asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what verdict was recorded on the death of those of the 11 prisoners listed as awaiting inquest in his answer of 25 January, Official Report, columns 534–35, in respect of whom the inquest has now been completed.

The following verdicts are now available. Case numbers are those used in my reply to a question from the hon. Member for Knowsley, North (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) on 25 January, at columns 533–36.

Case Number	Verdict
26	Natural causes: coronary thrombosis
48	Natural causes: kidney failure
49	Suicide: pulmonary embolism
50	Natural causes: staphylococal pyaemia
57	Suicide: asphyxia by hanging
60	Suicide: asphyxia by hanging
61	Natural causes: myocardial infarction
63	Natural causes: coronary artery thrombosis.

Verdicts in the other three cases are still awaited.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides and how many attempted suicides have taken place in prisons in each of the last 25 years; and how many in each year have occurred at Swansea.

The information available is as follows:

Number of Suicides
Year	All establishments including Swansea	Swansea
1960	6	0
1961	17	0
1962	15	0
1963	12	0
1964	22	0
1965	15	0
1966	11	0
1967	19	0
1968	17	0
1969	21	2
1970	6	0
1971	13	0
1972	13	0
1973	14	0
1974	6	0
1975	14	0
1976	20	1
1977	11	1
1978	16	0
1979	21	0
1980	21	0
1981	16	0
1982	18	0
1983	21	0
1984	*23	*1

* One inquest verdict of an inmate who was found hanging is awaited. This was at Swansea. It is not included in these figures.

In 1982 there were 253 incidents of self-injury with apparent suicidal intent, of which two were at Swansea.In 1983 there were 221 incidents of self-injury with apparent suicidal intent, of which eight were at Swansea.Figures for self-injury for other years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the present maximum penalties which may be imposed on persons in charge of dogs fouling the pavement; and whether he has any plans to increase these.

Byelaws for this purpose are made under the general power conferred by section 235 of the Local Government Act 1972. The maximum penalty which may be imposed by byelaws made under this power was doubled to £100 last May. The Government have no plans to increase it further.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to change the present legal definition of being in charge of a dog; and if he will make a statement.

The Home Office model byelaw under which it is an offence for a person in charge of a dog to allow the dog to foul a footway or grass verge provides that, for the purposes of the byelaw, the owner of the dog shall be deemed in charge thereof, unless the court is satisfied that at the time when the dog fouled the footway or grass verge it had been placed in or taken into the charge of some other person. This definition was incorporated in the model byelaw in 1936 in response to representations from local authorities and in order to overcome difficulties caused by an earlier model byelaw. The model byelaw has been widely adopted, and I have no present reason to believe that the definition has given rise to problems or is in need of amendment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the total number of offences in connection with dogs for the last 12 months for which the statistics are available.

The information available to me, which may be incomplete, relates to court proceedings for offences in connection with dogs and is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables, Volume 1" under offence classification 111 (offences relating to dogs) and 171 (revenue offence concerning dog licences). It is not possible to identify all offences that involved dogs; for example, details of offences of cruelty to animals do not distinguish the type of animal involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of all recorded suicide verdicts by coroners' courts in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire involving deaths of girls aged under 16 years between 20 December 1984 and 11 January 1985.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 27 March to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Cunninghame, North (Mr. Corrie), at column 247.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the reply of 28 March, Official Report, columns 282–83, if he will provide details of the districts involved in the identification parade survey carried out in 1982 and 1983.

All districts of the Metropolitan police were included in the survey in 1982 and 1983, except the Thames division, which polices the river Thames.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ban the sale of the kung fu weapon known as "Death Stars".

Shaw [pursuant to his reply, 15 April 1985, c. 12]: My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to do so. As I stated in a previous pursuant reply to a question from my hon. Friend on 1 April, at column 449, there are many articles sold for legitimate purposes such as carving knives, scissors and razor blades which could be used as an offensive weapon and it would be quite impracticable to try to ban their sale. The police have not asked for tighter controls on "Death Stars" and no cases of misuse have been brought to my attention. We shall, however, continue to keep a close watch on the situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many dry storage facilities for spent Magnox fuel have been completed by the Central Electricity Generating Board; what proportion of spent fuel can be stored in this way; and what plans there are to extend those facilities to cater for all spent Magnox fuel.

The CEGB has one dry storage facility for approximately 900 tonnes of spent Magnox fuel located at Wylfa nuclear power station. This is used for the temporary storage of spent fuel from Wylfa prior to its transportation to BNFL Sellafield for reprocessing. The board has no current plans to build new dry storage facilities for Magnox fuel.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made in building the thermal oxide reprocessing plaint at Sellafield; what is the latest estimate of the cost of reprocessing in this plant; if terms have now been agreed between the Central Electricity Generating Board and British Nuclear Fuels plc for reprocessing spent fuel from advanced gas-cooled reactors; and if he will make a statement.

I am advised by BNFL that the construction programme for THORP (thermal oxide reprocessing plant) is proceeding according to plan to meet reprocessing commitments in the 1990s. BNFL's unit charges for reprocessing irradiated fuel are not available, for commercial reasons. The estimated costs for the storage and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel are included in the estimated generating cost data published in the CEGB's "Analysis of Generating Costs", a copy of which is in the Library. BNFL and CEGB are in the process of finalising the contractual arrangements in respect of CEGB's commitment to the THORP project.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what changes have taken place in the United Kingdom demand for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in the past five years.

I am advised by the CEGB that its demand for reprocessing Magnox spent nuclear fuel has increased over the past five years as a result of improved power station performance. In the case of AGR reprocessing there has been a reduction in demand for reprocessing capacity in THORP for the reasons given by my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon Central (Mr. Moore) in answer to a question from the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) on 28 July 1982, at column 546.Demand for fast reactor fuel reprocessing at Dounreay has increased in line with the progressive commissioning to full operating capacity of the prototype fast reactor.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give the number of officials and their sections who have attended meetings at official level under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council, the dates and locations of such meetings and the subjects discussed.

Officials attend meetings under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council (AIIC) according to the subject under discussion. It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to give information about meetings of officials.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of officials, and their sections, who have attended meetings at official level under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council, and the dates and locations of such meetings and the subjects discussed.

Officials attend meetings under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council (AIIC) according to the subject under discussion. It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to give information about meetings of officials.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list all expenditure concerning the Falkland Islands and the United Kingdom military commitment to the islands which is not met by the Ministry of Defence.

Expenditure in the Falkland Islands not met by the Ministry of Defence, excluding expenditure by the Falkland Islands Government met from their own revenues, falls under the following headings:

(a) Rehabilitation: A rehabilitation grant of £15 million was announced in December 1982;

(b) Development: A development grant of £31 million was announced in December 1982;

(c) War damage compensation: Payments under the war damage compensation scheme, which was announced in July 1982, have to date totalled £3,244,000;

(d) Diplomatic Service personnel: The recurring cost of Diplomatic Service personnel in Port Stanley amounted to £171,530 in the financial year 1984–85.

Expenditure under all these headings is a charge to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office budget.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list all the documents requested from Her Majesty's Government by the Australian Royal Commission investigating nuclear tests in the Pacific in the 1950s; and whether all such documents requested were provided.

A full list of the hundreds of unclassified documents released to the Australian Royal Commission will be available in the Public Record Office shortly. The list will not include those few documents which must remain classified.As far as possible, all requests from the Royal Commission have been met. However, a small number of documents have been withheld on grounds of national security, international relations and personal sensitivity.

asked the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government have made any representations to the United States Government about the proposed manufacture by the United States of binary nerve gas weapons; and if she will make a statement.

No. Like the United Kingdom, the United States remains committed to the achievement of a comprehensive worldwide and verifiable ban on chemical weapons in negotiations at Geneva. They are aware of our view that the Alliance should continue as its first priority to work urgently for such an agreement. Soviet agreement to such a ban and destruction of its massive chemical weapons offensive capability would obviate the need for the United States to pursue modernisation of its limited national capability.

asked the Prime Minister how Her Majesty's Government intend to respond to the invitation from the Soviet authorities for Her Majesty's Government to be represented in Moscow at the 40th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany; and if she will make a statement.

The Soviet ambassador has communicated an oral invitation to us to send a small delegation to the ceremonies in Moscow commemorating the end of the war. We asked for clarification of the nature of the events to which the delegation was being invited. Our response will be considered in the light of this clarification. We shall also be discussing these matters with our partners and allies.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland how many prosecutions there were in 1984 for poaching roe deer.

Separate statistics are not kept for roe deer alone. However, provisional figures for 1984 show that in relation to all offences under the Deer (Scotland) Acts, 40 persons were proceeded against.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland when he next expects to meet the procurator fiscal of Kilmarnock to discuss the policy of non-harassment of travelling families.

I meet the procurator fiscal at Kilmarnock from time to time to discuss various matters, including the policy of non-harassment of travelling families. I have no special plans at present to meet the procurator fiscal to discuss this particular matter.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland what was the number of prosecutions for offences relating exclusively to drunkenness in Aberdeen during the last 12 months, compared to the previous 12 months.

There were only five cases in which persons were prosecuted for being drunk and incapable in Aberdeen in 1984, compared with 235 cases in 1983.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland how many prosecutions were instituted for poaching salmon offshore in 1984.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Dumfries (Sir H. Monro) on 5 December 1984, at columns 347–48, in which I stated that between 1 December 1983 and 1 December 1984 there were 38 prosecutions for salmon poaching in the sea. No further figures are available.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the number of officials, and their sections, who have attended meetings at official level under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council, and the dates and locations of such meetings and the subjects discussed.

Officials attend meetings under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council (AIIC) according to the subject under discussion. It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to give information about meetings of officials.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth may expect to secure a definitive reply to his letter dated 16 November 1984 about Mr. P. G. Farley of 84 Eastlands road, Rugby.

I replied to my hon. Friend today.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to the proportion of students in teacher training colleges who do not receive a qualification enabling them to apply for a teaching post in maintained schools.

Available figures suggest that, of students entering initial teacher training, around 20 per cent. on undergraduate courses and around 10 per cent. on postgraduate courses do not attain qualified teacher status at the end of the course, whether as a result of withdrawing from the course or of failing to reach the required standard. The criteria for the approval of courses of initial teacher training issued in April 1984 stress that institutions should seek to identify, early in the course, those students who are satisfactory academically but unsuited to teaching so as to allow for the possibility of transfer to another course and that in no case should a qualification carrying qualified teacher status be awarded to a student whose practical classroom work is unsatisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the number of officials and their sections who have attended meetings at official level under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council, the dates and locations of such meetings and the subjects discussed.

Officials attend meetings under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council according to the subject under discussion. It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to give information about meetings of officials.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what information is in the possesion of the Health and Safety Executive regarding the quantity of asbestos produced by shipbreaking operations at Cairnryan over the past five years; what quantity of asbestos waste has been recorded as depositied in an authorised dump since 1979; and what is the location of each authorised site and the quantity dumped in each case.

The Health and Safety Executive does not have information about the quantity of asbestos waste produced by shipbreaking operations at Cairnryan.The disposal of asbestos waste is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of married families with two children and earnings of (a) £100 or less per week and (b) £120 or less per week in April 1984 distinguishing if possible between one and two-earner families.

The most recent information which relates household composition, the number of persons in a household working and income, comes from the 1983 "Family Expenditure Survey".The following table shows in percentage terms the numbers of households comprising one man, one woman and two children, with various numbers of workers and at various levels of income.Percentage of all households comprising one man, one woman and two children with the following characteristics:

	Number of workers†
	None	One	Two
Gross weekly household income*
Less than £100	4	3	1
Less than £120	5	6	2
Source: Family Expenditure Survey 1983‡*
* Comprising income from employment or self-employment, together with income from investments and social security benefits. The inputed income attributable to owner occupancy or living in rent free accommodation is also included.
† Covering both pan-time and full-time employment. Also included are those temporarily absent from work and those unemployed but still seeking work (provided they were employed within the last twelve months).
‡ The Family Expenditure Survey is based on a sample of households, of which 939 out of the 6,973 covered in the 1983 survey comprised one man, one woman and two children.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set out the latest full-time pay levels recommended by all wages councils.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Thurrock (Dr. McDonald) on 4 March 1985 at column 364.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give his best estimate of the rise in youth unemployment since 1979 that can be attributed to the three factors cited in the White Paper, "Employment: The Challenge for the Nation", Cmnd. 9474, namely, the general shortage of jobs, the high relative pay of young people, and the disadvantages of those who missed the big expansion of youth training since 1983, paragraph 3.11.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 April 1985, c. 776–77]: Each of the three factors identified in paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper (Cmnd. 9474) has, singly or in combination, affected the current level of youth unemployment.Isolating the precise individual effects of each is not possible. However, evidence is available from research carried out in my Department and elsewhere about the effects of high relative pay and the general shortage of jobs on the employment prospects of young people. There is also international evidence that high relative pay has damaged young people's employment prospects. I shall send the hon. Member the relevant references.In relation to the third factor, those who have not benefited under the youth training scheme will be less well equipped to take up job opportunities than those who have received training or gained work experience.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the United Kingdom share of world trade in volume in each of the years 1970 to 1984; and if he will estimate the figure for each quarter from 1 January 1983.

United Kingdom shares based on 1980 prices are as follows:

United Kingdom share of MMC* Exports of Manufactures at 1980 Prices
Year	Percentages
1970	12·5
1971	12·5
1972	11·6
1973	11·7
1974	11·2
1975	11·4
1976	11·0
1977	11·1
1978	10·4
1979	9·9
1980	9·7
1981	8·8
1982	9·0
1983	8·7
1983† Q1	8·9
Q2	8·6
Q3	8·8
Q4	8·4
1984† Q1	8·5
Q2	‡8·5
Q3	‡8·2
* Main manufacturing countries.
† Not Seasonally Adjusted.
‡ Estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give the number of officials of his Department and their sections who have attended meetings at official level under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council, the dates and locations of such meetings and the subjects discussed.

Officials attend meetings under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council according to the subject under discussion. It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to give information about meetings of officials.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the number of officials of his Department and their sections who have attended meetings at official level under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council, the dates and locations of such meetings and the subjects discussed.

Officials attend meetings under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council according to the subject under discussion. It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to give information about meetings of officials.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he proposes to introduce regulations to require that only personal baggage which can be stowed and secured in approved storage compartments will be allowed into an aircraft cabin; and if he will make a statement.

New regulations requiring baggage to be properly secured are set out in articles 2(3) and 2(10) of the Air Navigation (Fourth Amendment) Order 1985. The regulations apply to aircraft registered in the United Kingdom carrying passengers on public transport and come into operation on 26 April 1985. In the case of aircraft capable of seating more than 30 passengers, baggage must be stowed in passenger compartment stowage spaces approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. These can include under seat stowage spaces where forward restraint bars are fitted to seats.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether, upon abolition of the Greater London council, London borough councils will be permitted to charge more than the administrative costs of issuing concessionary travel permits for the elderly.

Upon abolition of the GLC, the London borough councils will be free to organise a voluntary uniform scheme for the elderly and will be able to impose charges for issuing permits under existing powers available to the GLC and all other local authorities.If however the statutory reserve scheme is brought into effect, the imposition of such charges will be subject to the approval of the Secretary of State. The object is to ensure that the purpose of the reserve scheme is not frustrated by any individual borough attempting to recover from its pensioners and unreasonably high proportion of the costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Transoprt what resources his Department is providing for the working parties of borough officers looking into the effect of abolition of the Greater London council on highways and traffic matters in London.

All the existing resources of the Department are available for consultation and to give help to London boroughs as well as to other local authorities throughout the country on matters of common interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what special provision has been made by his Department to enable cyclists to cross the proposed South Woodford to Barking relief road.

Cyclists will be able to cross the relief road at all its interchanges with existing roads, including the A13 where an existing cycle track will be continued through the new junction. In addition, footbridges provided or adapted as part of the scheme at Watson Avenue, Highbridge Road, Gooseley Lane and Gascoigne Road will have stepped ramps enabling cyclists to push their machines over them. The relief road will, by reducing flows along many existing roads, make conditions on those roads safer and more pleasant for all road users.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the reply on 7 March, Official Report, column 585, when the future of the Greater London council's taxicard scheme is to be discussed by the working party.

The working party held a preliminary meeting last month and will be meeting again shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those roads in urban areas that have been trunked without (a) publication of an order by him, (b) consultation with local residents and (c) the right to a public inquiry since 1971.

There are none.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will review direction signs, particularly those relating to tourist attractions.

I am pleased to announce that we have set up a review which will not only seek ways of improving signs for tourists, but also of improving the information on all directional route signs. It will also consider whether greater use can be made of variable message signs.The review will be carried out jointly with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales and will be completed within two to three years.As part of the review, we shall be consulting and fully considering the views of associations representing local authority, police, road user and road safety interests.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report allocations approved for each local authority in England under the urban programme phase 25.

This information is not yet available. As soon as it is, I shall arrange for the full list of approvals under "Traditional Urban Programme Circular 25" to be printed in the Official Report and placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any evidence that there has been an increase in the amount of litter.

I have no evidence that there has been any such increase in the amount of litter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current value of plant used to develop the new airport in the Falkland Islands; what is to become of it once the job is completed; and if he will make a statement.

Plant to a purchase value of some £34 million is being used in the construction of the Royal Air Force and Army works projects at Mount Pleasant airport. This plant is supplied, managed and maintained by the contractors, who are also responsible for its removal when the contracts are completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the number of officials from his Department and their sections who have attended meetings at official level under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council, the dates and locations of such meetings and the subjects discussed.

Officials attend meetings under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council (ABC) according to the subject under discussion. It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to give information about meetings of officials.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

The advice given by the committee is regularly published in its annual report. Its fifth report was published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office on 4 July 1984, and copies are in the Library. The principal advice in that report was about the control of routine discharges from the Sellafield site of British Nuclear Fuels plc. In November 1984, the chairman wrote to my right hon. Friend endorsing a specific programme of works which would be consistent with the committee's previous advice. That was the programme of works announced by my right hon. Friend on 18 December 1984.The committee's fifth report recommended the use of a common classification scheme for radioactive wastes, and this has been accepted by the Government and by the industry. It is also intended to publish a radioactive waste management information note giving a general description of the way in which my Department, and the other authorising Departments under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960, control discharges of radioactivity from nuclear installations; and this will take account of the committee's general advice on this subject in its fifth report.In September 1984 the chairman submitted the committee's view about the procedures that should be followed in investigating possible sites for new disposal facilities, and that view was accepted in the revised procedures announced by my right hon. Friend on 24 January. That statement also announced publication of the final text of "Disposal facilities on land for low and intermediate-level radioactive wastes: principles for the protection of the human environment", which incorporates the committee's comments on earlier drafts.In November 1984 the chairman wrote to my right hon. Friend expressing regret about actions by the National Union of Seamen and the Transport and General Workers Union interfering with a research programme designed to investigate the properties of deep-sea sediments. This issue has been discussed by Ministers with the TUC.In March 1985 the chairman wrote to my right hon. Friend summarising the committee's views on the waste management implications of the fast reactor and we shall be discussing this advice with the other Ministers concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Black Country Limestone Advisory Panel submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

The Black Country Limestone Advisory Panel met five times between 1 April 1984 and 31 March 1985. At each meeting advice was given on:

(a)the specification and conduct of my Department's commissioned research into cost-effective methods of monitoring subsidence, assessing risk and remedial measures;

(b) the appropriateness of local authority bids in 1984–85 and proposed for 1985–86 for funding of site investigations and remedial works under the derelict land grant scheme; and

(c) the conduct of investigations of five specific underground workings already under way at 1 April 1984.

In all instances my Department acted by taking note of the panel's advice when seeking further information on proposals, allocating funds and specifying research. Of 14 proposed investigations in 1984–85, further justification was sought on four and subsequently only one was rejected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the London Housing Staff Commission submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

In the last year the London Housing Staff Commission has not submitted any advice direct to the Secretary of State; its main work has been in advising the London borough of Tower Hamlets and the Greater London council on the interests of staff affected by the forthcoming transfer of GLC housing in Tower Hamlets; in advising staff affected by the various transfer orders made in respect of GLC housing in 45 districts and other London boroughs; and in hearing two appeals from staff under the Greater London Housing (Staff Transfer and Protection) Order 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the New Town Staff Commission submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

In the course of its work in safeguarding the interests of staff affected by transfer of new town housing to local authorities, the New Towns Staff Commission has made one set of representations to the Secretary of State in 1984–85, which my right hon. Friend is still considering. The commission's main work, however, has been in advising directly the new town corporations and district councils involved in the three housing transfer schemes which took effect on 1 April 1985, and the four further ones under negotiation, and in monitoring the outcome.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March each of the nine regional councils for sport and recreation submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

Regional councils for sport and recreation provide a forum for co-ordination and discussion of sport and recreation needs and issues in each region. Their views and advice reach my Department in various formal and informal ways, not least through the Sports Council, on whose relevant committees the regional councils are represented. This is a continuous and wide-ranging process which does not lend itself to a numerical breakdown.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Property Services Agency Advisory Board submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

During the 12 months period to 31 March 1985 the Property Services Agency Advisory Board submitted three formal reports to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment covering the agency's image and morale, site supervision and the board's annual report of its activities for 1984. Each of the reports and the main recommendations has been discussed with Ministers and members of the Property Services Agency executive board and action has been taken to follow through the agreed recommendations in consultation with the advisory board.Ministers and senior management of the agency also frequently consult the advisory board informally on a variety of topics on which the board has provided valuable views and advice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is yet able to announce his plans for the retention and administration of the Greater London council's research library and its data bases as a unit after the abolition of that authority.

No decision has been taken about the future of the Greater London research library. Progress in this matter should be possible once the GLC has supplied the information requested of it under section 5 of the Local Government (Interim Provisions) Act 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the report of the review of the economic efficiency of national park authorities published in 1984.

This review, by the management consultants, Arthur Young McClelland Moores and Co., was commissioned jointly by my Department, the Welsh Office and the Countryside Commission. It considered the level of resources available to national park authorities and the efficiency and economy with which they discharge their responsibilities towards conservation and recreation.In general the consultant's report has shown that national park authorities are serving the public well. No evidence was found of any major shortcomings in their administrative efficiency, but the consultants identified a number of areas in which improvements might be made in all the parks as well as some where additional resources might be justified.The report also made various recommendations for strengthening the operation of the national park supplementary grant system to improve the means of assessing national park authorities' needs and performance and of allocating grant accordingly.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I consider this to have been a valuable review and welcome the constructive report which has emerged. We believe that a positive response at both national and local level should provide a sounder basis for the promotion of national park objectives and the effective deployment of resources to the benefit of all concerned.This has been explained in a draft circular, published today, setting out our views and explaining the substantial progress which has already been made towards implementing key parts of the report. Copies of the draft, on which comments are invited by 30 June, have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to apply section 41 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to the Broads.

Following wide consultation with interested parties, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and I have decided that the executive area of the Broads Authority should be specified under section 41 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 with effect from today. Copies of the instrument of specification have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Letters are being sent today by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to all landowners and farmers in the Broads area affected by the decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he is making with assessing the condition of the local authority housing stock and the amount of expenditure required for necessary repairs and improvements to it.

The Government recognise the need to obtain up-to-date and comprehensive information on the condition of the local authority housing stock in order to assess the expenditure necessary to maintain it in a satisfactory condition. Following consultations with the local authority associations, the Department has asked local authorities to provide information on the need for repair and improvements of the houses and fiats which they own and manage. The inquiry forms were issued last week and a copy of the documents sent to individual authorities has been deposited in the Library of the House. We are asking local authorities to complete and return the forms by 31 May.The information resulting from this survey will be of value in assessing the condition of our public housing stock and the resources required to maintain and repair it. It will also be relevant to continuing discussions about the public infrastructure in the context of the National Economic Development Council. I hope that all authorities will do their best to complete the survey forms as accurately as possible.Many authorities do not have sufficient information on the condition of their own stock. It is essential that they obtain this information if they are to manage their stock efficiently. I hope that this inquiry will encourage them to take the necessary steps to improve arrangements for regular monitoring of the condition of their housing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to hold a public inquiry into the proposed designation of the North Pennine area of outstanding natural beauty; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 April 1985, c. 765]: Yes. The order made by the Countryside Commission designating a large part of the North Pennines as an area of outstanding natural beauty has attracted widespread interest and public opinion about its merits is divided. Some local authorities within the area have objected to the proposals and, having considered the arguments carefully, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has concluded that a public inquiry is the best way to proceed in this particular case.The terms of reference for the inquiry will be as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the consultants used and consultancy fees paid by the London Docklands Development Corporation in 1984–85 financial year.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 April 1985, c. 7611]: LDDC policy is to keep its core of permanent staff as small as possible and to supplement their work with external private sector skills wherever necessary. Payments were made to the following consultants by LDDC during 1984–85:

American City Corporation	Chinnocks
AMK Associates	J. B. Denton
Arthur Andersen & Co.	Designers'
Architects Workshop	Design Associates
Arup Associates	D. S. Donoghue
Ove Arup & Partners
Ashurst Morris Crisp & Co.	The ECD Partnership
W. S. Atkins & Partners	Economic and Transport
Aviation and General	Planning Group
Consultants	R. J. Emmett Associates
Awford-Haye Partnership	Engineering Surveys Ltd.
Aworth Land Survey	EPS Consultants
David Baker	W. A. Fairhurst and Partners
Charles Barker Lyons	J. E. C. Farebrother and
Alan Baxter	Partners
Green Belfield	Julian Feary Architects
Bellamy and Wareham	Feilden and Mawson
Brandon-Jones	Finance for Housing Ltd.
Bray Williams	Fitch and Company
Brian Colquhoun Partnership	Free Form Ltd.
Kenneth Brown	Fulcrum
Georgina Bruchner
John Brunton	Gardiner and Theobald
D. V. Buck	Sir Alexander Gibb and
Burrell Hayward and Budd	Partners
Business Environments	Frederick Gibberd Coombes
Henry Butcher	and Partners
	Vernon Gibberd Architects
Carruthers Deutsch Garrison	William Gillespie and Partners
and Williams	Gold Greenlees Trott
Professor A. B. Cherns	David Gosling Associates
Chancery Lane Information	A. Y. Grant
Brokers	Vincent Grant
CIPFA Services Ltd.	Guiness Mahon and Co. Ltd.
Ian Clayton Ltd.
Brian Clouston and Partners	Sir William Halcrow and
Timothy Cochrane Associates	partners
Colliers Bigwood and Bewlay	Hancock Hutton and Witcher
Comprehensive Design	Julian Harrap
Partnership	John Harland and Associates
Conran Roche	R. K. S. Harker
Coppers and Lybrand	Haydon Galliard
Associates	Pamela Head
George Corderoy and Co.	Henley and Baker
Marshall Jean Crawford	G. L. Hearn and Partners
Cremer and Warner	Judy Hillman
Cripps and Harries	Hillier Parker May and
Trevor Crocker	Rowden
Edward Cullinan Architects	William Hillary and Co.
Cundall Johnston and Partners	Hockley and Dawson
	Michael Hopkins Architects
Darbourne and Dark	A. F. Howland Associates
Davis Bellfield and Everest	Howard Humphrey and
Debenham Tewson and	Partners

R. T. Hunter	Polish Associates
Husband and Co.	Pollard Thomas Edwards and
	Associates
Donald Insall and Associates	Practical Business Solutions
Inter Action	Ltd.
	Project Development
Paddy Jackson	Associates Ltd.
Jamieson Mackay	Price Low and Cullen
Jardine Glanvill	Primary Systems Ltd.n
Johnson Poole and Bloomer
	Rendel Palmer and Tritton
Richard Kelsall	Research Bureau Ltd.
Kenchington Little and	Richard Rogers and Partners
Partners	Richman Conway and Co.
King and Co.	Robson Rhodes
	Royal College of Art
Lawrence King and Partners
Landscape Design	Saunders and Higg
Partnership	Shepherd Epstein and Hunter
Land Use Consultants	Cyril Silver and Partners
Large and Associates	Charles Smart
Georgina Livingstone	Sir Frederick Snow and
London Landscape	Partners
Consortium	Solon Consultants
Derek Lovejoy	Southwark Diocesan Board
	of Education
MacCormac Jamieson and	Spicer Kapica and Associates
Pritchard	Strategy International Ltd.
John Mason and Partners	Sutcliffe and Associates
Robert Matthew, Johnson-
Marshall and Partners	Rupert Taylor
Mc Bains	Terraquest
Stewart McColl Associates	Bernard Thorpe and Partners
Melhuish and Anderson	Norman Thompson
Monkswood Leisure	Titmus Sainer and Webb
Consultants	Transportation Planning
Monk Dunstone Associates	Associates
Montague Evans and Son
Mott Hay and Anderson	University of Southampton
Neale and Partners	A. Walker and Partners
London Borough of Newham	Sandra Wallman
James Bisbet and Partners	Ward and Partners
	S. G. Warburg and Co. Ltd.
Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and	H. L. Waterman and
Co.	Partners
John Pelting Associates	Shirley Wheeler
Pentagram	Willis Faber and Dumas Ltd.
John Phillips	M. Woodhead and Co.
Pickering-Torbildsen	Warden and Co.
Plowman Craven and	Wythe Holland Udall
Associates	Partnership

These consultants have undertaken assignments ranging from a few hundred to several hundred thousand pounds. It would be a breach of commercial confidentiality to give the fees paid to each consultant but, in total, the corporation estimates that within its total programme of projects £6 million has been paid to engineering and quantity surveying consultants. About £3·6 million has been paid to consultants for project management and other administration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the number of persons for whom personal data are held on the Customs and Excise departmental reference and information computer, indentifying the number of these who are (a) British nationals and (b) convicted persons.

109,700. The major part of the information about persons was converted from manual records. The number of (a) British nationals and (b) convicted persons was not converted and is not available without a disproportionate use of resources.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied with the performance and efficiency of the Customs and Excise departmental reference and information computer; and whether any plan to replace or improve this computer system are being considered.

Customs and Excise is satisfied now that initial teething troubles have been overcome and there are no plans to replace or improve the system.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in his proposed review of personal taxation, he will recommend the removal of financial disincentives to marriage by equalising the position of married and unmarried individuals in respect of mortgage interest relief and capital taxes.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what response the Treasury has received from the Electricity Supply Trade Union Council to the proposals for amending the statutes of nationalised industries; if there is any action he will be taking; and if he will make a statement.

The Treasury has received a copy of the comments which the Electricity Supply Trade Union Council sent the Secretary of State for Energy on 28 March. These comments will be considered along with others which have been received.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Budget calculations of net revenue changes from alterations in employers' national insurance contributions included the public sector.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 April 1985, c. 37]: The figures of £30 million in 1985–86 and £80 million in a full year shown in the Financial Statement and Budget Report are the estimated direct net effects of the proposed changes on the total of employers' national insurance contributions. About two thirds of the net reduction in contributions is estimated to relate to the private sector; the remainder relates to the public sector.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the answers to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) of 6 February 1984, Official Report, columns 439–42 and 15 February 1984, Official Report, columns 203–4, concerning income statistics to show net earnings at the lowest decile, median and highest decile of the earnings distribution for each year since 1978 for different household types, using constant April 1984 prices; and whether he will also give the same information for the following additional household types (a) a married couple with two children, where one partner works full-time and the other part-time and (b) a married couple with both partners in full-time work.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will provide information on the net income after income tax, national insurance contributions and child benefit at (a) actual prices and (b) equivalent 1984–85 prices of typical household units (i) single, (ii) married couple, (iii) married couple with two children and (iv) married couple with four children, whose earnings from work are equivalent to the following points on the male earnings distribution (1) lowest decile, (2) median and (3) highest decile for each year since April 1978.

[pursuant to his replies, 1 March 1985, c. 329–32 and 29 March 1985, c. 370–72]: I regret that figures for April 1984 were incorrectly given. Corrected figures are as follows.Information in the following tables is based on estimates of earnings for those in full-time work paid at adult rates, with pay unaffected by absence. Estimates are based on information from the new earnings surveys.Income tax rates and allowances for April 1979 are those specified in the Finance Act 1979, later replaced by those announced in June 1979; for other Aprils, they are the rates and allowances for the financial year immediately following. Taxpayers are assumed to have no reliefs or allowances other than the appropriate personal allowance. National insurance contributions are at the contracted-in rate.The calculations take no account of means-tested benefits to which those at the lowest decile may be entitled. Changes in the purchasing power of net earnings have been calculated by reference to movements in the general index of retail prices between Aprils.

Earnings after income tax, National Insurance contributions and child benefit
	At current prices	At constant April 1984 prices	At constant prices April 1978 = 100
	£	£
		Single man
At the lowest decile of gross earnings
April 1978	39·35	70·71	100·0
April 1979	44·09	71·98	101·8
April 1980	53·47	71·70	101·4
April 1981	57·67	69·02	97·6
April 1982	61·95	67·76	95·8
April 1983	66·91	70·37	99·5
April 1984	71·96	71·96	101·8
At the median of gross earnings
April 1978	56·29	101·15	100·0
April 1979	63·94	104·39	103·2
April 1980	78·52	105·29	104·1
April 1981	85·56	102·39	101·2
April 1982	93·00	101·73	100·6
April 1983	100.	105·85	104·6
April 1984	109.	109·53	108·3
At the highest decile of gross earnings
April 1978	85·50	153·64	100·0
April 1979	96·89	158·17	102·9
April 1980	123.	165·78	107·9
April 1981	139·36	166·79	108·6
April 1982	151·76	166·00	108·0
April 1983	165·83	174·41	113·5
April 1984	181·85	181·85	118·4
Married man

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the car parks still run by the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment; and when he intends either to privatise them or to hand them over to district councils.

The Northern Ireland Department of the Environment's off-street car parks are listed in part I of the schedule to the Off-Street Parking Bye-laws (Northern Ireland) 1983 (SRNI 1983 No. 240) as amended to date. Of these, 30 in the Belfast area are operated by contractors.The Department is currently considering the case for contracting out to the private sector the operation of a number of car parks which are subject to charge in the main provincial towns in Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the number of officials of his Department and their sections who have attended meetings at official level under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council, the dates and locations of such meetings and the subjects discussed.

Officials attend meetings under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernment Council (AIIC) according to the subjects under discussion. It is not our practice to give information about meetings of officials.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make available to the House copies of the consultative paper "Police Complaints and Discipline"; and if he will make a statement.

I have arranged for copies of the paper to be placed in the Library of the House. The paper sets out the Government's proposals for revising police complaints and discipline procedures in Northern Ireland, and I look forward to receiving comments on the proposals by 14 June.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether parity is being maintained between the job release schemes in Northern Ireland and Great Britain.