To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the V7 light bulb; whether Her Majesty's Government will be taking any steps to promote its use; and if he will make a statement.

The V7 light bulb is an energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamp available in the United States and manufactured to operate at United States voltage levels. My Energy Efficiency Office has examined a range of similar commercially available lamps in the United Kingdom. Compact fluorescent lamps are now becoming generally available in high street shops and supermarkets. They use 75 to 80 per cent. less electricity and last eight times as long as normal light bulbs for which they are suitable as direct replacements. The electricity they save will more than cover their extra initial cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many separate individual applicants have applied for shares in the regional electricity companies of England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many individuals have made applications for shares in one or more regional electricity company.

A total of 12·75 million applications have been made for shares in the 12 regional companies share offers. Precise figures are not available at this stage, but the number of application forms is estimated at over 5 million. This is the highest number for any privatisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will estimate for each regional electricity company floated, what the breakdown is of (a) within franchise area individual shareholders, (b) outside franchise area individual shareholders and (c) institutional shareholders.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 December 1990, at column 300.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he is yet in a position to state how many applications for shares in one or more regional electricity companies have been received from households involving more than one applicant.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated cost allocated for the use of the TRAP computer programme for the detection of illegal multiple share applications for shares in the electricity flotation.

The electricity fraud auditors have set up a number of sophisticated systems for the detection of multiple share applications. The costs will depend on the scale of the work required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

My Department's purchasing informa-tion system does not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on the Department's purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on (a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

The information requested is as follows:

£'000
	Press advertising	Television and radio advertising	Other advertising and promotion	Videos and sound cassettes2
1989–90	892	0	1,000	120
1988–89	2,378	4	1,313	184
1987–88	1,513	0	959	44
1986–87	11,830	17,519	4,501	62
1985–86	1,589	2,212	1	49
1Expenditure on other advertising and promotion is not available for 1985–86 on a comparable basis.
2Includes expenditure on films as well as videos.

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he. will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

My Department's accounting information system does not differentiate between the acquisition and commissioning of goods and services. The Office of Arts and Libraries administration vote totals £1,802,000 in 1990–91, of which about £150,000 will be spent on goods and services.

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on (a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

There has been expenditure by my Department only on the category "other advertising and promotion". The details for the last five years are as follows:

Year	£
1986–87	Nil
1987–88	13,225
1988–89	6,785
1989–90	1,564
1990–91	658

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement pursuant to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's letter, reference TEAH/614/1016 of 5 November to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, on his study of the report commissioned by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and AUT on recruitment and retention of university, academic and academic-related staff.

In agreeing appropriate pay levels for university academic and academic-related staff, the Government regard recruitment and retention as most important factors for consideration. The report referred to by the hon. Member will be taken into account in the context of the 1991 pay settlement. Our examination of the report has concluded that it does not appear to shed any significant new light on the question of staff outflows overseas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the numbers of educational psychologists placed in schools with substantial ethnic minority populations who are able to speak the language of that minority for 1985 to 1990.

The information requested is not collected centrally. The employment and deployment of educational psychologists is the responsibility of the individual local education authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has, for the last five years, on the number of ethnic minority pupils who have stayed on in school after the age of 16 years.

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will outline the ways in which multi-faith education is currently being promoted.

Within the framework of the Education Reform Act, the precise content of religious education is a matter for local determination. The changes introduced by the ERA secure the place of Christianity within RE in schools, while taking account of the needs and aspirations of the many people who hold different beliefs. In county schools, RE must be provided in accordance with a locally agreed syllabus drawn up by a conference, convened for that purpose by the LEA and reflecting the principal religious traditions of the area. The ERA requires all new syllabuses to

"reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain".

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money has been spent in the past five years on the training of teachers in other languages; and if he will give the languages currently being studied by those teachers.

Training costs for individual courses vary between institutions and details are not held centrally. The principal languages other than English being studied include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Welsh, Latin and Greek.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what, for each authority in which there is a grant-maintained school, is the average sum per pupil, in the primary or secondary phases, as appropriate, attributed in the calculations of annual maintenance grants to central services (a) for 1989–90 and (b) for 1990–91.

This information is given in the table:

Central costs component of annual maintenance grant for grant maintained schools
Local education authority	Per pupil amount (£) 1989–90	Per pupil amount (£) 1990–91
Barnet	186	251
Bedfordshire	203	285
Berkshire	—	247
Birmingham	257	351
Bolton	163	249
Brent	—	380
Buckinghamshire	—	273
Cheshire	241	318
Derbyshire	—	340
Devon	245	389
Dorset	—	245
Dudley	274	354
Gloucestershire	—	234
Hertfordshire	—	225
Hillingdon	—	374
Kensington and Chelsea	—	661
Kent	166	238
Kirklees	218	268
Lancashire	217	269
Leicestershire	—	311
Lincolnshire	222	190
Liverpool	315	193
Northamptonshire	—	242
Shropshire	—	264
Southwark	—	520
Surrey	—	296
Sutton	243	331
Tameside	193	262
Wolverhampton	—	323

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has, for the last 12 months, on the number of pupils expelled or suspended from primary and secondary schools, by ethnic origin.

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the number of bilingual teachers appointed since 1985 by primary and secondary schools to bridge the language gap between teachers and students or parents.

The information requested in not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department, stating (a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

All civil service departments and agencies have access to the services of the civil service occupational health service which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals—doctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers. It operates via a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom. DES does not itself provide occupational health services. The Department currently employs some 2,600 staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the staff losses expected at the Institute of Food Research attributable to the withdrawal of Government funding from those projects designated as near market.

A total of 19 posts will be lost by the end of the financial year 1990–91, as a result of the withdrawal of Government funding for "near market" research in 1991–92.In addition, a further 24 posts will be lost during the same period, because of the realignment of existing Government commissions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the amount of the special bonus paid by the Science and Engineering Research Council to its establishment officer in 1989.

Under a scheme for Science and Engineering Research Council employees operative at the time, merit awards were made in February 1990 to the council's establishment officer and to a number of other staff. It is not normal practice to make public the value of payments to individual members of the Science and Engineering Research Council staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on (a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

The expenditure figures for advertising and other promotional materials by this Department for the financial years 1986–87 to 1989–90 are provided in the table. Video and cassette costs cannot readily be disaggregated from other advertising and promotion costs. The 1990–91 figure is provisional.

Year	Press advertising	Television	Radio	Other advertising and promotion
	£000	£000	£000	£000
1986–87	532·0	Nil	Nil	533·0
1987–88	280·0	Nil	Nil	1,459·0
1988–89	475·0	Nil	400	1,156·0
1989–90	238·0	Nil	11·8	1,150·0
1990–91	1,160·0	1,100·0	Nil	2,115·0

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what measures he is taking to ensure that more resources are delegated to schools; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend is publishing today two draft circulars which will take forward our policies on local management of schools and on more open enrolment. My right hon. and learned Friend is determined to ensure that as much money as is reasonably possible is delegated to schools to manage themselves, and that parents are given the widest possible choice of school at primary as well as at secondary level. Copies of the two circulars are today being placed in the Library of the House.The draft circular on local management of schools will require LEAs, before 1 April 1993, to hand over to schools at least 85 per cent. of the potential schools budget, and to determine 80 per cent. of school budgets on the basis of pupil numbers. The draft circular will also require, by 1 April 1994, the extension of delegated management to all small schools and to those special schools that are able and want to manage their own budgets.The two tables show, where the information has been provided, how each LEA currently performs against these criteria.

1990–91 budgets: percentage of potential schools budget delegated to schools
LEA3	Percentage of PSB1 delegated to schools	Total2 dis-cretionary exceptions as percentage of PSB	Central administration as percentage of PSB
1. Bolton	89·10	10·90	2·02
2. Berkshire	87·68	12·32	2·71
3. West Sussex	87·49	12·51	1·95
4. Sefton	87·44	12·56	4·45
5. Sunderland	86·86	13·14	3·10
6. Gloucestershire	86·78	13·22	3·65
7. Northumberland	86·54	13·46	3·10
8. Rotherham	86·13	13·87	3·74
9. Leeds	86·12	13·88	3·87
10. Bradford	86·04	13·96	3·87
II. Hampshire	85·78	14·22	3·34
12. Rochdale	85·74	14·26	2·55
13. Walsall	85·72	14·28	3·37
14. Suffolk	85·66	14·34	2·75
15. Surrey	85·57	14·43	6·17
16. Doncaster	85·45	14·55	2·29
17. Solihull	85·31	14·69	2·49
18. Warwickshire	85·24	14·76	3·90
19. Lincolnshire	85·13	14·87	2·68
20. Liverpool	84·91	15·09	4·07
21. Buckinghamshire	84·88	15·12	4·58
22. Kent	84·87	15·13	3·79
23. Northamptonshire	84·74	15·26	3·69
24. Staffordshire	84·61	15·39	4·51
25. Shropshire	84·60	15·40	2·48
26. Tameside	84·40	15·60	2·47
27. Trafford	84·38	15·62	3·49
28. Salford	84·37	15·63	3·19
29. Barnet	84·36	15·64	5·07
30. Cheshire	84·31	15·69	5·15
31. East Sussex	84·09	15·91	2·42
32. Essex	84·03	15·97	4·11
33. Bedfordshire	84·02	15·98	3·91
34. Dudley	83·98	16·02	3·62
35. Havering	83·87	16·13	2·28
36. South Tyneside	83·76	16·24	4·20
37. Brent	83·63	16·37	4·82
38. Cleveland	83·63	16·37	5·56
39. Norfolk	83·62	16·38	4·05
40. Cornwall	83·57	16·43	3·72
41. Sutton	83·44	16·56	4·05
42. Barnsley	83·38	16·62	2·86
43. Kirklees	83·38	16·62	3·98
44. Derbyshire	83·37	16·63	2·96
45. Gateshead	83·29	16·71	3·01
46. Wigan	83·28	16·72	3·70
47. St. Helens	83·27	16·73	3·69
48. Sandwell	83·24	16·76	3·75
49. Durham	83·13	16·87	4·35
50. Devon	83·11	16·89	3·06
51. Birmingham	83·04	16·96	4·36
52. Somerset	82·91	17·09	3·58
53. Wakefield	82·87	17·13	2·98
54. Nottinghamshire	82·72	17·28	5·24
55. Redbridge	82·71	17·29	4·91
56. Lancashire	82·66	17·34	3·65
57. North Yorkshire	82·62	17·38	4·15
58. Sheffield	82·61	17·39	3·49
59. Cumbria	82·53	17·47	4·04
60. Isle of Wight	82·48	17·52	4·68
61. Wiltshire	82·35	17·65	3·92
62. North Tyneside	82·30	17·70	5·03

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the outcome of the meeting of European Community Education Ministers on Thursday 6 December.

I represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the Education Council and of the EC Education Ministers meeting within the Council on 6 December. The Council and the Ministers meeting within the Council:

— agreed a resolution inviting the Commission to report on the development of the EURYDICE information network,

— invited the Commission to conduct a survey on current and planned school activities in the field of education against drug abuse and to report in the context of its report on the implementation of the resolution of 1988 on health education,

— agreed a range of activities to promote co-operation between member states in the development of assessment systems in education,

— discussed aspects of the development of professional and vocational higher education.

The meeting was preceded by an informal discussion with the Polish and Hungarian Ministers of Education and the Czechoslovakian Vice-Minister for Education.

To ask the Prime Minister whether any disciplinary action is proposed against Brigadier Patrick Cordingley in respect of public statements about potential casualties in the event of resort to a military option in the Gulf.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister which Government Departments were consulted about the orders for Iraq placed in 1988 by Walter Somers and Forgemasters.

In the case of Walter Somers, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Defence were involved. For the licence application made by Sheffield Forgemasters only DTI was involved.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the representations he has had from staff of the Nature Conservancy Council in Peterborough and Huntingdon about the break-up of the Nature Conservancy Council.

[holding answer 10 December 1990]: In my capacity as the Member for Huntingdon, I received several letters and other representations from constituents employed by the Nature Conservancy Council about the planned reorganisation of the council. I have responded to those representations.

To ask the Prime Minister if he intends to take the overall responsibility for science policy; if he proposes to chair the Advisory Council on Science and Technology and the Cabinet Committee on Science and Technology; and what arrangements he proposes to make for overall ministerial responsibility for science policy.

[holding answer 10 December 1990]: My intention is to continue the arrangements set out in the White Paper, "Civil Research and Development" (CM 185) of July 1987. In particular there will be collective ministerial consideration, under my chairmanship, of science and technology policy and priorities and the provision of independent advice from the Advisory Council on Science and Technology (ACOST), chaired by Sir Robin Nicholson FRS.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will seek to arrange for the Order Paper to list the total number of questions entered in the ballot for each oral Question Time.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. King), at column 296.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the date for a decision on the hospital closures proposed by South Glamorgan health authority.

With the exception of the William Nicholls home, for which further consultation does not end until 31 December, it is hoped that decisions will be issued shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department, stating (a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

The Welsh Office employs the Civil Service Occupational Health Service to provide this service for its 2,352 employees. It does not employ staff directly for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what financial support will be given to the organisation for the promotion of agricultural cooperatives in Wales in 1991.

The Welsh Agricultural Organisation Society does not receive any direct Government funds. One of the changes arising from the restructuring of Food From Britain's finances in 1988 was that the Welsh Agricultural Organisation Society would not, after March 1990, receive the annual subvention it had previously enjoyed. Food From Britain's new business plan emphasised project-based funding targeted at specific objectives. Consequently, Food From Britain will still consider funding the Welsh Agriculture Organisation Society, but only on a specific project basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to ensure quality control and effective monitoring of the services provided as a result of the £150,000 funding for work on alcohol abuse announced by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at his Department on Drinkwise Day in June.

Arrangements for monitoring and evaluation of services are outlined in the guidance contained in WHC90(78) and WHC90(79) which were issued on 5 December 1990. Copies of both these circulars are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many persons are classed as homeless in (a) Ceredigion and (b) Dyfed; and if he will make a statement.

Ninety-four persons in Ceredigion and 353 in Dyfed were accepted as homeless during the third quarter of 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on the provision of secure accommodation for 15 and 16-year-olds.

Our officials are currently conducting a review of secure child care, including secure accommodation, in Wales. They have sought and received views on the provision of secure accommodation for young people from the chief executives of the county councils in Wales; from the chief constables, chief probation officers, chief Crown prosecutors and clerks to the magistrates in the Principality; and from select voluntary organisations. In addition we have received a small number of letters from other interested parties, from members of the public and from right hon. and hon. Members. All representations received are being taken fully into account in the review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes he intends to announce to increase the amount of secure accommodation in Wales for youngsters of 15 and 16 years.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier reply of today. All options for improvement in secure child care practice in Wales are being considered in the Department's review of this area. In particular, the review will assess need for secure accommodation and will consider how that need might be met in the future. We have asked for the review to be completed early in the new year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

Departmental information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. Information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87, however, is set out in the annual report of the central unit on purchasing, copies of which are available from the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices the spending on health and personal social services research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.

Funding for health and personal social services research is largely provided under the joint England and Wales health and personal social services research programme. Spending on this programme in 1989–90, the latest year for which outturn figures are available, was £15·4 million.Information for earlier years is available in the Cabinet Office annual review of Government-funded research and development.Some additional funding for health research in Wales is provided directly by the Welsh Office. Spending in 1989–90, the latest year for which outturn figures are available, amounted to £518,000. Information for earlier years is available in the appropriation accounts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on (a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television arid radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

Welsh Office expenditure on advertising and other promotional activity for the past five financial years is shown in the following table:

Year	Press advertising £	Television advertising £	Other advertising advertising and promotion £
1985–86	31,000	Nil	92,000
1986–87	49,000	27,000	331,000
1987–88	191,000	39,000	615,000
1988–89	112,000	64,000	1,105,000
1989–90	354,000	57,000	1,758,000

Expenditure for promotion videos and sound cassettes is contained within the amounts given for other advertising and promotion as records do not allow these elements to be quantified separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what level of resources will be provided for the Countryside Council for Wales in the 1991–92 financial year.

The proposed provision for the Countryside Council for Wales in 1991–92 is £14,554,000. This will enable the new body to undertake a comprehensive and balanced programme of work in discharge of all its functions. It fully meets the assurances I have previously given that the council will be adequately resourced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to launch a food aid package on behalf of the people of Wales to the Soviet Union; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer Monday 10 December]: This is a matter which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food would consider sympathetically if any such request for assistance were received from the Soviet Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to increase transport expenditure in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Information on planned expenditure for 1991–92 will be set out in the Welsh Office departmental report 1991 to be published early in the new year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the work with epileptics and their families in parts of north Wales, undertaken with support from the Mersey Region Epilepsy Association.

My right hon. Friend and I are aware that a number of voluntary bodies, including the Mersey Region Epilepsy Association, make a valued contribution to the development and provision of services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has reached a decision about the allocation of resources for health and personal social services in Wales in 1991–92.

Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval, I have decided on the allocation. I shall place a summary of my proposals in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the average post-tax income of the bottom 2 per cent. of income tax payers in each financial year since 1979–80;(2) what was the average post-tax income of the top 2 per cent. of income tax payers in each financial year since 1979–80.

Estimates are given in the table for 1979–80, and 1990–91. Information for other years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All estimates of income are based on information reported to tax offices and collected through the annual surveys of personal incomes. For 1979–80 the figure excludes employees' contributions to occupational pension schemes and some investment income on which tax is deducted at source. The figures for 1979–80 represent the average income of single people or married couples; for 1990–91 the figure relates to individuals following the change to independent taxation. The figures for 1990–91 are based on projections of the 1987–88 survey of personal incomes and are therefore provisional.I regret that reliable estimates for the bottom 2 per cent. of taxpayers are not available. The table therefore shows figures for the bottom 5 per cent.

Average post-tax income (£)
	1979–801	1990–912
Bottom 5 per cent.	1,800	4,300
Top 2 per cent.	15,100	51,800

Average tax paid (£)
	1979–801	1990–912
Bottom 5 per cent.	40	60
Top 2 per cent.	8,200	23,500
1 For single people and married couples.
2 For individuals.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the experience of France and Italy in the European monetary system since 1979 so far as employment in manufacturing is concerned; and if he will publish a table showing the numbers employed in manufacturing in Germany, France and Italy each year since 1979 and at the latest available date together with the percentage increase since 1979 and 1985, respectively.

Data for manufacturing employment in France, Germany and Italy are published by the OECD in "Labour Force Statistics 1968–88".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the experience of the original EC Six in the European monetary system since 1979 so far as the rate of economic growth is concerned; and if he will publish a table showing for each of the six the average rate of growth since 1979 as a percentage of the rate of growth in (i) the decade ending in 1973 and (ii) in the period in which the currency snake was in operation.

Data for GDP of the original members of the European Community are published by the OECD in "National Accounts 1960–88" and in "Main Economic Indicators".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department, stating (a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

All civil service departments and agencies have access to the services of the civil service occupational health service which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals—cloctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers. It operates via a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom. The Treasury employs about 3,150 staff who have access to three welfare staff and 32 first-aiders in additional to CSOHS services.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the change in Treasury income during the financial year 1991–92 resulting from (a) increasing all personal allowances in line with the rise in average earnings and (b) increasing the threshold for the higher rate of income tax in line with earnings rather than prices.

At 1991–92 levels of income the estimated tax yield resulting from indexation in line with earnings compared with price indexation are as shown in the table. The estimates are based on the illustrative rate of price indexation of 10·25 per cent. and the working assumption of an 8·5 per cent. increase in average earnings between 1990–91 and 1991–92 used in the autumn statement 1990.

£ million
	Yield in a full year	Yield in 1991–92
Personal allowances	450	340
Threshold for higher rate	120	70

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers get benefits in kind; and what is their average income.

[holding answer 10 December 1990]: It is estimated that in 1990–91 2·77 million taxpayers receive taxable benefits in kind and that their average earnings, including the taxable value of the benefits, are £23,000. These estimates are based on projections from data relating to 1987–88 and are provisional.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people who pay tax are below the upper earnings limit for 1991–92.

[holding answer 10 December 1990]: It is estimated that in 1991–92 there will be about 19·5 million taxpayers in employment and self-employment aged under 65 with earned income below £20,280, the upper earnings limit for national insurance contributions purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Syrian Government concerning human rights in that country.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Halifax (Mrs. Mahon) on 4 December 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on the complete removal of land-based short-range nuclear weapons in Europe through future negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

The objectives of negotiations on short-range nuclear forces in Europe remain subject to discussion within the NATO alliance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on the transfer of items from category I to category II of the missile technology control regime, and on the application of more stringent inspection rights to ensure end-use compliance under the terms of the regime.

In collaboration with our partners we keep the missile technology and control regime equipment and technology annex under constant review. Ensuring end-use compliance is the responsibility of individual supplying Governments in co-operation with the receiving Government. The United Kingdom is prepared to consider on-site inspection where appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service, for employees within his Department, stating (a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

All civil service departments and agencies have access to the services of the civil service occupational health service, which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals—doctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers. It operates via a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom.In addition, employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Overseas Development Administration (and some British Council employees overseas) benefit from a contractual arrangement with St. Thomas's hospital, which provides advice on occupational health matters as well as a wider health care service.The St. Thomas's implant in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office consists of three full-time medical advisers, two part-time medical advisers, three full-time occupational nursing sisters, two part-time occupational nursing sisters and one health promotion adviser. In addition, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office employs a full-time staff counsellor.The total number of staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office including the Overseas Development Administration at the beginning of November 1990 was 8,044.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what military, financial and logistical assistance Her Majesty's Government are planning to make available for the United Nations plan for the western Sahara recently put before the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General.

The United Nations Secretary-General has not yet formally submitted to the Security Council his definitive report on United Nations involvement in the western Sahara. Until he does, we will not be in a position to take any decision on precisely what support we will be able to offer although as a permanent member we shall, of course, be closely involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the right of signatories to the chemical weapons convention to retain a percentage of their stockpile of chemical weapons.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 15 January 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which European Community programmes and legislation apply to Gibraltar.

The provisions of the EC treaties apply to Gibraltar. However, under the arrangements agreed on the United Kingdom's accession to the Community, the common agricultural policy and Community rules on VAT do not apply to Gibraltar. Gibraltar is outside the Community's customs territory and the rules on free movement of goods do not apply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals for environmental protection have been tabled at the meeting of Antarctic treaty parties in Chile; and which of these proposals provides the basis on which the meeting is proceeding.

The following draft proposals were tabled at the meeting of Antarctic treaty parties, which ended in Chile on 6 December:

(i) United Kingdom environment protocol

(ii) New Zealand environmental protocol

(iii) Australian/French conservation convention

(iv) United States of America environmental protocol

All these proposals contributed to the draft protocol which was accepted at the end of the meeting as a basis for further discussion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice is being given by his Department to relatives of hostages in Iraq and Kuwait in relation to their visiting their hostage relatives.

Saddam Hussein announced on 6 December that all foreign nationals were allowed to leave Iraq. We are arranging for the vast majority to do so. There is therefore no need for families to visit Baghdad.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in arranging for parcels to be sent to hostages in Iraq and Kuwait.

The British Red Cross is already packing parcels. They will be dispatched on 19 December if there is still a need for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) written and (b) oral questions he has answered (1) last Session and (2) to date in the current Session on (i) the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, (ii) nuclear weapons testing and a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty and (iii) nuclear export controls.

The number of questions answered is as follows:

Session	Written	Oral
1989–90
(i)	164	3
(ii)	18	—
(iii)	5	—
1990–91

Session	Written	Oral
(i)	7	—
(ii)	4	—
(iii)	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek a report from the United Kingdom permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on the reliability of the report of the recently conducted IAEA safeguards inspection of Iraqi nuclear facilities.

No; we have confidence in the IAEA's safeguards inspection procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payments have been made direct to political parties or organisations from know-how funds or otherwise in the countries of eastern Europe, including the Soviet Union and the area formerly known as the German Democratic Republic; what was the size of each such payment and the organisation benefiting; and what was the education and training purpose of the grants.

There have been no direct payments to political parties or organisations in east and central Europe or the Soviet Union from the know-how funds or other Foreign and Commonwealth Office sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of the People's Republic of China regarding human rights in China, with particular reference to religious activities.

My noble Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised the subject of human rights with the visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister on 21 November, as did my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister in New York on 28 September. My hon. Friend the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office specifically mentioned religious activities when expressing our concern on this issue to the Chinese authorities during his visit to China in July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on (a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.

Expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on advertising and other pro-motional material for the years 1985–86 to 1989–90 is as follows:

	FCO Diplomatic Wing £	FCO ODA Wing £
1985–86	161,000	271,000
1986–87	336,000	228,000
1987–88	195,000	351,000
1988–89	289,000	330,000
1989–90	329,000	530,000

A disaggregation of these figures to identify the medium used is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.

Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986–87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to monitor the observance of human rights in Malawi.

We regularly raise reports of human rights violations with the Malawian authorities and monitor subsequent progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from Africa Watch about linking future economic assistance to African countries with steps by them to end abuses of human rights.

We received representations from Africa Watch on Kenya in this context, to which my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office replied. The Secretary of State has today received a further representation from Africa Watch, to which we will reply as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department; and (a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.

The Department of Transport, in common with all civil service departments, has access to the services of the civil service occupational health service (CSOHS), which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals—doctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers. The CSOHS operates via a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom and also provides on-site medical advice to departments.The Department of Transport employs 16,700 staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many candidates over the last five years failed the Department of Transport driving test due to defective eyesight; and if he will express the figures as a percentage of all failures and as a percentage of all candidates.

I am asking the chief executive of the Driving Standards Agency to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review the method of conducting the eyesight check during the Department of Transport driving test; and if he will make a statement.

I have no plans to do so. The present number plate test is a simple, cheap and effective test which can also be carried out by drivers themselves and by the police at the roadside. The College of Ophthalmologists and the Medical Commission on Accident Prevention at the Royal College of Surgeons fully endorse the test.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to introduce regular eyesight checks for drivers after they have passed the Department of Transport driving test.

None. It is the responsibility of all drivers to ensure that they continue to meet the eyesight standard for driving and to notify DVLA of any deterioration in their eyesight which might affect their ability to drive safely.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the names of airlines which fly from Heathrow airport to the United States of America.

Under the terms of the United Kingdom—United States air services agreement British Airways, Pan American World Airways and Trans World Airlines are permitted to operate scheduled passenger services between London Heathrow and the United States.In addition, the following airlines have been granted permission by both the United States Government and the Government of the United Kingdom to operate scheduled passenger services from their country of origin via London (including Heathrow) to the United States:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he expects orders to be placed for rolling stock for day and night services from the channel tunnel to destinations on electrified lines north of London;