To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many administrative staff were employed by London Underground as a whole (a) in 1979 and (b) currently; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that 1,250 administrative staff were employed by London Underground as at 25 April 1992. No comparable figure is available for 1979, which was before London Underground became a nationalised industry. However, the number of administrative staff will undoubtedly have increased over the period, as a result of the number of major capital investment projects which London Underground now has to manage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorway service areas were built each year from 1979 to the current year.

The information requested is as follows:

1979	None
1980	None
1981	None
1982	None
1983	None
1984	None
1985	1 (Ferrybridge, M62)
1986	2 (South Mimms, M25; Sedgemoor southbound, M5)
1987	1 (Sedgemoor northbound, M5)
1988	None
1989	None
1990	2 (Thurrock, M25; Tamworth, M42)
1991	None
1992	None

These details cover only motorway services areas in England; those in Wales and Scotland are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions he has reached on the provision of motorway service areas following the publication of his consultation document in February; and if he will make a statement.

Some 200 responses to the consultation document have been received. They are currently being considered and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State hopes to make a further statement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the review by the regional controller of the detailed proposals for the reorganisation of auxiliary coastguards in Cornwall.

Her Majesty's Coastguard's regional controller Falmouth undertook a reappraisal of the operational requirements of the sector review in the south-west and submitted his proposals to coastguard headquarters. Additional operational evidence to substantiate the proposals was required by coastguard headquarters, which is currently being studied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to require local authorities to sell their shareholding in local authority airports to the general public and private sector institutions; what plans he has to encourage local authorities to sell such shares to the general public and private sector institutions before he requires them to do so; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Sir T. Arnold) on 18 May, Official Report, column 31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to amend his Department's circular 3/92 on transport and policies programme submissions, to include the adoption of roads as one of his principal objectives for capital spending on roads.

I have no such plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will extend the criteria used in considering application for transport supplementary grants to include the adoption of roads.

No. Transport supplementary grant is for capital expenditure cost on existing local authority roads. Its main purpose is to finance improvements on roads of more than local importance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to bring forward proposals arising from the south circular assessment study before 16 July.

No. More time is needed to consider these proposals. I want to be sure that any which are taken forward are fully justified on environmental, safety and traffic capacity grounds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further plans he has for land acquisitions in connection with the A205 south circular Catford relief road; and what discussions he has had with (a) the London residuary body and (b) the London borough of Lewisham on the land acquisition programme.

The Department has for some time been negotiating the acquisition of a small plot of land, outside the compulsory purchase order originally promoted by the Greater London Council for this improvement scheme. This was school land, formerly owned by the Inner London education authority and transferred to the London residuary body—now the responsibility of the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Solicitors for the parties are in the process of drawing up the necessary transfer documents. The Department has no further plans for land acquisition in connection with this trunk road scheme. The Department has had no discussions with the London borough of Lewisham on the land acquisition programme for this scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer on 24 June, Official Report, column 245, on what date he expects to consult local authorities and others about the further recommendations of his Department's consultants, Travers Morgan, arising from the south circular assessment study.

I do not envisage further consultation on recommendations made by the consultants who carrried out the south circular assessment study. We informed Lewisham borough council in March that a limited scheme to improve conditions at the A205/Burnt Ash Hill junction had been added to the Department's national roads programme. We shall be consulting them further when more detailed proposals are available. The case for other limited road improvement schemes on the A205 is still being considered. Consultation on individual schemes will follow as and when appropriate in accordance with the Department's normal procedures. I cannot forecast at this stage when that might be.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what figures are available on the number of accidents and injuries associated with milk floats.

Milk floats cannot he specifically identified from accident records held by the Department. However, using vehicle registration marks, additional vehicle information is obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency at Swansea for about 80 per cent. of vehicles involved in injury accidents. The table shows information on injury accidents in 1990 where DVLA data indicate the involvement of floats. The 1991 data are not yet available.

Injury accidents involving floats and casualties in those accidents: by float propulsion type: Great Britain: 1990
Number
		Casualties
Propulsion type	Injury accidents	Fatal	Serious	Slight
Electric	124	3	31	126
Other	64	1	14	70

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the proposals on the renaissance project road works affecting the A45 near the national exhibition centre; and if he will make a statement.

We have assessed the scheme against the usual criteria for transport supplementary grant: its eligibility as a scheme on a road of more than local importance; its economic performance and its effects on road safety, the environment, the local community and local industry and commerce. It performed well against these criteria and has been accepted for transport supplementary grant and credit approvals from the present financial year onwards. The renaissance area road and the A45 to which it connects are not trunk roads.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what means he plans to ensure that after the privatisation and deregulation of bus services in London (a) standards of service for the public are maintained throughout the week, (b) conditions of employment facilities and health checks for the staff are of the same level and (c) that in central London traffic congestion is not increased by unregulated flows of privately owned buses.

I am confident that competition will ensure a high standard of service on those routes which are operated commercially. The London Bus Executive will specify service standards for uncommercial routes operated under contract.The health and safety of employees will, as in other industries, be the responsibility of the individual employer, who will be subject to inspection by the Health and Safety Executive. I do not anticipate a great influx of new operators into central London, where the costs of bus operation are high. The traffic commissioner and local authorities will, in any case, have adequate powers available to them to deal with any congestion problems that do arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the national exhibition centre about the volume of road traffic attracted to the centre when the motor show and the ideal homes exhibition are held at the same time; and if he will make a statement.

My Department chairs a working group of all the interests involved, including the national exhibition centre, the local highway authorities and the police, to draw up proposals for managing motor show and ideal homes exhibition traffic. We will do what we can to ensure that the traffic runs as smoothly as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will issue guidelines to local authorities on the secure parking of cycles on roadsides and pavements.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 9 June, Official Report, column 115.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish preferred routes for the A628 Tintwistle, Hollingworth, Mottram bypass.

I cannot give a firm date. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will introduce proposals for public consultation as soon as he can.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many standby vessels have been assessed as satisfactory in terms of the regulations and criteria set out in the revised code for the assessment of the suitability of standby vessels attending offshore installations; what proportion of the fleet of standby vessels this number represents; and if he will make a statement.

Forty-three standby vessels, representing 22 per cent. of the fleet, have been assessed and comply with the revised code. A further 75 vessels are at various stages of assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many standby vessels have been assessed as unsuitable or inadequate in relation to the regulations and criteria set out in the revised code for the assessment of the suitability of standby vessels attending offshore installations; and what action was taken in each case.

Full compliance with the code is not required until 31 December 1992 to allow vessel owners time to carry out any modifications found necessary. Most of the 75 vessels currently under assessment will require some modification and owners are being advised accordingly; it is for owners to decide if the cost of modification renders the further use of their vessels uneconomic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statutory protection exists for constables of police forces under the provisions of the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847 from unfair dismissal; what statutory restrictions exist on their taking industrial action; what statutory police federation exists to represent them; and what statutory restrictions exist on their entitlement to join a trade union.

I understand that the provisions of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 do not apply to persons employed as police constables under any enactment. The provisions of the 1847 Act, which are incorporated in various local harbours Acts, cover only the swearing in of constables and their dismissal from that office by the justices. They do not mention conditions of employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statutory protection exists for constables of the Port of Tilbury police from unfair dismissal; what statutory restrictions exist on their taking industrial action; what statutory police federation exists to represent them; and what statutory restrictions exist on their entitlement to join a trade union.

There is provision for a statutory police federation at the Port of Tilbury. The legislation debars constables from membership of a trade union. I understand that taking part in industrial action would be a disciplinary offence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1991 are coming into effect on 1 July; and if he will make a statement.

The whole of part I of the Road Traffic Act 1991 will come into force on 1 July, with the exception of the provisions already in force and sections 41 and 42—variation of parking charges—which have yet to come into force. Schedules 1 and 2 and various consequential amendments and repeals will also come into force on that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to publish the environmental study report of the proposed route from Keynsham to Beckington, south of Bath, including the Saltford bypass.

The report on this study has not yet been completed. I will make an announcement when I am satisfied that an environmentally acceptable route can be found for a new road bypassing Bath to the south and west.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if proposals for a link road between the M1 and M62 require the construction of a motorway service station.

[holding answer 29 June 1992]: Scheme planning is at too early a stage to assess the requirement for service facilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the required alterations in (a) electricity supply cables, (b) gas pipelines, (c) water supply and (d) telecommunications, for the purple and yellow routes proposed for a link road between the M I and M62 motorways.

[holding answer 29 June 1992]: Information on existing service apparatus has been gathered from the relevant authorities. An assessment has been made of the possible impact on this apparatus, but only in broad terms appropriate to the present early stage of scheme development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively and overall in his Department are registered disabled people.

The number and percentage of registered disabled staff in each grade specified and the overall number for the Department are:

	Number in grade	Percentage
Grades 1 to 5	0	0
Grade 6	4	1
Grade 7	0	0

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total number of mature students attending colleges and universities in the United Kingdom for each year since 1981.

Information is given in the table:

Mature, home domiciled students1 attending universities (including Open University), polytechnics and colleges in Great Britain
Year	Number (thousands)
1981	165.4
1982	165.7
1983	174.7
1984	175.0
1985	195.3
1986	215.8
1987	218.9
1988	234.5
1989	250.1
1990	274.8
1 Mature students defined as those enrolling as first years on first degree and sub-degree courses aged 21 or over and on postgraduate courses at age 25 or over.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to review the list of courses regarded as degree equivalent which qualify for mandatory awards.

My right hon. Friend has no such plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will arrange to meet a representative group of parents and governors during his visit to Bradford on 13 July to discuss the effect of the current financial position of schools on the numbers of teaching staff; if he will also arrange to meet the chair of the local education authority to discuss education funding in Bradford; and if he will make a statement.

Arrangements have already been made for my right hon. Friend's visit to Bradford and it is not possible for him to include additional meetings in his itinerary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many women took up (a) further engineering courses and (b) higher engineering courses in (i) 1969, (ii) 1985 and (iii) 1991.

The number of women on engineering and technology courses in England was:

Thousands
	1985–86	1990–91
Further education enrolments	118	19
Higher education enrolments (including universities' student numbers)	17	11
1 Figure adjusted to be broadly comparable in coverage with 1990–91.

In 1969–70 the information collected was for England and Wales.

Thousands
	1969–70
Further education students	6.0
Higher education students (including universities)	0.5

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the transitional grants to be paid to further education and sixth form colleges by individual institution.

The allocation of transitional funds to colleges will be for the Further Education Funding Council, which is expected to be formed soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the percentage of the £25 million Further Education Funding Council transitional fund to be granted directly to further education and sixth form colleges.

Allocations direct to colleges are expected to account for about two thirds of the £25 million transitional funding to be made available to the Further Education Funding Council in 1992–93. The balance will be required to meet the running costs of the council and the costs of supporting colleges' preparations for incorporation on a national basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the total cost of the current Touche Ross survey "Getting Colleges Ready"; and if he will make a statement.

Information about the cost of the study carried out by Touche Ross is commercially confidential. The handbook prepared by Touche Ross as a result of the study, entitled "Getting Your College Ready", was issued at the end of April and has been widely welcomed by colleges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the pilot tests in English for 14-year-olds; and what part was played by the Northern Examining Association in the development of the tests.

Last year, the School Examinations and Assessment Council, with the agreement of my predecessor and of the Secretary of State for Wales, commissioned the preparation of the first statutory tests for 14-year-olds in mathematics, science, English, Welsh and technology, which will be held in 1993.The development of the tests is well advanced, and a successful national pilot of the mathematics and science tests was held earlier this month. At the same time, prototype English and technology tests were trialled in a small number of schools in both England and Wales, and prototype tests in Welsh were trialled in some Welsh schools.As work on the English tests has developed, it has become clear that some changes are needed in order to secure rigour and a proper test of the breadth and depth of pupils' reading. On the advice of the School Examinations and Assessment Council, under its chairman, Lord Griffiths, I have therefore decided that the English tests for 1993 should consist of:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to publish the planned consultative proposals to shorten the special educational assessment procedure, to introduce the right for the parents of children with special educational needs to express a preference for a school and to improve parental rights of appeal against a local authority decision; and if he will make a statement.

My noble Friend the Baroness 131atch announced in another place on 29 June that we shall issue shortly a consultation paper which will set out the Government's proposals for legislation relating to special educational needs in these respects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average cost of producing a statement of special educational needs in each local education authority.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to amend the statement of special educational needs so that the provision required for the pupil is precisely stated.

Guidance to ensure that any provision set out in a statement of educational needs is stated precisely already exists in circular 22/89, September 1989, and its addendum, March 1992, issued jointly by the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Health. However, as part of the Government's current initiative in special education, my right hon. Friend will shortly be consulting widely on the procedures for issuing statements of special educational needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to ensure that all inspections of schools will involve an assessment of the school's work with children with special educational needs.

At present, all full inspections of schools by Her Majesty's inspectorate cover all aspects of provision, including special educational needs. The arrangements from 1 September 1992 will be a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to clarify the requirements for formula funding schemes to allow the local education authority accurately to determine the level of funding required for each pupil's special educational needs to be met as defined by their statement.

Guidance to authorities on the question of formula funding for special educational needs is provided at paragraph 101 of DES circular 7/91. My right hon. Friend will consider the possibility of further guidance in the light of the wide-ranging consultation on special educational needs which he is about to undertake.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to introduce national guidelines defining the level of responsibility mainstream schools should have for pupils with special educational needs.

This question will be considered in the light of responses to the wide-ranging consultation on special educational needs which my right hon. Friend will shortly undertake.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average length of time it takes to produce a statement of special educational needs in each local education authority.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans he has to make a study of indefinite pupil exclusions from school;(2) whether he will make it his policy to collect statistics from local education authorities on pupil exclusions annually; and if he will make a statement.

Information on pupils permanently excluded from school is already being collected from local education authorities over a two-year period starting with the summer term 1990 under the national exclusions reporting system (NERS). My right hon. Friend will review the need for further statistics or studies in the light of the findings from NERS and other intelligence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether he will issue guidance to local education authorities on (a) the recording of pupil exclusions from school and (b) the tuition of pupils excluded from school;(2) whether he will commission an independent study of the underlying causes of the increase in pupil exclusions from schools.

My right hon. Friend will consider the need for such guidance, and for further study, as part of his forthcoming review of the operation of the exclusion provisions in the Education (No. 2) Act 1986 in the light of the returns from the national exclusions reporting system and other information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to publish the report on the two-year study of pupil exclusions.

Final returns under the national exclusions reporting system must reach the Department for analysis by 30 September. When that process is completed, and in the light of his review of the exclusions procedures more generally, my right hon. Friend will consider how the information should be made available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he intends to monitor the incidence of exclusions from school among pupils from ethnic minorities.

Information on the ethnic origin of pupils permanently excluded from school is already collected under the national exclusions reporting system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will publish his response to the joint Audit Commission and Her Majesty's inspectorate's report "Getting in on the Act"; and if he will make a statement.

A press statement welcoming the publication of the report was issued on 25 June and was placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to introduce national guidelines for education authorities to identify when a child requires extra educational assistance.

The Government are already considering the development of this sort of guidance. My right hon. Friend will be consulting the local authority associations shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to clarify the number of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties and the provision currently available to them and to assess the effectiveness of such provision.

My right hon. Friend has no such plans. Under the terms of the Education Act 1981, provision is made not for different categories of handicap but for the special educational needs of individul children. Proposals to improve access to the present arrangements for assessments and statements will be brought forward later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to introduce incentives for local education authorities to implement fully the Education Act 1981.

My right hon. Friend will consider fully this proposal, which is one of the recommendations of the recent Audit Commission/Her Majesty's inspectorate study of special educational needs, later in the year. He wishes first to receive responses to a wide-ranging consultation exercise on special educational needs which he is about to undertake.

To ask the Lord President of the Council when he drew the question of the hon. Member for Nottingham, North, Official Report, 11 November 1991, column 365, to the attention of the review body; and if he has now received a reply.

My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, South (Mr. MacGregor) drew the hon. Member's question to the attention of the Top Salaries Review Body on 12 November 1991.I understand that a reply was not expected.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if the Energy Committee will be retained in its current status as a separate Select Committee; and if he will make a statement.

No. It is the Government's intention to have, where possible, Select Committees shadowing the principal Government Departments.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, respectively, and overall in his Office are women.

The Privy Council Office has no staff at grades 1 or 2. At grades 3 to 7 it has five staff, one of whom is a woman (grade 7). Overall, 43 per cent. of current Privy Council Office staff are women.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances of counterfeit medicines reaching the United Kingdom market have been reported to the Medicines Control Agency in each of the years 1989, 1990 and 1991; and if she will state by what means those counterfeit products were detected.

There was one instance in 1989 and one in 1990. Both instances were reported to the Medicines Control Agency by pharmaceutical companies, and arose from inquiries made by those companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has any plans to introduce new measures to reduce the risk of counterfeit medicines being introduced into the United Kingdom.

There are no plans to introduce new measures. Any reports of alleged import of counterfeit medicines into the United Kingdom are immediately investigated by the enforcement unit of the Medicines Control Agency. The United Kingdom licensing system introduced by the Medicines Act 1968 and covering the import, sale and production of medicinal products is continually kept under review to ensure appropriate safeguards against counterfeit products are maintained.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a list of family health service authorities showing their expenditure under the indicative prescribing scheme for 1991–92; if she will set out the figures for actual spending as a percentage of their allocation; what is the expenditure per head in each family health service authority; and on how many occasions, in each family health service authority, the family health service authority made inquiries of general practitioners about their prescribing practices.

Information on how many occasions, in each family health service authority, the family health service authority made inquiries of general practitioners about their prescribing practices is not held centrally.The other information requested has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what figures her Department holds for the estimated total numbers of prescriptions for asthma inhalers to (a) the whole population and (b) under 16-year-olds in the United Kingdom for each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Information on the number of prescriptions for individual drug preparations by population groups in the United Kingdom is not available. The table sets out information on the number of prescriptions for the treatment of asthma by British National Formulary therapeutic classification for England only for 1982–91. For 1991 the table also shows the total prescriptions for asthma preparations for "Young People" based on exemption categories.

Prescriptions for the treatment of asthma
Millions
Year	Total	Inhalations
1982	15.3	6.5
1983	16.5	7.6
1984	17.7	8.5
1985	19.0	9.7
1986	20.0	10.6
1987	21.0	11.6
1988	22.6	12.6

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what response she has made to the report "Post Registration Education in Clinical Midwifery", funded by the Department of Education and Science with reference to the differences between the regions in the clinical grading of staff midwife and midwifery sister posts; and if she will make a statement;(2) if she will make a statement about the differences between regions in the grading of similar clinical midwifery posts;(3) what response she has made to the recommendations of the review body concerning the differences between regions in the grading of similar midwifery posts.

The responsibility for grading all midwifery posts rests with the employing authorities. Complete uniformity in the outcome of grading decisions could not be expected, and variations between regions and countries reflect local organisation of services and the skill mix necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively and overall in her Department are women.

The information requested is shown in the table:

Grade	Total staff	Women
		Number	Per cent.
1	1	0	0.0
2	7	2	28.6
3	27	6	22.2
4	29	9	31.0
5	204	61	29.9
6	173	42	24.3
7	532	151	28.4
All grades1	4,951	2,704	54.6
1 Including grades 1 to 7.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make representations to the Romanian Committee for Adoptions on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. D. Mann of Presteigne, Powys in support of their application for adoption of a child from a Romanian orphanage;(2) if she will make representations to the Romanian Committee for Adoptions on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Robinson of Brecon, Powys in support of their application for adoption of a child from a Romanian orphanage;(3) what representations her Department has made to the Romanian Committee for Adoptions on behalf of prospective British adoptive parents failing to meet the conditions contained in the agreement on adoptions signed by the Government on 19 March.

Prior to signing the agreement between the United Kingdom and the Romanian Committee for Adoptions on 19 March 1992, officials made several approaches to the committee to obtain exemptions to conditions set out in their draft, including a waiver for those prospective adopters who had already applied. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson and Mr. and Mrs. Mann are among those who had made applications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the British Government intend to seek re-negotiation of the agreement on adoptions signed by her Department and the Romanian Committee on Adoptions on 19 March.

The Romanian Committee for Adoptions has agreed to meet officials in December this year to review the working arrangements of the agreement on the adoption of children from Romania to the United Kingdom. The meeting will provide an opportunity for discussions about the conditions contained in the agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how she plans to ensure that people in residential homes who experience a sudden down-turn in health will be able to be transferred to nursing homes.

From April 1993 local authorities will be responsible for assessing individuals' needs and arranging placements in residential care and nursing homes for those people who need to be publicly supported. Our guidance makes clear that care needs should be regularly reviewed and care packages revised as necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government are taking to reduce the incidence of solvent abuse among juveniles; what representations she has received about the work of Re-Solv in this field; and if she will make a statement.

In February of this year the Government launched a national publicity campaign on solvent misuse consisting of television and press advertising. The objective of the campaign was to raise parental awareness of the problem, and to make further information available by means of a booklet. Re-Solv played a valuable part in the development of the publicity campaign. The Department has recently awarded Re-Solv a grant of £33,000 per year for the next two years towards their central administration costs. The Department of Trade and Industry contributed £37,000 earlier this year towards the cost of producing a new training package developed by Re-Solv to help retailers identify and deal with solvent abusers. An exhibition of Re-Solv's work in combating solvent misuse was held recently in the Upper Waiting Hall.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively, and overall in her Department are registered disabled people.

The information requested is shown in the table:

Grade	Total staff (numbers)	Registered disabled people
		Number	Percentage
1	1	0	0
2	7	0	0
3	27	0	0
4	29	2	6.9
5	204	1	0.5
6	173	0	0
7	532	3	0.6
All grades (including 1–7)	4,951	72	1.5

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether KPMG Management Consultants have completed their report on local authorities community care plans; whether she will place this report in the Library; and what was the cost of this consultancy exercise.

KPMG Peat Marwick were commissioned to look at how the independent sector was being involved in the preparation of community care plans. Their report has recently been received and we are considering how its findings may best be made available. The cost of the consultancy is £42,200 exclusive of VAT and expenses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurse clinical grading appeals remain outstanding; what is the average time that has elapsed since they were lodged; how long she expects it will take to clear the backlog; what steps she is taking to expedite hearings; and if she will make a statement.

The Department does not collect information on appeals at employing authority level. The director of personnel of the NHS management executive wrote to regional general managers on 31 March stressing the importance of ensuring that any remaining backlog of cases at local level should be cleared as soon as possible,At 31 May 1992 there were 20,412 appeals outstanding at regional level (including those in Scotland and Wales) and 1,890 at national level. The Nursing and Midwifery Staffs Negotiating Council has recently reached agreement on streamlining the appeals process by setting up experimental standing appeals panels at national level—these have now started work—and by providing a facility for referring appeals direct from employing authority to national level if both parties agree. These changes should enable outstanding appeals to be dealt with more expeditiously, although it is too early to estimate how long it will take to complete the exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical grading appeals have been submitted by nurses in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland since the start of the current process.

The Department does not collect information on appeals at employing authority level. In England at 31 May, 20,775 appeals had been submitted at regional level and 1,430 at national level. Information relating to Scotland and Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost per head of population of the ambulance service in London; and if she will make a statement.

The London ambulance service has advised me that the net cost of the ambulance service in London for 1991–92 was £9.48 per head of population.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Government money has been spent on HIV/AIDS awareness and related campaigns over the past five years; and how many HIV/AIDS cases have been diagnosed during that period.

The table sets out the allocations from April 1988 onwards to the health education authority (HEA) towards the development of HIV and AIDS related public awareness and education initiatives. These amounts include the contributions towards the costs of the National AIDS Helpline and related telephone information services. Not shown in the tables are the amounts spent by other Government Departments on HIV prevention work within their own spheres of interest.Between 1985–86 and 1992–93 the Government have allocated over £73 million to the development of the national AIDS public education campaign. Over and above this, since 1989–90 contributions have been made towards the additional costs incurred by regional and district health authorities in the development of local HIV prevention initiatives. For 1992–93 these amount to £21 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what study has been undertaken of the similarity between the type of birth control practised in some parts of Africa and known homosexual behaviour, and the implications of this for the increase in HIV/AIDS among heterosexuals in Africa and homosexuals elsewhere.

I will write to my hon. Friend with the information that he requests as soon as it is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what forecasts were made by her Department for the number of heterosexuals likely to be affected by the HIV/AIDS virus in each of the past five years; and what were the actual numbers so affected, excluding drug users and the suffering from contaminated blood.

The Day report, "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in England and Wales" estimated that at the end of 1988 between 13,000 and 26,000 individuals were infected with HIV and that between 750 and 3,750 had been infected through sexual intercourse between men and women. Up to the end of March 1992, 1,769 cases of HIV infection acquired through heterosexual intercourse had been reported to the communicable disease surveillance centre. This underestimates the true level of infection as only those who recognise themselves to be at risk will seek a test. The Day report did not make predictions for individual years for HIV infected persons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of those affected by the HIV/AIDS virus over the past five years have been known to be (a) homosexual and (b) heterosexual, excluding drug users and those suffering from contaminated blood.

By the end of March 1992 there had been a cumulative total of 15,501 newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected persons in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reported to the communicable disease surveillance centre (all exposure categories combined) since the HIV test became available in 1984. This number may considerably underestimate the total number infected in certain exposure categories because in order to have their infection diagnosed infected persons must recognise their risk, present for an HIV-1 test and agree to have a test after pre-test counselling. A detailed breakdown is contained in the following table 12 from the AIDS/HIV Quarterly Surveillance Tables (No. 15, Data to end of March 1992).

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she proposes to reply to the letter sent to her by the Director of the Matthew Trust, dated 20 May, regarding the case of Miss Jennifer Bennett.

I have replied today to the Matthew Trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 18 June, Official Report, column 677, if she will specify the component parts of the International Peto Institute proposed development in Budapest, which are either under construction or completed and occupied as a result of the initial payment of £1,750,000 by Her Majesty's Government to the Hungarian Government.

No construction work is yet under way. Our agreement with the Hungarian Government and the Peto Foundation provided for one initial payment at this stage, with the remainder dependent on construction progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many secure places there are in (a) England and (b) Yorkshire for juvenile delinquents.

On 29 June 1992 there were 292 places in local authority secure units in England, of which 36 were in Yorkshire and Humberside. These units form a network to which all local authorities have access. They are not designed solely for juvenile delinquents; they may accommodate any child who is being looked after by a local authority and who needs a secure placement.In addition, the youth treatment service runs two youth treatment centres (YTCs)—Glenthorne in Birmingham and St. Charles in Essex. These provide, between them, up to 70 places for disturbed young people. Again, not all these young people have committed an offence.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average personal savings rate per adult in each of the last 10 years.

The generally accepted measure of the average rate of saving by individuals in the United Kingdom is the saving ratio, which measures the proportion of personal disposable income not spent on purchases of consumer goods and services. The latest annual estimates of the saving ratio are published in quarterly articles on United Kingdom national accounts in Economic Trends, which is available from the Library. The most recent article, giving figures back to 1985, appeared in the issue for April 1992. Figures for earlier periods are available on the CSO database, series AIIM, which can also be accessed through the Library.Separate ratios for juveniles and adults are not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, on the same basis as for the figures recorded in paragraph 3.47 of the Red Book, he will give the United Kingdom's estimated net overseas asset holdings in constant prices for each of the last six years; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for any fluctuations in their net value.

The table shows the level of the United Kingdom's identified net external assets at recorded values and adjusted by the implied GDP deflator. The recorded values, as in column (a), are those quoted in the Red Book, paragraph 3.47, which updated the latest full estimates in the 1991 CSO Pink Book, and reflect market values for many assets and book values for direct investment. The recorded values of net assets can change for a number of reasons, including United Kingdom residents' investment overseas and overseas residents' investment in the United Kingdom, variations in asset prices both in the United Kingdom and abroad, exchange rate movements, and other valuation changes, eg write-offs.

Table 1—Net overseas assets (£ billion)
	Level of identified net overseas assets (at year end)
Year	(a)	(b)
1986	104	101
1987	67	62
1988	81	70
1989	84	69
1990	20	15
1991	37	27
(a) Recorded values.
(b) Recorded values adjusted by changes in implied GDP deflator since 1985.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all the bilateral and multilateral agreements directly or indirectly negotiated by his Department or a body acting on behalf of his Department with (a) Switzerland and (b) Liechtenstein.

The information requested on agreements with Switzerland and Liechtenstein is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has responsibility for all international treaties. I refer the hon. Member to the reply of 24 June to his question to the Foreign Secretary on the same subject.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the loss to the Exchequer of increased imports of cheap cigarettes arising from his agreement to a 57 per cent. minimum excise level at the ECOFIN Council on 24 June 1991.

I do not expect the 24 June 1991 ECOFIN Council agreement on a 57 per cent. minimum excise level on cigarettes to lead to loss to the Exchequer since it does not require the UK to change the level or structure of its excise duties on cigarettes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, respectively, and overall in his Department are women.

The information requested in respect of grades 1 to 7 is shown in the table. The proportion of Treasury staff who are women is 43 per cent. Figures reflect the staff in post position as at 23 June 1992.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received, and from whom, on whether the Securities and Investments Board should remain a direct regulator under the Financial Services Act 1986.

Responsibility for the regulation of financial services passed to me on 7 June 1992. I have received a number of representations on this subject.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance has been given to Government Departments to ensure that all government contracts require suppliers to pay their sub-contractors promptly.

Guidance was issued on 14 April to all Government Departments and executive agencies. For all contract award procedures initiated after that date, all Government contracts are to contain a clause requiring the supplier or contractor to pay subcontractors promptly. In the absence of normal practice to the contrary for that type of contract, or other special circumstances, the commitment should be to pay the subcontractor within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice or similar demand for payment as defined by the contract.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received since 2 June about extending the moratorium on stamp duty.

Since I confirmed on 2 June that the temporary increase in the stamp duty threshold would not be extended beyond 19 August, we have received a number of representations for the duration of the moratorium to be reconsidered. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor made it clear at the outset that this was a temporary measure for eight months only, and we have no plans to reopen the matter.