To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions he has had with the chairman of Nuclear Electric concerning the level of electricity prices to be offered to large industrial electricity consumers; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend and I meet the chairman of Nuclear Electric from time to time to discuss a range of issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what regulations or guidelines cover the proportion of the produce sold in a shop attached to a farm or smallholding which is required to have been grown on the farm or holding, in connection with planning requirements.

There are no hard and fast rules but guidance is included in the new planning policy guidance note 7, "The Countryside and the Rural Economy". It is normally assumed that the use of a farm shop only for the sale of goods produced on that farm or smallholding is a use which is ancillary to the use as a farm/smallholding not requiring planning permission, whereas use as a farm shop selling a significant amount of "imported" produce amounts to a use on its own account and is therefore subject to planning control.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for the relocation of Sir Walter Raleigh's statue in Whitehall; and if he will make a statement.

A study has been commissioned to consider the siting of the proposed new statue of Lord Alanbrooke on Raleigh green, Whitehall. Although the study is not yet complete, there are no current plans that include the relocation of Sir Walter Raleigh's statue elsewhere. However, it is clear that a repositioning within the green will be needed. The siting plans emerging from the study will shortly be ready for consultation with interested parties, including the Royal Fine Arts Commission, English Heritage and Westminster City Council and no final decision will be taken until that is complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the revenue support grant and standard spending assessment for Dorset for 1992–93 as compared with 1991–92.

The standard spending assessment for Dorset county council at £369·8 million for 1992–93 is 8·2 per cent. above that for 1991–92 at £341·8 million. Revenue support grant at £125·1 million is 23·7 per cent. higher than the sum of RSG and community charge grant for 1991–92 of £ 101·2 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the impact of outstanding rating appeals both domestic and non-domestic on local authority finances in 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 2 March 1992]: Rating appeals under the new non-domestic rating system have no impact on local authority finances. Within any given level of aggregate external finance, any variation in rates yield due to such appeals would be matched by a corresponding variation in the level of revenue support grant. Figures are not available nationally on the effects for those years of appeals in respect of the 1973 valuation lists. The effect of these appeals on local authorities' budgets and charges will depend on their own past budgeting decisions. As I announced on 27 February, we have decided to issue supplementary credit approvals totalling some £9·5 million to assist those authorities most affected in 1991–2 by the results of rating appeals notified to them after 1991–92 budgets had been set.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will meet a delegation of residents from Coventry to discuss the effect of the standard spending assessment for 1992–93 on the level of education provision and social services in the city.

[holding answer 2 March 1992]: No. Within Coventry's budget, the spending priorities given to education and social services are a matter for the city council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many meetings or other discussions his officials have had with local government officers or councillors from Coventry about the city's standard spending assessment in 1991 and 1992; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 4 March 1992]: Coventry City Council made representations on standard spending assessments for 1991–92 and I met a delegation from the West Midlands joint committee, including Coventry, to hear representations on the SSA for 1992–93. For 1992–93 Coventry's SSA increases by 5·8 per cent. and is, at £1,080 per adult, one of the highest of any metropolitan district.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will next meet the European Commissioner for environmental matters to discuss the impact of the Sellafield reprocessing plant on the Irish sea and the surrounding environment.

Mr. right hon. Friend has no such plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to extend to other new towns his recent decision to allow the Commission for the New Towns to make land available at Telford at a price intended to facilitate the construction of low-cost housing.

The Commission for the New Towns is a disengagement authority, charged with maximising the receipts obtainable from the sale of its assets. Disposal of housing land at less than the best price reasonably obtainable can normally be justified only where this can be expected to lead to an overall enhancement in the value of its remaining assets.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will extend to the Commission for the New Towns the power of local authorities to sell land for less than the market price.

The role of the Commission for the New Towns is disengagement and to maximise the receipts for the Exchequer obtained from the sale of its assets. It is the responsibility of the local housing authorities to co-ordinate arrangements to ensure that the social housing needs of their areas are met.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newport West, 24 January, Official Report, column 347, when he received the non-governmental organisations' report of the Paris planning meeting for the forthcoming United Nations conference on environment and development; and which proposals made in the report have been included in the United Kingdom submissions for UNCED.

My right hon. Friend has not yet received a formal report from the Paris meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he plans to make to the proposals for the enfranchisement of long leasehold flats, which he announced last July; and if he will make a statement.

Following extensive consultation the scheme for enfranchisement in England and Wales, which I announced last year, is to be modified and extended.The main framework of the scheme to give long-leaseholders of flats the collective right to buy their freehold will not be changed. Nor will the compensation arrangements. But we shall simplify the criteria for qualification of long-leaseholders and buildings, and give a right to former freeholders to lease back parts of buildings let direct to renting tenants or used for business purposes.In addition, we will give flat owners in blocks which are not eligible for enfranchisement a right to extend their leases, at market price. The details of this proposal will be subject to consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the present and planned sites for monitoring of air quality, stating for each which pollutants are measured.

The Department of the Environment is currently operating the following number of air pollution monitoring sites:

	Number
Ozone:	18
Carbon monoxide:	6
Nitrogen oxides:	12
Acid deposition:	32
Atmospheric hydrocarbons:	4
Trace gases:	3
Smoke and sulphur dioxide:	258
Lead:	17

The enhanced urban monitoring initiative will place monitoring sites in 24 more towns and cities across the United Kingdom by the end of the decade. Each will measure ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, small particulate matter—PM10—and toxic hydrocarbons.The first 10 sites will be in Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Newcastle, London, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds and Aberdeen, the Government are awaiting independent scientific advice before choosing the locations of the remaining sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on data for air quality in Greater London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol at similar periods in each year from 1980 to 1991.

[holding answer 28 February 1992]: Data for the cities and years requested are available only for smoke and sulphur dioxide.The 98-percentile daily mean smoke and sulphur dioxide concentrations for representative urban sites in Greater London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol are given in the table. The values can be compared with the EC directive limits for smoke and sulphur dioxide of 213 and 350 B5;gm

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will update his answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East, on 11 February 1991, Official Report, column 295, concerning council debts.

[holding answer 2 March 1992]: I have arranged for the available information to be laid in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the report commissioned by the Government from financial consultants as to the feasibility of the Manchester Olympic bid.

[holding answer 3 March 1992]: The studies were commissioned by the Manchester Olympic bid committee with the financial support of the Government. It is not proposed that they should be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many repossessions have been stopped as a result of the agreement reached between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and mortgage lenders, as announced on 19 December.

I have been asked to reply.It is too early to provide an estimate of the number of repossessions which have been prevented as a result of the measures agreed with the Council of Mortgage Lenders. However, excellent progress is being made on the implementation of the package. The Bill to suspend stamp duty on properties valued at up to £250,000 has received royal assent and the Bill to make income support payments of mortgage interest direct to lenders has passed all its Commons stages. In addition, the major lenders have committed themselves to helping borrowers in difficulties through mortgage rescue schemes involving funding of up to £3/4 billion. Such schemes are now coming into operation. The various measures will have a substantial impact on the level of repossessions this year.

To ask the Prime Minister which Government Departments will be involved in consultations on the proposal for a European Community regulation on the statute for a European association.

The Home Office will be taking the lead with the Charity Commission, bringing in other Departments in respect of their particular interests in the proposed statute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs where in Bolivia the land now being used for soya bean production, under a World bank programme, is situated; what acreage is involved; and if he will make a statement.

The land involved is the eastern lowlands region in the department of Santa Cruz. The area cultivated for soya bean production in 1989, when the project started, was 110,000 hectares. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 17 January, at column 679, and my answers to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) on 27 January, at column 421, and 28 January, at column 531.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many dwellings have been sold under the improvement for sale scheme by each local authority in Wales in each year since 1988.

Since 1988 a total of 21 dwellings have been sold under the improvement for sale scheme. A breakdown is given in the table:

	1988	1989	1990	1991
Ogwr	9	3	6	—
Preseli Pembrokeshire	1	—	—	—
Carmarthen	—	—	2	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many properties have been sold under home leasing schemes in each local authority area in Wales for each year from 1988; and what is the total amount granted in improvement grants and mortgage finance within each local authority area for participants in such schemes.

Since 1988 a total of 12 properties have been sold under home leasing schemes, a breakdown of which is provided in the table. Information is not centrally available on improvements grants and mortgage finance issued for these properties.

	1988	1989	1990	1991
Arfon	1	—	—	—
Carmarthen	—	—	1	—
Delyn	—	—	1	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what is the total number of vacancies released to date under each transferable discount housing scheme operational in Wales; and how many vacancies are (a) two bed, (b) three bed, (c) four bed and (d) over;(2) what is the total number of

I will write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans ADAS has to withdraw from Llandrindod Wells, Dolgellau new town, Brecon, Pontypool, Haverfordwest and Lampeter and to shed jobs at Caernarfon, Carmarthen and Trawscoed; and if he will make a statement on the future development of ADAS in Wales (a) prior to the setting up of the new Government agency and (b) from April onwards.

I have been asked to reply.When ADAS becomes a Government agency on 1 April 1992 its organisation in Wales will be based on consultancy centres at Cardiff and Ruthin, and a research centre at Pwllpeiran. As my right hon. Friend made clear in his statement on 23 July 1991,

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was paid per annum by a family consisting of a married man on half of average male earnings, his wife, and two children in 1978–79; and what is the most recent estimate.

I regret that reliable estimates of amounts of indirect taxes paid by families are available only for those earning between three quarters and one and a half times average male earnings. Outside this range error margins are too large for estimates to be meaningful.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amounts of VAT paid in Wales during 1990–91; and what is the estimated figure for the current financial year.

[holding answer 3 March 1992]: Precise figures for VAT paid in Wales are not available, but it is estimated that the contribution to United Kingdom VAT in 1990–91 was around £11/2 billion. The estimate for 1991–92 is about £1·3 billion to £1·4 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons and companies in Northern Ireland are registered for car tax; and, of these, how many make the vehicles on which tax is due.

Three companies in Northern Ireland are registered for car tax, one of which manufactures chargeable vehicles.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he issues on the treatment in the PAYE system of payments made to employees by way of compensation for breach of contract when they are not allowed to work their notice period; and if he will make a statement.

The Inland Revenue publication "Employer's Further Guide to Pay As You Earn" gives guidance in section L on the tax treatment of lump sum payments, including payments in lieu of notice, and advises employers who are uncertain about the position on any particular payment to contact their tax office. I have arranged for a copy of the employer's guide to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current total of outstanding debt owed to the United Kingdom by each of the groups of countries defined by the World bank as (i) Trinidad-eligible debtors, (ii) other low income debtors and (iii) middle income debtors; and what is the combined debt owed to the United Kingdom by all three groups of countries.

The World bank does not define a group of debtor countries eligible for the Trinidad terms. The World bank classifies those countries where per capita income in 1990 was no more than $610 as low-income countries. Middle-income countries are those where per capita income in 1990 was more than $610 but less than $7,620. The amount owed to the United Kingdom Government by the low-income debtors is about £4 billion. This comprises £3·75 billion owed in claims and oustanding interest on those claims owed to the Export Credits Guarantee Department and £1/4 billion owed to the Overseas Development Administration. The amount owed to the United Kingdom Government by the middle-income debtors is also about £4 billion, comprising a little over £31/2 billion in claims and outstanding interest on those claims owed to the ECGD, and about £350 million owed to the ODA.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what staffing implications were envisaged in 1989 by the board of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise on the implementation of the review of anti-smuggling controls; and what is the current assessment of the staffing implications.

The review of anti-smuggling controls initiated a move away from static controls to controls applied according to risk. No central estimate of the staffing effects of the review was made in 1989. Instead local senior managers were asked to reassess their staffing levels taking account of the principles of the review, the main theme being a move away from the 24 hour rostered attendance to flexible attendance by better-equipped, better-informed anti-smuggling teams—FASTs. FAST attendance depends very much upon an informed assessment of the risk at each location and on account of each movement.The current assessment of the staffing implications is that between 370 and 396 posts can be saved in the four year period from 1991 to 1995. However, these savings do not represent a net loss to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and must be viewed in the light of additional posts to be used on anti-smuggling work in connection with the channel tunnel and funds for the provision of extra equipment—£1 million in 1991–92 to 1992–93—extra training—£0·4 million in 1992–93—and extra intelligence gathering—£0·6 million from the seized assets fund in 1992–93. Her Majesty's Customs and Excise is also involved in numerous international initiatives and a further sum of about £125,000 will be provided in 1992–93 as part of the commitment to a European customs information system.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what future relocations of Government Departments and agencies are planned (a) by which Departments, (b) by number of jobs involved and (c) to which locations.

The table lists, with likely timings, the plans for relocations or locations away from the south-east which have still to be implemented or completed which Departments and agencies have announced.

Department and dispersal location	Number of posts	Likely timing
Inland Revenue
Middlesbrough	185	1991–92
Sunderland	190	1991–92
Barnsley	170	1992
Birkenhead	170	1992
Dundee	160	1992
Falkirk	160	1992
Hull	180	1992
Leicester	160	1992
St. Austell	160	1992
Swansea	165	1992
Wrexham	180	1992
Nottingham	1,800	1992–95
Washington	60	1992–93
	3,740

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average individual cumulative gain (a) in cash prices and (b) in 1991–92 prices to those earning (i) £5,000, (ii) £10,000, (iii) £15,000, (iv) £20,000, (v) £25,000, (vi) £30,000, (vii) £40,000, (viii) £50,000, (ix) £60,000, (x) £70,000 and (xi) £100,000, as a result of changes in (1) income tax and (2) income tax and national insurance, giving changes since 1979 and 1987, in the United Kingdom.

[holding answer 2 March 1992]: Latest estimates of the reductions in income tax liability resulting from the changes in tax rates, allowances and thresholds are in the table. The 1978–79 and 1987–88 income tax regimes have been indexed to 1991–92 levels by reference to the statutory formula, and allowing for independent taxation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration was given to the proposal for a statute for European associations in the preparation of the discussion paper "The Individual and the Community: The Role of the Voluntary Sector".

In preparing this paper, we noted that such a proposal has been made by the European Commission; it is mentioned in part 8.3 on page 40.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 18 February, Official report, column 93, whom his Department intends to consult on the proposal for a European Community regulation on the statute for a European association; and when he intends to undertake the consultation.

We will seek views from the main bodies representing the interests of the voluntary and charitable sectors and will take account of comments from any interested parties. Consultations will begin once the text of the statute has been formally communicated to us.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the governor of Hong Kong has yet submitted his first report on the discharge of his functions under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990.

The Governor of Hong Kong submitted his report to me on 3 February 1992. A copy has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Minister for the Arts how many county councils have cut library opening times since 1979.

This information is not available. However, the number of libraries open in English counties for over 10 hours a week has increased in the last 10 years by 3·6 per cent. and those open for 10 to 44 hours a week have increased by 4·3 per cent. in some cases, opening hours have been changed to reflect changing needs and also to make better use of resources.

To ask the Attorney-General what he expects to be the net expenditure on legal aid and advice in the current financial year and the next two financial years, in cash terms and at 1991–92 prices.

Legal aid expenditure for 1991–92, excluding administration, is expected to be around £900 million net. The current provisions for 1992– 93 and 1993–94 are £857 million and £885 million respectively, although, in view of the statutory demand-led nature of the fund, additional funds may be requested as necessary. These figures are expressed in cash terms as the legal aid fund is not calculated in constant price figures.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the Government's programme for the reform of family law.

During the passage of the Children Bill my right hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor-General announced the establishment of an interdepartmental working party to oversee a rolling programme of work directed at improving family law and business. Its terms of reference were particularly directed towards the implementation and operation of the Children Bill. That legislation is now in operation, and my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor has decided that the working party's terms of reference should be amended to the following:The Working Party shall oversee a programme of work directed at improving all aspects of family law and business. In particular, it shall:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider moving the approach road to the east London river crossing from the A2 further to the east to avoid Oxleas wood.

The alignment of the road was thoroughly considered at very lengthy public inquiries in 1985–86 and before the then Secretaries of State took their decision in 1988. There are no grounds for re-considering that decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if a cut and cover road tunnel south from Shooters Hill to the A2 in Eltham would require land outside the existing orders.

No. But the new design would need to be published and could involve a further public inquiry, particularly if it required deletion of the slip roads at Shooters Hill interchange.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to the traffic effects of dropping the southern slip roads where Shooters Hill crosses the proposed approach road to the east London river crossing; and if he will make a statement.

This issue was thoroughly considered by the then Secretaries of State in 1988. They concluded that the benefits of a tunnel through part of Oxleas wood did not justify the additional cost and loss of traffic benefits from deletion of the slip roads. No new evidence has emerged which would justify any change to that decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the additional net cost of a cut and cover tunnel south from Shooters Hill to the A2 in Eltham if the southern slips were dropped.

The estimated additional cost of a cut and cover tunnel about 400 m long would be about £20 million at current prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many persons and companies in Northern Ireland who are registered for vehicle excise duty are (a) wholesalers and (b) retailers.

This information is not available. Responsibility for the payment of vehicle excise duty rests on the keeper of the vehicle. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's register of vehicle keepers does not contain business or occupational details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what are his Department's plans for the improvement of the A262 link between the A21 and Ashford; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will publish the most recent traffic statistics on the A262 between the A21 and Ashford stating when these were measured; and what plans he has for further data collection.

Possible improvements along the A262–A28 route between the A21 and Ashford are a matter for Kent county council as the local highway authority responsible for both of these roads.Last April the consultants preparing a traffic model for the south-east region counted traffic at points on the A262 and A28, and following is the information:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list each private sector consultancy firm, which has been retained by each agency within his Department, and for his Department as a whole, for the purposes of advising on the market testing programme and whether the appointment in each case was the result of competitive tendering.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) on Monday 2 March 1992, at columns 63–64.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusion he has reached as a result of the interdepartmental study on the future of the A1.

In a statement issued on 2 March the Secretary of State announced the Government's conclusion that it would be desirable for the A1 to be fully dualled from Newcastle to Edinburgh. Future planning will take this into account.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the restoration of Bournemouth central station.

I am asking British Rail to review options for the future of Bournemouth station, including options for restoration and the scope for commercial development in partnership with the private sector. As far as funding is concerned, British Rail will have an opportunity to review requirements for the period to 1995–96 in the annual public expenditure round this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received about the timing of the investment for British Rail's 465 Networkers; and if he will make a statement;(2) when he received the investment submission from British Rail for the 465 Networkers; when the Government made their response to British Rail; and when he expects British Rail to place the order.

I have received a number of representations about BR's class 465 Networkers.The then Secretary of State received on 10 August 1989 a submission seeking approval in principle for investment in 676 class 465 vehicles. On 31 August 1989 approval in principle was given. Firm authority was given for 400 of these vehicles. The first of these vehicles will be introduced into service with the May timetable.On 23 January 1991 my right hon. and learned Friend received a submission seeking approval for investment in 86 class 466 vehicles—the 466 is a two-car version of the 465—and in 188 further 465s. My right hon. and learned Friend gave approval for the former on 9 May and BR has ordered these vehicles. My right hon. and learned Friend gave approval for the 188 vehicles on 19 June, but BR is not yet in a position to say when the order for these vehicles will be placed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with the chairman of British Rail about the placing of the order for the 465 Networkers; and what was the outcome.

I meet the chairman of British Rail regularly to discuss current issues. BR is not yet in a position to say when the order for a further 188 Networker vehicles will be placed. Already some 486 Networker orders have been placed and are under construction at a total cost of £364 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of motorway there are in England.

There were 1,692 miles of motorway in England at 1 April 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has had about the future of Liverpool airport; and if he will make a statement.

In the past few days we have received correspondence drawing attention to the effect of British Midland's recent decision to end its service between Liverpool and Heathrow. That decision was one for the commercial judgment of the private sector airline concerned. The operation and marketing of Liverpool airport, to encourage airlines to provide services appropriate to meet demand, is a matter for its management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest information he has as to (a) how many people presently have cars registered in a company's name and (b) how many are women and how many are men; and what is the regional distribution of these figures.

[holding answer 2 March 1992]: The records kept at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency show that, at 31 December 1990, there were 2,579,000 licensed cars in the PLG tax class registered in a company name.

Table 1
London Transport investment and funding
£ million (1990–91 prices)
	1980	1981	1982	1983	11984–85
London Transport investment
London Underground Limited	141	150	126	161	164
London Buses Limited	90	99	73	89	60
Other2	—	—	—	—	20
Funding
Grant	209	222	194	241	147
Internal resources	13	21	1	5	98
1 15-month period.
2 Includes investment by the DLR, LT Trading, LT Property and LT Central Services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the total of capital investment in (a) London Underground, (b) London Buses, (c) Network SouthEast and (d) British Rail in each year from 1980–81 to 1994–95 (estimated), showing the financing sources for such subsidy in each year.

[holding answer 28 February 1992]: Investment by London Underground is funded by a combination of Government grant and internal resources such as property receipts and contributions from third parties. Grant is not paid separately in respect of London Transport's subsidiaries. It is not possible to apportion particular sources of finance for British Rail and Network SouthEast between investment and other expenditure. Details of overall funding are given in the "Department of Transport Annual Report 1992".Table 1 shows London Transport investment broken down by London Underground, London Buses and other together with the amounts of Government grant and other funding. Table 2 shows British Rail and Network SouthEast investment levels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make arrangements to enable city technology colleges to participate in the schemes for articled and licensed teachers.

Licensed teachers are employed in accordance with regulations made under section 218 of the Education Reform Act 1988. By virtue of section 218(12), these regulations do not apply to CTCs. I propose to bring forward legislation when the parliamentary timetable allows to enable CTCs to employ unqualified teachers under a licence leading to the award of qualified teacher status on the same terms and conditions as in maintained and grant-maintained schools.There is no statutory impediment to CTCs' participating in the articled teacher scheme, which is a pilot programme for the development of school-based teacher training. My officials will be consulting CTCs on how best they can play their part in this and other forms of school-based training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his policy for the provision of facilities of excellence for British sports and on the financial arrangements for them.

[holding answer 3 March 1992]: Our sports policy statement "Sport and Active Recreation" published in December 1991 identified, among the Government's primary objectives for sport, the achievement of higher standards of performance amongst participants and encouragement to those with potential to excel.The continued development of the sports councils' national centres of sporting excellence will provide an essential element of this strategy. Responsibility for the centres in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will lie with the home country sports councils, with the United Kingdom Sports Commission controlling the English centres and providing overall co-ordination. To complement these and existing world class local authority sports facilities, the Government's initial investment of £55 million in Manchester's bid to host the millennial Olympics will create major new facilities to encourage sporting excellence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom position on patenting of sequences of the human genome.

The United Kingdom Government recognise that work on human genome sequencing has great potential both for the advancement of the understanding of human biology at the most fundamental level and for the delivery of medical advances for the public good. They wish to promote a climate in which the scientific and industrial communities in the United Kingdom and internationally can play a full part in realising that potential, while recognising that there are genuine ethical concerns which must be respected.It is accepted that research will be most rapidly and effectively progressed in a spirit of full international collaboration. The Government take the view that this would be greatly facilitated by an international agreement that no country should seek patents on genome sequences of unknown utility identified as a result of publicly-funded research. The United Kingdom will pursue an international agreement to that end.In the absence of such agreement, however, a decision by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council not to seek patents when researchers funded by public bodies in other countries have or may do so could place the United Kingdom at a relative disadvantage. The Medical Research Council has, therefore, decided that it should file patent applications on certain sequences in order to protect the United Kingdom position, while allowing researchers early access to its sequence data. The council has made clear that if and when an international agreement not to patent is reached, it will waive its actual or potential rights in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest estimate of the overall cost to the Exchequer of unemployment (a) in 1991 and (b) in 1992.

Figures for calendar years are not available. Gross benefit payments to the unemployed in financial year 1990–91 were £5·04 billion. The cost of administering unemployment benefit was calculated at £182 million for the same period. Administration costs for other benefits paid to the unemployed cannot be separately identified and we do not calculate estimates of foregone tax revenues. The latest estimate of benefit payments to the unemployed for the financial year 1991–92 is £7·36 billion.Departmental plans for 1992–93 currently allow for expenditure in the region of £7·9 billion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the statutory provisions relating to (a) protection against unfair dismissal, (b) rights for those with family responsibilities and (c) a right to trade union representation.

The information is as follows:

(a) Part V of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 provides employees with protection from unfair dismissal, including dismissal on grounds of pregnancy or membership or non-membership of a trade union. They may have additional protection against dismissal under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Relations Act 1976.

(b) The employment protection legislation does not specifically cover family responsibilities as this is an area best left for agreement between companies and their employees to suit individual needs and circumstances. However, women who are pregnant and who satisfy the qualifying conditions are normally protected against unfair dismissal and have the right to return to work after confinement. They also have the right to reasonable paid time off for antenatal care regardless of length of service and hours of work. Employees may have additional rights under the Sex Discrimination Act depending on the circumstances.

(c) There is no statutory right to trade union representation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the statutory provisions relating to the protection of (a) part-time, (b) temporary, (c) sub-contracted and (d) home workers.

All workers—that is, those who work under a contract of employment or service or who have a contract personally to execute any work or labour—are protected against discrimination on grounds of race, sex and being married, regardless of whether they a:re part-time, temporary, sub-contracted or home workers. They are also covered by the provisions of the Equal Pay Act and the Wages Act 1986.Similarly, all employees—that is, those who work under a contract of employment or service—are protected against discrimination on grounds of trade union membership or non-membership and are entitled to certain payments under the insolvency provisions and to reasonable paid time off for antenatal care.Employees who are trade union members are also protected against unjustifiable discipline by their trade union and other abuses of union power. Employees who work for at least 16 hours a week are also eligible for the employment protection rights listed in the table, in the same way as full-time employees, provided they satisfy any required qualifying conditions of service. If they work at least eight but fewer than 16 hours a week they can qualify after five years' service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those measures taken by his Department since 1987 which have benefited employment, training, small businesses and tourism in Bournemouth.

A wide range of measures which benefit employment, training, small businesses and tourism are provided by this Department in Bournemouth, as elsewhere.The Department funds a wide range of training and enterprise programmes including youth training, employment training, training credits, high technology national training, career development loans, opening learning, the loan guarantee scheme and loan funds of the Prince's Youth Business Trust.