To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will include contemporary political issues in the syllabus for 14 to 16-year-olds.

There is nothing to stop schools dealing with contemporary political issues subject to their legal duty to avoid political indoctrination and ensure that any political issues raised are given a balanced treatment of opposing views.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out, for the year 1991–92, the value per child (a) in each maintained sector school of the grants for education, support and training and (b) in each grant-maintained school for the special purpose grant (development).

In 1991–92, the grant payable to local authorities under the grants for education support and training programme will represent nationally an average of some £28 per pupil in local education authority maintained schools. Special purpose grant (development) of some £41 per pupil will be available to grant-maintained schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much grant-maintained schools have been allocated for special purpose grant for staff redundancy; how many teaching and non-teaching posts have been removed; and how many teaching and non-teaching staff have been made redundant or taken early retirement.

Up to 31 December 1990 approval had been given for special purpose grant for restructuring (SPG(R)) to be paid in respect of 52 teachers at grant-maintained schools. No approvals have been given in respect of non-teaching staff. Of the 52 teachers three received redundancy payments at a total cost of £29,800. A further three received voluntary severance terms at a total cost of £25,900. The remaining 46 teachers and the three receiving redundancy payments have received or will be receiving premature retirement compensation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any changes to announce to cash limits on votes within his responsibility for 1990–91; and whether there are any proposals to amend his Department's running cost limit for 1990–91.

Subject to parliamentary approval to the necessary supplementary estimates, the cash limits for class XI, vote 1, schools, research and miscellaneous services, and class XI, vote 2, higher and further education will be amended. The Department's running cost limit on class XI, vote 4 will also be increased. The cash limit changes are as follows:

Class and vote	Current cash limit £	Change £	Revised cash limit £
XI.1	657,650,000	-1,500,000	656,150,000
XI.2	3,115,983,000	+1,500,000	3,117,483,000

The decrease on class XI, vote 1 results from slippage of certain projects in connection with research, development and implementation of the national curriculum. The token supplementary estimate also takes account of a transfer of provision for grant-in-aid to the Sports Council from the Department of the Environment to my Department.The increase on class XI, vote 2 is needed to offset reduced receipts to be appropriated in aid of the vote from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man for students attending higher education institutions in the United Kingdom; from the sale of property owned by the Royal College of Art to be reinvested in the college's redevelopment scheme; and from a decline in the proportion of Open university students from Northern Ireland. It also provides additional recurrent funds for the Royal College of Art to pay the rent on temporary accommodation for the school of painting following its move from a building owned by the Victoria and Albert museum.My Department's running cost limit will be increased by £193,000 from £80,686,000 to £80,879,000.These changes are within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Nottingham, North regarding access to the know-how fund for local education authorities.

I replied to the hon. Gentleman's letter of 17 January on 31 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the joint assistance unit expects to meet the British Council to discuss the Brackenhurst college submission for support from the know-how fund.

I am writing to the hon. Member about this case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in full the current disbursements under the Polish know-how fund.

The list of activities and their estimated expenditure which are being supported in 1990–91 from the Poland know-how fund is as follows:

Know-How Fund, Poland: Projects being funded 1990/91
Aid Vote Projects	Anticipated Expenditure
	£'000
Banking and Finance
Foreign Investment Agency	357·0
Privatisation Consultancies	1,690·0
Privatisation Foundation	112·0
Gdansk Research Centre	32·0
Gdansk Economic Foundation	4·0
Export Development Bank	200·0
Advanced Corporate Finance	15·0
Diagnostic Studies for Banks	200·0
Conference on Demonopolisation	11·3
Financial Seminars	4·0
New Banks - Unity Trust plc	30·0
National Banks of Poland - Lawyers	2·0
Insurance Regulators	6·0
Insurance Seminar	10·0
Insurance Consultancy	300·0
Assets and Liabilities	30·0
Stock Exchange Training	70·0
Total	3073·3
Management and Accountancy
Accountancy Project Identification Mission (PIM)	14·3
Accountancy Training Project	109·0
Assistance with Auditing	250·0
Management Project Identification	42·0
Industrial Attachments	300·0
Management Educators	25·0
Regional Management Centres	170·0
Shipping Management	20·0
Total	930·3
Macroeconomic advice
Computer Education	8·0
Ministry of Planning—Initial	27·0
Ministry of Planning—Follow-up	70·0
Industrial Competitiveness Research	27·0
Advice to Ministry of Finance	202·0
Total	334·0
Natural resources
Section Project Identification Mission (PIM)	5·0
PIM Follow-up	15·0
Agros Vegetable Study	55·0
Krakow Vets Training	42·0
Seeds Sector Training	55·0
Total	172·0
Industry
Vehicle Productivity Study—Phase I	44·3
Phase II	123·4
UNIDO Projects	200·0
National Business Services	9·0
Company Doctor Training	431·0
Industrial Restructuring	122·0
Industrial Competitiveness	27·0
Total	956·7
Energy
Electric Utility	403·0
UNDP/World Bank Studies
Hard Coal	339·0
Oil and Gas	339·0
Lignite and Electricity	409·0
Gas Pricing	156·0
Coal Industry Training (United Kingdom)	130·0
Pilot Course (Poland)	10·5

To ask the Secretary of Strate for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been made in the 1990–91 cash limit for expenditure by the Overseas Development Administration.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit on the overseas aid vote (class II, vote 5) will be increased by £1,444,000 from £1,477,509,000 to £1,478,953,000. The increase reflects adjustments to the aid programme including a contribution from the Scottish Office to the costs of the St. Helena ship. The increase is within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Commonwealth Foundation on its activities for 1991; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is represented on the board of governors of the Commonwealth Foundation by the British governor, Dr. John Wood. The board meets regularly to establish the foundation's policy and future activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his overall strategic approach to aid and assistance to the reforming east European and central European economies.

The main strategic aid is to help in the establishment of a plural democracy and to facilitate the transition from a centrally planned to a free market economy. The know-how fund is our main bilateral instrument for achieving these overall aims. Assistance under the know-how fund is concentrated on help in the financial sector, particularly privatisation, banking arid accountancy; in the employment sector; in the development of small businesses; in management training; and in assistance to parliamentarians, the media and legal structures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what were the findings of the Government-commissioned Harris research survey into attitudes to British Coal's arrangements for the notification of past and proposed mine workings; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon.Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Stewart), on 20 April 1990 at column 1035.British Coal intends to introduce on a voluntary basis in February a pilot scheme for individually notifying householders that their property might be affected by subsidence damage as a result of underground mining operations. The intention is that these arrangements will be introduced nationally from June. The recently published Coal Mining Subsidence Bill, once enacted, will make the individual notification of householders a statutory requirement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether any changes will be made to his Department's cash limits for 1990–91; and if he will make a statement.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the following changes will be made.The cash limit for class V, vote 2 will be increased by £27,033,000 from £298,562,000 to £325,595,000. This extra provision sought includes £27,141,000 for UKAEA programmes mainly for additional requirements on decommissioning and radioactive waste management operations, together with restructuring costs related to the thermal reactor safety programme and to the closure of the Winfrith reactor. Extra provision of £3,700,000 to meet an increased contribution towards British Coal's topping cycle project and £34,000 to cover residual Oil Pipelines Agency costs is also required. The increases sought will be partially offset by savings of £3,842,000 on class V, vote 2.The cash limit for class V, vote 3 will be increased by £586,000 from £40,117,000 to £40,703,000. This extra provision is sought to meet an increase of £655,000 on the running costs limit (from £41,970,000 to £42,625,000), including additional costs arising from the implementation of the report of the public inquiry into the Piper Alpha disaster; £81,000 for additional information technology requirements; and £20,000 for increased costs in connection with the Ocean Odyssey fatal acccident inquiry. The increases sought will be partially offset by savings of £120,000 together with an increase of £50,000 in appropriations in aid on class V, vote 3.The increases are within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he intends to end the research programme into geothermal hot dry rock technology.

No, the current phase of work on hot dry rock technology is due to be completed in September 1991. My Department has undertaken a thorough review of the technology with substantial input from the contractors for the present programme, Camborne school of mines (CSM), the RTZ Consultants Limited (RTZC). This has shown that very substantial uncertainties remain about the practicality of extracting energy from hot dry rocks within the United Kingdom and, although the economics are very uncertain, the technology seems unlikely to be competitive with conventional means of generation in the short to medium term.In the light of this I have concluded that a new direction rather than closure of the programme is needed. The next phase of work (expected to be carried out by CSM and its associates, and RTZC), for which £3·3 million will be provided over the period 1 October 1991 to 31 March 1994, will concentrate less on research in Cornwall and involve greater collaboration with a European programme now under way involving France, Germany and the European Commission. In this way the substantial expertise developed in the United Kingdom can be exploited in a European context and opportunities pursued for transferring the technology to industry. A decision on further major investment in an experimental prototype will be taken in about two years when feasibility work on the different European sites has been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many babies were born in Wales in 1990; and what were the corresponding figures for the last 10 years.

Information for 1990 is not yet available. The available information is given in the following table:

Babies Born in NHS Hospitals in Wales (Live and Still Births)
Year	Number
1979	34,636
1980	35,741
1981	34,445
1982	34,019
1983	33,998
1984	34,528
1985	35,302
1986	35,552
1987	36,338
1988	37,376
1989	36,713

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the reasons for his decision to set up the Welsh food promotion to begin operation on 1 April; and if he will make a statement.

While many organisations are involved in the marketing of Welsh food, I was concerned that no single body was in a position to assume a clear lead role and to co-ordinate our efforts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to promote Welsh food abroad; and if he will make a statement.

One of the objectives of Welsh Food Promotions Ltd. will be to co-ordinate marketing efforts at home and abroad. I expect the company to work closely with Food From Britain and with other bodies that are engaged in that task.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are employed in the manufacture of Welsh food; and if he will make a statement.

Estimates obtained from the 1987 census of employment indicate that, in Wales, there were 18·4 thousand employees employed in the manufacture of food (standard industrial classification 1980 groups 411 to 423).

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to make any changes to his Department's cash limits for 1990–91.

Yes. The cash limit for class XVI, vote 2 is to be reduced by £1,400,000 from £98,998,000 to £97,598,000. This reduction takes account of lower than expected demand for regional enterprise grants and will offset the spring supplementary estimate being sought for class XVI, vote 1 in respect of agricultural grants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will investigate the compliance by Continuous Stationery plc with paragraphs 50(2) and 50(4) of schedules 4 and 5 of the Companies Act 1985, concerning contingent liabilities, in respect of its most recent published accounts.

If the hon. Member cares to write to me with details of the reasons why he believes the accounts in question warrant investigation, I shall be pleased to consider the matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make it his policy to refer any takeover bid for Lyons Maid by Unilever to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

If such an offer is made it will be considered by the Director General of Fair Trading under the merger control provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1973 to determine whether it qualifies for reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. If it does qualify the Director General will advise my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on the question of reference. Each case is considered by the Director General and my right hon. Friend on its merits. The main criterion for my right hon. Friend in deciding whether or not to make a reference remains the possible effect of a merger on competition in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether any changes will be made to his Department's cash and running cost limits for 1990–91.

The cash limit for class IV, vote 2 (support for industry, international trade, statutory and regulatory work, consumer protection, and administration) will be reduced by £11,308,000 from £801,681,000 to £790,373,000. The running costs limit for the Department of Trade and Industry will be reduced by £3,024,000 from £303,764,000 to £300,740,000.The reduction in the cash limit covers a reduction of £7,958,000 in grant-in-aid external finance provision for the English Industrial Estates Corporation from £24,758,000 to £16,800,000 reflecting current conditions in the property market, and a reduction of £350,000 for the Government's contribution to a rent subsidy for the International Sugar and Wheat Organisation following the transfer of responsibility to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (class III, vote 4).The reduction in the running cost limit is due principally to lower-than-expected costs for the restructuring of the National Engineering Laboratory. It also reflects some savings resulting from the reorganisation of certain headquarters divisions announced by my predecessor to the House of Commons on 21 February 1990,

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much stock will be put into the public auction of the Crown Suppliers' ex-stock; and if it will include office and domestic furniture.

I have been asked to reply.All remaining stock, including new office furniture and fitments, domestic and commercial furniture and household goods.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date a public auction of the Crown Suppliers' ex-stock will be held in the current year.

I have been asked to reply.The dates are 14 and 15 February 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the estimated value of the Crown Suppliers' ex-stock to be put into a forthcoming public auction.

I have been asked to reply.The figure is between £3 million and £3·5 million at cost price.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the latest estimates of serious personal over-indebtedness; and if he will make a statement.

There is no generally agreed definition of "serious personal over-indebtedness". However, the Policy Studies Institute in its report "Credit and Debt in Britain" which was published in February 1990 estimated that about 3 per cent. of all households (560,000) had serious debts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will list in the Official Report those measures of assistance to firms under the enterprise initiative which are directed on a regional basis and the regions in which they are currently available;(2) if he will list in the

[holding answer 30 January 1991]: Under the enterprise initiative, there are three measures of assistance which are directed on a regional basis:

Regional selective assistance—available in the assisted areas of Great Britain;

Regional enterprise grants—available in development areas of Great Britain and the intermediate areas of South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Plymouth and Fife;

The consultancy initiatives—available throughout Great Britain but at a higher rate in assisted areas and urban programme areas.

The only forms of help under the enterprise initiative not available anywhere in the south-east are regional selective assistance and regional enterprise grants. In urban programme areas in the south-east firms can benefit from higher rates of support under the consultancy initiatives.A wide range of criteria were used in drawing up the current assisted areas map, including unemployment, long-term unemployment, industrial and occupational structure, population density and remoteness from main markets. No areas in the south-east were judged to warrant assisted area status. The designation of urban programme areas is a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Environment.We have no intention of extending to the whole of the United Kingdom the additional help available regionally. The Government seek to promote enterprise and growth throughout the country as a whole but within this framework, extra help is needed in certain areas.

To ask the Attorney-General how many cases in respect of mining subsidence damage were referred to the Lands Tribunal in each of the last five years; and how long each took to be resolved.

The number of cases in respect of mining subsidence damage referred to the Lands Tribunal in each of the last five years is given in the table.

Year	Number of cases
1986	23
1987	68
1988	34
1989	26
1990	8

The Lord Chancellor's Department does not keep detailed statistics on the length of time taken to resolve mining subsidence damage cases, but it is estimated that cases are resolved within 12 to 18 months, depending on the length of time it takes the parties to prepare for the hearing.

To ask the Attorney-General what qualifications or training (a) entry clearance officers and (b) adjudicators have in order to qualify them for the work they carry out in the Indian sub-continent; how many entry clearance officers and adjudicators are employed; what is the average number of applications dealt with by an entry clearance officer or an adjudicator each month; and to whom they are answerable for the manner in which they perform their duties.

The training of entry clearance officers is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. I understand that entry clearance officers on the Indian sub-continent undergo a three-and-a-half week training course in which they are instructed in all areas of the immigration rules. On arrival at post they are given a further period of training varying between two and eight weeks depending on their location. All aspects of their work are closely monitored by line managers, to whom they are immediately answerable. Their ultimate responsibility is to their head of post. There are 82 entry clearance officers on the Indian sub-continent, who each process an average of 320 applications per month.Adjudicators are appointed by the Lord Chancellor from among lawyers of not less than seven years' standing. Upon appointment, adjudicators are required to attend a two to three-day induction course, to pay visits to officials of the immigration service at ports of entry in the United Kingdom, and to officials of the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service, which represents 50 per cent. of appellants before the adjudicators. Once the adjudicators take up their duties they are required to attend training seminars, which are held on a regular basis.The number of adjudicators currently sitting at nine hearing centres throughout the United Kingdom is as follows:

To ask the Attorney-General what discretion is available to Ministers to bring forward the timing of the hearing of an appeal against the refusal of an entry permit by an entry clearance officer in the Indian sub-continent; and whether he has discretion to intervene in cases where evidence of an unsound refusal is made available to him.

Ministers have no discretion to being forward the timing of immigration appeal hearings by the adjudicators. That is a matter for the immigration appellate authorities, which are independent of Ministers, although responsibility for their administration rests with the Lord Chancellor.Where further evidence clearly indicates that a decision to refuse entry is unsound, the correspondence unit in the migration and visa department of the Foreign Office will refer the case back to the entry clearance officer for reconsideration.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the average time in the Indian sub-continent that elapses between the lodging of an appeal against the decision of an entry clearance officer to grant an entry permit and the hearing of that appeal by an adjudicator; and what are the minimum and maximum times recorded during the past two years.

The immigration appellate authorities (IAA) do not record details of the minimum and maximum times for appeals from an Indian sub-continent to be determined by adjudicators. However, it is possible to provide an estimate of the average time taken by the IAA to deal with appeals at each stage of the proceedings, as follows:

(a) From the date of receipt of the notice of appeal and explanatory statement at the IAA's headquarters in London, to the date the case papers are despatched to the parties representatives in this country: 10 to 12 weeks;

(b) From the date on which both parties indicate readiness to proceed to a hearing, to the date of the hearing: two to three months;

(c) From the date of the hearing to the date the Adjudicator's determination is despatched to the parties representatives in this country: one month.

Thus the current estimate of the average time taken by an Adjudicator to deal with a case is five and a half to seven months, to which must be added the time taken by the parties' representatives in the United Kingdom to indicate readiness to proceed after receipt of the case papers from the IAA. This latter period can vary considerably but the current estimate is from two to six months.In addition, an appeal from a determination by an adjudicator to the immigration appeal tribunal is estimated to take four to six months.

To ask the Attorney-General whether any changes will be made to the Lord Chancellor's Department's cash limit and running costs limit for 1990–91.

Yes, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for the Lord Chancellor's Department, class X, vote 1 will he increased by £2,716,000 from £321,132,000 to £323,848,000.The supplementary estimate gives effect to an increase of £2,472,000 in the Department's provision for the 1990–91 accommodation charge. The increase arises from the introduction of value added tax on commercial rents.The supplementary estimate also gives effect to an increase of £254,000 in the Department's provision for estate management which arises from the introduction of value added tax on commercial use of fuel and utilities.The increase to appropriations in aid of £10,000 is required to give effect to receipts in respect of nursery facilities.The running costs limit for class X, vote I will be increased by £2,726,000 from £280,982,000 to £283,708,000.The increase is within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Attorney-General whether any changes will be made to the Crown prosecution service's cash limit and running costs limit for 1990–91.

Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class x, vote 5 will be increased by £3,000,000 from £130,668,000 to £133,668,000. Within this total the Department's running costs limit will be increased by £4,000,000 from £125,107,000 to £129,107,000.Additional provision is required to enable the Crown prosecution service to meet increased accommodation costs, mostly caused by rent reviews and essential office moves, and the costs of agency support staff to compensate for shortfalls in recruitment particularly in the south-east. The increase is within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Attorney-General whether any changes will be made to the Treasury Solicitor's Department's cash limit and running costs limit for 1990–91.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class X, vote 9 will be increased by £249,000 from £15,862,000 to £16,111,000. The additional provision is required for capital expenditure for new office accommodation in Taunton and a similar sum will he deducted from the provision allocated for 1991–92.The increase is within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Attorney-General whether any changes will be made to the Serious Fraud Office's cash limit and running costs limit for 1990–91.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class X, vote 7 will be increased by £60,000 from £6,567,000 to £6,627,000. The Department's running costs limit will be increased by £60,000 from £6,367,000 to £6,427,000. This increase will enable the Serious Fraud Office to meet additional costs arising from a restructuring of its senior management.The increase is within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost of holding people in police cells, giving (a) the daily rate and (b) by police authority.

The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of present legislation to control killer dogs; and if he will make a statement.

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1989 increased the powers of the courts under the Dogs Act 1871, particularly as regards the destruction of dangerous dogs. The courts have already used these new powers. Last summer, the Government's consultation paper, "The Control of Dogs", reviewed the legislation on dangerous dogs and set out a number of proposals for further action. We are now considering the responses to this paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will hold an inquiry into the conditions in Glen Parva remand centre.

As part of his normal programme, Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons will be conducting an inspection of Her Majesty's young offender institution Glen Parva in October this year, but I see no reason for an inquiry.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role he is playing in co-ordinating special measures to protect Arab and Muslim people from racist attacks.

My right hon. Friend is in close touch with representatives of different Muslim communities and with the police service. They and other agencies with responsibilities for dealing with attacks against law-abiding citizens and their homes and institutions in this country are clear about the priority such incidents deserve.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to make any changes to the 1990–91 cash limits within his responsibilities and to his Department's running costs' limit.

[pursuant to my reply, 8 November 1990, column 13]: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the cash limit on class IX, vote 2, prisons, England and Wales, will be increased by £50,000,000 from £1,294,715,000 to £1,344,715,000. The additional provision is needed to meet the costs of accommodating prisoners in police cells made necessary as a result of the serious prison disorders which occurred in April 1990 and because of industrial action by prison officers. The cash limit on class IX, vote 3, Home Office administration, immigration and police support services, England and Wales, will be increased by £36,523,000 from £758,668,000 to £795,191,000. The additional provision is necessary mainly to fund grants under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 to local authorities which have to make special provision for the needs of their ethnic minority population and also to meet higher than expected costs of Home Office accommodation.The Home Office running costs limit will be increased by £18,984,000 from £1,012,417,000 to £1,031,401,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the cladding removed in 1986 from the east wing of Southampton buildings, Holborn will be replaced.

The cladding was removed in 1986 because of serious deterioration following storm damage in that year. Re-cladding was planned to start in December 1989, but this had to be postponed because of funding difficulties and other maintenance priorities. It is unlikely that the position will change during 1991–92, but I can assure the hon. Member that there has been no significant deterioration to the fabric of the building. Periodic inspections will be carried out and the position kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals exist for Southampton buildings, Holborn, when the Patent Office and British Library vacate the buildings; and if there are any plans to develop the site.

The Patent Office now occupies only a small part of Southampton buildings, having vacated most of its accommodation there in September 1989. The building is expected to be occupied by British Library and others until the mid- 1990s, when the opportunity may occur for refurbishment or redevelopment. It is too early to say which option might be adopted.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest guidance provided by his Department to local authorities over planning permission for the conversion of disused barns into (a) dwellings and (b) workshops or other use.

DOE circular 8/87, "Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas—Policy and Procedures", states that, finding new uses for buildings such as barns which play an important part in the history and appearance of the countryside, all possible solutions should be explored. It points out that they can make a contribution to the rural economy by providing employment. My Department also provided guidance on the re-use of redundant rural buildings in 1988 in planning policy guidance note 7 (PPG7) on "Rural Enterprise and Development" and PPG2 on "Green Belts". A draft revision of PPG7 was issued for public consultation in December 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to review the Land Compensation Act 1973; and if he will make a statement.

The Planning and Compensation Bill, introduced in another place, contains a number of major proposals for change to land compensation legislation. These include in particular a substantial widening of eligibility for home loss payments under the 1973 Act and an increase in the level of such payments for owner-occupiers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table indicating the number of jobs created in each urban development corporation area.

The totals of permanent jobs created or attracted, net of losses, are given in the table:

UDC	Net gain in jobs to March 1990
Black Country	5,734
Bristol	0
Central Manchester	285
Leeds	5,241
London Docklands	29,000
Merseyside	4,200
Sheffield	40
Teesside	2,741
Trafford Park	2,450
Tyne and Wear	1,630
Total	51,321

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of financial resources allocated to (a) the urban programme, (b) urban development corporations and (c) grants for urban development for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 31 January 1991]: The breakdown of central Government expenditure on the urban programme, urban development corporations and city grant (including urban development grant and urban regeneration grant) for 1986–87 to 1990–91 is as follows:

1991-92 Standard spending assessments
	31 October figure for total SSA	Final figure for total SSA	Percentage change in total SSA	Change in total SSA	Change in capital financing SSA element	Change in flood defence SSA element	Change in all other SSA elements
	£ million	£ million	per cent.	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
Bristol	40·872	41·098	0·6	0·226	0·089	0·132	0·004
Nottingham	37·162	37·138	-0·1	-0·024	-0·035	—	0·011
Kingston upon Hull	31·210	31·419	0·7	0·210	0·206	-0·002	0·006
Plymouth	28·678	28·666	0·0	-0·012	-0·012	-0·030	0·006
Portsmouth	24·505	24·729	0·9	0·223	0·236	-0·018	0·005
Stoke-on-Trent	24·880	24·470	-1·6	-0·410	-0·407	-0·008	0·005
Derby	24365	24·313	-0·2	-0·051	-0·056	0·000	0·005
Southampton	23·370	23·351	-0·1	-0·020	-0·024	—	0·005
Luton	22·175	22·230	0·2	0·055	0·051	—	0·004

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to increase the number of schemes in any urban programme operating at the present time; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 31 January 1991]: Local authorities decide on the number of schemes in their annual urban programmes, according to local priority. The Secretary of State has no present plans to review the list of urban programme authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his current priorities in urban regeneration.

[holding answer 31 January 1991]: Good progress has already been made on improving the quality of life for people in our inner cities: we aim now to build on that success, working with local government and the private and voluntary sectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the standard spending assessment for Stoke-on-Trent and the 10 district authorities closest to it in size, giving figures for five larger ones and five smaller ones, together with the estimated assessment for each, and the percentage increase or decrease in the final figure compared with the estimate for each; and if he will list the criteria which led to changes in the original estimates.

The table lists the standard spending assessment (SSA) for Stoke-on-Trent and the 10 districts closest in size in terms of 1991–92 SSA in £m. The main reasons for change between the provisional figures for 1991–92 SSAs announced on 31 October and the final settlement figures are: that later estimates of credit approvals have been used; that later data on flood defence expenditure have been incorporated; and there have been a number of other small changes to data and service control totals. These effects are shown in columns 5, 6 a:nd 7 respectively of the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much it would cost to exempt all those people on income support from paying 20 per cent. of the poll tax.

I have been asked to reply.Income-related benefit levels were adjusted in April 1989 to include help towards the 20 per cent. contribution to the community charge at an estimated cost of £500 million.Assuming that these benefit levels are not reduced, exempting all those on income support from paying the 20 per cent. contribution would cost an estimated £300 million in community charge benefit, at current benefit levels.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply on 28 January, what information he has on the connections between ID Investment Development AG to which Heveningham hall was sold and representatives of the Iraqi Government.

My right hon. Friend has no evidence that any such connections exist.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received the final report of the research project by Victor Hausner and Associates into the use of the urban programme in creating employment opportunities for black and ethnic minority communities in the inner cities; and whether he will put a copy of this report in the Libary.

My right hon. Friend has not yet received the final report of this research project.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if there are any proposals to change the 1990–91 running costs limit for Ordnance Survey.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary token spring supplementary estimate, the running costs limit for Ordnance Survey will be increased by £650,000 from £57,193,000 to £57,843,000. The increase is needed to fund additional expenditure in a number of areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any changes to announce to his Department's cash limits and running costs limits for 1990–91.

Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the following changes will be made:

(i) The cash limit for class VIII, vote 5 (central environmental services, etc.) will be reduced by £145,000 from £366,400,000 to £366,255,000. There will be a corresponding increase on class VIII, vote 8 (Department of the Environment: administration) to provide for administrative expenditure incurred in setting up the Nature Conservancy Council (England).

(ii) The cash limit for class VIII, vote 8 (Department of the Environment: administration) will be increased by £52,000 from £157,750,000 to £157,802,000. This includes a transfer of £145,000 from class VIII, vote 5 (central environmental services) for expenditure incurred in setting up the Nature Conservancy Council (England). A transfer of £13,000 is being made to the Department of Transport to support a review of first aid arrangements. Further income of £80,000 will accrue to the Building Research Establishment as a result of Property Holdings being charged the full economic cost of services provided to it.

(iii) The cash limit for class VIII, vote 2 (miscellaneous housing administration and grants) will be reduced by £1,000,000 from £110,217,000 to £109,217,000, to reflect a reduction in the level of claims by local authorities for reimbursement of costs incurred on the rent officer service, and a small reduction to the provision for grants for tenant participation schemes.

(iv) The non-voted cash limit for DOE/UA (urban aid and derelict land reclamation) will be increased by £3,675,000 from £904,666,000 to £908,341,000. This is to cover increased grant-in-aid of £3,675,000 to the Bristol development corporation for land acquisitions in connection with the Bristol spine road. This will be offset by a corresponding reduction in the Department of Transport's cash limit for class VII, vote 1. Teesside development corporation will receive further provision of £4,800,000 fully offset by a corresponding decrease in grant-in-aid to Trafford Park development corporation. The provision for the city grant has also been increased by £1,122,000 to meet the higher-than-expected level of claims. There are offsetting savings of £500,000 from the recovery of derelict land grant and £622,000 from a reduction in expected claims for urban development grant.

(v) The non-voted cash limit for DOE/LACAP (local authority capital grants and credit approvals) will be reduced by £27,890,000 from £2,813,060,000 to £2,785,170,000. This provides offsetting savings for spending on specified housing grants not at present included in the cash limit, a transfer of resources to the Department of Social Security and to cover an increase in new towns housing subsidy.

(vi) the running costs limit for the Department of the Environment will be reduced by £13,000 from £157,754,000 to £157,741,000.

(vii) These changes are within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes to make any changes to the cash limit on the Property Services Agency services vote in 1990–91.

Yes, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class VIII, vote 13 will be increased by £15,548,000 from £29,658,000 to £45,206,000. This increase is required to finance additional expenditure on severance payments to surplus staff as a result of the restructuring of PSA Services into a viable commercial proposition, and to finance additional and unforseen expenditure on the dilapidation costs relating to the early surrender of a leased property no longer required for use by Government Departments. The increase is within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the autumn statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of expenditure by his Department to tackle inner-city decay for each year since 1988; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 31 January 1991]: My Department supports a wide range of programmes within the Government's current initiatives for the inner cities. Resources for these programmes totalled some £1.3 billion in 1988–89 and £1.4 billion in 1989–90; expenditure during 1990–91 is expected to exceed £1.5 billion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received a copy of the report of the German parliamentary commission on preventive measures to protect the earth's atmosphere chaired by Bernd

Estimated Population
Local authority	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Antrim	45,900	45,900	46,600	47,700	48,100
Ards	62,200	63,000	63,600	64,000	64,500
Armagh	50,400	51,200	50,700	49,200	49,000
Ballymena	55,800	55,800	56,100	56,900	57,200
Ballymoney	23,800	23,800	23,800	23,900	23,900
Banbridge	31,600	31,700	32,000	31,900	31,900
Belfast	301,600	303,600	303,800	299,600	296,900
Carrickfergus	28,400	29,000	29,300	30,000	30,400
Castlereagh	58,400	58,000	57,900	58,000	58,000
Coleraine	47,300	47,600	47,700	48,100	48,500
Cookstown	27,900	27,800	27.700	27,600	27,600
Craigavon	75,300	76,100	76,600	77,200	77,700
Derry	95,300	95,700	97,500	98,700	99,500
Down	55,400	55,800	56,400	57,000	57,200
Dungannon	43,900	43,800	43,900	43,700	43,700
Fermanagh	51,400	51,000	50,300	50,000	50,400
Lame	28,600	28,600	28,700	29,000	29,100
Limavady	28,900	29,100	29,600	30,000	29,800
Lisburn	90,900	91,900	92,900	95,500	97,400
Magherafelt	33,000	33,200	33,300	33,100	32,900
Moyle	15,000	15,100	15,200	15,200	15,100
ewry and Mourne	84,700	86,100	87,100	87,800	88,900
Newtownabbey	72,100	72,200	72,300	72,800	72,900
North Down	69,300	69,800	70,700	71,100	71,900
Omagh	44,900	54,100	45,800	44,900	44,900
Strabane	35,800	35,900	35,700	35,200	35,600
Totals	1,557,800	1,566,800	1,575,200	1,578,100	1,583,000

Figures for 1990 will not be available until mid-1991.

Estimated Electorate
Local Authority	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990
Antrim	27,131	27,572	27,834	29,054	29,669
Ards	44,288	45,266	45,669	46,571	47,697
Armagh	34,979	35,417	35,181	35,195	35,776
Ballymena	39,020	39,304	39,611	40,769	41,619
Ballymoney	16,499	16,685	16,665	17,072	17,396
Banbridge	23,322	23,600	23,782	24,080	24,537
Belfast	216,772	220,326	218,611	214,065	214,158
Carrickfergus	21,073	21,627	21,858	22,816	23,554

[holding answer 31 January 1991]: Copies of the German parliamentary commission's report have been obtained by the Department. We receive such reports through British embassies in other member states and through direct contacts with the Governments of member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was was (a) the estimated population, (b) the estimated electorate and (c) the estimated total net valuation in each of the past five years for each of the 26 local authorities in Northern Ireland.

The information requested is set out in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on cash and running cost limits for Northern Ireland departmental services and the Northern Ireland Office in 1990–91.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary associated supplementary estimates, it is proposed that the cash limit for the Northern Ireland Office (NIO1) will be increased by £16.5 million from £683.5 million to £700.0 million.The cash limit for Northern Ireland departmental services (NID1) for 1990–91 will be decreased by £27·8 million from £2,949·3 million to £2,921·5 million. This change reflects increases in respect of VAT compensation (£1·9 million) and running costs carried over from 1989–90 under end-year flexibility arrangements (£2·2 million). It also reflects decreases in respect of transfers to the Northern Ireland Office of some £16 million and technical changes of some £16 million, the majority of which were transfers to non cash-limited areas within Northern Ireland Departments.The running cost limit for Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments will be increased by £3,818,000 from £592,597,000 to £596,415,000 primarily reflecting the take-up of end-year flexibility entitlement of £2,697,000, as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 25 July 1990,

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes are proposed to the cash and running costs limits for 1990–91 in respect of the Paymaster General's Office.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for the Paymaster General's Office (class XVIII, vote 12) will be increased by £170,000 from £19,120,000 to £19,290,000 and the running cost limit by £85,000 from £17,573,000 to £17,658,000. The increases in running costs mainly reflects an increase in postal charges. The increase in cash limit also includes a reduction in receipts from the national insurance fund.These increases are within the forecast outturn for the planning total published today in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library, copies of all official statements made or published by members of the Government on the Katyn massacre since I January 1961.

The information is not readily available and coud be provided only at disproportionate cost. Ministers have answered many questions in the House about the Katyn massacre. I refer my hon. Friend to the replies given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office to him on 23 and 30 November.