asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether the party of children from Matthew Humberston school, Humberside detained by United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority police at Sellafield was detained by armed constables; and on what authority film and tape was confiscated.

As in the case of many industrial establishments, the free use of photography is not allowed and the attention of visitors is drawn to this fact. It appears that film and video tape were in this case nevertheless taken on to the site. Acting under site security instructions, the security police questioned the teacher in charge. Film and video tape were, on request, handed over to unarmed members of the UKAEA constabulary. They will be returned once they have been checked.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a further statement about the British Gas offer for sale.

A pathfinder prospectus—that is, a prospectus subject to revision and without a price for the shares—is being published today. Copies are available in the Library of the House and in the Vote Office. Preliminary registration statements will also be filed in the United States, Canada and Japan. I intend to offer the shares for sale on Friday 21 November with the prospectus being widely distributed on Tuesday 25 November and the last date for receipt of applications being Wednesday 3 December.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the estimated costs at current and at constant prices of mortgage interest tax relief in 1960, 1970, 1980, 1985 and 1990, showing the cost as a proportion of income tax revenue, and the effect of the concession on the amount of the income tax base in each year.

The estimated costs of mortgage interest tax relief are as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will detail the total of personal income going to the top 1 per cent., 2 per cent., 3 per cent., 4 per cent. and 5 per cent., respectively, before and after tax of each year since 1978–79.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to change the cash limit for the current year in respect of rate support grants to Welsh local authorities.

Yes. Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the following amendment is proposed. The cash limit for rate support grant, class XVII, vote 10, will be increased by £5,000,000, from £875,807,000 to £880,807,000, mainly to reflect adjustments to holdback in respect of 1984–85 and 1985–86 in the light of outturn expenditure information. Payments from this vote are not classified as public expenditure, so there is no effect on the reserve. The adjustment of block grant will, of course, be subject to the approval of the requisite supplementary rate support grant reports by the House.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if a date has yet been agreed for ceasing the intervention buying of butter and skimmed milk.

No. There are currently no plans to cease the intervention buying of butter. A Commission proposal to end the intervention buying of skimmed milk powder between October and March and to make other changes in the intervention system is still under consideration by the Council of Agriculture Ministers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether it is proposed to change the cash limit on any departmental Vote for which he has responsibility and his running costs limit.

Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the cash limits on Votes for which I and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland are responsible will be

£'000
Class	Vote	Original cash limit	Increase due to redundancy costs	Increase due to purchase of milk quota	Other changes affecting cash limit	Revised cash limit
IV	4	139,393	—	1477	—	139,870
IV	5	211,366	900	—	2+3,617	215,754
					3-129
XVI	2	75,166	2,630	147	—	77,843
1 Offset by corresponding reductions in the Northern Ireland cash block, NID1.
2 Increase required to repay an advance from the Contingencies Fund for settlement of legal action for damages in the case of Bourgoin SA and others and the Ministry of Agriculture.
3 Additional receipts sought as appropriations in aid and other offsetting savings.

As a result of the redundancy costs there will be a £0.871 million increase in the running costs limit for my Department from £208·949 million to £209·820 million.There is a corresponding charge to the reserve of £7·018 million and therefore these changes will not add to the planning total of public expenditure.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to propose changes in the common agricultural policy following the recent agreement reached by the member countries of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade at Punta del Este; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 October 1986]: Within the European Economic Community, we have consistently advocated changes to the Common Agricultural Policy to make it more responsive to the market place, and to reduce the production and the budgetary costs of surpluses. Such policies would undoubtedly make a positive contribution towards the successful negotiation of a new GATT round.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will publish in the Official Report the undertakings given on value added tax when the terms of our membership of the EEC were negotiated and renegotiated.The Prime Minister: The rates and coverage of VAT in the United Kingdom were not part of the accession negotiations or "renegotiations".

asked the Prime Minister whether Her Majesty's Government intend to accede to the proposal made by the European Economic Community increased in order to make provision for the costs of settlement of the legal action in the case of Bourgoin SA and others and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as announced on 23 July 1986 at column 116, to cover redundancy payments arising from decisions announced on 22 January 1985 at column 401 to reduce expenditure on advisory services, research and development and to purchase milk quota in England, Wales and Scotland for redistribution to producers in Northern Ireland.The increases are as follows:Commission that the United Kingdom should impose value added tax on new housing; and if she will make a statement.

The Government completely and utterly reject the Commission's proposal and will defend the issue before the European Court. I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Treasury in the House on 4 March 1986 at column 94, and my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment in reply to the Summer Adjournment debate on this subject in the House on 25 July at columns 923–26.

asked the Prime Minister what assessment Her Majesty's Government have made of the relative cost of sending entry clearance officers to India as opposed to stationing extra staff at Heathrow.

The decision to impose a visa requirement on the citizens of Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Pakistan and Nigeria took account of the relative staff costs in this country and abroad. Account was also taken of the fact that modern airports are not the place for making detailed examination of large numbers of difficult cases. The need to strengthen pre-entry control meant, therefore, that more immigration officers at the ports would not have been a sensible response to the problems which had arisen.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will introduce legislation to place a limit on the amount of supplementary benefit that can be paid to foreigners, compatible with the respective levels available in their own countries; and if he will make a statement.

No. Entitlement to supplementary benefit depends upon immigration status and there is no nationality test. In those circumstances where benefit is payable to a person from abroad, it is at the rate appropriate to the person's requirements and resources in this country and has no regard to levels of social assistance available in other countries where different costs of living apply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were admitted to special

Women admitted to special hospitals on transfer from prisons, remand centres and youth custody centres under sections 47, 48 of the Mental Health Act 19831by age, type of mental disorder and length of stay in custody prior to admission 1980–85
Number of women
		Year of admission
		1980	1981	1892	1983	1984	1985
Section 47	All	24	33	31	3	1	34
Age at time of transfer		—	—	—	—	—	—
Under 21		—	—	—	1	—	—
21–29		2	2	1	2	1	3
30–39		1	1	—	—	—	—
40–49		1	—	—	—	—	—
50–59		—	—	—	—	—	—
60 and over		—	—	—	—	—	—
Type of mental disorder
Mental illness		2	1	—	2	—	—
Psychopathic disorder		1	2	1	1	41	2
Subnormality		1	—	—	—	—	—
Mental impairment		—	—	—	—	41	1
Length of stay in prison department establishments prior to admission to special hospital
Up to 3 months		1	2	—	—	—	—
Over 3 and up to 6 months		—	—	—	—	—	—
Over 6 and up to 12 months		1	—	—	—	—	2
Over 1 and up to 2 years		1	1	1	1	1	1
Over 2 and up to 3 years		1	—	—	1	—	—
Over 3 and up to 4 years		—	—	—	1	—	—
Over 4 and up to 5 years		—	—	—	—	—	1
Section 48	All	1	—	—	3	—	—
3 Age at time of transfer		—	—	—	—	—	—
Under 21		—	—	—	—	1	—
21–29		—	—	—	—	2	—
30–59		—	—	—	—	—	—
60 and over		1	—	—	—	—	—
Length of stay in prison department establishments prior to admission to special hosptial Up to 3 months		1	—	—	3	—	—
Type of mental disorder Mental illness		1	—	—	3	—	—
1 Or equivalent under the Mental Health Act 1959.
2 Including one transferred from police cells.
3 Includes one woman not subject to special restrictions on discharge.
4 Both types of mental disorder applied to the woman.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review procedures for giving prisoners medical attention in the light of the recent escape of Mark Cooper in Portsmouth; and if he will make a statement.

The readily available information for years 1980 to 1985 by length of custody prior to admission to a special hospital is shown in the table.

Statutory responsibility for the health care of inmates of any prison service establishment rests with the medical officer of the establishment, who has complete clinical freedom to determine the treatment needs of his patients and to make such arrangements as he considers appropriate for meeting them. The decision whether a particular type of treatment required by a patient can best be provided in situ, or at another establishment within the prison system, or at an outside hospital or clinic, will depend on the circumstances of the individual case and the options available. Security considerations will be among those taken into account, but the medical officer's primary concern must be to meet his statutory and professional obligations to his patient. When a full report on Mr. Cooper's case is available the Director of Prison Medical Services will consider whether there are any lessons to be drawn from it which could usefully be brought to the attention of medical officers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prison officers were accompanying Mark Cooper at the time of his escape from St. Mary's hospital, Portsmouth on 23 October;(2) if Mark Cooper was left alone for any period of time prior to his recent abscondment in Portsmouth.

On 22 October Mr. Cooper, an inmate at Kingston prison, escaped from an outside hospital to which he had been taken, escorted by two officers, for a session of physiotherapy. Inquiries into the circumstances of the escape are continuing. However, preliminary reports indicate that, at the end of the session, one officer remained in the gymnasium where the session had taken place while the prisoner changed in an adjoining alcove and the other officer went to arrange transport for the return journey to the prison. It appears that the prisoner escaped through a fire escape door from the alcove. He was apprehended by police at Northwich in Cheshire the following morning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have escaped from custody while on hospital visits in the past four years.

The number of adult prisoners reported as having escaped from outside hospitals to which they had been sent for treatment, either as in-patients or as outpatients, were as follows:

Year	Number
1982	20
1983	19
1984	25
1985	17

Eight such cases were reported in the first nine months of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the refusal of bail to persons from the ethnic minorities.

A few of the letters received by the Home Office have included such representations by individuals in relation to individual cases, but precise figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to magistrates on policy towards the circumstances in which bail should be given or refused; if this has included any specific guidance relating to persons from the ethnic minorities; and if he will make a statement.

None; the decision whether or not to grant bail is one which a magistrates court takes, in exercise of its judicial discretion, in accordance with the powers conferred by the Bail Act 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he plans to seek to increase police powers to deal with the firing of blanks from loaded guns in public places; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will initiate discussions with the British Broadcasting Corporation under section 18(2) of the British Broadcasting Corporation's royal charter with a view to the inclusion by the Corporation in its next annual report of details of the memorandum submitted to the board of management of the British Broadcasting Corporation by James Hogan, Panorama producer on 13 October, listing those potential witnesses in Hamilton and Howarth v. the British Broadcasting Corporation who changed their positions regarding their evidence following the beginning of legal proceedings; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the criteria used by entry clearance officers in Pakistan to determine whether an intending visitor to Britain will leave at the end of the visit are the same as those used by immigration officers at United Kingdom ports of entry.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to publish a revised edition of the guide to safety at sports grounds (the Green Guide).

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have today published a revised edition of the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds, for improving spectator safety at existing sports grounds. The new edition, prepared in the light of recommendations of the Popplewell inquiry, remains a voluntary guide. I have arranged for copies of the guide to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will seek the establishment of an independent board of experts to review the relative merits of Nimrod and the competing systems; and if he will make a statement.

No. I am satisfied that we have available to us all the expertise necessary to assess the relative merits of the two systems remaining in the United Kingdom AEW competition, the Boeing E3A and the Nimrod AEW.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many W-79 nuclear shells Britain has agreed to take for issuing to the British Army of the Rhine;(2) when he intends to make a statement concerning the modernisation of the British Army of the Rhine's nuclear artillery shells.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Cartwright) on 29 October.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards deployment by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation of the W79 nuclear warhead.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn) on 20 January 1986 at columns 90–91 and to the latest communiqué of the NATO Nuclear Planning Group, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. No decisions have been taken regarding the modernisation of the battlefield nuclear weapons of British forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which artillery systems currently in service with the British Army of the Rhine are capable of firing the W-79 nuclear shell.

The M110.

asked the Secretary of Defence when is the next North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ministerial meeting.

The next scheduled NATO ministerial meeting is that of the Defence Planning Committee in Brussels early in December.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if anyone has been made amenable for the murder claimed to have been committed by Protestants of Martin Love in Fermanagh on 8 April 1985; and if he will give details;(2) if anyone has been made amenable for the murder claimed to have been committed by the Irish Republican Army of John McVitty in Fermanagh on 8 July; and if he will give details;(3) if anyone has been made amenable for the murder claimed to have been committed by the Irish Republican Army of Martin Blaney in South Tyrone on 6 October; and if he will give details.

[pursuant to his reply, 27 October 1986, columns 17–18]: Two people have been convicted of the murder of Martin Love. There have been no convictions in respect of the murders of John McVitty or Martin Blaney.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the cost of the Property Services Agency's proposed reorganisation of its United Kingdom territorial organisation in each of the years 1987 to 1991, respectively; and how additional public expenditure will be incurred.

The present estimated net costs and savings arising from reorganisation of the United Kingdom territorial organisation are as follows:

Year	£ million
1987–88 Cost	1·65
1988–89 Saving	1·09
1989–90 Saving	7·86
1990–91 Saving	5·91

There are further substantial savings in later years and an investment appraisal shows that pay-back is expected to occur in 1989–90. Apart from these savings the reorganisation will produce substantial benefits, which cannot be quantified, through better service to clients and better value for money. It fulfils the recommendation of the PAC made in its 30th report 1983–84 and its 19th report 1984–85 that the chain of command should be shortened.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the additional costs and prospective savings to be realised in the eastern region of the Property Services Agency in the course of its proposed reorganisation.

In my reply to my hon. Friend today I have given him the net costs and savings arising from the reorganisation of the UKTO throughout the country. These figures include savings from increased managerial efficiency through the organisation as a whole. Specific figures for individual areas are therefore not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what will be the total cost to carry out the proposed re-organisation of the Property Services Agency;(2) what are the estimated annual savings that will result from the re-organisation of the Property Services Agency; and, in particular, what are the estimated annual savings which may result from the proposed closure of the Cheltenham area office.

The present estimated net costs and savings arising from reorganisation of the United Kingdom territorial organisation are as follows:

	£ million
1987–88	1·65 cost
1988–89	1·09 saving
1989–90	7·86 saving
1990–91	5·91 saving

There are further substantial savings in later years and an investment appraisal shows that pay-back is expected to occur in 1989–90. Apart from these savings the organisation will produce substantial benefits, which cannot be quantified, through better service to clients and better value for money. It fulfils the recommendation of the PAC made in its 30th report 1983–84 and its 19th Report 1984–85 that the chain of command should be shortened.The net costs and savings include savings through from managerial efficiency through the organisation as a whole. Specific figures for the Cheltenham area office are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the present number of personnel employed by the Property Services Agency in the Leeds area at each of the buildings occupied, the square footage of space provided at each address with the annual cost per square foot where rentals apply.

Buildings occupied by the PSA in Leeds are:

Building	Staff	Area Occupied Sy ft	Cost Where rentals Apply
Government Building	223	46,200	Freehold
Lawnswood
Liverpool Victoria	59	8,900	£4·1 per sq
House Headingly			ft rent
District Works Office	141	221,000	Freehold
Kirkstall Road
1 Including 15 industrial
2 Including workshops

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what alternative office accommodation is being considered for the staff currently employed at the PSA area works office in York; and at what cost per square foot by comparison with existing accommodation.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 October 1986, c. 116]: The intention is to base all staff transferred to Leeds at the regional headquarters at Lawnswood, Leads, but because of other changes on the Government estates it will be necessary to base some staff in accommodation elsewhere in Leeds which has not yet been identified and costed.The cost per square foot for accommodation at Lawnswood is £4·35 as against £3·65 for the present accommodation in York.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a list of local authorities with Orlit or Orlit-type houses in their area, showing total numbers of houses, numbers demolished, numbers on which remedial work has started, and numbers still awaiting attention, for each local authority.

I refer the hon. Member to the information deposited in the Library in July, in reply to the hon. Member for Leeds, (Mr. Meadowcroft) on 7 July 1986 at columns 35–36; this gives, for each local authority in England, the reported number of dwellings of each type designated under the housing defects legislation. It shows that some 87 authorities reported having Orlit houses in their area, amounting in total to some 8,000 dwellings. Information is not held centrally on the number of Orlit dwellings demolished, awaiting demolition or on which remedial work has started.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what valuation has been placed on the lands and buildings at Thamesmead by the London residuary body; on what basis the valuation was carried out; and what arrangements are to be made for the payments from Thamesmead Town Ltd.

The parties are negotiating the terms of transfer, including the arrangements for payments, informed by a valuation produced by the district valuer. It will not be helpful to release details at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects responsibility for Thamesmead to be transferred from the London residuary body to Thamesmead Town Ltd.

I understand that the chairmen of the London residuary body and Thamesmead Town expect responsibility to transfer on 1 January 1987.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list, for the years 1983, 1984 and 1985 and for each regional office of his Department, the applications received for the making by him of public path creation, diversion and extinguishment orders under the powers in sections 26(2) and 120(3) of the Highways Act 1980 stating in each case (a) the parish concerned and the number of the footpath or bridleway, (b) whether the application was for a creation, diversion or extinguishment order, (c) whether he agreed to prepare a draft order and (d) where a draft order was prepared, whether or not it subsequently was made;(2) whether persons who apply to him to exercise his powers under section 120(3) of the Highways Act 1980 to make a public path diversion or extinguishment order are required by him to enter into an agreement to defray the costs incurred by him in preparing and giving notice of the draft order, in arranging and holding any public inquiry or hearing into objections to the draft order, including the cost of employing an inspector, and in giving notice of his subsequent decision.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Mrs. Rumbold) on 28 January to his previous questions on these two subjects (Official Report, column 468).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what material changes were made in proposals for the 1987–88 rate support grant settlement between the consultation paper sent to local authorities immediately after the submission of 22 July and the most recent consultation paper published on 3 October.

The consultation paper issued on 22 July set out the Secretary of State's proposals on expenditure provision an aggregate Exchequer grant for the 1987–88 rate support grant settlement. The further consultation paper issued on 3 October set out his proposals on the distribution of block grant and gave details of authorities' block grant entitlements. There were no material changes in the Secretary of State's proposals on expenditure provision and aggregate Exchequer grant in the further consultation paper.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his statement of 22 July, Official Report, column 182, if he will list the 40 local authorities whose rate it was intended, as of that date, to limit for 1987–88.

The 20 authorities which have been selected for rate limitation in 1987–88 are Basildon, Brent, Brighton, Camden, Gateshead, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Hounslow, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Newham, North Tyneside, Sheffield, Southwark, Thamesdown and Tower Hamlets.In addition, 19 joint authorities, set up on the abolition of the GLC and metropolitan counties, and the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) are automatically precept-limited for three years from 1986–87 under section 68 of the Local Government Act 1985. Those authorities are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the water authorities which have satisfied his Department that they are meeting their obligations under the Water Resources Act 1963 to set standards for minimum acceptable flows in the rivers in their area.

Under the 1963 Act water authorities are required to consider for which inland waters minimum acceptable flows ought to be determined, but the setting of these is not mandatory and none has in fact been set. Repeal of the formal requirement has been proposed by the Government in their consultation paper on water and sewerage law, which was published last March and deposited in the Library of the House, but final decisions on implementation have yet to be taken.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the occasions within the last three years on which his Department has been asked by a water authority to approve the lowering of its own discharge consent conditions.

Following the implementation of the main provisions of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 in January 1985 there has been a major review of water authority sewage treatment works discharge consents. Of the some 6,000 discharges in England, around 1,800 have been granted relaxed conditions, generally where there was expected to he no appreciable effect on the receiving water. In a small number of cases, which are subject to early review, the relaxed consents have been allowed pending already programmed capital investment. It is not readily possible to list the specific cases, but water authorities maintain public registers giving the details.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to disbar from public office councillors convicted of firearms offences; and if he will make a statement.

No new legislation is needed. Under section 80 of the Local Government Act 1972, a person is disqualified from being a councillor if within the previous five years he has been convicted of any offence and has had passed on him a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of not less than three months without the option of a fine. There is a wide range of firearm offences and maximum sentences range from three months to life imprisonment. The disqualification of any individual councillor convicted of a firearms offence depends upon the sentence actually passed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 23 October, if he will state by what manner of contact or information Her Majesty's Government will satisfy itself as to whether or not Bophuthatswana fulfils the normal criteria for recognition.

We take our decisions in the light of all the information available to us, including information as to territory, population, administration and capacity for independent action.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his answer to hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 23 October, if he will state by what degree Bophuthatswana has satisfied or failed to satisfy the normal criteria for recognition.

We take decisions on the recognition of states on the basis of criteria referred to by my hon. Friend the Minister of State in her answer of 23 October. There is no particular degree or scale relevant to such decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his answer to hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 23 October, if he will list those occasional visits by officials to Bophuthatswana, their date and purpose, which are known to him.

Detailed records of visits are not kept: lout, for example, officials have visited Bophuthatswana at approximately three-monthly intervals to see British subjects imprisoned there.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement of forthcoming business in the European Community Council of Ministers.

The usual forecast was deposited in the House earlier today. At present 12 meetings of the Council of Ministers are planned for November.The Internal Market Council will meet on 3 November and will consider a number of items from the Presidency Action Programme.The Transport Council will meet on 10 and 11 November. As the Presidency, the United Kingdom will aim to build on the progress made at the informal meeting of European Community Transport Ministers in London on October 3 and try to secure adoption of a package of practical measures to liberalise European air transport. The meeting will also consider the Commission proposals on a Community transport infrastructure policy and arrangements for liberalising road haulage.The Development Council will meet on 11 December and is expected to consider a Commission proposal for a new Council regulation on food aid policy, a draft resolution on population policy in community aid programmes, a Commission report on EDF programming and a report on famine rehabilitation. The Council may also consider a draft regulation establishing a system of compensation ("Compex") for losses in export earnings to least developed countries which are not signatory to the Lomé convention.The Cultural Affairs Council will meet on 13 November and will consider resolutions on architectural heritage, translation, business sponsorship and conservation. The Council is expected to discuss a number of subjects under "any other business", including the Presidency report on the British Film Institute symposium and "Glasgow, City of Culture".The Economic and Finance Council will meet on 17 November to discuss the Commission's annual report on the economic situation in the Community; the draft directive on liberalisation of capital movements; the Commission proposal for a further new Community instrument (NCI IV) for project lending in the Community; and the proposed new Framework programme for Community research and development, in the context of the budget discipline conclusions. The Council may also discuss a revision to an existing mandate on tied aid financing. In line with the remit from its meeting in June, as endorsed by the European Council, the Council has continued work on proposals for harmonising the structure of VAT and excise duties, and may review the progress made to date.The Agriculture Council is expected to meet on 17 and 18 November. Among the subjects likely to be discussed are the reform of the Community's beef regime; emergency measures in the milk sector; the social butter scheme; socio-structural measures; extraction solvents; medicated feedingstuffs; and eradication directives for live animals of the bovine and porcine species. It may also consider four food law directives and other items concerned with the completion of the internal market.The Industry Council will meet on 18 November. The Council will continue its discussion of the Commission's proposal for a sixth Council directive on aid to shipbuilding to replace the existing directive which expires on 31 December 1986. The Council will also resume discussion of the Commission's proposals to free certain steel products from the production quota system from the beginning of 1987. Ministers are, in addition, expected to consider a draft Council recommendation on the integrated services digital network designed to harmonise the progressive introduction of advanced telecommunications within the Community.The Environment Council will meet on 24 November. Among items for discussion are large combustion plants, vehicle emissions, the Fourth Environment Action Programme, chlorofluorcarbons, the sulphur content of gas oil and motorcycle noise.The Foreign Affairs Council will meet on 24 and 25 November. The Council is likely to consider Commission proposals for the Community's generalised scheme of preferences for 1987. It will also discuss Mediterranean financial protocols, to decide a mandate for the negotiation of the new generation of Maghreb and Mashraq financial protocols; and EC/Turkey, to agree a Community position for discussions with Turkey on the provisions of the EC/Turkey Association Agreement relating to the free circulation of labour. The council may also review EC/US trade relations, including specific current bilateral problems; and discuss the Commission's proposals for a review of arrangements for trade in steel between the Community and third country producers.The Energy Council will meet on 26 November. The council is expected to discuss a number of subjects, including the oil market, oil stocks, energy efficieny, new and renewable sources of energy, national use of energy in transport, oil refinery capacity and petroleum products, energy labelling and Euratom chapter III.The Budget Council is due to meet on 26 and 27 November to discuss the European Parliament's amendments and modifications to the 1987 draft budget, which was established by the council on 9 September.The Education Council is expected to meet on 28 November to consider a proposal for a European Community action scheme for the mobility of university students (ERASMUS).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now publish the findings of the research commissioned by his Department into the workings of the Matrimonial Homes Act; and if he will make a statement.

I hope to publish the report of this research as soon as the final text is available, which is likely to be next spring.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of section 20 payments paid by Strathclyde regional council to Scotrail came out of central Government rate grant; what is the value of this percentage; and if he has any plans to alter it.

Rate support grant is payable in support of local authorities' revenues generally and not in relation to individual items of expenditure. Rate support grant for Strathclyde region for 1986–87 is 53·1 per cent. of budgeted relevant expenditure. (No adjustment has been made for grant penalties since they will be restored if authorities reduce their expediture to guideline on outturn.)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number and percentage of those unemployed in (a) Glasgow and (b) Glasgow, Central who have been out of work for (i) up to one year, (ii) up to two years and (iii) up to three years.

	City of Glasgow local authority district		Glasgow Central parliamentary constituency
Duration unemployed	Number of Unemployed claimants	Percentage of total unemployed claimants	Number of unemployed claimants	Percentage of total unemployed claimants
Up to one year	38,526	49·9	3,653	49·5
One to two years	12,874	16·7	1,230	16·7
Two to three years	7,182	9·3	687	9·3

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about conditions at Saughton prison, Edinburgh.

Like other Scottish prisons, Edinburgh prison at present holds more inmates than it was originally designed to accommodate. This has had adverse effects on the regime, but the governor and his staff make every effort to maintain acceptable conditions.

asked the Paymaster General what percentage of TVEI students stay on for the full course after 16 years of age; how this compares with the overall rate of 16-year-olds staying on for full-time education; and if he will make a statement.

About 40 per cent. of students from the first cohort, from the first group of 14 TVEI projects stayed in full-time education, after 16, of whom about 60

	All	In a full-time job		In a part-time job	Unemployed	On another YTS scheme	On a full time course	Doing something else	Not answered
		same employer	different employer
SOUTH EAST
February 1986	64	20	45	3	25	4	1	2	..
March 1986	68	25	42	4	21	3	1	2	1
April 1986	68	20	49	4	21	2	1	2	1
LONDON
February 1986	60	19	41	3	26	5	1	4	1
March 1986	60	23	37	3	23	8	1	3	1
April 1986	61	26	35	3	26	6	2	2	1
SOUTH WEST
February 1986	59	17	42	4	28	4	1	4	1
March 1986	66	31	35	4	20	7	1	2	1
April 1986	60	20	41	5	27	5	1	2	..
WEST MIDLANDS
February 1986	52	18	34	3	33	9	1	2	..
March 1986	54	25	28	3	29	10	1	2	1

At 10 July 1986, the latest date for which information is available, the number of unemployed claimants in (a) City of Glasgow local authority district and (b) Glasgow Central parliamentary constituency, by duration and the percentage that each category represents of the total number of unemployed claimants, are shown in the table. This information is available in the Library.per cent. were designated TVEI courses. This compares with a figure of about 38 per cent. for non-TVEI students at the schools taking part in the project and of 46 per cent. for the year-group across the country as a whole. In both cases there were significant variations between individual local education authorities and between individual schools within local education authorities.

asked the Paymaster General if, for each month of the 100 per cent. YTS leavers survey, he will publish the destinations of leavers in each of the Manpower Services Commission regions.

The table up-dates the information provided in my previous reply to the hon. Member on 25 July 1986 at columns 583–594. It reports the results of the 100 per cent. follow-up survey of YTS leavers conducted by the Manpower Services Commission, and represents the response to the question "What are you doing now?" Questionnaires are sent to young people some three months after they have left YTS.

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish in the Official Report the information available from the 100 per cent. YTS leavers surveys about (a) the range and average wages earned, (b) the hours worked and (c) the types of jobs done by those leavers (i) in full-time work with the same employer, (ii) in full-time work with a different employer and (iii) in part-time work.

The tables update the information provided in my previous reply to the hon. Member on 25 July 1986 at column 593. The information relates to young people who left YTS schemes between April 1985 and March 1986. Information is not available on the hours worked. The earnings data are provided by young people themselves and may be subject to some error.

Weekly take home pay of YTS leavers April 1985 to March 1986
Percentage of leavers earning	Full-time jobs with same employer	Full-time jobs with different employer	Part-time job
	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.
Less than £20	less than 1	less than 1	5
£20 to £39·99	26	21	64
£40 to £59·99	55	56	24
£60 to £79·99	17	18	5
£80 to £99·99	2	3	2
£100 or more	1	1	1
Average weekly take-home pay	£50	£51	£39

asked the Paymaster General if he will place in the Library the full results of all the 100 per cent. YTS leavers surveys which have been conducted.

I refer the hon. Member to my previous reply on 25 July 1986 at columns 593–94. The report referred to in that reply has now been lodged in the Library.

asked the Paymaster General if, for each survey of leavers conducted since YTS began, he will publish in the Official Report the number and percentage of leavers in each who were (a) in full-time work with the same employer, (b) in full-time work with a different employer, (e) in part-time work, (d) on a full-time course at a college or training centre, (e) back at school, (f) on another YTS, (g) doing something else and (h) unemployed, showing for each survey the total number of

Young people who left YTS
	Ad hoc surveys: Leavers between			15 per cent, survey	100 per cent, survey
	April 1983 and November 1983	April 1983 and March 1984	April 1984 and July 1984	Between June 1984 and March 1985	Between April 1985 and January 1986
Percentage and bracketed numbers of respondents:
In full-time work with same employer	4	12	22	24	28 (56663)
In full-time work with different employer	34	37	34	31	24 (48776)
In part-time work	1	1	2	1	4(7211)
On full-time course at college/training centre	4	1	2	3	3 (6407)
Back at school	2	2	2	2	1
In another YTS scheme	29	13	4	6	6 (12864)
Doing something else	3	3	2	2	4 (8906)
Unemployed	24	34	34	32	27 (54939)
Sample details
Usable Response percentage	53	55	69	63	58 (195,766)
Sample size	1962	2715	3637	63,737	338,973
Percentage respondents who were early leavers	100	90	64	54	43
1 Information.
2 Means less than 0·5 per cent.

asked the Paymaster General what meetings have been held between officials or Ministers in his Department and voluntary sector representatives to discuss (a) the proposals put forward by Youthcall and (b) any similar initiative; when they took place; and who was present.

The Paymaster General met representatives of Youthcall last November to discuss their ideas for a voluntary community service scheme for young people. There have been subsequent meetings between Youthcall and officials of the Department to explore their ideas further.

asked the Paymaster General, pursuant to the answer of 14 July, Official Report, column 364, regarding the 2,500 respondents to the second community programe follow-up survey, and for each given long-term unemployed category, number and percentage in employment at the time of the survey, if he will now show the absolute number and the approximate percentage or proportion who were unemployed less than a year at their time of joining the community programme; and if he will set out the information in tabular form.

The information requested is in the table.

The table updates the information provided in my previous reply to the hon. Member on 25 July 1986 at columns 582–84. It reports the results of surveys of YTS leavers conducted by the Manpower Services Commission and represents the response to the question "What are you doing now?" Questionnaires are sent to young people some three months after they have left YTS.

	Age on entry to community programme
	18–20	21–24	25 and over	All
Total in employment of which unemployed for less than one year:	219	201	337	757
Number	118	106	148	371
Proportion	54	53	44	49

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each constituency in Great Britain the number of unemployed claimants at May 1986 who were aged under 25 years and the proportion of total unemployment they represented.

The following information is in the Library. The table shows the number of unemployed claimants aged under 25 years and the proportion of total unemployment they represent in each constituency of Great Britain at April 1986. (An age analysis of unemployment is not available for May 1986).

Claimants aged under 25-years
Constituency	Number	Percentage
Luton South	2,202	34·3
Mid Bedfordshire	1,023	32·9
North Bedfordshire	1,680	36·0
North Luton	1,601	35·0
South West Bedfordshire	1,351	33·0
East Berkshire	1,083	31·7