asked the Prime Minister what assessment Her Majesty's Government have made of the minimum size of the British Merchant Navy necessary to be maintained for reasons of national defence; and what measures she intends to take to ensure that this minimum is sustained in future years.

At present the United Kingdom registered merchant fleet numbers some 656 ships. The requirement for merchant vessels to support Her Majesty's forces in time of tension or war is kept under continuous review. If deficiencies seem likely to arise, action will be taken appropriate to the type of vessel concerned.

asked the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government have received, either before or since 15 April, any evidence alleging the involvement of individuals or Governments of countries other than Libya in the bombing of La Belle discotheque in Berlin on 5 April; and if she will make a statement.

The German authorities are continuing their investigations, but there is no evidence of involvement of individuals or Governments of countries other than Libya in the bombing of La Belle discotheque.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 3 July.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 3 July.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 3 July.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 3 July.

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 he having further meetings later today. This evening I shall attend a dinner given by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

asked the Prime Minister what steps she is taking to increase co-ordination between the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Health and Social Security concerning conductive education for severely disabled people; and if she will make a statement.

Conductive education is the subject of frequent discussion between the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Health and Social Security.Officials of both Departments are jointly discussing with the Spastics Society a proposed study of current provision and an evaluation of the implications of wider development of conductive education in this country.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any proposals to improve ministerial co-ordination of policy on the misuse of alcohol and its resulting road traffic offences; and if she will make a statement.

The Government attach high priority to reducing the incidence of drinking and driving. I believe that current ministerial arrangements are generally satisfactory for this purpose. However, one of our objectives in establishing the review of road safety policy, now nearing completion, was to consider whether any organisational changes might facilitate progress in road safety generally or in any particular aspects of it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received the report of the inquiry by Sir John Garlick into the role of his Department in relation to the fire at Hampton Court Palace on 30–31 March; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. I have recently received Sir John's report. Sir John was asked in April by my predecessor "to report on the discharge of the functions of the Secretary of State for the Environment in relation to Hampton Court Palace in the light of the events of 31 March 1986, with particular reference to—

(i) Maintenance.

(ii) Fire precautions.

(iii) The action taken when the fire was discovered, and to make recommendations."

I have this afternoon placed copies of this report in the Libraries of both Houses. There have been some very minor deletions for security reasons. They are indicated by asterisks.The report refers to evidence that indicates that the fire started within an hour or two of midnight in the main bedroom of Lady Gale's apartment and that the cause of the fire was probably a naked flame.The fire was discovered as the result of an intruder alarm being activated at 5.20 am. The automatic fire detection system did not operate until about 6.15 am. The delay in the discovery of the fire was a material factor in the extent of the damage that ultimately occurred.Sir John concluded that earlier discovery would not have averted the death of Lady Gale. He also concluded that little blame attached to the custody officers or other staff at the palace. He praised their devotion and courage and that of the palace staff and the salvage squad in seeking to protect life and property once the fire was discovered.Sir John said that the evidence did not enable him to establish with any certainty why the fire was not discovered earlier. He considered that the most likely cause of the apparent delay in the operation of the fire alarm was that part, or even all, of the automatic fire detection system had inadvertently been rendered inoperative. He criticised the arrangements that allowed an alarm system with design shortcomings to be installed, and then handed over with a less than adequate commissioning process.Sir John described the exercise of responsibility at Hampton Court palace, divided among different parts of the Department of the Environment, as contributing significantly to the unsatisfactory state of affairs that had developed by the time of the fire. He recommended that responsibility and accountability for Hampton Court should be more clearly located among officials of the Department of the Environment. He also commented on the division of responsibility between the Department of the Environment and the Royal Household and recommended that consideration should be given to achieving a more unified basis of decision-making and authority at Hampton Court palace.Sir John considered that the most immediate improvements in security against fire would he achieved by implementing 12 recommendations concerning technical improvements to the automatic fire detection system and changes in the procedures for its use and in the training of the staff concerned.I am putting the procedural changes recommended by Sir John into immediate effect. I have set in hand an urgent evaluation by experts of the technical recommendations; the necessary changes will be implemented as soon as possible; some have already been set in train. I am urgently considering the conclusions and recommendations in the report relating to responsibility and accountability upon which I shall consult with the Lord Chamberlain, as appropriate. As soon as this consideration is concluded, I shall report to the House what further steps I propose to take to improve the security of Hampton Court palace and its management generally.I deeply regret the fire and the loss of life and the damage it caused and I am determined that the lessons we can learn from it shall be applied to all other historic buildings in the care of the Department.I am grateful to Sir John Garlick for his thorough report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes are currently under construction or creation by conversion in the area of the London docklands; how many are for sale and for rent, respectively; and of those for sale, what proportion will cost less than £40,000.

A total of 3,282 homes are currently being constructed or created by conversion on sites owned by the London Docklands Development Corporation. Of these 2,846 are intended for owner-occupation, of which about a quarter will be priced at or below £40,000. The remaining 436 homes are intended to be rented. Homes are also under construction on other sites within docklands not in LDDC ownership, but no figures are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance his Department has given to the London residuary body about whether it is a public or private landlord.

Schedule 13 to the Local Government Act 1985 (which was amended by schedule 2 to the Housing (Consequential Provisions) Act 1985) sets out how the residuary bodies are to be treated for purposes of various enactments. No specific guidance as to the role of the London residuary body as a landlord has been considered necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Catholic chapel at Biddlestone, near Harbottle, Northumberland, has been listed since 18 May 1984.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the acreage of the land bank within the city of Southampton held by (a) Southampton city council, (b) Hampshire county council, (c) British Rail, (d) any other public bodies and (e) Associated British Ports.

My Department does not hold information about land banks. What is recorded in the land register is unused and underused land in the ownership of public bodies. There are 96 acres of such land within the city of Southampton, 49 acres owned by Southampton city council, 35 acres by Hampshire county council and 12 acres by the British Railways Board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what statistics have been produced by the Building Research Establishment in each of the last seven years to indicate the extent and cost of wind damage to buildings in the United Kingdom in respect of roofs, sections of wall, electricity pylons, cooling towers and sports grandstands.

Statistics have been produced by BRE in each of the last seven years relating to the extent and cost of damage to buildings in the United Kingdom due to the wind (and not other causes). The statistics form part of a continuing survey of reports of wind damage started in 1962. Information from the last seven years has been published in:

Performance of buildings in the United Kingdom. N. J. Cook

Engineering Structures, Vol 6, October 1984, pp 248–255.

The designer's guide to wind loading of building structures. N. J. Cook. Butterworths, 1985. ISBN 0–408–00870–9.

Overall, during the last seven years, there have been wind damage reports from some 2,900 different locations in the United Kingdom, the number of buildings involved varying from one to several hundred at each location. During that same period, 20 people have been killed and nearly 300 have been injured as a result of the wind damage to the buildings. The total cost of the damage has varied considerably from year to year. On average since 1962, some 200,000 buildings are damaged each year by high winds at an annual cost of about £35 million (1986 prices).The estimated total cost of all wind damage to buildings during the last seven years, together with the number of reports received in respect of specific categories—roofs, walls of buildings, electricity pylons, cooling towers and sports grandstands—is given below.

	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
Estimated total cost of all wind damage to buildings (1986 prices)	12	2	9	11	23	62	2
Number of reports of damage to:
Roofs	222	43	336	352	773	3,101	44
Walls of buildings	62	17	33	50	112	262	7
Electricity pylons	—	—	—	—	4	3	—
Cooling towers	—	—	—	—	1	2	—
Sports grandstands	1	—	1	2	10	18	—

Subdivision of the total cost into those relating to each category cannot be made from the available information.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what design programmes have been produced for engineers by the Building Research Establishment to enable them to predict wind loading more accurately.

In November 1985 BRE published a new book, "The designer's guide to wind loading of building structures" by N. J. Cook aimed at helping engineers predict wind loads more accurately. In December 1985, a suite of computer programs called STRONGBLOW was then produced as an extension to the information available in the book. STRONGBLOW is a user-friendly computer program suite in BASIC which generates design wind speed data accurately and reliably at any site for all wind directions and any height above ground for the assessment of wind loads on buildings. STRONGBLOW is orientated to sites in the United Kingdom but instructions are included to extend the scope to overseas sites. STRONGBLOW is available from BRE priced £000+ VAT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what surveys have been conducted by the Building Research Establishment to establish the extent to which buildings stand up to natural winds in the midlands, north and south of England; and what results have been produced.

As part of the wind damage survey referred to in another question from the hon. Member answered today the location of all incidents has been recorded and, where possible, an estimate made of the wind speed at the time the damage occurred. The results of this assessment have been published in:

Performance of buildings in the United Kingdom, N. J. Cook.

Engineering Structures, Vol. 6, October 1984, pp 248–255.

The designer's guide to wind loading of building structures.

N. J. Cook. Butterworths, 1985. ISBN 0–408–00870–9.

In general it is noted that the wind speed at which damage starts to occur in the north of the United Kingdom are greater than in the south. This is due largely to variations of traditional building practices across the United Kingdom in response to geographical differences in wind climate.The number of reports of damage since 1962 has not been sufficient to compare susceptibility of buildings to wind damage on a local regional basis. However, the reports have been divided into two sets, one for Scotland and northern England, the other for Wales and southern England. This division indicates that minor damage to building starts to occur at about 15 m/s in the South and 17·5 m/s in the North.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many families were placed in bed-and-breakfast type accommodation for homeless people in 1985 in Greater London.

My Department collects front local authorities only figures of homeless households resident in bed-and-breakfast accommodation at the end of each quarter; this information is published regularly and is placed in the Library. As at 31 December 1985, there were 2,960 households resident in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in Greater London. Some information about households placed in such accommodation during the financial year 1984–85 is contained in "Homelessness Statistics, 1984–85 Actuals" published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to include in new or renegotiated leases for shops let by his Department near to the Palace of Westminster provisions relating to the quality and price of goods offered or exposed for sale and primarily intended for purchase by tourists: and if he will make a statement.

It is intended to include provision for shops at ground floor level of the Bridge street frontage of the prospective redevelopment of that area. I have yet to consider on what conditions leases for these premises will be offered. I shall consult the Services Committee about the leasing arrangements in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of council housing starts he anticipates that each London borough will commence during the year 1986–87 compared with the year 1980–81.

My Department has made no such estimates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount of interest accrued to Her Majesty's Government as a result of payments being withheld from Liverpool city council during the period when that local authority delayed fixing a rate; and if this accrued interest was credited to the Liverpool city council on the final settlement of its rate.

It is not possible to give a figure since the calculation would depend on hypothetical assumptions about how central Government's financing would have been carried out in other circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total sum of money withheld by Her Majesty's Government from the Liverpool city council as a consequence of that local authority's delay in fixing a rate for 1985–86; and if he will make a statement.

Payment of some £8·2 million was held back because of the city council's delay in setting a rate in 1985–86.Four central Government grants should not be paid before a rating authority has fixed its rate. These are:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the details of the anti-litter campaign to be headed by Mr. Richard Branson.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) on 20 June at column 651.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what efforts are being made by his Department to encourage the development and use of degradable plastics by industry.

It is not the function of my Department to encourage the development of degradable plastics by industry. Rather it is for industry itself to seek out avenues of research and development. Such projects could be eligible for grant under the support for innovation scheme operated by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.We would encourage the use of products which have environmental advantages provided they represented an economic and practical alternative to products already in use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether compensation will be paid to (a) local residents for physical and material damage suffered and (b) local businesses for damages suffered by virtue of the emission and subsequent emergency procedures, as a result of the incident on 28 June at Hays Chemicals Ltd. plant, St. Helens.

Although local authorities have powers to make grants or loans in the event of an emergency, questions about compensation for damage should be addressed in the first instance to those believed to be liable and/or their insurers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish details of the programmes under which his Department and the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible offer grants to voluntary organisations.

The Department of the Environment and its sponsored bodies have a wide range of grant programmes through which they assist the voluntary sector. The Department has just published a pamphlet outlining these grants which are given by the Department. Countryside Commission, Historic Building and Monuments Commission, Nature Conservancy Council and Sports Council. I have no doubt about the valuable role that is played by voluntary organisations across the entire spectrum of interests covered by the Department and its sponsored bodies. I am sure that voluntary organisations will find this leaflet a very useful guide when seeking support for their activities. I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many homes were owned for rental by housing associations in England and Wales at the latest available date; and what were the figures for the same period for each of the last three years;(2) how many homes have been built by housing associations for sale or shared ownership in each of the last three years;(3) what is the total number of homes owned by housing associations at the latest available date; and what were the figures for the same period for each of the last three years.

I shall answer these questions shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made with plans to privatise the water authorities.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 June 1986, c. 309–11]: My consultations on privatising the water authorities have shown that, while preparations for their privatisation are well under way, more time is needed to prepare the necessary legislation. I have therefore concluded that we are unlikely to be able to introduce the Bill next Session.I understand further powers may be needed to enable water authorities to prepare themselves for privatisation.I reaffirm the Government's intention to proceed with water privatisation as soon as practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the Dartmoor national park authority over the permanent siting of spoil heaps, arising from the construction of the proposed Okehampton bypass, within the boundaries of the national park.

I have been asked to reply and will do so shortly.

asked the Attorney-General, pursuant to his reply of 26 June to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, Official Report, column 267, what role the Director of Public Prosecutions has played in the investigations concerning Mr. Kevin Taylor, in so far as they relate to the matters in connection with which the deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester has been asked to take leave of absence; what action the Director of Public Prosecutions proposes to take on the preliminary report which he has received on the subject; and if he will make a statement.

The preliminary report concerning Mr. Kevin Taylor submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions was not intended to be, nor is it suitable as, a basis for advice as to possible charges; the role of the director has been to advise as to appropriate lines of inquiry. The investigation concerning Mr. Taylor is quite separate from that being conducted in relation to the deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester, and the nature and purpose of, and the issues involved in, the respective inquiries are different.

asked the Attorney-General if he will ask the Director of Public Prosecutions to institute proceedings against the Northern Association of Sporting and Charitable Organisations (NASCO) for breaches of the law relating to lotteries and the circumstance of the use for non-charitable purposes of the name of a well-known charity in the Merseyside area.

The investigation of alleged criminal offences and the institution of proceedings is a matter for the police service which may seek the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions in appropriate cases. The power conferred by section 3(2)(b) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 on the director to institute proceedings himself is a reserve power which he may use in circumstances where the ordinary enforcement machinery appears to have failed or there are otherwise special circumstances why the proceedings should be instituted in his name. I am not aware of any circumstances which would justify the director doing so in the present case. I understand that the matters to which my hon. Friend refers are the subject of an investigation by the Merseyside police, and the decision whether to prosecute will be taken at the conclusion of the investigation, in accordance with the ordinary procedures.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest perinatal and neonatal mortality rates in the Rottenrow maternity hospital, Glasgow; and what are the figures for each of the last 10 years.

The information on perinatal mortality rates is set out in the table. Information on neonatal mortality rates is not available centrally for individual hospitals.

Year	Rate per 1,000 births
1976	22·4
1977	18·1
1978	18·9
1979	13·2
1980	14·9
1981	15·0
1982	13·1
1983	7·6
1984	11·8
1985	10·3

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the main catchment areas for each of the maternity units in the city of Glasgow.

The Glasgow royal maternity unit provides a service to the east of Glasgow and also to some extent the Coatbridge/Airdrie area of Lanarkshire health board; the Stobhill maternity unit serves the north of Glasgow and the Cumbernauld/Kilsyth area of Lanarkshire; the Rutherglen maternity hospital serves south-east Glasgow and the East Kilbride area of Lanarkshire; the Southern general serves south-west Glasgow and the Renfrew and Argyll and Bute areas of Argyll and Clyde health board; and the Queen Mother's hospital serves west Glasgow and also some patients from the Renfrew area of Argyll and Clyde.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what size of maternity unit is envisaged on the site earmarked for such a unit in the plans for the Royal infirmary, Glasgow.

The Greater Glasgow health board has not yet submitted for approval its formal case for a new obstetric unit. The board has indicated that it plans to provide a 140-bed obstetric unit, to be located either at Stobhill or at the royal infirmary, Glasgow.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average waiting time for patients on National Health Service waiting lists in Scotland in each year since 1978.

The mean waiting times (in days) for all in-patient treatment up to 1984 (the latest year for which statistics are available) were as follows:

Year	Days
1978	68
1979	79

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the ratio of geriatric beds available under the National Health Service in Scotland to people aged over 60 years in each year since 1978.

The ratio of available staffed geriatric beds to people aged 60 and over is as follows:

	Ratio
1978	1:105
1979	1:102
1980	1:101
1981	1:99
1982	1:99
1983	1:97
1984	1:94
1985	*1:95
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table to show the average monthly count of persons registered as unemployed in Scotland, in each year since 1974 who were (a) school leavers and (b) aged 19 years and under.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 June 1986, c. 385–86]: Information is not available in the precise form requested. The following table gives annual average unemployment in Scotland from April 1974 to May 1986 for school leavers aged under 18 and from January 1979 to April 1986 for those aged 19 and under. Annual average unemployment figures are not available prior to January 1979 for those aged 19 and under. Because of various changes in the way unemployment statistics have been compiled over the period, the figures cannot readily be compared.

Annual average unemployment in Scotland
Year	School leavers under 18	Young persons aged 19 and under
†1974	1,769	*
1975	5,014	*
1976	8,572	*
1977	12,448	*
1978	11,605	*
1979	10,126	39,453
1980	13,180	48,160
1981	14,607	61,109
1982	17,841	69,858
1983	20,593	70,330

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of people in Scotland, at the latest date, who have not been in full-time employment since leaving school; and how many of them are school-leavers from (a) 1986, (b) 1985, (c) 1984 and (d) 1983 or before.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 June 1986, c. 385–86]: The number of people in Scotland who, at May 1986, had not been in full-time employment since leaving school was 17,521. There is no information to indicate in which year they left school.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the average monthly count of persons registered as unemployed in Scotland for each year since 1974; and if he will give the percentage unemployment figure for each year.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 June 1986, c. 385–86]: The following table shows the annual average of the monthly count of unemployed persons claiming benefit in Scotland for each year from April 1974 to May 1986. Because of various changes in the way unemployment statistics have been compiled over the period, the figures are not directly comparable year by year.

Annual average unemployment in Scotland
Year	Total	Percentage Unemployed
*1974	82,406	3·8
1975	109,309	5·0
1976	148,323	6·7
1977	172,117	7·7
1978	172,042	7·7
1979	168,345	7·4
1980	207,918	9·1
1981	282,807	12·4
1982	318,017	14·0
1983	335,579	14·9
1984	341,599	15·1
1985	352,967	15·6
1986†	361,176	16·0
*Nine months.
†Five months.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many public sector houses, other than special needs houses, were built in each of the Scottish new towns in each year since 1974.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 June 1986, c. 314]: The information is not readily available in the form requested. The available information, for houses (other than special needs houses) built by development corporations in the new towns, is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses for special needs have been built in each of the Scottish new towns in each year since 1979.

	Cumbernauld	East Kilbride	Glenrothes	Irvine	Livingston
1979	—	—	127	4	85
1980	—	—	27	36	85
1981	—	—	98	30	23
1982	—	—	53	—	52
1983	—	—	74	37	7
1984	—	19	—	53	—
1985	—	—	8	25	14
1986*	—	—	—	2	—
*Position to 31 March.

These figures do not include conversion of existing houses or houses under construction.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many student places in universities and polytechnics in science, engineering and mathematics were unfilled in the last academic year.

Information on student places is not collected centrally. The University Grants Committee and the National Advisory Body for Public Sector Higher Education regularly monitor trends in student numbers and their relationship to planning totals. Such monitoring does not, however, extend to the numbers of empty places. Provision is also being made to monitor the engineering and technology programme and the effect this has on other similar courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out in tabular form the number and value of industrial sponsorships for home students in higher education in each year from 1970 to the latest available date.

The "University Statistics" shows that the following numbers of home university students were in receipt of financial support from industry and commerce between 1980 and 1984.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 June 1986, c. 314]: The information is not readily available in the form requested. The available information, for special needs houses built by development corporations in the new towns, is as follows:

Home Students in Great Britain Universities
	Thousands
1980	2·6
1981	2·5
1982	2·3
1983	2·6
1984	2·6

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students in (a) universities and (b)public sector institutions are now studying with the benefit of distance learning techniques; and what were the equivalent figures in each year from 1970 to the latest available date.

In November 1984, 460 advanced course students and 6,250 non-advanced course students were recorded as studying at further education colleges in England using distance learning.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the total number of mature entrants into higher education in each year since 1974.

The information for home full-time and sandwich initial entrants aged 21 and over to higher education in Great Britain is as follows:

Higher Education in Great Britain
Thousands
Academic year beginning	Full-time and sandwich home mature initial entrants
1974	30·7
1975	31·4
1976	33·0
1977	30·5
1978	32·3
1979	34·0
1980	33·2
1981	36·0
1982	35·9
1983	36·8
1984	37·1
*1985	39·2
*Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the older, mature participation index for higher education in each year since 1974.

Figures for the older mature participation index, which is defined as the number of home full-time and sandwich initial entrants aged 25 and over, expressed as a percentage of the population aged 25 to 34 in that year, are shown in the following table.

Older Mature entry indices to Higher Education in Great Britain
Academic year beginning	Men	Women
1974	0·223	0·243
1975	0·237	0·242
1976	0·234	0·217
1977	0·210	0·170
1978	0·229	0·185
1979	0·228	0·207
1980	0·229	0·209
1981	0·260	0·230
1982	0·255	0·237
1983	0·273	0·248
1984	0·262	0·250
*1985	0·260	0·274

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what has been the total number of part-time students in higher education each year since 1970;(2) what has been the total, full-time equivalent number of students in higher education each year since 1970.

The information for selected years is as follows:

Student numbers in higher education—Great Britain thousands
Academic Year beginning	Full-time and sandwich	Part-time	Approximate full-time equivalent
1970	446	162	503
1975	504	215	579
1979	510	268	604
1980	521	288	622
1981	542	297	646
1982	553	303	659
1983	566	312	675
1984	573	312	682
*1985	578	328	693
*Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will undertake a review of the effects of Government expenditure cuts on civil-funded research carried out in universities and research establishments.

No. The Advisory Board for the Research Councils and the University Grants Committee advise my right hon. Friend on the financial needs of research undertaken in higher education and in research council establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to meet representatives of Scottish universities to discuss future funding of these institutions.

My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to meet representatives of Scottish universities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to which local education authorities have a single tertiary college, on multiple sites, with a single governing board.

The only local education authority which currently provides all 16 to 19 education in a single tertiary college is the London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames. That college is on one site, and has a single governing body.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to which local education authorities have reorganised their schools within the past five years and which have instituted different age ranges in schools in different parts of the authority.

Full information on any changes in age range could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, but the list shows those local education authorities in whose areas major secondary reorganisations have been approved within the past five years.

LEAs for which major secondary reorganisations have been approved since 1981.
Croydon	Cheshire
Harrow	Cleveland
Waltham Forest	Cumbria
ILEA	Durham
Birmingham	East Sussex
Dudley	Essex
Knowsley	Gloucestershire
Liverpool	Hampshire
Wirral	Hereford and Worcester
Bolton	Humberside
Manchester	Lancashire
Calderdale	Lincolnshire
Kirklees	North Yorkshire
Wakefield	Staffordshire
Gateshead	Wiltshire
Avon

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy, when approving school reorganisations for the purpose of accommodating falling school rolls, to make available extra resources to deal with any problems arising from the transition from the existing organisation to the new one; and if he will make a statement.

Priority is given in determining authorities' allocations of prescribed capital expenditure to projects resulting from approved statutory proposals. Budgeting for current expenditure is a matter for the individual authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what study his Department has made of the transcript of Mr. justice Taylor's judgment in the judicial review of decisions by the Hampshire local education authority, R. v. Hampshire Education Authority ex part J, 28 November 1985; what action he has now taken; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has considered the judgment in this case and has concluded that it is broadly in line with his Department's interpretation of the Education Act 1981. He has written to chief education officers and amendments will be made to the guidance contained in circular 1/83 in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list what information the University Grants Committee has on the forecast surplus or deficit of revenue for 1986–87 for universities in the United Kingdom.

I understand that this information was provided to the University Grants Committee in confidence. It has not been made available to the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to which local authorities recruit or propose to recruit school governors on the basis of ethnic background.

No information is collected on actual practice. I am looking into recent reports suggesting that the Inner London education authority intends to reserve certain governorships for ethnic minorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what subjects he expects to discuss at his next meeting with the University Grants Committee.

My right hon. Friend will be meeting the University Grants Committee on 10 July. He expects to discuss a wide range of issues about universities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will publish a list of the (a) learned bodies, (b) medical charities and (c) individuals with specialist knowledge which gave help to the University Grants Committee and its sub-committees in determination of recurrent grants to universities for 1986–87.

I understand that the main bodies which provided information and advice to the University Grants Committee and its sub-committees in their assessments of universities' research strengths were:

• Agricultural and Food Research Council
• Economic and Social Research Council
• Medical Research Council
• Natural Environment Research Council
• Science and Engineering Research Council
• Engineering Council
• Royal Society
• Royal Society of Chemistry
• National Institutes of Health (United States of America)
• Information Technology Skills Agency
• Institute of Cost and Management Accountants
• Institute of Chartered Accountants
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
• Chartered Association of Certified Accountants
• Arthritis and Rheumatism Council
• Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus
• British Diabetic Association
• British Heart Foundation
• Cancer Research Campaign
• Chest Heart and Stroke Association
• Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust
• Imperial Cancer Research Fund
• Leukaemia Research Fund
• Leverhulme Trust
• Mental Health Foundation
• Multiple Sclerosis of Great Britain
• Muscular Dystrophy Group
• National Fund for Research into Crippling Diseases
• National Kidney Research fund
• Nuffield Foundation
• Tenovus Cancer Fund
• Wellcome Foundation
• Yorkshire Cancer Research Campaign

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many grammar schools are provided by education authorities in England and Wales, and where they are located.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 June 1986, c. 249]: The number of grammar schools in local education authorities in England, as recorded in the annual census of schools in January 1986, are shown in the table. Information on Welsh schools is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

January 1986
	Number of grammar schools
Barnet	2
Bexley	2
Bromley	2
Enfield	1
Kingston-upon-Thames	2
Redbridge	2
Sutton	4
Birmingham	8
Walsall	2
Wolverhampton	1
Wirral	4
Trafford	8
Calderdale	2
Kirklees	1
Avon	2
Berkshire	6
Buckinghamshire	14
Devon	9
Dorset	6
Essex	8
Gloucestershire	10
Kent	28
Lancashire	4
Lincolnshire	15
North Yorkshire	3
Salop	2
Warwickshire	5
Wiltshire	2
Total England	155

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has as to how the recent fall in electricity prices compares in the United Kingdom with other European Economic Community countries.

Surveys conducted by the CBI in recent years have shown that the price of electricity to industrial users in the United Kingdom generally compares favourably with prices in other countries in the Community, except in France where consumers are reaping the benefits of a large nuclear power programme. I believe that this remains the position. The effects of movements in exchange rates has been to lessen the size of reductions in other countries in the Community in sterling terms, and in some cases has implied an increase in prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the discussions with the oil industry and other interests involved on the requirements for removal of (i) onshore and (ii) offshore oil and gas rigs and platforms and undersea equipment, and the requirement for sealing of wells on abandonment.

I have had discussions with representatives from offshore oil industry organisations, and from fishermen's organisations on the Government's proposals for the abandonment of disused offshore oil and gas installations; my officials are continuing discussions with these organisations. No discussions have yet taken place on the question of the eventual removal of onshore oil and gas production facilities.The requirements for the sealing of abandoned wells are well understood by the offshore operating companies and have been in operation for a number of years.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what procedures are followed when it is proposed that (i) an onshore and (ii) an offshore oil or gas well is to be abandoned; and what proposed abandonments have so far been raised with his Department.

When a company proposed to abandon a well onshore or offshore it must seek the Secretary of State's consent before commencing abandonment operations. The condition of the well and the proposed sealing arrangements are reviewed by my officials before giving consent. Over 1,000 offshore wells have been abandoned since exploration commenced in December 1964. A similar number of onshore wells have been abandoned.

asked the Paymaster General what has been the value of the petrol component of the retail prices index for each of the last 12 months.

Taking January 1974 as 100, the index figures for the "petrol and oil" component of the retail prices index for the 12 months to May were:

	Figures
14 May 1985	490·0
June 1985	488·3
July 1985	481·6
August 1985	478·6
September 1985	475·0
October 1985	467·5
November 1985	463·4
December 1985	462·1
January 1986	459·4
February 1986	447·5
March 1986	427·4
April 1986	412·8
May 1986	392·0

asked the Paymaster General how many community programmes were in operation (a) in 1985 and (b) in the current year; and how many of these were occupied (i) for the whole of the period of the programme and (ii) for part of the time.

It is not possible to give information in the form requested. However, at the end of May 1985, and at the end of May 1986 (the latest date for which statistics are available) the number of community programme projects and places were as follows:

	May 1985	May 1986
Projects operating	8,040	10,984
Places authorised	157,602	256,321
Places filled
Full-time	38,525	53,553
Part-time	95,471	162,068
Total	133,996	215,621

asked the Paymaster General why no officer of Her Majesty's Industrial Air Pollution Inspectorate was available to participate in Operation Cloudburst following an incident at Hays Chemicals Ltd., St. Helens, on Saturday 28 June; and when an officer of that establishment first made contact with St. Helens metropolitan council.

The Industrial Air Pollution Inspectorate did not become aware of the incident at Hays Chemicals Ltd., St. Helens, until Monday 30 June, on which date St. Helens metropolitan council was contacted.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to the age of the oleum tank that split at Hays Chemicals Ltd. plant, East Sutton, St. Helens on Saturday 28 June.

Hays Chemicals Ltd. states that the tank was fabricated in 1969 and installed in 1970.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to what welding tests were carried out on welded seams of the oleum tank at Hays Chemicals Ltd. plant. East Sutton, St. Helens on 28 June.

No tests were carried out on 28 June. Visual examination and non-destructive tests were carried out in November and December 1985.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to when the oleum tank that split at Hays Chemicals Ltd. plant, East Sutton, St. Helens on 28 June was last refurbished.

Refurbishment was undertaken following the examination in November and December 1985.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to what certificate was issued, and by whom, after each refurbishment of the oleum tank that split at Hays Chemicals Ltd. plant, East Sutton, St. Helens on 28 June.

No information is available at present.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to how many tanks of oleum are on the Hays Chemicals Limited site at East Sutton, St. Helens.

There are four oleum tanks on site.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to whether the oleum tank that split at the Hays Chemicals Limited plant at East Sutton, St. Helens on 28 June was pressurised.

The oleum tank is not normally pressurised. Preliminary investigations suggest that there was an accidental pressurisation on 28 June.

asked the Paymaster General (1) what information he has as to the temperature of the oleum in the tank that split at the Hays Chemicals Limited plant at East Sutton, St. Helens on 28 June at the time of the split;(2) what information he has as to steps taken to keep oleum tanks at Hays Chemicals Limited plant, East Sutton, St. Helens within safe temperature control limits.

No information is available at present.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to what warning devices are used on oleum tanks at Hays Chemicals Limited, St. Helens to give notice that a tank has split or is in any way in a dangerous condition.

A contents level indicator was fitted to the tank.

asked the Paymaster General what regulations govern pressurised and non-pressurised tanks, including those containing oleum.

It is not customary to store oleum in pressurised tanks. Tanks which operate at atmospheric pressure are not subject to any specific regulations Tanks used for containing steam or air above atmospheric pressure and steam boilers are subject to sections 32 to 37 of the Factories Act 1961.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to what facilities there are for emptying tanks containing oleum at Hays Chemicals Limited, St. Helens.

Rigid and flexible pipes and pumps are available for emptying oleum tanks into other static tanks or mobile road tankers.

asked the Paymaster General (1) whether the site at Hays Chemicals Limited, East Sutton, St. Helens is governed by the Controls of Industrial Major Accident Hazard Regulations.(2) if he has any plans to designate installations that have tanks containing sulphur trioxide under Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard regulations.

The site at present is subject to regulations 4 and 5 of the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984 because an industrial activity is carried out there that involves sulphur trioxide which is a dangerous substance as defined in regulation 2(1).A directive is expected to be adopted shortly which would require amendment to the CIMAH regulations. This would add sites with sulphur trioxide above a threshold quantity to the list of those to which the more stringent requirements in regulations 7 to 12 apply.

asked the Paymaster General if he will hold a public inquiry into the incident at Hays Chemicals Ltd., St. Helens, on Saturday 28 June in which a tank containing oleum fractured and sent a cloud of sulphuric acid mist over St. Helens; and if he will make a statement.

No. I will write to the hon. Member when the Health and Safety Executive has completed its investigation and place a copy in the Library.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has as to the likely longterm effects upon ewes in north Wales and Cumbria of exposure to radiation, and in particular how long such ewes are likely to give contaminated milk; whether movement to uncontaminated pasture would have a beneficial effect; and whether there is any risk of genetic mutations in sheep.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 July 1986]: Results of monitoring data up to Wednesday 2 July show an encouraging reduction in radiocaesium levels in lamb in certain parts of the designated areas of south-west Cumbria which have been intensively sampled. The latest batch of results is being published today. On the basis of these results my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I will today be making a new order to come into effect at midnight under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 to release certain areas from restriction while retaining restrictions on the remainder for a further three weeks.A map showing the areas to be released has been placed in the Library of the House. It will free over 1,200 holdings, 549 with sheep, in Cumbria from restriction.We hope to reduce further the size of the designated area in Cumbria as soon as additional sampling results confirm the expected fall in radiocaesium levels in the area still subject to restriction. The latest monitoring results are also being placed in the Library of the House.In my statement on 20 June I said that, if it should prove to be necessary, the Government would be prepared to discuss cases of compensation for severe loss in particular circumstances to specific farmers. We have already had discussions with representatives of the farmer's unions on compensation and these will continue with a view to making a further statement as soon as we are in a position to do so.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the actions taken in response to the risk of radioactive contamination of food during May and June by his Department and by his counterparts in France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland and Czechoslovakia; and what arrangements were made for international coordination of precautions during the Chernobyl emergency.

[pursuant to her reply, 26 June 1986, c. 307 ]: As soon as news of the Chernobyl accident was reported my Department undertook monitoring which was intensified on and after 2 May when the cloud carrying radioactive material reached the United Kingdom. Other European countries also undertook monitoring. The extent of radioactive deposition varied depending on the length of time the cloud was overhead and rainfall during that time. Although the levels of radioactivity in foodstuffs in the United Kingdom have generally been well below the level at which action would need to be considered, levels of radiocaesium in young unfinished lambs, not yet ready for market, in certain areas of Cumbria and north Wales were sufficient to warrant the introduction of controls on movement and slaughter of sheep in these areas. I understand that a number of other European countries have had to institute similar controls on a range of their foodstuffs.On 1 May the Department of Health and Social Security asked port health authorities to hold imports of certain foods from Poland and Russia for testing and extended this advice on 10 May to cover the range of foodstuffs from eastern bloc countries likely to be subject to a Community ban. The European Community reached agreement on 12 May on the imposition of a ban from 13 to 31 May on certain food imports, including fresh milk and milk products, and fresh fruit and vegetables from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Rumania, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.On 31 May, the ban was replaced by a Community regulation specifying maximum levels of caesium 134 and 137 in certain foods imported into the Community from third countries. The regulation expires on 30 September 1986. Procedures under the regulation allow for the issue in countries of origin, as part of the monitoring arrangements, of certificates to accompany consignments of foodstuffs confirming that the health standards required by the regulation are met. Discussions were held on 22–23 May by a group of Community scientists under article 31 of the Euratom treaty to discuss the trigger level for contamination of Community control measures.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will place in the Library the results of radioactivity monitoring of sheep milk for 1 to 14 May for Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland;(2) why no figures have been issued on the results of the monitoring of radioactivity in sheep milk in Cumbria between 3 and 14 May.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 July 1986]: Immediately following the accident at Chernobyl the Ministry's monitoring programme concentrated upon cows' milk to ensure that there was no danger to human health from its consumption, particularly by infants. When we were satisfied that there was no hazard to health from cows' milk, my Department extended its monitoring to sheeps' and goats' milk to ensure that these, too, were safe for consumption.The first results of monitoring of sheeps' milk in Durham and Cumria and Northumberland relate to samples taken on 12 and 14 May, respectively. These results were published in the data issued by my Department on 30 May and included in the compendium of data provided on 20 June which is in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the present European Community quotas for each type of fish imposed on the sea-fishing industries of each of the member states; and which of the quotas have been exceeded to date.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps are being taken by Her Majesty's Government and other European Governments to ensure that no fish below the minimum size allowed to be caught are fished in European waters.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what methods are being used by Her Majesty's Government to monitor the effectiveness of the London and Oslo dumping convention in respect of persistent plastics.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the addition to national spending in consequence of the transfer of responsibility for agricultural spending from the European Economic Community to national Governments in the price review in respect of 1986; and if he will make a statement.

The decision to reduce the Community's reimbursement to member states for their national expenditure on intervention operations will cut Community expenditure by about 300 million ecu a year according to Commission estimates. As I explained in my reply to the hon. Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Deakins) on 14 May the overall effect on United Kingdom public expenditure is expected to be broadly neutral.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has decided to hold a public inquiry into the Potato Marketing Board's proposals to amend the potato marketing scheme.

I and my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales have carefully considered the objections we have received to the board's proposals. We have decided to direct that a public inquiry be held and have appointed His Honour Judge David Peck to be chairman. The inquiry will begin on 30 July and will be held in Church house, Westminster.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidelines he proposes to issue to food companies regarding policy on the future use of food additives.

[pursuant to her reply, 2 July 1986]: I have no plans at present to issue specific guidelines to food companies regarding policy on the future use of food additives. The use of these substances is controlled by the Food Act 1984 and through specific regulations made under that Act and is based on the advice of expert committees and, where appropriate, implements Community controls.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest information regarding the levels of radiocaesium in the parts of north Wales affected by the order made on 20 June prohibiting the movement and slaughter of sheep; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 June 1986, c. 406]: Results of monitoring data up to Wednesday 2 July show an encouraging reduction in radiocaesium levels in lamb in certain parts of the designated area of north Wales which have been intensively sampled. The latest batch of results is being published today and a copy is being placed in the Library of the House.On the basis of these results my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and I have today made a new order to come into effect at midnight under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 to release certain areas, including south and west of the A5 in Anglesey and the Vale of Clwyd, from restrictions while retaining the remainder for a further 21 days.A map showing the areas in Wales to be released has been placed in the Library of the House. It will free approximately 1,000 holdings in north Wales from restriction.I am fully aware of the problems faced by those farmers still subject to restrictions and of the large numbers of lambs held on farms which are now ready to come to market. I hope to reduce further the size of the designated area in north Wales as soon as additional sampling results confirm the expected fall in radiocaesium levels in the area still subject to restriction.I recognise that, now farmers in the newly released areas can market their lambs, there is a possibility that an abnormally high proportion of them may be rejected .for variable premium through having become over fat because the restrictions have delayed their being marketed.My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in his statement on 20 June, said that if it should prove to be necessary the Government would be prepared to discuss cases of compensation for severe loss in particular circumstances to specific farmers.I have invited representatives of the farmers' unions to meet me next Monday for discussions on the effect of restrictions and on compensation. Their views will be taken fully into account. We hope to be in a position to make an early statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has issued any guidelines to local education authorities in Wales concerning the use of conductive education within their areas.

The introduction of conductive education, like other forms of special educational provision, would be a matter for consideration by local education authorities and individual schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) with which organisations representing farmers' interests he consulted prior to the announcement on 20 June of a 21-day ban on the movement of lambs in certain parts of Wales;(2) on what dates he met representatives of

I met the chairman and deputy chairman of the National Farmers Union on 20 June about the imposition of the restrictions. Arrangements were made to inform the president of the Farmers Union of Wales at the same time.The closest contact is being maintained with the farming industry and others both locally and centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales at what centres, at what frequency and with what size of sample are radioactivity levels in sheep and lambs in Wales measured; and what is the estimated statistical accuracy of such tests.

Testing is being carried out at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food laboratories at Weybridge and Lowestoft and at other establishments in the public and private sectors. More than 500 sheep each week are currently being tested as part of the intensive monitoring programme. The statistical limits set will ensure that the prospect of sheepmeat with radiocaesium in excess of 1,000 becquerels/kilogramme level getting into the food chain is minimal.