asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what provision has been made in the revised European Economic Community budget for 1986 for the storage, disposal and destruction of food surpluses; and what was the comparable figure for 1985 and 1984, respectively.

The table sets out Community expenditure on public storage and disposal of products in structural surplus—cereals, sugar, milk products, beef and wine—and on withdrawals from the market of fish and fresh fruit and vegetables.

	Storage (mecu)	Disposal (mecu)	Withdrawal* (mecu)
1984	996	10,436	461
1985	1,299	11,165	230
†1986	1,308	12,629	283
Notes:
* In some circumstances withdrawn produce finds no end use and has to be destroyed although the expenditure involved is not separately identified in the relevant Community statistics.
† 1986 figures are taken from the supplementary budget proposed by the Commission. The overall provision for the EAGGF guarantee section in the final adopted budget exceeded the Commission's proposal by 1985 mecu. Details of the precise allocation of this extra sum have not yet been published. 1984 and 1985 figures are taken from Commission financial reports.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the leaflets, forms or any other material which his Department publishes in Welsh or in bilingual Welsh/English format.

None. Publication of leaflets, forms and any other material in Welsh is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is Her Majesty's Government's policy regarding claims for compensation to United Kingdom farmers from the Government of the polluting country in the case of pollution from a foreign source; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with other European Community member states on the question of agricultural compensation arising from the income losses associated with the Chernobyl incident; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he proposes to take, in his capacity as President of the European Community Council of Ministers, to co-ordinate claims on behalf of European Community agriculture against the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics for income loss associated with the Chernobyl incident; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has as to steps taken by other European Community member states to aid financially the agricultural sectors in those respective states for income losses associated with the Chernobyl incident; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his assessment of the effect on the competitive position of United Kingdom exporters of barley to Northern Spain of the insistence by the Spanish Government that goods can be shipped only by vessels under the Spanish flag.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make immediate representations to the European Economic Community Commission following the decision by the Spanish Government to accept imports of feed barley by ship only on vessels with a Spanish flag.

I have been asked to reply.The Spanish Government have for many years reserved the carriage of certain cargoes, including barley, to vessels with a Spanish flag. However, I am pressing hard within the European Community for agreement on a proposed freedom to provide services regulation which would among other things put an end to discriminatory cargo reservation measures such as these.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what action is being taken to ensure that irradiated foods are not being imported into the United Kingdom for sale for human consumption contrary to the United Kingdom Food (Control of Irradiation) Regulations;(2) what practical means of detection of irradiation are available to ports authorities and trading standards officers to enable them to identify any irradiated foods being imported or offered for sale in the United Kingdom;

I have been asked to reply.Responsibility for the enforcement of the Food (Control of Irradiation) Regulations 1967, as amended, is vested in the port health and local authorities. As yet there are no generally applicable chemical or physical tests, adequate for enforcement purposes, for identifying irradiated foods, but perusal of the accompanying documentation may reveal whether or not foods have been irradiated. No information is held centrally about the routine activities of enforcement authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what standards or minimum requirements currently exist in Northern Ireland covering the use of bed and breakfast accommodation and hostel accommodation; and whose duty it is to inspect and regulate the standards.

The requirements covering the use of bed and breakfast accommodation are set out in Statutory Rules and Orders of Northern Ireland 1953 — No. 24 made under the Development of Tourist Traffic Act (Northern Ireland) 1948. It is the duty of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board to inspect tourist accommodation and to regulate standards.

WTE
Year	Eastern HSSB*				Northern HSSB				Southern HSSB				Western HSSB				Totals
	RMN	RNM-H	†EN	Other	RMN	RNM-H	†EN	Other	RMN	RNM-H	†EN	Other	RMN	RNM-H	†EN	Other	RMN	RNM-H	†EN	Other
1974	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	9	—	1	1	11	—	1	1
1975	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	10	—	1	1	10	—	1	1
1976	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	11	—	1	1	15	—	1	1
1977	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	11	—	1	1	15	—	1	1
1978	—	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	11	—	1	1	17	—	1	1
1979	—	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	3	5	—	—	14	—	1	1	20	5	1	1
1980	—	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	3	5	—	—	15	—	1	1	21	5	1	1
1981	—	—	—	—	6	—	—	—	11	5	—	—	15	—	1	1	32	5	1	1
1982	16	2	—	—	6	—	—	—	11	5	—	—	18	1	1	—	51	8	1	—
1983	21	5	—	—	8	—	—	—	11	5	—	—	20	—	1	—	60	10	1	—
1984	27	5	—	—	8	—	—	—	11	5	—	—	19	3	1	—	65	13	1	—
1985	31	6	—	—	8	—	—	—	13	5	—	—	19	3	1	—	71	14	1	—
1986	36	6	—	—	8	—	—	—	13	8	—	—	19	4	1	—	76	18	1	—
* Prior to 1982 there was no formal community psychiatric nursing service although an unstructured service was provided by hospital nursing staff.
† Northern Ireland has only one register for second level nurses—EN (Enrolled Nurses).

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement on the O-level pass rate expressed as a percentage of the total school population in Northern Ireland at the latest date for which figures are available.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the extent to which the proposal in planning application X/388/86 in respect of the development of 57 apartments at Mount Royal, Donaghadee, is consistent with the North Down area plan to which it relates.

This development proposal is consistent with both the existing North Down area plan and the new North Down and Ards area plan 1984–95 at present under preparation.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many whole-time equivalent community psychiatric nurses have been employed by each health authority in Northern Ireland from 1974 to the latest available date, broken down by (a) registered mental nurses, (b) registered nurses for the mentally handicapped, (c) state enrolled nurses with mental training, (d) state enrolled nurses with mentally handicapped training, (e) others and (f) total.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what contribution the Anglo-Irish agreement conference is making to the reduction of sectarian discord and violence.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 July 1986]: The Anglo-Irish agreement, which established the Intergovernmental Conference, offers a framework within which people of both Unionist and Nationalist traditions in Northern Ireland can be reconciled and can recognise and accept each others' rights. It also offers important opportunities for co-operative effort with the Irish against terrorism. These aims cannot be achieved quickly; nor will the benefits of the agreement necessarily become clear in the short term. But I believe that no other way offers such a good prospect of achieving them.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report the 18 complaints, objections and requests for clarification which the Irish Government have lodged with the Anglo-Irish secretariat in Belfast about an interview given by him to the Belfast Telegraph on Friday 4 July; what responses he is making to each of the 18 items; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 July 1986]: I have nothing to add to the replies that I gave to questions by the right hon. Members for Strangford (Mr. Taylor) and Barnsley, Central (Mr. Mason) on 18 July 1986.

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.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 July 1986]: The level of drug misuse in Northern Ireland remains low by comparison with the rest of the United Kingdom. The number of persons charged or cautioned for offences relating to controlled drugs in 1985 was 286 compared with 227 in 1984, 182 in 1983 and 218 in 1982. The vast majority of these offences related to cannabis and there is no evidence of a major hard drugs problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what negotiations there have been, and what negotiations have been arranged for the near future, with the Soviet Union over compensation for British farmers following the Chernobyl disaster.

On 10 July we formally reserved our right with the Soviet Government to claim compensation on our own behalf on behalf of our citizens for any losses suffered as a consequence of the accident at Chernobyl. The presentation of a formal claim, should we decide to make one, would not take place until the nature and full extent of any damage suffered had been assessed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what purpose two scientists are being sent to the Falkland Islands in connection with penguin deaths; what instructions have been given them as to the scope of their work; and what are the fields of specialist expertise of the scientists concerned.

The Falkland Islands Foundation and the Falkland Islands Development Corporation have jointly funded a project for two scientists, a marine ornithologist and an assistant to study the feeding habits of seabirds around the Falkland Islands.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the declarations on foreign policy made jointly by the European Economic Community countries since political co-operation archives began.

Declarations on foreign policy made jointly by the Twelve are placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has about the amount of coal consumed by industry in the last year for which figures are available; if he is able to provide a breakdown according to the principal types of industry; and if he will make a statement.

The provisional figures for coal consumed by the principal types of industry in the United Kingdom during 1985 are:

	'000 tonnes
Iron and steel	30
Non ferrous metals	1,199
Cement and other mineral products	1,995
Chemicals	811
Mechanical engineering	124
Electrical engineering	23
Vehicles	231
Food, drink and tobacco	444
Textiles, leather and clothing	205
Paper, publishing and printing	546
Public administration	1,280
Agriculture	30
Miscellaneous	400
Other	1,847
Total	9,165

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will discuss with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority the termination of South Africa's associate membership of the United Kingdom Atomic energy Authority's systems reliability service.

It is our policy not to assist in any way South Africa's nuclear programmes. South African membership of the UKAEA's systems reliability service is not being renewed.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give details of the controls introduced to enforce the ban on new contracts for the sale and export of nuclear goods, materials and technology to South Africa, as agreed in the Commonwealth accord on Southern Africa adopted on 20 October 1985.

It remains United Kingdom policy not to supply any materials or equipment to South Africa which would aid her nuclear programme. This policy is exercised through the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when his Department will redraft and recirculate the proposals for new electricity supply regulations in the light of the comments received from the Electricity Consumers Council.

The redrafting will be carried out over the next few months in light of the many helpful and constructive comments that have been received from a number of bodies, including the Electricity Consumers Council. Interested bodies will be consulted further on specific issues during the redrafting.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy why the 1937 electricity supply regulations are being redrafted; when the decision to redraft the regulations was taken; and on what date and at what stage in the redrafting process the views of the Electricity Council were sought.

Consideration has been given to this matter over a considerable period in view of developments since 1937. The Energy Act 1983 opened the way for increased private generation and this increased the need for revisions. Electricity Council staff took part in the early stages of the work following the Act but were not involved in decisions on, or the drafting of, the proposals which have been issued for general consultation. The council received the draft when this was circulated to other interested organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the energy organisations from whom comments were (a) requested and (b) received in the re-drafting of the electricity supply regulations.

The draft electricity supply regulations were sent to the following bodies with an invitation to comment and those marked with an asterisk have responded:

• Association of County Councils.
• Association of District Councils.
• * Association of Metropolitan Authorities.
• * Association of Supervisory and Executive Engineers.
• * British Broadcasting Corporation.
• * British Gas Corporation.
• British Insulated Callender's Cables Pyrotenax Ltd.
• * British Railways Board.
• British Safety Council.
• British Standards Institution.
• * British Telecom.
• * British Waterways Board.
• * Combined Heat and Power Association.
• * Confederation of British Industry.
• Consumers Association.
• * Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
• * Country Landowners Association.
• Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
• * Department of Economic Development, Northern Ireland.
• Department of the Environment.
• Department of Trade and Industry.
• Department of Transport.
• Electric Cable Makers Confederation.
• * Electrical Association for Women.
• * Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunication and Plumbing Union.
• * Electrical Power Engineers' Association.
• * Electricity Consumers' Council.
• * Electricity Council.
• Engineering Equipment and Material Users' Association.
• * Federation of British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers' Associations.
• Fire Protection Association.
• Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Manufacturers' Association.
• * Health and Safety Executive.
• Home Office.
• * Imperial Chemical Industries, plc.
• * Industry Department for Scotland.
• Isle of Man Government.
• Law Society.
• * London Boroughs Association.
• Manx Electricity Authority.
• * Midlands Electricity Consultative Council.
• * Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
• * Ministry of Defence.
• National Caravan Council.
• National Consumer Council.
• * National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting.
• National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers.
• Northern Ireland Government.
• Royal Institute of British Architects.
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
• Slough Industrial Estates.
• * The Electrical Contractors' Association.
• * The Electrical Contractors' Association of Scotland.
• * The Electrical Installation Equipment Manufacturers' Association Ltd.
• * The Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors.
• The Institution of Civil Engineers.
• * The Institution of Electrical Engineers.
• * The Institution of Gas Engineers.
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
• * The National Farmers' Union.
• * The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
• Trades Union Congress.
• Treasury Solicitor's Department.
• * United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.
• Water Authorities Association.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what retraining programmes for former coal miners have been submitted to the European Commission for funding under article 56(2)(b) of the European Coal and Steel Community treaty for each of the last six years; and what comparative information he has about schemes submitted in other Community countries.

In 1985 the National Coal Board introduced a new job and career change scheme (JACCS) under which it provides financial assistance for retraining redundant mineworkers, including the purchase of places on training courses. Discussions are in progress with the Commission on Community financial assistance towards the costs of JACCS.I understand from the Commission that comparative data on coal industry retraining schemes submitted to them by other member states are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has as to how much money has been made available per coal industry worker in (a) France, (b) Belgium, (c) West Germany, (d) the United Kingdom in each of the last six years under article 56(2)(b) of the European Coal and Steel Community treaty, and as to the reasons for the differences between the several countries.

I understand from the Commission that the amount of coal readaptation aid made available, in European currency units, from ECSC own resources to each member state in respect of the six calendar years ending 1984 was as follows:

	France		United Kingdom		Belgium		Germany
	Amount made available	In respect of number of workers	Amount made available	In respect of number of workers	Amount made available	In respect of number of workers	Amount made available	In respect of number of workers
1979	4,277,750	1,022	—	—	1,758,000	812	7,081,750	5,062
1980	—	—	8,039,250	2,346	99,250	—	—	5,852
1981	4,866,250	1,059	8,986,000	2,426	—	—	—	—
1982	—	—	34,328,500	6,880	—	—	6,748,500	4,644
1983	436,500	126	28,644,750	5,495	4,278,250	1,317	9,939,750	8,079
1984	21,129,250	4,510	52,998,500	12,673	515,000	515	20,394,000	7,146

In 1984 an additional 60 mecu were made available for coal social measures from European Community general resources, of which France was allocated 15·4 mecu, the United Kingdom 23·1 mecu, Belgium 1·0 mecu and Germany 20·5 mecu.The amounts made available to each member state reflect the differing circumstances of their coal industries and the particular national support measures in force.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what discussions he has had recently with the British wind energy group on energy technology options;(2) what discussions he has had recently with the United Kingdom Solar Energy Society on energy technology options;(3) what discussions he has had recently with Friends of the Earth on energy technology options;(4) what discussions he has had recently with the Cambridge energy research group on energy technology options;(5) what discussions he has had recently with SCRAM (Edinburgh) on energy technology options;(6) what discussions he has had recently with the Parliamentary alternative energy group on energy technology options;(7) what discussions he has had recently with the British renewable energy forum on energy technology options;(8) what discussions he has had recently with the Open University energy research group on energy technology options;(9) what discussions he has had recently with the Open University appropriate technology group on energy technology options;(10) what discussions he has had recently with the network for alternative technology and technology assessment on energy technology options;(11) what discussions he has had recently with the national centre for alternative technology on energy technology options.

My Department holds frequent discussions with representatives of a wide range of alternative energy interest groups. During the past few months these have included the Open University, the British Wind Energy Association and the Parliamentary Alternative Energy Group.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in the Official Report figures to show the total amounts received in the financial year 1985–86 from their share of offshore licensing revenue by (a) the Isle of Man and (b) Northern Ireland.

The total amounts received by the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland during the financial year 1985–86 were respectively £2,786,226·45p and £80,511,191·67p.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the total amount and value in 1984–85 of (a) the oil and (b) the gas produced offshore in the North sea (i) north of latitude 55° 50' and (ii) south of this latitude.

Reported sales of oil and gas produced from the offshore United Kingdom continental shelf in financial year 1984–85 were:

	Oil		Gas
	million tonnes	£ billion	billion m3	£ billion
North of 55° 50'	125·7	21·55	12·4	0·81
South of 55° 50'	0·2	0·03	24·2	0·61

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will update to 31 March 1986 the information on the allocation of plutonium produced in the Central Electricity Generating Board and South of Scotland Electricity Board Magnox reactors given in reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy on 23 July 1985, Official Report, column 475.

[pursuant to the reply, 26 June 1986, c. 269–270]: The table sets out the allocation or use of plutonium produced in the Magnox reactors of the SSEB and CEGB at 31 March 1986.

Allocation of plutonium produced in CEGB or SSEB Magnox reactors (position at 31 March 1986)
	Tonnes (to nearest half tonne)
Plutonium in irradiated fuel
(a) estimated in fuel in CEGB/SSEB Magnox reactors	9

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, what account is taken in assessment by Her

	1975–76 million	1976–77 million	1977–78 million	1978–79 million	1979–80 million	1980–81 million	1981–82 million	1982–83 million	1983–84 million	1984–85 million
(a) Thermal Nuclear Fission21	12·8	15·3	20·8	17·0	17·2	22·8	35·7	36·0	30·5	25·6
(b) Fast Reactors3 1	49·1	53·2	60·3	77·9	76·4	90·8	98·2	96·4	114·9	102·5
(c) Fusion Reactors4 1	5·7	6·6	7·3	10·9	13·0	14·8	22·5	21·6	22·1	25·6
(d) Coal Burning for Electricity Generation5	—	0·3	1·9	0·5	1·8	2·0	4·4	2·5	2·8	—
(e) Combined Heat and Power6	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
(f) Active Solar7	80·5	80·3	81·3	0·2	1·1	0·8	0·6	1·0	0·3	0·2
(g) Passive Solar7				0·0	0·1	0·1	0·1	0·4	0·6	0·3
(h) Geothermal7				0·2	1·3	8·2	8·2	4·5	4·7	5·7
(i) Wind energy generation7				0·3	0·6	0·9	0·9	2·5	2·5	7·8
(j) Biomass Energy7				0·0	0·1	0·4	0·4	0·7	0·3	0·2
(k) Wave Energy7				1·8	3·0	4·4	4·4	3·1	1·0	0·4
(l) Tidal Energy7				0·0	0·6	0·4	0·4	0·0	0·0	0·3
(m) Electricity Conservation9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
(n) Gas Fired Electricity Generation	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0
(o) Oil-Fired Electricity Generation	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0
Notes:
1 Department of Energy expenditure through the UKAEA; 'full cost' terms.
2 The figures from 1977–78 to 1984–85 also include expenditure on related safety R&D and on the operation of the Winfrith SGHWR and the Windscale AGR, where appropriate. Figures for 1975–76 and 1976–77 are not available on a comparable basis; those given do not include expenditure on safety related R&D.
3 The figures for 1977–78 to 1984–85 also include expenditure on related safety R&D and on the operation of the Dounreay Prototype Fast Reactor. Figures for 1975–76 and 1976–79 are no available on a comparable basis; those given do not include expenditure on related safety R&D.
4 The figures also include the contribution to the JET project, where appropriate.
5 Expenditure 1975–76 to 1983–84 consisted of D/Energy's share of the United Kingdom's contribution to the IEA Pressurised Fluidised Bed Combustion (PFBC) project at Grimethorpe.
6 RD&D in combined heat and power technology forms part of the total expenditure on energy efficiency RD&D. Except at disproportionate cost, it is not possible to show these figures separately. It is estimated that expenditure on CHP feasibility studies will have totalled 1·8 million in the period 1980–81—1985–86.
7 Expenditures are shown for individual elements of the renewables R&D programme only and the figures do not include the cost of ETSU management services.
8 Total figure for all Renewable R&D—including Energy Conservation R&D.
9 RD&D in this category also falls within the total expenditure on energy efficiency RD&D and cannot, except at disproportionate cost, be shown separately.

[pursuant to the reply, 14 July 1986, c. 389]: Extensive safety studies have been carried out by the nuclear industry. These take account of the Rasmussen 23 report and of other relevant research.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will set out in tabular form the amount of investment on research, development and demonstration made by his Department, the Central Electricity Generating Board, the South of Scotland Electricity Generating Board, British Nuclear Fuels Limited, United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and in collaborative projects with the European projects with the European Commission from 1975 to 1986, in relation to (a) thermal nuclear fission, (b) fast reactors, (d) coal burning for electricity generation, (e) combined heat and power technology, (f) active solar, (g) passive solar, (h) geothermal, (i) wind energy generation, (j) biomass energy, (k) wave energy, (l) tidal energy, (m) electricity conservation, (n) gas fired electricity generation and (o) oil-fired electricity generation.

[pursuant to the reply, 14 July 1986, c. 387]: I have asked the chairman of the CEGB, SSEB and BNF plc to write to the hon. Member in respect of their expenditures. The table sets out expenditures by my Department for the period and categories requested, insofar as they are available:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what level of expenditure has been allocated to the support for innovation scheme in each year since its inception in 1982; and what is projected expenditure on the scheme in cash terms and real terms, and indexed using 100 as a base.

Net expenditure on support for innovation under the Science and Technology Act 1965 has been:

Outturn	£ million
1982–83	121
1983–84	200
1984–85	239
1985–86*	219
* Estimate.

Projected net expenditure on support for innovation is:

	1986–87 Provision	1987–88 Plan	1988–89 Plan
Cash terms (£ million)	224	232	243
Real terms (£ million)	224	224	228
Indexed	100	100	102

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give information available to him on the financial support schemes available for EUREKA projects in each of the EUREKA member states.

EUREKA is not a funding mechanism, and public finance for EUREKA projects is a matter for individual national Governments. The available information on schemes in EUREKA member states is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to introduce legislation to abolish the licence of right for pharmaceutical products.

The Government intend to include legislation to relieve pharmaceuticals for human use from the licence of right of provisions of schedule 1 to the Patents Act 1977 in a Bill which will implement proposals in the White Paper "Intellectual Property and Innovation" (Cmnd. 9712). This Bill will be introduced as soon as the parliamentary timetable permits.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which coal-mining areas of Great Britain benefit from assistance for new business development given under the European Coal and Steel Community treaty but are not eligible for assistance from the EEC regional Fund.

The following areas are recognised as priority areas by the European Coal and Steel Community but are not eligible for any assistance from the European regional development fund:

• Northumberland (Part)
• Leeds TTWA* (Part)
• Castleford TTWA*
• Wakefield TTWA*
• Staffordshire (Part)
• Nottinghamshire (Part)
• Coalville TTWA*
• Fife (Part)
• *TTWA = Travel-to-work area as defined by Department of Employment prior to September 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the Official Report the criteria for eligibility of companies applying for assistance to locate in development areas, intermediate areas or enterprise zones; and if account is taken of an applicant company closing a factory elsewhere in the United Kingdom or of any job losses thereby incurred.

The criteria for eligibility for regional development grants are published in appendix 4 of the annual report on the Industrial Development Act 1982, and for regional selective assistance in appendix 5.When assessing the amount of regional development grant, account is taken of job losses in the assisted areas by the applicant or any associated undertaking as a direct result of the project. When assessing applications for regional selective assistance, account is taken of job losses elsewhere in the United Kingdom, with particular regard to losses within the assisted areas. Relocation projects where there is no net increase in jobs are normally excluded from regional selective assistance.All industrial and commercial companies locating in enterprise zones (which are the responsibility of the Department of the Environment) are eligible for the benefits available in those zones. The scheme is administered by the local authorities concerned who apply criteria under schedule 32 to the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which travel-to-work areas in the midlands are eligible for Government assistance as development or intermediate areas.

The information is as follows:

Travel-to-work area	Assisted area status
Telford and Bridgnorth	Intermediate area
Wolverhampton	Intermediate area
Walsall	Intermediate area
Dudley and Sandwell	Intermediate area
Kidderminster	Intermediate area
Birmingham	Intermediate area
Coventry and Hinckley	Intermediate area
Gainsborough	Intermediate area
Corby	Development area
Cinderford and Ross-on-Wye	Development area

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the Official Report the terms and amounts of Government assistance for new buildings, new machinery and training cost for personnel in development and intermediate areas.

Regional development grant is paid towards approved projects of investment in the development areas. Grant is assessed at the higher of

(i) 15 per cent. of eligible capital expenditure subject, where applicable, to a grant per job limit; and

(ii) £3,000 for each net new job created, subject, where application, to a limit imposed by the European Community.

Regional selective assistance can be paid to projects in both the development and the intermediate areas which satisfy the necessary criteria. Assistance normally takes the form of a project grant which is negotiated at the minimum level necessary to enable the project to go ahead on the basis proposed. It is subject to limits imposed by the European Community. Training grant may also be available up to a maximum of 40 per cent. of eligible training cost, subject to satisfying European Community requirements. This attracts a matching grant from the European social fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 15 July to the right hon. Member for Bristol, South, what was the date on which his Department submitted evidence to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in relation to the bid by Elders XL for Allied Lyons.

Written evidence was submitted on 10 February 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 15 July to the right hon. Member for Bristol, South, if he will publish in the Official Report the evidence submitted by his Department to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in relation to the bid by Elders XL for Allied-Lyons.

No. Evidence is submitted to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in confidence. The commission may choose to quote from evidence in its report, but that is a matter for the commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 15 July to the right hon. Member for Bristol, South, what criteria are used to decide what are the relevant factors in considering reports of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

There are no rigid criteria. Careful consideration is given in each case to assessing which factors are relevant.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he intends to review the funding made available under the European regional development fund textile fund non-quota section, BIS measures or other European regional development fund sources to Lancashire Enterprises Ltd.

Lancashire Enterprises Ltd. (LEL) has received several offers of grants under my Department's business improvement services schemes, and is eligible to make further applications while funds are available.The future treatment of awards to LEL for infrastructure projects will depend on the outcome of the Department of the Environment's current review of local authority capital controls.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has set objectives for the Post Office.

I have today written to Sir Ronald Dearing, chairman of the Post Office, in the following terms.

"I believe that it would be helpful to you and your Board if I were to expose some of my thinking on the long term direction of the Post Office. In doing so, I have no wish to alter the relationship between the Post Office and the Secretary of State, which is established in existing legislation, nor to purport to assume or limit the Board's statutory responsibilities, nor to direct how they should be discharged. But Parliament has conferred powers on the Secretary of State and, without prejudice to my exercise of those powers in the light of circumstances prevailing at the time, I hope that it will be helpful to you to know the general considerations that will influence my view.

I would expect to see the Post Office continue on the course it has adopted towards the separation of the Royal Mails business, the Counters Service and National Girobank proceedings subsequently to the separation, where appropriate, of discrete business activities within Royal Mails. The financial and performance targets and the external financing limits set by the Government will increasingly reflect this enhanced separation. The Post Office should seek to develop its financial accounting for the discrete businesses within Mails as quickly as possible to the point that separate accounts are shown in the Post Office's published accounts. I regard these developments as desirable in themselves. I welcome the completion of action to establish Girobank as a Public Limited Company and I wish the Board similarly to press ahead with the incorporation of the Counters Business as a subsidiary company. I wish the Board to consider the further application of this principle to its other main activities.

To ensure the most responsive and efficient use of resources, I shall want continually to consider the possibilities for introducing private capital into Post Office activities and I should welcome your positive recommendations in this area. The Post Office should also regularly and critically appraise the scale and nature of the postal network against the background of technological and market developments.

I believe that the Post Office's prime objective must be to secure the maximum efficiency throughout the business by all practical means including, inter alia, sustained and detailed cost control of all aspects of the Post Office's activities and improved productivity. This will be reflected in the financial and performance targets and in the external financing limits set by the Government.

In improving the efficiency with which it uses its resources, the Post Office should reduce the real manpower and other costs of its services and thereby achieve at least the Government's efficiency targets, where set. It should do this while providing the quality of services which gives the best balance between the services provided and the costs of supplying it. In addition, the Post Office should pursue an investment programme designed to support the objectives set by the Government. This programme should be evaluated on the basis of appropriate investment appraisal techniques, designed to take advantage of technology where this can be demonstrated to produce adequate returns, satisfy any guidelines set down by the Government and have regard to financial limits set by the Government. The Post Office should also seek to realise the full potential of its workforce through the pursuit of productivity schemes and improved practices.

The Post Office should make a profit in each year in each of its constituent businesses sufficient at least to meet the Government's published financial targets and should make appropriate profits in those discrete activities subsumed within the wider targets. The Post Office should also seek to ensure that the main elements of its price structure are sensibly related to the costs of supply and the market situation and should avoid cross-subsidy, particularly from monopoly to competitive activities. In addition, the Post Office must continue the development of, and maintain, the necessary information and accounting systems to be able to ensure that it is following sound pricing principles, to ensure that it is able to monitor adequately the speedily the progress of each of its businesses, and in order to report performance through the published accounts.

The review of the business environment, the corporate plans and the examination of strategic options should have a central place in the relationship between the Post Office and the Government. The reivew of the business environment should be brought up to date and resubmitted to the Government each December. The corporate plans should be submitted each March. They should fully reflect the financial and performance targets and the external financing limits set by the Government.

The Post Office should ensure regular flows of information to the Government and meet the timetables settled with the Government to permit the monitoring of performance generally and specifically, both against the agreed strategies and in relation to the Government targets and external financing limits."

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the current situation in Ethiopia and the Sudan in regard to starvation, food stocks, international relief work and the level of British aid.

Food aid pledges for Ethiopia more than cover the estimated requirements for this year. Widespread starvation has been averted, although the situation is critical in north western Welo. We have recently offered£250,000 towards the cost of air-dropping food to the isolated town of Sekota in this region. So far this year we have provided over £6 million bilaterally in emergency assistance in Ethiopia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Overseas Development Administration joint funding scheme is intended for development projects or emergency relief.

Grants under the joint funding scheme support British voluntary agencies in carrying out projects aimed at longer term economic and social development.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any sums within the 1986–87 Overseas Development Administration joint funding scheme budget have been earmarked for work on human settlements during the international year of shelter for the homeless (1987).

A grant of £16,500 has been made to the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless Trust in support of the school for self-help housing project in Colombia. A number of grants have been made to other British voluntary agencies in support of projects which include work on human settlements. These include projects being undertaken by:

• OXFAM
• Christian Aid
• The Catholic Association for Overseas Development SOS Sahel

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what figure he has announced for the 1986–87 Overseas Development Administration joint funding scheme budget; how much of the total budget has so far been allocated; and to which organisations.

A provision of £5·3 million has been made for the joint funding scheme in the Supply Estimates for 1986–87. Those funds have been fully committed to individual allocations and spending will be kept under review in the light of progress on projects. The British voluntary agencies which have been allocated grants are:

• Action Aid
• Aga Khan Foundation (UK)
• Appropriate Health and Rural Technologies Action Group
• Associated Country Women of the World
• British Red Cross Society
• Catholic Institute for International Relations
• Catholic Fund for Overseas Development
• Christian Aid
• Commonwealth Society for the Deaf
• Earthlife
• Euro Action Accord
• Friends of Urambo and Mwanhala
• Help the Aged
• Institute of Cultural Affairs
• International Secretariat of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme
• International Year of Shelter for the Homeless Trust
• International Voluntary Service
• Leonard Cheshire Foundation
• Leprosy Missions
• National Childrens Homes
• Ockenden Venture
• OXFAM
• Population Concern
• Population Services
• Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind
• Rural Development Consultancy for Christian Churches in Africa
• The Save the Children Fund
• Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund
• SOS Sahel International
• St John's Ambulance Association
• Tear Fund
• Water Aid
• World Conference of Boys Brigades
• World University Service (UK)
• Y-Care International
• Zimbabwe Trust

asked the Attorney-General what is the average time between the issue and start of hearing in personal injury cases in the High Court during the last year for which figures are available.

In 1985 the estimated average waiting time between issue and writ and start of trial—or date of disposal—for personal injury cases set down for trial in the High Court was 115·5 weeks in London and 144·1 weeks in the rest of England and Wales, but these figures include cases which are settled in the early stages and those which are fought to a finish and culminate in a judgment.

asked the Attorney-General when a decision will be made as to what criminal proceedings shall be brought in respect of the unlawful killing of John Mikkelson in July 1985.

The Director of Public Prosecutions is at present awaiting the completion of the transcripts of the evidence taken at the inquest on John Mikkelson. No decision can be taken until he has had an opportunity to consider those transcripts in conjunction with the evidence already submitted to him by the Metropolitan police.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list the rights to housing and social security benefits, and other benefits available to Irish nationals coming to the United Kingdom; how many of these rights are reciprocated by the Government of the Republic; and what discussions about them has taken place within the auspices of the Anglo-Irish agreement.

I assume my hon. Friend is referring to cash benefits available according to means. Under the Council of Europe convention on social and medical assistance, ratified by both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, Irish nationals legally in the United Kingdom are entitled to our social assistance benefits equally with and under the same conditions as United Kingdom nationals; British nationals are similarly entitled to benefits in Ireland. The main social assistance benefits in the United Kingdom are supplementary benefit, family income supplement and housing benefit. In Ireland the comparable benefits are supplementary welfare allowance and family income supplement. Housing costs are not met by a special housing benefit in Ireland but are taken into account in calculating entitlement to supplementary welfare allowance.The provision of cash benefits has not been discussed within the auspices of the Anglo-Irish agreement.

asked the Prime Minister (1) whether she will place in the Library the text of any letters whe has written or received from President Botha of South Africa in the last three months;(2) how many letters she has received from President Botha in the last three months;(3) how many letters she has written to President Botha in the last three months.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 17 July in column 580.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list those restrictive economic measures recently taken by Her Majesty's Government in relation to South Africa.

In the past year, together with our European and Commonwealth partners, we have agreed on a range of restrictive measures. Those having an economic content are:

We do not sell arms or para-military equipment to South Africa;

we do not import arems or para-military equipment from South Africa;

we refuse to sell sensitive equipment to the South African police and armed forces;

we refuse to collaborate in South Africa's nuclear development;

we refuse to sell oil to South Africa;

we have banned all new Government loans to the South African Government and their agencies;

we have ended Government funding for trade missions to South Africa and for trade fairs in South Africa;

we have banned the import of all gold coins from South Africa.

asked the Prime Minister if she will publish in the Official Report, the costs of manning the Cabinet in 1985–86 and the number of staff employed; and if she will indicate the number of specialist or political advisers employed during that period.

The Cabinet Office's 1985–86 running costs, excluding the Management and Personnel Office, were approximately £14,116,000. There were 503 staff employed in post at 31 March 1986. No political advisers were employed. Three specialist advisers were employed on a fee-paid basis at various times in the financial year.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her reply to the hon. Member for Kensington on 3 June, Official Report, column 433, what would be the additional costs in terms of revenue forgone if, instead of making all income other than the credits taxable, each individual, counting husbands and wives, separately, were allowed a non-transferable low income-tax exemption, similar to age allowance, of (a) £15, (b) £20 and (c) £25 per week.

[pursuant to her reply, 17 July 1986, c. 579]: The revenue costs of tax allowances at the specified levels are shown below. The offset to the cost resulting from withdrawing the allowance for those with larger incomes would depend on the level of the income limit and the marginal rate of withdrawal. The costs take account of progressive withdrawal of the exemption above the age allowance income limit of £9,400 per annum.

Direct revenue cost of personal allowance
Level of allowance £ per week	Cost £ billion
15	5
20	7
25	8·5

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many mass lobbies of the House of Commons have taken place during the current Session of Parliament.

Thirty five.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met leaders of the farmers' union in Wales to discuss the sheepmeat sanctions.

I last met leaders of the farmers' union in Wales to discuss the restrictions on 7 July. Officials have also reported to me the views expressed by the unions in meetings held last week.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the centres in Wales which have the facilities for the prenatal testing of amniotic fluid for cystic fibrosis.

There are facilities for the prenatal testing of amniotic fluids for cystic fibrosis at the university hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Gower on 17 April, Official Report, column 412, what information his Department holds on the tenders submitted, both conforming and alternatives, on the new road bridge over the River Loughor.

None. This is a matter for the local highway authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales to what extent anti-litter campaigns are hampered by the non-availablity or shortages of suitable and adequate receptables for litter; and what steps he is taking to deal with this problem.

The provision of receptables for litter is a matter for Welsh local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the earliest time after monitoring radiocaesium levels in sheep and fodder crops that the results can be made known to the individual farmers concerned; what advance notice of monitoring is given to farmers; and if he will make a statement.

Every effort is made to agree with farmers one day in advance that samples should be taken for monitoring. Results of monitoring are normally available to the farmers concerned within three to four days.

Deaths caused by malignant neoplasm of cervix uteri (ICD 180)
		1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
Clwyd	15–24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	45–54	1	2	2	2	5	6	2
	55–64	7	3	6	4	5	5	4
	65–74	3	5	3	4	5	6	5
	75–84	4	6	4	1	3	—	5
East Dyfed	15–24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	45–54	2	1	5	2	2	1	2
	55–64	6	8	—	—	6	—	6
	65–74	4	2	1	4	6	2	3
	75–84	—	1	—	1	4	1	4
Pembrokeshire	15–24	—	—	—	1	—	—	—
	45–54	—	—	1	—	1	—	1
	55–64	2	—	3	1	1	3	2
	65–74	1	2	2	—	2	1	—
	75–84	—	—	—	3	—	1	1
Gwent	15–24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	45–54	4	2	3	—	2	2	2
	55–64	2	5	1	4	1	2	2
	65–74	5	2	5	5	4	1	3
	75–84	1	1	6	5	4	2	1
Gwynedd	15–24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	45–54	4	—	—	—	1	2	—
	55–64	7	3	6	2	2	3	2
	65–74	8	3	3	4	2	1	5
	75–84	2	3	4	2	1	2	4
Mid Glamorgan	15–24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	45–54	2	1	4	7	3	4	3
	55–64	10	8	7	5	7	5	11
	65–74	3	10	7	7	11	7	5
	75–84	3	5	3	3	2	6	4
Powys	15–24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	45–54	—	1	—	—	1	1	2
	55–64	2	4	1	2	—	—	2
	65–74	1	1	1	—	1	—	2
	75–84	—	—	1	—	1	—	—
South Glamorgan	15–24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	45–54	2	2	1	2	1	6	2
	55–64	2	4	5	1	4	9	6
	65–74	3	2	2	6	3	3	7
	75–84	—	2	2	2	4	1	1
West Glamorgan	15–24	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
	45–54	3	1	7	1	—	—	3
	55–64	8	7	6	7	3	1	6
	65–74	8	6	4	6	2	3	5
	75–84	2	5	3	2	3	5	1

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, further to his answer of 9 July to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn, if he will lift the ban on the sales of ewes, as distinct from lambs, in the those areas still affected by the ban.

No. although the highest levels of radiocaesium have been found in young lambs, monitoring has also revealed some examples of high readings in ewes. Restrictions must continue in order to avoid the possibility of such animals entering the food chain.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for the following age categories (i) 15 to 24, (ii) 45 to 54, (iii) 55 to 64, (iv) 65 to 74 and (v) 75 to 84, the number of deaths from cervical carcinoma in (a) Wales and (b) each health authority in Wales for each year since 1979.

The information is given in the table:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report, for each of the past seven years, up to 1985, the perinatal mortality rate for (i) Wales and (ii) each area health authority in Wales.

Perinatal mortality rates for 1985 are given in the following table:

Perinatal mortality rate*—1985
	Number
Clwyd	10·9
East Dyfed	8·0
Pembrokeshire	†8·7
Gwent	10·2
Gwynedd	10·3
Mid Glamorgan	8·0
Powys	†9·3
South Glamorgan	13·8
West Glamorgan	10·7
Wales	10·2
*Deaths per thousand total births.
†Rate calculated from less than 20 events.

Comparable figures for previous years have been published in "Health and Personal Social Services Statistics for Wales", Vols. 8–12, copies of which are in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he is satisfied with the availability of staff and resources for the radiology services in Neath and Port Talbot; and whether any improvements are proposed.

The level of staff and resources for radiology services in the Neath and Port Talbot area is an operational matter for the West Glamorgan health authority to determine within existing manpower guidelines.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the all-Wales perinatal initiative report on perinatal services.

I shall write to the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set out the (a) gross and (b) net of charges expenditure, current and capital, on the National Health Service and personal social services for each year from 1971 to 1986–87 for Wales for (a) the hospital and community Health Service, (b) family practitioner committees and their predecessors, (c) centrally funded National Health Service services and (d) the PSS with the percentage increase deflated by (i) the gross domestic product, (ii) the retail price index and (iii) pay and prices.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing Government financial support for the Welsh language in each year since 1974–75 on a per capita Welsh speaker basis.

Information about direct Government financial support for the Welsh language on a per capita Welsh speaker basis is given in the following table:—

	£
1974–75	0·22
1975–76	0·22
1976–77	0·66
1977–78	0·71
1978–79	1·35
1979–80	1·41
1980–81	2·83
1981–82	4·31
1982–83	4·68
1983–84	5·29
1984–85	5·03
1985–86	5·98
1986–87	6·42

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report a list of those organisations that expressed reservations regarding the existence of a genuine demand for sites for houses for executives.

Reservations were expressed by the following organisations:—

• Town and Country Planning Association.
• National Housing and Town Planning Council.
• Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
• Countryside Commission.
• Civic Trust for Wales.
• Ramblers Association.
• Welsh Office of the Association of District Councils.
• Welsh Counties Committee.
• Royal Town Planning Institute.
• Council for the Protection of Rural Wales.
• Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers.
• Welsh District Planning Officers' Society.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report the date on which he first consulted each organisation before issuing Welsh Office circular 30/86 about housing for executives.

Organisations were first consulted on the draft circular on 9 December 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place a copy in the Library of the response from each organisation he consulted before issuing Welsh Office circular 30/86 about housing for executives.

It is not our intention as this would require the agreement of the organisations concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the extent and the planned cost of new motorway and trunk road construction to be undertaken in Wales during the next five years.

Planned expenditure for new construction and improvement of motorway and trunk roads in 1986–87 is £83·24 million. We have not yet made any decision for subsequent years on the distribution of block public expenditure resources. As indicated in tables 3 and 4 of "Roads in Wales 1985" it is hoped to start work on some 87 miles of new motorway and trunk roads by December 1990.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will consider making selective financial assistance available for the Llandeilo travel-to-work area;(2) if he will consider making regional development grant available for the Llandeilo travel-to-work area.

No. The present assisted areas map, which governs the availability of selective financial assistance and regional development grant came into force in November 1984 following a most comprehensive and objective review. Industrial investment decisions demand a substantial measure of stability in the map, and the Government have no plans for early changes to it.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received about compensation for sheep farmers on Anglesey following the ban on sheep sales; and if he will make a statement.

I have received representations about compensation from the unions and other interests in the industry. The Government have already made it clear that they will be prepared to consider compensating specific farmers for severe loss in particular circumstances. However, at this stage it is too early to assess the effect of the restrictions upon producers.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many children in Wales are currently in receipt of free school meals.

The latest available information, which relates to September 1985, indicates that 90,700 pupils at all maintained schools were then in receipt of free mid-day meals.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are employed in the school meals service in Wales; and what are the corresponding figures for May 1979.

The information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many children in Welsh schools would lose free meals under the proposals within the Social Security Bill.

An estimated 30,000, but most of these will be among the estimated 36,000 children who are expected to benefit from the cash compensation for school meals within the proposed family credit.