 and (d) 1989.

The number of possession orders for rent arrears granted in county courts in England for the years 1986 to 1989 are as follows. The number of such orders made in the six circuits within England are also given:

Possession orders for rent arrears granted in England 1986–1989
Circuit	1986	1987	1988	1989
Midland and Oxford	5,268	9,549	13,293	25,607
North Eastern	3,632	5,364	8,495	16,994
Northern	3,978	6,135	9,080	12,403
South Eastern	15,127	14,630	20,881	34,631
Wales and Chester	595	836	1,182	1,836
Western	3,250	4,344	5,488	7,289
England total	31,850	40,858	58,419	98,760

The figures for Wales and Chester circuit exclude possession orders for rent arrears granted in Wales. It should be noted that the figures are for possession orders not evictions since not all orders granted are executed.

To ask the Attorney-General how many High Court judges are (a) men and (b) women.

There are 81 men and two women High Court judges.

To ask the Attorney-General how many county court judges are (a) men and (b) women.

Of the circuit judges, who sit in both the county court and Crown court, 404 are men, and 18 are women. Of the county court registrars, 211 are men, and eight are women.

To ask the Attorney-General how many recorders and circuit judges are (a) men and (b) women.

The information requested is as follows:

	Men	Women
Circuit judges	404	18
Recorders	724	18
Assistant recorders	359	21

To ask the Attorney-General whether he will list all cases of prosecutions brought by the Crown prosecution service since 1986 of anti-Jewish literature which has previously been brought to his attention by hon. Members or by organisations representing the Jewish community; and what was the outcome of those prosecutions.

Fifteen prosecutions for incitement to racial hatred have been brought under section 5A of the Public Order Act 1936, or under part III of the Public Order Act 1986, in 1986 and subsequent years. Of these, 11 prosecutions included allegations that anti-Jewish material had been published or distributed. Two such cases were drawn to my attention by hon. Members but none by organisations representing the Jewish community. Proceedings have been begun, but not concluded, in a further case which was brought to my attention by an hon. Member; this case, too, involves an allegation that anti-Jewish material has been distributed. The details requested of prosecutions that have been concluded are as follows:

Name of Defendant	Result
J. Kinnon (X 2)	Convicted
J. Kinnon	Bound over
R. Trehane1	Convicted
D. Cullingford1	Convicted
R. Bearsford-Walker1	Convicted
L. Bearsford-Walker1	Convicted
K. Rowe1	Convicted
S. Knight1	Convicted
A. Shotton1	Acquitted
A. Waite1	Acquitted
D. Owens1	Convicted
J. Tyndall1	Convicted
J. Morse1	Convicted
M. Atkinson	Convicted
1 Denotes a prosecution involving an allegation that anti-Jewish material was published or distributed.

To ask the Attorney-General what consideration has been given by the Director of Public Prosecutions to initiating proceedings in respect of the publication entitled "Jewish Tributes to Our Child Martyrs", distributed by the Gentile Self-Defence League.

The Director of Public Prosecutions can consider instituting criminal proceedings only once the police have placed before him evidence against an identifiable individual. The Metropolitan police, at the request of the Director of Public Prosecutions, are conducting inquiries into the publication of this leaflet but to date have been unable to idenify or trace the persons responsible.

To ask the Attorney-General (1) what discussions he has had with the Serious Fraud Office regarding the activities of Michael Ashcroft, chairman of ADT Ltd;

For practical reasons of policy the Serious Fraud Office neither confirms nor corrects assertions or suggestions that it is conducting inquiries into the affairs of any individual or company. No inference as to the truth or falsity of the hon. Member's suggestion arises from adherence to that policy in this instance.I have frequent discussions with the director of the SFO but for practical reasons of policy their contents are not divulged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total funding by central Government on roads in Wales since 1979; and how many miles of motorway and trunk roads have been built since that year.

Since 1979 total net spending by central Government on motorway and trunk roads in Wales has exceeded £1·2 billion. In addition over £260 million transport grant has been provided to Welsh local authorities for improvement of their roads.Twenty-two miles of motorway and 134 miles of trunk road have been completed. Seven schemes totalling 16 miles are currently under construction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to meet representatives of the Farmers Union of Wales to discuss the problems facing many sheep farmers in Wales.

I met representatives of the Farmers Union of Wales on 22 October to discuss the state of the industry as part of the autumn review of HLCA rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has made to the Commission of the European Community on behalf of Welsh sheep farmers; and whether he has any plans to have direct talks with the Agriculture Commissioner on this subject in the near future.Mr. David Hunt: I have no immediate plans to meet Mr. MacSharry. In line with long-established practice, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food takes the lead in European Community discussions and negotiations. I know that my right hon. Friend has the interests of Welsh sheep producers clearly in mind in that context, and I am myself in regular contact with him.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has yet received a copy of the Watson Hawksley report on the effectiveness of the repairs to the Towyn sea wall; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a copy of extracts from the report which include conclusions and recommendations for the reconstruction of the sea defences at Towyn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives, since 1980, his Department has taken to develop fully the potential of the north Wales economy.

Our Department has carried out a very wide range of activities to develop the potential of the north Wales economy. Details of the current initiatives and policies were set out fully in the document. "A55—The Road of Opportunity", in December 1989. The potential for developing the north Wales economy has been greatly increased by the huge improvements to road links in north Wales over the last 10 years, especially the £620 million investment in dualling the A55.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many men were in employment, and how many women were in full-time employment in June 1979 and the latest date for which figures are available in (a) Wales and (b) Mid Glamorgan.

In June 1979 there were 618,000 male and 250,000 female employees in full-time employment in Wales. By June 1990, the latest date available, these figures were 527,000 and 273,000 respectively. County data are not available for the period requested but in June 1991) in Wales the civilian work force in employment stood at a record 1,236,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met district council leaders in Wales to discuss housing matters, especially new house building.

My right hon. Friend met representatives of the Council of Welsh Districts in September, where a range of issues were discussed including housing. The previous month I met representatives of districts at the Welsh Housing Consultative Committee where matters under discussion included housebuilding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if schools in Wales which elect to opt out and assume grant-maintained status will receive extra funding provision to cover the costs of repairing dilapidated buildings.

Schools in Wales which are approved for grant-maintained status will qualify for the full range of grants available under the Grant Maintained Schools (Finance) Regulations 1990. These include capital grants which can be used for the repair of premises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with British Rail concerning proposed new railway halts in Gwent.

None. This is a matter for British Rail and Gwent county council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on inward investment in Wales during the last three years.

During the three years to 31 March 1990, Wales secured a total of 319 inward investment projects—a rate of about two a week. The companies involved estimated the capital investment at some £2 billion. Since March a further 61 projects have been secured with an estimated capital investment of £306 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the current state of Welsh agriculture.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State and I have, over recent months, discussed the current state of the agriculture industry in Wales with the farming unions and other interested bodies and individuals and I am fully seized of the current problems, particularly in the livestock sector. The Government have taken a number of positive steps to help meet present concerns. Intervention support for beef is currently costing over £6 million per week in the United Kingdom. The rate of suckler cow premium has been raised in the LFA to the maximum level permitted under EC rules and the two advance payments of sheep annual premium recently announced will bring an estimated cash flow benefit of £25 million to producers in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the present state of the agriculture industry in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I am well aware of the problems currently being experienced by the agriculture industry in Wales, particularly in the livestock sector. My hon. Friend the Minister of State and I have, in recent months, had discussions with the farming unions and other interested bodies and individuals.The Government have taken a number of positive steps to help. Intervention support for beef is currently costing over £6 million per week in the United Kingdom. The rate of suckler cow premium has been raised in the LFA to the maximum level permitted under EC rules and the two advance payments of sheep annual premium recently announced will bring an estimated cash flow benefit of £25 million to producers in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set out the programme he intends to follow in providing additional finances to local authorities in Wales (a) in the present financial year, (b) in the 1991–92 financial year and (c) in subsequent financial years in order to ensure adequate availability of appropriate housing to match the requirements of his programme for the implementation of care in the community.

Allocations and guidance for the current year have already been made available. Decisions on expenditure priorities for 1991–92 and subsequent years will be finalised during the next few weeks and will be announced as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give a report on progress on modernising the road network in north Wales.

Excellent progress has been made to date on upgrading the A55 between Chester and Bangor to dual carriageway standard; 51 miles are complete, 7·6 miles are under construction, and only one scheme, the Aber improvement, remains in the forward programme. With the completion of the Chirk bypass early next year, the upgrading of the 16 miles of the A483 in Clwyd will be completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales by what date the current maintenance backlog on national health service properties will be cleared on current and planned capital spending for the national health service in Wales.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave on 31 October 1989 at columns 108–9.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total cost of backlog maintenance for national health service properties in Wales, and by health authority, for the latest available year; and if he will make a statement.

District health authorities in Wales are required to review the cost of backlog maintenance annually and for 1989–90, they estimated that it would cost £163·4 million to bring the whole of the NHS estate in Wales to a standard where it is exhibiting only minor deterioration. This sum may be broken down by district health authority as follows:

DHA	£ Million
Clwyd	21·5
East Dyfed	15·0
Gwent	14·1
Gwynedd	10·2
Mid Glamorgan	36·9
Pembrokeshire	0·6
Powys	3·3
South Glamorgan	51·0
West Glamorgan	10·8

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution was made by Her Majesty's Government to the second United Nations conference on the least-developed countries held in Paris on 3 to 14 September; what communications were developed with non-governmental organisations in attendance; whether a copy of the booklet, "The LDCs in the 1990s: Development or Oblivion", on the nongovernmental organisations' views on the new programme of action was provided to the United Kingdom delegation; and if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's relations with the least-developed countries.

The Government welcome the outcome of the second United Nations conference on the least developed held in Paris from 3·14 September and will support those least-developed countries which implement the policies outlined in the programme of action.The British delegation to the conference was led by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The delegation played an active and positive role in the negotiations for the programme of action for the 1990s adopted by the conference. Two new British initiatives relating to aid tying and local costs rules, which will be of direct benefit to the least-developed countries, were announced at the conference. The delegation kept in close contact with British nongovernmental organisations, both before and during the conference. The booklet "The LDCs in the 1990s: Development or Oblivion" was also taken into account in formulating the United Kingdom position on the various issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what indication he has received from the European Commission as to the county chosen as the site for the European bank for reconstruction and development.

Prospective member countries of the European bank for reconstruction and development decided last May that London should be the site of the bank's headquarters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in choosing a potential site for the European bank for reconstruction and development.

The bank has temporary headquarters in the City of London. Negotiations on a permanent location in London are in progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many jobs he forecasts will be attached to the new European bank for reconstruction and development.

The president-designate of the bank, M. Jacques Attali, has stated that by the end of its first year of operations the bank expects to employ roughly 200 to 250 people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to discuss sites for the European bank for reconstruction and development with the Kirklees metropolitan borough council.

None—the bank's headquarters will be in London.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review recruitment, training and promotion procedures within the civil service in Wales to ensure that all those wishing to pursue a career within the civil service can do so within Wales, without prejudicing their career prospects.

My right hon. Friend keeps all aspects of the staffing of the civil service under review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many maintenance funds there are for historic properties; and how many of these are for £100,000 or less.

A total number of 70 heritage maintenance funds have been established. It is not possible to provide a figure for the value of property held by heritage maintenance funds.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the level of value added tax received from listed building repairs each year over the last five years.

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of adjusting the maximum ceiling for mortgage interest tax relief to (a) £35,000, (b) £40,000, (c) £45,000 and (d) £50,000 on the assumption that (i) relief continues to be available at the higher marginal tax rate where applicable and (ii) that relief is restricted to the standard 25 per cent. rate of income tax.

Provisional estimates of the costs of increasing the ceiling are given in the table. The estimates exclude behavioural effects which would be substantial for the higher ceilings.

Direct revenue costs at 1990–91 income levels of raising the ceiling for mortgage interest relief
Ceiling	Relief at marginal tax rate	Relief at basic rate of 25 per cent.
£	£ million	£ million
35,000	440	-90
40,000	790	230
45,000	1,050	470
50,000	1,250	650

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the level of manufacturing investment made in each year since 1979 by (a) foreign direct investors and (b) indigenous manufacturers in (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales; and what percentage annual changes these figures represent.

The following table provides the available information. Current price figures have been supplied because there are no regional price deflators. Data for 1980 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Net capital expenditure in manufacturing industry1 at current prices
Year
£ million
	1979	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988
(a) Foreign-owned enterprises2
United Kingdom	1,490·5	1,402·3	1,363·4	1,397·4	1,547·6	1,844·0	1,714·6	1,989·1	2,528·4
		(1—)	(-3)	(2)	(11)	(19)	(-7)	(16)	(27)
Scotland	112·6	231·4	213·6	143·3	161·5	272·1	226·1	183·9	342·4
		(1—)	(-8)	(-33)	(13)	(68)	(-17)	(-19)	(86)
Wales	186·1	120·9	126·6	97·6	139·4	192·2	139·2	213·5	286·8
		(1—)	(5)	(-23)	(43)	(38)	(-38)	(53)	(34)
(b) United Kingdom-owned enterprises
United Kingdom	5,455·9	4,090·8	4,150·2	4,663·5	6,041·7	6,898·2	6,990·6	7,764·9	9,641
		(1—)	(1)	(12)	(30)	(14)	(1)	(11)	(24)
Scotland	484·0	385·9	328·4	347·3	461·4	594·2	551·2	551·6	683·6
		(1—)	(-15)	(6)	(33)	(29)	(-7)	(0)	(24)
Wales	309·0	250·0	211·3	255·6	331·6	370·8	384·4	419·4	560·8
		(1—)	(-15)	(21)	(30)	(12)	(4)	(9)	(34)

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average wage gap in male average weekly earnings between Scotland and the south-east in (a) 1979 and (b) 1989 in current prices.

Data by region for average gross weekly pay in April of each year for adult males in full-time employment are available in table 12 part A of the annual new earnings survey reports. Information on the RPI to convert the figures to 1990 prices is published in table 6.4 of the Employment Gazette and in table 26 of the annual supplement to Economic Trends.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish indices for (a) industrial production and (b) manufacturing output for (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) the United Kingdom and (iv) the south-east from 1979 to the most recent available date.