asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will itemise the expenditure of the overseas aid programme during 1984; and how this compares with his proposals for 1985.

The breakdown of expenditure for 1984 calendar year is not yet available. Figures for 1983 are published in "British Overseas Aid 1985", copies of which

Gross United Kingdom aid
£ thousand
	1979	1980		1981		1982		1983
	Total bilateral aid	Total bilateral aid	Through multilateral agencies	Total bilateral aid	Through mulitlateral agencies	Total bilateral aid	Through multilateral agencies	Total bilateral aid
	(a)	(a)	(b)	(a)	(b)	(a)	(b)	(a)
Central America
Belize	7,454	4,450	200	4,781	140	2,885	240	6,098
Costa Rica	623	606	660	570	330	486	270	1,838
Cuba	2	—	220	—	110	—	180	—
Dominican Republic	77	144	980	139	810	139	500	176
El Salvador	448	265	480	41	680	13	560	—
Guatemala	14	35	570	15	520	4	330	—
Haiti	5	24	1,080	4	1,280	1	1,590	19
Honduras	230	335	1,720	5,002	1,910	2,272	2,120	6,670
Mexico	1,186	1,577	330	1,464	280	34,334	310	2,827
Nicargua	246	127	3,260	91	2,460	49	1,670	64
Panama	63	94	570	102	260	62	220	43
South America
Argentina	5	30	410	2	340	2	230	—
Bolivia	888	1,158	850	1,052	1,690	988	1,270	1,199
Brazil	1,022	1,002	790	632	760	9,960	1,030	5,574
Chile	2,131	2,021	250	1,452	110	675	100	442
Colombia	1,242	848	1,040	765	870	617	710	635
Ecuador	1,897	945	500	762	660	1,046	480	783
Falkland Islands	915	1,015	—	1,058	—	4,025	40	9,053
French Guiana	—	—	270	—	280	—	1,590	—
Guyana	2,606	2,356	970	2,475	1,360	1,724	1,340	1,555
Paraguay	267	270	170	219	460	3,263	320	1,281
Peru	882	950	660	973	1,280	676	1,010	4,427
Surinam	—	—	440	—	170	1	310	—
Uruguay	35	37	130	9	60	11	70	16
Venezuela	—	—	130	—	120	2	90	3

asked the Lord Privy Seal what representations he has received from hon. Members with regard to the additional costs allowance.

A number of hon. Members have approached me in recent months on the question of

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all aid given by the United Kingdom to each country in central and south America in each of the last five years; and if he will list in each case whether the aid was provided (a) directly, (b) through an international organisation or (c) unconditionally.

Aid from Her Majesty's Government to countries in central and south America is provided either directly or through international organisations. 1983 is the latest year for which figures are available. Details of multilateral aid attributable to the United Kingdom are available for 1980–82 only at this stage.Gross British aid through bilateral and multilateral channels was as follows:whether mortgage interest payments should be allowable against this allowance which is governed by the resolution of the House dated 20 December 1971.In claiming this allowance the responsibility is upon hon. Members to satisfy themselves that any moneys claimed have been necessarily incurred in pursuance of their Parliamentary duties and that they met all the other requirements set out in the resolution. After further consultations, I have been advised that there is no reason why Members should not claim mortgage interest payments against this allowance so long as the above conditions are met.

asked the Prime Minister what is, for each organisation covered by the publication "Public Bodies 1984" (a) the number of persons paid by public funds and the total number of all such persons and (b) the number of persons paid from public funds who are involved in those organisations listed in part (3) of the introduction as being excluded from "Public Bodies 1984"; and what was the cost of each organisation in (a) and (b) and the overall cost.

It is not possible to give all the information requested from material held centrally, and it would be disproportionately costly to provide information which is readily available on an itemised basis. Detailed information on both costs and numbers for the organisations concerned can, however, be obtained from Public Bodies 1984 (which gives staff numbers, expenditure, and public funding of National Health Service authorities and executive bodies), "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1985–86 to 1987–88" (Cmnd. 9428), Supply Estimatee, "Local Government Financial Statistics in England and Wales", the annual article in "Economic Trends", "Employment in the Public and Private Sectors" and from annual reports.In category

asked the Prime Minister what discussions were held with the Council of Civil Service Unions prior to the introduction of the polygraph test at the Government communications headquarters.

The Government accepted the Security Commission's recommendation, following its inquiry into the case of Geoffrey Arthur Prime, that a pilot scheme should be undertaken in the Security Service and at the Government Communications Headquarters to test the feasibility of polygraph security screening in the intelligence and security agencies. The Head of the Home Civil Service held discussions with representatives of the Council of Civil Service Unions on two occasions before the pilot scheme began. No decision on whether the polygraph should be introduced as part of security screening in the intelligence and security agencies will be taken until the results of the pilot scheme have been evaluated.

asked the Prime Minister if she will break down by Department the reductions in Civil Service numbers achieved in each year since 1979.

Figures can be obtained from the following documents:

(i) 1982–83 and 1983–84: Annual Reports from the Treasury to the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee:

(ii) 1981–82: First Special Report of the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee 1982–83 (House of Commons Paper No. 46);

(iii) 1980–81: Seventh Report of the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee 1980–81 (House of Commons Paper No. 423);

(iv) 1979–80: Summaries of the Civil Service Quarterly Staff Returns. All these documents are available in the House of Commons Library. Figures for 1984–85 are not yet available.

asked the Prime Minister, of the parking offences committed by ministerial car drivers in 1984, how many penalties were met by the Government car service.

All the penalties incurred during 1984 were met by the Government car service.

asked the Prime Minister how many Sri Lankan service personnel are currently attending training courses in the United Kingdom; how many attended such courses in each of the last three years; and if she will give a breakdown between the services providing the training.

A small number of Sri Lankan students attend military training courses in the United Kingdom each year. It is not our practice to reveal details of such training since this information is confidential between Governments.

asked the Prime Minister whether it continues to be the policy of Her Majesty's Government that all civil nuclear power stations and establishments in the United Kingdom should be operated in a manner which optimises the production of electricity.

The power stations of the CEGB and SSEB are operated to optimise the production of electricity. Research reactors in the civil nuclear programmes are operated to extend the understanding of nuclear power.

asked the Prime Minister what would be (a) the loss of revenue if tax and national insurance thresholds were raised to £3,250 per year for a single person and £4,250 for a married couple with an additional tax allowance of £780 for each child in 1985–86 and (b) the saving in expenditure if all benefits, including child benefit, for those in full-time work were abolished in 1985–86; and if she will also estimate the net weekly spending power of a man with a wife and two children whose gross wages are £110 per week, given the assumptions in the tax/benefit model tables November 1984, if each of the above changes were introduced simultaneously.

The information required is as follows:

(a) The cost of increasing the single pension tax allowance to £3,250, the married man's allowance to £4,259 and of introducing child tax allowances of £780 per child is estimated at about £9·5 billion in a full year at 1985–86 levels of income, as compared with statutory indexation of personal allowances. The estimated reduction in national insurance contributions if the lower earnings limit was raised to £3,250 per year for single people and to £4,250 per year for married couples, in relation to their joint earnings, is £1·2 billion in 1985–86. This estimate assumes no change in the contracted-out rebate in respect of people remaining liable to contributions.

(b) The estimated saving in expenditure in 1985–86 if child benefit, family income supplement and housing benefit were abolished for those in full-time work is £3·8 billion.

After the changes specified the net weekly spending power of a married man with two children whose gross earnings were £110 a week would be £71·50.

asked the Prime Minister what would be the cost of raising tax and national insurance thresholds for 1985–86 to £3,500 for a single person and £5,000 for a married couple, with an additional tax allowance of £780 per child, and the saving in expenditure and the revenue benefit, by abolishing all social security benefits for those in work and abolishing mortgage tax relief, assuming current interest rates, for 1985–86; and if she will estimate the effect of these changes on the net weekly spending power of a married man with two children, man working only, with a gross wage of £125 a week (a) paying rent and rates with assumptions laid out in tax/benefit model tables and (b) with a mortgage of (i) £20,000, (ii) £25,000 and (iii) £30,000, assuming average levels of rates.

The cost of increasing the single person's tax allowance to £3,500, the married man's tax allowance to £5,000 and of introducing child tax allowances of £780 per child is estimated at about £12–5 billion in a full year at 1985–86 levels of income, as compared with statutory indexation of personal allowances.The estimated reduction in national insurance contributions if the lower earnings limit was raised to £3,500 per year for single people and to £5,000 per year for married couples, in relation to their joint earnings is about £1·5 billion in 1985–86. This estimate assumes no change in the contracted-out rebate in respect of people remaining liable to contributions.The estimated saving in expenditure in 1985–86 from abolishing child benefit, family income supplement and housing benefit for those in full-time work is £3·8 billion. The yield from abolishing mortgage interest relief in 1985–86 would be about £4 billion on assumptions of no change in interest rates and levels of mortgage lending.The table shows the effect of these changes on the current net weekly spending power of a married man, with two children aged four and six, whose gross earnings are £125 a week, and with the specified rent-mortgage commitments. Although it illustrates the effects of these particular assumptions the table has no general application. Such levels of mortgage would not be consistent with normal building society policy of relating the size of loan to the mortgagor's gross income.

Net weekly spending power of a married man, with two children aged four and six, whose gross earnings are £125 a week
	Current position	Position after changes outlined above
	£	£
(a)Rent of £15·60 a week	83·82	85·15
(b)Mortgage of
(i) £20,000	65·15	50·75
(ii) £25,000	56·40	38·25
(iii) £30,000	47·65	25·75

asked the Prime Minister if she has transferred to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry responsibility for the operation of the Royal Ulster Constabulary special branch in relation to security vetting of British Telecom employees in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

I shall reply to the hon. Gentleman shortly.

asked the Prime Minister what response is to be made by Her Majesty's Government to the request of 4 February by the Relief Society of Tigre for international action on the present famine by way of a massive escalation of emergency aid, including food and transport.

The Government will continue to provide substantial relief directly and through voluntary agencies to all parts of Ethiopia and to encourage international action to this end.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the cost of administration of his Department expressed in constant prices in each of the last five years.

The total cost of administration for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food expressed in 1983–84 prices^* in the last five years was:

	£ million
1979–80	194
1980–81	208
1981–82	199
1982–83	197
1983–84	203

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what date and for what purpose the introduction of a subsidy for the production of lupin grain was authorised by the EEC Council of Ministers.

An aid scheme for the inclusion of lupins in animal feeds was introduced with effect from 1 July 1984 in order to reduce the Community's dependence on imported protein and to encourage producers to switch out of crops that are in surplus.

Recommendations for grant made to Ministers under the agricultural and horticultural co-operation scheme for the period 1977–78 to 1984–85*(£'000)
	Capital grants for storage and drying of grain		Other Capital Grants		Non-Capital Grants		Totals
1977–78	667		563		219		1,449
1978–79	599	(533)	283	(261)	95	(88)	977	(902)
1979–80	958	(764)	726	(579)	114	(115)	1,828	(1,458)
1980–81	1,035	(709)	1,157	(793)	186	(128)	2,378	(1,630)
1981–82	388	(239)	1,287	(791)	269	(165)	1,944	(1,195)
1982–83	2,711	(1,557)	1,371	(787)	373	(214)	4,455	(2,558)
1983–84	2,868	(1,571)	1,906	(1,044)	200	(110)	4,974	(2,725)
1984–85	448		1,585		280		2,313
* Figures for 1984–85 are for 1 April 1984 to 31 January 1985 only.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many applications were received for assistance under the coal firing scheme in each of the years 1983 and 1984.

In 1983, 371 applications were received for assistance under the coal firing scheme. In 1984, 190 applications were received.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Knowsley, North (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) on 21 January,

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what will be the savings (a) in 1984–85 and (b) in a full year resulting from the changes in the rates of grant for agricultural and horticultural co-operatives.

If demand is at the level currently expected the revised rates would produce estimated savings of about £0·3 million in a full year. No savings from these changes are expected in 1984–85.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table showing for each year since 1977 expenditue on (a) capital grants other than for the storage and drying of grain, (b) capital grants for the storage and drying of grain and (c) other grants made under the agricultural and horticultural co-operation scheme expressed in terms (i) of current prices and (ii) of constant prices.

I regret that the information could be provided in the form requested only at disproportionate cost. However the following information shows the amount and categories of grant recommendations made to Ministers by Food From Britain and its predecessor the Central Council for Agricultural and Horticultural Co-operation.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to secure the withdrawal of the directive by the Manpower Services Commission that its staff cannot take annual leave to lobby their Member of Parliament on Tuesday 12 February; and if he will make a statement.

Individual members of staff are in general entirely free subject only to normal operational requirements, to use their annual leave to go and see their Member of Parliament. However, it is established practice in the Civil Service under successive Governments, not to grant annual leave to staff to take part in an organised lobby clearly forming part of an overall campaign of protest, which has already included industrial action.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment to what extent employment in the clothing manufacturing sectors of north-east England has declined since 1979.

The only available information is for the period from June 1978 to September 1981 when censuses of employment were taken. In that period there was a decline of 32 per cent., from 21,800 in 1978 to 14,800 in 1981, in the number of employees employed in the clothing manufacturing industries of north-east England.Censuses of employment have been taken triennially since 1978 and the results of the current, September 1984, census are scheduled to become available in the autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what resources he plans to make available to the Manpower Services Commission to enable it to increase the numbers of participants on its adult training programmes.

Through more cost-effective use of resources and tailoring provision to meet specific needs, we intend to achieve this increase within the current level of expenditure on adult training. Forward provision for occupational and adult training programmes (excluding the Commission's expenditure on non-advanced further education) is £262 million in 1985–86 (excluding administration costs).

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list all the nationalised industries, non-governmental organisations and agencies for which his Department either has responsibility or provides funding, as well as those sections of his Department, which provide services to the general public or to private organisations; and if he will indicate separately those which at present (a) charge no fees, (b) charge fees which do not fully cover the costs of providing those services, (c) charge fees which exactly cover the costs of providing those services and (d) charge fees which more than cover the costs of providing those services.

[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1985, c. 587]: The Department of Employment provides funding for the Manpower Services Commission, the Advisory, conciliation and Arbitration Service, and the Health and Safety Commission, with its executive arm the Health and Safety Executive, which, together with the Department itself, form the DE group.On the matter of services to the general public and private organisations, I list for the DE Group, the services whose full cost exceed £100,000 per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the number of prosecutions for importuning in the street which have been brought in each of the last five years in (a) the Metropolitan police district and (b) the rest of England and Wales; and in how many of these cases the prosecution's evidence was supported in court by the offended man or woman.

The available information is given in the following table. Corresponding information for 1984 is not yet available. Information collected centrally on court proceedings does not include details of how the prosecution evidence was presented.Persons proceeded against for offences of importuning under section 32 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 or section 1 of the Street Offences Act 1959 by area.

England and Wales	Number of persons
Year and Area	Section 32 Sexual Offences Act 1956	Section 1 Street Offences Act 1959
1980
Metropolitan police district	384	1,559
Other forces	931	1,941
England and Wales	1,315	3,500
1981
Metropolitan police district	317	2,046
Other forces	685	2,299
England and Wales	1,002	4,345
1982
Metropolitan police district	308	3,225
Other forces	611	2,842
England and Wales	919	6,067

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the most recent guidance which he has given to the police for dealing with the arrest of men suspected of importuning.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis issued a force order in October 1984 to give greater prominence in the context of plain clothes operations to the existing principle laid down in paragraph 1·92 of the Home Office consolidated circular to the police on crime and kindred matters (a copy of which is in the Library of the House) that no member of a police force should counsel, incite or procure the commission of a criminal offence. The new order lays down that officers of the uniformed branch selected for duties in plain clothes must always be briefed by a senior officer to ensure that they avoid behaviour which could give rise to legitimate accusations that they had acted as agents provacateurs, as defined by the Royal Commission on Police Powers in 1928. The Royal Commission defined an agent provocateur as a person who entices another to commit an express breach of the law which he would not otherwise have committed and then proceeds or informs against him in respect of such an offence. HM Inspectors of Constabulary are drawing this new order to the attention of other chief officers of police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations or complaints he has received during the past 12 months concerning the policy of different police forces throughout the country in dealing with kerb-crawling and importuning; and if he will make a statement.

We have received representations about the enforcement of section 32 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 by officers of the Metropolitan Police and of one provincial police force. We have also received some representations of a general nature relating to the enforcement by the police of the law in relation to prostitution. As to male importuning, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given today to his question concerning guidance to the police. As to kerb-crawling, the Government welcome the Sexual Offences Bill introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Drake (Miss Fookes) which will enable more effective action to be taken.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received any recent reports from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and other chief constables concerning the problem of kerb-crawling; whether chief constables made any recommendations or proposals in their reports on these matters; and if he will make a statement.

The Association of Chief Police Officers and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis submitted comments and proposals to the Criminal Law Revision Committee following publication of the Committee's working paper on offences relating to prostitution and allied offences. These comments were taken into account by the Committee when preparing its 16th report (Cmnd. 9329), on which the relevant provisions of the Sexual Offences Bill are based.Subsequently, as the answer given today to another Question by my hon. Friend makes clear, we have been in correspondence with the Association and the Commissioner concerning the Bill.My right hon. and learned Friend has also received, separately, a report from the chief constable of Merseyside, who has emphasised the inadequacies of the present law and who welcomes the prospect of new legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with chief constables and others on the question of kerb-crawling in connection with the Sexual Offences Bill; what conclusion he has drawn from these discussions; and if he will make a statement.

We have kept the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis fully informed of developments on the Sexual Offences Bill, and have received helpful suggestions from them which we are considering. The general conclusion which we have drawn is that the police welcome the prospect of new legislation which will enable them to respond more effectively to pressure to deal with kerb-crawlers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from interested organisations on the question of kerb-crawling in relation the Sexual Offences Bill; if he will list those organisations in the Official Report; and if he will make a statement.

Numerous comments from organisations on the subject of kerb-crawling were submitted to the Criminal Law Revision Committee during the course of its review of the law on prostitution. The organisations which gave evidence to the Committee are listed in its 16th Report, "Prostitution in the Street" (Cmnd. 9329).We have ourselves received a considerable number of representations in favour of more effective action against kerb-crawling, including representations from hon. Members.Since the Sexual Offences Bill was introduced, we have received comments from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Metropolitan Police, the National Association of Probation Officers, the Whalley Range Association and the Prosecuting Solicitors' Society. All these organisations acknowledge the extent of the nuisance caused by kerb-crawling. The National Association of Probation Officers expresses wide reservations about the Bill; others offer detailed comments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost of providing a written record of all interviews by his Department's interviewing officers with applicants for asylum.

An unsuccessful applicant for asylum is already given brief reasons for the refusal of his application at the time of refusal. If the applicant has a right of appeal and exercises it, a full explanatory statement is prepared setting out the reasons for refusal in detail. It is difficult to estimate the additional costs of giving fuller reasons at the time of refusal without undertaking a practice trial. It is planned to undertake such a trial in respect of cases where there is no right of appeal, when resources permit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost of providing unsuccessful applicants for asylum with a written statement of the reasons for refusal.

All interviews with applicants for asylum are recorded in writing. It is difficult to estimate the additional cost of making interview reports available to applicants without practical trials to determine how much extra work would be involved in checking and revising the reports.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost of tape recording all interviews by his Department's interviewing officers with applicants for asylum.

No estimates have been made. Consideration is not being given to the possible use of tape recorders in immigration interviews in this country in advance of the review by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of their possible use in interviews by entry clearance officers abroad.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the statistics on the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act for the latest quarter are available.

Statistics on the operation of the Prevention of Terorism Act in the fourth quarter of 1984 were published in Home Office statistical bulletin issue 1/85, on 30 January 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to counter anti-police propaganda in London and elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

I am confident that the great majority of people fully support the police, and therefore they will continue to ignore anti-police propaganda, but Ministers will continue to express their support for the police on all appropriate occasions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what investigations he intends to conduct on a nationwide basis into the possibility of acquired immune deficiency syndrome symptoms in prisons;(2) when he expects the investigation into acquired immune deficiency syndrome at Chelmsford and Bullwood Hall prisons, which is being pursued by the communicable disease surveillance centre, to be concluded and its findings to be published.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. McCrindle) on 7 February at column 657. There are no suspected cases of AIDS at either establishment. The role of the centre for the surveillance of communicable diseases has been to offer general advice about the disease to the director of the prison medical service and the district medical officer. We are considering what steps need to be taken in the prison system as a whole in the light of this case and will make a further statement in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make an inquiry into the alleged activities of Iraqi security agents in the United Kingdom;(2) what representation he has received alleging illegal activities of Iraqi security forces in the United Kingdom; what action he has taken; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a number of letters making allegations that the Iraqi embassy is behind acts of violence against opponents of the Iraqi Government living in the United Kingdom. These reports have been referred to the police for their consideration but I understand that they have so far been unable to find any firm evidence that embassy officials are involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of the Thames Valley constabulary on the investigation into the injuries caused to Dr. Emad Hamoudi who was found beside the M4 on 21 January; and if he will make a statement on the substance of the report.

I have already received a report from Thames valley police on their initial investigations into injuries caused to Dr. Emad Hamoudi on 8 January 1985. The police inquiries are continuing, but I understand that the police have no evidence to suggest that this incident was politically motivated.

asked the Attorney-General if he issues guidelines to the Director of Public Prosecutions as to the criteria to be used in deciding whether to prosecute in fraud cases; and if he will make a statement.

No. I meet the Director of Public Prosecutions regularly to discuss the work of his Department. The scope of those discussions includes the handling of fraud cases generally as well as the operation of the newly established fraud investigation groups and individual cases of particular difficulty or importance. The guidelines as to the criteria for prosecution which I published in March 1983 are of general application and no advantage would be gained by the issue of formal guidelines relating to specific categories of criminal offences.

asked the Attorney-General how many cases in 1984 involving persons injured by plastic bullets in Northern Ireland have been considered by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland; and what action was taken in each case.

Figures for cases considered by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland involving persons killed or injured by the alleged use of baton rounds in 1984 are as follows:

	Number
Cases	12
Person injured	13
Persons killed	0
Prosecution directed	0
No prosecution directed	6

In six cases a final direction pends the outcome of other proceedings or the submission to the director of additional evidence.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the existing front boundary wall to the rear of the pavement which is within the curtilage of Rosebank house, Millisle road, Donaghee, is part of a listed building.

I am advised that the boundary wall is no longer a part of the property which was listed in 1976.It would be a matter for the courts to decide whether the wall still forms part of the listed building.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will extend the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 to Northern Ireland or introduce an Order in Council for Northern Ireland with similar effect; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the number of community physicians in the training grades, registrar and senior registrar, within the Western health and social services board.

Trainee community physicians usually spend time in more than one health and social services board during their training. At present one registrar is based in the Western board, and no senior registrars.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will detail the projected establishment of community physicians in the Eastern health and social services board for each of the next three years; and how many community physicians currently in post have passed the normal age of retirement.

No specific projected establishment of community physicians has been determined for the Eastern health and social services board. It is recognised however that the present number needs to be increased and this will be done as suitable fully trained applicants become available. No community physicians employed by the Eastern board are past the age of retirement.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if civil servants employed by the public service of the Republic of Ireland are operating from social security offices administered by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the recent agreement between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland to prevent social security fraud.

I last met my counterpart from the Republic of Ireland on 19 April 1984 when, among the various matters discussed, we reviewed progress on the control of social security fraud involving claimants on both sides of the border. There is no more recent agreement but the high level of co-operation between social security offices in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland continues.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many people were detained in the most recent full calendar year under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978; and how many were charged with scheduled offences under that Act and other Acts;(2) in respect of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978, for the most recent full calendar year, what was the yearly total of arrests made under the Act; and how many persons arrested under the Act were detained for the following periods:

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the statistics on the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act for the latest quarter are available.

The Northern Ireland statistics for the last quarter of 1984 were published on 24 January and copies have been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the security statistics for 1984 are now available, together with details of persons charged with terrorist-type offences and convictions for scheduled offences for that year.

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the current size of the present prison population in Northern Ireland, categorised by age and by sex in the following groups: aged under 18 years, 18 to 25 years, 25 to 30 years, 30 to 40 years, 40 to 50 years, 50 to 60 years and over 60 years; and if he will give a breakdown of the length of sentence being served by percentage of the total prison population;(2) what is the number of prisoners in Northern Ireland prisons, the age structure of convicted prisoners in the prisons of Northern Ireland and the number of convicted prisoners serving sentences for terrorist offences.

I shall reply to the hon. member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the manpower strength of the Royal Ulster Constabulary on 31 December 1984; if he will give details of the number of operatives since 1969 in each year for the following categories: Royal Ulster Constabulary full-time, Royal Ulster Constabulary full-time reserve and Royal Ulster Constabulary part-time reserve.

The combined strength of the Royal Ulster constabulary and its full-time and part-time reserves on 31 December 1984 was 12,566.The strength of the RUC, RUC reserve (full-time) and the RUC reserve (part-time) each year since 1969 are set out in the table:

Year 31 December	Royal Ulster Constabulary	Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve (full-time)	Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve (part-time)
1969	3,044	—	—
1970	3,809	—	436
1971	4,086	—	1,284
1972	4,257	153	1,981
1973	4,391	290	2,224
1974	4,564	510	3,350
1975	4,902	661	4,158
1976	5,253	870	3,827
1977	5,692	1,002	3,684
1978	6,110	1,188	3,417
1979	6,642	1,305	3,209
1980	6,943	1,685	3,067
1981	7,334	2,060	2,810
1982	7,718	2,174	2,666
1983	8,003	2,295	2,198
1984	8,127	2,532	1,907

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give separately for magistrates' courts and for Crown courts in each of the years 1980, 1981 and 1982 and to date, the number of court cases involving non-scheduled offences in which a plea of not guilty was entered; and in how many of these cases a verdict of not guilty was returned.

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many weapons were found by the security forces in 1984 for each of the following categories: machine guns, rifles, shotguns, pistols and revolvers, rocket launchers, rockets and others.

The information is as follows:

	Number
Machine guns	20
Rifles	69
Shotguns	28
Pistols/Revolvers	70
Rocket launchers	—
Rocket rounds	1
Others	10
Total	198

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report for each of the years 1983 and 1984 the following details: (a) the number of vehicles hijacked or taken and (b) the number not recovered at the end of each year, in each of the following police districts, separately: Musgrave street, Springfield road, Tennent street, North Queen street, Mountpottinger, Castlereagh, Newtownards, Newry, Portadown, Armagh, Enniskillen, Omagh, Strand road, Coleraine, Ballymena and Antrim.

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the cost to the Department of the Environment (water service) for (a) legal fees and (b) other costs concerned with contracts that have gone to arbitration since 1976.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1985, c. 502]: (a) None; (b) £8,592.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many companies have been unable to fulfil contracts awarded by the Department of Environment (water service) and have subsequently gone into voluntary liquidation since 1976.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1985, c. 502]: Five.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many contracts awarded by the Department of the Environment (water service) since 1977 which are now complete (a) have final payments still not made to the contractor and (b) are the subject of arbitration.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1985, c.502]: Three.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many contracts awarded by the Department of the Environment (water service) since 1977 have been forwarded to arbitration and have been resolved; and what has been the cost to the Department on each contract over the agreed tender price.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1985, c.502]: No contracts awarded by the Department of the Environment (water service) since 1977 have been forwarded to arbitration and been resolved.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish his study of freight rate disparities; and if he will make a statement.

The objective of the study is to compare deep sea freight rates out of the Unite Kingdom and the Continent and to account for any differences observed. In the absence of ready sources of data, my Department has to rely heavily on interviews with shippers, forwarders and shipping lines. These are almost complete and I expect to receive a report shortly. Much information has been provided in confidence but I propose to make the general conclusions available in an appropriate form.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what account he took, in drawing up his legislative proposals and financial arrangements for London Regional Transport, of the needs of the unit for disabled travellers.

The London Regional Transport Act 1984 gave LRT a new statutory duty to have due regard to the transport needs of disabled people. LRT established their unit for disabled travellers in the light of that duty.The Government's revenue support grant to LRT does not include any specific provision for disabled travellers or for the unit: it is a general grant towards all of LRT's needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what funds were allocated to the unit for disabled travellers of London Regional Transport in 1984–85; and what is the amount planned for 1985–86.

Allocation of funds within LRT is a matter for their Board, bearing in mind their statutory obligations and the objectives set for them by the Secretary of State.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had recently with London Regional Transport about providing a comprehend-sive public transport system for the disabled.

I have regular meetings with the chairman of LRT, Dr. Bright, and with his colleagues, and transport for disabled people is a frequent subject of discussions. I aim to ensure as far as possible that, whoever provides the services, transport for disabled people is sensibly co-ordinated.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will, in future, collect and publish statistical data in respect of the number of inspections of United kingdom-registered merchant vessels for purposes of ensuring the occupational health and safety of merchant seamen, the number of warnings, improvement notices and prohibition notices issued and the nature of the infringements for such action, the number of prosecutions mounted for statutory infringements, the nature of those offences and the outcome of the prosecutions, the direct and general costs incurred by that section of his Department which has responsibility for seafarer occupational health and safety and the number of fatal and non-fatal accidents investigated by the marine inspectors.

Marine surveyors from my Department make general inspections of United Kingdom registered ships and in doing so they take into account those requirements affecting the occupational health and safety of seamen. The number of these inspections is recorded. My Department now also records data in respect of improvement and prohibition notices, prosecutions mounted for infringements of occupational health and safety legislation and accidents investigated by marine surveyors. Warnings delivered by surveyors are often verbal and advisory and little would be gained by requiring them to be recorded.Shipboard accident statistics are already published and, depending upon its general usefulness to the industry, additional information relating to the topics mentioned above will either be published or made available to the industry on request.The costs in promoting occupational health and safety are incurred across a wide range of activities and to separate them would not be cost effective.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work to begin on widening the A34 at Gore Hill; and what progress has been made with plans to build a Newbury bypass.

Subject to the completion of the statutory procedures, it is hoped to start work this summer on the East Ilsley to Chilton improvement of the A34.Design of the proposed Newbury bypass, based on the preferred route announced last June, is continuing. I hope to publish draft orders under the Highways Act later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if it is still his intention that there will be two motorway service areas fully open on the M25 motorway by the time that motorway is completed.

All being well, I expect the service area at South Mimms to open by the time the M25 is completed. The timing of the opening of the other three service areas on the M25 depends on the completion of planning and compulsory acquisition procedures, as well as engineering works; but these service areas will follow as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the increases in toll charges on

Crossing	Date of increase	Increase		Toll
		Cars Pence	HGVs Pence	Cars Pence	HGVs Pence
England
Severn Bridge	29 April 1979	8	28	20	40
Dartford Tunnel	1 April 1979	10	25	35	85
	16 December 1980	5	15	40	100
	1 March 1982	10	30	50	130
	1 January 1984	10	30	60	160
Mersey Tunnel	8 September 1979	5	10	30	70
	21 September 1981	10	30	40	100
Tyne 'tunnel	20 January 1979	5	10	20	50
	3 January 1981	10	10	30	60
	4 July 1982	10	20	40	80
Tamar Bridge	7 July 1979	15	20–40	30	30–140
	1 January 1982	10	10–40	40	90–180
Middlesborough Transporter Bridge	5 November 1979	10–16	33	27	63
	1 November 1981	8	19	35	82
	1 May 1983	5	13	40	95
Aldwark Bridge, North Yorkshire	1 November 1980	4	4p per ton	8	8p per ton
Clifton Suspension Bridge, Avon	1 January 1982	10	10	20	20
Selby Bridge, North Yorkshire	15 August 1982	1	1p per ton	5	5p per ton
Shard Bridge, Lancashire	1 January 1981	3	10p per ton	8	30p per ton
Scotland
Erskine Bridge	1 November 1981	15	30	30	80
Forth Bridge	2 August 1982	15	30	30	80
Tay Bridge	8 March 1981	7½	10	20	60
	19 August 1984	10	15	30	75
Wales
Cleddau Bridge	1 April 1979	5	10	35	70
	1 October 1983	5	10	40	80

asked the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent he plans to increase the level of inspecting staff for the purpose of monitoring safety standards resulting from his proposed privatisation of public transport services.

We are currently assessing the Department's requirement for vehicle examiners in the light of the proposals in the Transport Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of privately run transport services have had their operating licences revoked during the the last five years.

Public service vehicle operators' licensing was introduced on 1 April 1981. Statistics of revocations are collected for April-March years. In 1981–82 the traffic commissioners revoked 19 licences, in 1982–83, 17, and in 1983–84, 16. These figures represent about 0·3 per cent. annually of the total number of PSV operators' licences held by private sector operators.

The increases made by the undertak-ings concerned are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will arrange for the publication of the Railway Inspecting Officer's report on the recent incident in Summit tunnel, Todmorden, when it is available.

The Regulation of Railways Act 1871, under which the inspecting officer has been appointed to inquire into this accident, requires the publication of his report.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what travel concessions will be available on taxis and minibuses under the Transport Bill.

Under clause 85 of the Bill a local authority which established a scheme for travel concessions would be required to enter into arrangements with any operator of a registered local service who offered to participate in that scheme. Local services are defined in Clause 2 of the Bill, and are, broadly, those carrying passengers at separate fares on which passengers can travel for less than 15 miles. Such services operated by minibuses and taxis will be treated identically to those operated by large buses.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the dinner in the west midlands on Tuesday 5 February at which the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Hampshire, North-West (Mr. Mitchell) was to discuss the Transport Bill with local newspaper editors and about which hon. Members were notified by his Department involved any expenditure of public funds.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many dinners have been arranged between departmental Ministers and newspaper editors to discuss the Government's Transport Bill; where these meetings were held; who was present; and what was the total cost to public funds.

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary has met 86 editors in Manchester, Preston, Liverpool, Newcastle, Durham, Doncaster, Leeds, Nottingham and Birmingham as part of a series of visits which also involved meetings with representatives of local authorities. Officials were present on each occasion. The cost of the hospitality will be under £2,000.I have arranged to hold a similar meeting with editors in Bristol.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the gain in tax revenue of abolishing the wife's earned income tax allowance; and by how much (i) single person's tax allowance, (ii) married man's tax allowance, and (iii) both allowances could be increased if the amount of revenue gained by the abolition of the wife's earned income allowance were allocated in equal proportion to those other allowances at nil cost to the Exchequer.

The yield from abolition of the wife's earned income allowance is estimated to be £3·1 billion in a full year at 1984–85 income levels. This assumes that the wife's earned income election would not be available after the change to those couples who do not benefit from it at present. Without this restriction, the yield from abolition of the allowance would be reduced to about £1·9 billion. Both these estimates also assume no change in taxpayers' behaviour.If the £3·1 billion was devoted to raising the single allowance, it could be increased by 58 per cent. above its 1984–85 level to £3,175 (this is £20 above the level of the married man's allowance). Alternatively, the married man's allowance could be increased by 28 per cent. to £4,045. If both allowances were raised simultaneously, they could each be increased by 18 per cent.—to £2,365 for a single person and £3,725 for a married man. These estimates all assume that the age allowances would be increased by the same percentage as the corresponding non-age allowances.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, when he frames his Budget, he will take into consideration tax concessions to the Merchant Navy to encourage a strong merchant fleet.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the contributions which have been made by the United Kingdom to the common agricultural policy fund of the European Community in each single year since 1979.

Under the own resources system member states contribute to the financing of the Community budet as a whole rather than to individual policies such as the common agricultural policy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what amount per week child benefit could be raised if it were taxed and the proceeds of taxation allocated to raising its levels.

[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1985, c. 592]: On the assumption that the wife's earned income allowance could not be set against child benefit if it was brought into tax, the level of child benefit could be increased by about £2·40 per week above its average level in 1984–85.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his current estimate of the loss of tax revenue if the limits on contributions to pensions from earned income were applied to husbands and wives both earning as if they were two single persons.

[pursuant to his reply, 21 January 1985, c. 319]: Nil. Individuals may contribute for a pension or retirement annuity up to a given percentage of their remuneration or relevant earnings. These limits are not aggregated in the case of a married couple, both of whom are working and making contributions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the grant allocation to universities and polytechnics in each single year since 1979.

Recurrent and capital grants made available to universities in Great Britain for each financial year since 1979–80, on the advice of the University Grants Committee and the Computer Board, were as follows:

Financial year	Recurrent £ million	Capital (including equipment grant) £ million
1979–80	741,190	101,271
1980–81	956,464	110,598
1981–82	982,335	116,308
1982–83	*1,193,333	118,926
1983–84	*1,240,181	117,615
†1984–85	1,268,564	124,334
* Includes redundancy and restructuring costs — £57,000,000 in 1982–83 and £38,800,000 in 1983–84.
† Estimates provision.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the principal objectives of his Department for 1985.

The Department's principal objectives for education are to raise standards and to achieve better value for money throughout the education system. In pursuance of these aims for schools I intend to make progress, in consultation with those concerned in the education service and outside it, in the formulation of broadly agreed curricular objectives; to publish the national criteria for the GCSE examinations and to make progress with the development of grade criteria for incorporation in the national criteria; to prepare for the introduction of records of achievement; to set a target for the removal of surplus places for March 1987 and beyond; and to make further progress in the field of teacher training.In non-advanced further education the aim is to increase the responsiveness of the service to the needs of the employers while providing a sound education for young people and encouraging improved use of resources. In the short term, a key objective is to implement the decisions set out in the White Paper "Training for Jobs" (Cmnd. 9135).In higher education the aims are to maintain access for those who want it and are suitably qualified, to promote the necessary improvements in the use of available resources and to encourage the system to be more responsive to the needs of employers. During 1985 it is intended to publish a Green Paper on higher education policy (and a consultative document on student support) setting out the Government's thinking on these matters in more detail.In science, the Department's aim is to maintain and enhance the strength and quality of the science base in higher education and the research councils. Consonant with this, the objectives in 1985 are to encourage: greater concentration and selectivity of research activities; closer and better working with industry and commerce; more funding from private sector sources; better management yielding greater value for money; and increased flexibility, enabling faster response to new scientific opportunities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the principal achievements of his Department in the education field in 1984.

The principal achievements have been to set in hand the processes needed for the raising of standards at all ability levels and to continue seeking better value for money throughout the education system. The following measures have been taken to these ends:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the circular on youth services for local authorities is due to be published.

I expect this circular to be published very soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he proposes any changes in staffing responsibilities within his Department in respect of those handling youth matters.

Staffing levels are regularly reviewed, in the light of necessary constraints on Civil Service manpower.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what consultations have been made with the various youth organisations and youth services on the composition of the National Youth Advisory Council;(2) what is the proposed composition of the National Youth Advisory Council.

My right hon. Friend stated on 11 July 1984 at column 1036 that he intends to appoint, in conjunction with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, individual members to the youth service advisory body in a personal capacity. In making choices for membership, he will have regard to the broad range of interests in the youth service field and to advice he may receive on membership from those active within it. Due account will be taken of all representations received.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects the National Youth Advisory Council to be established.

It is hoped to announce the arrangements for an advisory body on youth service matters in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of medical students claiming a full year clinical grant for the current academic year; and what are the comparable figures for the period since the academic year 1974–75.

This information is not collected by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further visits he proposes to make to secondary schools to ask pupils to assess standards of teaching similar to that which he made recently in a school in Coventry.

I shall continue to take frequent opportunity to visit schools and to talk when possible with groups of pupils. When referring to teaching standards I have always as I did at Coventry emphasised that I seek no names or identifications.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice his Department gives to universities and other higher education institutions over the presence of Iraqi security agents posing as students.

My right hon. Friend has received no requests for such advice, which should in any case be sought not from him but from the local police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list those studies which have been carried out by his Department to establish what relationship exists between the development of nuclear resources and reductions in the deposition of nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxide; and whether he will place copies of these studies in the Library.

No such studies have been carried out.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has made any estimate of how many additional nuclear power stations would be required to achieve reductions of (a) 15 per cent., (b) 30 per cent. and (c) 60 per cent. in the total emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides in the United Kingdom assuming that the present number of coal-fired stations was reduced in order to achieve such reductions and that no other measures were taken to achieve these objectives and over what timescales such reductions could be achieved.

The Government believe that nuclear power will form an increasing component of the country's future electricity supply. This, together with new technologies being developed for cleaner and more efficient fossil fuel combustion, will help to contain future emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides from power stations. But no estimate of the kind suggested has been made. Achievement of reductions in future emissions is dependent on a number of variables in addition to any increase in the proportion of nuclear generated electricity. These include, for example, the rate of growth of the economy and associated electricity demand.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, following the Government's response to the Countryside Commission's document "A Better Future for the Uplands," he will make it his policy to give grants for the maintenance and improvement of features such as dry-stone walls or small woods.

The Countryside Commission, which is financed by grant-in-aid from my Department, operates grant schemes which encourage land management practices that assist conservation.In addition, higher rates of grant are now available for certain conservation works such as shelter belts, dry stone walls and other traditionally built boundaries under schemes operated by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if Her Majesty's government will impose a moratorium on the deregistration of commons until after the Commons Land Forum has reported, and the recommendations made in its report have been considered; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no power to impose such a moratorium. However, following representations I have had from the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark), who is Chairman of the Open Spaces Society, my Department will consider, with the Common Land Forum means of monitoring applications to deregister common land.