asked the Attorney-General whether the Director of Public Prosecutions has now received a report from the Metropolitan police about the allegations made by Alan Bristow in relation to the award of honours; and if he will make a statement.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has now received and considered the report from the Metropolitan police. He has concluded that there is no evidence sufficient to justify the institution of criminal proceedings against any person.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her answer of 24 June to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, Official Report, column 86, why she will not seek the necessary permission to enable her to reveal the source of the advice from the United States of America to the effect that F111 aircraft were more accurate and precise than carrier-based aircraft.

It would not be appropriate.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to pay an official visit to Strathclyde.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to make an official visit to Flecknoe near Rugby.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make it her policy to continue to put more real resources into the National Health Service as part of her investment plans; and whether she will make a statement.

This Government have increased spending on the National Health Service by 24 per cent. in real terms, including a planned increase of 3 per cent. in real terms in this financial year. Further real increases are planned in each of 1987–88 and 1988–89. The plans will be reviewed in the public expenditure survey.

asked the Prime Minister if she will place in the Library the monthly reports issued by the Commission to the European Council on trends in agricultural spending in accordance with the agreement arrived at at the European Council on 4 December 1984; and if she will make a statement.

The Commission's monthly report on trends in agricultural expenditure will be made available in the Library when an English translation is received.

asked the Prime Minister what was the outcome of the representations she made to the European Economic Community Commission regarding its failure to submit monthly reports on agricultural spending to the Council as provided in the 4 December 1984 agreement; and if she will make a statement.

Following our representations the Commission has established a procedure whereby a report on the development of agricultural expenditure will now be sent to the Council at the beginning of each month.

asked the Prime Minister if, following the discussions on Chernobyl at the European Council, she will consider arranging wider inter-governmental discussions with a view to securing a tightening-up of international co-operation and safety arrangements.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is the main forum where international cooperation on nuclear safety can be discussed. The Government's priority will be to work towards a fruitful outcome of the meetings arranged by the agency, including a special session, at ministerial level, of the general conference to be held on 24 to 26 September.

asked the Prime Minister why she considers that publishing the number of certificates signed under section 27 of the Data Protection Act would not be in the interest of national security.

It has been the practice of successive Administrations not to publish information on matters affecting national security. I have therefore nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 9 June 1986.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Howell) on 26 June, Official Report, column 266, is she will state the total cost of rent rebates, rent allowances, rate rebates and mortgage interest tax relief, respectively, in 1979 and 1985; and if she will estimate how many people with incomes in excess of £20,000 a year are receiving each rebate, allowance or relief.

The information requested on expenditure on housing benefits and revenue forgone on mortgage interest relief is as follow:

(£ million)
	*1979–80	*1985–86
Great Britain
Rent Rebates	640	2,290

asked the Prime Minister if, in view of recent fatailities and accidents, she will consider introducing legislation to provide for a minimum level of competence for those permitted to take part in parachute jumps from aircraft; and if she will make a statement.

Statutory responsibility for the regulation of parachuting rests with the Civil Aviation Authority. Under article 41 of the Air Navigation Order 1985, no one may jump from an aircraft without the Civil Aviation Authority's permission. The Civil Aviation Authority is advised by the British Parachute Association, which exercises day-to-day control of the sport and sets basic training requirements for all parachutists. These requirements were recently reviewed and tightened.

asked the Prime Minister (1) how much money was saved from the total estimated cost of armed forces pensions during the 1985–86 financial year as a result of the Government's decision to stage top salary pay awards for senior officers of the armed forces during that year; and if she will base their pensions on the salaries actually in payment;(2) how much money was saved from the total estimated cost of armed forces pensions during the 1984–85 financial year as a result of the Government's decision to stage pay awards to members of the armed forces during that year; and if she will base their pensions on the salaries actually in payment;(3) if she will list the total cost of armed forces pensions in the financial years 1984–85 and 1985–86; and what is the estimated total cost for the current year;(4) how much money will be saved in the total cost of armed forces pensions during the current financial year as a result of the Government's decision to delay the effective date of the 1986 pay awards to members of the armed forces from 1 April to 1 July; and if he will base their pensions on the salaries actually in payment.

The information requested is as follows:

	£ million.
	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87

asked the Prime Minister if she will list the official visits abroad made by her since May 1979.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) on 10 December 1985, at columns 575–77, and to the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Lloyd) on 7 July 1986, at column 5.In 1986 I have made the following overseas visits:

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 July.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 July.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 10 July.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 July.

asked the Prime Minister is she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 July.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 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 be having further meetings later today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passengers (a) in total and (b) by nationality who were refused leave to enter in each quarter since January 1985 (i) were detained at least overnight, (ii) were temporarily admitted and (iii) absconded following the grant of temporary admission.

Information is not fully available in the form requested. The information in the following table relates to the number of passengers who were detained at least overnight in 1985. It includes both passengers refused entry and those required to submit to further examination. A person detained in more than one place will have been counted in each place of detention and there is an element of double counting in the table. This information is not available quarterly and not available for 1986 to date.

	Number
Afghanistan	57
Algeria	153
Angola	3
Argentina	8
Australia	12
Austria	15
Bahrain	2
Bangladesh	1,133
Belgium	2
Benin	3
Bermuda	2
Bolivia	7
Brazil	26
Brunei	1
Bulgaria	3
Burkina (Upper Volta)	5
Burma	1
Cameroon	3
Canada	10
Cape Verde	6
Chile	25
China	16
Colombia	139
Cyprus	19
Czechoslovakia	2
Ecuador	4
Egypt	27
Ethiopia	38
Fiji	1
Finland	5
France	12
Gambia	60
Germany (Federal Republic)	11
Ghana	870
Greece	18
Grenada	2
Guatemala	1
Guyana	3
Haiti	1
Honduras	1
Hong Kong (BDTC)	56
Hungary	1
Iceland	1
India	732
Indonesia	2
Iran	143
Iraq	170
Israel	28
Italy	15
Ivory Coast	17
Jamaica	31
Japan	9
Jordan	7
Kenya	6
Korea	16
Kuwait	4
Lebanon	44
Lesotho	3
Liberia	8

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passengers were (a) admitted, (b) required to submit to further examination and (c) refused leave to enter in each month since January 1985.

The table gives the information at present available on admissions into the United Kingdom of non-EC nationals subject to immigration control, and those refused leave to enter and removed, for each month since January 1985. The numbers of passengers refused and removed, including EC nationals, are also given; corresponding estimates of the numbers of non-British EC nationals admitted to the United Kingdom are available only annually. No information is available on the total number of passengers required to submit to further examination.

Passengers (a) admitted and (b) refused leave to enter and removed, January. 1985 to March 1986
Number
	Admitted	Refused leave to enter and removed
	(excluding EC nationals)	(excluding EC nationals)	(including EC nationals)
1985
January	438,000	1,282	1,324
February	377,000	993	1,028
March	555,000	1,282	1,323
April	641,000	1,217	1,273
May	786,000	1,229	1,262
June	1,020,000	1,394	1,458
July	1,180,000	1,596	1,649
August	1,030,000	1,798	1,845
September	875,000	1,864	1,926
October	658,000	1,789	1.839
November	474,000	1,647	1,695
December	496,000	1,834	1,885
1986
January	n.a.	1,860	1,963
February	n.a.	1,636	1,712
March	n.a.	1,791	1,867
n.a. = Not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report the names of those animal rights organisations which expressed support to him regarding the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Bill [Lords].

The measures in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to increase the protection of animals used in scientific research, have received substantial support from leading animal welfare bodies as well as from many other organisations, including those representing the veterinary profession.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any(a) legislative and (b) non-legislative proposals to combat the rising number of racial attacks; and if he will make a statement.

The Public Order Bill contains a new offence of disorderly conduct, which is relevant to racial harassment, and also strengthens the law against incitement to racial hatred.The Government want all practicable action to be taken to deter racial attacks, and to identify and deal with those who commit these crimes. I welcome the "Guiding Principles concerning Racial Attacks" issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers last October, which set out advice on the monitoring of, and response to, racial attacks. These guidelines emphasise the need for a vigorous and sympathetic response from the police.Earlier this year the Metropolitan police issued best practice guidelines on the recording and monitoring of racial incidents. These set out minimum requirements including, for example, follow-up visits to victims, to be adopted throughout the Metropolitan police, and a variety of additional measures which are being adopted on an experimental basis in different parts of the Metropolitan police area, according to local circumstances.Training for both probationers and police managers has been developed so as to encourage a better understanding of the minority communities. Racial attacks receive special attention in the community and race relations training provided for officers who are given particular community liaison responsibilities.The Home Office research and planning unit programme for 1986–87 includes a study of the nature and incidence of racially motivated incidents in selected areas and a study of possible improvements in the police response to such incidents and of victims' perceptions and needs. Both studies are due to be completed next year.The Sub-Committee on Race Relations and Immigration of the Home Affairs Select Committee is conducting an inquiry into racial attacks. The Government will examine the report of the inquiry with great care.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will describe the use of the new convictions index held on the police national computer; whether the index will be linked to the criminal names index; what are the projected size of the convictions index, the anticipated access rates and performance of the index; and when the index will be fully operational.

The convictions file, which will be linked to the criminal names file, is intended to help the police with their operational duties, including the provision of information to the courts. When it becomes available in 1987, it is expected to contain details of 2.5 million convictions recorded since 1981. It is not possible at this stage to provide an accurate estimate of the extent to which the police will use this new facility, which is expected to have a response time of about five seconds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he is satisfied with the operation of the guidelines issued by the Martial Arts Commission in conjunction with his Department governing the sale of potentially offensive martial arts weapons; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will introduce legislation to ban the sale of the following items of martial arts weaponry

The possession of an offensive weapon in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse is already a criminal offence under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953. The definition of "offensive weapon" is sufficiently wide to cover all the items listed. The Act provides for a penalty of up to two years imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both. We believe that the guidelines issued by the Martial Arts Commission in consultation with the Government have left traders in no doubt about their responsibilities concerning the sale of all types of martial arts equipment to the young and the impressionable. We do not have any current plans to bring forward further legislative controls, but we shall continue to keep a very close watch on the situation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many convictions have been secured in each of the past five years for the carrying of martial arts weaponry contrary to the provision of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953; and what information he has as to the range of penalties imposed;(2) what information he has as to the average age of those convicted for carrying martial arts weaponry under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953.

The information collected centrally on offences under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 does not include the type of weapon involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought under the provisions of the Video Recordings Act 1984; and with what result.

The main provisions of the Video Recordings Act came into effect on 1 September 1985 for certain types of video work. No figures of prosecutions are yet available for 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the numbers, age groups and ethnic origins of all (a) women and (b) girls under 18 years strip searched at Haringey, London, police stations during the years 1984, 1985 and up to the latest date for which information is available; and how many charges have been laid as a result of any materials found during these strip searches.

Information on strip searches is recorded only on individual custody records and is not collated in this or any other form.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been submitted to the police by (a) women and (b) girls under 18 years who have been strip searched during the last two years; if all these complaints have been investigated; and if any have been referred for disciplinary considerations or to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mobile police stations there are in the Metropolitan police area; and how many officers per station there are, by rank.

The Metropolitan police have two mobile police stations which are used at sporting, ceremonial and other occasions involving large crowds, and for major criminal investigation. The number and rank of officers posted to these stations varies according to the circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to meet Mr. Chris Mullin to discuss recent evidence relating to the convictions for the Birmingham pub bombings.

No, but we are considering a number of points in the book which he has recently published.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the national reporting centre, activated in connection with the prison officers' dispute, is still in a state of activation.

The national reporting centre has not been opened in connection with this dispute, since there has not been any need to co-ordinate the provision of mutual aid. The acting president of the Association of Chief Police Officers opened the national information centre at New Scotland Yard on 1 May, as my right hon. Friend announced to the House in his statement that day. It was closed on 9 May, and has not been reopened.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Hampshire about the total cost to provide funds for the police operation to disperse the hippy convoy.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 June 1986, c. 413]: I understand from the chief constable of Hampshire that the additional costs to the Hampshire police authority of police operations relating to the convoy on 9 June amounted to some £78,000 and that other police authorities whose forces assisted the Hampshire police incurred additional costs of some £34,000. 51 per cent. of the expenditure will be met by the Home Office through police grant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many disciplinary proceedings have been taken in the last five years against police officers based at Carter street police station, SE17 for misconduct relating to the public; and what was the outcome of such proceedings.

[pursuant to his reply, 3 July 1986, c. 622]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that in the five years up to 30 June 1986 no charge under the discipline code has been laid against any officer based at Carter street police station.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, further to his answer of 30 June, column 368, he will update to the latest date for which figures are available the figures on the cost of police action at Wapping, the number of officers deployed and the police man hours spent.

[pursuant to his reply, 7 July 1986, c. 57]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the additional cost of police overtime incurred in policing the News International dispute at Wapping from 28 January to 5 July is estimated at about £1·174 million. The maximum number of officers deployed on any one occasion remains 1,870. Over 662,000 police man hours have been spent in policing the dispute.Additional costs of about £260,000 have also been incurred on catering at Wapping from 28 January to 29 June.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to review his current regional aid policies.

I have arranged for a review of the administrative aspects of our regional assistance schemes to be carried out by my Department. This is progressing satisfactorily and I expect it to be completed before the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new guidelines he has issued to

	1986 prices*	Actual	Adjusted for revaluation of land and buildings	Net of adjustment
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
1971	526	109	—	—
1972	549	122	—	—
1973	351	85	—	—
1974	349	98	—	—
1975	507	177	—	—
1976	548	223	—	—
1977	549	259	—	—
1978	536	274	—	—
1979	418	242	—	—
1980	460	458	144	314

I refer to the reply give to the hon. Member by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 7 July, at column 7.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the capital investment, at 1986 prices, in Rolls-Royce in each year since 1971; and, of this, for each year, what amount has been Government funded.

Following is the information derived from Rolls-Royce's annual accounts.

	1986 prices*	Actual
	£ million	£ million
1972	36·5	8·1
1973	35·1	8·5
1974	60·5	17·0
1975	93·3	32·6
1976	57·8	23·4
1977	35·3	18·7
1978	58·7	30·0
1979	85·7	49·6
1980	64·3	43·9
1981	36·6	28·0
1982	44·6	37·0
1983	34·6	30·0
1984	18·6	17·0
1985	48·9	48·0
* May 1986 retail prices index.

The unescalated figures for 1981–85 are those as shown in the published accounts adjusted in respect of the application of statement of standard accounting practice No. 21.Capital investment has been taken to mean fixed assets for example, plant, machinery, building and so on.The Government's only direct contribution during the period in question were regional development grants. These amounted in total to £10 million. An annual breakdown is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the net asset value, in 1986 prices, for each year since 1970, of Rolls-Royce.

Following is the information.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that all mattresses on sale in the United Kingdom meet the fire resistance specification developed by the National Bedding Federation.

Yes. I welcome this initiative by the National Bedding Federation. By the end of this year the great majority of mattresses on sale in this country will be resistant to ignition by smouldering cigarettes. This advance in safety has been made voluntarily by the industry itself. I have agreed to support it by approving the NBF specification as a sound modern standard for the purposes of the general safety requirement which we shall be introducing in legislation, as foreshadowed in our July 1984 White Paper on the "Safety of Goods" (Cmnd. 9302), as soon as the parliamentary timetable permits. The effect of this approval will be that all suppliers of mattresses, imported as well as made in this country can be confident that they are meeting their legal obligation to supply safe goods if the mattresses pass the British Standard cigarette test. Conversely, if they fail the test they clearly will not provide the level of safety approved by the Government.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement a bout the four-yearly review of the Members' office, secretarial and research allowance and the arrangements for the 1986–87 uprating.

I have today written to the chairman of the TSRB, inviting the TSRB to carry out the four-yearly review of the level and structure of the allowance (the terms of the letter are as follows). The TSRB will be making arrangements to ensure that the views of individual Members are taken into account.In respect of the 1986–87 uprating, the House agreed in it resolution of July 1984 that the allowance be uprated from 1 April each year by the increase in the maximum point of the pay scale (excluding allowances and overtime) for a senior personal secretary in the Civil Service in receipt of Inner London weighting. A restructuring of the Civil Service secretarial grades in March 1986 had the effect of subsuming a number of proficiency allowances within the pay scale. This has distorted the operation of the formula for the uprating of the allowance, and I have asked the TSRB to take this anomaly into account in its current review. Meanwhile, I shall he putting to the House shortly an amending resolution to bring the operation of the formula in 1986–87 into line with the general 6 per cent. increase in Civil Service salaries. Certain of their Lordships' allowances are similarly affected; a similar resolution will be introduced in another place.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many managers of jobcentres there are in Wales; and how many of these are Welsh-speaking.

There are 98 jobcentres in Wales, of which 20 are managed by Welsh speakers. There are a further 11 with staff who are Welsh speaking but where the manager is not.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will issue guidance and advice to those farmers whose lambs do not qualify for subsidy as a result of the delay in marketing due to the current ban when the ban is lifted; and if he will make a statement.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food said in his statement on 20 June, at column 1321, if it should prove necessary the Government would be prepared to discuss cases of compensation for severe loss in particular circumstances to specific farmers.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what monitoring he is carrying out on ewes in areas subject to the ban on sales; what are the results of such monitoring; if he will lift the ban on sales of ewes; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and I have today made an order under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 to come into effect at midnight to release further areas in north Wales from restrictions related to all sheep. This is based on the results of recent intensive monitoring of radiation levels in the area. The de-restricted areas include that part of Anglesey north of the A5 and west of the B5111 and A5114, that part of Clwyd which lies to the east of the B5113 north of the B5381 and west of the river Clwyd and that part of Powys east of Lake Vyrnwy bounded by the B4391, B4580, B4393 and the B4396.A map showing areas in Wales to be released and results of tests related to those areas are being published today and a copy is being placed in the Library of the House. The test programme is continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what were the fallout levels in the lowland areas of North Wales, the area of Ynys Môn (Anglesey) and other areas traditionally used for raising early spring lambs and livestock which were contaminated with caesium 137 and caesium 134; if young livestock from those areas were slaughtered and sold to the public before his Department imposed the ban; and if he will make a statement.

Unemployment by age analysis—Barnsley travel-to-work area
April	Under 17 years	17	18	19	20–24	25–29	30–34	35–39	40–44	45–49	50–54	55–59	60 and over	Total
1984	182	692	903	822	2,530	1,558	1,113	885	732	639	640	1,296	498	12,490
1985	231	709	1,035	858	2,912	1,743	1,209	1,016	788	765	762	1,261	175	13,464
1986	805	768	943	820	2,768	1,893	1,365	1,164	951	929	1,741	2,177	453	16,777

Barnsley, West and Penistone parliamentary constituency
April	Under 17 years	17	18	19	20–24	25–29	30–34	35–39	40–44	45–49	50–54	55–59	60 and over	Total
1984	52	240	330	308	890	531	345	296	251	210	252	509	213	4,427
1985	71	271	376	312	1,076	604	415	349	263	250	270	478	76	4,811
1986	302	256	351	288	1,014	704	466	411	333	334	678	840	194	6,171

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people under the age of 25 years are unemployed in Coventry, the west midlands and nationally; of those, how many have been unemployed for more than one, two, three, four and five years respectively; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to him on 26 June by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Robinson).There is no evidence that lambs with high radiocaesium levels had entered the food chain and the measures the Government have taken are specificially designed to prevent this happening.Results of monitoring lambs published on 3 and 10 July have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many admissions have been made into National Health Service hospitals in Wales, in each year since 1979, of patients who had previously been seen privately by consultants.

This information is not available centrally.

asked the Paymaster General if he will give the numbers of persons unemployed by age groups in (a) the Barnsley area and (b) the Barnsley West and Penistone constituency area for each year since 1979.

The following information is in the Library. The tables show the numbers of unemployed claimants by age groups in the Barnsley travel-to-work area and the Barnsley, West and Penistone parliamentary constituency for April of each year from 1984 to 1986. The comparison is affected by the change in the compilation of unemployment statistics in March 1986. Statistics of unemployment for these areas are derived from the new ward-based system and are available only from June 1983.

The following information is in the Library. The table shows the numbers of unemployed claimants aged under 25 years in the Coventry local authority district, the west midlands region and the United Kingdom who, on 10 April 1986, the latest date for which an analysis of unemployment by age and duration is available had been unemployed for the durations requested.

asked the Paymaster General how many people in the last 12 months have been prosecuted or are being prosecuted for falsely claiming unemployment benefit; how many inspectors are involved in this work; and if he will show prosecutions on a regional basis.

Number of prosecutions authorised in the 12 months ending 31 March 1986: 2,177.Number of inspectors involved in the work as at 31 May 1986: 639.Number of prosecutions authorised by each region in the 12 months ending 31 March 1986:

	Number
Northern	131
Yorkshire and Humberside	494
Eastern	161
Southern	183
South West	213
Wales	107
Midlands	280
North West	391
Scotland	217

asked the Paymaster General what is his latest estimate of the reduction in registered unemployment as a consequence of equalising the age of entitlement to state pension at 60 years.

[pursuant to his reply, 7 July 1986, c. 12]: It is not possible to predict with any accuracy the change in registered unemployment which would result from the

UGC Recurrent, Equipment and Capital grants plus home fees
Academic Years
	1980–81 to 1981–82	1981–82 to 1982–83	1982–83 to 1983–84	1983–84 to 1984–85	1984–85 to 1985–86	1985–86 to 1986–87
Cash	+8·5	+2·1	+3·7	+4·4	+4·0	+3·4
Real Terms*	-0·1	-4·1	-0·7	-0·1	-1·1	-0·4
* Using the GDP deflator.

Previous questions, including the one to which the hon. Member refers, which sought information about funding changes excluding selectively listed funding elements have been answered in terms of funding by the University Grants Committee in its recurrent and equipment grant.

asked the secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish, 30 June, Official Report, column 381, if he will list, in tabular form, the change in funding of universities in cash and constant 1985–86 prices for each year since 1980–81 to 1986–87, with estimates for 1987–88 and 1988–89, excluding those amounts representing compensation for changes in home students fees, for redundancy and for early retirement, changes to take account of minor capital works from the recurrent grant, changes in local authority rates and additions made for the information technology and new blood programmes.

The percentage change in public funding of the universities in cash and real terms for each year since 1980–81 is as follows:It must be borne in mind that arbitrary exclusions can produce artificial figures. But on the basis, excluding the funding elements selectively listed by the hon. Member, the percentage changes in cash and real terms each year since 1980–81 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about the future of Rose Bruford college of speech and drama; and if he will make a statement.

Since 4 April 1986, when the secretariat of the National Advisory Body for Public Sector Higher Education issued its consultative proposals for student numbers in 1987–88, my right hon. Friend has received 12 representations about Rose Bruford college, including eight from right hon. and hon. Members.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response his Department has made to the letter dated 22 May from the assistant director of education of Leicestershire county council regarding possible extra minor works funds in 1986–87 for a mobile transfer at St. Peter and St. Paul's Church of England primary school, Syston, and an extension at St. Francis Roman Catholic primary school, Melton Mowbray.

I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the official letter sent on 2 July 1986 to the director of education for Leicestershire.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is in a position to approve the bid from Leicestershire county council for a small extension and adaptations to Saltby Church of England primary school; and whether he will make a statement.

The available resources for aided works for 1986–87 have been fully allocated and there is no prospect of additional resources being made available during the current financial year for building work at Saltby Church of England primary school.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to the number of innumerate people in the United Kingdom; what steps he is taking to eliminate innumeracy; and if he will make a statement.

A survey conducted in 1981 by Social Surveys (Gallop Polls) Ltd. which tested the numeracy skills of a sample of the adult population suggested that 10 per cent. could not handle simple addition. Higher percentages had difficulty with more complex tasks. This survey also found young adults to be the most able group, and the national child development study survey of 1981 found that 5 per cent. of the 23-year-olds asked said that they had had numeracy problems since leaving school.The Government have accepted that low attaining pupils have special needs where mathematics is concerned. The Department of Education and Science is funding three major research projects related to low attainers and mathematics at a cost of £1 million over a six-year period. We have also made available to all local education authorities training material designed to promote good practice in teaching mathematics to low attaining pupils. The Department of Education and Science and the Welsh Office jointly fund the adult literacy and basic skills unit to help develop provision to overcome numeracy problems amongst adults. The provision of basic skills tuition for adults remains one of our highest priorities. Grant has been raised from £360,000 in 1979–80 to £2,170,000 in 1986–87 — a sixfold increase. Projects have considered the numeracy levels required to meet the everyday functional needs of adults, as well as the skills required for vocational training entry tests. Developments in new approaches to provision have succeeded in attracting many people who have previously not sought help with their numeracy problems.Policies to combat numeracy problems in Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the reasons for the delays in calculating the increases for the pensions of retired teachers; if he will take action to overcome this; and if he will make a statement.

Following the 1985 teachers' pay settlement, the pensions and lump sums of some 16,000 teachers who retired between 1 April 1985 and March 1986 fall to be revised to take account of retrospective salary increases. The timing of the pay settlement has meant that the work of revising these awards has overlapped with the calculation of new awards for teachers retiring at the end of this summer term. Calculation of these new awards has to be given priority to ensure that payments can be made immediately they fall due.More than 4,000 revisions have so far been completed. Every effort will be made to deal with the remainder as quickly as possible and it is expected that the exercise will be completed by the end of November.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals his Department has for monitoring the factors affecting the staying-on rate at 16 years and any influence that the youth training service has upon those rates; and whether he will make a statement.

My Department already monitors the staying on rate at age 16 and assesses the factors which are likely to influence it. The youth training scheme is one such factor. In addition, the Department is funding, jointly with the Manpower Services Commission and the Department of Employment, the England and Wales youth cohort study. This will provide a variety of information on the different routes taken by 16 to 19-yearolds through education, training and the labour market and will assist the assessment of the factors affecting the staying-on rate.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response he is making to paragraphs 32 and 33 of the second report from the Education, Science and Arts Committee in respect of student numbers and awards; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is considering the recent report of the Education, Science and Arts Committee on the Department's expenditure plans. He will publish the Government's response in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the provision of opportunities for study available to civil servants within his Department; and what steps he is taking to increase those facilities.

The Department encourages its staff to pursue studies with a view to obtaining academic and professional qualifications, or improving expertise and updating knowledge in work-related areas through courses and seminars mounted internally in the Department's training centre, courses and seminars mounted at the Civil Service college, where resources are available for training senior staff and specialist grades, and courses of study at external institutions including colleges of further education. These courses may be work-related or of general developmental benefit to individuals and their careers. Staff under 18 are required to participate in day release courses and are normally able to continue on day release after the age of 18 in order to complete a course already started.Where external training is directly work-related study takes place in working hours. Where it is of general developmental value individuals study in their own time. In both cases financial assistance is available for the payment of fees and purchase of books and, in the case of general courses, time off with pay may be allowed for revision and the taking of examinations.The objectives of the staff training centre and the scale and nature of training provision are reviewed annually to ensure that the skills and abilities of staff meet the varying and changing needs of the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to develop a single index of student costs.

My right hon. Friend has no such plans. Student grant levels will continue to be determined with reference both to students' needs and to the amount the country can afford.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals his Department has to develop a service-based inflation deflator to be included with the public expenditure White Paper; and whether he will make a statement.

The public expenditure White Paper already includes information on the Government's spending plans expressed in real terms, excluding the effect of general inflation as measured by the GDP deflator; we have no present plans to introduce in addition a deflator based on changes in education costs.My right hon. Friend is considering the recent report of the Education, Science and Arts Committee on the Department's expenditure plans, which included among its recommendations and introduction of volume measures of past education expenditure to complement the existing cash and real terms figures. He will publish the Government's response to the report in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which United Kingdom universities make special courses available for doctors who wish to specialise in the care and treatment of elderly people; and what information he has as to how many students are presently enrolled in such courses.

This information is not readily available and will take some time to obtain. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the official visits abroad made by each Minister in his Department since May 1979.

I shall write to the hon. Member with the information requested as soon as possible, and place copies in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the figures given in his answer to the hon. Member for Elmet (Mr. Batiste) on 15 April, Official Report, column 380, as to the number of residents in South Africa entitled to settle in the United Kingdom were calculated.

The figures were based on estimates produced by Her Majesty's embassy in South Africa using a combination of South African Government immigration and census statistics and information available to Her Majesty's consulates there.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations he had with staff associations before asking Sir Peter Marychurch to continue beyond normal retiring age as director of Government Communications Headquarters.

Sir Peter Marychurch informed the chairman of the Staff Federation at GCHQ on 4 June that he had agreed to continue as director beyond the normal retiring age. It is not the usual practice for there to be consultations with staff federations or unions in Government Departments on matters of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those constabularies in Scotland that have or intend to have an interface with the police national computer and indicate whether the linkage is to a computer used for command and control or criminal information or both.

Of the eight police forces in Scotland, Fife constabulary and Grampian police currently have computer systems which are interfaced with the police national computer. Lothian and Borders police and Tayside police plan to have such a link in due course. Details of the force systems which are, or will be, so linked are as follows:

Force	Command and Control	Criminal Information system
Fife	Yes	—
Grampian	Yes	—
Lothian and Borders	Yes	—
Tayside	Yes	Yes

The Scottish criminal record office computer system, which is not yet in operation, will also be interfaced with the police national computer.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the Scottish Development Agency's budget is directed into industry on the basis of the latest full year figures available.

A large proportion of the agency's expenditure is directed into industry. It is difficult to establish the exact figure, but in the financial year 1985–86 the agency's expenditure on industrial investments and grants, together with the provision of industrial sites and premises, totalled some £53 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if Her Majesty's Government have any plans to privatise any parts of the Scottish Development Agency operation.

No. The Government will, however, continue to encourage the agency in its efforts to maximise the contribution which the private sector can make to its development objectives.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what contribution the Scottish Development Agency is making to the Glasgow garden festival in total; and how this will be allocated in each relevant financial year.

The net cost to the agency is estimated at £16·5 million. The allocation to financial years is estimated to be as follows:

	£ million
1984–85	1·5
1985–86	5·2
1986–87	9·3
1987–88	12·3
1988–89	(7·3)
Post Festival	(4·5)

These figures are based on current estimates and commitments in connection with net festival costs and associated land acquisitions and are expressed at outturn prices. Figures in brackets indicate an estimated excess of receipts over expenditure. The timing of certain receipts from disposals following the festival is not allocated by financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish the final proposals for the new Macaulay Institute.

I refer to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Steel) of 4 June 1986, at column 576.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide information on the thermal output and fuel discharged by the Hunterston A station in the fiscal year 1985–86.

I am advised by the South of Scotland Electricity Board that during the year in question the thermal output of Hunterston A was 9,249,875·1 Mwh (Thermal) and 9,694 tonnes of fuel were discharged.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many qualified specialist speech therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and music therapists there are in each of the appropriate authorities in Scotland.

The information requested for each group of staff employed within the NHS in Scotland at 30 September 1985^* is set out in the following table. The figures for occupational therapists employed by local authority social work departments at the beginning of October 1985 are also shown. The numbers for other groups employed by local authorities are not separately collected. All figures are shown as whole-time equivalents.