asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department during the last year for which figures are available, on research and development; and what proportion of that was spent in Wales.

The Ministry of Defence plans to spend £398 million on research and £1,940 million on development in the present financial year. Full detail is given in table 3·2 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1986" part II. Defence expenditure is not accounted for on a regional basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he will be making his decision on the defence schools of music.

My right hon. Friend expects to make a decision soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, for each of the last three years for which information is available and for the year to date how many personnel of the Regular reserve have been (a) called to Army reporting centres, (b) reported to Army reporting centres and (c) undertaken uniformed service of at least 48 hours duration.

The number of Regular reservists involved in the activities listed for the current year and three preceding years is as follows:

(a) Called to annual reporting centres
	Number
1983–84	46,303
1984–85	41,478
1985–86	36,579
1986–87	Not available

(b) Reported to annual reporting centres
	Number	per cent.
1983–84	40,730	88
1984–85	35,911	87
1985–86	31,482	86
1986–87	Not available

(c) Uniformed service (training) exceeding 48 hours
	Number
1983–84	Nil
1984–85	3,300
1985–86	2,300
1986–87	12,000

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is yet in a position to announce a decision on the introduction of ethnic monitoring for the armed forces.

We have decided to introduce ethnic monitoring at the recruitment stage for all formal applicants and new entrants to the armed forces. The target date for its introduction is 1 April 1987. Monitoring will be on the basis of self-classification, as is recommended by the Commission for Racial Equality, and will be at the point of application only. The information derived will be held in the strictest confidence and used solely to produce a profile of the ethnic composition of both those applying for service and those subsequently selected.This decision was taken as a means of monitoring our success in attracting applications to join the armed forces from all racial groups and to provide an indication of the relative success rate in entry selection. As a means of re-emphasising our commitment to equal opportunities, we also intend to re-issue a Defence Council instruction which sets out the services' responsibilities under the Race Relations Act 1976, the means by which grievances of those serving can be investigated and the existence of administrative and disciplinary sanctions which would be imposed to counter any form of racial prejudice., and which emphasises the unacceptability of any form of racial prejudice within the armed forces. In addition, all service recruitment literature and advertisements will shortly declare that the services are equal opportunity employers under the terms of the Race Relations Act 1976. Written guidance is being issued to recruiting staffs on the need to avoid racial discrimination in recruitment to formalise existing policy.All those who apply to join the armed forces and meet the necessary entry standards, will continue to be considered for available places regardless of colour, race or creed. Those who are successful will find that they are welcomed into the services.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is considering accepting the Nimrod AEW at a lower level of performance specification than originally required.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 November 1986]: There has been no recent change to ASR 400, which is the baseline against which both the remaining contenders in this competition are being judged.

asked the Prime Minister if she will introduce changes in the tax and benefit systems to seek to remove many one-parent families with young children from the poverty trap.

Changes are already embodied in the Social Security Act 1986 which will benefit all low-paid workers with children, including single parents, who might be affected by the poverty trap. The calculation of family credit (a new benefit for working families replacing family income supplement) and housing benefit on a net rather than a gross income basis, will mean that workers will no longer find that higher earnings can leave them worse off because of reduced income-related benefits. The future of the additional personal (tax) allowance is considered in the Green Paper "The Reform of Personal Taxation" (Cmnd. 9756) and we are considering the responses to this process of consultation.

asked the Prime Minister (1) what the Secretary to the Cabinet understood to be the possible consequences of a failure to establish an official inquiry into the leak of the Solicitor-General's letter on the Westland affair, following his discussions with the Attorney-General in January 1986; and if she will make a statement;(2) what discussions she had with the former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks about the substance and details of her speech to the House on 27 January in relation to the Westland affair; and if she will make a statement;(3) by what means and in what form she originally intended the letter of 6 January fom the Solicitor-General about the Westland affair to be brought into the public domain, prior to the leak of the letter on 6 January; and if she will make a statement.

As was stated in paragraph 28 of the Government's response to the third and fourth reports of the Defence Committee, full accounts of the matters with which the fourth report was concerned have already been given by myself and other Ministers in statements in Parliament, speeches in debates and answers to parliamentary questions, and by the head of the Home Civil Service in his evidence to the Committee. The Government stand by those accounts, and see no reason to qualify or add to them.

asked the Prime Minister if, pursuant to the announcement by the Secretary of State for Education and Science on 30 October, she will now initiate discussions between relevant departments on the transfer of responsibility for financing state education from local education authorities to the central exchequer; if she will call for a full report to be prepared thereon; and if she will make a statement.

I shall continue to seek all possible means for improving standards in education.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further aid he will give to Uganda in the form of medicines.

Between 1981 and the end of this financial year we will have spent £200,000 on the transportation of medical supplies to Uganda. These have been provided by manufacturers at little or no cost. We are considering a request for continued support of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further aid he will give to Uganda in the form of Land Rovers for the police force.

26 Land Rovers for the Uganda police force, being provided under the British aid programme for Uganda, have been shipped in the past two weeks. A further 16 Land Rovers are due to be shipped before the end of November. Any request for further Land Rovers for the Uganda police force will be considered after the present vehicles have been in operation for a period.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 27 October, whether any of the projects for which aid has been made available have been situated in Bophuthatswana.

None of the projects for which aid has been made available is in Bophuthatswana.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's policy towards supporting aid projects in Bophuthatswana.

We do not recognise any of the so-called independent homelands and support no aid projects within Bophuthatswana.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many sections of the M1 motorway lighting systems are not working properly between London and Wakefield; who are the responsible authorities for maintenance; and what method of inspection is carried out by those responsible.

All sections of the M1 motorway lighting generally give satisfactory performance notwithstanding minor defects which arise from time to time. There are several outstanding faults currently requiring urgent attention between Watford Gap service area and junction 16 in Northamptonshire. These cannot be repaired at present because of adjacent major road reconstruction works. They should be repaired during November 1986.Between junctions 8 and 14 in Hertfordshire major maintenance of the central reservation is in progress. This work interferes with the lighting apparatus and opportunity is therefore being taken to renovate the lighting at the same time. As a result only every other lantern is lit, while the works are in progress. This may create the impression that the lighting is faulty in the sections affected.As Secretary of State I am the highway authority for the M1 motorway and responsible for lighting maintenance on it. I appoint agents to act for me, who either undertake the work themselves, or employ contractors, as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if there are any plans to introduce motorway driving tests; and if he will make a statement.

There are no plans to introduce motorway driving tests. The current driving test provides an adequate assessment of a candidate's basic driving skills. There is no evidence that newly qualified drivers are involved disproportionately in motorway accidents. Safety in general is much better for motorways than other roads.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of applicants pass the official driving test on their first attempt.

The information is not collected on a routine basis. Results of a driving test sample survey conducted in 1985 were that 45 per cent. of candidates passed their driving test on the first attempt.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement on the building of crash barriers on the A38 in Devon.

My right hon. Friend hopes to be able to announce revised criteria for the provision of safety fences shortly.I recently received a delegation from Devon county council about the need for additional fencing on the A38 and am considering the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce the final route for the A30 between Sourton Cross and Launceston.

The Department's preferred route for the improvement of this stretch of the A30 remains as announced in July 1982. Whether this will be the final route depends on whether a public inquiry is needed, and, if so, on its outcome.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents have been caused by indiscriminate parking on roads in each of the following years 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985.

The information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans are being considered to help alleviate the dangers of indiscriminate parking by motorists.

The "Highway Code" sets out clearly motorists' responsibilities for parking sensibly and safely. Information and publicity campaigns remind them about particular dangers they may cause. Good practice is encouraged in a variety of ways, ranging from yellow lines to wheel clamps and fines. The most recent innovation is the extended fixed penalty system to ensure that fines are paid.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a statement on the results of the spring and summer drink-driving campaign.

The campaign was part of our long-term aim to make people more aware of the dangers of drinking and driving all through the year. Following the publicity, we have distributed 700,000 copies of our booklet "The Facts about Drinking and Driving". I shall follow up this increased public awareness by providing more factual information and a clear cut message "Don't Drink and Drive".

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the report which he has commissioned into a possible link between the M1 in the vicinity of junction 39 and the M62 in the vicinity of junction 25.

I expect to receive the consultant's report in the summer of 1987. I hope to make an announcement in 1987.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will compare the expected outturn cost for stage 1 of the A629/A650 Airedale route with the amount budgeted for the project when it originally appeared in the road programme.

When the Kildwick to Keighley section of the Airedale route first appeared as a separate scheme (Cmnd. 7132, "Policy for Roads: England 1978") the listed cost was £7 million at November 1976 prices. This is equivalent to £17·3 million at today's prices. The tender sum is £14·8 million. The final works cost is likely to be higher than this.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he intends to increase the capacity of the Rochester Way relief road; and if he will make a statement.

Since I took over the scheme from the GLC, I have been looking carefully at design details to ensure that it will properly serve its purpose of removing traffic from surrounding roads, but, as yet, I have no firm plans.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the cost of maintenance per mile of the M3 and how this figure compares with the average for other motorways; if he will give a separate figure for the M1 and M25; if he will indicate which is the most expensive section of the M3 to maintain; and how often the stretch between junctions 3 and 4 has been repaired in each of the last five years.

Motorway maintenance costs vary considerably with the age of the road and the incidence of major renewal schemes. Expenditure on structural maintenance in 1984–85 was as follows:

	£/mile
M3	82,592
All motorways	66,059
M1	149,657
M25	4,511

The highest expenditure so far on structural maintenance of the M3 has been incurred between junctions 3 and 4, the first section to be opened in 1971; 5·6 miles of both carriageways of this section have been renewed under a phased programme of five schemes undertaken between 1981 and 1986, at a total cost of about £6·5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on research and development, during the last year for which figures are available, by his Department; and what proportion was spent in Wales.

During the last year for which published figures are available (1984–85), £32·236 million was spent on research and development in the Department of Transport. It is not known how much of this was spent in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements govern the relationship between the Government and the British Airports Authority plc between vesting and privatisation.

The British Airports Authority's business was vested in BAA plc on 1 August 1986. Pending the flotation of BAA plc in summer 1987, all shares will be retained by the Government and the company will remain in the public sector. During this period the powers of the Secretary of State over BAA plc will be those of a sole shareholder over his company.The members of the authority have become directors of BAA plc, and Sir Norman Payne remains as chairman, his present appointment having been extended to 31 July 1989.A new memorandum and articles of association have been adopted for the company; these will apply while the company remains in the ownership of the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department is considering the clean-up of estuarial waters used for harvesting shellfish on a commercial basis.

Water authorities are responsible for determining their own relative spending priorities. The existence of commercial shell fisheries in their area is one of the factors taken into account. A number of major projects are currently under way to improve estuarial waters. For example, the southern water authority is proposing to spend over £20 million on outfall improvements in the Solent and Southampton Water areas, which will improve water quality over shellfish beds in the area. My Department is keeping the matter under review, but considers that there is no need to depart from existing policy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement regarding the housing situation in the Vange area in Basildon, and in particular regarding the houses purchased from the local authority, but which have since developed major structural defects.

I refer my hon. Friend to the announcement I made in the course of my reply to his Adjournment debate on Tuesday 4 November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what further initiatives he plans for housing for single people.

My Department's report "Housing Initiatives for Single People of Working Age" describes a number of ways in which both the private and public sector can provide housing for single people. Other measures are the Government's hostels initiative, the introduction of shorthold tenancies and other steps to encourage lettings in the private rented sector. Further measures will include new housing association schemes for shared accommodation for young people wishing to move to take up employment. I outlined these and other measures in my response to a debate initiated by my hon. Friend on 4 November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning appeals were processed through his Department in 1985; and how that number compares with those processed in 1975, 1965 and 1955, respectively.

The number of planning appeals under section 36 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, or the equivalent earlier powers, processed by the Department is best measured by reference to the number determined and the number withdrawn (with the implication that work done on them was abortive). The numbers for the years requested by my hon. Friend are:

Years	Appeals determined	Appeals withdrawn
1955	n.a.	n.a.
1965	8,697	4,357
1975	11,846	4,235
1985	14,639	2,110

n.a. = not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average time taken to process a planning appeal in 1985 between the receipt of the inspector's report and the announcement of his determination; and how that time compares with 10, 20, and 30 years before, respectively.

I take it that my hon. Friend's question relates only to appeals recovered for decision by the Secretary of State, and not to cases decided by inspectors.Information on the time taken between receipt of the inspector's report and the issue of the decision is not available before 1977 in respect of cases decided following an inquiry, or before 1981 in respect of cases decided on the basis of written representations. The Department calculates the time taken in the form of the median time.The median time between receipt of the inspector's report and the issue of the decision letter in inquiry cases was 10 weeks in 1977 and 13 weeks in 1985; and between receipt of the site visit report and the issue of the decision letter in written representations cases was nine weeks in 1981 and 11 weeks in 1985. By the third quarter of 1986, these median times had reduced to eight weeks and nine weeks respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the estimated costs and savings of the proposed transfer of the functions of the Property Services Agency's Glasgow area office to Edinburgh for the financial years 1986–87, 1987–88 and 1988–89.

The proposed reorganisation of the United Kingdom territorial organisation of PSA will not come into effect until 1 April 1987, and there will, therefore, be no costs and savings in 1986–87. The costs and savings in the following two years are:

£ million
Cost 1987–88	Savings 1988–89
1·65	1·09

There are further substantial savings in later years and an investment appraisal shows that payback 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.The net costs and savings include savings through increased managerial efficiency through the organisation as a whole.Specific figures for the Glasgow area office are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the number of current planning applications and appeals, respectively, relating to out-of-town shopping centres sited on established green belt land in England, giving the total square footage of each;(2) if he will list the number of current planning appeals relating to out-of-town shopping centres in England, giving the total square footage of each;(3) if he will list the number of current outstanding planning applications for out-of-town shopping centres in England giving the total square footage of each application.

Although the Department is notified of applications for retail developments which represent substantial departures from the development plan, comprehensive information about applications for retail development, including whether the development is proposed on a site in an approved green belt, is not collected centrally. We have, however, announced that we propose to issue a direction requiring local planning authorities to consult the Department before granting permission for developments involving retail floorspace of 250,000 square feet or more.I shall write to my hon. Friend with details of the appeals and called-in applications at present before my right hon. Friend for decision, and with details of the extent to which the proposals concerned are in approved green belt land.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the incentives available in the rural development areas to attract suitable employment projects.

The Development Commission, in conjunction with its agency the Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas where appropriate, provides the following main incentives in rural development areas to attract suitable employment projects:

1. 100 per cent. financed advance factory building programme;

2. 50 per cent. financed factory building programme in partnership with local authorities;

3. 25 per cent. grants to the private sector for redundant building conversions;

4. Technical, managerial and business advice to small firms and the provision of loans;

5. Grants to help the establishment of local enterprise agencies;

6. Grant-aid for rural tourism projects;

7. Grant-aid towards special projects where there are clear employment benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the projects that are planned in the rural development areas bounded by the Crewe and Nantwich constituency, and the total cost of projects in the rural development area in Cheshire for 1985–86 and 1986–87.

Information in the form requested will take a little time to prepare. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will update the table giving information on sales of dwellings by each local authority in England which was referred to in the answer given to the hon. Member for Lancashire, West (Mr. Hind) on 1 July, Official Report, column 460.

I have today placed in the Library the latest figures, to which my hon. Friend refers, giving information reported by each local authority in England on the progress of council house sales to the end of June 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will be replying to the letter sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe on 25 September about the siting of the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

My right hon. Friend has replied today.

asked the Attorney-General what preparatory action he took and what discussions he had with the Director of Public Prosecutions and his staff concerning the possibility of a police inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the leak of the Solicitor-General's letter of 6 January, in the event that an official internal inquiry into the leak was not established; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the oral answer I gave to the hon. Member on 3 November 1986, at column 680.

asked the Attorney-General if the Lord Chancellor will take steps to release from

Police Force	Authorised Establishment	Actual strength	Vacancies	Number of additional posts approved since May 1979
Avon and Somerset	3,020	2,996	24	167
Bedfordshire	1,000	999	1	53
Cambridgeshire	1,140	1,138	2	50
Cheshire	1,845	1,826	19	40
Cleveland	1,474	1,482	—	63
Cumbria	1,130	1,126	4	42
Derbyshire	1,767	1,763	4	58
Devon and Cornwall	2,757	2,762	—	84

I have been asked to reply.All the surviving RAF operational records relating to the loss of three Liberators from 358 Squadron on 22–23 January 1945 are open in the Public Record Office. The only other relevant RAF records are the casualty files, and as confidential personal documents these remain closed. The records of the special operations executive held in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are classified and they too remain closed. General inquiries from members of the public related to the casualty files are answered by the air historical branch in the MOD, and SOE inquiries are handled by the SOE adviser in the FCO.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the extent of the correlation between the use by young people of amusement arcades and their subsequent acquisition of a gambling habit.

We have noted carefully reports which suggest that some young people in some areas may have acquired a habit of gambling on amusement machines, and we shall continue to monitor the situation. However, there seems at present to be little hard evidence about the extent to which use of amusement machines may lead to the acquisition of a habit, either as regards these machines or, subsequently, other forms of gambling.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to restrict the age at which children may enter amusement arcades; and if he will make a statement.

We have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, by force, the current strength and vacancies for police forces in England and Wales and show the numbers of agreed increases in establishment.

The information as at 30 September 1986 is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by his Department on research and development during the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion was spent in Wales.

The Home Office spent £14·2 million on research and development in 1985–86: the information as to what proportion of this was spent in Wales is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when, pursuant to his reply to the right hon. Member for Brent, East on 24 October, Official Report, column 1009, he proposes to bring forward legislation for extradition law reform.

In the next Session.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the effectiveness of mixed sex police car patrols compared with all-male patrols.

The Commissioner of the Metropolis informs us that experience has shown that all-male, mixed sex and all-female car crews can all be effective. Officers are selected for these duties on the basis of aptitude, not their sex.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up an immediate inquiry into allegations that Mr. Vanunu, an Israeli citizen, was kidnapped in London by agents of Mossad, the Israeli secret police and was subsequently illegally removed from Britain.

No. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 3 November to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow), at column 325.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of his Department's papers have been made available to the public since October 1985.

Since 1 October 1985 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (excluding the Overseas Development Administration) has made the following papers available to the public on request:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report, country by country, what response he has received from each member country of the European Community to Her Majesty's Government's decision to break off diplomatic relations with Syria consequential upon the Syrian Government's complicity in the Nezar Hindawi case.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement that my right hon. and learned Friend made on 28 October, at columns 167–74.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will make representations to the Government of China in support of the request of Hong Kong's sporting bodies for Hong Kong to be recognised as an international sporting nation after 1997; and if he will make a statement.

The "Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong" provides that after 1997 the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region may on its own, using the name "Hong Kong, China", maintain and develop relations and conclude and implement agreements with states, regions and relevant international organisations in various fields, including the sporting field. Arrangements for putting this provision into effect will be a matter for consultation with the Chinese authorities in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding athletes from Hong Kong competing in international sporting events under the name of Hong Kong after 1997; and if he will make a statement.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the provision of services for handicapped people in Hong Kong.

A full range of services for handicapped people in Hong Kong is provided by Government Departments and voluntary agencies and co-ordinated by the commissioner for rehabilitation by means of an annual review of the rehabilitation programme plan.The commissioner is advised by the rehabilitation development co-ordinating committee, which is made up of representatives of the relevant Government Departments and voluntary agencies. Services are aimed at integrating handicapped people into the community, with the objective of enabling them to develop their physical, mental and social capabilities to the full.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report the population of the satellite towns of Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tai Po, Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan in the New Territories at the latest date.

The latest population figures for the satellite towns in the New Territories are contained in the Hong Kong 1986 by-census and as at 11 March 1986 were:

	Figure
Yuen Long	75,740
Tuen Mun	262,458
Tai Po	119,679
Sha Tin	355,810
Tsuen Wan (including Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi)	645,603

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Hong Kong Government have for extending the mass transit railway to the satellite towns in the New Territories of Sha Tin, Tuen Mun, Tai Po and Yuen Long; and if he will make a statement.

There are no plans at present to extend the mass transit railway to Sha Tin. However, Sha Tin and Tai Po new towns are at present served by the Kowloon Canton railway, which provides a full, electric service.A light rail transit system is being constructed by the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation to serve Tuen Mun and Yuen Long in the Western New Territories, and will be operational in the latter half of 1988. Both the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation are investigating the possibility of constructing a rail link to join the Tuen Mun-Yuen Long light rail system with the existing mass transit railway terminal at Tsuen Wan, thereby providing a direct rail link with the urban area.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the rights of trade unions in Hong Kong after 1997.

The "Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong" provides that the rights and freedoms as provided for by the laws previously in force in Hong Kong shall be maintained in the Special Administrative Region. These provisions include reference to the freedom to form and join trade unions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the working of the basic law consultative committee on the future of Hong Kong after 1997; and if he will make a statement.

The drafting of the basic law for the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a matter for the Chinese Government. A Basic Law Drafting Committee, comprising 59 members—23 of them from Hong Kong—has been established to carry out this work. A Basic Law Consultative Committee also has been established in Hong Kong to reflect the views of the people of Hong Kong on the basic law. It has held several rounds of meetings and has been able to convey to the drafting committee a wide spectrum of views. We welcome this.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the peaceful reunification of China; and if he will make a statement.

Since 1972 successive Governments have acknowledged the position of the Chinese Government that Taiwan is a province of the People's Republic of China. We consider that this matter is China's internal affair to be settled by the Chinese people themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 23 October, Official Report, columns 973–74, he will list the official contacts since March 1983 with black leaders in South Africa generally and in homelands other than Bophuthatswana in particular.

Ministers and officials have had many official contacts with black leaders in South Africa since 1983. A comprehensive list is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 27 October, what evidence he has of a multiracial society in Bophuthatswana.

The policy of apartheid applied in other parts of South Africa does not appear to be applied within Bophuthatswana; but the latter's creation was itself an expression of the South African Government's policy of "grand apartheid".

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs further to his answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 27 October what are the latest figures he has of the actual financial dependence of Bophuthatswana on South Africa.

I cannot add to the answer that I gave my hon. Friend on 29 October, at column 171.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs further to his answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 27 October, what efforts he has made to inspect the budget of Bophuthatswana to discover the actual dependence of Bophuthatswana on South Africa.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if further to his answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 27 October, he will state the evidence to support his contention that the existence of Bophuthatswana is an expression of the practice of apartheid in South Africa as a whole.

Bophuthatswana was created by the South African Government to further their policy of separate development.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to the number of Tswana people in (i) South Africa and (ii) Botswana.

The information is as follows: (i) According to South African estimates there are approximately 1,522,000 Tswana in South Africa, excluding those resident in Bophuthatswana. In 1984 the population of Bophuthatswana was estimated at some 1,667,500, of whom the majority were Tswana.(ii) the population of Botswana was estimated in 1984 as 1,047,000, of whom the majority are Tswana.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account he takes in formulating his policy on Bophuthatswana of representations made in the past by representatives of Her Majesty's Government as to the right of the Tswana people in South Africa to self-determination.

We seek to take account of all relevant factors in formulating our policy towards Bophuthatswana, as to all parts of the Republic of South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn of 27 October, what evidence he has of the desire of the Tswana people for self-determination in the creation of Bophuthatswana.

None. Bophuthatswana was created without recourse to a referendum.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the non-Governmental organisations he has consulted prior to this week's discussion of the implications of the United Nations forward looking strategies for the advancement of women in the third committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.

We are in regular contact with NGOs, particularly through the Women's National Commission and the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, on the implications of the United Nations forward looking strategies for the advancement of women. Their views are taken into account when policy is formulated.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support the call for a special session of the United Nations on women early in 1987; and if he will make a statement.

At the 31st session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the United Kingdom joined consensus on a resolution which called for the holding of a special session of the commission in 1987. We also joined consensus on the adoption of the agenda of this session, namely, the implications of the Nairobi forward looking strategies for the advancement of women for programme planning in the United Nations system, monitoring and review and appraisal of the implementation of the forward looking strategies, strengthening the Commission on the Status of Women, and the programme of future work and provisional agenda for the 33rd session of the commission. This resolution and decision were endorsed unanimously by the Economic and Social Council, of which the United Kingdom is a member. We hope the meeting will be able to conclude successfully all the work in its agenda.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, pursuant to his answer of 29 October, Official Report, column 318, he will publish details of approaches made (a) to the International Red Cross and (b) the Argentine Government concerning visits to the Falkland Islands by Argentine families.

We remain ready to accept a suitably prepared visit by a bona fide group of close relatives under arrangements made and supervised by the International Committee of the Red Cross. We have made our position clear on a number of occasions to, among others, Parliament, the press and the ICRC. We have informed the Argentine Government directly on a number of occasions. Details of such communications are of course confidential. We still await a positive response fron Argentina.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct Her Majesty's ambassador in Tel Aviv to press the Israeli Government for clarification about the involvement of the Israeli intelligence service in the alleged kidnapping of Mr. Vanunu in London and his subsequent illegal removal from Britain.

In the absence of evidence that any crime has been committed or that Mr. Vanunu was removed from Britain against his will, we have no grounds for intervening with the Israeli authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the result of the consideration by the Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland) of the further privatisation of car parks operated by that Department; what factors preclude the privatisation of all such car parks rather than a proportion of them; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has undertaken an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of privatisation of car parks outside Belfast which has established that it is desirable to offer car parks in groups to provide a profitable basis for testing the market.The current programme provides for a significant increase in the extension of the charging system in provincial towns in the course of the next year. This will permit groups of car parks to be offered for management by the private sector in line with the Department's objective to privatise this activity where it is considered cost effective to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has as to the total of (a) attendance allowances, (b) expenses and (c) travelling allowances paid to members of Castlereagh borough council in each month in 1985 and in 1986 to 30 October.

The information is not available in the form requested.The total amounts paid to members in the financial year 1985–86 are as follows:

	£
Attendance allowances	9,332
Expenses	1,668
Travelling allowances	3,478

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the introduction of three judge courts into Diplock trials is to be discussed at the meeting of the Anglo-lrish Conference on 31 October.

The meeting which took place on 31 October was a special meeting within the framework of the conference concentrating on cross-border security cooperation.At the last full meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference on 6 October, both sides agreed that the next regular meeting of the conference would consider legal matters, including the administration of justice.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his Department's report to the European Commission on Her Majesty's Government's assumptions about employment and industry until 1990 as it affects Wales.

The United Kingdom regional development programme 1986–90 is the latest United Kingdom document in a series required of all member Governments of the Community as the basis for applications for European Regional Development Fund assistance. Because of Community requirements, the programme contains assumptions about the number of unemployed claimants in each region of the United Kingdom in 1990, but in common with earlier documents in this series, no forecasts of unemployment have been made. The assumptions are based upon the national unemployment assumption from the 1986 Public Expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9207) covering the period 1986–87 to 1988–89. The 1990 figure was derived by repeating the assumption for 1988–89 a further year. The national assumption was allocated to regions in proportion to 1985 regional unemployment to reach regional assumptions. No specific assumption about industry was made but in some cases the programme document refers to possible trends.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish in the Official Report for each health authority the number of persons receiving treatment for acquired immune deficiency syndrome for each of the past five years.

In Wales, nine individuals have so far been diagnosed as having AIDS, of whom seven have died. So as not to compromise medical confidentiality, it is not our Department's practice to state where individual patients are being treated.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what information his Department collect on (i) the percentage of the population having access to a post office in their vicinity, (ii) the percentage of the population having access to a dental surgery in their vicinity, (iii) the percentage of the population having access to a public transport stop in their vicinity, and (iv) the percentage of the population having access to a store satisfying daily needs in their vicinity.

This information is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the houses classed as second homes or holiday homes in Wales are unfit or are lacking one or more of the basic amenities; and what are the corresponding statistics for each year since 1979.

It was estimated in the 1981 census that there were about 23,000 second and holiday homes in Wales. The results of the 1979 Welsh housing and dwelling survey suggested that about one sixth of second and holiday homes in Wales were unfit. The proportion lacking one or more of the basic amenities is not known. No relevant statistics are yet available for years since 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department during the last year for which figures are available on research and development.

The Department's expenditure in 1985–86 was £2 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how much money was allocated to projects in each

(a) European Regional Development Fund (Quota) Allocations
County	1985	1984	1983	1982	1981	1980	1979
Clwyd	18·7	4·8	10·1	5·9	2·8	6·5	3·6
Dyfed	14·7	3·9	3·7	4·6	0·8	2·2	2·7
Gwent	3·4	8·8	10·6	22·6	6·9	5·5	0·3
Gwynedd	3·8	1·5	1·8	1·5	1·9	1·1	2·1
Mid Glamorgan	3·8	18·6	6·5	3·8	1·4	1·4	2·1
Powys	1·3	1·5	nil	0·4	0·6	1·0	0·1
South Glamorgan	2·8	22·9	6·5	5·4	6·5	13·9	11·0
West Glamorgan	8·4	2·3	7·1	2·0	3·2	1·5	3·8
All Wales Total	56·9	65·6	47·3	50·7	25·5	33·1	25·7

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of current outstanding planning applications for out-of-town shopping centres in Wales, giving the total square footage of each application.

This information is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of current planning appeals relating to out-of-town shopping centres in Wales, giving the total square footage of each.

The current planning appeals relating to out-of-town shopping centres in Wales are:

1. 65,000 sq ft: superstore, petrol filling station at Skewfields, New Inn, Pontypool, Gwent.

2. 45,000 sq ft: retail development, Plasmarl Industrial Estate, Swansea.

3. 12,900 sq ft: retail store at New Hedges, Tenby, Dyfed.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much was spent by his Department on research and development during the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion was spent in Wales.

During the financial year 1985–86 my Department spent £124·1 million on research and development. Of this amount, £68·6 million was spent externally, mainly with the Agricultural and Food Research Council, of which approximately £2·7 million was spent in Wales with the council's Welsh plant breeding station and with other contractors. The balance of £55·5 million was spent on in-house research and development mainly by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service. A good deal of ADAS' research and development is of relevance to farming conditions in Wales and approximately £2·2 million of this work was carried out in the Principality for the benefit of farming in Wales and the west of Britain. The in-house figure also includes nearly £0·5 million spent on research and development in the fisheries experiment station at Conwy.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the extent of public involvement with the company Trent Grain which holds intervention stocks of agricultural produce, stating (a) whether any public money is likely to be lost, (b) whether there is evidence of any stock loss, (c) when officials first appreciated the nature of the firm's problems, (d) what action was subsequently taken to limit the extent of possible public financial loss and (e) whether officials studied the company reports of the last three years.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 November 1986, c. 420]: The first indication of the financial difficulties of Trent Grain was noted in the summer of last year. A volumetric analysis, of the kind used regularly by the board for monitoring purposes, was then carried out and indicated a possible stock loss. There followed a further analysis which tended to confirm this suspicion, no further deliveries were made and, to facilitate checkweighing, grain was sold from the store as quickly as possible. In May 1986 it was learnt that a grain trader had secured a charge on the company's assets. Cargo superintendents were appointed to guard the store and to prevent a removal of intervention grain. Check-weighing has confirmed a shortfall; action is in hand aimed at recovering the loss. The company's report for 1983 and 1984 were studied by officials, but the 1985 report has not yet been submitted to Companies House.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many fishing vessels have left the fleets in England, Wales and Scotland due to factors other than decommissioning in the period since 1981.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 October 1986, c. 85]: Precise records are not available, but it is estimated that in the order of 1,000 fishing vessels over 10m in length based in England, Wales and Scotland have been deleted from their respective fleet registers since 1981 due to factors other than decommissioning. However, some of these will have joined a fleet elsewhere in the United Kingdom and so still form part of the overall United Kingdom fleet. The reasons for the other deletions include vessels being sold abroad, being sunk or wrecked, or being judged by local fisheries offices as no longer fishing commercially.

asked the Paymaster General if he will outline by what methods the Wages Inspectorate distinguishes between workers aged over and under 21 years for the purposes of enforcing the Wages Act 1986; and what is the additional inspection time allocated for this new check.

If, in the course of a check, it appears to the inspector that an employer may be paying a young worker less than the statutory minimum, verification of the worker's date of birth is sought from the employer. Where appropriate the date is confirmed by interviewing the worker. This is not a new check and no additional work is involved. Inspectors have always checked dates of birth to confirm compliance with wages orders which specify age-related minimum rates of pay.

asked the Paymaster General on what date Link Recruitment Ltd. was operating as Joblink, approved by the Manpower Services Commission as a recruitment agent for community programme sponsors and managing agents; what are the maximum allowable costs charged by Joblink to advertise community programme vacancies; and what is the maximum placement fee paid by the Manpower Services Commission to Joblink for recruiting to community programme vacancies.

MSC approval is not required for recruitment agencies submitting applicants for posts on the community programme. Vacancies for managers, supervisors and certain specialist workers within the community programme are advertised by professional and executive recruitment.Under an agreement reached with the Federation of Personnel Services on 1 October 1983 any private recruitment agency may submit candidates for these posts. A placement fee of £257 is paid to the agency submitting the successful candidate.

asked the Paymaster General (1) how many recipients of unemployment benefit were disbarred under the trial scheme operating in the Crewe and Nantwich travel-to-work area;(2) how many recipients of unemployment benefit were interviewed in the new trial scheme operated in the Crewe and Nantwich constituency;(3) how many recipients of unemployment benefit were temporarily deprived of payment, and how many subsequently had their entitlement confirmed, under the trial scheme recently operating in the Crewe and Nantwich constituency.

Information is not available in the form asked. Crewe unemployment benefit office was one of 12 offices taking part in availability testing experiments in questioning more closely whether claimants were available for work. Between 16 June 1986 and 19 September 1986 all claimants at the Crewe office reaching their sixth week of unemployment were asked to complete a questionnaire. Questionnaires were issued to 770 claimants and this resulted in 138 claims being referred to the independent adjudicating authorities. Of these, 20 were disallowed on availability grounds and 118 were allowed.

asked the Paymaster General whether he will take steps to increase the funding of Instant Muscle Limited under the Voluntary Projects Programme for 1987–88; and if he will make a statement.

The voluntary projects programme budget for 1987–88 has not been finalised. Decision on the level of resources available to individual organisations will take account of the overall budget allocated to the programme.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to how many jobs have been created by Instant Muscle Limited; and at what cost to public funds per job.

I refer the hon. Member to my replies to the right hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Steel) on 30 October at column 216.