asked the Attorney-General if the Director of Public Prosecutions is considering a prosecution over the death of Michael Delaney killed by a lorry outside News International plant in Wapping.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has considered this case and has decided that there is not sufficient evidence to justify a prosecution.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland what progress has been reported to him following the referral to the procurator fiscal in Kilmarnock of information regarding the solicitor, Mr. Graeme Adam.

I refer to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley on 8 April 1987, at columns 298–9. These matters are being investigated actively and the procurator fiscal will report the results as soon as possible. I do not expect to receive interim progress reports.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has about the current delays experienced by drivers and owners of London taxis in having them licensed by the Public Carriage Office; and what assessment he has made of the costs involved in such delays.

I visited the Public Carriage Office on Tuesday 5 May and I understand that some of the recent delays are attributable to the increased proportion of vehicles presented in an unsatisfactory condition and requiring re-examination. Ways of reducing the delays are being explored. No assessment has been made of the costs involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of service at the Public Carriage Office of the introduction of a payment system; and what representations he has received from the cab trade on this matter.

A cost recovery system was introduced in 1981 without effect on the level of service. I have received no recent representation on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff are currently available to inspect taxis at the Public Carriage Office; how this figure compares with each of the last five years; what assessment he has made of the implications of current staff levels for delays being experienced by cab owners and drivers; and if he will make a statement.

There are 27 vehicle examiners at the Public Carriage Office. This is one more than the number available over the last five years. Steps are being taken to recruit further staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the ratio of cabs being presented for passing, against the number of carriage offices in each of the last five years.

The number of carriage officers remained constant at 26 during the last five years. The number of cabs presented was:

	Number
1982	24,768
1983	25,733
1984	27,440
1985	29,167
1986	30,321

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if, in the light of the constraints on space at the Public Carriage Office, he will extend the hours during which it is open; and if he will make a statement.

This is an operational matter for the Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police I understand that from 5 May 1987 the Public Carriage Office is open to receive vehicles from 7 am, one hour earlier than previously.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what measures are being taken to recruit more staff to the Public Carriage Office; what problems have been experienced in recruiting; if a training scheme exists; and if he will make a statement.

Steps are being taken by the Public Carriage Office to recruit vehicle examining staff, but problems are being experienced in recruiting suitably qualified people. Specialist training is provided.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will consider initiating further detailed studies of wider access to Heathrow, now that the M25 is complete;(2) when the study of improvements in surface access between central London and Heathrow, initiated in March 1986, will be completed and published.

The study of ways of improving surface access between Heathrow and central London is almost complete, and we hope to publish it shortly. Discussions on possible further studies of access to Heathrow from other directions are now taking place with local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he is giving to phasing out the noisier types of chapter 2 aircraft.

The Government are considering how all, not just the noisier types of chapter 2 aeroplanes might be phased out. It must be recognised, however, that this will be a long process that is dependent ultimately on international agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to reintroduce noise insulation grants for defined areas around certain airports on a generous basis, and extended to schools and hospitals.

We are assessing BAA's most recent noise insulation grants schemes at Heathrow and Gatwick. We have no plans to require BAA to introduce new schemes at these airports. It is proposed that a noise insulation grants scheme should be introduced at Stansted in due course, on the lines of the recent Heathrow and Gatwick schemes.We are also considering whether criteria can be developed for making noise insulation grants for those parts of schools and hospitals where the work is particularly sensitive to aircraft noise.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if, in view of the fact that aircraft noise limits were set some 25 years ago, he will initiate an update of such limits;(2) if he will introduce penalties for airlines persistently deviating from noise preferential routes without sound reason;(3) what steps he is taking to require airport operators to monitor the track-keeping of aircraft both to and from the airport in accordance with section 68 of the Airports Act 1986.

BAA plc is considering, together with the Civil Aviation Authority and officials of my Department, the introduction of an integrated noise and track-keeping monitoring system for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. When we know the capability of the equipment we shall consider the criteria against which it should be operated, including track-keeping tolerances and revised noise limits.In general, pilots carefully follow the flight instructions which implement noise preferential routes. Moreover, a sanction for failure to comply with the noise preferential route requirements at a designated aerodrome is provided for in section 78(2) of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, which empowers the Secretary of State to direct an aerodrome manager to secure that the aerodrome's facilities are withheld to the extent specified from the offending aircraft operator. We shall consider whether this, or some alternative sanction, would be appropriate when the new route monitoring system is in operation.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many public complaints have been received about night flying at Heathrow and Gatwick for each year since and including 1984.

The numbers were as follows:

	Heathrow	Gatwick
1984	115	17
1985	294	81
1986	363	109

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how much Government finance is to be provided for (i) the docklands light railway extension to the Bank and (ii) other improvements and upgrading of the docklands light railway.

The proportion of the costs of the extension of the docklands light railway to Bank and the associated upgrading of the capacity of the initial railway to be met by London Regional Transport is dependent on the outcome of its negotiations with the consortium proposing to develop the Canary wharf site. The other major proposed improvement to the docklands light railway, the extension to Beckton, would be funded by the LDDC out of the higher land values accruing to it which the extension will itself generate.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Canary wharf consortium is to put up for (i) the docklands light railway extension to the Bank, and (ii) other improvements and upgrading of the railway.

The amount which the Canary wharf consortium will contribute to the extension of the docklands light railway to Bank and to the associated upgrading of the capacity of the initial railway is dependent on the outcome of the negotiations currently taking place between the consortium and London Regional Transport. The consortium is not involved in the financing of the other major project on the docklands light railway, the extension to Beckton.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the maximum size of ships in deadweight tonnage so far handled by each of the ports of the Severn estuary.

According to "Lloyd's Ports of the World 1987" the deadweight tonnage of the largest ship handled in each of the main ports is:

	Number
Barry	27,343
Cardiff	23,788
Newport	39,239
Sharpness	6,000

Bristol is said to be able to accommodate ships up to 70,000 deadweight tons.The constraining factors on ship size in these ports are the length, beam and draught that can be accommodated in their entry locks.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those measures taken by his Department since 1979 which have specifically benefited transport and roads serving the borough of Bournemouth.

On trunk roads, for which this Department is directly responsible Bournemouth has benefited from improvements to the A31-A35-M27 south coast trunk route, the A36 route to Bristol and the North, and the extension of the M3 from London.Schemes opened to traffic include bypasses on the A31 in Dorset of Wimborne, Bere Regis and Ferndown and the completion of the M3 as far as Winchester. On the A36, construction of the Warminster bypass is under way to link with the recently completed Heytesbury bypass. On the A35, work is due to start on the Dorchester bypass later this year.Preparation is under way on a number of further projects to improve these trunk routes, including schemes to join the M3 directly with the M27 on the south coast route just north of Southampton. In addition, on the A36 preparatory work is in hand on bypasses of Salisbury, Steeple Langford, Codford and Beckington, and in last month's roads White Paper schemes were added for the improvement of the A36 between Heytesbury and Codford as well as for a bypass of West Wellow.Responsibility for other routes serving the borough lies with the county councils. Since 1979 Dorset county council has received from the Department a total transport supplementary grant of £42 million, a substantial part of which has contributed towards the improvement of Bournemouth's local roads.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will itemise details of how much has been spent upon road schemes by Derbyshire county council in each of the past three years; and if any schemes have been deferred.

In the past three years, it is estimated that Derbyshire county council has spent the following amounts on road schemes costing over £1 million:

	£ million
1984–85	2·2
1985–86	0·8
1986–87	1·9

In its transport policies and programmes for 1984–85, Derbyshire county council proposed that in the above three years it would start construction on four road schemes costing over £1 million. Only two actually started within that period.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will itemise how much grant money has been received by Derbyshire county council for road schemes in each of the past three years where the money has not been spent.

1985–86 was the first year for which transport supplementary grant was restricted to capital expenditure on roads and the regulation of traffic. Taking the years 1985–86 and 1986–87 together, £6·35 million of Derbyshire county council's proposed expenditure on road schemes costing over £1 million was accepted for grant at a rate of 50 per cent. It is estimated that about £2·8 million of that expenditure was incurred in the two years. The council therefore received grant of about £1·775 million on some £3·55 million of expenditure for road schemes which was not incurred.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will itemise details of (a) the schemes proposed and (b) the schemes accepted for transport supplementary grant by Derbyshire county council in each of the last three years.

Major schemes (those costing £l million or more) proposed for transport supplementary grant by Derbyshire county council in its 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987–88 transport policies and programmes are listed in the table. Minor works (those under £1 million) are not named individually in TSG settlements.

	Proposed start date	Accepted Expenditure (£ million)
1985–86:
A514 Swarkestone Causeway	April 1985	1·50
A619 Tapton Bypass	September 1985	1·20
A5002 Spring Gardens relief road	September 1985	0·82
A6007 Ilkeston inner relief road	March 1986	not accepted
Total accepted expenditure		3·52
Commitments from previous years		0·06
Total accepted expenditure on which grant paid		3·58
1986–87:
A514 Swarkestone Causeway	February 1987	0·11
A5002 Spring Gardens relief road	November 1986	0·71
A6007 Ilkeston inner relief road	July 1986	1·40
Total accepted expenditure		2·22
Commitments from previous years		1·95
Adjustment1		-1·40
Total accepted expenditure on which grant paid		2·77
1987–88:
No major schemes proposed
Commitments from previous years		1·65
Adjustment1		-1·30
Total accepted expenditure on which grant paid		0·35
1 for TSG not used for the purpose for which it was provided.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those highway authorities who have incurred liability to clawback of transport grants in each if the past three years.

Adjustments to local highway authorities' accepted expenditure are made to ensure that over a period, expenditure on major schemes taken together, in authorities' accepted programmes is broadly in line with expenditure on major schemes accepted for grant. The present system of adjustments was introduced for shire counties in the 1986–87 settlement, and for metropolitan districts and London boroughs in 1987–88. The authorities which have been subject to adjustment of TSG accepted expenditure are:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he proposes to take with regard to the proposed western environmental route to ensure that traffic does not increase in adjacent areas.

I have made it clear that it is not our aim to increase traffic in west London, either north or south of the river. The intention is to transfer the traffic which has to to be in the area, including most of the heavy lorries, to a purpose-built road. We want to discuss with the boroughs measures to control the traffic remaining on the existing network and to remove it from unsuitable residential roads. Having provided means by which the local environment can be improved, we wish to see measures that maintain the improvement.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he proposes to consult the public about the proposals for the western environmental improvement route.

Yes. We shall be publishing the consultants' report on the feasibility of the route as soon as possible, probably in June. The report will include plans showing how the road might fit into the corridor. We then plan to start public consultation on the various options for standards and access early next year. There will be ample opportunity for all views to be considered before we reach any firm decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now respond to representations from the hon. Member for Arundel, the Lyminster parish council and residents of Crossbush and announce details for an advanced start of the Crossbush section of the Arundel bypass A27 trunk road.

I am still considering the representations that the Crossbush section of the Arundel bypass should be provided in advance of the full scheme. I will make an announcement as soon as I can. We expect to consult the public on possible routes for the remainder of the scheme shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government in respect of the construction of toad tunnels and badger crossings in new road schemes.

The Department of Transport makes every effort to minimise any disruptive effect to wildlife arising from national road schemes. In a number of cases, tunnels or underpasses have been provided to protect animals using their accustomed routes. Each case is considered on its merits following consultation with the Nature Conservancy Council and other interested bodies.A copy of "Transport and the Environment", published by the Department on 5 May, has been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport who will be responsible for security at Heathrow airport in the event of privatisation of the British Airports Authority.

So far as responsibilities for security are concerned, it makes no difference whether an airport is publicly or privately owned.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects to receive Professor Stott's report of his review of the safety of automatic open level crossings.

I understand that Professor Stott needs more time than originally estimated to carry out the thorough job which he and I believe to be needed, and that he now expects to submit his report in June.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those lakes and rivers in Northern Ireland that are suffering from acidification.

Northern Ireland has been included in the European monitoring and evaluation programme on acid deposition since 1984. It is too soon to establish long term trends although monitoring so far and routine river quality monitoring does not indicate acidification problems.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the 6,000 claims from married women for invalid care allowance have been dealt with to date; and at what rate he expects to dispose of this balance.

At 24 April 1987, 5,871 claims for invalid care allowance had been received from married women, of which 2,234 were decided by that date. In view of the very high take-up of this backdated benefit in Northern Ireland, arrangements are being made to improve substantially the present clearance rate and I would expect the present backlog to be cleared by the autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received on the implications for agriculture in Northern Ireland of the current rate of the green pound; and if he will make a statement.

Representations have been received from Northern Ireland Members of Parliament and from representatives of the agriculture industry that a significant devaluation of the green pound is required to improve market support and reduce monetary compensatory amounts on trade between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It has been made clear to the European Commission that the United Kingdom will want to improve on the reduction of four percentage points proposed by the Commission.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has as to the numbers and proportions of

Persons not working, who would like a job
Spring 1986 (Thousands)
	Region/Sex	All who would like a job, of which:	Available to start within two weeks	Not available, hut had looked in last four weeks
	All persons
	Great Britain	5,296	4,292	220
	Northern	374	307	13
	Yorkshire and Humberside	515	432	14

The new earnings survey indicates thaw: in April 1986 just over 4⅓ million, or about 28 per cent. of full-time adult employees in Great Britain had gross weekly earnings for a full week of less than £125·6, the latter figure corresponding to 68 per cent. of the Great Britain average for all full-time adult employees. Comparable figures for 1979 are not available. Although an advisory committee of the Council of Europe has suggested the figure of 68 per cent. of national full-time adult average earnings as significant in considering low pay, the figure has not been accepted or recognised by the United Kingdom or any other member state of the Council of Europe.

asked the Paymaster General if he has any plans to introduce more accurate assessments of the numbers in employment and the registered unemployed.

I currently have no plans for changing the methods of estimating the numbers employed and unemployed.

asked the Paymaster General if, on the basis of the labour force survey, he will list how many (a) men, (b) women, (c) men and women (i) said they would like a job and were available to start work in the next two weeks, (ii) said they would like a job but were not available to start work in the next two weeks but had sought work in the last four weeks and (iii) said they would like a job; and if he will provide estimates for Scotland, Wales and each region.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 May 1987, c. 332]: I am able to give the figures requested but I trust that the hon. Member is not going to take any of this 'very partial selection of figures as any estimate of the number of unemployed people.Estimates from the preliminary labour force survey results for the spring of 1986 of the number of people who said they would like a job for whatever reason are as shown in column 1 of the table. Columns 2 and 3 of the table extract the figures requested for those people who said they would like work and were available to start work within two weeks or, if not available, had looked for work in the last four weeks.Of those people who said they were available for work, 1,357,000 had made no attempt to find a job in the last four weeks. This should be taken into account under any analysis, as is the case under internationally accepted definitions. On the basis of the accepted ILO definition and on the basis of the labour force survey, fewer than 3 million people were unemployed both in 1985 and 1986.

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish the April unemployment rates for the United Kingdom and for each region including Scotland and Wales using the new employment estimates contained in the 1984 Census of Employment.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 May 1987, c. 331]: We plan to publish unemployment rates incorporating new employment estimates which take account of the 1984 census of employment results on Thursday 14 May 1987. At that time, revised regional and national rates will be available in the Library.

asked the Paymaster General what is the success rate of small firms in the creation of jobs after one, three and five years, respectively.

I regret that the information is not available in the form requested. However, it is estimated that between 1982 and 1984 very small firms employing less than 20 people created around 1 million extra jobs in the United Kingdom, offsetting net job losses of ¾ million in larger firms.

asked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement about safety hazards in the chemical industry in the light of recent explosions at Grangemouth.

The incidents at Grangemouth are still being investigated by inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive. Reports will be sent to the procurator fiscal. When the investigation has been completed, I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Paymaster General if he will list those measures taken by his Department since 1979 which have benefited specifically employment, small businesses and tourism in the borough of Bournemouth.

The measures which have been available since 1979 to assist people in the Bournemouth area with employment are restart, community programme, YTS, adult training strategy, enterprise allowance scheme, job training scheme, job share, job splitting scheme, job clubs, job start, job release, voluntary projects programme, training opportunities scheme, wider opportunities training programme, open tech programme, new workers scheme, small firms employment subsidy, youth opportunities programme, young workers scheme, community industry, community enterprise programme, special temporary employment programme, travel to interview scheme and temporary short-time working compensation scheme. Many additional forms of encouragement have also been available in Bournemouth to the small business community since 1979; I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 9 February at columns 56–60 to my hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Mr. Browne) which lists these in detail.Since 1983, the only period for which statistics are readily available, the English tourist board, for which my Department has sponsorship responsibility, has offered assistance totalling £785,000 under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 to 56 tourism projects in Bournemouth. Bournemouth has also benefited indirectly from marketing campaigns organised by the English tourist hoard, the Southern tourist board and the British Tourist Authority.

asked the Paymaster General if he will instruct his enterprise and deregulation unit to conduct an urgent inquiry into the treatment by Government agencies of the express parcels services offered by the Post Office and by private courier concerns in competition; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Paymaster General whether he is proposing to make any changes to the new workers scheme; and if he will make a statement.

The new workers scheme will continue, with some changes. to encourage employers to create more full-time jobs for young people under 21 at realistic rates of pay. From 1 June this year the eligibility criterial for support for jobs starting on or after that date will change as follows:The scheme will be open only to 18, 19 and 20 year olds in their first year of employment.Eligibility for new workers for young people aged 18 will no longer be dependent upon their having exhausted their eligibility for YTS.The average gross weekly wage ceiling for 18 and 19 year olds will be increased from £55 to £60.In all other respects, the scheme remains unchanged.Booklets explaining the new workers scheme conditions in full, together with a revised application form, will be available from the employment measures units of the Department of Employment, jobcentres and careers offices shortly.

asked the Paymaster General (1) how much will be spent on training and retraining in the northern region (a) in the current year and (b) in 1983;(2) how many places are being provided in each of his Departments training schemes in the current year in the northern region, and how many were so provided in 1983.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 May 1987, c. 331.]: The amounts spent by employers, who have the primary responsibility for ensuring adequate provision for training, is not known. The information available about the training provided in the northern region through the Manpower Services Commission is as follows:

	1983–84		1987–88
	Cost	Numbers	Cost	Numbers
	£ million		£ million
YTS	1—	228,758	67·025	23,248

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish a table showing the number of people in each Department of Health and Social Security office area in Scotland who have been refused entitlement to benefit (a) for failing the eligibility for work criteria and (b) following a restart interview in the most recent period of 12 months for which figures are available.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 May 1987, c. 339]: No one can lose their benefit entitlement solely as a result of a restart interview. As regards eligibility for work, it has always been a requirement, under longstanding legal rules adopted by successive Governments, that claimants to unemployment benefit must be available for work. Decisions about entitlements in individual cases are and always have been the responsibility of independent statutory adjudicating authorities.The number of claims disallowed on availability grounds by centralised adjudication offices for the 12 month period up to 31 December 1986 is as follows:

Location	Number of disallowance decisions
Aberdeen	851
Anniesland	193
Ayr	281
Dundee	507
Edinburgh (East)	995
Edinburgh (West)	1,285
Falkirk	317
Glasgow (South Side)	737
Inverness	378
Kilmarnock	362
Motherwell	222
Paisley	685
Peterhead	414
Total	7,227

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Government of the Federal German Republic concerning the imbalance of trade between the United Kingdom and West Germany; and if he will publish in the Official Report a table comparing the United Kingdom deficit in trade in manufactures with West Germany and with Japan as a total and per head of the population of the relevant exporting country.

Trade matters are frequently discussed with our partners in the Community, including the Federal German Republic, which is the second biggest market for our exports.The statistical information requested is in the table:

United Kingdom Trade in Manufactures1 1986
	Trade balance	Per head2
	£ million	£
Trade with:
Federal Republic of Germany	-6,714	110
Japan	-3,913	30

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to ensure that funding of the European airbus on other than commercial terms will not prejudice United Kingdom exports to the United States of America; and whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing what proportion of the increase since 1979 in United Kingdom exports of finished manufactures is accounted for by the increase in exports of such manufactures to the United States of America and how much to the European Economic Community.

The airbus partner Governments have reaffirmed that any support for Airbus Industry and its partner companies will be in accordance with their GATT obligations. Before agreeing to provide British Aerospace with launch aid in respect of the airbus A330/A340, the Government will wish to be satisfied that the projects have sound prospects of economic and commercial viability and that they could expect to receive a real rate of return on their investment. The increase between 1979 and 1986 in exports of finished manufactures to the United States of America was equivalent to 26 per cent. and to the EC countries 43 per cent. of the overall increase.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those measures taken by his Department since 1979 which have benefited specifically trade and industry in the area of the borough of Bournemouth.

My Department has, through the encouragement of enterprise and restoration of incentives, sought to benefit industry and commerce throughout the country. The promotion of competition, in part through privatisation, the reductions in the burdens on business and the improved links between industry and education have all contributed towards improving the climate in which industry operates. More specifically, we have in the financial years 1979–80 to 1986–87 offered assistance of £2·728 million under the support for innovation scheme and £0·996 million under the provisions of section 8 of the Industrial Development Act to companies in the Bournemouth travel-to-work area.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from observatories and from astronomers about the impact on their work of the launching into space of satellites for the purpose of advertising; if he proposes to take any action; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has as to how many shares are held by (a) individuals and (b) institutions in British Telecom plc and British Gas plc.

Information on shareholdings in British Telecom is given on page 49 of the company's 1986 annual report, available in the Library of the House. Information on British Gas is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress he has made in his discussions regarding the treatment of public and private sector international couriers; and if he will make a statement.

Discussions are continuing both with my ministerial colleagues and with representatives of the Post Office and the private sector courier companies to identify possible ways of making progress towards parity of treatment.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Komatsu components imported into the United Kingdom for the local assembly of hydraulic excavators are subjected to the 26·6 per cent. anti-dumping duty; and what information he has on (a) the quantity and (b) the value of such imported components in each of the past three years or comparable period.

Components imported for local assembly of hydraulic excavators are not subject to anti-dumping duty unless imported as excavators in completely knocked down, disassembled or unassembled form.Statistics for the quantity and value of components imported by Komatsu over the past three years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he takes to monitor compliance with end-user certificates; how many contraventions have been notified to him over the latest period for which figures are available; what steps he takes to investigate alleged contraventions of the terms of such certificates; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 May 1987, c. 318]: Export licences are not issued unless the Government are satisfied as to the end use stated on the application. End-use certificates are just one element in the verification of export licence applications. It is not Government practice to disclose the nature of checks made.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new companies have been registered in the northern region in each year since 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 May 1987, c. 319]: Jordan and Son Limited estimates that the number of companies incorporated each year and whose current registered office is located in the northern region (or, in the case of companies which have been dissolved, the last known registered office) is as follows:

	Number
1979	1,719
1980	1,794
1981	1,884
1982	2,347
1983	2,545
1984	2,537
1985	2,648
1986	3,155

A small number of companies registered in parts of Lancashire and North Yorkshire are included in the northern region figures and some around the Berwick area are excluded as the table was compiled from an analysis of postcodes of registered office addresses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if any further companies have been approached by his Department to fund city technology colleges; and how many companies have now expressed a willingness to provide funding.

The situation remains as set out in my reply to the hon. Member on 1 April, at column 529, though I am pleased to add that since then Dixons Group plc has announced sponsorship of £1 million for the establishment of a city technology college in south Yorkshire.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research is being undertaken into dyslexia; what is his policy towards the teaching of dyslexic pupils; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has devoted considerable time and money in the past few years on research into specific learning difficulties. Four research projects were funded, and a seminar was organised; I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the report of the proceedings. Currently, research funding is being channelled towards other areas of disability. Education research tends to identify the teacher rather than the method as the most significant input into successful teaching. The needs of dyslexic pupils are best considered in teachers' in-service courses within the broad framework of pupils with special educational needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those measures taken by his Department since 1979 which have benefited specifically education in the area which includes the borough of Bournemouth.

Most Government resourcing of education is in the form of rate support grant, which LEAs are free to spend as they wish. Prescribed capital expenditure, also at the discretion of LEAs, totals £34·4 million for Dorset since 1981 and has enabled the LEA to include in its building programmes three major building projects at further education colleges in the Bournemouth — Poole area, costing over £5 million. Direct capital allocations for voluntary schools in Dorset total £2·4 million since 1982 and current building work includes provision of a new Anglian primary school at Muscliffe.Dorset has benefited from various Government schemes involving direct financial assistance for the in-service training of teachers and others and its annual grants for this purpose have increased from about £70 million in 1983 to nearly £300 million in 1987. Nearly £.1·3 million will be made available in 1987–88 under the new LEA training grants scheme. Since the inception of education support grants in 1985, Dorset has been particularly successful in its bids, covering many categories of activities, including, in the schools field, projects to enhance the management and curricula of rural primary schools and to develop pupil records of achievement and, in adult education, the establishment of the Dorset training consortium and a current project to develop educational provision for the unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to provide figures which would show the total estimated cost of resources available in schools throughout the United Kingdom but unused as a result of the teachers' strike.

The information requested is not available. Strike action continues to affect about 1 to 2 per cent, of schools in England and Wales each week.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what payments have been made or approved by him in relation to schemes submitted by local authorities for the payment of school meals supervisory assistance.

Under the ESG scheme, my right hon. Friend made available £37·2 million in 1986–87 to meet the cost of approved proposals relating to arrangements for midday supervision. Approved bids totalling £32,608,802 were received and to date grant totalling £12,650,431 has been paid. To enable authorities to continue their existing arrangements my right hon. Friend has allocated £39 million for this purpose for 1987–88.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the amount of money allocated per pupil for materials necessary for general certificate of secondary education courses.

The Government's plans for local authority current spending this year include an additional £100 million for GCSE non-teaching costs. Provision of £10 million is supported directly through education support grant and is specifically for books and equipment, including materials; the allocation of the £90 million which is supported through block grant is for individual authorities to determine but is intended to cover inter alia further spending on books and equipment. The £100 million in total is equivalent to £84 per fourth and fifth year pupil.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the pupil-teacher ratio in (a) first, (b) middle and (c) upper schools in Bradford in (i) 1983–84, (ii) 1984–85, (iii) 1985–86 and (iv) 1986–87.

The pupil-teacher ratios in first, middle and upper schools in Bradford in 1984, 1985 and 1986 are given in the table. Information for 1987 is not yet available.

January each year	1984	1985	1986
First schools	20·3	20·6	20·7
Middle schools	19·2	18·1	17·6
Upper schools	15·9	15·7	15·5

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the amount of money spent per pupil in (a) first, (b) middle and (c) upper schools in Bradford in (i) 1983–84, (ii) 1984–85, (iii) 1985–86 and (iv) 1986–87.

The information in the form requested is not available. The net institutional recurrent expenditure per primary and secondary pupil is given in the following table.

	Bradford
	Primary £ (Cash terms)	Secondary £ (Cash terms)
1983–84	745	890
1984–85	785	990
1985–86	850	1,085
1986–87	1	1
1 Not available

Bradford's middle schools are deemed to be secondary and therefore the secondary cost above is the appropriate one for their middle school pupils.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much has been awarded in grants by the Science and Engineering Research Council to (a) educational institutions and (b) others in Yorkshire and Humberside in each year since 1979; how much the council will disburse in the current year; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 1 May 1987, c. 237]: The information requested is as follows:

SERC research grant expenditure in Yorkshire and Humberside
	Financial year	Gross expenditure £'000
	1979–80	3,021
	1980–81	3,891
	1981–82	4,320
	1982–83	4,480
	1983–84	5,633
	1984–85	6,486
	1985–86	6,494
	1986–87	17,818
1 Provisional outturn.

Expenditure in 1987–88 is expected to be at least £7·8 million. It is not possible to give a more precise figure at this stage. All expenditure on grants, for which the SERC is responsible, relates to education institutions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services for how long his Department has been in consultation with the tobacco industry regarding the labelling of Skoal Bandits; and when he expects to announce the results of the discussions.

Measures further to control Skoal Bandits, including a health warning on the label and advertising material, have been under review since last year. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the annual percentage change in revenue input volume for hospital and community health services each year since 1979; and what was the annual percentage change forecast each previous year from 1978 onwards.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 8 December 1986 at columns 69–70 for actual changes in the purchasing power of hospital and community health services current spending.Since the introduction of cash planning from 1982–83, no forecasts have been made for changes in purchasing power. Forecasts for earlier years are not readily available on a basis consistent with my earlier reply owing to changes in the classification of HCHS current spending.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the National Health Service capital expenditure projects completed in the Staffordshire Moorlands district during the past 12 years and those projected in the next five years.

The available information about National Health Service capital projects for the parts of north Staffordshire and south-east Staffordshire health authorities which cover my hon. Friend's consitituency is given in the table. Information about schemes undertaken by the health authorities out of their annual block allocations for capital works is not held centrally. My hon. Friend may therefore wish to write to the chairmen of the district health authorities for details of any additional building schemes.

aked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients were treated in the hospital of St. Cross, Rugby in (a) 1986 and (b) 1978.

I am sorry I cannot give my hon. Friend the information he seeks in precisely the form requested. Information on individual patients treated is not available centrally. The available information is given in the table.

St. Cross hospital, Rugby
	1978	1985
In-Patient cases	5,667	8,585
Day cases	407	964
New out patient attendances	11,501	13,081
Total out patient attendances	47,892	55,633

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list those measures taken by his Department since 1979 which have specifically benefited the East Dorset health authority.

The East Dorset health authority, together with other health authorities, has benefited in many ways from the large increase in expenditure on health services since 1979. The health authority has experienced a real growth of 36 per cent. in revenue funding in the period 1978–79 to 1986–87. Sales of land have released a further £851,176. Phase 1 of the Bournemouth district general hospital is presently under construction and approval has been given to the second phase of this major new capital development. At Poole general hospital, an extension to the maternity unit nears completion and a new geriatric unit is to start later this year, as is an acute mental illness unit at St. Anne's hospital, Canford Cliffs. East Dorset has also received £280,000 from central funds towards services for drugs misusers and £114,500 from the waiting list fund to deal with more than 2,000 additional cases. More patients have been treated than ever before, for example the numbers of in-patient cases increased by 29 per cent. between 1978–79 and 1985–86. A computerised cervical cytology call and recall system has been recently implemented in East Dorset.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in the United Kingdom it is estimated were suffering from scleroderma at the latest date for which figures are available.

I am sorry I cannot give my hon. Friend the information he seeks in precisely the form requested. On the basis of the hospital in-patient inquiry, it is

(c) Tobacco products released for home consumption (United Kingdom)
	Unit of Quantity	1978	19861
Cigarettes	Million pieces	125,686	94,954
Cigars	Thousand kg	3,410	2,315
Hand rolling tobacco	Thousand kg	7,202	4,761
Other smoking and chewing tobacco	Thousand kg	5,487	2,732

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish statistics showing recent trends in the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products; and if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Protection of Children (Tobacco) Act 1986.

Information up to 1986 will be available later in the year. The latest available statistics on recent trends are as follows:

(a) Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking (Great Britain)
	Adults		Children1 (11–16 years)
	Men	Women	Boys	Girls
	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
21978	45	37	—	—
1982	38	33	11	11
1984	36	32	13	13

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will have discussions with representatives of the Royal Association in Aid of Deaf People regarding core funding; and if he will make a statement.

Officials from the Department met representatives of the association in November to discuss its application for a grant. I regret that in the light of those discussions we decided that funding would not be appropriate, and the association has been informed accordingly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what discussions his officials have had with the World Health Organisation regarding the direct and indirect human health implications of air pollutants associated with acid rain and the need for research in the United Kingdom in this area; and when these discussions took place;(2) if he will make a statement on any discussions since 1980 which he or his officials have had with their counterparts in the health or environment agencies of other Governments regarding the direct and indirect human health implications of the air pollutants associated with acid rain.

The main links with health and environmental officials from other countries have been through meetings arranged by the World Health Organisation. The United Kingdom was represented at a conference on the health effects of acid rain organised by the European office of WHO and held in Berlin in July 1984. The European office also arranged a series of meetings between 1984 and November 1986 on air quality guidelines, attended by officials from the Department and other United Kingdom experts, at which effects of air pollutants interrelated with acid rain were considered. Additionally, departmental officials have discussed this topic with their United States counterparts, following the report of a workshop on health effects of acid rain held at the United States National Institute of Environmental Health Science in December 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research has been done in the United Kingdom since 1968 to investigate the effects of ambient levels of the various pollutants associated with acid rain on sections of the population susceptible to, or suffering from asthma, bronchitis and lung cancer; and if he will summarise the results.

The programme of research at the former Medical Research Council air pollution unit, at St. Bartholomew's hospital, started in the 1950s continued through to 1981, covering, among other things, the monitoring of effects on health of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, sulphuric acid and other particulates, associated in other contexts with acid rain. The MRC is the main Government-funded agency for United Kingdom biomedical research receiving a grant-in-aid from the Department of Education and Science.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research has been performed in Britain to investigate any possible links between acid deposition and the following ailments: dialysis dementia, dialysis osteomalacia, dialysis dystrophy, and Alzheimer's disease; and if he will summarise the results.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will outline the nature and goals of research which has been performed, or has been commissioned, since 1980 by his Department or the Medical Research Council into the direct and indirect health effects of ambient levels of air pollutants associated with acid rain and, in particular, projects concerning the human health implications of the following (a) inhalation of sulphuric acid and nitric acid aerosols, (b) inhalation of sulphates, (c) inhalation of particulates. (d) inhalation of sulphur of dioxide, (e) inhalation of nitrogen dioxide, (f) inhalation of ozone, (g) public consumption of potable water contaminated by aluminium. (g) cadmium, mercury or asbestos and (h) public consumption of fish contaminated by heavy metals.

Research on the following direct effects of air pollutants associated with acid rain has been undertaken as follows:

(a) Experimental human inhalation studies with sulphuric acid mists were in progress at the clinical section of the Medical Research Council toxicology unit in 1980–81, to examine short-term effects on lung function. The MRC is the main Government-funded agency for United Kingdom biomedical research receiving a grant-in-aid from the Department of Education and Science. There were no studies specifically with nitric acid aerosols.

(b,c,d) The same investigations included some pilot studies with sulphate aerosols and other particulates, and an extensive series of studies on sulphur dioxide had been completed prior to 1980.

(e) Research work on effects of nitrogen dioxide have been concerned more with exposures indoors, from heating and cooking sources, than with those outdoors. Work on interrelationships with respiratory illnesses, commissioned by the Department, was in progress in 1980–81, concluding with a series of publications in 1982 in the International Journal of Epidemiology. As the findings were complex, I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the original reports.

(f) There has been no research on the effects of inhalation of ozone, but data from environmental monitoring carried out by Government Departments and other groups have been examined in order to consider possibilities of any direct effects on health. No detectable effects on health would be expected at the levels occurring from time to time in the United Kingdom.

(g) The Medical Research Council is undertaking studies on levels of aluminium in patients with Alzheimer's disease and on the occurrence of that disease and related neurological conditions in relation to concentrations of aluminium in potable water. Other indirect effects of acid rain that have been suggested, such as through the mobilization of heavy metals would be blocked by regulatory controls on levels of contaminants in water.

(h) Questions about public consumption of fish contaminated with heavy metals are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture,Fisheries and Food and I understand controls exist and monitoring is effected by his Department.

The possibilities of any direct or indirect effects of acid rain on human health are kept under close scrutiny, in line with the conclusions of the WHO meeting in 1984; it is not considered that any clear indications of adverse effects have been produced.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice or instruction have been given to district health authorities in the Greater London area concerning the use of contractors other than the London ambulance service for provision of non-emergency ambulance services.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what scales of charge, or other financial arrangement for their services, are being made by the London ambulance service to district authorities for provision of non-emergency ambulance services.

No charges are at present levied. Proposals to introduce charges are under consideration by the four Thames regional health authorities. The service to patients will of course continue to be free.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what tests of competence or other conditions relating to standards of remuneration and safety are applied by district or regional health authorities when using ambulance contractors for non-emergency ambulance services.

Health authorities are responsible for the day-to-day management of National Health Service ambulance services. It is for them to arrange the most appropriate, efficient and cost-effective means of transport for each of the patients the ambulance service is asked to convey. This may involve the use of taxi, hire car or other private contractors as well as volunteers. Standards of safety and payments to private contractors are not set centrally: health authorities are responsible for negotiating contracts locally and for setting standards of service, patient care, and safety.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice, guidance or instruction has been given to the London ambulance service in respect of the employment of part-time employees for manning ambulances.

Part-time employees are used by the London ambulance service to carry out non-emergency work. The national agreement on the salaried structure for ambulance staff allows management to use any combination of working arrangements to maximise effectiveness, including the use of part-timers where appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state the numbers of persons in each of the categories of personnel of the London ambulance service, including those persons now employed as part-time employees, at the latest convenient date, and the comparable numbers two years before that date.

The information is as follows:

	May 1985	May 1987	May 1987
	whole time equivalent	whole time equivalent	actual staff in post
Leading ambulance man	60	57	57
Grade 4/Qualified ambulance person	1,560	1,509	1,509
Grade 3	189	564	564
Grade 2	237
Grade 1	53
Ambulance person part-time	Nil	97·5	195
Total	2,099	2,227·5	2,325

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the minimum qualifications required by the London ambulance service for personnel employed in a full or part-time capacity in non-emergency ambulance services.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old, 5 ft 3 in tall, hold a full United Kingdom driving licence and live in the Greater London area. Successful applicants are trained by the London ambulance service for duties they undertake.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what study has been made of the impact of the reduction in non-emergency ambulance services of the London ambulance service on the administration and efficiency of out-patient departments in hospitals which they serve.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in which health authorities, which have introduced computerised cervical cancer call and recall screening, the increase in the number of women covered is being limited by the need for more computer capacity than was originally provided.

[pursuant to her reply, 5 May 1987]: Health authorities were asked in 1966 to introduce cervical screening for women over 35 and in September 1971 it was announced that a central recall system would be introduced. In December 1981, a change from national to local recall was announced because the national recall system was found to be ineffective. In April 1985 we asked health authorities to review the organisation of their screening programmes and to introduce a computerised call/recall system. In February 1987 we asked health authorities to extend their screening programmes to cover all women aged 20 to 65. These changes have created some problems for computer capacity.The 40 district health authorities listed may be limited in the current operation of cervical cancer screening by the capacity of the computer equipment at the associated 22 family practitioner committees. The situation in these areas is being considered by the task force that we have set up under the direction of Sir Roy Griffiths.

asked the Minister for the Arts if he will list those measures taken by his Department since 1979 which have specifically benefited the arts in the borough of Bournemouth.

The Government's arts policies have benefited individuals and arts organisations in all parts of the country.The public library service provided in Bournemouth by Dorset county council has benefited, as have the public library services elsewhere, from research and studies in library and information matters initiated by my Office. The results have been published in HMSO's library and information series.The area museum council has made grants in Bournemouth totalling £19,400. The Arts Council has continued its support of the Bournemouth symphony orchestra, now located in Poole. In 1986–87, the proportion of the orchestra's grant which related to concerts given in Bournemouth was £180,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time and part-time employees were working at the Treasury's Parliament street restaurant (a)before and (b) after November 1985.

Immediately prior to November 1985, the following Civil Service Catering Organisation staff were employed in the Parliament street restaurant:

		Number
Manager	Full-time	1
Industrials	Full-time	nil
Industrials	Part-time	7

At 31 March 1987 the committee employed

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will give the hourly rates of pay for the head cook, cook, assistant cook, cashier, catering assistant and kitchen porter, working at the Treasury's Parliament street restaurant;(2) if he will give the annual holiday entitlement, sickness pay entitlement, pension and redundancy pay entitlements of catering workers at the Treasury's Parliament street restaurant