To ask the Attorney-General what provisions exist to ensure that solicitors engaged to represent DSS claimants on legal aid at early stages of appeal do not cease to represent them when their appeals reach critical stages and legal aid runs out; and if he will make a statement.

Civil legal aid is granted by the legal aid board for most business in the county courts and the High Court subject to the applicant satisfying the board's financial eligibility and merits tests. The merits test is applied at the outset of a case to determine whether it is worth pursuing. Legal aid is not available for representation before social security appeal tribunals or the social security commissioners, but green form advice is available to prepare for the hearing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department has on the number of people without permanent accommodation or temporary accommodation for each local authority area (a) in the last quarter of 1990 and (b) in January 1991.

My Department has no information on the numbers of people without permanent or temporary accommodation by individual local authority area. A count of persons sleeping rough is to be carried out in April as part of the 1991 population census.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department has on the number of people in temporary bed-and-breakfast accommodation for each local authority area (a) in the last quarter of 1990 and (b) in January 1991.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure accommodation for households who have been found to be homeless, or threatened with homelessness, under part III of the Housing Act 1985. Information on households dealt with under these provisions is reported quarterly to the Department.The latest available figures for the number of homeless households in bed-and-breakfast accommodation are for the end of September 1990. They appear in table 7 of "Households found accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act: England. Results for the third quarter 1990. Supplementary Tables", a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the number of people in private sector leasing provided by each local authority area (a) in the last quarter of 1990 and (b) in January 1991.

Local authorities reported the number of dwellings leased by them with an original lease of less than three years in their annual housing investment programme returns for 1 April 1990. The information appears in "1990 HIP1 All Items Print", column A81, a copy of which is in the Library. My Department has no information on the number of people occupying these dwellings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department first became aware of the appeal against his decision in favour of Woking borough council's compulsory purchase order on the former Maybury school site in Woking; and when he now expects to send instructions on this matter to the Treasury Solicitor.

My Department was made aware of the appeal to the High Court against the decision to confirm the Woking BC (former Maybury County School Annexe) (No. 2) CPO 1989, by letter dated 25 October 1990. We have already instructed the Treasury Solicitor in the matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a list showing the number of full-time equivalent staff employed by each individual shire county in England during 1990–91.

I will write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take immediate steps to facilitate the use of county hall, London, for sheltering the homeless during the winter months; and if he will make a statement.

The London residuary body is preparing to dispose of county hall at the earliest convenient opportunity. The suggested use would not be consistent with the discharge of LRB's statutory duty to dispose of surplus property. A total of 700 places in emergency shelters are available for rough sleepers in London and will remain open while the very cold weather continues. Most of the shelters have been full, but some still have free spaces for rough sleepers to use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what restrictions there are on the circumstances and numbers of occasions on which union flags can be flown from civic buildings at the direction of local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

There are no restrictions on the circumstances and numbers of occasions on which union flags can be flown from civic buildings. It is for local authorities to exercise their discretion for which they are answerable to their electorates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Evironment what major research his Department has conducted or commissioned into the future housing needs in Britain.

A significant part of the housing research programme is devoted to assessing the housing needs of specific groups. These include surveys of the housing needs of elderly and disabled people, of ethnic minorities, of low-income migrants and of those with AIDS and HIV infection. The Department is also examining the numbers and characteristics of those on local authority and housing association waiting lists compared with those who are allocated social housing and the needs and aspirations of concealed households and of those who share their accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites of special scientific interest have been damaged or destroyed since the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; and what is the total area of such sites.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to him on 10 December 1990, Official Report, column 267.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide incentives to private sector landlords to improve the conditions of their properties.

The main incentive a private landlord has to improve his property is that it will command a higher rent. If the additional rental income which can be expected is insufficient to pay for the works a house renovation grant may be available. A landlord will be entitled to such a grant if a repairs notice is served by the local housing authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to improve the minimum conditions standards for privately rented accommodation.

The minimum standard of fitness of dwellings for human habitation in section 604 of the Housing Act 1985 was replaced by an improved standard set out in paragraph 83 of schedule 9 to the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. This applies to all properties, including those in the private rented sector, and includes provisions relating specifically to buildings containing flats. There are no plans for further legislative changes at present, although the matter is being kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many mortgage possession orders have been made in Coventry and the west midlands in each of the last five years to the latest available date and for each of the last 12 months.

Comprehensive information on mortgage possessions in the city of Coventry and west midlands conurbation, including properties surrendered without a court order, is not available. The available figures for possession orders made by the courts covering Coventry and the west midlands conurbation, not all of which are executed, are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the university of Aston business school to report on the national survey of parish and town councils; and if he will make a statement.

In the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the terms of reference given to the university of Aston business school for the survey of parish and town councils on behalf of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

The aim of the survey is to produce a comprehensive picture of what parish and town councils are doing and how they are doing it, and what are their finances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to extend community forums of those districts and city areas where there are no parish or town councils; and if he will make a statement.

The Secretary of State has power only to change the present coverage of parishes as a result of recommendations of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Other changes are within the scope of the current review of local government.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any changes to announce to his Department's cash limits for 1991–92.

Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class VIII vote 15 will be increased by £829,000 from £1,000 to £830,000. This increase is required because there will be no receipts from the sale of the Crown Suppliers' vehicle hire and maintenance business in 1990–91. This increase is within the forecast outturn for the planning total published in the statistical supplement to the 1990 autumn statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each authority in England his estimate of the numbers who will benefit from the community charge reduction scheme.

[holding answer 8 February 1991]: My Department does not hold community charge registers for individual authorities and I am not, therefore, at present able to make detailed estimates by local authority area. On the basis of information from the family expenditure survey, I estimate that more than 18 million charge payers in England should receive some reduction in 1991–92. Estimates for individual local authority areas will become available once local authorities make their grant claims in respect of 1991–92.I have today placed in the Library a table showing the percentage of the average rateable value for an area below which a two-adult household will benefit from the community charge reduction scheme, provided that they have not moved since 1 April 1990. This shows that, in most areas, couples with rateable values of less than 75 per cent. of the average for their local authority will have a reduction. In many areas, couples with rateable values well above the average for their area will benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his best estimates of the amount actually paid out in poll tax transitional relief in 1990–91.

[holding answer 14 February 1991]: My best estimate, given in the Chancellor's autumn statement, is that charge payers will benefit from transitional relief by £320 million in 1990–91. I shall be in a position to publish a final figure for the amount of relief given when local authorities submit their final grant claims later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make available details of any contracts awarded by his Department to consultants to carry out work on housing or urban renewal projects, with information on the companies, principals involved, nature of project and value of project during 1989–90 and 1990–91.

[holding answer 11 February 1991]: Details of contracts awarded by the Department in 1989–90 and to date in 1990–91 to bodies outside government for research and consultancy projects on topics related to housing or urban renewal have been placed in the Library. The cost of individual projects is in some cases commercially confidential and in others not finally known. The information gives approximate figures for the aggregate cost of groups of projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what action his Department is taking to reduce the damage to the ecology of the Bristol channel that may be caused by the current oil slick;(2) what assessment he has made of the ecological effects of the oil slick that is currently polluting the Bristol channel.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: I understand that the oil slick observed on the Bristol channel this week has resulted from a spillage of approximately 20 tons of fuel oil from Llanwern steelworks. While it is too early to give an overall assessment of its effects, reports have been received of 50 to 100, mainly lightly, oiled birds. At present the slick does not appear to have harmed major wildlife sites, although mud flats and salt marshes may suffer some short-term damage. Any attempt to clean up in such sensitive environments is likely to cause more damage than leaving oil to weather and degrade by natural processes. The Nature Conservancy Council, the Government's adviser on wildlife, is closely monitoring the situation and the Department of Transport's marine pollution control unit has provided advice on appropriate clean up techniques. The National Rivers Authority is leading the response to this incident together with the local authorities concerned and is currently working with the oil industry's oil spill service centre to recover oil at sea before it reaches the shore. There have been no reports of harm to the limited fishing grounds in the area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each urban programme authority the total value of projects listed in their submissions for 1990–91 an 1991–92, the total value of these projects for urban programme grants and the ratio of bids to allocations.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: The information requested is currently available only for 1990–91 and is shown in columns 1–4 of the table. Information for 1991–92 will be available only after all urban programme submissions have been received and the approval process completed. Column 5 of the table shows the recently announced provisional allocations for 1991–92 for each authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to additional funds being made available to those local authorities whose areas have been hardest hit by the effects of the recent heavy snow; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: The information at present available to us does not suggest that local authority expenditure associated with the recent cold weather will have exceeded that for which prudent authorities could be expected to have budgeted. However, if any authority can demonstrate an undue financial burden as a result of recent weather conditions we will be prepared to consider whether special financial assistance should be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the standard spending assessment for housing for Kirklees metropolitan council for 1991–92; and what it was for 1990–91.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: There is no standard spending assessment for housing. Government support for local authority rented accommodation is provided directly through the housing revenue account subsidy system. Other housing costs which fall to be met by local authorities are taken into account within the all other services SSA element. These include the provision of bed-and-breakfast accommodation for the homeless, administration of housing benefit and the proportion of housing benefit payments not met directly by central Government subsidy, management of housing improvement areas and the administration of improvement grants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export control regulations exist to cover trade in nuclear technology, equipment and materials; and what steps have been taken to inform United Kingdom companies of the arrangements covering nuclear exports.

The United Kingdom gives effect to its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty through the Export of Goods (Control) Order. This requires a licence to export goods which are sensitive for nuclear purposes to any destination. My Department makes available to exporters guidance booklets describing the controls and how they are implemented. We have in addition organised a major programme of seminars to explain the control system to exporters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to incorporate the eastern European countries within the portfolio of the Department of Trade and Industry's exports to Europe branch.

No. The exports to Europe branch deals with trade between the United Kingdom and EC and EFTA countries. It would not be appropriate to include other countries within its sphere of work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms have declared bankruptcy in Wales in the last 12 months, and what they were producing.

The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the exact date of appointment of Mr. A. G. Gormly, the hon. D. Douglas-Home, Mr. S. M. F. Harris, Professor K. Scholes, Mr. D. G. Eustace and Mr. F. M. P. Riding as members of the Export Guarantees Advisory Council in 1988.

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his reply of 11 February, Official Report, column 330, why Her Majesty's Government are not in a position to identify the nations from which supplies and expertise involved in the production of chemical and biological weapons, the preparation of nuclear weapons and the extension of Scud missiles in Iraq were provided.

It is for each Government to monitor and control exports from its country. It would not he appropriate for Her Majesty's Government to comment publicly on the export policies of others.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government are yet in a position to respond to the recommendations for legislation in the Director General of Fair Trading's report on timeshare of July 1990.

Yes. The report was commissioned by my predecessor because of the number of complaints which he received about the marketing and selling of timeshare. The director general was asked to review the adequacy of existing controls. I should like to record the Government's appreciation for the thoughtful and thorough analysis which his report contained.Timeshare is making a valuable contribution to jobs and earnings in the tourism industry in the United Kingdom and in a number of other countries. The report does not question that many timeshare owners are satisfied with the product and the industry continues to grow. Its problems must therefore be kept in perspective.The report confirms the Government's original view that much of the complaint and concern stems from dubious marketing practices and high-pressure selling. Although existing legislation provides a measure of protection, the Government consider that it is at the marketing and selling end of the transaction where increased controls are needed. The director general made three recommendations for changes to the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 to tighten the controls on statements about services and to bring timeshare award schemes within the Act's powers. The Government accept these recommendations in principle. The detail of their implementation will be dealt with as part of the general review of the Trade Descriptions Act currently being undertaken.I am glad that the responsible majority of the industry has recognised that certain marketing practices are unacceptable. The Government welcome the formation of the new Timeshare Council which aims to represent all those with an interest in the industry, including owners. The council plans to develop a code of practice and has introduced membership criteria which seek to secure greater protection for buyers.This is very much a step in the right direction, but these efforts need to be backed by legislative measures which would ensure that every purchaser received a prospectus giving certain minimum information about the development before signing a contract; a cooling-off period in which to cancel the contract without penalty; and protection of deposit moneys through a bonding or escrow arrangement. These measures were recommended by the director general. Most of the timeshares which people in the United Kingdom buy are in developments abroad and most of the selling takes place abroad, too. Much of the activity is therefore outside United Kingdom jurisdiction. United Kingdom legislation would not, therefore, on its own provide effective protection, and could simply push the unscrupulous operator off-shore. For these reasons, this is an issue which can effectively be approached only on a European Community basis, and I shall be taking it up with the EC Commission. The Commission has already recognised the need for a cooling-off period for timeshare contracts in its recently issued proposal for a directive on unfair contract terms.The measures that I have proposed are designed to ensure that anyone interested in buying a timeshare can make an informed and considered choice. I do not believe that it is necessary for Government to intervene further through legislation in the detail of timeshare contracts, for instance in relation to the holding of management fees or rental or resale moneys, as recommended by the director general. These recommendations represent good practice and I hope that the industry will follow them, but it is up to the consumer to make sure that the contract he signs includes sensible and reasonable terms on the future management and organisation of the development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list in the Official Report all items of industrial dual-use equipment, materials and technology subject to control in connection with the missile technology control regime.

[holding answer 12 February 1991]: The United Kingdom gives effect to its commitments as a member of the missile technology control regime through the Export of Goods (Control) Order. This requires a licence for the export to any destination of goods which are sensitive for missile technology reasons, a detailed list of which is published by my Department in "An Exporters Guide to Non-Proliferation Policy and Controls". I have placed the latest copy of the publication in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out the reasons why China, Taiwan, Burma, Brazil and Cuba remain states subject to special licensing procedures for military sensitive exports from the United Kingdom.

[holding answer 12 February 1991]: All military equipment listed in group 1 of part 2 of the Export of Goods (Control) Order is subject to special licensing procedures irrespective of destination.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the net yields of value added tax from each district council in Northern Ireland in the most recent financial year for which information is available.

Local authorities receive funds of value added tax rather than producing a net yield because they are generally not involved in large-scale business activities. Information about district councils in the form requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the holder of his office last attended a meeting of the royal commissioners for the exhibition of 1851.

Information on the date on which the holder of my office last attended a meeting of the royal commission for the exhibition of 1851 is not readily available and could be obtained only with a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to introduce further valued added tax relief for organisations with charitable status.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the approximate total of VAT received from the sale of bloodstock horses in each of the years 1980 to 1990; and what VAT revenue arises from such sales in Newmarket.

Complete records of the VAT yield from all United Kingdom bloodstock sales are not available for the 10-year period 1980–90. The auctioneering sector of bloodstock industry generally is currently estimated to yield approximately £0·5 million VAT annually. Bloodstock sales in Newmarket give rise to a net payment of VAT from the Exchequer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulations apply to the levying of VAT on the breeding of livestock and the artifical insemination of pedigree cattle and bloodstock horses.

The VAT liability of supplies of breeding livestock follows the liability of the animals concerned. Supplies of breeding in connection with animals within the definition of item 4 of group 1 of schedule 5 to the VAT Act 1983 are zero-rated; others are standard-rated. The separate supply of semen or artificial insemination services is standard-rated.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the net borrowing requirement of the United Kingdom corporate sector in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, respectively.

The net borrowing requirement of United Kingdom industrial and commercial companies is given in the January 1991 issue of "Financial Statistics", table 8.3, available from the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of takeover bid expenditure was financed (a) by shares and (b) by borrowing in the years 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, respectively.

The available information on expenditure by United Kingdom industrial and commercial companies on acquiring United Kingdom companies for cash or shares is given in table 3 of the business bulletin "Acquisitions and Mergers within the UK"—issue 9/91. No information is available on how the cash expenditure is financed. Analyses of types of transaction in cross-border acquisitions and mergers are given in tables 3 and 5 of the business bulletin "Cross Border Acquisitions and Mergers"—issue 96/90. Analyses comparable with that for acquisitions and mergers within the United Kingdom are not available. Copies of these two business bulletins are available in the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the general Government expenditure and gross domestic product being spent on and arising from (a) agriculture and (b) manufacturing in both cash and real terms since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The 1990 edition of the "United Kingdom National Accounts"—otherwise known as the CSO Blue Book—gives the following information:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the national economic cost of the failure of British Rail properly to run passenger and freight trains between 8 and 11 February.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: None. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has asked his Department to review, with British Rail, the causes for the recent disruption to services and see what lessons can be learnt.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to encourage the use of low-energy light bulbs in his Department's offices and other buildings.

The Department is about to undertake a series of major refurbishment programmes which will incorporate energy conservation measures such as that suggested. As a general policy, the Department continues to support cost-effective measures to obtain the benefits from more efficient use of energy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his reply of 24 January, Official Report, columns 281–82, if he will give the figures for civil service manpower and public sector manpower changes in actual and percentage terms with the exclusion from the relevant figures of nationalised industries and the armed forces.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received any representations concerning the implications of implementing article 5(a) of EC draft directive Com. 89/446 final on the possession of firearms by recreational shooters in (a) Wales and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

We have received many representations about the draft directive on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons including representations concerning article 5 of the proposal.Following amendments agreed in the Council, the proposed minimum age limit of 18 years for the possession of firearms under article 5(a) of the directive would not apply in the case of hunting or target shooting. As the directive now stands, the current domestic position would, therefore, remain unchanged.However, the final content of the directive depends upon second reading consideration by the European Parliament and subsequent final consideration by the Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of (a) boys and (b) girls under the age of 16 years being held in prisons in England and Wales on 11 February; and if he will list the prisons in which these people were held.

The latest readily available information about the number of boys under the age of 16 is given in the table. There were no girls under the age of 16 being held in prisons and remand centres on this date.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received a copy of the Prison Reform Trust's report on the prevalence of HIV in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. I am glad of the opportunity to refute the trust's suggestion that prisons policy is confused and in disarray. We first responded to the AIDS challenge in 1984 and a clear and coherent strategy has been developed progressively since then. We shall be responding in due course to the detail of the report. I will arrange for the hon. Member to receive a copy of the response and for one to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the probation officers' pay settlement will be announced.

Our determination on the increase in probation officers' salaries effective from 1 July 1990 was announced on 6 February 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to encourage the use of low-energy light bulbs in his Department's offices and other buildings.

All prison establishments have been advised to change to low-energy electric lighting as soon as possible and funds have been made available for this purpose. It is expected that by April this year the great majority of prison establishments will either have changed to low-energy lighting or be in the process of changing to it. Guidance has also been circulated to staff responsible for other Home Office buildings on the benefits of low-energy lighting.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to limit the charges which may be imposed on local papers for printing BBC and ITV programme schedules.

No. The Broadcasting Act 1990 makes provision for the Copyright Tribunal to adjudicate in any case in which a publisher considers that the charge imposed for publishing TV programme listings is excessive.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what percentage of the people strip-searched when visiting Franklands were from Liverpool, in the last year for which figures are available;(2) what information he has on the number of rub-downs and intimate body searches, as distinct from strip searches, carried out on visitors to prisons in England and Wales in the last three years;(3) how many strip searches were carried out on persons visiting prisons in England and Wales for the last three years for which figures are available;(4) what are the numbers of visitors strip-searched in each prison for the last three years for which figures are available;(5) what percentages of visitors strip-searched in England and Wales were found to be carrying unlawful substances.

The information requested is not available. Where there is reason to believe that a visitor intends to smuggle drugs or other contraband into a prison, the normal practice is to inform the police and ask them to attend to deal with the matter. The action needing to be taken by them in an individual case is a matter to be determined by the police in the light of the particular circumstances. In addition, prison staff have a power under rule 86(1) of the Prison Rules 1964 to search any person entering or leaving an establishment. A visitor may be given a rub-down search if the circumstances are considered to warrant such action. In an exceptional circumstance where there is reason to believe that an arrestable offence is involved and the police are unable to attend, a strip search may be carried out with the visitor's consent. There should be no question of a prison officer conducting an intimate search.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in each of the years 1980 to 1989 inclusive, how many men were (a) convicted and (b) cautioned for procuring, attempting to procure or being party to the commission of (i) buggery or attempted buggery with another man and (ii) gross indecency or attempted gross indecency with another man, contrary to (x) section 4 of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, (y) section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 and (z) any other legislation; of the sum total of these convictions and cautions, how many relate to offences which took place in (A) a private place within the meaning of section 1(2) of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 and (B) a public or semi-public place within the meaning of the aforementioned legislation; and how many of these total convictions and cautions relate to offences committed by men (1) over the age of 21 years with men under the age of 21 years, (2) over the age of 21 years with other men also over the age of 21 years and (3) over the age of 16 years with other men also over the age of 16 years.

The table gives information on the number of men, by age, cautioned and convicted of procuring or attempting to procure or being party to the commission by a man of an act of gross indecency with another man and procuring an act of buggery between two other men. Only the age of the offender is recorded for buggery offences. It is not possible from the information held centrally to identify where the offence took place.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the current staffing levels of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England; and what additions have been made for the general review of constituency boundaries.

The staff of the secretariat to the Parliamentary Boundary Commission has gradually increased from five, dealing with boundary work on a part-time basis, to 12 full-time staff, who will all be in post by 1 April 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Broadgreen (Mr. Field) of 7 February, Official Report, column 234, how many summonses have been issued by each magistrates court in relation to non-payment of the poll tax; and what subsequent actions have taken place in each magistrates court.

The information requested is available in the Library for the period 1 April to 30 September 1990 and information for the period 1 October to 31 December 1990 will be placed in the Library this week.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals the Press Complaints Commission has for publishing its draft rules and procedures and dealing with representations on them.

I understand that the commission intends to publish guidance on its rules and procedures shortly and will always be prepared to consider representations on them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce proposals to amend the law to alter the burden of proof against those accused of murder of children.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: No. It is a principle of our system of justice that the accused is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The high standard of proof is a necessary safeguard against wrongful conviction. Murder is the gravest of offences and it is right that the prosecution should be required to prove that the accused committed it.My right hon. Friend's responsibilities are to examine the law to ensure that the courts are not denied the opportunity to consider evidence and have appropriate sentencing powers. In the Criminal Justice Act 1988 we increased the maximum penalty for child cruelty from two to 10 years. The changes in our Criminal Justice Bill to the law about evidence and procedure in child abuse cases should help convict those guilty of these appalling crimes. But no such changes can avail where the difficulty is absence of evidence that a particular person committed the offence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to respond to the inquiries of the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill about Jamal Khafaji, who is presently held in Pentonville prison.

[holding answer 11 February 1991]: My right hon. Friend wrote to the hon. Member on 11 February 1991.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much the total payments received by the agricultural industry in England were under the common agricultural policy in each of the last three years.

Total expenditure in the United Kingdom under the CAP in the last three years was:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department's marine biology laboratories at Lowestoft have analysed the effects on the Gulf coral reefs of reduced exposure to sunlight arising from the extensive oil slicks in the Gulf.

The expertise and scientific programme of my Department's marine laboratory at Lowestoft are focused on the environmental conditions of our own waters. However, Britain is participating fully in the international effort to tackle the pollution in the Gulf, and my scientists stand ready to provide advice as necessary from within their areas of competence and experience.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has of the number of businesses receiving hill livestock compensatory allowance payments in 1991.

I estimate that some 65,000 farm businesses in the United Kingdom will receive payments during 1991 under the hill livestock compensatory allowances scheme.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why it has not proved possible for the intervention board to make a successful tender for the supply of British beef to the armed services serving in the Gulf.

The intervention board is required to sell beef on terms laid down by the European Commission, generally by inviting tenders from meat traders. The board does not itself engage in submitting tenders for sale. The arrangements for the supply of beef to the Ministry of Defence entail the submission of tenders by wholesale meat suppliers. Officials of my Department are in contact with the Ministry of Defence to examine whether changes are possible to the various arrangements which would facilitate access to intervention stocks by Ministry of Defence suppliers.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the number of hectares registered with the Potato Marketing Board for potato growing, and the number of individual farmers registered, for each year since 1980.

The table shows the number of producers registered with the Potato Marketing Board and the basic area available for planting since 1980.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will indicate the amount of aid contributed by the United Kingdom and each European Community member to the development of Namibia since that country's independence.

On Namibia's independence last March, I announced in the House that Britain would provide £10 million of bilateral aid for commitment over three years. Our best available information on commitments made by other European Community members is as follows:

To ask the Prime Minister what consideration Her Majesty's Government gives to public opinion on the Gulf war; and how Her Majesty's Government-imposed reporting restrictions relate to this.

Support from the British public remains very strong for the actions being taken by the allies to liberate Kuwait in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions. The Government's policy is to allow all reasonable freedom and access for reporting, subject only to constraints essential to protect the safety of coalition forces and the security of allied operations.

To ask the Prime Minister what is his intention with regard to the award of a Gulf campaign medal.

The question of an appropriate medal for those serving in the Gulf is under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out the precise duties and responsibilities of the Minister for Sport.

With effect from 3 December 1990, responsibility for sport and recreation transferred from the Department of the Environment to the Department of Education and Science. I am responsible for sports matters generally and for sport and PE in schools. In addition, I am responsible for children's play; personal and social education, including health, AIDS, drugs and sex education; the youth service; energy conservation; and departmental purchasing. I also provide support on section 12 to 16 cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the policy of the Minister for Sport so far as regular meetings with the Football Supporters Association and the National Federation of Football Supporters Clubs is concerned.

My predecessor as Minister for Sport had meetings with the Football Supporters Association and the National Federation of Football Supporters Clubs. I will meet them as and when appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what scope remains for students to negotiate alternative contact names; and if he will make a statement;(2) what were the reasons for the decision that applicants for student loans must now provide contact names of blood relatives.

The administration of the student loans scheme is the responsibility of the Student Loans Company. I am therefore asking the managing director of the company to write direct to the hon. Member with the information requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide the reference for the regulation allowing the Student Loan Company to require applicants to have a bank account capable of direct debit; and if he will make a statement.

The Education (Student Loans) Act 1990 does not require the arrangements for administering the student loans scheme to be contained in regulations.The Act does, however, require regulations to provide, among other things, for the manner in which repayments of loans are to be made. Regulation 7(4) of the Education (Student Loans) Regulations 1990 therefore provides that repayments shall be made by direct debit from the borrower's bank or building society account unless the loans administrator agrees otherwise. Under current arrangements the loans administrator is the Student Loans Company.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what hardship provisions graduates with student loans may seek if supporting dependants, high rent, or mortgages renders them unable to make payment; and whether he will make a statement.

Borrowers under the student loans scheme whose repayment term has begun may defer making repayments where their gross income is less than 85 per cent. of national average earnings. Repayments of about £400 a year in 1990 prices should be manageable for borrowers whose income exceeds that threshold.The Education (Student Loans) Regulations 1990 make further provision for borrowers who receive certain disability-related social security benefits. Those benefits are disregarded when assessing borrowers' income for deferment purposes. The Student Loans Company may also permit such borrowers to commence repayment at a later date than they would otherwise have to or to repay over a longer period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will propose some remedy for applicants for student loans whose birth certificates have been refused by higher education institutions as adequate identification where their name has since changed; and if he will make a statement.

Regulation 11(4) of the Education (Student Loans) Regulations 1990 requires institutions to inspect the birth or adoption certificate of a student who seeks certification of eligibility for a loan, where that student was born in the United Kingdom. The Student Loans Company uses information contained on such certificates to identify each student individually. This helps to avoid confusion and to prevent fraud. It thereby protects both the taxpayer and the student.Because the information on a birth or adoption certificate does not change, it is particularly valuable where the student's name has changed since birth or adoption. In such cases, the student may also need to produce documentation showing that he or she is the person named on the birth or adoption certificate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations the Student Loan Company has made to him regarding its delay in processing student loan applications; and whether he will make a statement on the rate of take-up of loans.

As at Thursday 14 February, more than 98,000 applications had been made to the Student Loans Company.The company aims to process loan applications within 21 days of receipt. In setting itself this aim, the company relies on students' institutions to forward eligibility certificates promptly and correctly completed. It also relies on students to complete their application form correctly and then to sign and return their loan agreement form promptly. Where these conditions are met, the company is achieving its aim.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what costs the Student Loans Company has incurred to date, separating out start-up costs and continuing operations; and whether he will make a statement.

The total costs of establishing the student loans scheme to 31 August 1990 were £9·3 million, exclusive of VAT. This figure includes costs incurred before the Student Loans Company was founded. Between 1 September 1990 and 31 January 1991 the company incurred operational costs of £4·64 million, excluding VAT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to continue his policy restricting students in higher education to one application per academic year to the Student Loans Company; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Depending on the time in the year when students apply, they may ask the Student Loans Company to pay their loan in up to three instalments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the interim report of the national curriculum working group for physical education will be published; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I will publish the report tomorrow, together with my letter to the chairman of the group, Mr. Ian Beer. Copies of this initial advice, including my letter, will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out (a) the funds spent in 1990–91 through the local education authority training grant system on training of youth workers and (b) the funds available in 1991–92 under grants for education support and training for the training of youth workers.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: In 1990–91 local education authority training grants are available to support some £1·2 million of expenditure on training of youth and community workers. In 1991–92 grants for education support and training are available to support some £1·25 million of such expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much of the National Youth Agency budget for 1991–92 will be spent on (a) initial youth worker training and (b) in-service youth worker training.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: The National Youth Agency's budget for 1991–92 has not yet been decided. It will be determined on the basis of the agency's work programme which will be agreed with the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether grants for education support and training may be used to finance training for volunteer youth workers.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: The grants for education support and training programme for 1991–92 does not include grants which could support the training of volunteer youth workers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidelines he has given to the National Youth Agency in relation to its proposed role and functions; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: My right hon. Friend's reply on 5 April 1990 to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North (Mr. Burt) described the proposed role and functions of the National Youth Agency. These functions were explained in greater detail in a letter to the chairmen of the youth service bodies in June 1990. I shall send the hon. Member a copy of the list of functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the reason for the delay in publishing the practical guidance booklet on dual use facilities; by what date the booklet will be published; if he will require specific responses to the guidance from all local education authorities, and particularly from those with responsibility for inner-city areas; and by what date he will publish an implementation timetable for proposed new schemes.

[holding answer 15 February 1991]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 14 December 1990, Official Report, column 514. The dual use guidance booklet is currently being revised with a view to publication in the spring. The Department will continue to monitor good practice in this area, but there are no plans to require individual responses to the booklet from local education authorities or to publish an implementation timetable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list the changes he has introduced in the regime of independent schools as a result of the case involving child abuse at Crookham Court school in Berkshire;(2) if he will introduce legislation to require head teachers always to inform the police and his Department when a member of staff is required to leave a school because of child abuse; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his answer, 22 January 1991, c. 121–23]: The Department is now consulting independent schools organisations and other bodies on amendments to the Education (Particulars of Independent Schools) Regulations 1982. The Welsh Office will consult in Wales.These amendments will require proprietors of independent schools to report to the Secretary of State where any person—not just any teacher as at present—is dismissed from employment for misconduct, or would have been dismissed or considered for dismissal had they not resigned. Proprietors will also be required to provide particulars of all staff, not just teaching staff, on application for registration and annually.The changes will enable the Department to consider placing independent schools' non-teaching staff on list 99, as well as teaching staff, and will make it possible to check regularly that no barred staff are working in independent schools in a non-teaching capacity.The closing date for consultation is 8 March and we plan to make amending regulations soon thereafter. In the meantime, the organisations consulted are being asked to invite any schools in membership to begin reporting voluntarily.