asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take on the reports of the review of disclosure of criminal convictions of those with access to children; and if he will make a statement.

A joint circular was issued yesterday introducing new arrangements for police checks to be made by local authorities on paid staff and volunteers who apply or transfer to work with children and on adults in the households of those who care for children as foster parents and child minders.Local authorities are encouraged to make use of this scheme, which will provide for the first time for pre-employment checks to be made with the police on teachers, social workers, probation officers and other staff and volunteers engaged by local authorities who will have substantial access to children in the course of their work.Similar arrangements for early introduction are being considered by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Social Services and for Wales in relation to certain staff in the National Health Service and by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science in relation to those working in the independent schools.The review body on whose recommendations the circular is based, is considering proposals for an extension of these arrangements to those working in voluntary bodies providing services similar to those provided in the statutory sector for young or otherwise vulnerable children, and an acceptable means of making checking available more widely in the voluntary sector.The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order 1986, which comes into effect today, taken with the 1975 Order which it amends, ensures that those seeking positions that give access to children under the joint circular and the further circulars envisaged, will not be entitled for that purpose to withhold the details of previous convictions that are spent under the terms of the 1974 Act.Copies of the joint circular have been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken by N division of the Metropolitan police about reports of racial harassment in the Finsbury park area.

Four racial incidents in the Finsbury Park area have been reported to the police this year; three relating to burglary, grafitti and damage at local schools and the fourth involved threatening language and criminal damage. The police have been making careful inquiries but no arrests have yet been made in connection with any of these offences.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of stop and search operations in Holloway, Highbury Vale, Upper street, Caledonian road and Kings Cross police stations of N division of the Metropolitan police for each year since 1982 and each month for the current year to date.

Separate records are not kept for particular operations but the total numbers of persons or vehicles stopped in N district are as follows:

	Holloway & Highbury Vale	Kings Cross	Islington
1982	—*	—*	—*
1983	8,591	—*	—*
1984	4,535	3,293	3,756
1985	1,488	725	1,144
1986 January	59	19	30
February	59	11	13
March	45	38	30
April	56	15	18
May	34	17	14
June	34	10	11
* Information not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports and complaints have been received about the occupants of 35 Avewall road, London N5 by N division of the Metropolitan police.

The N district community liaison officer received a telephone call alleging that criminal offences were being committed on the premises. Police inquiries have revealed no evidence to support that allegation. The police have also received recent reports of two assaults taking place at the premises. Inquiries into this are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the practice of his Department on allowing entry into the United Kingdom in relation to visits by overseas sportsmen to the United Kingdom where the visit has been paid for by charitable organisations in the United Kingdom.

Many sportsmen are admitted under the provisions in the immigration rules relating to visitors but work permits are required if the terms of the engagement amount to employment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to send letters of reminder before reaching a decision in immigration cases where the applicant must supply evidence to his Department within a reasonable time and the information is not then to hand.

Applicants are allowed a reasonable time in which to provide information we need to resolve their cases. Where it appears that the applicant is taking an undue period to send in this evidence, our practice is to send a standard reminder letter which refers to the previous request and explains that, if the information sought is not provided within two weeks, the application may be refused.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make it his policy not to refuse applications for extension of leave to stay in the United Kingdom on the grounds of unreasonable delay in producing documents or other evidence of support unless a reminder has been sent to the applicant and a further period allowed for reply.

This is already our practice. If the hon. and learned Member has any particular case in mind in which he considers that this has not happened I shall willingly look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy that any representations by hon. Members in immigration cases may be rejected or refused only on the personal authority of a Minister of the Crown in his Department after personal consideration by such a Minister.

The respective roles of Ministers, their Private Offices and the immigration service are set out in the guidelines on the handling of representations by Members of Parliament in immigration cases, which this House endorsed on 26 March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to what additional police resources will be made available to the Brixton division to assist in the present wave of murder investigations.

The deployment of his officers is a matter for the Commissioner but I understand that, as a result of these inquiries, 106 officers are currently on loan to No. 4 Area which includes Brixton division.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been during the last five years for which records are available in cases relating to juveniles purchasing alcohol from (a) supermarkets and (b) home brew outlets.

The information available to me, which may be incomplete to a varying extent in different years, is shown in the following table. The information collected centrally does not include details of the circumstances of the offence.

Persons proceeded against for selling intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 and persons under 18 proceeded against for buying or consuming intoxicating liquor in licensed premises.
England and Wales		Number of defendants
	Total	Selling liquor	Buying liquor
1980	4,506	439	4,067
1981	3,175	410	2,765
1982	2,254	323	1,931
1983	1,934	307	1,627
1984	1,485	314	1,171

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to review the operation of the Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983; and if he will make a statement.

We have no present plans to do so. The introduction of occasional permissions was a welcome development and we have no evidence to suggest that a review is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which elements of the north-west's pilot study on home defence planning would not be included in civil defence planning.

The pilot study is concerned with the regional co-ordination of all civil home defence planning. It includes therefore planning for civil support to the military as well as civil defence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which civil organisations with responsibilities in a war crisis have been invited to take part in the regional civil defence exercise in the north-west at the end of November;(2) which civil defence organisations in the south-east have been invited, and which have been instructed, to take part in the regional civil defence exercise at the end of November; and which of these have agreed to participate;(3) which district and county councils have been invited, and which have been instructed, in accordance with the 1983 civil defence regulations, to take part in the regional civil defence exercise at the end of November; and of these, which have agreed to participate.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Mr. Strang) on 30 June at column 369.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the scenarios to be used in the regional civil defence exercises in the south-east and north-west at the end of November.

Yes, nearer the time when they have been finalised.

asked the Prime Minister which Commonwealth countries have indicated support for current Government policy towards South Africa.

All Commonwealth Governments subscribe to the policy with regard to South Africa agreed at the Nassau summit in October 1985.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to the answer of 10 July, Official Report, column 218, if she will specify the reason for each of the official visits abroad listed in that answer and in the earlier answers of 10 December 1985, Official Report, columns 575–77, and 7 July, Official Report, column 5.

The purpose of my official visits overseas has been primarily to take part in multilateral and bilateral meetings including those of the European Community, the annual economic summits, and Commonwealth Heads of Government. I have also had the pleasure of taking up a number of invitations I have received to pay official visits to overseas countries.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her answer or 10 July, Official Report, column 218, if she will specify the countries included in the following official visits abroad: April 1981 middle east, September/October 1981 middle east, September 1982 far east and April 1985 south-east Asia.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much financial aid Her Majesty's Government have given to Vickers plc to support its business in north-east England; and how much has been given by local authorities.

The Department of Trade and Industry has given £3·579 million financial aid (regional development grants (old style) and regional selective assistance) to Vickers companies in north-east England since 1 May 1979. It would require a disproportionate use of resources to attempt to assemble information about any aid given by local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why Yugoslavia was excluded from the EUREKA programme; and what are the criteria for EUREKA membership.

EUREKA is a framework to encourage commercial collaboration between European firms on market-oriented high technology projects. The EUREK.A members have agreed that membership of EUREKA will not be increased for the present, but participation in projects by firms from non-EUREKA countries at the invitation of the participating companies is not excluded.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what alterations have been made to the support for innovation scheme to allow EUREKA projects to become eligible for support.

Under the support for innovation scheme, United Kingdom firms participating in EUREKA are eligible for support of up to 50 per cent. of their share of the applied research costs and up to 25 per cent. of their share of development costs. For the purpose of participating in EUREKA, only one United Kingdom firm (as opposed to three) need be involved in a project to qualify for assistance at the higher level. In other respects, the terms of assistance in each case will be determined under the normal SFI criteria.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the estimated United Kingdom trade with (a) the rest of the Commonwealth, (b) the New Commonwealth and (c) South Africa in the last year for which figures are available.

The information is in the following table.

United Kingdom Trade—Year Ending May 1986
	£ million, Exports	OTS Basis Imports
Commonwealth	8,301	6,959
New Commonwealth*	4,902	4,250
South Africa	873	917
* Commonwealth excluding Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what changes are proposed concerning the importation into the United Kingdom and the European Economic Community of basmati rice from India and Pakistan; and if he will make a statement.

The Commission has proposed a 50 per cent. reduction in the levy for imports of 15,000 tons of basmati rice. The proposal is intended to help both India and Pakistan but in its present form appears unlikely to do so. The Commission has been asked to reconsider its proposal to improve benefits to India and Pakistan and to minimise any damage to the Community rice milling industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the security forces and civilians were injured during civil unrest in Portadown in the period 1 to 14 July in each of the years 1984, 1985 and 1986.

I shall reply to the right hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many plastic bullets were fired by security forces in Portadown in the period 1 to 14 July in each of the years 1984, 1985 and 1986.

I shall reply to the right hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has received any representations from the Government of the Republic of Ireland in the aftermath of the Orange parade in Portadown; and if he will make a statement.

I shall reply to the right hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the level of public order maintained during the recent Orange celebrations in the Ards and Castlereagh districts within the constituency of Strangford; and what estimate the police have made of the numbers taking part.

I shall reply to the right hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the extent of involvement of paramilitary organisations in the misuse of drugs and drug trading; and if he will make a statement.

I shall reply to the right hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level and trends of misuse of drugs in Northern Ireland.

I shall reply to the right hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his policy with regard to possible changes in the Anglo-Irish Agreement; and what discussions he has had with the Government of the Republic of Ireland about that possibility.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the 18 complaints, objections and requests for clarification that have been called for by the Irish Government on the Anglo-Irish Agreement as a result of his press interview released on Friday, 4 July; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 July 1986, c. 371]: The Anglo-Irish Agreement provides under article 11 that the working of the Intergovernmental Conference shall be reviewed after three years and that it may be reviewed earlier if either the United Kingdom or the Irish Government wish. The Government have made it clear that if there were agreement upon proposals for devolved government we should need to review the implications of any such proposals for the working of the Intergovernmental Conference. I can foresee no other circumstances in which we might need to review the working of the conference before the end of the three year period and I have not discussed any proposals with the Irish Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will review the implications for the working of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference of recent direct protests by the Foreign Minister of the Irish Republic against the routing by the Northern Ireland authorities of certain Orange parades.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 July 1986]: I see no grounds at present to justify a review.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from the Republic of Ireland about traditional Orange Marches during July; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 July 1986, c. 367]: Decisions on the routes of individual marches are the responsibility of the Chief Constable. After he had made public his decision in respect of the march at Portadown on 12 July to allow a limited number of Orange lodges, subject to strict conditions, to parade along Garvaghy road but not Obins street, the Irish Government communicated their strong views on that decision. They have made no representations about other particular routes for Orange parades, but they have conveyed to me very clearly their views on the general issues of marches, including especially the safety of the minority community.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from the Government of the Republic of Ireland arising from his interview in the Belfast Telegraph on Friday 4 July; and if he will make a statement on each of the issues involved in these representations.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 July 1986, c. 367]: Mr. Barry has expressed views on the article in the Belfast Telegraph. I hope in due course to be able to discuss with him the issues with which it dealt.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many letters from hon. Members to his Department still awaiting a substantive reply were received more than (a) one month ago, (b) two months ago, (c) three months ago and (d) four months ago; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 July 1986, c. 368]: The information is as follows:

Category	Number outstanding
(a)	2
(b)	2
(c)	—
(d)	2

The majority of letters are answered within seven working days. The six outstanding letters raise complex issues which require further detailed investigation or need to await the outcome of statutory procedures, before substantive replies can be given.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure that every person in Northern Ireland who is entitled to hold a medical card is issued with a card of the current type.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 July 1986]: It is the responsibility of the individual to apply to the Central Services Agency for issue or replacement of a medical card.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year from 1956 the increase in the national debt and in the cost of servicing it, together with the ratio of the national debt to gross domestic product at the end of each year;(2) whether he will publish in the

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will bring up to date the information on the increase in the real money supply in certain countries given in the written reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby dated 5 March 1985, Official Report, columns 450–2; and if he will include comparable figures for 1964 to 1973.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 July 1986, c. 434]: No. The Official Report is not a statistical abstract.Available information cart be found in the following publications:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the early payment of non-value added tax own resources to the European Communities in July.

In accordance with article 10(2) of Council Regulation 2891/77, the Commission has invited member states to advance from August the payment of own resources other than VAT in respect of agricultural, sugar and isoglucose levies and customs duties collected by the Government on its behalf.In accordance with this request, the Government propose to make an advance payment of some £118 million on 21 July, this will be financed initially by a repayable advance from the Contingencies Fund, pending Royal Assent for the Estimate approved by the House on 10 July. The payment of levies and duties on the due date will be reduced by the amount of the advance. There will, therefore, be no net addition to public expenditure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will tabulate information available to him on the assessed base, in mecu and pound sterling, for each of the 12 member states of the European Economic Community for the year 1986, together with the unadjusted rate of that base levied, to three places of decimals, together with the equivalent sum, in mecu and pound sterling, to be paid by Her Majesty's Government to the European Economic Community, on the basis of the Council budget, expressing that sum as an approximate percentage of income likely to accrue from domestic value added tax in 1986.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 July 1986, c. 194–5]: the VAT base of each member state in 1986 is given in the table. On the basis of the recently agreed budget for 1986, adopted on 10 July, the unadjusted (or uniform) VAT rate is 1·2505 per cent. The United Kingdom's VAT contribution is 4,140 mecu before abatement (£2,572 million at the budget exchange rate), and 2,240 mecu after abatement (£1,392 million). £1,392 million is 6·7 per cent. of the expected VAT yield in 1986–87.

1 per cent. VAT Base—1986
	mecu*	Pound sterling million† (equivalent)
Belgium	518·5	322·1
Denmark	345·2	214·5
Germany	4,603·0	2,859·7
Greece	360·0	223·7
Spain	1,509·0	937·5
France	3,658·0	2,272·3
Ireland	150·0	93·2
Italy	2,502·8	1,554·9
Luxembourg	42·0	26·1
Netherlands	817·0	507·6
United Kingdom	3,310·6	2,056·8
Portugal	150·7	93·6
* Mecu figures applicable to the budget for 1986 adopted on 10 July.
† Sterling figures calculated using the budget exchange rates for 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, further to his statement on 1 July, Official Report, column 862, when he anticipates he will be in a position to announce his decision as to a seventh Chanllenger regiment; what representations he has received from suppliers as to the implications of further delay; and if he will make a statement.

As regards timing of a further order for Challenger tanks I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Elmet (Mr. Batiste) on 11 July 1986 at column 305. As the House is aware, we are in discussion with Royal Ordnance and Vickers plc, which are potential suppliers of Challengers tanks. Some suppliers of tank components have also inquired about the prospects for future orders.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are planned to maintain present levels of security clearance of those working at COD Donnington after the planned putting out to contract of security services.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 July 1986, c. 427]: The feasibility study into contracting-out of administrative functions at COD Donnington and its associated Garrison will not be complete until the end of November 1986. However, security considerations would be fully taken into account when arriving at the eventual decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees of Royal Ordnance plc now employed at royal ordnance factor Barnbow in Leeds are in mobile grades with the right to transfer elsewhere in the group in the event of the sale of royal ordnance factory Barnbow to an outside purchaser.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 July 1986, c. 305]: I am advised that there are about 380 people in mobile grades at royal ordnance, Leeds. As regards mobility, in the event of a sale to an outside purchaser, all employees at Leeds would be in no different position from the one they were in at the time they were transferred from the Civil Service to Royal Ordnance plc.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about violations of human rights in Tanzania; and what steps he has taken in response.

We have no recent reports of human rights violations in Tanzania.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about violations of human rights in Uganda; and what steps he has taken in response.

The situation in Uganda is much improved. President Museveni's administration is committed to full respect for human rights. The United Kingdom is providing substantial economic assistance, training for Ugandan army instructors, and assistance to the police force to help in establishing stability in Uganda and encouraging respect for human rights.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about violations of human rights in Kenya; and what steps he has taken in response.

We are aware of only a very limited number of detainees held without trial under the Preservation of Public Security Act. The general policy of the Kenyan Government is to bring such cases to trial at the earliest opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about violations of human rights in Ghana; and what steps he has taken in response.

In general the human rights situation in Ghana has improved over the last few years. A small number of political dissidents remain in detention under the Preventive Custody Law 1982.We continue to monitor human rights on a worldwide basis and regularly make clear in appropriate fora our view that human rights must be respected in accordance with internationally agreed standards.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about violations of human rights in Nigeria; and what steps he has taken in response.

The present Nigerian Government, who came to power in August 1985, have taken a number of steps to demonstrate their commitment to human rights, including the release of former political detainees and the restoration of press freedom. The Government have also announced a return to civilian rule by 1990.We continue to monitor human rights on a worldwide basis and regularly make clear in appropriate fora our view that human rights must be respected in accordance with internationally agreed standards.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the result of the examination of the 15 penguin carcases being examined at the veterinary investigation centre in Norwich; what radiation levels were found in the penguins; and what action he proposes to take.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Member for Wallasey (Mrs. Chalker) gave to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) on 3 July at column 640.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent meetings with the Foreign Minister of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Our talks with Mr. Shevardnadze were useful and businesslike. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary discussed with him a full range of East-West issues including arms control and regional questions. The Soviet Union were urged to resume the summit process with the United States. In the course of a wideranging discussion of current arms control and disarmament issues, the importance was stressed of reaching agreement in the conference on disarmament in Europe at Stockholm and urged support for a British initiative in Geneva proposing a way forward towards a global and verifiable ban on chemical weapons. We also urged the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and pressed for progress in resolving human rights cases and cases of divided families. We signed agreements on long-term economic co-operation; on the prevention of incidents at sea; and on the settlement of the long standing question of pre-1939 claims. Both my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary have accepted invitations to visit the Soviet Union.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Commonwealth countries have made representations to Her Majesty's Government concerning South Africa in the last two months.

Policy towards South Africa is one of the subjects regularly discussed in our exchanges with other Commonwealth Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make representations to the South African Government for the release of the following individuals who have been detained without charge, namely Lizz Mayisa, Emily Ntuli, Joyce Ntuli, Ephraim Nkosi, Maurise Ngwena, Elizabeth Ngwena, Wiza Mabena, Stanley Mtshali, Zephamia Matuebula, Deluve Mayaba and Sarah Ngubeni from Leandra township, Reverend Bikisha Njimbuwea, Dunuisa Nthuli, Mr. or Mrs. Khanyile and Dolly Mateza from Thokoza township, Reverend Sipho Masemola from Radfontein township, Reverend Joseph Mcilougo from Khutsong township, Bishop Sigisbert Ndwandwe from Jouberton township, Joseph Thobela and Lephina Thobela from Duduza township and Zacharia Mohutsioa from Katlehoug township; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will make representations to the South African Government for the release of the following individuals who have been detained without charge, namely Reverend Peter Hortop, Ames Mahlangu, British Sxabai, Duke More, Cyril Jautjies, Philip Mazusa, Mauda Motsweni and Nora Mitchell from Kwa Thema township, Nat Ramokgopa, Pat Lepouya, Vusi Khanyile, Isaac Mogafe, Ishmail Mkhabela, Dr. Abu Asvat, Moses Mayekiso, Aza Cachalia, Azir Cachalia and Cauzi Lisa from Soweto township, Reverend Aaron Mdoi from Tembisa township, Kempton Nhlapho, Sello Nhlapho, Suiuon Mayisa, Mama Mayisa and Joshua Mayisa from Leandra township; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will make representations to the South African Government for the release of the following individuals who have been detained without charge, namely: Collie Hayward, Victor Sibaude, Percy Dladla, Charles Dladla, Sipho Mageta, Whiza Dladla, Doctor Mthobeni, Dad Maseko, Jabulani Shinini, Mbuzini Mahlangn, Oupa Mobatha, Harry Yeude, Bheki Khosa, Alan Manwele Nthinunye, Luidsay Sibaude, Kenneth Nkosi and Makabuza Yeued from Bethnal township; and if he will make a statement;(4) if he will make representations to the South African Government concerning an incident at the Ecumenical Fellowship Centre, Wilgespruit, near Johannesburg, on the evening of 26 June, when police raided the centre and took away five children whose whereabouts are now unknown; and if he will make a statement.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in her reply of 26 June to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) at column 265 we have made representations to the South African Government about detentions under the state of emergency. Acting on behalf of the Twelve, the then Netherlands presidency had previously made representations to the South African Government about the imposition of the state of emergency. The presidency protested at the indiscriminate arrests of church, community and trade union leaders. We remain ready to make further representations where appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in the negotiations between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of the People's Republic of China for the settlement of capital and income from bonds issued by the Government prior to 1948; and if he will make a statement.

A first round of claims negotiations was held in Peking from 5 to 10 May 1986. They took place in a friendly and frank atmosphere. We are currently discussing with the Chinese authorities the dates and venue for a second round of talks.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what other animals, materials or crops and silage he is using for the purpose of monitoring levels of radiocaesium besides sheep on Anglesey; what are the results; and if he will make a statement.

General data relating to agricultural produce and animals throughout Wales since the Chernobyl accident are being published today. A copy is being placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to authorise local housing authorities who, as a result of circular 30/86, perceive a shortage of houses in their area considered to be sufficiently attractive for senior managers and senior technical staff, to acquire by compulsory purchase second or holiday homes in order to make them available for such purposes.

It is not my intention to consider such a policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will expand the length of time that a member may serve on the Welsh water consumer committee to 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

The Committee on Welsh Affairs recommended in its report "Establishment of Local Consumer Advisory Committees" (HCP335, Session 1981–82) that the maximum period of continuous service for a member of a local consumer advisory committee in Wales should be six years. This was accepted by the Government when the committees were established in November 1982 and there are no plans to extend the period significantly.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he intends to proceed with alterations in the water and sewerage law so that private sewers are adopted by the Welsh water authority; and if he will make a statement.

The Government are currently considering the responses to the water and sewerage law consultation paper. No decision has yet been made on the question whether private sewers should be adopted by water authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many Welsh students took A-level and 0-level examinations this year.

Information for 1986 is not yet available. The figures for 1985 summer examinations, as provided by the Welsh joint education committee, are 11,583 and 56,522 respectively.

asked the Attorney-General if it is now the invariable practice for the single judge, in refusing an application for a judicial review, to state his reasons; and if he will make a statement.

Where an application for leave to apply for judicial review is refused without a hearing, it is the practice of the judge to state his reasons in writing, concisely, on the prescribed form of notice of his decision. Where there is a hearing the court indicates its reasons when announcing its decision to refuse leave.

asked the Paymaster General how many managing agents appointed under the community programme or the community enterprise programme, have been excluded from the schemes since their start; and what were the reasons for exclusion or curtailment of their activities.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, East (Mr. Prescott) on 4 July 1986 at column 622.

asked the Paymaster General how many individual claimants have been disqualified from receiving benefit as a result of restart interviews of long-term unemployed claimants in each of the nine pilot areas, giving the reasons for disqualification; whether a standard form of questions is asked of individual claimants; and whether the responses of claimants are to be collated and the results made available.

People interviewed under the restart programme may subsequently be disqualified by the benefit authorities from receiving unemployment related benefits for two reasons:

(i) if they are not available for work or are imposing such restrictions on the kind of work they are prepared to accept that they have no reasonable prospects of securing employment; or

(ii) if they refuse without good cause a suitable job or training opportunity.

These conditions apply to anyone receiving unemployment related benefits and not just to those interviewed under restart. The information requested for each pilot area is as follows:

Number of cases in which unemployment and/or supplementary benefit was disallowed (up to 27 June)
	Reason
Pilot area	Availability for work	Refusal of suitable employment or training
Billingham	1	1
Crawley	1	11
Dundee	3	—
Ealing	20	1
Huddersfield	1	—
Plymouth	6	—
Port Talbot	14	4
Preston	1	1
Stoke-on-Trent	13	—
Total	60	18

In cases of doubt about availability for work, the unemployment benefit office will ask the claimant to answer certain standard questions, under long-standing procedures for inquiring into availability for work. The

	Best fits to Parliamentary Constituencies
1980 Standard Industrial Classification	North West Region	Lancashire	Burnley*	Pendle†	Hyndburn‡	Rossendale and Darwen||
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	55	15	0	1	3	0
Energy/water supply industries	158	52	0	0	1	1
Extraction/manufacture: minerals/metals	287	70	11	5	3	18
Metal goods/vehicle industries, etc	966	233	23	13	28	29
Other manufacturing industries	1,757	478	41	37	49	81
Construction	955	230	7	15	7	21
Distribution, hotels/catering; repairs	5,993	1,636	74	57	82	50
Transport/communication	749	211	5	5	7	23
Banking, finance, insurance, leasing etc	1,566	285	14	14	8	11
Other services	6,014	1,765	81	49	70	85
Total vacancies at jobcentres	18,500	4,975	256	196	258	319
* Burnley and Pidiham jobcentres.
† Nelson, Colne and Barnoldswick jobcentres.
‡ Accrington and Great Harwood jobcentres.
|| Haslington, Rawtenstall, Bacup and Darwen jobcentres.

asked the Paymaster General (1) whether the attendance of a person offered a place on the Manpower Services Commission's voluntary projects programme or wider opportunities programme, available under the Government's restart programme, will be

asked the Paymaster General what proportion of people interviewed on the restart programme are referred to Department of Health and Social Security benefits offices on the grounds that they are earning more than £4 a week.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 July]: The prime objective of the restart programme is to help long-term unemployed people back into jobs. Interviews are conducted with this aim in mind and the information requested by my hon. Friend is not therefore available from this particular source.

asked the Paymaster General (1) how many vacancies exist by industrial classification in (a) the northwest and (b) Lancashire;(2) what is the total number of vacancies by industrial classification currently known at his offices in

The following information is in the Library. The table shows the number of unfilled vacancies at jobcentres in the north-west region and in Lancashire as at 2 May 1986, analysed by the 1980 standard industrial classification. The table also gives figures for those jobcentres which cover areas closely corresponding to the parliamentary constituencies requested.monitored for the purposes of eligibility for unemployment benefit, if in receipt of such benefit; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether the attendance of a person offered a place on any of the education courses available under the Government's restart programme will be monitored for the purposes of eligibility for unemployment benefit, if in receipt of such benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Consideration of disqualification from receiving unemployment benefit for up to six weeks is considered where the Manpower Services Commission reports to the unemployment benefit service that a person interviewed by jobcentre staff (under restart or otherwise) has without good cause refused an opportunity of a suitable job or training approved by the Secretary of State. Those who decline places on the voluntary projects programme, the wider opportunities programme or education courses, and also the restart course itself, are not so reported.

asked the Paymaster General what arrangements have been made for the financing of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications; and if he will make a statement.

My right lion, and noble Friend and my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Education and Science, for Northern Ireland and for Wales announced the setting up of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications in the White Paper "Working Together: Education and Training" presented to this House and in another place on 2 July. The council will be established initially as a controlled non-departmental public body in receipt of a grant-in-aid from the Department of Employment with contributions from the Department of Education and Science and the Northern Ireland and Welsh Offices. From the beginning of financial year 1990–91 we shall expect the council to be self-supporting.Legislative authority for this Government expenditure is provided by sections 2 and 3 of the Employment and Training Act 1973. Financial provision will be sought in a Supplementary Supply Estimate for the labour market services vote (class VII, vote 1). Pending Parliament's approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £300,000 will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what are the projected capital costs, fuel costs and other operation costs in pence/kwh at March 1986 prices for the first four years of the operation of Torness power station;(2) if he will give an estimate of the cost of interest and borrowing charges arising from the construction of Torness power station.

I shall ask the chairman of the South of Scotland Electricity Board to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his Department's current forecasts for the costs of coal, oil, and nuclear fuel, respectively, in pence/kwh during the lifetime of Torness power station.

The Industry Department for Scotland makes no such forecasts.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average electricity tariff in the South of Scotland.

I shall ask the chairman of the South of Scotland Electricity Board to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will give the capital costs, fuel costs and other operational costs in pence/kwh at March 1986 prices, for the power stations at Inverkip, Longannet and Hunterston B;(2) what price per tonne is currently being paid for new supplies of oil fuel for Inverkip power station;(3) what percentage increase there has been in each year since 1980 in fuel costs at the power stations at Inverkip, Longannet and Hunterston B. respectively.

I shall ask the chairman of the South of Scotland Electricity Board to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the price per tonne of power station coal under the new agreement between the South of Scotland electricity board and British Coal.

Costs of coal arc the subject of confidential agreement between the SSEB and its suppliers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has received the report of the review body on the use of judicial time in the superior courts in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

On Tuesday 23 July 1985. the First Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments considered the Draft Maximum Number of Judges (Scotland) Order 1985, the purpose of which was to increase the maximum number of judges of the Court of Session from 22 to 23. During the proceedings, my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland with responsibility for home affairs, health and social work, the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South (Mr. Ancram) announced the setting up of a review body under Lord Maxwell's chairmanship wth the following terms of reference:—

"To investigate means by which judicial time in the Superior Courts may be organised more effectively in order to secure earlier disposal of cases sent to the appropriate rolls of the Court of Session for proof, debate and appellate court hearings: and to report with recommendations."

The review body was set up with the agreement of the Lord President of the Court of Session and it was asked to report as quickly as possible.Lord Maxwell submitted his report to me on 25 April and since then its recommendations have been the subject of consultation between the Lord President and myself. The report is being published today. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and will be made available to representative bodies who made submissions to Lord Maxwell's review body. Copies of the report are available from the Scottish Courts Administration at a price of £7·50.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will provide an estimate of the value of equipment to which the Science and Engineering Research Council has title at the South African astronomical observatory;(2) if he will direct the Science and Engineering Research Council to terminate its inter-agency agreement with the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and arrange for the repatriation of the Science and Engineering Research Council's equipment at the South African astronomical observatory.

The SERC has already suspended the inter-agency agreement for financial reasons. The SERC-owned equipment at the South African astronomical observatory comprises the equipment from the former Cape observatory, the principal items of which were valued at R750,000 at the time of the agreement in 1972, together with equipment purchased over the period 1972–83 for about R200,000. In addition, SERC holds joint title to library and archival material acquired by SAAO since its establishment. With the exception of some small items of electronic equipment the cost of repatriating the equipment to which SERC has title would almost certainly exceed its value.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answer of 4 March, Official Report, column 105, if the sample survey of the improvement needs of the existing stock of school building has yet produced any fresh estimate of the number of schools which still have only outside toilets; and if he will make a statement.

The survey of school improvement needs, when complete, should provide information on the improvements needed to toilet accommodation where this is below the standards of the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981 (SI 909). As the regulations do not prohibit outside toilets as such, the survey will not yield information on the extent of their provision.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current figure for the number of surplus places in primary and in secondary schools; and what further number he expects to be taken out of use in the next five years.

There are currently around 1,000,000 surplus pupil places in primary schools and 670,000 in secondary schools. It is estimated that 273,000 pupil places in primary schools and 730,000 in secondary schools could be taken out of use by 1991–92.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Mid Staffordshire of 8 July, Official Report, column 130, about school attendance, if he will list in the Official Report which local education authorities did not reply to his Department's circular "School Attendance and Education Welfare Services" by 31 May last; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure that these authorities take steps to reply.

Sixty three local education authorities have replied to the circular. Those whose replies are still outstanding have been asked to reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the maximum and minimum salaries of (a) a senior teacher in a school arid (b) a lecturer on the career scale lecturer II senior lecturer in a polytechnic at (i) 1 April 1979, (ii) 1 September 1980, following the comparability study under the chairmanship of Professor Clegg and (iii) 1 April 1986 all expressed in terms of 1 April 1986, as corrected by the index of average earnings and the decrease in comparable terms between 1 September 1980 and 1 April 1986 following the recent interim award.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide figures for the years 1979–80 to 1986–87 for the level of capital expenditure, broken down into major and minor works, purchase of items costing over £100,000, other teaching and research equipment, furniture/plant/machinery/ vehicles, unrelated to new building work, land acquisition, design fees, and any other expenditure, and showing the relative scale of expenditure in (a) the university sector and (b) the public sector of advanced further education.

I regret that the information in the form requested is not readily available. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the percentage of the population aged 16 to 17 years in full-time and part-time education in school and in further education in each local education authority for the years 1979–80 to 1984–85.

The readily available information was published in April in the Department's Statistical Bulletin 9/86, copies of which are available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to how many teachers were employed, and pupils were enrolled in (a) secondary schools and (b) primary schools in the county of Hampshire in each of the last 10 years, and to the teacher-pupil ratio in each case for each year.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 July 1986]: The number of pupils and qualified teachers in maintained primary and secondary schools and the pupil-teacher ratio within each type of school in each year between 1976 and 1985 are given below.

Hampshire
	Maintained primary schools (including middle deemed primary)			Maintained secondary schools (including middle deemed secondary)
January	Teachers	Pupils	PTR	Teachers	Pupils	PTR
1976	6,051	152,098	25·1	6,423	107,453	16·7
1977	5,972	149,822	25·1	6,637	111,437	16·8
1978	5,886	146,416	24·9	6,762	113,657	16·8
1979	6,007	147,590	24·6	6,769	113,328	16·7
1980	5,979	142,712	23·9	6,636	112,133	16·9
1981	5,593	136,611	24·4	6,424	111,331	17·3
1982	5,358	130,912	24·4	6,324	109,556	17·3
1983	5,200	124,814	24·0	6,349	107,912	17·0
1984	5,047	121,294	24·0	6,153	104,964	17·1
1985	4,972	119,768	24·1	5,846	100,302	17·2

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with (a) the European Community Commission, (b) the French Government and (c) the New Zealand Government about proposals for increased butter imports from New Zealand into the European Community following the agreement between France and New Zealand on the Rainbow Warrior incident; and what quantities will be imported (i) into the United Kingdom and (ii) into France.

We have had thorough discussions on this subject with our colleagues in the European Community, in particular during the Agriculture Council which my right hon. Friend the Minister chaired on 14–15 July. We have also discussed the question with visiting New Zealand Ministers in recent months.The Council has to decide by 1 August 1986 on the quantities of butter which can be imported into the United Kingdom on special terms in 1987 and 1988. The Commission has proposed that the 1986 quantity of 79,000 tonnes should be reduced to 77,000 tonnes in 1987 and 75,000 tonnes in 1988. The question will be considered further by the Foreign Affairs Council next week.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the latest results of testing undertaken by his Department on foodstuffs other than sheepmeat following the accident at Chernobyl.

In addition to monitoring sheep and lambs from Cumbria, my Department has continued to test other foodstuffs which could have been affected by the Chernobyl accident. I am arranging for a copy of the data available since such information was last published on 20 June to be placed in the Library of the House.The data shows that radio-iodine is no longer of radiological significance and amounts of radiocaesium, which takes rather longer to decay, are continuing to fall steadily in all food products including sheep. The special measures I have taken in Cumbria will ensure that all sheep being marketed are within internationally acceptable levels.I can, therefore, report on the basis of current and previous monitoring results that the position on foodstuffs produced in this country for home consumption and export is entirely satisfactory.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the adoption of commission document 8000/86 concerning the NAFO joint international enforcement scheme and commission document 8001/86 concerning a scientific observation programme in the NAFO regulatory area.

Commission document 8000/86 contains a draft decision concerning the scheme of joint international enforcement of the North-West Fisheries Atlantic Organisation and commission document 8001/86 contains a draft decision on the arrangements in the form of an exchange of letters between the Community and the Government of Canada on the establishment of a scientific observation programme in the regulatory area of the NAFO convention. In both cases the draft decisions were intended to authorise the Commission to withdraw from or terminate the existing schemes which had not in the Commission's view been working satisfactorily and to renegotiate successor arrangements.At the meeting of the Fisheries Council on 25 June it was agreed these two international agreements should be renegotiated. Exceptionally, I agreed to the adoption of the two decisions in advance of the deposit of the documents in both Houses and the completion of the normal scrutiny procedures, so as not to delay the required notice of withdrawal from the current NAFO joint enforcement scheme by 30 June 1987 and termination of the scientific observation programme by 31 December 1986, as requested by the Commission.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) when the grant for removal of hedges in order to amalgamate fields was introduced; and when it was discontinued;(2) what level of grant was paid to farmers in each of the last three years to assist them in removing hedges in order to amalgamate fields; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to her reply, 17 July 1986]: Grants for the removal of hedges to facilitate field amalgamation were introduced in 1957. They were discontinued in 1974 and no grants have been paid for this purpose since 1976. The agriculture inmprovement scheme, which was introduced on 1 October 1985, now encourages the provision, replacement or improvement of hedges through grants at rates of 60 per cent. in the less-favoured areas and 30 per cent. elsewhere. These high rates of grant reflect our concern for the conservation of the environment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the value of fish and fish products, respectively, imported from the Faroe Islands in each of the last five years.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 July 1986]: The information is as follows:

United Kingdom imports of Fish and Fish Products Faroe Islands 1981–85
(£ million)
	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985*
Total fish	6·8	4·9	9·4	11·4	14·4
Total fish products	5·4	3·7	6·1	6·1	6·1
* Provisional.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the value of fish and fish products, respectively, imported from (a) Iceland and (b) Norway in each of the last five years.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 July 1986]: The information requested is as follows:

United Kingdom imports of Fish and Fish Products: 1981–85
(£ million)
	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985*
Total fish
Iceland	31·4	30·8	33·8	32·8	58·8
Norway	37·2	43·8	44·4	47·6	54·2
Total fish products
Iceland	24·2	15·7	14·4	27·5	41·4
Norway	32·8	41·2	54·0	55·5	59·0
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the controls on airships overflying the metropolis, particularly in terms of permitted noise levels.

An airship has to comply with the Air Navigation Order 1985 and the rules of the air and obey air traffic control instructions. There are no noise regulations for airships. Recently a number of people have been disturbed by repeated overflights and I am considering whether there are any steps that can sensibly be taken to alleviate the nuisance.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Fry) of 4 July Official Report, column 653, on motorway and trunk road safety barriers what was the number of deaths and injuries occasioned by the accidents listed.

The numbers of deaths and injuries in accidents in which at last one vehicle crossed the central reservation and hit a crash barrier, detailed in my reply to the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Fry) on 4 July, Official Report, column 653 are given in the table below:

Year	Motorways		Class 'A' Dual Carriageways
	Killed	Injured	Killed	Injured
1980	1	51	3	47
1981	5	75	1	46
1982	3	39	7	61
1983	14	97	8	89
1984	8	46	7	116

In 1984 these accidents accounted for some 4 per cent. of deaths and less than ½ per cent. of injuries on motorways; and 1 per cent. of deaths and less than 1 per cent. of injuries on class A dual carriageways.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether, pursuant to the letter to the hon. Member for Arundel from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport dated 13 June, he is now in a position to announce what progress has been made in implementing an agreed work programme for the Crossbush section of the proposed Arundel bypass.

We have not yet completed investigations into the possibility of building the eastern section of the Arundel bypass ahead of the rest. Work is proceeding as quickly as possible. I will make an announcement as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state the cost of the series of leaflets entitled "Tomorrow's Buses", produced by his Department; and what is the total projected cost of this campaign.

So far a total of £81,000 has been spent. A further leaflet and accompanying booklet for those thinking of running local bus services for the first time are in preparation. The total cost will depend on demand.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what financial allocation has been made for 1987–88 and 1988–89 for the Greater Manchester passenger transport authority; and what is the current figure.

The capital allocation for the Greater Manchester passenger transport authority for 1986–87 is £8·734 million. Allocations in respect of 1987–88 and 1988–89 have not yet been made. As to current expenditure, I refer the hon. Gentlemen to my reply given at column 666 on 20 June to my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Silvester). Expenditure levels for passenger transport authorities for 1987–88 will be determined and announced later this month.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the undertakings given by his Department to the hon. Member for Windsor and Maidenhead since May 1979 regarding the Government's policy towards the construction of a fifth terminal at Heathrow airport; what is Her Majesty's Government's current policy on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's current policy remains that set out in paragraph 5.19 of the June 1985 White Paper "Airports Policy" (Cmnd. 9542). A listing of the many times that this policy has been reiterated would involve a search incurring a disproportionate cost to the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how people in Bradford interested in joining projects within the UK 2000 scheme should apply; how many places are expected to become available to people in Bradford; how firms in Bradford interested in participating in UK 2000 become involved; and if he will make a statement.

Individuals and firms interested in participating in UK 2000 should contact the secretariat at 95–99 Ladbroke Grove, London W11 1PG, or contact one of the voluntary organisations that are a part of the scheme. UK 2000 community programme places have not been allocated to particular areas and we hope that Bradford will be able to take full advantage of the opportunities available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has had any discussions with local authorities about the possibility of development corporations being appointed in some areas to take over certain local government functions; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he has any plans to introduce a development corporation into the metropolitan district of St. Helens; and if he will make a statement.

I shall answer these questions shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it is his policy to adjust the rate support grant 1986–87 to take account of the costs incurred by district councils in dealing with the hippy convoys and encampments; and if he will make a statement.

Rate support grant is unhypothecated grant paid to support local authority expenditure in general. I do not think that it would be appropriate to adjust RSG in 1986–87 to take account of these costs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) pursuant to his answer of 14 July concerning grants available to local authorities under the homes insulation scheme, what criteria he used in reaching the level of funding available to St. Helens district council for 1984–85 and 1985–86; and if he will make a statement;(2) what were the outturn figures for spending by St. Helens district council under the homes insulation scheme in 1984–85 and 1985–86.

I shall answer these questions shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will publish estimates prepared by his Department comparing the public expenditure implications of maintaining homeless households in receipt of supplementary benefit in commercial board and lodging accommodation, with providing such households with local authority rented accommodation by building new dwellings for them; and if he will publish separate estimates assuming the household concerned is (a) a single person, (b) a couple without children, (c) a single parent with one dependent child and (d) a couple with two dependent children accepted as homeless and in priority need of accommodation by (i) a London borough and (ii) a non-metropolitan local authority.;(2) pursuant to his statement on 20 December 1985,

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidance his Department has issued about accommodation for patients now receiving in-patient care in district general hospital psychiatric departments.

Current departmental guidance is contained in hospital building note 35 published in 1973. As indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend on 26 June at column 293, this guidance will be superseded by a revised publication early next year. The Department has also produced a series of reports and a pamphlet in the mental health buildings evaluation series, aimed at evaluating the buildings provided under the DHSS-sponsored and funded Worcester development project to test a new pattern of services of the kind envisaged in the 1975 White Paper—"Better Services for the Mentally I11".

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the most recent figures for places for the mentally ill in (a) day hospitals and (b) local authority day centres analysed by (i) region and (ii) local authority.

The most recent figures for places for mentally ill people in local authority day centres analysed by local authority were given in my reply to the hon. Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Bermingham) on 21 February at columns 392–394. The numbers of places in National Health Service mental illness day hospitals are given in the table by regional health authority.

Places in NHS mental illness day hospitals on 31 December 1985
Regional health authority	Number
England	17,887
Northern	1,069
Yorkshire	1,186
Trent	1,700
East Anglian	434
North-West Thames	1,278
North-East Thames	1,487
South-East Thames	1,051
South-West Thames	1,279
Wessex	1,031
Oxford	613
South Western	1,048
West Midlands	2,089
Mersey	876
North-Western	2,601
Special Health Authorities	145