asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement setting out Her Majesty's Government's assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of the current nuclear power provision; and if he intends to expand the provision of nuclear power.

A total of 20 per cent. of the electricity available from the United Kingdom public supply system was generated by nuclear power in 1985. Our nuclear power stations have proved themselves as reliable base load generating capacity. The security of supply which they have provided has been in contrast to the disruptions in the supply of other fuels in recent years.Many of our nuclear stations have been in service for more than 20 years and on current estimates are expected to reach the end of their useful lives in the 1990s. The Government believe that it is prudent, in the face of uncertainties over supplies and prices of energy, for the country to have available a range of supply options. Nuclear power stations have the potential to produce electricity more cheaply than other fuels provided they can be built to time and cost. The Government therefore see an important and necessary role for nuclear power in the years ahead. The proportion of electricity generated is expected to rise to about 25 per cent. by the turn of the decade. The contribution for new nuclear capacity will depend on decisions yet to be taken, including that on Sizewell B.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many industrial sites in the United Kingdom have a consumption of 100 million units of electricity.

I am informed that at present there are 70 industrial sites supplied by the electricity supply industry in England and Wales whose consumption exceeds 100 million kWh per annum. No account has been taken of any privately generated electricity. The situation in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will state the dates on which the operational lives of Wylfa and Trawsfynydd nuclear power stations have been extended and for what reasons; what is the present assessment of the end of their operational lives; and if he will make a statement;(2) what changes in safety criteria have accompanied each of the extensions of the operational lives of the Wylfa and Trawsfynydd nuclear power stations; and if he will make a statement.

The Central Electricity Generating Board is responsible under statute, subject to compliance with the terms of the licence from the nuclear installations inspectorate, for determining the safe operating life of these stations. I have asked the chairman to write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is the value of nuclear reprocessing business carried out by BNFL for each of the past five years;(2) what is the value of nuclear reprocessing carried out for export for each of the past five years;(3) for which countries, and for what value, nuclear reprocessing has been carried out by British Nuclear Fuels Limited for each of the past five years.

BNFL's income from reprocessing both in total and under its exports contracts was as follows:

	£ million
	Total	Exports
1981	190	80
1982	270	130
1983	260	120
1984	320	140
1985	450	210

These sums include transport costs, met by customers, and advance payments for future reprocessing.BNFL has contracts with customers in the following countries:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his Department's funding for Neighbourhood Energy Action in the current financial year; and what is the proposed grant for 1987–88.

My Department has made grants to Neighbourhood Energy Action for 1985–86 totalling £185,764. The level of grant for 1986–87 is now under consideration. Funding for subsequent years will be considered in the light of the development of insulation projects.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress his Department is making towards an agreed national programme with the Manpower Services commission for the expansion of Neighbourhood Energy Action projects to insulate the homes of low-income families; and if he will make a statement.

My Department's energy efficiency office has agreed with the Manpower Services Commission an initiative within the community programme to promote the expansion of insulation projects. A promotional leaflet, describing the initiative, jointly prepared by the energy efficiency office, the Manpower Services Commission and Neighbourhood Energy Action, is being distributed through local Manpower Services Commission offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is satisfied with the contribution made by Neighbourhood Energy Action in insulating homes of low-income families; how many local schemes have to date been established; how many are planned for 1986–87; and what is the estimated number of homes that have been insulated under these schemes.

Yes. I recently launched the 222nd insulation project in the programme co-ordinated by Neighbourhood Energy Action. My Department has now issued a total of 460 seedcorn grants for project preparation, and 268 grants for project start-up. I would expect that around 400 projects will be operating by the end of 1986–87. To date, over 130,000 homes have been insulated by the projects.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Greater London council night-time and weekend lorry ban order, which exempts trunk roads, has been drafted to apply equally to all London trunk roads after 1 April.

I am advised that the effect of the GLC's order as drafted is the same for all trunk roads, exempting them from the ban, irrespective of the date on which they become trunk roads.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information is available to his Department on the effect on lorry traffic on the roads in London for which he will be responsible from 1 April of the Greater London council lorry ban introduced on 31 January; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the GLC has so far issued some 20,000 exemption permits allowing lorries to travel to destinations anywhere in London during the hours of the ban, and that no application for a permit has been refused. Before the ban came into operation, the M25 has already reduced lorry mileage in London by over 20 per cent., bringing daytime as well as night time benefits. Heavy lorries coming into London at night on the Archway road dropped by over 50 per cent. to 189 after the north-east section of the M25 was opened.Some other roads for which the Department will assume responsibility are not heavily used by lorries at night. To illustrate, counts in October 1985 showed only two to three dozen heavy goods vehicles using the south circular between midnight and 6 am.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the report of the inspector who conducted the inquiry into the A605 Higham Ferrers to Thrapston road.

The A605 Higham Ferrers—Thrapston Improvement is a principal road scheme for which Northamptonshire county council is the highway authority. A public inquiry into the orders for the scheme was held on 2 to 10 July 1985. The inspector's report was received by the Secretary of State for Transport on 8 October 1985. It is hoped that a decision whether or not to confirm the orders will be made by early April.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will specify the precise nature of the repairs in the internal structure of Boeing 747 aircraft currently being carried out as a result of the discovery of cracks.

The Civil Aviation Authority has informed me that all the cracks found in the course of the inspections required for Boeing 747 aircraft are in the fuselage frames. Repair schemes follow normal practice for structural repairs on aircraft and are designed according to standard procedures, but Boeing advice is sought if required. The precise nature of the repairs will depend upon the position and size of the crack. They may take the form of a "doubler" patch riveted over the crack or, in some cases, the cracked segment of the frame may be removed and a new segment spliced into place. The work is monitored by engineers of the Civil Aviation Authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the M25 motorway is illuminated; and what further lighting schemes are planned.

Nearly 42 per cent. is currently lit. Lighting is planned to be provided for junctions numbered 3, 6, 11, 21, 21A and the remainder of junction number 23. The need for further lighting will be kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to light all the access and egress roads to the M25 for which he has responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

There are plans to light junctions numbered 3, 6, 11, 15, 21, 21A and the remainder of junction number 23. There are no current proposals to light any other roads in the immediate vicinity of the M25 for which the Department is responsible. The need for further lighting will be kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport in what ways he proposes to amend the Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1983; and if he will make a statement.

The existing regulations specify the circumstances in which road humps may be constructed, the nature, dimensions, location and spacing of the humps, and requirements as to the placement of traffic signs. We are still considering detailed changes to those provisions in preparation for consultation with representative organisations. I shall arrange for the hon. Member to receive a copy of the consultation document in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the objectives of his Department's policies for the rest of this Parliament.

My Department's principal objectives for Education are to improve standards throughout the education service and to use more effectively the substantial resources available. In schools the aim is to pursue the objectives set out in the White Paper "Better Schools" (Cmnd. 9469). In particular I shall continue, in consultation with those concerned in the education service and outside it, to seek greater clarity about the objectives and content of the curriculum with a view to promoting understanding and skills as well as knowledge, strengthening the practical and technical elements of the curriculum, and fostering the application of what is learnt to real problems and situations; to reform the examinations system and improve assessment in particular through the introduction of the GCSE; to improve the quality of teaching, with more rigorous and applied teacher training (including in-service training) and through the appraisal of teacher performance, more effective selection of teachers, and the reform of the teachers' pay structure and conditions of service; and to reform the management of schools to give parents more responsibility and influence. After the enactment of the Education Bill now before Parliament, I intend to make a start with the implementation of its provisions for school government and in-service training of teachers.In the youth service field the objective is to develop policies for meeting the widely varying needs of young people through the work of the recently established National Advisory Council for the youth service and in other ways. In non-advanced further education, the aim remains to increase the responsiveness of the service to the needs of employers while providing a sound education for young people and encouraging improved use of resources. In the short term key objectives will be to assess and take appropriate action on the current review of vocational qualifications and to complete a joint study with the local authority associations on efficiency.We are aiming to raise quality and standards in higher education and, while preserving the full breadth of higher education provision, to make it more responsive to the needs of the economy. We intend to maintain the availability of opportunity to study in higher education for those able to benefit, and to pursue value for money, including a more selective approach to the funding of research.In science, the Department's aim is to maintain and enhance the strength and quality of the science base in higher education and the research councils. Consonant with this, the objectives are: to encourage greater concentration and selectivity of research activities; closer and better working with industry and commerce; more funding from private sector sources; better management yielding greater value for money; increased flexibility enabling faster response to new scientific opportunities; to keep under review the balance between international and national scientific endeavours; and thereby to strengthen the knowledge and skills of the United Kingdom in science and technology, and improve the efficiency, competitiveness and innovative capacity of the United Kingdom economy.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what studies his Department has conducted into the possible roles of advanced computer technology in higher education.

Two major studies have been undertaken on the potential for the use of advanced computer technology in higher education. A working party on future facilities for advanced research computing considered the likely needs for advanced research computing and the various options open to the university and research council community for acquiring, operating and providing access to the necessary services. The working party was chaired by Professor A. J. Forty of the university of Warwick and reported to the Advisory Board for the Research Councils, the Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils, and the University Grants Committee.A second working party, under the chairmanship of Miss D. A. Nelson, then director of the computer centre at Hatfield polytechnic, considered the type and level of computing facilities that should be provided for teaching in universities and the services that should be provided by computing centres to support teaching facilities. It reported to the Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to seek to ensure that British universities are able to gather the resources to finance projects to explore the potential uses of advanced computer technology in the university curriculum; what study he has made in this context of project Athena at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and if he will make a statement.

Project Athena is one of a number of overseas university activities that have been taken into account in formulating programmes to develop the use of advanced computer technology for teaching in United Kingdom universities. An important aspect of the project is the use of student work stations, connected by a local area network covering the campus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to enhance traditional teaching methods across a wide range of subjects. This is also the aim of a series of "pump-priming" teaching projects supported through the University Grants Committee and the Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils. Over 100 of these pilot projects are now in operation at a total cost of £7.5 million, including special funding of £1·5 million made available by my right hon. Friend.Another important objective of project Athena is to design systems that will allow computers built by different manufacturers to communicate freely. This activity is paralleled in the United Kingdom by the support of a Joint Academic Network (JANET) which enables computer systems at university, polytechnic and Research Council sites to talk to each other regardless of machine type or geographical location. This allows the cost-effective sharing of expensive resources. The Department, on the advice of the Computer Board, provides capital and recurrent support totalling £3 million a year for the operation of JANET. In addition my right hon. Friend has made available special funding of £5 million over three years to enhance the scope and speed of the network.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list for the last 30 years the number of students undertaking teacher training courses; and if he will detail the number and proportion in each year of students in church training colleges.

The available information is shown in the table. Enrolment figures before 1978 do not identify students in church colleges separately.

Students on ITT Courses in the United Kingdom (Universities* and Public Sector† Establishments)
	Total Students	Students in Church Training Colleges	Church Colleges as Percentage of Total
	(000s)	(000s)
1955	33·1	‡	‡
1956	34·0	‡	‡
1957	35·6	‡	‡
1958	37·8	‡	‡
1959	40·9	‡	‡
1960	43·3	‡	‡
1961	44·7	‡	‡
1962	58·7	‡	‡
1963	66·5	‡	‡
1964	75·7	‡	‡
1965	87·2	‡	‡
1966	100·3	‡	‡
1967	113·1	‡	‡
1968	123·4	‡	‡
1969	127·5	‡	‡
1970	130·7	‡	‡
1971	134·7	‡	‡
1972	136·2	‡	‡
1973	133·5	‡	‡
1974	126·0	‡	‡
1975	119·2	‡	‡
1976	101·2	‡	‡
1977	76·7	‡	‡
1978	57·9	12·7	21·9
1979	48·6	10·3	21·2
1980	42·8	8·5	19·9
1981	40·6	8·1	20·2
1982	37·5	7·8	20·8
1983	37·7	7·7	20·4

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the costs per pupil of sixth form education in each local education authority in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

It is not possible to identify separately the costs of sixth form education in each local education authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to how many A-level passes were achieved in independent schools in 1985; what percentage this was of the total number of such passes; and if he will make a statement.

The numbers of A-level passes attained by English school leavers^* from maintained and independent schools in 1983–84 were:

	Number	Percentage
	(000s)
Independent schools	81·0	24·3
Maintained schools	252·6	75·7
All schools	333·6	100·0

A further 50,200 A-level passes were achieved in 1983–84 by young people at FE establishments

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to the number of schools in Hampshire built before 1914.

Information on the number of schools in Hampshire built before 1914 is not held by my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his meeting with representatives of the Save British Science Campaign on Monday 17 February.

My right hon. Friend and I met Professor Lamb, Dr. Mulvey and Dr. Leggett representing the Save British Science Campaign on 17 February. My right hon. Friend welcomed the emergence of Save British Science as a voice of the scientific community. There was agreement about the desirability of some increase in support for science both from public funds and from industry, but my right hon. Friend pointed out that a convincing case needed to be made in terms of economic benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, when he meets the Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister in London, he will raise with him cases concerning political prisoners in Syria held without charge or trial.

My right hon. and learned Friend will have very much in mind when he sees Mr. Shara' the strong feelings in this country about human rights issues, including human rights in Syria, but he does not intend to raise specific cases unless there is a particular reason to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of any correspondence between his Department and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics regarding the case of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg, together with replies received; and if he will make a statement.

We have no record of any correspondence between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Soviet authorities on the case of Raoul Wallenberg. This matter has, however, been raised directly with Soviet Ministers on a number of occasions. Regrettably, the Soviet side has had nothing to add to its position as stated in its note handed to the Swedish ambassador in Moscow in 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration was given to the potential impact on United Kingdom trade with Arab countries when Her Majesty's Government decided not to co-operate in Arab boycott documentation; and if he will make a statement.

The authentication service was little used and we considered that its withdrawal was unlikely to impair trade with Arab countries, to which we continue to attach great importance.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the Soviet Jews refused permission to emigrate from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on whose behalf Her Majesty's Government have made representations to the Government to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and what were the dates on which such representations were (a) made and (b) replied to.

The following Soviet Jewish cases were raised during 1985 with the Soviet authorities at ministerial or official level:

• Anatoly Shcharansky—May, July, August
• Alexandr Kholmiansky—February, May
• Roald Zelichenok—July, August
• Iosif Begun—May
• Ida Nudel—May

All five individuals have applied for, and been refused, permission to emigrate to Israel. They were also the victims of other serious forms of deprivation of liberty and harassment. In all cases, our representations were met either with no response, or with the answer that these cases had been dealt with in accordance with Soviet law. The cases of a few Soviet Jews having family links with the United Kingdom and seeking to come here have also been raised among bilateral personal cases. In the interests of those concerned, however, we do not normally make details of these public.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had about the effect on Wales of the recent discharges of radioactive waste from Sellafield; and if he will make a statement.

As my hon. Friend the Minister for Environment, Countryside and Local Government assured the House on 19 February, the Welsh Office is in close liaison with the DOE and the MAFF, and with other bodies, in discussions about the environmental aspects of radioactive waste discharges, including those from Sellafield. In addition, the Welsh Office has an assessor on the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee and on the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a summary of the tenders notified for the repair of former council houses in Wales under the Housing Defects Act showing (a) location, (b) type of design, (c) total cost, (d) planning and building regulation fees, (e) design costs, (f)supervision costs, (g) value added tax and (h) net cost for works;(2) if he will publish in the

This information is not collected by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what have been the statistical projections for Wales used by his Department between 1979 and now concerning changes in (a) the total number of economically active people, (b) the number of employees in employment and (c) the number of self-employed persons, showing if possible the changes in these projections at approximately 12-monthly intervals.

Of the three sectors mentioned, statistical projections are used by the Welsh Office in relation to the economically active. Projections of this group are prepared by the Department of Employment and appeared in the following editions of the

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by district council area the location of Woolaway type homes eligible for refurbishment under the Housing Defects Act.

According to information provided by district councils, there are Woolaway houses in the private sector, which originated in the public sector, in the following districts: Cardiff; Cynon Valley; Islwyn; Ogwr; Rhymney Valley; Taff Ely; and Vale of Glamorgan.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what information he has as to why no Woolaway homes in the private sector have been refurbished;(2) what information he has as to the costs likely to be incurred by Woolaway home owners for the refurbishment of their homes; and if he will make a statement;

One of the conditions for owners receiving assistance by way of reinstatement grant under the Housing Defects Act 1984 is that after reinstatement the dwelling should be likely to be mortgageable. No repair system for Woolaway homes which would be generally acceptable to lending institutions has up to now been available. I understand that PRC Homes Ltd. is likely to license such a system very shortly and has received a further four systems for consideration.Once approved systems become available we will be monitoring the costs or reinstatement to see if the eligible expense limit is appropriate as it applies to Woolaway houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what provison exists for owner-occupiers who have bought Woolaway type homes from local authorities to resell to that authority if they are unable to achieve refurbishment within the cost limits allowed; and what financial provision is made to those local authorities for such repurchase.

We are prepaed to prescribe a higher eligible expense limit should it prove necessary. Should it not prove practicable to repair Woolaway houses at reasonable cost, owner-occupiers will automatically become entitled to assistance by way of repurchase under section 3(2) of the Housing Defects Act; however I expect practicable repair methods to be available soon. We have made special allocations to housing authorities in Wales to meet in full their reasonable estimates of their commitments under the Housing Defects Act in 1986–87.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether the PRC homes standard, applicable to all other property types specified in the Housing defects Act, will apply to the refurbishment of Woolaway type homes.

Yes. One of the conditions for owners receiving assistance by way of reinstatment grant under the Housing Defects Act 1984 is that after reinstatement the dwelling should be likely to be mortgageable. Building socieities so far have been generally unwilling to lend on any dwelling designated under the Housing Defects Act 1984 unless it is reinstated by means of a scheme licensed by PRC Homes Ltd.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 19 February, Official Report, column 167, if he will place in the Library copies of the representations he has received concerning Woolaway homes.

No. All the representations were unsolicited letters from private individuals and it would be inappropriate to make them available without permission from the individuals concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list the total number of completions by local authorities in Wales of refurbishment under the Housing Defects Act, stating by local authorities the minimum, maximum and average cost of such refurbishment;

The information is taken from provisional returns provided by district councils and gives the position at December 1985.One completed reinstatement grant has been paid under the terms of the Housing Defects Act 1984. The grant was paid by Monmouth district council and was for £12,257. The numbers and amounts of grants approved but not completed is as follows:

District Council	Number of grants approved	Amount of grant approved
		£
Delyn	11	128,281
Newport	11	113,618
Rhymney Valley	2	23,063
Taff Ely	1	14,000

Information on the types of dwellings involved is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those homes, by type, eligible for refurbishment under the Housing Defects Act, other than Woolaway type, and other than single-storey, where all external walls have to be treated or where an inner lining can be maintained.

It is necessary to treat all external walls in reinstating every type of dwelling designated under the Housing Defects Act 1984. In some or all of the following types, the lining can be maintained: Airey, Cornish Unit, Dorran, Myton, Newland, Orlit, Stent, Unity, Wates and Woolaway.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how much Welsh Development Agency cash has been made available and in what form to Biomass International, Clwyd.

The Welsh Development Agency made finance available to Biomass International Limited in the form of £400,000 for cumulative redeemable preference shares and £16,666 for ordinary shares.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how much Welsh Office moneys, including selective financial assistance, has been given to Biomass International, Clwyd.

The only financial assistance offered by the Welsh Office to this company has been regional selective assistance. This took the form of a job creation grant not exceeding £608,000 offered to Biomass Ltd, which traded as Biomass International, in respect of a project to provide 76 jobs at Deeside.With this type of assistance, the amount of grant paid is related directly to the number of jobs actually provided. Only one part-payment of grant was made, against the jobs which had been created by October 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for improving telephone security in his Department.

The risk of interception by hostile intelligence services of official telephone calls, including those made on the Government telephone network, is growing continually. My Department's security regulations contain explicit instructions warning against the discussion of classified information on the telephone, but I have decided that further action is required to ensure that those instructions are complied with. My Department will therefore be undertaking a number of telephone monitoring exercises over the next few months. These will be strictly confined to certain internal Ministry of Defence telephone lines, and calls on the public network will not be monitored.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the objectives of his Department's policies for the rest of this Parliament.

The main objective of British defence policy is the maintenance of national security and peace with freedom and justice. We aim to achieve this by continuing to play a full and active part in the North Atlantic Alliance so as to contribute to collective deterrence against aggression; and by promoting peace and stability elsewhere in the world. We intend to continue to enhance the capability of the United Kingdom's Armed Forces; encourage the achievement of verifiable arms control agreements; play a full part in organisations for European defence co-operation; pursue efficiency and value for money in defence expenditure, including the promotion of competition and international collaboration in equipment procurement; and rationalise and further contract-out support activities in order to release more resources for the front line.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the letters of 24 January and 11 February from Professor B. G. Gowenlock, head of the department of chemistry, Heriot Watt university, concerning science studentships funded by his Department.

A reply was sent by an official to Professor Gowenlock on 14 February.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions and on which occasions units of the Ulster Defence Regiment have been forced to fire upon motor cars which have deliberately driven at members of the Ulster Defence Regiment.

I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which sites belonging to his Department are to be used for exploratory work in treating nuclear waste pursuant to the statement by the Secretary of State for the Environment on 25 February.

My right hon. Friend the Member for Mole Valley (Mr. Baker), in his statement on 25 February, when referring to deep disposal sites, mentioned that the nuclear industry was seeking ways of improving the conditioning of intermediate level wastes. Staff at the Atomic Weapons Research Esablishments at Aldermaston are collaborating with the civil nuclear industry in a research programme on the conditioning of such wastes for deep disposal.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the sites he is considering for possible dispersal of radioactive reactor compartments arising from the decommissioning of nuclear powered submarines, pursuant to the statement of the Secretary of State for the Environment on 25 February.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which coastal areas within his Department's control will be examined as possible sites for the disposal of radioactive waste from decommissioned nuclear-powered vessels: and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which coastal areas within his Department's control will be examined as possible sites for the disposal of radioactive waste from decommissioned nuclear-powered vessels; and if he will make a statement.

If an inland site is selected to meet the requirement described by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Environment, on 25 February at column 812, it may be necessary to establish a small separate coastal site for disposing of the reactor compartments of decommissioned nuclear powered submarines. No decisions have yet been taken. Once suitable MOD sites have been identified for exploratory work to be undertaken on a contingency basis, the House will be informed, and the work would be subject to normal planning procedures. Any subsequent development of a site, should that prove necessary, would be subject to a public inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the total annual expenditure in the current year on services related to the needs of disabled people; and what was the corresponding expenditure during 1981.

It is not practicable to calculate the total amount spent in any one year on measures of benefit to disabled people since many services are provided for them in common with other groups and some items, such as staff costs, cannot be separately identified.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish the latest available statistics for the rates of intervention in birth by (a) caesarian section and (b) forceps, suction or other means per 1,000 births by health authority area; and what information he has as to how the British figures compare with those in (i) the United States of America, (ii) other EEC countries and (iii) Sweden; and if he will make a statement.

Information for England is given in table 1. The Department does not routinely collect information for other countries but some information collated from several non-Government publications is given in table 2.

TABLE 1.
Caesarian and other instrumental deliveries in England, 1983
	Estimated rate per 1,000 deliveries
Regional Health Authority	*Caesarian	Other instrumental
Northern	91	92
Yorkshire	96	101
Trent	100	143
East Anglian	110	103
North West Thames	113	146
North East Thames	102	104
South East Thames	94	121
South West Thames	113	124
Wessex	96	121
Oxford	93	117
South Western	105	130
West Midlands	86	93
Mersey	115	124
North Western	107	94
England—all health authorities	101	115

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the numbers and value of single payments of supplementary benefit in each of the Deparment of Health and Social Security Offices serving the county of Gwynedd in each year since November 1980, showing separate figures for maternity expenses, funeral expenses and other single payments.

Office		1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85
Anglesey	Number	1,042	1,056	1,641	3,189	4,865
	Amount £	37,309	42,157	79,705	170,700	284,760
Caernarfon	Number	713	841	1,117	2,284	3,858

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the facilities to be provided in phase 1 of the Hemel Hempstead general hospital; and when it is due to be completed.

The Hemel Hempstead general hospital phase 1 will provide 84 acute beds, an intensive care unit, an outpatients' department, an X-ray department, three operating theatres, rehabilitation services, catering and other supporting services. The estimated date for building completion is September 1986, following which a period of commissioning takes place before the hospital is opened.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number on waiting lists at hospitals in the Sandwell health authority and Dudley health authority for surgical, medical and other kinds of operations or treatments, including geriatrics and psychogeriatrics.

The information is given in the table.

Information about the numbers and value of single payments awarded for maternity and funeral expenses is not collected on a local basis. The following table sets out the total number of single payments made by local offices serving the county of Gwynedd, and their value, since 1980 for years ending early in April.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what will be the total cost nationally of the recent ambulance service pay award.

The cost in 1985–86 is expected to be contained within an increase of 4.7 per cent. of the pay bill. Costs in subsequent years will depend upon the outcome of local agreements intended to lead to major improvements in productivity.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from (a) English health authorities, (b) regional general managers and (c) trade unions, about the recent ambulance service pay award.

Negotiations on pay are a matter for the ambulance Whitley Council and there are direct lines of communication between the management side and National Health Service management. Some representations have been made by regional general managers and others about the local effects of the recent pay settlement. We have not received any representations from trade unions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provisions the National Health Service management board have made in existing budgets to cover the cost of the recent ambulance service pay award; and whether this award will exceed those budgeted provisions.

Health authorities are expected to meet both pay increases and service requirements from the allocations made to them by Government and from their growing cost improvement programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate has been made by each of the ambulance services in England of the cost of implementing the recent ambulance service pay award.

This information is not held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the amount of public money allocated to Addenbrook's hospital, Cambridge and Papworth hospital, respectively, in each of the last 10 years.

This information is not held centrally. The hon. Member may like to consult the chairman of the district health authorities concerned, namely Cambridge for Addenbrooke's hospital and Huntingdon for Papworth hospital.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the annual expenditure per person on primary health care in (c) Hampstead, (b) Brighton and (c) Islington; and how these figures compare with the national average.

Following are the latest available figures:

Expenditure per head of population on primary health care*
District Health Authority	1984–85
	£
Hampstead	101
Brighton	90
Islington	96
Average for district health authorities (England)	83

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the expenditure on primary health care in the Portsmouth and South-East Hampshire health authority in the last three years.

Following are the figures requested:

Expenditure per head of population on primary health care* for Portsmouth and South-East Hampshire Health Authority
	£
1982–83	78
1983–84	82
1984–85	89

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether local adjudication officers are required to reside in the area for which they have responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Adjudication officers in local social security offices are not required to reside in the area for which they have responsibility but they do, of course, work in offices in or very near to the area served by their particular local office.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of legal abortions, by category of premises, National Health Service and non-National Health Service, to women usually resident in (a) England and Wales, (b) the North-East Thames regional health authority and (c) each of the district health authorities of that regional health authority for each quarter of 1985 or up to the latest quarter for which the data is available.

Notifications of abortions: Area of usual residence-England and Wales, North-East Thames Regional Health Authority and District Health Authorities. Catergory of premises—National Health Service (NHS) and non-NHS. By quarter, 1985, provisional
Area of usual residence	Quarter
	March		June		September		December
	NHS	non-NHS	NHS	non-NHS	NHS	non-NHS	NHS	non-NHS
England and Wales	16,864	19,079	15,323	18,994	16,051	19,511	15,021	18,299
North-East Thames RHA	2,191	2,127	2,044	2,123	1,971	2,164	1,980	2,129
Basildon and Thurrock DHA	133	86	116	75	124	90	128	90
Mid-Essex DHA	147	45	125	43	119	38	131	36
North-East Essex DHA	77	80	36	83	74	63	59	61
West Essex DHA	95	115	84	113	84	124	81	132
Southend DHA	98	110	82	116	84	139	100	117
Barking, Havering and Brentwood DHA	206	205	169	187	151	194	157	191
Hampstead DHA	94	119	91	119	73	128	83	124
Bloomsbury DHA	119	174	121	209	102	197	76	188
Islington DHA	111	176	127	147	107	174	128	151
City and Hackney DHA	255	136	237	143	251	137	255	142
Newham DHA	126	165	120	157	103	149	125	161
Tower Hamlets DHA	220	47	203	69	170	54	155	66
Enfield DHA	135	127	140	120	134	134	145	108
Haringey DHA	184	195	213	195	216	191	193	215
Redbridge DHA	83	151	75	145	80	159	70	166
Waltham Forest DHA	108	196	105	202	99	193	94	181

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what he estimates to be the administrative cost of implementing the benefits uprating which he announced on 24 February.

Around £16 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average amount of housing benefit paid to single supplementary benefit claimants in Slough (a) for furnished accommodation and (b) for local authority accommodation.

I regret that this information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of domestic ratepayers in Portsmouth receive housing benefit.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to introduce changes to the housing benefit regulations with regard to part III sheltered accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

The available information is given in the table, which shows notifications of legal abortions carried out under the Abortion Act 1967. The figures exclude late notifications received after the end of January 1986, and are therefore provisional.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 13 December 1985 at columns 815–816.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will undertake an inquiry into the illegal import of medicines, including the extent to which such medicines are unlicensed; 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, for each year since 1980 for which figures are available, how much each local authority has spent on payments towards residential care in voluntary and private sector homes.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 February 1986, c. 368]: The table gives the figures for individual local authorities as promised in my earlier reply. Further checking of the figures for individual authorities has resulted in minor changes to the national totals previously given. The 1984–85 figures are incomplete because some authorities have not yet submitted expenditure returns for that year.