asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement concerning any communication he has received from the Director General of Fair Trading concerning the future ownership or control of the British Sugar Corporation.

My right hon. Friend will make a statement as soon as is practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is considering introducing a review procedure for small businesses in place of the current audit system following the proposals of the White Paper, "Lifting the Burden", Cmnd. 9571, in July 1985; and if he will make a statement.

This was one of the possible options referred to in the consultative document "Accounting and Audit Requirements For Small Firms", which my Department published last June. However, it attracted little support from consultees and has therefore not been pursued. An announcement about the outcome of the consultation as a whole will be made shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, following his announcement in February of the formation of the Surface Mount Club relating to electronic design and manufacture, he will make public the telephone number of Mr. Trevor Gilpin of his Department, the organiser of the club; and if he will take steps to allow those interested in this technology to contact Mr. Gilpin without obtaining prior approval.

Mr. Trevor Gilpin, secretary of the DTI Surface Mount Club, can be contacted on 01–213–5310. No prior approval is necessary to make contact.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been achieved in the discussions between the Governments of the United Kingdom, France, West Germany and the United States of America on the methods of finance of Airbus Industrie; and if he will make a statement.

Some progress has been made towards achieving a better understanding of mutual concerns on a number of issues relating to trade in civil aircraft, including Government supports for the aircraft industry. Further discussions are expected to take place in June.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to consider reform of the Post Office Act to enable the Post Office to compete better and broaden its services to the public; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has discussed with the Post Office its plans to secure the future of the counters business. The Government recognise the case for improving the competitiveness of the Post Office by enabling it to provide a broader range of services. My right hon. Friend has therefore told the Post Office that he will seek an early opportunity to introduce legislation to extend its powers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Krugerrands were imported into the United Kingdom in each month in 1985 and 1986 to date.

The information is not available. as Krugerrands are not separately identified from other gold coins.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions took place at the meeting between the Minister for Trade and Mr. Robert Stempel of General Motors on 4 May in New York; and if he will make a statement.

I met Mr. Stempel of General Motors during my recent visit to the United States of America. The meeting had been arranged many weeks earlier as one of several with United States companies. The visit was a useful opportunity to maintain normal good contacts between the Department and American companies which have significant investment in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will give consideration to establishing an award scheme, similar to existing awards for exports, for companies which record outstanding achievements in the field of import substitution.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what magnitude of error in the employment census returns for a travel-to-work area would be regarded by his Department as sufficient to determine that that area should be included in the assisted area map, despite an original decision, based on the faulty returns, not to do so; and if he will make a statement.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the take-up of cheap credit facilities for trade with China and give details of its allocation to date.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 May 1986, c. 408]: My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Mr. Zheng Tuobin, the Chinese Minister for Foreign Economic Relations and Trade, have today signed a formal agreement covering our support under the aid and trade provision for £300 million business in China on favourable loan terms. Four projects have already been agreed as suitable for further consideration under this arrangement and commercial negotiations are continuing between the relevant United Kingdom companies and Chinese organisations. If agreed, these projects will take up a large part of the facility. The Government hope that use of this facility will be accompanied by a more general expansion in our economic and commercial relations with China.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that whatever agreement is made by the European Economic Community on the temporary banning of agricultural produce and other food from eastern Europe, there will not be any political discrimination, particularly against Yugoslavia.

The food import ban agreed by the Community on 12 May has been applied to all those countries falling substantially within a radius of 1,000 km from Chernobyl, including Yugoslavia. The ban is a short-term precautionary measure which will be reviewed on 20 May on the basis of the latest scientific evidence which the relevant countries are being urged to provide as rapidly as possible. We have already asked that the next review should pay particular attention to the position of Yugoslavia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to make effective the ban on the import of Krugerrands; what is the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement.

We expect to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what recent evidence he has of oil companies postponing or cancelling planned investments in the North sea; and what specific evidence he has about the implications of the fall in oil prices for the rate of incremental investment.

Oil companies, as a matter of course, regularly review their North sea investment plans. Recently some drilling programmes have also been reviewed: the implications of any consideration by the operators of modifying their investment plans are not yet clear.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the estimated outturn external financing requirements of the electricity supply industry in England and Wales and of the National Coal Board for 1985–86.

The outturn external financing requirement for the electricity supply industry in England and Wales in 1985–86 is provisionally estimated at minus £457 million. The improvement over the estimated outturn of minus £400 million given in the 1986 public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9702.11) mainly reflects higher sales of electricity during the cold winter. The main reason for the lower level of repayment compared with the external financing limit of minus £1,128 million was the cost of rebuilding coal stocks and higher interest charges resulting from the costs incurred during the miners' strike. These were not allowed for when the EFL was set before the start of 1985–86. There is therefore no question of any consequential reduction in the 1986–87 external financing limit.The outturn external financing requirement of the National Coal Board for 1985–86 has provisionally been estimated at £435 million. This welcome improvement over the EFL of £929 million and the estimated outturn for the year of £740 million given in the 1986 public expenditure White Paper, reflects the sale of coal stocks to the electricity supply industry and faster than anticipated progress made by the board in recovering after the strike.The net change in public expenditure comparing estimated outturn with EFL plans for these two industries taken together is £177 million. This was charged to the reserve and was therefore within the public expenditure planning total.

asked the Paymaster General whether he expects the recent changes to the loan guarantee system to produce more demand for loans over £15,000 from small unincorporated traders; and if he will make a statement.

The premium paid by borrowers has been reduced from 5 per cent. to 2·5 per cent. per annum. I expect this to lead to an increased demand for loans of all sizes up to the maximum of £75,000 from both incorporated and unincorporated traders.

asked the Paymaster General, further to his answer on 6 May, Official Report, column 34, regarding the errors made by Central Regional council in submitting its returns for the 1981 census of employment, if he will list the effects on all the relevant travel-to-work areas of the published unemployment figures.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Paymaster General, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk North on 28 April, Official Report, column 343, why there is no information available about the number of severely disabled claimants included in the unemployment figures for the years 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986.

The information is not available because it is not needed for the purpose of administering benefits at unemployment benefit offices and is therefore not included in the systematic records on which the statistics are based.

asked the Paymaster General when he expects the new guidelines on standards of protection for the public against microwave radiation to be published by the National Radiological Protection Board.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 May 1986, c. 442]: I understand that the National Radiological Protection Board hopes to publish within the next few weeks a consultative document on guidelines for protection against the possible hazards of electromagnetic fields with frequencies below 300 GHz, which include microwave frequencies.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the progress of the Torness power station, and on the likely timetable for loading fuel into the reactor.

I am advised by the South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB) that work on completing Torness advanced gas-cooled reactor nuclear power station is proceeding to programme with the intention of providing power output to the Scottish grid early next year. A small quantity of nuclear fuel has, with the approval of Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), been loaded into reactor 1 for testing purposes as part of the commissioning procedure. A further approval will be required from NII to allow the board to load the balance of the fuel into that reactor and the inspectorate is being provided by the board with all the information it requires.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many environmental health officers are employed by each islands and district authority in Scotland.

This information is not held centrally. The designation of "environmental health officers" is imprecise and can be applied to officers with a variety of different duties.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) for each islands and district authority in Scotland, what is the number of environmental health officers who have received special training in monitoring radioactivity in milk and rainwater,

Information about the special training of environmental health officers in this field is not held centrally. To my knowledge, no equipment for monitoring radioactivity in milk or rainwater is held by local authorities. The function of environmental health officers is to obtain samples where there is cause for concern about risks to public health, and to refer the samples to the appropriate laboratory for analysis. Monitoring is undertaken in Scotland principally by the National Radiological Protection Board's office in Glasgow, and this includes the analysis of samples. A number of nuclear establishments in Scotland, including those at Chapel cross, Hunterston and Dounreay, undertake regular local monitoring of radioactivity in milk and rainwater, and have undertaken additional analyses in the last two weeks, some on behalf of departments of environmental health.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is his estimate of the length of time likely to elapse between his Department first receiving formal notice of the application for a proposed pipeline assembly yard at Tain, Ross-shire, by Land and Marine Engineering Ltd and his having finally evaluated the application;(2) if he will estimate the length of time he now expects will be necessary for the further evaluation of the planning application by Land and Marine Engineering Limited for a development of a pipeline assembly yard at Tain, Ross shire.

My right hon. and learned Friend received notification of the planning application on 7 April and called it in on 7 May. The time taken to reach a final decision will depend on a number of factors, not all of which are within the Government's control, but I hope that a decision will be issued before the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will detail in the Official Report the total area within the relevant site of special scientific interest which the proposed pipeline assembly yard at Tain, Ross-shire would affect; and if he will express that area as a percentage figure of the total extent of the land mass constituting the relevant site of special scientific interest.

Approximately 7 ha, 0·24 per cent. of the total area of the Morrich More site of special scientific interest (SSSI), would be directly affected by construction works associated with the proposal. It has been put to my right hon. and learned Friend, however, that a substantially greater part of the SSSI would be affected indirectly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report each of the respective objectors to the planning application by Land and Marine Engineering Ltd. for development of a pipeline assembly yard at Tain, Ross-shire.

When Highland regional council notified the planning application to my right hon. and learned Friend, it enclosed copies of letters objecting to, or expressing concern about, the proposed development from the following organisations and individuals:

• The Nature Conservancy Council
• The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
• The Scottish Wildlife Trust
• The Highlands and Islands Fishermen's Association (S.G.)
• The Kyle of Sutherland District Fishery Board
• The Mammal Society, London
• The Countryside Commission for Scotland
• Kestrel Subsea Systems Ltd., Wick
• Fearn, Seaboard, Tarbat and Nigg Community Council
• Mrs. B. A. Schofield, Tain
• Mrs. J. M. S. Durham, Kildary
• Mrs. M. R. I. Mackenzie, Tain
• Mr. B. E. R. Brice, Inver, by Tain
• Mr. A. Martin, Tain
• Mr. J. J. P. Clokie, Tain
• Mr. I. J. Munro, Tain
• Mr. E. W. Granville, Hilton, Ross-shire
• Mr. M. Connolly, Inver, by Tain
• Mr. S. A. Wright, Fearn, by Tain
• Mr. A. E. Sutherland, Fearn, by Tain
• Mr. D. W. McAllister, Tain
• Mrs. M. McLaren, Tain

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why his Department decided to impose a ban on the use of nylon monofilament nets in fishing for salmon in Scottish waters; what is his preliminary assessment of the effect of the ban; and if he will make a statement.

Since 1962 there has been a ban on the use of drift nets set from a boat to catch salmon in Scottish waters. That ban was extended to cover the use of gill nets, however set, with effect from 31 March 1986; at the same time an order was made prohibiting the carriage of monofilament gill nets for any purpose in any British fishing boat in Scottish inshore waters. These measures were designed to conserve salmon stocks and to aid the law enforcement agencies in dealing with illegal salmon fishing.It is too soon to assess the effect of the recent orders.

asked the Attorney-General which police stations in the Metropolitan police area are not currently operating the 24-hour solicitor scheme.

The Law Society expects the number of local 24-hour duty solicitor schemes in the Metropolitan police area to increase considerably over the next months, reflecting increased participation by solicitors. 57 police stations in the Metropolitan police area are currently covered by the scheme. However, it has not yet been possible to implement a scheme covering the following 134 police stations:

Acton	Bromley
Albany Street	Bushey
Arbour Square	Caledonian Road
Banstead	Camberwell
Barking	Cannon Row
Barkingside	Cavendish Road
Barnes	Chadwell Heath
Beckenham	Chelsea
Bethnal Green	Cheshunt
Biggin Hill	Chigwell
Bow Street	Chingford
Brentford	Chislehurst
Brick Lane	Chiswick
Brockley	City Road

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether he has any plans to increase the capacity of the M4 between the M25 and central London;(2) what information he has on traffic congestion on the M4 between the M25 and central London in the period after the opening of the M4/M25 interchange; and if he will make a statement.

The M4 has recently been widened between M25 and the airport spur. We have appointed consultants to examine a wide range of options for improving surface access between Heathrow and Central London, including the possibility of increasing the capacity of the M4/A4 corridor. Traffic monitoring will form part of the study which is expected to be finished next January.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest available figures for the overall cost of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre; and how that cost is divided between collection of road tax and other activities.

:£114·7 million in 1985–86 for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Directorate, including the centre at Swansea and its local office network. The cost of excise duty collection and vehicle registration in the United Kingdom accounting for £93 million; the other main activity of driver licensing £21·7 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, in view of the possible contamination of water supplies in Devon by arsenic arising from the construction of the Okehampton bypass along the southern route, he will make the results of the supplementary soil tests currently being undertaken by Wimpey Laboratories available to the South-West water authority.

The hon. Member will be aware from previous answers on this matter that the soil tests currently being undertaken arise not from any concern of contamination. They are to assist the design and construction of the road. The South West water authority is responsible for the water supplies in Devon. If it would be of assistance to it in safeguarding the water supply, we would of course make available to it such information as it may require from any of our investigations.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average waiting time for driving tests in the Highland region of Scotland; if he will list the comparable figures for each of the last seven years; and what proposals he has to increase the number of examiners in the region.

The Highland region of Scotland is served by two permanent test centres at Inverness and Wick. The wating times at these in April this year and the preceding six years (those for 1979 and earlier are no longer avaialble) were as follows:

	Inverness (weeks)	Wick (weeks)
1980	25	20
1981	22	18
1982	11	6
1983	5	5
1984	5	4
1985	13	8
1986	17	19

There are no plans to increase the number of examiners in the Highland region, but we are trying to recruit 11 more examiners for Scotland as a whole. The traffic area aims to keep waiting times at all centres throughout Scotland as even as possible. The Highland region ought therefore to benefit from the general improvement this further recruitment will produce.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that, when traffic is diverted or advised to divert from the A1, the road to which that traffic is diverted is not itself blocked or subject to delay, as a result of roadworks.

When planning diversions in advance, we aim to avoid roads that would be unsuitable because of delays form roadworks. In emergencies traffic is diverted on to the most suitable road or roads available.

asked the Secretry of State for Transport if he will ensure that when traffic on the MI motorway is subject to serious delay as a result of roadworks, that on the A1 is enabled to move satisfactorily.

In planning major roadworks we seek to avoid combinations of works close together that would cause serious cumulative delays for traffic. It would be impractical to keep the A1 entirely clear of works, as we have a substantial programme of renewals. Two schemes are under way now and two others will follow later in the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when the Rothersthorpe service area on the M1 was last closed; and for how long.

The Rothersthorpe service area was last closed to motorway traffic for a period of about four and a half weeks in autumn 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what compensation was paid to the operators of the Rothersthorpe service area the last time it was closed.

None. Such compensation is exluded by the terms of the lease.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what work on the north and south carriageways of the M1 led to the last closure of the Rothersthorpe service area.

The maintenance work causing the closure of the Rothersthorpe service area in 1983 was the reconstruction of the M1 northbound carriageway between junctions 15 and 16, with contra-flow traffic operation on the southbound carriageway.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to the answer given in the Official Report of 2 May on a specific allocation of resources for small schemes for accident reduction on trunk roads, he will make a statement as to when and why practice in allocating funds for expenditure on small cost-effective engineering schemes on trunk roads changed from that outlined in the answer given to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Sir P. Goodhart) on 25 July 1984, Official Report, column 689.

The allocation referred to was made in 1984–85 only. Its purpose was to ensure that a minimum of £4·5 million from the regional programme was spent on safety-orientated schemes. The experiment was discontinued because experience showed that in practice the safety schemes bought forward by agent authorities accounted for a much larger share of regional programme funds than that represented by the specific allocations. Such schemes continue to attract a substantial share of the programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied that members of the public are prevented from gaining electronic entry into the computer system at the driver and vehicle licensing centre, Swansea.

Yes. The security measures in place on the driver and vehicle licensing centre's computers are in keeping with the sensitivity of the data held.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what are the criteria for providing pedestrian crossings on main roads; and if he will make a statement on the application of this policy in the particular case of the crossing being sought in Leinster avenue, Knowle West, Bristol.

General guidance is given in departmental advice note TA-10–80, "Design Considerations for Pelican and Zebra Crossings", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. It is, however, a matter for local highway authorities to decide whether or not to install a pedestrian crossing at a particular site on a road for which they are responsible taking into account local circumstances. It would therefore not be appropriate for me to comment on the particular crossing mentioned.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will detail the immediate past employment or the current employment, other than as members of the board, of members of the London Regional Transport board.

This information is contained in the following Department of Transport press notices, copies of which are available in the Library of the House:

School Leavers, England
	Percentage of leavers with
Academic year	One or more A level pass	*Five or more higher grade passes at O level or CSE	*One or more higher grade passes at O level or CSE	No graded results at O level or CSE
1964–65	12·9	20·3	36·0	64·0
1965–66	13·7	21·1	37·8	62·2
1966–67	14·8	22·0	39·7	60·3
1967–68	15·2	22·5	40·5	49·7
1968–69	15·5	22·7	42·0	47·0
1969–70	15·9	23·1	43·3	44·5
1970–71	16·7	23·5	43·4	44·1
1971–72	16·2	23·5	43·8	43·0
1972–73†	—	—	—	—
1973–74	15·5	23·0	48·6	20·5
1974–75	15·4	22·6	49·2	18·6
1975–76	15·9	22·9	49·9	16·5
1976–77	15·6	23·5	51·4	14·8

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to celebrate the centenary of the opening of the Severn tunnel; and if he will make a statement.

This is a matter for British Rail. I understand that it has yet to decide what celebrations, if any, will be held.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a statement on London taxi fares.

My right hon. Friend has made an order increasing London taxi fares by about 5·3 per cent. on average with effect from Sunday 15 June 1986. The new tariff will incorporate a minimum fare of 80p (including an unchanged hire charge of 40p) for the first 990 yards or 3 minutes 30 seconds. The rate will then be 20p for every 495 yards, or 1 minute 45 seconds up to 6 miles, and 20p for each 330 yards or 70 seconds thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the percentage of school leavers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, separately, obtaining one or more A-levels, five or more higher grade O-levels or CSE grade 1 passes, one or more higher grade O-level or CSE grade 1 passes, and no graded O-level or CSE results, in each year from 1965 to 1985.

Information for Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Northern Ireland. The information requested for England is shown in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, for each year since 1978–79, together with whatever projections are available for future years, what is spent in cash and real terms in England (a) in total and per child on primary, secondary and all schools, (b) in total and per full-time student on non-advanced further education and (c) the effect on these figures of including expenditure on other educational initiatives such as the micro-electronic programme and the technical and vocational education initiative.

		Relevant current expenditure		Unit cost		Relevant current expenditure		Unit cost
		Cash terms	Real terms*	Cash terms	Real terms*	Cash terms	Real terms*	Cash terms	Real terms*
		£ million	£ million	£	£	£ million	£ million	£	£
		Primary schools				All schools†
1978–79	Outturn	1,506	2,836	360	680	3,923	7,389	460	870
1979–80	Outturn	1,706	2,749	425	680	4,486	7,229	535	865
1980–81	Outturn	2,086	2,830	540	735	5,569	7,557	680	925
1981–82	Outturn	2,258	2,786	615	755	6,150	7,587	775	955
1982–83	Outturn	2,349	2,708	670	775	6,549	7,551	850	980
1983–84	Outturn	2,416	2,667	720	795	6,859	7,571	910	1,005
1984–85	Outturn	2,531	2,683	770	815	7,185	7,616	975	1,035
1985–86	Estimated outturn	2,664	2,664	810	810	7,495	7,495	1,040	1,040
1986–87	Plans	2,748	2,649	830	800	7,607	7,332	1,070	1,035
		Secondary schools				Non-advanced further education‡
1978–79	Outturn	2,057	3,874	530	1,000	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
1979–80	Outturn	2,354	3,793	610	980	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
1980–81	Outturn	2,952	4,006	765	1,040	688	934	n.a.	n.a.
1981–82	Outturn	3,304	4,076	865	1,070	790	975	1,620	2,000
1982–83	Outturn	3,544	4,086	945	1,085	878	1,012	1,715	1,975
1983–84	Outturn	3,735	4,123	1,015	1,120	931	1,028	1,785	1,970
1984–85	Outturn	3,912	4,147	1,095	1,165	975	1,034	1,860	1,975
1985–86	Estimated outturn	4,048	4,048	1,180	1,180	1,027	1,027	1,960	1,960
1986–87	Plans	4,088	3,940	1,240	1,195	1,004	968	2,120	1,865
* The real terms are the cash terms for each year repriced to 1985–86 prices using the gross domestic product (market prices) deflator.
† All schools include under fives, all other primary, secondary and special schools.
‡ The figures from 1985–86 onwards have been adjusted to include the expenditure on work-related education that is. being funded by the Manpower Services Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to reply to the letter of the hon. Member for Cambridgeshire, South-West dated 9 April referring to the privatisation of the Plant Breeding Institute.

I wrote to my hon. Friend on 13 May.

The information that is given in the following table has been drawn from the annual White Paper on public expenditure (Cmnd. 9143, 9428 and 9702). The figures exclude expenditure on the microelectronics in education programme which ran from 1980–81 to 1985–86 and the technical and vocational education initiative which began in 1983–84. It is estimated that the addition of the expenditure under these programmes would raise the average unit cost for all schools by at most £10 per pupil per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to receive the report of Lazard Brothers on the privatisation of the National Seed Development Organisation and part of the Plant Breeding Institute; if he will publish the report; and if he will make a statement.

The Agriculture Ministers and I expect to receive the report of Lazard Brothers and Company Ltd. on the proposed privatisation of the National Seed Development Company and part of the Plant Breeding Institute shortly. The report will contain commercially confidential material and will not be published. My right hon Friend will make a statement as soon as decisions have been taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to obtain and place in the Library copies of the letters concerning grant entitlements from the University Grants Committee to the various universities and colleges as soon as they have been issued.

This is already my right hon. Friend's no,-mal practice.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to appoint a further political adviser for press matters at 10 Downing street.

There are no political advisers in the No. 10 press office.

asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Department of Employment and the Department of Transport in connection with discussions over the future of the Settle-Carlisle railway line; and if she will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has a duty under the statutory procedures to take account of all relevant factors, including social and economic considerations, in reaching a decision on the British Railways Board's proposals for the Settle-Carlisle line. The Department of Employment, with its interest in tourism, as well as all other interested Government Departments, will be fully consulted before any decision is taken.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list any Government Departments that did not put in their registration forms for data protection registration on time.

Each Department is responsible for its own data protection registration arrangements. Information is not held centrally.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to the reply of 6 May to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West, (Mr. Janner) Official Report, column 3, why Her Majesty's Government are unwilling to seek from the United Nations copies of all documents in their possession relating to Dr. Kurt Waldheim's wartime activities; and if she will make a statement.

The Government have not hitherto requested access to United Nations files on Dr. Waldheim because there appeared to be no direct British interest in the allegations made against him. However, in view of recent new allegations about the disappearance of British subjects in the Balkans during the second world war, the Ministry of Defence is searching military records to see whether they contain any information relevant in this context.

asked the Prime Minister why Her Majesty's Government have excluded New Zealand from security briefings and information.

It is not our practice to comment on intelligence matters.

asked the Prime Minister if she will seek to pay an official visit to Syria.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government intend to ban the import of South African protea coins.

We are considering whether the spirit of our undertaking at the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in 1985 covers new coins as well as Krugerrands.

asked the Prime Minister if, on her forthcoming visit to Israel, she will ask her hosts to take her to Syrian territory presently occupied by Israelis.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagments for Thursday 15 May.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagments for Thursday 15 May.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent immigration records accurately show the number of foreigners leaving the United Kingdom; how many foreigners have overstayed their visa; how many Libyans have overstayed their visa; if he is taking any steps to find out how many Libyans, are in the United Kingdom illegally; and if he will make a statement.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the prison population at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what was the figure in May 1979.

On 9 May 1986 the total prison population in England and Wales was 46,848. On 30 April 1979, the nearest equivalent date for which figures are available, the total was 42,130.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Prison Officers Association on the standards of work of private contractors employed to repair or maintain prison officers' quarters; and if he will make a statement.

None. My right hon. Friend is not aware of any complaint by the POA on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present waiting list for prison officers working at Wandsworth prison to be allocated housing accommodation.

Fifteen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present number of empty prison officer quarters at Wandsworth prison; and for what period of time these quarters have been empty.

Thirteen. On average, quarters are reoccupied within two months of vacation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy towards assistance to a prison officer living in prison quarters when a member of his family becomes disabled and work is required within the quarters to help the disabled person; who pays for such work; what advice is given to the officer and his family; if contact is made with the local social services department; and if he will make a statement.

Assistance is available from the prison department and from local authorities, and staff in need of help are encouraged to seek guidance and apply for help.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the pesent number of (a) men and (b) women waiting for interview for entry into the United Kingdom in India and Pakistan; and what the numbers were on 1 January 1985.

Information on husbands, wives and fiance(e)s is given in the following table: corresponding data separately identifying men and women are not available for other categories.

Persons awaiting a first interview for their application for entry clearance to the United Kingdom
Number
	Husbands, male fiances	Wives, female fiancees*
India
End December 1984	1,000	180

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the reason for the delays in the interviewing by the immigration service of passengers arriving from Pakistan at terminal 3, Heathrow airport, on Saturday 10 May; how many passengers were affected; what was the average delay, the shortest delay and the longest delay; from which other countries arriving passengers were subject to similar or comparable delays on that day at Heathrow; and what steps he intends to take to prevent a recurrence.

The reason for a build-up of delay on the immigration arrivals control at Heathrow terminal 3 on 10 May was the large number of passengers arriving in the early morning period. The Pakistan International Airline flight which arrived at 1100 was the 24th international arrival at terminal 3 that morning. An additional cause of delay was a bomb alert which resulted in no passengers reaching the control between 0815 and 0900. Approximately 1,300 passengers who arrived between 0800 and 0915 were subject to delay because of this incident.On 10 May nationals of the following countries were required to submit to further examination at terminal 3:

	Number
Ghana	25
Nigeria	24
India	18
Pakistan	12
Zimbabwe	1
Turkey	1
Tanzania	1
Seychelles	1
Kenya	1
Iraq	1
Ecuador	1

For the 12 Pakistani nationals, the shortest period of time involved, including the time spent in interviewing, was 1 hour 15 minutes; the longest, 11 hours 15 minutes; and the average 5 hours 20 minutes. The periods of time in respect of other nationals required to submit to further examination were similar.On 10 May immigration service resources were sensibly deployed to handle scheduled aircraft arrivals and the expected mix of passengers. Staff will continue to make every effort to minimise the length of delays despite the increased pressures on the control.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether Her Majesty's Government plan to collect national statistics on domestic violence;(2) what was

The information requested is not collected. Statistics of offences of violence between spouses recorded by the police in 1979 and 1980 were published in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1980" (Cmnd. 8376, table 2.5). The recording of these offences was then discontinued as it was incomplete, of doubtful reliability and did not justify the cost. We have no further plans to attempt to collect national statistics on domestic violence

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government have any plans to introduce a system whereby injunctions awarded by courts for cases of domestic violence are centralised so as to be available to all police stations immediately.

We are considering with the Association of Chief Police Officers the recommendations of the Women's National Commission's report on violence against women, which concerns domestic violence. This includes the enforcement of injunctions. There is no formal means for informing the police of the existence of injunctions, and it is advisable for a person who has obtained one to bring it to the attention of the local police. This is a speedy way of making the police aware of injunctions applying in their area and, as most injunctions are likely to be of local effect, a central record is unlikely to prove helpful.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any proposals to improve the collection of statistics on victims of crime.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Torney) on 20 February 1986, at column 294.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has yet come to a decision on the Roskill report's recommendations on the abolition of juries in complex fraud trials.

The Government will reach decisions on these recommendations later this year in the light of the comments invited in the White Paper on plans for criminal justice legislation (Cmnd. 9658).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the percentage of policemen who are of (a) Afro-Caribbean and (b) Asian origin; and if he will make a statement.

On 28 February 1986, 779 police officers—0·64 per cent. of the total police strength in England and Wales—were members of the ethnic minorities. No central record of their racial origin is maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present basic salary of (a) a 21-year-old police officer, and (b) a 21-year-old prison officer, assuming each to have had the same length of service.

The minimum age for joining the prison service is 21 years. Following initial training, a 21-year-old prison officer will receive an annual salary of about £6,989 (of which £5,388 is basic pay). The annual basic salary of a 21-year-old police officer with less than one year's service is £7,212.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what has been the number of prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons who have been charged with possessing drugs in each of the last three years;(2) what has been the number of people in each of the last three years who have been charged with possessing drugs while on a visit to Her Majesty's prisons.

I regret that information is not available in the form requested.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the effectiveness of neighbourhood watch schemes in the north-west.

There are over 3,700 neighbourhood or home watch schemes in the Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside police force areas, the number having trebled over the past year.Although many of these schemes have been in existence for too short a time for their contribution towards reducing crime to be properly measured, I understand from the police forces concerned that there are encouraging indications that such schemes can be effective in reducing crime and the fear of crime, in increasing public awareness of the part they can play in preventing crime, in raising the degree of collaboration between police and the community in fostering community attitudes which are hostile to crime and in providing a focus for action for those who wish to work against crime.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all terrorist atrocities in the area of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis since 1980 where the alleged perpetrators, whether subsequently arrested and charged or not, are believed to have been Arabs, indicating also where the victims were other Arabs; and whether he will indicate which cases have resulted in convictions.

Details of incidents which the Metropolitan police attribute to Arab terrorists are as follows:

Arab Terrorist Incidents 1980–1986—London
Date	Location	Incident	Death/Injury	Victim	Case Result
17 January 1980	Mount Royal Hotel, London W1	Bomb exploded	1 dead	Arab	—
11 April 1980	Mosque, Park Road, Regents Park, London	Shooting	1 dead	Arab	Arrests and conviction
12 April 1980	Queensway, Bayswater London	Find of guns	—	—	Arrests and conviction
25 April 1980	Ennismore Gardens Mews, Kensington	Shooting	1 dead	Arab	Arrests and conviction
17 May 1980	Queens Garden Hotel, Bayswater, London W2	Bomb explosion	1 dead, 1 injured	Arabs	Arrest and conviction
1 June 1980	Kuwait Oil Company, 80 New Bond Street, W1	Bomb explosion	—	—	—
12 June 1980	Byford Street, London	Find of explosives	—	—	—
28 December 1980	Libyan Airline Office, 88 Piccadilly, W1	Bomb ignited but did not explode	—	—	—
13 December 1981	Connaught Square, London W2	Bomb exploded in car	2 dead 1 injured	Arabs	Arrests and conviction
3 June 1982	Park Lane, London W1	Shooting and subsequent find of bombs and weapons	2 injured	Isreali Ambassador and Arab	Arrests and conviction
31 August 1983	Leumi Bank, Woodstock Street W1	Bomb explosion	—	—	—
10 March 1984	123 Queensway, London W2	Bomb explosion	—	breakdown by nationality not available	Arrests and convictions
10 March 1984	104 Queensway, London W2	Bomb defused	—
10 March 1984	14 Berkeley Street, London W1	Bomb explosion	23 injured
10 March 1984	1 Palace Gate, London W8	Bomb defused	—
11 March 1984	16 Palace Gate, London W8	Bomb defused	—
17 April 1984	Libyan Embassy, London SW1	Shooting/siege	1 dead, 11 injured	11 Arabs
20 April 1984	Terminal 2, Heathrow Airport	Bomb explosion	27 injured	breakdown by nationality not available	—
17 August 1984	Bickenhall Street, London W1	Shooting	1 dead	Arab	—
27 February 1985	Tara Hotel, London W2	Find of hand grenades	—	—	—
3 June 1985	Syrian Embassy, London SW1	Bomb defused	—	—	Arrests in Europe—awaiting trial
15 June 1985	33 Great Windmill Street, London W1	Bomb defused	—	—	Arrests in Europe—awaiting trial
23 September 1985	Vicinity of Regents Park	Hand grenades		—	Arrests—awaiting trial
17 April 1986	Heathrow Airport	Bomb defused	—	—	Arrests—awaiting trial

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation separating the radio and television elements of the Independent Broadcasting Authority; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no present plans to do so, but possible future arrangements for the provision and regulation of radio broadcasting will be considered in a Green Paper which the Government hope to publish later in the year, as explained in the reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Leominster (Mr. Temple-Morris) on 8 May, at column 206.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has had recent discussions with the BBC regarding its proposals to establish local radio stations where there exists a station run by independent radio; and if he will make a statement.

The third report of the Home Office local radio working party, published in 1980, set out proposals for the provision of new local radio services by the BBC and IBA. These proposals, which clearly envisaged competition for audiences between the BBC and IBA, were approved in principle by the then Home Secretary in 1981, and suitable frequency assignments were authorised. The timing of the introduction of services in approved areas then became a matter for the BBC and IBA in the light of the individual circumstances. We have had no recent discussions with the BBC on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take into consideration, when granting franchises to community radio stations in Wales, the linguistic balance of the service being offered.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what information he has as to the number of members of the public injured in Wapping on the night of 10 May and as to how many required hospital treatment;(2) how many police officers were injured in Wapping on the night of 10 May; and how many required hospital treatment;(3) how many police officers were on duty in Wapping on the night of 10 May; and how many were from Newham.

I understand from the Commissioner that 1,165 officers were deployed on the evening of 10 May, of whom 27 were from Newham. The Commissioner informs me that 20 police officers were injured that night, of whom three required hospital treatment. According to his information, which may be incomplete, no member of the public received hospital treatment: information about other injuries is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total vehicle fleet of the Metropolitan police; and how many of these vehicles are (a) British built and (b) of foreign origin.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the total vehicle fleet of the Metropolitan police, including cars, vans, motorcycles and other vehicles, was 4,004 as at 31 March 1986. Of these, 53 motorcycles and 51 cars-vans were manufactured outside the European Community. The country of manufacture of vehicles made by international companies within the EC is not always known, but at least two thirds of the remaining vehicles were manufactured in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Fire Services, during Her Majesty's Inspectorate's 1986 annual inspection of the London fire brigade in the current month, will be examining the operational implications for fire cover in east London of the loss of the hose-laying lorry appliance from F21 Stratford fire station on 1 April;(2) if he will provide details as to the projected attendance time of a hose-laying lorry appliance mobilised by the London fire brigade to an incident in Newham, North-East constituency

The deployment of appliances to maintain appropriate standards of fire cover is in the first instance a matter for the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority. My right hon. Friend has approved and remains satisfied with the arrangements for 1986–87. Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate was involved in the recent review of all special appliances undertaken by the London Fire Brigade which resulted in the withdrawal of a hose laying lorry from F21 Stratford fire station, and it will not be specifically re-examining this point during the present inspection. The London Fire and Civil Defence Authority did not, and was not required to, consult neighbouring fire authorities about its proposals for the deployment of special appliances.We will consider arrangements for 1987–88 and 1988–89 at the right times in the light of the authority's proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much in total was the funding to the Avon Multicultural Education Centre from his Department under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966; whether any guidance was given from his Department as to the conduct of the Avon Multicultural Education Centre; and whether such guidance will be affected by the review of the criteria for section 11 spending currently under way.

For 1985–86 (the last financial year for which the relevant information is available), the Home Office has approved a claim of £703,215 for grant under section 11 in respect of staff at the Avon Multicultural Education Centre. The Mon county council has been reminded of the criteria under which section 11 grant is paid and asked to provide further information about the functions of certain posts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made to service the Lieutenancy following abolition of the Greater London council.

Following abolition of the Greater London council, the servicing of the Lieutenancy has been assumed by the London Residuary Body, the chairman of which acts as clerk to the Lieutenancy.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has yet reached decisions on future arrangements for supplementary benefit mortgage interest payments.

As indicated in the Green and White Papers on social security reform (Cmnds 9517 and 9691) the Government have been considering in discussion with the building societies and other major lenders, what changes might be appropriate in the present arrangements for meeting mortgage interest payments with supplementary benefit.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services, has today referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee for consultation draft regulations which incorporate the Government's proposals for change. The main proposal is to alter the balance of responsibility between taxpayers, borrower and lender. The amount of mortgage interest payable with supplementary benefit will be limited to 50 per cent. for the first six months on benefit for all claimants aged under 60.Those remaining on benefit after this period would, as now, have their mortgage interest payments met in full. The Government propose to allow interest on arrears which have accumulated because of the six months limitation to qualify for benefit. This should assist lending organisations to reschedule loans in appropriate cases where interruption of earnings is longer term. A further change will enable homeowners who take out mortgage protection policies to benefit from them through a special supplementary benefit disregard of income from such policies.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in Wales are currently in receipt of supplementary benefit; and what was the figure in May 1979.

The latest information available is as follows:

	Numbers
May 1979	175,000
February 1985	279,000

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to change the way that income from home income plans is taken into account in the housing benefit assessment.

We have received a number representations about the way that income generated by home income plans is treated in the housing benefit assessment. At present, following legal advice, our guidance manual states that the whole of such income should be taken into account, including that portion which is deducted at source as mortgage interest. We have decided that in future, in view of the special nature of these plans, the mortgage interest deduction should be disregarded in the assessment. This will require an amendment to the housing benefits regulations. We hope to introduce the change in the near future following consultation with the relevant organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what response he proposes to make to proposals by the general medical services committee of the British Medical Association to the effect that where there are long delays in waiting for an assessment by ear, nose and throat surgeons before hearing aids are prescribed such patients should be referred directly to audio-technicians and examined by consultants at a later stage; and if he will make a statement.