asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland what was the total number of prosecutions for the poisoning of birds of prey in Caithness and Sutherland in each of the last five years; and if he will give the comparable figures for (a) all other districts of Highland region, (b) Grampian region, (c) Tayside region, (d) the Borders region and (e) Dumfries and Galloway region.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes he is making at the Wetherby youth custody centre; over what period; and with what transitional arrangements.

As my noble Friend has made clear in a letter to my hon. Friend, we have decided that Wetherby should function as a closed youth custody centre when the new open youth custody centre at Thorn Cross is commissioned shortly. A perimeter fence is currently under construction at Wetherby. Redevelopment is planned to begin about the middle of 1987 and will take some years. Wetherby will now remain in continuous use, but during the priod of redevelopment its population will be reduced to approximately 120.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prisoners who had received sentences ranging from 20 to 25 years, 10 to 15 years, five to 10 years and two and a half to five years were granted early releases in each single year since 1979; and what effect this has had on the total prison population.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the number of drug addicts in the west midlands county notified to his Department in each single year since 1979;(2) how many drug addicts were notified to his Department in each single year since 1979.

he information requested for the years 1979 to 1983 is given in tables 3.11 to 3.13 of "Statistics of the Misuse of Drugs, United Kingdom, Supplementary Tables, 1983." The only statistics at present available for 1984 are given in the reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Mr. Wheeler) on 11 June at columns 394–95.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of convictions for being in possession of drugs in each year since 1979.

The information requested for the years 1979 to 1983 is given in table 7 of "Stastistics of the Misuse of Drugs in the United Kingdom, 1983" (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 18/84). Corresponding figures for 1984 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants engaged in work relevant to the construction of a bypass or relief road for Leadenham have fallen sick through overwork during the last 12 months.

None has fallen sick. All staff are working at fullest capacity on Leadenham and other important trunk road work in Lincolnshire.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will now announce an increase in London taxi fares; and if he will make a statement.

I have made an order increasing London taxi fares wih effect from Sunday 14 July. The overall effect will be to increase fares by about 8·2 per cent. on average.The new tariff will incorporate a minimum 80p—including an unchanged hiring charge of 40p—for the first 1,068 yards or three minutes and 36 seconds. The rate will then be 20p for every 534 yards or one minute and 48 seconds up to six miles and 20p for each 356 yards or one minute and 12 seconds thereafter. All extra charges remain unchanged.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many applications by local authorities for the installation of safety barriers on trunk roads have been refused in each of the last five years for which figures are available;(2) what criteria must be satisfied before safety barriers are installed on trunk roads in England;(3) what are the current specifications for safety barriers on motorways and on trunk roads;(4) what data are available to his Department on the performance of road safety barriers;(5) what is his estimate of the natural life of safety barriers on motorways.

[pursuant to her reply, 11 February 1985, c. 25]: I regret that my reply of 11 February in relation to part 4 of the question was incorrect when it stated that there are two or three cases per year of vehicles penetrating safety fences, causing casualties. I called for further investigations, which have revealed that there has been an average of 27 such cases per year on motorways, over the past three years. Information relating to all-purpose dual carriageway is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the latest figures available showing the number of companies in default of accounts obligations and annual report obligations, respectively, for Great Britian as a whole and for Scotland.

As at 18 June 1985, 288,579 companies registered in Great Britian were in default of their obligations to deliver accounts to the appropriate registrar, and 263,291 in default of their annual return obligations. These figures include, respectively, 15,939 and 18,175 companies registered in Scotland. They exclude companies in liquidation or in the course of dissolution.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the incidence of Reye's syndrome per head of population in Northern Ireland; and how this compares with the rest of the United Kingdom.

In the year 1 August 1983 to 31 July 1984, 17 cases of Reye's syndrome on Northern Ireland were reported to the communicable disease surveillance centre under its voluntary reporting scheme. The estimated incidence based on these figures is four per 100,000 in children under 16 years; in England and Wales the estimated incidence is 0·5 per 100,000 children.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has as to the causes associated with the occurrence of Reye's syndrome in Northern Ireland.

The aetiology of Reye's syndrome is unknown, but it is thought to represent an abnormal reaction to a viral infection in a genetically susceptible host, possibly modified by exogenous toxins. Northern Ireland is participating in the Reye's syndrome surveillance scheme for the British Isles which is organised by the communicable disease surveillance centre in collaboration with the British Paediatric Association. The aims of the scheme and studies linked to it are to identify the factors associated with the condition.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons both male and female were placed in employment by the Burnley and Padiham jobcentres for the last month for which figures are available.

Burnley and Padiham jobcentres placed respectively 497 and 130 people in the five-week period ending 3 May 1985. It is estimated that about a quarter of all engagements are made through jobcentres.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will conduct a review of the working of the non-statutory training organisations with reference particularly to provision for training in the new technology industries and to the training provision of companies not involved in the non-statutory training organisations.

No. The Manpower Services Commission received reports from its own officials and the CBI in May this year which indicated that the arrangements for non-statutory training organisations are generally working satisfactorily and confirming that new technology training is a feature in many of their activities. The commission provides a range of grants and services designed to promote training which are available to all employers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for the destinations of people completing the youth training scheme.

The Manpower Services Commission conducts a regular survey of youth training scheme leavers. Questionnaires are sent to 15 per cent. of leavers some three months after they leave the scheme. The latest information, which is available in the Library, covers young people who left the scheme in October 1984. This shows that 49 per cent. were in work, 9 per cent. were on another youth training scheme, 1 per cent. were on a full-time course at a college or training centre, 1 per cent. were back at school, 38 per cent. were unemployed and 2 per cent. were doing something else.The decrease in the proportion in work compared to results of surveys for previous months reflects partly the seasonal reduction in the recruitment activity of employers and partly the considerably lower number of those who left the youth training scheme in October 1984, many of them before they had completed a full period of training.A much more comprehensive picture is provided by the survey of those leaving the scheme between July and September 1984, which shows that some 60 per cent. went into employment and about two thirds went into work or full-time education or training.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the total sums which have been devoted to running the youth training scheme in the west midlands region in each single year since its initiation and the number of participants during the same period.

The information requested is as follows. The west midlands region is taken to cover the areas of Birmingham, Coventry/Warwick, Dudley/Sandwell, Staffordshire, Telford and Wolverhampton/Walsall.

	Expenditure	Participants
	£	£
1983–84	43,140,841	45,483
1984–85	85,960,480	51,762

Current plans are for an expenditure of about £88 million and 51,000 entrants in 1985–86.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in the next meeting of the European Council of Ministers, the representative of Her Majesty's Government will vote for an indefinite ban on the import of baby seal products into all European Community countries.

Both species of seal covered by the existing directive, the Harp seal and the Hooded seal, remain vulnerable to exploitation. We consider that an extension of the ban is justified on conservation grounds and we shall make our position clear at the meeting of the Council of Environment Ministers on 28 June.

asked the Prime Minister which Government Departments have submitted evidence to the Widdicombe inquiry into local government practices and procedures; what was the nature of the evidence; and if she will place a copy of the evidence in the Library.

Two submissions have been made by Government Departments to the Widdicombe inquiry in relation to local government advertising: a report by the Department of the Environment, the Scottish Office and the Welsh Office on publicity and political campaigning by local authorities; and a note on central Government publicity and advertising submitted by the Cabinet Office at the request of the committee of inquiry. Supplementary oral evidence has also been given. Copies of both submissions are in the Library. Evidence on the full range of the inquiry is still being submitted.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated loss of value added tax and income tax and so on from tax avoidance or evasion by traders in the construction industry who are failing to register for value added tax; and if he is satisfied with the present arrangements for enforcing the relevant legislation.

I regret that it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate. The present VAT enforcement arrangements, while protecting established businesses from undue interference in their activities, do not necessarily ensure that new and growing businesses make timely notification of their liability to be registered. This should be improved with the new civil penalties proposed in clause 14 of the Finance Bill.To combat evasion of direct taxes, the Inland Revenue has been allocated additional staff. On present plans, the number of staff deployed to combat the black economy will have been increased by 1,700 over the period 1979 to 1988.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue has been received from value added tax on house repair bills in the last year for which figures are available.

Businesses registered for value added tax are not required to make returns of the tax charged on particular supplies of goods and services, and information of this kind is therefore not directly available. However, estimates of consumers' expenditure suggest that the yield from value added tax on housing repairs in 1984 was of the order of £500 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied with the progress to date in achieving strict budgetary control of spending by the European Economic Community; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply he received from my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 18 June, at column 90.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Official Report published on 7 June did not show details of the wages council debate after 9 pm on the previous evening.

Certain staff slowed production as a result of an industrial dispute. This made it impracticable to include any of the debate after 9.5 pm without breaching the overriding requirement for publication overnight.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Customs and Excise officers were employed, in each year since 1979, solely for the purpose of drug detection tasks.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amendments have been proposed to the agreement of March 1979 between the central banks of the European Community which laid down the operating procedures for the European monetary system (EMS).

On 10 June, EC central bank governors took formal steps to implement the measures to improve the usability of the official ecu agreed in principle last March. The central bank agreement of 13 March 1979, which lays down the operating procedures for the EMS, has been amended and consequential changes have been made to the rules governing the operations of the European monetary co-operation fund (EMCF).Under the March 1979 agreement, member states participating in the EMS agreed to swap 20 per cent. of their gold and dollar reserves in return for ecus. These swaps are renewed quarterly. The ecus so created can be used by member states participating in the exchange rate mechanism (ERM) to meet liabilities arising out of compulsory intervention.The changes to be made in these arrangements are as follows. First, member states which have accepted ecus in settlement of liabilities will receive, and those which have used ecus to meet liabilities will pay, a rate of interest which will be more closely aligned to market rates. At present the interest rate on net ecu positions is calculated as a weighted average of member states' official discount rates.Second, the maximum proportion of ecus which a member state participating in the ERM can be obliged to take in settlement of debts arising out of intervention at the margins of the ERM band is to be increased. At present ecus can only be used as of right for 50 per cent. of any settlement, but this ratio will go up to 100 per cent. to the extent that the recipient of the ecus is itself a net ecu debtor. This does not affect the United Kingdom as we do not participate in the ERM.Third, since the ecu cannot be used directly in interventions, a mobilisation scheme will be introduced to enable those participating in EMS (including the United Kingdom) to swap part of their ecu holdings for spot dollars for a maximum period of six months in case of need. To meet requests for such swaps, EMS central banks are committed to provide dollars up to an agreed ceiling, but member states may decline to participate in a specific mobilisation operation in exceptional circumstances, such as balance of payments difficulties or the inadequacy of their reserves.In addition to these changes, there is agreement in principle that non-EC central banks and the Bank for International Settlements should be enabled to hold ecu accounts with the European monetary co-operation fund. The central bank governors have made the necessary changes to the central bank agreement and the EMCF rules but these cannot take effect until Council regulation EC 3181/78 has been amended. The Commission has presented a draft regulation to implement this change.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the United Kingdom's financial relationship with the European Economic Community over the last four calendar years and the projected figures for 1985, indicating (a) gross contribution,(b) net contribution, and (c) Community expenditure in the United Kingdom.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 June 1985]: Estimates of the United Kingdom's future contributions and receipts are not produced on the basis of calendar years as these are not accounting periods for the purpose of United Kingdom public expenditure. The Government's latest estimate for the 1985–86 financial year was published in the public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9428). An updated estimate taking account of all relevant factors will, as is usual, be published in the autumn statement.Information concerning the outturn for past calendar years is, however, available, and the information requested is set out in the table:

£ million
	Gross Contribution	Net Contribution	*Community Expenditure in the UK
1981	2,174	397	1,777
1982	2,863	606	2,257
1983	2,976	647	2,329
1984	3,259	689	2,570
* Figures given for Community expenditure in the United Kingdom include both receipts and refunds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the percentage increase in the spending of the European Economic Community on all its activities in each year since 1973, respectively; and what further increase is planned for 1986.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 June 1985]: The year on year percentage increases in the spending of the EC since 1973 are as follows:

	Percentage
1973	—
1974	5
1975	11
1976	45
1977	13
1978	29
1979	10
1980	15
1981	18
1982	19
1983	14
1984	9
1985	4
*1986	—
* Figures are not yet availble.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received regarding the rating of Scottish football grounds; and if he will make a statement.

I have received letters recently from the Scottish Football Association and a number of hon. Members about the rates burden on clubs. I shall send the hon. Member a copy of my reply to the association.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to identify the Scottish rivers where the escapement of spawning salmon is insufficient to maintain wild stocks; and if he will make a statement.

The scientists at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland freshwater fisheries laboratory, Pitlochry, are engaged in a survey of the distribution and abundance of juvenile salmon on the major rivers throughout Scotland. It is too early to predict the results of that survey.On those rivers on which they have been involved in population studies over a period of years, there is no evidence of inadequate spawning escapement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his latest estimate of the annual value to the Scottish economy of recreational salmon fisheries in Scottish rivers; and how this compares with the situation in 1975.

The most recent study on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland was carried out by the tourism and recreation research unit of Edinburgh university and was completed in 1984. The researchers suggested that expenditure by salmon anglers in Scotland was in the range £22 million to £46 million per annum. There is no basis for comparison with previous years.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action his Department has taken to prevent illegal fishing for salmon in Scottish waters; and what is his estimate of the result.

A great deal of effort is devoted to the enforcement of salmon and sea fisheries legislation by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland both directly and in co-operation with district salmon fishery boards, water bailiffs and the police. Fishery protection vessels, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and shore-based staff equipped with two-way radio telephones are all deployed, with considerable success, to curb the activities of those who fish illegally in Scottish inshore waters. In the period 1 January 1984 to 31 December 1984, operations against illegal fishing for salmon resulted in 31 cases being dealt with by the courts.Fishing for salmon by driftnets set from a boat is prohibited in Scottish waters. My right hon. Friend is considering whether to extend that ban to the use of gill nets set other than from a boat, and to ban the carriage of monofilament gill nets, under powers in the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid is provided to overseas students on the Foreign Office vote in the current year; and from which countries the students come.

In the financial year 1984–85, £70.54 million was provided to overseas students on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Vote. This money is supporting students from the following countries:

• Afghanistan
• Algeria
• Angola
• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bermuda
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Brazil
• British Virgin Islands
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Burkina
• Burma
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Cape Verde
• Cayman Islands
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Chile
• China (People's Republic)
• China (Taiwan)
• Colombia
• Congo
• Costa Rica
• Cyprus
• Czechoslovakia
• Denmark
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• East Jerusalem
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Ethiopia
• Falkland Islands
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Gabon
• The Gambia
• Germany, Federal Republic
• Germany, Democratic Republic
• Ghana
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea Bissau
• Guinea Conakry
• Guyana
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• Indonesia
• Iraq
• Irish Republic
• Israel
• Italy
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Korea, Republic of
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mali
• Malta
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Montserrat
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Norway
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Phillipines
• Poland
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Romania
• Rwanda
• St. Helena
• St. Kitts-Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• Solomon Islands
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Soviet Union
• Spain
• Sri Lanka
• Sudan
• Swaziland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Syria
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Togo
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Turks and Caicos
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• United Arab Emirates
• United States
• Uruguay
• Vanuatu
• Venezuela
• West Bank and Gaza
• Western Samoa
• Yemen (Arab Republic)
• Yemen (People's Democratic Republic)
• Yugoslavia
• Zaire
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

In the financial year 1985–86, the estimated provision is £70·83 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how soon he expects to reach a decision on whether to establish a 200-mile exclusive fishing zone around the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Mr. Warren) on 20 June at column 203.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he has received from the Syrian ambassador to his request on 12 June that Mr. Ahmed Walid Rajab should be transferred from the United Kingdom; and by what specific date he has required the departure of this diplomat.

We are in touch with the Syrian authorities about this matter. I have nothing further to add at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to the number of teachers who have taken early retirement who are now re-employed in full-time, part-time or temporary teaching posts.

The Department does not maintain a record of the numbers of prematurely retired teachers whom authorities subsequently re-employ, but the evidence suggests that the proportion who are re-employed is very small. A special exercise showed that, of over 20,000 school teachers who had been released from service under the premature retirement scheme by 31 March 1983, 126 were re-employed on a part-time basis, and 12 on a full-time basis, on that date in which the authority had released them.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report the number of university staff for each year since 1978–79 broken down into categories of academic, academic related and non-academic staff.

Information on non-academic staff is not readily available. The remaining information is as follows:

University staff: Great Britain
	Full-time		Part-time
	Academic	Academic related	Academic	Academic related
1978–79	40,814	N/A	1,422	N/A
1979–80	42,300	N/A	1,489	N/A
1980–81	43,017	9,389	1,577	343
1981–82	42,840	9,439	1,644	361
1982–83	41,994	9,087	2,266	464
1983–84	42,058	9,150	2,739	562

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the amount of Government expenditure on the assisted places scheme for each year since its introduction; how many children were on the scheme; and what proportion of the maintained school population this represents.

The information requested is as follows:

	Expenditure £million (financial year)	Number of assisted pupils (school year)	APS pupils as percentage of maintained school population (as at January)
1981–82	3·022	4,185	0·05
1982–83	8·690	8,616	0·12
1983–84	14·995	13,102	0·18
1984–85	22·152	17,336	*0·25
* Estimated.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of students in (a) universities and (b) public sector advanced education are from social groups IV and V; and what are the comparable figures for each year since the introduction of mandatory awards.

The proportions of home university students accepted through the Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA) from social groups IV ad V since 1977 were as follows:

Year	percentage
1977	6·4
1978	6·4
1979	6·0
1980	5·4
1981	5·2
1982	5·8
1983	7·1

Similar figures are neither available for earlier years nor for students in public sector higher education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average size of classes in (a) maintained primary schools and (b) maintained secondary schools; and whether he has comparable information about independent primary schools and independent secondary schools.

The average sizes of classes taught by one teacher in maintained primary and secondary schools in England in January 1984 were 24·7 and 20·4, respectively. Information about class sizes in independent schools is not collected by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the age of the average first degree graduate from higher education in the United Kingdom in the most recent year for which information is available.

Precise information is not readily available. The average age of first degree graduates has been estimated as 23 years using data on the age distribution of first-year first degree students in Great Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will list any recent steps which he has taken to bring about a settlement of the teachers' dispute; and with what results.

Last month my right hon. Friend made public the Government's readiness to make additional resources available for teachers' pay next year if agreement in principle can he reached by October on a reform of the current pay system designed to promote the Government's educational objectives and to provide improved promotion opportunities for good teachers. The Government are also seeking a clarification of teachers' duties and are prepared to consider alternative arrangements and funding for the midday supervision of pupils. This initiative requires a quick and constructive response, and my right hon. Friend hopes that this will be recognised by the local authority and the teachers' associations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will list for (a) each local education authority and (b) for metropolitan counties, shire counties and outer London boroughs, the average difference in percentage terms between the amount spent on educating children with special needs in other local education authorities and the income received for educating children with special needs from other local education authorities at the latest date for which figures are available.

The amount of income received from other local education authorities for educating children with special needs is given in the table. The amounts are expressed as a percentage of the expenditure of each local education authority on the purchase of school places from other authorities for pupils with special educational needs.

England 1983–84
	Receipts from other LEAs for pupils with special needs (1)	Receipts from col. (1) as percentage of payment to other leas for educating pupils with special needs
	£1,000 cash	Percentage
Barking	90	32
Barnet	656	115
Bexley	53	9
Brent	310	56
Bromley	195	82
Croydon	176	99
Ealing	163	24
Enfield	77	9
Haringey	793	166
Harrow	255	82
Havering	51	14
Hillingdon	183	39
Hounslow	597	181
Kingston-upon-Thames	286	215
Merton	27	5
Newham	323	97
Redbridge	275	69
Richmond-upon-Thames	91	27
Sutton	361	73
Waltham Forest	1,313	359
Outer London boroughs	6,275	77
ILEA	4,074	298
Birmingham	1,187	262
Coventry	519	175
Dudley	58	13
Sandwell	175	33
Solihull	0	0
Walsall	511	272
Wolverhampton	358	147
Knowsley	293	92
Liverpool	888	515
St. Helens	0	0
Sefton	125	28
Wirral	68	29
Bolton	366	74
Bury	141	31
Manchester	1,736	1,568
Oldham	423	367
Rochdale	429	108
Salford	912	250
Stockport	65	14
Tameside	64	12
Trafford	114	31
Wigan	289	115
Barnsley	206	87
Doncaster	0	0

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list (a) for each local education authority and (b) for metropolitan counties, shire counties and outer London boroughs, the average percentage of expenditure allocated to children with special needs spent on (i) children educated within the local education authority, (ii) children educated outside the local education authority and (iii) the number and proportion of children with special needs represented by (a) and (b) in each case, at the latest date for which figures are available.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report(a) for each local education authority the number and (b) for metropolitan counties, shire counties and London boroughs the average number of pupils with special needs educated in another local education authority and received from another local education authority at the latest date for which figures are available.

Set out are, for each local education authority in England, the number of pupils as at January 1984 from outside the authority being educated in special schools within it, and the number of pupils from the authority being educated in special schools in other authorities. Corresponding averages for the metropolitan counties, shire counties and London boroughs, excluding ILEA, are also set out. The numbers of pupils with special needs receiving their education in primary, middle and secondary schools maintained by local education authorities other than that to which they are deemed to belong are not separately available.

Extra-district pupils in special schools: 1984
	Exports	Imports
Barking	59	23
Barnet	83	86
Bexley	133	9
Brent	97	70
Bromley	40	47
Croydon	80	38
Ealing	116	35
Enfield	121	28
Haringey	90	107
Harrow	69	53
Havering	84	14
Hillingdon	79	30
Hounslow	47	116
Kingston-upon-Thames	34	72
Merton	88	14
Newham	61	49
Redbridge	95	84
Richmond-upon-Thames	59	20
Sutton	85	104
Waltham Forest	43	263
Inner London	345	618
Birmingham	92	225
Coventry	36	108
Dudley	93	9
Sandwell	86	24
Solihull	64	11
Walsall	34	73
Wolverhampton	32	50
West Midlands
Knowsley	86	59
Liverpool	38	193
St. Helens	51	52
Sefton	46	32
Wirral	42	7
Merseyside
Bolton	125	68
Bury	95	30
Manchester	61	289
Oldham	18	117
Rochdale	70	54
Salford	53	164

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list (a) the percentage for each local education authority and (b) the average percentage for metropolitan counties, shire counties and the outer London boroughs, the special education budget spent on fees for children attending private special schools and assistance to children attending such schools, at the latest date for which figures are available.

The percentage of each authority's net expenditure on special education that is spent on fees for children attending non-maintained special schools and on assistance to pupils attending such schools is given in the table. The average percentages for the outer London boroughs, the metropolitan districts and the shire counties are also given.

Cost of services provided by non-maintained educational institutions as a percentage of total net expenditure on special education—England—1983–4
	Percentage
Barking	24
Barnet	32
Bexley	33
Brent	26
Bromley	33
Croydon	37
Ealing	24
Enfield	16
Haringey	24
Harrow	39
Havering	22
Hillingdon	20
Hounslow	19
Kingston-upon-Thames	39
Merton	19
Newham	18
Redbridge	31
Richmond-upon-Thames	18
Sutton	38
Waltham Forest	5
Outer London boroughs	26
ILEA	5
Greater London	17
Birmingham	6
Coventry	6
Dudley	5
Sandwell	3
Solihull	11
Walsall	5
Wolverhampton	4
Knowsley	12
Liverpool	0
St. Helens	24
Sefton	25
Wirral	17
Bolton	19
Bury	22
Manchester	6
Oldham	0
Rochdale	15
Salford	6
Stockport	27
Tameside	18
Trafford	10
Wigan	15
Barnsley	14
Doncaster	10
Rotherham	16
Sheffield	3
Bradford	9
Calderdale	20
Kirklees	9
Leeds	0
Wakefield	14
Gateshead	0
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	16

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his current estimate of the cost of the expenditure on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation base at Stornoway in the light of changes in the original plan.

The estimated cost remains within the forecast of £40 million given to the right hon. Member by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Royal Air Force on 19 January 1981 at column 49.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to seek private capital from City banks for the purchase of an offshore patrol vessel, OPV3, which will then be leased by his Department.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply,Official Report, 17 May, column 264, how many United States service men stationed in the United Kingdom serve in units which are not formally committed to a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation command; and where those light transport and search and rescue units based in Britain and not committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation are based.

As the hon. Member was told in my earlier answer, virtually all United States forces in the United Kingdom are here in support of NATO. The categories of commitment of individual units are, however, classified. The light transport aircraft and the search and rescue units mentioned in my earlier answer are based at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Woodbridge, respectively. There is a small number of United States personnel engaged in the operation and support of these aircraft, but it is not normally the practice to divulge numbers of personnel engaged on specific operations.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many British divisions were included in figure 10 of annex A of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1985, Cmnd. 9430.

Figure 10 includes the four divisions which comprise 1(BR)Corps as well as a further division equivalent to take account of other British forces committed to NATO which are not formed into divisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether Portuguese forces were included in figure 11 of annex A to the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1985, Cmnd. 9430.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many British divisions and division equivalents were mobilised during Operation Lionheart.

Two armoured divisions in Germany and one infantry division from the United Kingdom took part in Exercise Lionheart. In addition, one armoured division provided exercise controllers and umpires.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether Romanian forces are integrated into the military command structure of the Warsaw pact.

Romanian forces are not integrated into the military command structure of the Warsaw pact, but in time of crisis or war it is assessed that they would not operate independently of the wishes of the Soviet Union.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce a decision on the modernisation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's short range nuclear forces.

I shall answer shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any bilateral discussions have taken place between the United States and United Kingdom Governments on the modernisation of United States tactical nuclear weapons made available to the British Army of the Rhine; and if he will make a statement.

I shall answer shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force aircraft, and of which types, will take part in the international air tattoo at Royal Air Force Fairford.

A total of 44 RAF aircraft will take part in the international air tattoo at Royal Air Force Fairford. The aircraft types are:

Buccaneer	Lancaster
Bulldog	Lightning
Canberra	Meteor
Chinook	Nimrod
Chipmunk	Pembroke
Domini	Phantom
Gazelle	Puma
Harrier	Sea King
Hawk	Spitfire
Hercules	Tornado
Hunter	Vampire
Hurricane	Victor
Jaguar	Vulcan
Jet Provost	VC10
Jetstream

Of course, not all of these are in current RAF service.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total estimated cost of the participation of the Royal Air Force in the international air tattoo at Royal Air Force Fairford.

Some £7,000 in extra costs for the established display teams: the Red Arrows, Battle of Britain memorial flight, the vintage pair, the Falcons and the RAF police dog demonstration team. This is recovered from the organisers through standard charges. Appropriate extra costs incurred for the participation of other aircraft and equipment are also recovered, but no advance estimate of these is made.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give in current and constant prices the annual expenditure on Polaris from 1963 to the latest year for which figures are available.

I shall answer shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give in current and constant prices the annual expenditure on Trident from 1980 to the latest year for which figures are available.

Annual expenditure on Trident I and II to March 1985 is as follows:

	£ million
Financial year	80–81	81–82	82–83	83–84	84–85
Current (Outturn) price	3	31	71	95	162
1984–85 prices and at £1–$1·38	5	44	89	107	162

The figure for 1984–85 financial year may be subject to minor adjustment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will indicate the proportion of Trident expenditure spent and predicted to be spent in each of the five-year terms beginning 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1995.

Broadly, the proportion of Trident expenditure spent and predicted to be spent is somewhat under 5 per cent. up to the end of the 1984–85 financial year, building up to about 40 per cent. by the end of the decade and a little over 80 per cent. by 1995. This includes expenditure on Trident I and Trident II.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence in which year the 18–year Trident programme started.

The 18–year procurement period for Trident II started in 1982, as the previous Secretary of State for Defence made clear when he announced the programme on 11 March 1982 at column 979.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the month and the year the FH–70 Howitzer entered service with the Army.

The FH–70 entered service with the Royal Artillery in December 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether Greenham and Molesworth will play any role in Brave Defender.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are his plans for the naval estate in Portsmouth; and if he will make a statement.

We have just concluded a study, known as the Portsea island naval requirements study, to reassess the most efficient way of using the naval estate on Portsea island and to the north of Portsmouth. The study was needed to develop the earlier "Slimtrain" plan, which followed Command 8288, in the light of changes in the shape, tasking and size of the Navy since then.The study has been carried out by a team of external consultants tasked by the Property Services Agency. It has proposed and costed a number of ways in which the Navy's needs could be met. We have accepted a broad strategy for the next decade or so, and intend now to proceed to discussion with local authorities, trades unions, and others, so as to refine it further. Within this strategy, a number of details remain to be worked out, and these are currently being studied, The main element of our plan is the concentration, to the greatest extent feasible, of training activities and domestic accommodation in HMS Excellent/Whale Island. We envisage that this should allow instead the eventual closure of HMS Mercury, of Phoenix and HMS Vernon as already planned, and of the major part of the Royal Marine barracks, Eastney, subject to further study and to the outcome of consultation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in view of the Government's expectation that the major structural reforms set out in the Green Paper, "Reform of Social Security", will be implemented in April 1987, any alteration to the structure of housing benefit provision will be made before this date.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement by my right hon. Friend on Tuesday 18 June at columns 169–172 which contained details of an adjustment to the rates taper above the needs allowance to be implemented this November.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the numbers of people who will lose housing benefit as a result of the changes announced on 18 June; and how many will be (a) up to £1 a week worse off, (b) up to £2 a week worse off, (c) up to £3 a week worse off and (d) more than £3 a week worse off.

Estimates of the numbers whose housing benefit will be less than it would otherwise have been because of the proposed increase in the rates taper above the needs allowance this November, offset by the real improvement in the dependants child addition to the needs allowance, are as follows:

Great Britain
	Number affected (thousands)
Under £1	1,720
Between £1–£2	230
Betwen £2–£3	20
Over £3	Less than 5,000

The average effect is estimated to be about 50 pence per week.At the same time, there will be around one third of a million people whose housing benefit will be higher by up to 40p per child per week than it would otherwise have been, as a result of the real improvement in the dependant child addition to the needs allowance.