asked the Attorney-General how many cases of medical negligence are considered by courts on average per annum; and how many cases are currently extant.

I regret that information relating to cases of medical negligence is not currently collected and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report all local authority bids made to his Department for the purposes of school maintenance over the last 12 months.

The greater part of local education authorities' maintenance expenditure is classified as recurrent. Authorities do not submit bids in respect of recurrent expenditure, but provision for expenditure on maintenance and repairs, along with all other aspects of recurrent education spending, is discussed annually with the local authority associations.Each authority is invited annually to submit to the Department details of its capital expenditure plans; capitalised maintenance expenditure may figure in these, but is not separately identifiable on the basis of the information supplied.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of (a) full-time and (b) part-time teachers in Hampshire; and what the figures were in 1979.

There were 10,312 full-time and 1,734 part-time qualified teachers employed within primary, middle and secondary schools in Hampshire in January 1985. The equivalent figures for Januray 1979 were 12,273 full-time and 1,547 part-time qualified teachers respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total number of schoolchildren in Hampshire at the last available date and in 1979, respectively.

There were 218,990 full-time and 2,159 part-time pupils in maintained primary, middle and secondary schools in Hampshire in January 1985. The equivalent figures for January 1979 were 260,074 full-time and 1,688 part-time pupils respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will list those local education authorities which have so far applied for education support grant in respect of their proposals for mid-day supervision in schools.

By 5 February applications had been received from the following local education authorities:

• Gloucestershire
• Berkshire
• Redbridge
• Bradford
• Hereford and Worcester
• Hillingdon
• Bury
• Harrow
• Newham
• Durham
• South Tyneside
• North Yorkshire
• Surrey
• Buckinghamshire
• Shropshire
• Nottinghamshire
• Ealing
• Gateshead
• Oxfordshire
• Bedfordshire
• Bolton
• Bromley
• Essex
• Sunderland
• Hampshire

asked the Lord Privy Seal what action he intends to take with regard to the implementation of the proposals made in the second report from the Committee of Privileges, Session 1984–85, regarding the premature disclosure of proceedings of Select Committees.

I understand that the procedures recommended in paragraphs 11, 12 and 13 of the report are already being followed by Select Committees. As regards the recommendation [paragraph 14(iv)] that a report by a Select Committee that a leak had caused "substantial interference" to its work should be automatically referred to the Committee of Privileges: I propose that any change in Standing Orders should be deferred until the effect of the implementation of the other recommendations made in the report can be assessed.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will publish in the Official Report a list of private members' motions, excluding prayers against statutory instruments, which have been debated in parliamentary time provided by the Government in each Session since 1960.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Lord Privy Seal (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a list of early-day motions which have been debated on the Floor of the House in parliamentary time provided by the Government in each Session since 1960, showing separately (a) prayers against statutory instruments and (b) other motions;(2) if he will publish in the

The information is not readily available. My hon. Friend may wish to discuss with the offices concerned the provision of information which would nevertheless meet his needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will state, for each industry in public ownership in 1979, the latest annual amount paid to former owners; and, in respect of any such industry which has been privatised, if there is any contribution from public funds for compensation payments to former owners.

All but an insignificant amount of compensation for the publicly owned energy industries has been paid; the remaining small payments are a matter for the industries concerned.No contributions have been made from public funds for compensation payments for those parts of the industries which have been privatised since 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will list in the Official Report those voluntary bodies and organisations assisted by his Department with grant aid in the last financial year for which figures are available, and the size of the grant so given;(2) if he will list in the

The Department made the following grants under its energy efficiency programme in 1984–85 (the last year for which figures are available):

	£
Neighbourhood Energy Action	80,905
Feasibility and training grants
Dundee Inner City Neighbourhood Energy Action	777·05
Bexhill Council for Voluntary Service	682·35
Bridgeton—Burrowfield Heating Action	833·00
Clydebank Household Insulation Programme	681·30
Aberdeen Friends of the Earth	500·00
NAG Energy Project Caernarfon	1,026·19
Cornwall Rural Community Council	2,999·65
The Boys Brigade	500·00
Greater Easterhouse Residents Committee	1,666·00
Leeds Friends of the Earth	98·55
Cambridge Friends of the Earth	104·30
Urban Centre for Appropriate Technology (Bristol)	555·80
Midlothian Council for Social Services	493·20
Carnwadric Tenants Association	833·00
Canterbury and District Enterprise Trust	1,050·00
Scottish Neighbourhood Energy Action	4,586·00
Portsmouth Housing Association	141·60
Organisation for Mutual Enterprise and Group Aid	425·00
Wyre Forest Friends of the Earth	585·00
South Nitshill Community Association	333·00
Newport Neuern Energy Group	2,400·00
National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders	4,024·32
Hull Energy Action Team	4,765·00
Dartington Institute	3,487·90
London Energy and Employment Network	16,987·25
Tynedale Energy Group	131·35
Sandwell Council for Voluntary Service	792·45
Churches Community Programme	2,362·75
Burnage Christian Council	52·00
Shelter (Scotland)	1,760·20
Energy Concern Community Programme Agency	620·00
Beth Johnson Foundation	492·80
Merseyside Council for Voluntary Service	800·00
Blairgowrie Youth Project	800·00
Nottingham Friends of the Earth	3,200·00
Jubilee Community Association (Birkenhead)	742·00
Merseyside Energy Advice Unit	193·80
Northamptonshire Social Services	78·00
Abbeyview Community Council	790·29
Heatwise Glasgow	800·00
Medway Towns "Young Employment Project"	800·00
Board for Social Responsibility (Suffolk)	1,000·00
Oldham Unemployed Workers Centre	107·20
Leominster District Community Association	891·75
Islay Council for Social Service	800·00
Tauntor Deane Council for Voluntary Service	886·55
Energy Support Unit (Sunderland)	56·75
Project Grants
NACRO (National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders)	53,350·94
Coventry Home Insulation Project	2,770·00
North Manlake Community Programme	4,928·88
Wolverhampton Friends of the Earth	2,111·00
Community Activities and Training in Ogwr	4,654·60
Age Concern	15,000·00
Birmingham Friends of the Earth	810·00
Urban Centre for Appropriate Technology	11,958·13
Brent Energy Services Team	4,986·25
Boys Brigade, Birmingham	5,000·00
Dudley Community Programme Agency	2,370·61
Cornwall Rural Community Council	14,967·00
Portsmouth Care and Repair	4,950·00

Pen Green Community Development Project	4,849·80
Scottish Neighbourhood Energy Action	43,500·00
Bexhill Council for Voluntary Service	5,000·00
Dundee Inner City Neighbourhood Energy Action Centre	4,250·00
Burnage Christian Council	5,000·00
Oldham Unemployed Workers Centre	4,991·45
Gorgie Dalry	4,652·11
Gordon Rural Action Information Network (Aberdeen)	6,799·36
Brighton and Hove Community Programme Agency	2,134·40
Sheffield Council for Voluntary Service	2,000·00
Cambridge Training Associated	3,545·00
Energy Concern	9,310·00
Community Council of Shropshire	15,500·00
Dartington Institute	4,000·00
Churches Community Centre	15,000·00
Tweeddale Association of Voluntary Service	3,944·04
Keeping Kirklees Warm	2,114·60
Rhondda Enterprise	2,550·00
North Tyneside Council for Voluntary Service	2,000·00
Shelter (Scotland)	2,500·00
Class Time, Norwich	2,000·00

These are commitment figures. Accounting procedures preclude the separate identification of payments without disproportionate expense.Although no grant was made in 1984–85 the Department has agreed to make a grant of £3,000 in each of the financial years 1985–86 to 1988–89 to the petroleum law education trust.Both the petroleum law education trust and neighbourhood energy action are registered charities, and are thus precluded from engaging in political activity. The bona fides of applicants for seedcorn grants are checked with neighbourhood energy action before grants are committed.Project grants go only to bodies engaged in projects using the Manpower Services Commission's community programme, under whose rules they are forbidden to engage in political activity. Compliance is monitored and enforced by the MSC.In addition, in 1984–85 and 1985–86 the Department has made a grant-in-aid to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority who have made a number of minor donations to voluntary bodies, the largest of which in 1984–85 was £50 to the police memorial trust.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated contribution, in million tons coal equivalent, of each alternative energy project to total energy supply; and what is each project's likely contribution in the year 2000.

At present hydro power contributes about 2 mtce per annum to total United Kingdom energy supply. In addition some heat-producing renewables have now become established as economically attractive and are beginning to make a valuable contribution.Forecasts of the contribution from the renewable technologies to United Kingdom energy supply in 2025 published in ETSU R30, copies of which are in the Libraries of both Houses, show that for the heat producing technologies, the contribution could be about 26 mtce per annum and, for the electricity producing technologies, about 2 mtce.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has yet completed his review of Crown immunity in respect of hospital kitchens; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. I have completed the review of Crown immunity of hospital kitchens in respect of the food hygiene provisions of the Food Act 1984. Inevitably much of the ground covered is the subject of the Bill introduced by my hon. Friend and I pay tribute to the effectiveness with which he has pursued this matter. His Bill is to be debated tomorrow and I think it right to indicate now the conclusions which the Government have drawn from the review and the action which will follow.The Government share the widespread concern about the state of hygiene in some hospital kitchens. This problem led to tragic consequences at the Stanley Royd hospital in August 1985 which was the subject of the recent inquiry. In responding to these problems there can be no substitute for more effective management and supervision in hospital kitchens generally. The introduction of general managers, who will be both responsible and accountable for these and other matters, will do much to secure this. But the Government have concluded that there is more that can and should be done.The Food Act 1984 and the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970 do not apply to the Crown. Nevertheless, it has for many years been Government policy that health authorities should behave as if they did. But the Government have decided that the nature of the problems displayed by recent events is such that stronger safeguards are needed to underpin management effort and above all to protect the patients. I therefore intend to introduce legislation in the present Session to remove Crown immunity from hospital catering in respect of the food hygiene regulations by making health authorities subject to the provisions of the Food Act.This legislation will be coupled with strengthened guidance to the health service on measures to ensure high food hygiene standards. The Government are determined to spare no effort to secure the highest standards of food hygiene in hospitals.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what assessments have been made by his Department of cost-effectiveness of services provided within the National Health Service since the implementation of the recommendations of the Griffiths report.

I am determined to consolidate and develop the significant improvements which have already been achieved in the cost-effectiveness of the National Health Service so that the increased resources provided by the Government are used to give the best possible service to patients. This has been one of the Government's major aims both in setting up the Griffiths inquiry and in implementing its proposals for strengthening management and making it more accountable at all levels. I endorse the inquiry team's view that line managers have a key responsibility to seek out cost improvements in all the services they manage and should be held to account for their achievement. Within the Department the NHS management board, established by my right hon. Friend on the recommendation of the inquiry team, has been developing the arrangements which already existed for health authorities to achieve a significant level of measurable cost improvement each year. Cost improvements achieved in 1984–85 amounted to over £100 million—more than 1 per cent. of health authorities' revenue allocations. The cost improvement targets proposed by authorities for 1985–86 give a total of about £150 million—more than 1½ per cent. of revenue allocations.Higher cash spending and improved efficiency resulted in very significant increases in services to patients in 1983, as the service recovered from industrial action, and 1984. For example, in-patient and day cases increased by 650,000 and out-patient attendances by nearly 1·7 million between 1982 and 1984.My right hon. Friend introduced in 1983 a programme of "Rayner-type" scrutinies which are conducted by seconded NHS officers who examine in detail a particular field where there is potential for improving efficiency. A number of scrutiny reports have now been published and regional health authorities are specifically asked to identify savings from implementing these in their cost improvement programmes.The Department introduced performance indicators for the NHS in 1983. These are an important source of information for local managers on variations between their own and comparable districts' performance in key areas which can help them identify scope for improvement. The original indicators have been revised and expanded and indicators based on 1984–85 data have now been issued to all authorities.The management board will in future be undertaking annual reviews of the performance of individual regions. The first of these reviews—which supplement arrangements already existing for reviews at Ministerial level—are about to take place. They will be used to examine key aspects of authorities' performance, including the short-term programme submitted annually by each RHA and the cost improvements it proposes. They will draw on performance indicators and other key data to help in identifying aspects of performance requiring particular scrutiny. Regional health authorities are taking up similar performance issues in their reviews of districts.The NHS management board is actively considering ways in which these monitoring and review arrangements can be further developed and strengthened, and local management supported in its task of seeking greater cost-effectiveness in all services.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) where financial savings to be made as a result of the proposal that social security recipients should pay 20 per cent. of their rates will be shown in the national accounts;(2) if the transitional protection provisions for supplementary benefit recipients in April 1988 will cover their extra expenditure in having to meet 20 per cent. of their rates bill;(3) if the transitional protection in his proposed reforms of social security covers the 20 per cent. contribution to local rates.

As the White Paper made clear in paragraphs 3.54–3.57, and as my right hon. Friend stated to the House on Second Reading of the Social Security Bill on 28 January at column 829 the proposed social security structure will have to be developed in the light of discussions on the recent Green Paper on local government finance. The transitional protection arrangements described in paragraphs 3.44 and 3.89 of the White Paper refer to weekly cash payments of supplementary benefit/ income support and FIS/family credit, not to housing benefit including rate rebates. Any reduction in rate rebates appears in the national accounts as an increase in rates payable; they are not shown as a separate item.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what, in the light of the economic assumptions contained in the latest Government expenditure plans, is the estimated percentage increase upon which the July 1986 supplementary benefit uprating will be based;(2) what, in the light of the economic assumptions contained in the latest Government expenditure plans, is the estimated percentage increase upon which the July 1986 housing benefit uprating will be based.

In recent years the uprating of the supplementary benefit scale rates has been based on the retail price index excluding housing costs, and that of the housing benefit needs allowances on the retail price index excluding housing costs plus the movement of local authority rent and rates and water rates. It is not the practice to publish forward estimates of movements in individual components of the retail price index.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will state, for each of the following categories of supplementary benefit recipients, the numbers receiving laundry additions, the average amount received by each person and the total amount paid (a) pensioners aged 60 to 79 years of age, (b) pensioners aged 80 years and over, (c) disabled pensioners, namely, those receiving benefits related to disability or continuing incapacity, aged 60 to 79 years and (d) all other non-pensioner recipients;(2) if he will state, for each of the following categories of supplementary benefit recipients, the numbers receiving diet additions, the average amount received by each person and the total amount paid

I shall let the hon. Member have replies as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons have died in the United Kingdom during each of the last 30 years as a result of infection with Virus B.

The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, in England and Wales there have been no deaths registered since 1979 with an underlying cause of death stated as Simian B disease, which is an extremely rare condition in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what are the current whereabouts of the offside rear shock absorber of the crashed three-wheel carriage driven by Mrs. B. of Rutland, (Department Reference PO(5) 4374/61); and why it was removed by representatives of his Department prior to the second visit by Mrs. B's consultant engineer to the Ministry's retained garage in December 1983;(2) what tests were carried out by representatives of his Department on the removed shock absorber of Mrs. B. of Rutland's invalid carriage prior to December 1983; why they were only instigated after the first report in May 1983 by Mrs. B's consultant engineer; what was the result of the tests; and what steps were taken to notify Mrs. B's legal advisers of the findings;(3) why no response was made by his Department's Artificial Limb and Appliance Centre at Sherwood hospital to the oral and written complaints made by Mrs. B of Rutland (Reference PO(5) 4374/61) about the condition of her three-wheeled invalid carriage in February 1982; and if he will make a statement.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many conceptions to 15-year-old girls there were in England and Wales in 1983; and how many of these conceptions ended in abortion and how many ended in births.

During 1983 there were 6,968 known conceptions to girls usually resident in England and Wales who were estimated to have been aged 15 years at the time of conception. Of these, 3,108 led to maternities with live or still births and 3,860 were terminated by abortion under the 1967 Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what areas recipients of pensions and other benefits have been offered financial inducements to change from payment through the Post Office network to payment through banks; and under what powers such offers are authorised.

I understand that no such inducements have been offered.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has on the grade at which the post of general manager of the South London blood transfusion centre has been advertised; to whom the manager will be responsible; and what medical qualifications are required.

The post of general manager of the south London blood transfusion service was advertised by the South-West Thames regional health authority as a scale 29 post; it was made clear that a clinician appointment would be made in accordance with HC(85)9. It is intended that the general manager will report to the regional general manager of the South-West Thames regional health authority. The advertisement made no mention of any specific qualifications being required.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidance he gives to regional health authorities as to the grading and qualifications appropriate for management of regional medical services; and if he will make a statement.

Most medical services are managed at district or unit level, even if designated a regional specialty. With the implementation of general management health authorities have been allowed to propose management arrangements to suit local circumstances. Health authorities are expected to make provision for appropriate professional input into management.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average waiting time for orthopaedic operations at Exeter, Barnstaple and Plymouth hospitals; and what is the average waiting time for such operations nationally.

	Number of live births registered as illegitimate				Percentage of live births registered as illegitimate
Year of birth	Scotland	England	Wales	Northern Ireland	Scotland	England	Wales	Northern Ireland
1965	5,883	63,583	2,666	995	5·8	7·8	5·8	2·9
1966	6,160	64,217	2,839	1,028	6·4	8·0	6·3	3·1
1967	6,663	66,927	3,001	1,205	6·9	8·5	6·9	3·6
1968	6,998	66,652	3,154	1,245	7·4	8·6	7·1	3·8
1969	6,733	64,058	2,983	1,210	7·5	8·5	6·9	3·7
1970	6,712	61,879	2,865	1,214	7·7	8·3	6·7	3·8
1971	7,029	62,610	3,068	1,207	8·1	8·5	7·1	3·8
1972	6,661	59,279	3,066	1,263	8·5	8·7	7·7	4·2
1973	6,520	55,089	2,871	1,195	8·8	8·6	7·6	4·1
1974	6,349	53,334	2,990	1,296	9·1	8·8	8·3	4·8
1975	6,314	51,907	2,838	1,338	9·3	9·1	8·4	5·1
1976	6,025	50,826	2,868	1,330	9·3	9·2	8·6	5·0
1977	5,968	52,478	2,821	1,383	9·6	9·8	8·9	5·4
1978	6,304	57,583	2,992	1,523	9·8	10·2	9·0	5·8
1979	6,960	66,056	3,344	1,668	10·2	11·0	9·2	5·9
1980	7,678	73,413	3,896	1,751	11·1	11·9	10·4	6·1
1981	8,447	76,916	4,022	1,902	12·2	12·9	11·2	7·0
1982	9,395	85,188	4,614	2,112	14·2	14·4	12·9	7·8
1983	9,581	94,022	5,145	2,383	14·7	15·8	14·5	8·7
1984	10,640	104,404	6,026	2,802	16·3	17·4	16·8	10·1

I am sorry I cannot give my hon. Friend all the information he seeks. Information on waiting time for admission to individual hospitals is not available centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to write to the chairman of the Souh-Western regional health authority who may be able to provide details of local activity. The estimated median interval between the date a patient was put on the waiting list and the date of admission to a National Health Service hospital in England for the specialty of trauma and orthopaedics in 1983, the latest year for which information is available centrally, was 13 weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average national figure for cases of lymphatic cancer and leukaemia among people under 25 years of age, expressed (a) in total and (b) as a rate of incidence.

The average annual numbers of registrations of newly diagnosed cases of (i) Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (lymphatic cancer), International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9th revision 200–202 and (ii) Leukaemia, ICD (9) 204–208, for persons aged under 25 years of age for the period 1980–82 for England and Wales are 466 and 477 respectively, and these represent corresponding rates per 100,000 population of 2·60 and 2·66.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the numbers of children born to unmarried mothers in each year since 1965 in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland, expressed (i) in figures and (ii) as a percentage of all live births.

The available statistics for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland relate to births which were registered as illegitimate and are as follows.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the percentage cumulative growth of National Health Service expenditure each year since 1979 (a) in retail price index terms, (b) in terms of National Health Service pay and prices and (c) after taking account of the annually growing demand for health services; if he will give actual expenditure figures each year both in current and constant price terms in accordance with each of these three criteria; and if he will state the level of planned expenditure savings each year, both in current and constant price terms, together with the evidence on which these expenditure savings claims are based.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in the Government Actuary's report to the Social Security Bill 1986, Cmnd.9711, in table 5, page 14, what would be the estimated joint rates of contributions for each of the years stated if the assumptions included: (a) forecast growth of the economy of three per cent. per year, (b) growth in real earnings of three per cent. per year or (c) both these assumptions, whilst other assumptions in each case remained the same.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the annual cost of providing (a) unemployment benefit, (b) sickness and invalidity benefit, (c) retirement pensions and (d) widows' benefit at a level equivalent to the current adult supplementary benefit scale rate, excluding housing costs, for all adults currently claiming these benefits whose income is below the supplementary benefit scale rate level but who are not currently claiming supplementary benefit; how many individuals are involved in each case; and what would be the annual cost in respect of unemployment benefit if unemployment fell to, respectively, 3, 2½, 2, 1½ and 1 million.

The information is not available to provide detailed costings, and even the production of illustrative figures would take substantial time and be disproportionately costly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what statistics are available to him as to the national incidence of venereal diseases amongst persons aged between 15 and 20 years of age; and what trend they show;(2) what is the current trend of the nationwide incidence of venereal diseases.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, pursuant to the answer of 3 February, regarding disregard on war pensions, he will list those branches of the Royal British Legion which can readily be identified as having made representations on the subject; and if he will make a statement.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report his Department's guidelines for the size of maternity units in teaching hospitals in terms of the number of live births each year.

The Department has not issued such guidance. It is for health authorities to determine the size of maternity units needed to meet local demand. In doing so, factors such as the anticipated number of births, and the number of mothers and babies likely to require specialist care and facilities, will be taken into account.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the number of live births in each maternity unit in 1983, 1984 and 1985, respectively, indicating which of those units are located in teaching hospitals.

I shall let the hon. Member have such information as can be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number and rate per 1,000 claimants of people who received single payments (a) nationally, (b) in each social security region, and (c) in each standard economic planning region for each year 1979 and to the latest available date in 1985 with the average payment and what proportion were (i) pensioners, (ii) families with children.

[pursuant to his rely, 19 December 1985, c. 321–22]: It is not possible to provide the precise information requested since data are available only for social security regions and nationally. The following table sets out the available information for the calendar years 1979–1985. Normally the data collected are not analysed by reference to families with children, but a special analysis of the data in the 1983 annual statistical inquiry showed that of families with children one-third had received a single payment in the previous 12 months.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, pursuant to his reply on 17 January, Official Report, column 746, he will publish a similar table showing the total weekly pensions assuming no change in the state earnings-related pension scheme, annual increases in the basic pension in line with average earnings, and that earnings increase in real terms by 1½ per cent. a year.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1986, c. 197–8]: The following table gives the information

Age in 1988 and earnings levels	Table number in the Technical Annex to the White Paper
	P1	P2	P3	P4	P5	P6
16 Low earner	128	128	99	99	*	*
Middle earner	171	171	119	119	*	*
High earner	206	206	149	149	*	*
20 Low earner	121	121	93	93	133	133
Middle earner	161	161	112	112	180	180
High earner	194	194	140	140	180	180
30 Low earner	104	104	81	78	115	112
Middle earner	139	139	97	93	155	155
High earner	167	167	121	115	155	155
40 Low earner	90	90	67	65	93	89
Middle earner	120	120	82	76	134	134
High earner	144	144	103	93	134	134

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the practice of abandonment of horses, ponies and donkeys on wasteland.

Since the beginning of 1985 the Government have received 27 letters on this subject from hon. and right hon. Members and 14 from members of the public.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report those voluntary bodies and organisations assisted by his Department with grant aid in the last financial year for which figures are available, and the size of the grant so given.

The Home Office made the following grants to voluntary organisations in the financial year 1984–85.

	£
Grants administered by the voluntary service unit
Action Resource Centre	27,000
Association of Researchers in Voluntary Action & Community Involvement	10,300
Barton, Oxford Community Computer Project	7,500
Birmingham Settlement	22,300
British Association for Counselling	4,500
British Association of Settlements & Social Action Centres	26,500
British Council of Churches (Community Work Resource Unit)	19,700
CETU	25,500
Church Army (Inner Cities Unit)	15,000
Community Projects Foundation	851,000
Community Service Volunteers	521,000
Community Transport	37,400
COPE	4,900
Councils for Voluntary Service—National Association	7,000
Councils for Voluntary Service—NCVO Consultancy Project	2,765
Coventry Voluntary Services Council (Media Project)	6,625
Drake Fellowship	15,000
Federation of Community Work Training Groups	22,850
Festival Welfare Services	21,000
Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments	25,000
Gamblers Anonymous—General Services Board	1,000
Hammersmith & Fulham Race RElations Project	22,000
Horticultural Therapy—Land use Volunteers	6,000
International Voluntary Service	19,000
Kent Volunteer Bureau	22,000
Leicestershire Race Awareness Consortium	22,200
Local Authorities Race Relations Information Exchange	845
Manchester Council for Voluntary Service	7,475
Merseyside Council for Voluntary Service	15,000
Midlands Group of Volunteer Organisers	23,880
National Association of Young People's Counselling & Advisory Services	26,200
National Council for Voluntary Organisations (Grant-in-Aid)	830,000
National Council for Voluntary Organisations (Management Development Unit)	2,250
National Council for the Welfare of Prisoners Abroad	12,000
National Federation of City Farms	26,500
National Federation of Community Organisations	89,500
Northern Association for Community Care (Bendrigg Lodge)	35,000

	£
Pensioners Link (formerly Task Force)	93,000
Princedale Trust (for Release)	70,000
Retired Executives Action Clearing House	18,025
Sefton Community Resource Action Project	7,000
Standing Conference of Women's Organisations	3,250
Stonebridge (Harlesden) Bus Garage Project	20,000
Student Community Action Development Unit	23,900
Time for God	9,900
Turning Point (Lewisham)	8,000
United Funds	9,750
Volonteurope	1,875
Volunteer Centre	625,000
Warrington Workshop for Voluntary Action	10,700
West End Coordinated Voluntary Services	111,750
Women's Royal Voluntary Service (Grant-in-Aid)	4,380,000
Young Volunteer Resource unit of the National Youth Bureau	116,800
Grants for the development of local voluntary action scheme
Special programme
Hull Community Resources Development Project	19,100
North East Training for Community Work	25,910
Newham Parents Community Resource Programme	6,308
Salford Community Involvement Project	13,975
Social Care Assembly for Normanton, West Yorkshire	14,400
Training for Voluntary Organisations (Southampton)	13,500
Waveney Project (Suffolk)	11,250
Wiltshire Information Resource Exchange	18,800
Small Grants Scheme
County Durham	9,270
Wrekin District	10,000
Charity Reviews
Lancashire	17,600
Norfolk	8,896
Grants for Refugees
Vietnamese Programme	265,000
British Refugee Council	400,152
Ockenden Venture	64,626
Grants (or grants-in-aid) to other bodies
International Social Service of Great Britain	118,982
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents	10,500
Grants administered by immigration and nationality department
United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service	801,000
Grants administered by prison department
Community Service Voluteers	96,030
Grants administered by criminal department
Anchor Club, Leicester	8,750
Apex Trust	60,000
Birmingham Prisoners Visitors Centre	3,700
Bristol Prisoners Visitors Centre	1,191
Brixton Prisoners Visitors Centre	4,160
Burnbake Trust	12,275
Catholic Marriage Advisory Council (grant-in-aid)	108,890
Circle Trust	36,400
Crypt Association, Wolverhampton	5,152
City Roads (Crisis Intervention) Ltd.	23,560
Dartmoor Accommodation Scheme	6,297
Family Welfare Association (grant-in-aid)	16,750
HACRO Crisis and Support Centre	5,150
Hampshire Care Trust	780
Hull Prison Visitors Centre	1,300
Institute of Marital Studies (grant-in-aid)	265,900
Jewish Marriage Education Council (grant-in-aid)	6,000

	£
Leeds Prisoners Visitors Centre	1,250
Lewes Prisoners Visitors Centre	115
Lifeline, Manchester	13,813
National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (grant-in-aid)	583,985
National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders—Education Advisory Service	24,850
National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders—Education Development Officer	24,250
National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders—Training Grant	115,492
National Association of Victims Support Scheme	50,000
National Association of Voluntary Hostels	37,568
National Marriage Guidance Council (grant-in-aid)	827,460
New Bridge	16,480
North East London St. Leonards Society	1,526
North Eastern Prison After-Care Society	832
Preston and District Lodgings Scheme	2,288
Prisoners Wives and Families Society	3,850
Prisoners Wives Service	6,910
St. Giles Day Centre	4,472
Society of Voluntary Associates (SOVA)	38,899
Special Needs Housing Advisory Service	5,200
South Yorkshire DACRO	3,620
Trinity Wet-shelter, Birmingham	17,200
York ACRO	14,309

Criminal Department also made grants for some 350 hostels and similar accommodation schemes, administered by voluntary organisations in which places are provided for offenders; and one-off grants to voluntary organisations providing day facilities and other services. In 1984–85 these grants totalled £4,481,577.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report the governmental agencies to which his Department gives grant aid which in turn provide financial support for voluntary bodies and organisations, and the size of the grant so given in the last financial year for which figures are available.

The agencies concerned are the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission. In 1984–the CRE made grants to voluntary bodies of £3·828 million and the EOC made grants to voluntary bodies of £56,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will outline the steps which his Department takes to ensure that grant aid given to voluntary bodies and organisations, whether directly or indirectly, is not used for political purposes.

It is the clearly stated policy of the Home Office, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission that grants cannot be given to voluntary bodies and organisations for political purposes. Grants are monitored to confirm that money is spent for the purposes for which it is made available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis which lists for each year since 1980 all reward payments above £5,000; and whether any individual in this category has received more than one reward payment.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that no reward payment of more than £5,000 has been made by the Metropolitan police from public funds in any year since 1980. On occasion, in order to maintain the confidentiality of informants, the Metropolitan police also facilitate the payment of rewards offered by private institutions such as insurance companies, banks, etc. It is not the practice of the Metropolitan police to release details of any reward payments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been paid out in each of the past five years by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to someone subsequently found guilty of a criminal offence.

This information is not available; but in considering whether to make an award and, if so, of what amount, the board takes account of the applicant's character and way of life, and of his conduct before, during or after the events giving rise to the claims.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been paid out by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in each of the past five years.

The informaton requested is supplied in he table:

Year	Compensation paid
	£
1980–81	21,462,464
1981–82	21,976,696
1982–83	29,444,675
1983–84	32,820,772
1984–85	35,293,451

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been paid out to injured police officers by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in each of the past five years.

Information about the amount of compensation paid to police officers (as distinct from the number of cases in which awards were made to them) in respect of injuries incurred in the course of their duties is available, following a special monitoring exercise, only for four months from 4 June to 3 October 1984. During that period a total of about £568,000 was paid in compensation to 484 police officers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions and on what dates in November 1985 (a) Martina Anderson, and (b) Ella O'Dwyer were subjected to strip searches in Brixton prison.

My noble Friend is writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to bring Her Majesty's prison department establishments under the public health regulations; and if he will make a statement.

No. The primary responsibility for supervising hygiene standards in prison service establishments rests with the medical officers based at each establishment, who may call on the advice of environmental health officers as required. We see no need to alter these arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report the applications he has received from police authorities in England for additional manpower in respect of 1986–87 and the increases in establishment which he has approved to date.

I refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to questions by my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Bruinvels) on 13 January 1986 at column 456, and by my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) and my hon. and learned Friend for Leicester, South (Mr. Spencer) on 23 January 1986 at column 272, for information about the applications received from police authorities for increases in their police establishments for the financial year 1985–86 or later, and the seven police authorities which have recently been informed that the Home Secretary is prepared to approve additional posts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is the practice of the prison service to disclose in response to inquiries from third parties whether a named individual is serving a prison sentence and the prison at which the sentence is being served.

Information about individual inmates is not normally given to third parties without the consent of the inmate concerned. If my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind, perhaps he would let me have details and I will look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of false birth certificates produced by applicants for passports for the most recent period of 12 months for which figures are available.

175 cases were detected in the 11 months from March 1985 to January 1986, the fullest period for which information is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations about

Appeals against refusal of leave to enter at ports of entry allowed and dismissed, 1981–1985
	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
Adjudicators
Appeals allowed	65	60	44	72	65
Appeals dismissed	987	659	553	608	616
Total determined	1,052	719	597	680	681
Tribunal

The available information concerns the number of passengers on whose behalf hon. and right hon. Members have made representations against a decision to refuse entry, and is shown in the table:

	Numbers
1983	2,518
1984	3,532
1985	5,694

Comparable figures are not available for earlier years, but the number of representations in this category were running at about 1,000 a year from 1980 to 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which new applications for funding of posts in Leeds under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966, made between April and October 1985, were allowed and which were not.

The posts for which funding was agreed in this period were:

• 2 Community Development Officers
• 1 Employment Liaison Officer
• 1 Environmental Health Education Officer
• 4 Equal Opportunity Training Officers
• 1 Monitoring Assistant and 1 Clerical Assistant (for the Council's Employment Policy)
• 1 Neighbourhood Social Worker
• 2 Peripatetic Music Teachers
• 4 Social Welfare Officers
• The posts for which funding was refused were:
• 1 Co-ordinator and 1 Warden for a housing association
• 1 Social Worker
• 1 Officer-in-charge and Nursery Officer for a community nursery
• 1 Assistant Cook and 6 Supervisory Assistants

In addition, an application made in respect of one post in October 1985 has not yet been determined.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide detailed figures for the past five years for the number of immigration appeals against the refusal for leave to enter which was successful under the Immigration Act 1971; and if he will make a statement.

Information provided by the Immigration Appeals Secretariat on appeals against the refusal of leave to enter at ports of entry is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charges have been brought following illegal dogfighting in the north-west; in how many of those cases the accused was convicted; and what was the average custodial sentence in such cases.

Persons proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced in Magistrates' Courts for offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911
England and Wales					Number of defendants
Year	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Committed for sentence	Detention centre	Unsuspended imprisonment
1977	640	557	1	11	8
1978	704	605	1	7	3
1979	669	598	—	3	7
1980	809	719	—	—	11
1981	833	719	—	1	10
1982	820	728	—	2	6
1983	839	747	—	4	10
1984	875	764	—	1	10

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of racial harassment have been recorded in each police district in the Metropolitan police area by year since 1983.

The term "racial harassment" has no standard definition and no figures are available for it. I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the information on recorded racial incidents by police district is as given in the following table. The changes may reflect changes in the extent of recording rather than changes in the numbers of incidents occurring.

Racial incidents recorded in the Metropolitan Police District by district
District	1983	1984	1985
A, C and D Westminster	11	16	16
B Kensington	2	8	5
E Camden	38	48	62
F Hanunersmith	13	13	11
G Hackney	31	29	37
H Tower Hamlets	234	414	277
I West Drayton, Staines, Heathrow	4	3	0

Information collected centrally does not distinguish offences relating to dog fights from other offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911.

District	1983	1984	1985
J Waltham Forest, Redbridge etc.	53	41	135
K Havering, Barking, Newham	132	181	271
L Lambeth	34	33	73
M Southwark	28	29	49
N Islington	31	60	57
P Lewisham, Bromley	32	30	34
Q Brent, Harrow, Bushey	67	121	178
R Greenwich, Bexley	116	102	128
S Barnet etc.	56	45	52
T Richmond, Hounslow, Sunbury	86	72	90
V Kingston, Merton, Esher	62	39	78
W Wandsworth	74	60	67
X Ealing, Hillingdon	74	73	130
Y Haringey, Enfield etc.	39	45	80
Z Croydon, Sutton etc.	59	53	107
Total MPD	1,276	1,515	1,937

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of reported racial incidents in the Metropolitan police area for each year since 1983, by type of incident, the number of arrests and the number of subsequent convictions.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the available information is as given in the following table. Information on convictions following racial incidents is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give a breakdown by rank of those members of the following Metropolitan police specialist squads: central drugs squad, anti-terrorist branch, City police fraud branch, royalty and diplomatic protection department, serious crimes branch, central robbery squad, regional crime squad, criminal intelligence department, special branch, central information unit, national drugs intelligence unit and national identification branch.

The information asked for in respect of the central information unit, the national drugs intelligence unit and the national identification bureau is given in the attached table. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis considers that to give similar information about the other squads and units listed might compromise their operational effectiveness.

Metropolitan police—breakdown by rank of certain specialist squads and units as at 4 November 1985
	A8 (Central Information Unit)	National Drugs Intelligence Unit*	National Identification Bureau
Commander
Uniform	—	—	—
CID	—	—	1
Chief
Superintendent
Uniform	—	—	—
CID	—	1	1
Superintendent
Uniform	1	—	—
CID	—	(1)	2
Chief Inspector
Uniform	—	—	—
CID	—	3	4
Inspector
Uniform	—	—	—
CID	1	3(5)	12
Sergeant
Uniform	2	—	—
CID	—	4(7)	15

	A8 (central Information Unit)	National Drugs Intelligence Unit*	National Identification Bureau
Constable
Uniform	2	—	—
CID	—	2	59
Total
Uniform	5	—	—
CID	1	13 (13)	94

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report his reasons for the oversight of community radio, particularly in respect of political balance, for the two-year experimental period; and if he will make a statement.

Community radio is being established on an experimental basis, and we shall therefore want to undertake research into its output and impact with a view to taking informed decisions about its future. In addition, as the experimental stations will broadcast under licences issued by the Department, the question of their adherence to the conditions of their licences will be my right hon. Friend's responsibility. However, as the published guidance notes for prospective licensees make clear, there will be no obligation on them to balance programmes expressing political points of view.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the review of Crown immunity in respect of hospital kitchens in Scotland has been completed; and if he will make a statement.