asked the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the impact on United Kingdom manufacturing industry of the decrease in industrial gas prices in France, Holland, West Germany and Italy between October 1985 and July 1986; what steps he proposes to take to ensure that the United Kingdom industry is able to compete against a background of decreasing prices of industrial gas in other European countries; and whether he will make a statement.

The rapid fall in oil prices has led to decreases in gas prices in the United Kingdom as well as in Europe. Since July 1986 oil prices have risen and some gas prices will follow. Industry's concern must be the continuing level of its energy costs; United Kingdom gas costs have been and remain within the overall range of those in other European countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish in the Official Report in tabulated form information available to him on the price in pence per therm of industrial gas for each of the last eight quarterly periods for which records are available for each of the following countries (a) United Kingdom, (b) France, (c) Holland, (d) West Germany and (e) Italy; what assessment he has made of the impact of falling oil prices on the price of industrial gas in each of these countries; what as a percentage, is the change in prices of industrial gas in each of these countries; and whether he will make a statement.

Although my Department uses a variety of sources to assess the general level of prices in other countries, official figures broken down by the quarters are not available. However, prior to the fall in oil prices United Kingdom industrial gas prices were towards the bottom of the range for Europe as a whole. Some European prices, notably in Italy and Holland, are more closely tied to oil prices than others and fell sharply. But they can be expected to follow the recent increased oil prices. Meanwhile United Kingdom prices, which have themselves fallen, remain within the overall range of European prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) how much plutonium has been created at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Winfrith steam generating heavy water reactor nuclear station since it was commissioned; what quantity of this plutonium has been reprocessed and to what purpose any reprocessed plutonium thus arising has been put;(2) what volume of low-level nuclear waste has arisen from the reprocessing of imported Magnox spent nuclear fuel from Italy and Japan since such imports began;

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

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

This morning, the offer for sale of 4,025,500,000 ordinary shares in British Gas plc has been fully underwritten at a price of 135p per share. 1,615 million shares are initially being offered to the general public including British Gas customers, employees and pensioners. If the United Kingdom public offer is at least twice subscribed, this number will be increased to 2,579·2 million shares, some 64 per cent. of the total. 1,615 million shares are initially being offered to United Kingdom financial institutions, with the balance being made available to investors in the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. The underwriting arrangements, which for the first time have been fully synchronised around the world and have included a competitive element, have been put in place at the most competitive rates ever achieved in a Government primary offering.Prospectuses and application forms will be published in newspapers from Tuesday 25 November. Everyone who has registed with the British Gas share information office will be sent a mini-prospectus and a personalised application form. Copies will also be available from 25 November in banks, post offices and British Gas showrooms. Applications have to be received by 10 am on Wednesday 3 December. Copies of the prospectus have been placed in the Library of the House today.Small investors will be offered a choice of bonus shares or gas vouchers. I am advised that someone buying 400 shares and opting for vouchers can expect a gross return of 21 per cent. over the first year. Similarly, someone buying 400 shares and choosing the bonus shares can expect a gross return of 11 per cent. per year over the first three years. These calculations assume that both the share price and the dividend payments remain constant.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has any plans to make available material prepared by his Department on the abandonment of North sea oil and gas installations.

I have today arranged for copies of a paper prepared by my Department for the fisheries and offshore oil consultative group (FOOCG) in June 1985 and a paper given by a senior official of my Department to a public conference on planning for abandonment in July 1985 to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils entered the first form in maintained secondary schools in (a) England and Wales, (b) the city of Leeds district council and (c) the parliamentary constituency of Morley and Leeds, South.

Information on the number of pupils entering maintained secondary schools is not collected on a regular basis. The nearest approximation is the number of pupils in school whose ages were at or below the designated lower limit of the school's age range. The number of such pupils in maintained secondary schools (excluding middle deemed secondary) in Leeds local education authority and in England in January 1986 were 9,140 and 592,339 respectively. Figures for areas smaller than local education authorities are not readily available centrally.Figures for Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the effect that the general certificate of secondary education and technical and vocational education initiative will have on A-levels and university entrance; and if he will make a statement.

The standards set by general certificate of secondary education examinations will be at least as high, grade for grade, as those set by the O-level and CSE examinations which they replace. The GCE boards are already undertaking the minor revisions required to ensure that A-level courses, whilst maintaining their standards of excellence and providing a foundation for degree courses, also build naturally upon GCSE courses.The technical and vocational education initiative (TVEI) caters for students, across the full ability range, following courses which lead to nationally recognised qualifications. It is promoting a wide range of developments, including the introduction of new A-level courses. Such matters are discussed with educational interests concerned at local and national levels. The Government are continuing to monitor and assess the progress of the initiative including accreditation and examination developments.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total of University Grants Committee funds that has been applied to the upkeep of listed buildings in each of the last three years for which figures are available to him.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will be announcing his plans for the future of student grants.

My right hon. Friend will publish any proposals that he may have for the future of student grants in the light of the work of the student support review, which is currently underway.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has about the extent to which the Grange Hill anti-drug abuse video "Just Say No" has been distributed to schools; and if he will make a statement.

The BBC has distributed 380 copies of the Grange Hill "Just Say No" video. It is not known how many of these copies were sent to schools. I have commended this video to schools, but it is for individual schools to decide which of the many video and training materials available that they wish to use when teaching pupils about the dangers of drug misuse.

asked the Attorney-General whether magistrates involved in trying motoring offences are expected to possess a current driving licence.

No.

asked the Attorney-General on what basis Her Majesty's Government are party to an injunction sought by Mr. George Russell Leigh against Mr. Peter Wright in Australia in relation to the publication of Mr. Wright's book on the security services.

The Government are not a party to any such proceedings.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will estimate the cost to date of the legal fees expended by Her Majesty's Government in defence of the Government's position in connection with the Wright case, giving figures for the United Kingdom and Australia, respectively.

The cost to date of the legal fees paid by Her Majesty's Government in the action in Australia against Heinemann Publishers Australia Pty Limited and Peter Wright is estimated at £67,000. These fees have all been paid in Australia.

asked the Attorney-General on what basis he reached his decision that there were no legal grounds to proceed against Mr. Chapman Pincher for breach of confidence in respect of his book, "Their Trade is Treachery".

It would be inappropriate for me to comment on matters at issue in the proceedings concerning the Peter Wright case in Australia, while those proceedings continue.

asked the Attorney-General if he will bring an action in the Irish courts for breach of confidence against Brandon, publishers of, "One Girl's War" by Joan Miller, former special assistant to Maxwell Knight, the former head of MI5's counter-subversion unit; and if he will make a statement.

This matter is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) military equipment, (b) industrial equipment and (c) chemicals have been sold to (i) Iran and (ii) Iraq over the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

It has been the consistent policy of this and previous Administrations not to reveal details of specific defence exports to other countries. Any sales to Iran and Iraq would of course be subject to the guidelines set out in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in reply to a question by the right hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Steel).On the question of industrial equipment and chemical exports to Iran and Iraq I refer the hon. Member for Cardiff, West to the publication "Overseas Trade Statistics for the United Kingdom" which can be found in the Library. The figures relating to industrial equipment come at table 5. division 71–74. Those for chemicals are shown at Table 5, Divisions 51 and 52.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he intends to make representations to the European Economic Community countries to inquire what military equipment, industrial equipment or chemical products are being sold to Iran and Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

No. Most Governments do not make public details on defence sales, nor are defence sales covered by the Treaty of Rome. Statistics on exports of industrial equipment and chemical products from European countries are published by the European Commission in Eurostat, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number and grades of personnel in each of the Royal Air Force units based at Woolwich.

The numbers and grades of civilians employed by RAF units at Royal Arsenal Woolwich on 1 October 1986 are as follows:

Unit and Grade	Strength
RAF Movement Units
Process and General Supervisory Grade D	1
Industrial	18
Air Publications and Forms Store
Senior Executive Officer	1
Higher Executive Officer	2
Executive Officer	4
Clerical Officer	28
Clerical Assistant	23
Typist	2
Photoprinter 1	1
Photoprinter 2	1
Senior Paperkeeper	1
Paperkeeper	2
Messenger	4

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a decision on the Nimrod airborne early warning system.

We aim to reach a final decision by the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to ensure the long-term safety of the Calder Hall and Chapel Cross military production reactors operated by British Nuclear Fuels Limited with regard to the future needs and security of supply of fissionable materials for defence purposes.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 responsibility for the safety of the reactors at Calder Hall and Chapel Cross rests with BNFL. It would not be in the national interest to give details of future defence requirements and sources of supply of fissile materials.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if his Department has any contingency plans for management of fissionable materials removed from (a) nuclear warheads and (b) nuclear submarine cores as a result of successful multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations; and if he will make a statement;(2) if any contingency studies have been conducted by Her Majesty's Government for the redeployment of unsafeguarded military fissionable materials such as plutonium or enriched uranium in the safeguarded civil nuclear material stockpile in the event of the successful completion of nuclear disarmament agreements.

The achievement of the Government's long term goal of general and complete disarmament, including nuclear disarmament, is regrettably, not a near term prospect. The question is therefore a hypothetical one on which I am not prepared to speculate.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the secretary of the D Notice committee has advised publishers of books that material in books they are proposing to publish contains information on the security services which cannot be published; and in the case of which books.

Since 1967 the secretary of the defence press and broadcasting committee has offered advice to publishers of 36 books that some amendments should be made on grounds of national security. However, discussions between the secretary of the defence press and broadcasting committee and the press, broadcasting authorities and publishers are regarded as having taken place in confidence, and I do not therefore intend to name the books concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will estimate the quantity of non-military electrical equipment which has been installed at the British Army on the Rhine for each of the following periods (i) between the installation of BAOR and the accession of the United Kingdom to the treaty of Rome and (ii) from the aforementioned accession to date.

I have been asked to reply.Records are not available to enable such estimates to be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions exist in respect of the installation of non-military electrical equipment at the British Army of the Rhine regarding (i) the nationalities of contractors carrying out such work and (ii) the electrical safety standards required to be attributable to any such equipment installed.

I have been asked to reply.There are no known nationality restrictions imposed on electrical contractors operating in Germany. Contractors working on high voltage or medium voltage systems must however be registered with the local German Lander authority, and to qualify must employ one or more electricians registered with the Germany authority as Meisters.Electrical installations must conform to German national standards or agreed equivalents, and only materials and equipment may be used which have been manufactured in accordance with the state of safety regulations valid in the European Community. The sign of an officially recognised testing office testifies that these requirements have been met. Installation contractors are however legally responsible for any failure of the completed scheme and any equipment provided. They cover this risk by insurance which again specifies the use of equipment conforming with recognised standards normally used in the trade in Germany.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will estimate the number of contracts for both the supply and installation of non-military electrical equipment at the BAOR which have been awarded since accession of the United Kingdom to the treaty of Rome to British contractors; whether he will further estimate as a percentage of total contracts for both supply and installation the number of such contracts awarded to British contractors; whether he will further estimate the number of such contracts awarded to West German contractors; whether he will indicate what restrictions exist to prevent British contractors obtaining a greater number of such contracts: whether he will estimate the value in £ sterling of (i) the contracts obtained by British contractors and (ii) the contracts obtained by contractors of any other nationality; whether he will seek estimates of the number of jobs which could be created in the electrical industry by transferring such work entirely to British contractors; and whether he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.It is not possible to provide the information required on the numbers or value of contracts awarded in the form required because records are not kept in that form. I am not aware of any restrictions which would prevent British contractors obtaining a greater number of contracts. It is PSA's policy to encourage the use of British non-military electrical equipment where possible and bulk purchases of domestic cookers, catering equipment, security equipment and incinerators, convector heaters and domestic appliances have been made in recent years.The average value of electrical installation work tendered for in property occupied by BAOR is about DM80 million per annum. The great majority of this work is placed with German contractors, but some with Dutch and Belgian contractors for work originating in those countries. British contractors have been responsible for a number of specialised electrical installations connected with security requirements, static power provision and boiler control automation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to which groups in South Africa Her Majesty's Government allocated almost £1 million in 1985, referred to in an Overseas Development Agency press release of 21 October as being mainly in the fields of education and training for non white South Africans.

The funds in question were allocated to individuals rather than to groups. They were used to promote the educational and social development of members of the black, coloured and Asian communities in South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when the first medium secure psychiatric unit is to be built in Wales; and when he expects subsequent units to be commenced.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Coleman) on 3 November 1986 at column 303.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many of those Welsh people who have been out of work for five years or more have never been in full-time employment since leaving school.

The information requested is not available.

asked the Prime Minister if she will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the implications for national sovereignty of the decision of the European Commission to initiate proceedings in the European Court on the legality of the zero rate of value added tax applied by the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

No. The Commission has the right to institute infraction proceedings against member states under article 169 of the EEC Treaty. We are of course fighting the VAT zero-rating case vigorously.

asked the Prime Minister if the letter of 6 January from the Solicitor-General to the Secretary of State for Defence about Westland was covered by the Official Secrets Act.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister if the Government have given permission for current and former members of the security services to speak, and show documents, to Rupert Allason alias Nigel West at any time since May 1979.

It would be inappropriate for me to comment on matters which are or may be at issue in the proceedings concerning the Peter Wright case in Australia, while those proceedings continue.

asked the Prime Minister what information the United States Government have conveyed to Her Majesty's Government about the activities in London of Mr. Samuel Evans, an American lawyer living in London, in connection with the sale or proposed sale by him of lethal weapons to Iran; and if she will make a statement.

None.

asked the Prime Minister what information the United States Government have conveyed to Her Majesty's Government about the activities in London of the retired Israeli General Brigadier-General Avraham Bar-Am in connection with the sale or proposed sale by him of lethal weapons to Iran; and if she will make a statement.

None.

asked the Prime Minister what is the total number of persons who have been sent by Her Majesty's Government to Australia in connection with the case of Mr. Peter Wright.

During the past six months, a total of nine persons have had cause to be sent by Her Majesty's Government to Australia in connection with the case of Mr. Peter Wright.

asked the Prime Minister what class of travel was used by those persons who have been sent by Her Majesty's Government to Australia in connection with the Wright case.

The civil servants sent by Her Majesty's Government to Australia in connection with the Wright case travelled first or club class, in accordance with the instructions set out in paragraphs 4516 and 4517 of the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Prime Minister what is the cost, including transport, accommodation and all allowances, of sending Sir Robert Armstrong, Mr. John Bailey and supporting staff, including secretarial assistants, cypher operators and representatives of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Australia for the Wright case.

The costs incurred to date of sending Sir Robert Armstrong, Mr. John Bailey and supporting staff to Australia for the Wright case are estimated to be of the order of £30,000.

asked the Prime Minister (1) on what date Her Majesty's Government first became aware of the intended publication of "Their Trade is Treachery", by Chapman Pincher; "Conspiracy of Silence", by Freeman and Penrose; "The Second Oldest Profession", by Philip Knightley; and "A Matter of Trust (MI5 1945–72)", by Nigel West; and on what date Her Majesty's Government actually received proof copies of these books;(2) if Her Majesty's Government will make it their policy to comply with any order by courts in Australia for disclosure of information relating to its prior knowledge and authorisation of books by Mr. Chapman Pincher and Mr. Nigel West containing confidential material on the United Kingdom security services; and if she will make a statement;(3) why no steps were taken to trace and interview the sources of material contained in the book, "Their Trade is Treachery", by Chapman Pincher, during the two months when the relevant manuscript was in Her Majesty's Government's possession prior to publication.

It would be inappropriate for me to comment on matters which are or may be at issue in the proceedings concerning the Peter Wright case in Australia, while those proceedings continue.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the number of accidents and fatalities involving microlites for each year from 1981 to the current date;(2) if he will list the regulations governing the safety of microlites;(3) what provisions are planned to enhance the safety of microlites.

The Civil Aviation Authority, which is statutorily responsible for all aviation safety matters, has given me the following information:

(a) The accidents and fatalities involving microlight aircraft for each year from 1981 to date are as follows:

	Number of accidents	Fatalities
1981	1	1
1982	26	10
1983	24	5
1984	14	5
1985	13	5
1986	16	2

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to provide for commercial balloonists' licences to enable balloonists to carry passengers for reward.

Provision is already made in the Air Navigation Order 1985 for the issue by the Civil Aviation Authority of commercial pilots licence (balloons). Although none has ever been issued the CAA is currently consulting the British Balloon and Airship club on the requirements for such a licence.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will be introducing measures requiring the installation of maximum speed limiters for coaches and heavy lorries.

Work has now been completed within the British Standards Institution on a draft British standard for road vehicle speed limiters. We will be consulting interested parties early next year on draft regulations based on the standard, which will require speed limiters to be fitted to coaches. The regulations will apply first to new coaches and at a later date to coaches already in use. We have no plans at present to require speed limiters to be fitted to heavy lorries.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to require airlines to provide their passengers with adequate advice about the restrictions on the import of items derived from endangered species, whether animals or plants; and if he will make a statement.

I have no statutory power to direct airlines in this way. The control of trade in endangered species is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. I understand that his Department has been active in publicity given to the problems of bringing into this country both live specimens and items which have been derived from endangered species. Airport authorities are being encouraged to give prominence to posters and illustrated leaflets on the subject and articles have appeared in various airlines' "in-flight" magazines. Other publicity measures are also in preparation.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) why he has limited the requirement for the establishment of local consultation committees to 37 of the operational airfields open to the public in the United Kingdom;(2) what criteria he has adopted for placing a limit on the need for local consultation committees at commercial airfields in the United Kingdom;(3) whether he will take steps to extend the requirement for local consultation to all United Kingdom licensed airfields; and if he will make a statement.

I have been reviewing my Department's policy on the designation of aerodromes for consultative purposes under section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982. About 40 aerodromes are already designated, and I have no plans to remove any active aerodromes from this list. I have concluded that in principle we should designate any other airport which meets the criterion for economic regulation in section 37(2) and (3) of the Airports Act 1986 in terms of having an annual turnover of more than £1 million. We should also be prepared to designate additional smaller aerodromes in response to representations made to us in particular cases, where designation is likely to be helpful in alleviating local problems. I have not set any limit to the number of designations.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has about the costs to district councils of the operation of the Transport Act 1986; what information he has about regional variations in these costs; and if he will make a statement.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the reason for delay in transferring properties to his Department from the London Residuary Body.

The necessary paperwork.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received against the siting of the M20 service station at Hollingbourne.

I have received representations from my hon. Friend on behalf of Maidstone borough council, from that council itself and from a member of the public. In addition, Hollingbourne parish council made representations against the proposal at the public inquiry into the proposal for the Hollingbourne interchange on the M20.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what will be the spending of all Government departments and agencies on fees to outside consultants in the current year; and what it was in 1979–80 and each intervening year.

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

£ billion
		1986–87	1987–88	Average of the years 1970–71 to 1974–75
(i)	General government expenditure as a percentage of GDP	43¼ per cent.	42¾ per cent.	42½ per cent.
(ii)	General Government expenditure	164·4	173·7	29·6
(iii)	GDP at market prices	380	407	69·0
(iv)	Spending on unemployment benefit	1·6	1·6	10·2
(v)	Spending on social security benefit	41·1	42·6	24·9
(vi)	General Government gross debt interest	17·5	18	2·6
(vii)	Nationalised industries investment in fixed assets3	3·8	3·3	4
(viii)	Spending on the National Health Service	15·1	15·8	4
(ix)	Spending on local government services	35·2	35·4	4
1 The average for the calendar years 1970 to 1974 from the 1973 national income and expenditure "Blue Book".
2 Calculated from national insurance fund accounts, 1970–71 to 1974–75.
3 For details of coverage see the footnotes to Table 5.2 of the 1986 public expenditure White paper (Cmnd. 9702).
4 Figures are not readily available on a comparable basis.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the estimated spending of all Government Departments and agencies on television, radio and newspaper advertising, respectively, and other promotional literature in the current year; and what was the total in 1979–80 and each intervening year.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Press and public relations staff are employed in all Government Departments and agencies; and how many were employed in 1979–80 and each intervening year.

Available records of overall numbers of press and public relations staff employed in Government

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give for (a) the current year, (b) next year and (c) the average of the years 1970 to 1974; (i) the ratio of public spending to national output, (ii) public spending, (iii) national output, (iv) spending on unemployment benefit, (v) spending on social security benefit, (vi) spending to meet interest charges, (vii) spending on investment in the nationalised industries, (viii) spending on the National Health Service and (ix) spending on local government services.

The available figures are as follows:Departments and agencies relate to the information officer group only. The numbers employed at 1 April of each year were as follows:

	Senior Information Officer and lower grades	Principal Information Officer	Chief Information Officer
1979	1,095	131	66
1980	1,083	128	63
1981	1,022	130	64
1982	980	111	62
1983	928	111	62
1984	892	111	n/a
1985	883	111	n/a
1986	833	n/a	n/a

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report such information as he has on the numbers in receipt of part of their pension in tax free lump sums in 1985–86 (a) up to £25,000, (b) up to £50,000 and (c) up to £75,000 and the cost to the Exchequer for each of those bands.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the estimated spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising, respectively, and other promotional literature in the current year; and what was the total in 1979–80 and each intervening year.

[pursuant to his reply, 19 November 1986, c. 230]: The figures are as follows:

£ '000
Year	Total	Of which advertising sales of Government shareholdings
1979–80	305	276
1980–81	62	—
1981–82	422	315
1982–83	81	—
1983–84	1,382	1,258
1984–85	73	—
1985–86	6,787	6,756
1986–871	32	—
1 Budget.

None of this expenditure was on television or radio advertising. The costs of advertising sales of Government shareholdings is financed from the proceeds of such share sales.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the European Economic Community Commission challenge on the zero rating of news services for value added tax purposes includes newspapers and broadcasting licences; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 November 1986, c. 315]: No. The Commission's challenge is on our zero-rating of certain news services under group 6 of schedule 5 to the VAT Act 1983, that is

"The supply to newspapers or to the public of information of a kind published in newspapers"

in so far as they relate to the supply of news services to industry.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue at outturn prices for the current year if inheritance tax was applied to housing at current tax rates but with a threshold of nil.

Inheritance tax applies to all assets, including housing, where the cumulative total of chargeable transfers exceeds £71,000. If, instead of being charged to inheritance tax, housing were charged separately at the current tax rates and bands, with a nil threshold, but with the existing exemption for transfers to a surviving spouse, the additional net yield arising from transfers in 1986–87 is estimated at about £1,000 million. There would be around 100,000 more taxpayers. These estimates make no allowance for the effect of the proposal on the housing market.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the latest meeting of the European Community's Ecnomic and Finance Council.

The ECOFIN council met in Brussels on Monday, 17 November, under my chairmanship. My hon. friend, the Minister of State, Treasury, represented the United Kingdom.The council adopted two further internal market directives. The first was a directive to remove exchange controls over certain capital transactions within the Community. The adoption of this directive represents a significant step forward in the process of achieving complete liberalisation of capital movements within the Community by 1992.The second was the 13th VAT directive which harmonises the system for refunding VAT to traders established in third countries.The council agreed in principle that 1·5 billion ecuabout £1·1 billion— should he made available for lending to small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the Community. The money would be raised in two tranches of 750 mecu each: the first tranche to be borrowed by the Commission and the second by the European Investment bank. In both cases, the European Investment bank would be responsible for managing the lending.The council had a first discussion of the Commission's annual economic report. There was broad agreement on its latest draft. The Commission will now consider various detailed amendments put forward by member states. The amended report is due to be adopted at the December ECOFIN in the light of opinions expressed by the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee.The council took note of a presidency report on progress made on indirect tax matters during the United Kingdom presidency. It invited COREPER to speed up its examination of proposals on VAT and excise duties, particularly on the draft VAT directive on the threshold and other matters concerning small businesses.The council discussed two items under article 8 of the budget discipline conclusions, which provides that ECOFIN should examine, before they are adopted, programmes with considerable financial implications over several years. The items discussed were the Commission's proposals for a Community research and development framework programme for 1987–91, and for a fisheries structures programme. The council stressed the need for cost-effective measures, and for provision to be considered in the context of the annual budget procedure and in the light of the available resources for all Community programmes.

asked the Paymaster General how many claimants have been referred to unemployment review officers or claimant advisers for failure to attend restart interviews; how many have subsequently appealed; and how many have been refused after appeal.

No claimants have been referred to unemployment review officers of the Department of Health and Social Security nor to the new claimant advisers of the Department of Employment as a result of having failed to attend a restart interview. It is not part of their duties to take decisions on such cases.

asked the Paymaster General what have been the major causes for loss of jobs in the Portsmouth area in the last seven years.

The major causes of the loss of jobs in the Portsmouth area have been the reduction in numbers at Portsmouth naval base, the decline in labour intensive, traditional industries and general lack of competitiveness.

asked the Paymaster General how many people in Portsmouth have left the employment register through the restart programme since it started.

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

asked the Paymaster General whether he has any plans to introduce YTS in the Department of Employment group.

Yes. We are designing a YTS scheme to operate from next Easter in the Department of Employment and Manpower Services Commission. Officials of the Department and the Commission are consulting trade union representatives about the details.

asked the Paymaster General what will be the total spending of his Department on press and public relations in the current year; and what it was in 1979–80 and each intervening year.

[pursuant to his reply, 19 November 1986, column 216]: The total spending of my Department on press and public relations in 1985–86 was £1,425,592. The figures for previous years are not available.

asked the Paymaster General if he will list the new guidelines, and changes in the rules, of the community programme agreed with the Confederation of British Industry task force for the private sector pilot projects.

Following consultation with the Confederation of British Industry about increasing the involvement of the private sector in the community programme my right hon. and noble Friend wrote to the CBI on 5 June and gave agreement to the setting up of a number of experimental community programme projects.

asked the Paymaster General what percentage of those killed and injured in the construction industry in 1985 were (a) employed by large firms, (b) employed by small firms or (c) self-employed.

The percentage of employees killed in the construction industry who worked for: (a) firms employing 80 or more employees was 32 per cent.; (b) firms employing fewer than 80 employees was 68 per cent. Such information relating to those people injured, but not killed, is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those prison establishments which are currently permitting prisoners to attend outside education courses under Home Office circular instruction 8/81.

The latest information collated centrally relates to the academic year 1984–85. In that year prisoners in the following establishments were granted temporary release for educational purposes:

HMP Askham Grange	HMP Highpoint
HMDC Buckley Hall	HMP Kirkham
HMP Cookham Wood	HMP Leyhill
HMYCC Dover	HMYCC Lowdham Grange
HMYCC/HMP East Sutton	HMP Nottingham
Park	HMP Pentonville
HMP Featherstone	HMP Soring Hill
HMP Ford	HM DC Whatton
HMYCC Hatfield
HMP/YCC Hewell Grange

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many hours in the most recent convenient week the workshops in Pentonville prison were open; what was the average number of prisoners employed; how many classes took place and for how many hours; what was the average number of prisoners in each class; and how much time on average each prisoner spent out of his cell during that week.

In the week commencing 3 November 1986, the workshops were open for an average of 15½ hours; an average of 355 prisoners were employed each working day in the workshops and on catering, maintenance, cleaning and other domestic tasks; 88 education classes (51 day-time and 37 evening) took place for a total of 482 hours; there were an average of six prisoners in each class. It is not practical to calculate the average amount of time spent out of cells since this covers many things apart from work and education including, for example, exercise, association, visits, use of the prison library and canteen and other out-of-cell activities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the maximum number of prisoners who can be employed in Pentonville prison on any one day.

Five hundred.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last year lorries carrying radioactive uranium hexaflouride have been delayed at customs at Newhaven because of lorry defects; and if he will make a statement.

There is no record of any defects in such vehicles having been identified by the police or by Department of Transport vehicle examiners at Newhaven. I understand that one vehicle was found by local authority trading standards officers to be overweight on one axle, but was allowed to proceed after the load had been redistributed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics are available detailing numbers of convictions in the United Kingdom, region by region, of those sentenced under the Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act 1980.

The available information, which may be incomplete, refers to the number of exclusion orders made under the Act, and is given in the table below. The collection of this information was discontinued at the beginning of 1985.

Exclusion orders made under the Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act 1980
England and Wales	Number of orders
	1981	1982	1983	1984
Police force region:
Metropolitan police district	0	2	14	1
North West	5	24	17	30
North East	7	23	54	31
Midlands	9	10	15	17
Eastern	9	25	35	42
South East	8	26	28	13
South West	7	23	8	21
Wales	9	24	7	15
England and Wales	54	157	178	170

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to (a) the maximum, (b) the minimum and (c) the average sentences given for (i) robbery with assault, (ii) rape, (iii) armed robbery and (iv) murder in each of the last five years.

The readily available information is published annually in "Criminal statistics, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables" — for 1985, under classifications 1 (murder), 19 (rape) and 34 (robbery), in tables S1·1(A), S1·4 and S1·5 of volume 1 and tables S2·1(A), S2·4 and S2·5 of volume 2.The figures for rape include offences of aiding and abetting and attempted rape, while those for robbery do not distinguish cases where actual force or firearms were used. Over the years 1981 to 1985 the sentences imposed ranged from a discharge to life imprisonment for both rape and robbery; life imprisonment is the mandatory sentence for those convicted of murder.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours in the most recent convenient week the workshops in Liverpool prison were open; what was the average number of prisoners employed; what was the average number of prisoners in each class; and how much time on average each prisoner spent out of his cell during that week.

In the week commencing 3 November 1986, the workshops were open for an average of 23½ hours; an average of 719 prisoners were employed each working day in the workshops and on catering, maintenance, cleaning and other domestic tasks; 72 education classes (46 day-time and 26 evening) took place for a total of 183 hours; there were an average of 7·5 prisoners in each class.It is not practical to calculate the average amount of time spent out of cells since this covers many things apart from work and education including, for example, exercise, association, visits, use of the prison library and canteen and other out-of-cell activities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many baths, showers and toilets are available to prisoners in Liverpool prison; how many baths or showers each prisoner is allowed per week; and how many changes of clothes each prisoner is allowed per week.

The numbers of baths, showers and toilets available are as follows:

	No.
Baths	12
Showers	60
WCs	119
Urinals	159

Each prisoner is normally allowed one shower per week and an additional shower when he makes use of the gymnasium. Additional showers are available for prisoners employed on jobs of a physically dirty nature and on return from court appearances. When appropriate for medical reasons a bath is available instead of a shower.Prisoners at Liverpool have one change of clothes per week consisting of two shirts, two pairs of socks, two pairs of underpants and two vests. Overclothing is changed as necessary, but on return from court, prisoners receive a full kit of clean clothes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the maximum number of prisoners who can be employed in Liverpool prison on any one day.

Seven hundred and sixty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information was passed to the Spanish police by the United Kingdom authorities concerning the car in which Mr. J. Rajiah, a constituent of the hon. Member for Basingstoke, was travelling on 29 October and in which he was shot by Spanish police.

I am informed that no such information has been sought by the Spanish police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis a Canadian company, Northern Telecom, has supplied Vienna system microcomputers to his Department for use by police forces in crime prevention and detection; to what precise uses they will be put; which forces are involved; how these computers will interact with existing police computers; if Her Majesty's Government have entered into any commitment regarding further acquisitions of computers from this company; and if he will make a statement.

Twenty micro-computers are being donated by Northern Telecom as a contribution to the Government's general crime prevention campaign. We welcome this generous gift. They will be used by the police for the analysis of crime patterns, to gather information relating to violent crime and in support of local crime prevention projects.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to details of the items taken by the police from the Young Unknowns Gallery, London SE1, on 31 October; and if he will make a statement.

I understand from the Commissioner that on 31 October, officers of the counterfeit currency squad went to the Young Unknowns Gallery, London SE1 to investigate possible offences under section 18 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981. Some 26 items, including drawings and paintings of currency, were seized. The matter has been referred to the Bank of England to consider whether proceedings should be instituted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has received since September 1985 about the efficacy of the Griess test; and what action he has taken as a result.

The results of work performed by two independent forensic scientists have been considered as part of a re-appraisal of the Griess test conducted by the Home Office forensic science service. We are considering the findings in the context of our review of the case of the Birmingham pub bombings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Mr. G. W. Walker retired as director of the Home Office laboratory at Chorley; why he retired; and what was his age upon retirement.

Mr. G. W. Walker retired from the Home Office on 31 October 1985 on reaching the age of 60, the normal age of retirement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the increased efficiency of handling BRL work by the Post Office; and if he will make a statement about the future of BRL and the Post Office.

The number of television licences in force stands at an all-time record level of nearly 19 million; 300,000 more than at the same time last year. This reflects increased effectiveness by the Post Office in BRL work. The arrangements for financing the BBC, including the future of the licence fee and how it is collected, are currently under review in the light of the report of the Peacock committee, debated by this House yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the experiment in special event radio.

In reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Thanet, North (Mr. Gale) on 28 January 1986 at col 486, I announced a two year experiment in licensing low-powered transmitters to provide information or other services to those attending the sites of festivals, county shows, sporting events and so on. Up to 25 licences were to be made available each year, with provision for reissue of licences to cover broadcasts at more than one event on separate occasions at the same site.During 1986, 32 applications for licences were received. Some of these were subsequently withdrawn, and one was refused because it did not meet the criteria for the experiment. A total of 13 licences were issued in respect of 31 corporate events. These included festivals, rallies, shows and sporting events.Licences during the second year of the experiment in 1987 will be available on the same basis as in 1986. Applications should reach the Home Office by 31 January 1987. Details of the licence conditions and procedure are set out in notes for the guidance of potential applicants, available from the Home Office. The subject of special event broadcasting will be included in the Green Paper on radio policy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will assess the impact on the United Kingdom lighting industry of German electrical restrictions; and if he will make a statement.(2) why restrictions are placed on the use of United Kingdom manufactured luminaires in British bases in Germany; what steps he has taken or proposes to take concerning such restrictions; and if he will make a statement.

Any restrictions must impact on the United Kingdom lighting industry, but I cannot assess the precise extent. Some of the apparent restrictions are already the subject of specific representations by officials from DTI and the Lighting Industry Federation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations and statistical information he has received concerning housing and homelessness in the London boroughs as compared to the metropolitan districts; what account he proposes to take of them in making his next grant allocation to local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Options were put forward to CCLGF in July to extend the GRE for non-HRA housing to include data on number of homeless. This was supported by the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and the Association of London Authorities, but opposed by the London Boroughs Association. In his consultation paper on the 1987–88 rate support grant settlement issued on 3 October the Secretary of State proposed to make no change to the non-HRA GRE formula.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy towards the purchase of County Hall by the Inner London education authority.

I am not aware that ILEA is proposing to purchase County hall.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the reasons for the delay in carrying out the assurances given by the Government that the Greater London council seaside and country homes would be transferred to a housing association.

Negotiations between the parties are not yet complete.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment which Ministers from his Department took part in the nine formal meetings since 12 June between his Department and the London residuary body; and which members of the London residuary body were present.

Ministers with responsibility for local government matters met, as appropriate, the chairman and those members of the London residuary body responsible for the LRB's functions that were under discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to establish in Bradford one of the new centres to give advice about home improvements; what assessment has been made of the efficacy of agencies in Bradford already providing such advice; if he has consulted Bradford council on this matter; how the new centre will be funded; and if he will make a statement.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of local authority representatives in each water authority in England and Wales in 1984–85, 1985–86 and 1986–87.

Members are not appointed to regional water authorities to represent local authorities. The numbers of members with local government backgrounds are set out below. Membership of the Welsh Water Authority is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87
Anglian	3	3	1
Northumbrian	3	3	1
North West	6	5	1
Severn Trent	4	4	2
Southern	4	3	1
South West	3	3	2
Thames	4	4	4
Wessex	4	4	2
Yorkshire	3	3	—

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply of 18 November, if he will list by date, location and substance the toxic waste spillages of which his Department is aware.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply of 18 November, Official Report, column 128, what is the most recent figure supplied by each of the residuary bodies for redundancy claims and compensation payments made.

The figures are as follows:

Residuary body	Number of eligible redundancy claims from ex-GLC and metropolitan county council employees	All compensation payments made
		£000
London	3,114	21,442
Greater Manchester	637	6,948
Merseyside	370	3,479
South Yorkshire	478	3,358
Tyne and Wear	147	1,123
West Midlands	525	4,042
West Yorkshire	936	7,839

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken in response to the recommendation made by the Royal Commission on environmental pollution that his Department should issue a planning circular on the development of contaminated land.

A draft joint circular from my Department and the Welsh Office was issued for consultation on 31 October 1986. Depending on the comments received, it is proposed to publish the circular in spring 1987. It will contain guidance for prospective developers or purchasers and for local planning authorities on the issues raised when it is proposed to reclaim or reuse contaminated land. This is seen not only as a response to the Royal Commission but also as a valuable contribution to the Government's policy of bringing back into beneficial use, under-used land, particularly in urban areas.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the terms of reference of the Salmon Advisory Committee; whether it will consider estuarial netting of salmon; and when he expects it to report.

The Salmon Advisory Committee will have the following terms of reference:

"To examine and report on those matters relating to the conservation and development of salmon fisheries in Great Britain which are referred to it by Fisheries Ministers".

In the early stages, we shall be asking the Committee to examine:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider extending the western boundary of the proposed South Downs environmentally sensitive area to (a) the A285 Chichester to Petworth road or (b) to the River Arun.

We are considering all the representations which we have received about environmentally sensitive areas. We shall make our decisions known as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to make regulations defining the boundary of the proposed South Downs environmentally sensitive area to be created under the provisions of the Agriculture Act 1986.

The boundaries of each environmentally sensitive area will be defined by the order designating that area. I hope to lay the orders before Parliament in good time to invite applications to participate in the scheme early next spring.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy that the Aldicarb pesticide Temik will not be made available for sale or cleared by the pesticide registration department until an evaluation has been made in the United Kingdom of its effects on the immune system.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what subsidy Her Majesty's Government currently provide for the growing of opium poppies in East Anglia; for what purpose such poppies are grown; what steps are taken to ensure that the resultant crops are not diverted to unlawful purposes; and if he will make a statement.

There is no subsidy for the growing of poppies in the United Kingdom. This year's very small crop was grown as a replacement for imported seeds which are primarily used in the bakery and confectionery industry. The unlicensed production of controlled drugs from poppies would be an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. My hon. Friend, the Minister of State at the Home Office, has asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs urgently to consider the nature of any risk and adequacy of existing Misuse of Drugs Act controls. The council is expected to report to him within the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the figures for Japanese inward investment into the United Kingdom for each of the last 30 years.

Available figures covering inward net direct investment from Japan are given below. Separate figures for Japanese inward portfolio investment are not available.

Inward net direct investment from Japan 1958–1984
	£ million
1958	n/a
1959	-0·2
1960	n/a
1961	n/a
1962	-0·1
1963	0·7
1964	0·1
1965	-2·4
1966	0·5
1967	1·7
1968	1·6
1969	7·5
1970	7·9
1971	-3·6
1972	14·0
1973	17·7
1974	-220
1975	-40·6
1976	-15·7
1977	98·9
1978	-23·9
1979	50·9
1980	14·0
1981	173·3
1982	-62·7
1983	188·7
1984	-34·2

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the number of times an illegal radio station has been raided by officers of his Department and the times that the equipment of these stations has been confiscated; and if he will name the stations that have been raided during the last 12 months.

During the 12 months my Department's radio investigation service (RIS) has carried out 218 raids on 84 different unlicensed broadcasting stations. Equipment has been seized on all occasions by the RIS and is detained under their powers under section 79 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 as evidence pending possible court proceedings. At the conclusion of a successful prosecution it is for the courts to decide whether the equipment should be forfeited.The following is a list of the 84 unlicensed stations raided during the last 12 months.