asked the Prime Minister what plans she has to reconsider the present basis for treatment of Scottish business in the House.

I have been asked to reply.The arrangements for Scottish business are being handled in the usual way.

asked the Prime Minister how many officials in No. 10 Downing street had responsibility for foreign policy issues in (a) May 1979, (b) June 1983 and (c) June 1987.

On each of the dates there was one official in No. 10 Downing street with responsibility for foreign policy issues. In addition, there was one special adviser in June 1983 and June 1987 with responsibility for advising on foreign policy issues.

asked the Prime Minister when she expects to receive the report of the joint committee studying the economic development of the Isle of Thanet.

The joint committee is due to report by the end of September.

asked the Prime Minister if she plans to take any steps to seek to ascertain the extent of demand for devolution in Scotland.

The Government have no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister when she next intends to visit Bradford, South.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement about the pay of medical and dental officers in the armed forces.

The Armed Forces Pay Review Body has submitted to me a supplementary report on the pay of medical and dental officers in the armed forces. It recommends increases of between 5·5 and 7·6 per cent. according to rank with effect from 1 April 1987.These awards are derived as usual from those to civilian doctors and dentists that I announced in the House on 23 April 1987, at column 655, and the Government have decided to accept them in full.The report has been published as Command 176 and copies are available in the Vote Office.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 16 July.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 16 July.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today, before departing for Washington this evening.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the post-school activity, by social class, in terms of full-time employment, unemployment or YTS, full-time further education and other activities by number and percentage for each social class, in the latest available year; and what were the corresponding figures for 1980.

Information from the youth cohort study, a series of longitudinal surveys of young people aged 16 to 18, jointly sponsored by the Manpower Services Commission, the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Employment, is shown in the table. The percentages are of a sample of 14,000 young people in spring 1986 who had reached school leaving age in maintained schools in England and Wales in the academic year 1984–85.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will publish details of the scheme for schools opting out of their local authority education system.

The Government intend to issue shortly a consultative document which will give details of the possible shape and nature of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the scheme for schools to opt out of their local education authority system will be applicable to primary schools with fewer than 100 pupils.

The Government intend that initially the scheme should apply to secondary schools and to primary schools with more than 300 pupils. We shall be prepared to consider its possible extension to smaller primary schools at a later date.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which Ministers have visited Bradford to examine school defects; if he will list the schools and the dates of the visits since 1983; whether officials have submitted reports on the state of Bradford schools; and if he will make a statement.

The previous holder of my right hon. Friend's office visited Bradford on 20 and 21 September 1984 as part of his general programme of visits to local education authorities. In the course of that engagement he visited the following schools on 21 September 1984:

• Waverley Middle School
• Grange Upper School—Skills Foundation Centre
• Tong and Yorkshire Martyrs comprehensive Schools—TVEI Unit
• Whetley First School

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library a copy of the University Grants Committee's formula and the special recognition made therein for Welsh medium teaching referred to by the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Mrs. Rumbold) on 30 April, Official Report, column 469.

The UGC's current resources allocation process is described in circular letters of 19 November 1985 and 20 May 1986. Copies of both are in the Library. The UGC takes account of the cost of Welsh-medium teaching as a special factor but does not identify this as a separate element in the block grant for each relevant university institution. In addition, a separate block grant allocation is made for the University of Wales registry.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the sums allocated under each education support grant heading to the local education authorities on Merseyside for 1986–87 and 1987–88.

The information requested is given in the following tables:

asked the Attorney-General when the Lord Chancellor intends to appoint a successor to Mr. Roderic Browne QC as social security commissioner for Wales.

On 22 July 1986 the Lord Chancellor announced, at columns 120–23, the closure of the Cardiff office of the social security commissioners. I understand from my noble and learned Friend that between 1 April 1986 and 31 March 1987 commissioners sat only 17 days on oral hearings of appeals in Cardiff, and that he has no plans at present to appoint a social security commissioner resident in Wales. Oral hearings will continue to take place in Cardiff.

asked the Attorney-General if he will list the total sum expended on legal aid from each of the area offices over the last five years, together with the figure this represents per 10,000 of population for each area.

The total sums expended on legal advice and assistance (the green form scheme), "Assistance by Way of Representation", criminal legal aid in the magistrates' courts, the court duty solicitor scheme and the 24-hour duty solicitor scheme are as follows, by area office, together with the figure this represents per 10,000 of the population for each area. The magistrates' court duty solicitor scheme started in October 1983 and sums expended on it are included from 1984–85 onwards. The 24-hour duty solicitor scheme started in January 1986 and sums expended on it are included from 1985–86 onwards. Information is not obtainable without disproportionate cost for civil legal aid or for criminal legal aid in the higher courts.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the expenditure since 1976–77 (a) on museums and galleries in Wales, (b) on the Council for Museums in Wales and (c) any other expenditure on museums in Wales.

Expenditure on the Council of Museums in Wales from 1976–77 to 1986–87 was £1,403,000. Information about expenditure on museums and galleries in Wales (other than the National Museum of Wales) is not held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what expenditure has been made since 1976–77 on (a) the national museum of Wales, and (b) the national library of Wales, in respect of capital expenditure, revenue costs and purchase grants.

Expenditure on the National Museum of Wales and the National Library of Wales between 1976–77 and 1986–87 was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the present membership and period of office of the committee of the Welsh advisory body for local authority higher education.

The committee of the Wales advisory body for local authority higher education consists of four members nominated by the Welsh Counties Committee and four members nominated by the Welsh joint education committee. It is chaired by myself. Members are not appointed for a specific period of office. The current membership is as follows:Nominated by the Welsh Counties Committee:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the dates for 1987 of the proposed meetings of the committee of the Welsh advisory body for local authority higher education.

The committee is due to meet on 6 November 1987 and 11 December 1987.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will consider exempting the first 200,000 litres per annum of themilk for milk producers in Wales from controls on production; and if he will make a statement.

No. The problems of small producers have already been recognised by restoring them to their base year production levels.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make provision for preserving the existing rate relief for charities in the form of a discount from collective community charges; what estimates he has of the effects of the community charge proposals on churches and charities in Scotland; and what representations he has received on this matter.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 6 July to the right hon. Member for Tweeddale, Etrrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Steel) at columns 28–29.My right hon. and learned Friend has made no estimate of the effects of the community charge proposals on churches and charities in Scotland. He has received 32 representations from church organisations and individual churches, and some 50 further representations from other charities, about the implications for them of the community charge proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Lothian and Borders police board on the level of the establishment of the Lothian and Borders police force.

The board wrote to my Department on 1 June indicating that it had in mind to submit an application for an increase in the force establishment in due course. The application has not yet been received.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the level of establishment of the Lothian and Borders police force in each year since 1975.

The establishment of the Lothian and Borders police force since 1975 is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next intends to meet the chairman of the Forestry Commission to discuss tree-planting policy.

My right hon. and learned Friend meets the chairman of the Forestry Commission from time to time, but he has no plans at present to meet him to discuss this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the threat to Scottish rivers from the salmon disease cold water fibrosis in the light of damage already caused to Norwegian rivers.

My information is that although this disease has led to mortalities in farmed salmon in Norway it has not affected wild stocks.Although there have been two outbreaks in Scotland affecting farmed salmon the disease is very restricted and there is no immediate cause for concern to wild or farmed stocks. The marine laboratory at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland is continuing. however, to monitor the situation.The Diseases of Fish Act 1937 prohibits the import into Great Britain of live salmon and trout and this safeguards against the more obvious risks of disease being introduced to native stocks.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what statistical information he has, on an annual basis, covering the number of drivers and passengers killed in motor vehicle accidents where consumption of alcohol by one or more of the drivers is shown to be a significant factor;(2) what statistical information he has, on an annual basis, regarding the number of pedestrians killed or injured by motor vehicles where consumption of alcohol by a driver is shown to be a significant factor;(3) what statistical information he has, on an annual basis, regarding the number of cyclists killed or injured by motor vehicles where consumption of alcohol by a driver is shown to be a significant factor;(4) what information he has regarding the periods of the day in Scotland when road accidents in which alcohol is a contributory factor are most likely to occur.

Statistics of road users killed or injured in accidents in which alcohol was a significant factor are not available. However, the results of breath tests which motor vehicle drivers or riders may be required to undertake after being involved in an injury road accident are included in standard statistical returns held centrally. The table shows casualties associated with accidents in which at least one driver or rider failed a breath test in 1986:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish figures showing unemployment by age group in Greenock and Port Glasgow.

On 9 April 1987 (the latest date for which information is available) the number of unemployed claimants by age group in the Greenock and Port Glasgow parliamentary constituency was as shown in the table.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the reasons for the deadline for the submission of tenders from merchant banks to handle the privatisation of the Scottish electricity boards and the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board.

In bringing forward proposals for the privatisation of the electricity supply industry in Scotland many complex issues arise on which expert financial advice is required at the earliest possible stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has as to whether the agreement between the Nature Conservancy Council and the owners of Gualin national nature reserve permits vehicular access through the reserve for the purposes of letting fishing to third parties.

I understand that the agreement between the Nature Conservancy Council and the owners of Gualin national nature reserve does not expressly provide for, or on the other hand prohibit, vehicular access through the reserve for fishing purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Government have any plans for the setting up of AIDS units in Scotland.

We have decided to set aside funds within the health programme to enable hospital units to be established in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee to care for AIDS patients. The health boards concerned are being asked to submit detailed plans, including costings, as soon as possible and we shall he making specific allocations to meet additional capital and running costs in 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1990–91 of 15-bed units in Edinburgh and Glasgow and a 10-bed unit in Dundee.In reaching the view that these units should be set up, we have taken account of the recommendations of the working party under the general manager of Lothian health board which we set up last November to examine the health service implications of HIV infection in Scotland. The Government's response to the report has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and is being sent to all health boards asking them to take account of the recommendations in their forward planning for AIDS and HIV infection.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any progress has been made in obtaining the agreement of the European Community to the payment to Scottish crofters and farmers of sheep annual premium on untupped shearlings.

I am pleased that the Government's persistence has been rewarded by the agreement at a recent meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers of the European Community that crofters and farmers who keep untupped shearlings of specified breeds in certain areas of north and north west Scotland should in future be eligible to claim sheep annual premium on these animals. This decision will come as welcome news to the producers concerned, who farm in a very harsh environment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the total numbers of applications for grant-aid made to the Scottish Development Agency in each year since 1979 and the number and percentage of these which were accepted in each year.

[pursuant to his reply, 6 July 1987, c. 33]: Applications for grant-aid under the development of rural area workshops, programme for rural initiatives and developments and the local enterprise grants for urban projects (the agency's current recognised schemes of grant assistance), together with development grants to, for example, enterprise trusts, the training and employment grant scheme and better business scheme, are as set out in the table. Details of applications before 1983–84, prior to the inception of the grant schemes, are not available, but it is understood these were few in number.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what percentage of local government expenditure in England and Wales is represented by spending on education other than the payment of teachers' salaries;(2) what percentage of local government expenditure in England and Wales is represented by the payment of teachers' salaries.

In 1985–86 local government expenditure in England and Wales on teachers' salaries amounted to 22 per cent. of local authority gross spending on the rate fund revenue account. On education other than the payment of teachers' salaries and excluding school meals and milk it amounted to 21 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of local government income in England and Wales comprises funds provided by central Government.

In 1985–86 Government grants and subsidies accounted for 43 per cent. of local government gross income from all accounts, in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has made to the British Boxing Board of Control regarding the board's powers over professional boxers licensed by the board.

I have drawn to the British Boxing Board of Control's attention my concern over apparent mismatches in bouts involving British boxers. The board shares my concern. All boxers licensed in Britain have to reach very high standards of all round fitness and their licences are subject to annual re-examination. Every effort is made by the board to ensure that opponents are fairly matched. This is a matter for constant review by the board, which is now conducting a survey of the standard of foreign boxers being allowed to compete in Britain.British boxers must seek written permission from the board before taking part in a contest overseas. The record of the intended opponent is checked before permission is granted and a number of requests by British boxers to compete abroad have been turned down in recent months. In addition, the board has decided that if in the future it is concerned that an intended opponent for a British boxer is not of a sufficiently high standard it will convey that concern to the commission under whose jurisdiction the contest is taking place.Every British boxer travelling abroad must have the international licence which has been developed by the World Boxing Council, largely at the instigation of the British board. I share the board's hope that this licence will become accepted worldwide and that all countries will adopt safety standards in line with those applied in Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by classification those projects approved and rejected for the Nottingham inner area programme for 1987–88.

A list of newly-approved and rejected projects is as follows, classified by the four main urban programme objectives. In addition, projects deferred for further consideration are listed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received in favour of an urban development grant to assist Beechdale Engineering, Nottingham to relocate to the Blenheim industrial estate, Bulwell.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council-owned houses and flats are vacant in each of the London boroughs.

The latest available information is for 1 April 1986 and was provided by London boroughs in their 1986 housing investment programme returns. The figures for each authority's vacant dwellings within its own area, including any awaiting demolition, appear in columns A99 and A97, respectively, of the "HIP1 (1986) All items print" which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of rent arrears in each of the London boroughs.

The latest information available to this Department on rent arrears is for 1 April 1986 and it was supplied in local authorities housing subsidy claim forms. The figures for individual London boroughs are in the tables of "Local authority rent arrears (England) at April 1986", which were placed in the Library on 10 December 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations the Government have had with local authorities in England and Wales concerning the introduction of the community charge.

454 local authorities and associated bodies in England responded to the Green Paper "Paying for Local Government" (Cmnd. 9714). There have been discussions with the local authority associations in the Consultative Council on Local Government Finance and in a working group of officials set up under the auspices of CCLGF. My Department also has frequent contacts with individual local authorities, at both ministerial and official level, about the community charge.I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has conducted similar consultations with Welsh local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the reasons for delay in the purchase by Mr. and Mrs. Hunt of their council home at 16 Harfield gardens, Grove lane, S.E.5; and when he now expects Southwark council to complete the transaction.

Mr. and Mrs. Hunt's purchase was originally held up by a dispute over their discount entitlement and then was further delayed while the council obtained counsel's opinion on the terms of the lease. I understand that a completion date of 17 August is now proposed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a list of the number of local authority homes in each local authority in the east and west midlands which were considered to be in need of repair in each year since 1979.

Information is not available in the form requested. The numbers of local authority dwellings which are unfit, fit but lacking basic amenities, and others needing major renovation are provided by local authorities in their annual housing investment programme returns. Figures appear in columns A31, A41, and A51 of the "HIP All items print" for 1984, 1985, and 1986, which are in the Library. For earlier years the corresponding figures appear in authorities' individual HIP returns, which are also in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how the Government intend to proceed with their proposals for the restructuring and privatisation of the water authorities in England and Wales.

I have today published, together with my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Wales and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food a policy and consultation paper entitled "The National Rivers Authority—a public regulatory body in a privatised water industry." This paper sets out our revised proposals for the restructuring of the water authorities, under which their utility functions of water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment and disposal, will be transferred to public limited companies, which will be offered for sale to the public; and their regulatory and river management functions will remain in the public sector and be given to a new National Rivers Authority. We consider that creating a regulatory body responsible for these functions and answerable to the Government will provide clear and comprehensible framework for the private sector operation of the utility functions which represent by far the largest part of water authorities' business.The proposals set out in the paper published today are the result of much careful consideration, but there are a number of aspects on which we are keen to receive comment from interested parties. These include of course the water authorities themselves, and we shall consult them closely in taking the policy forward. We intend to make rapid progress in our consultations so that we can draw up and introduce the necessary legislation as soon as practicable.Meanwhile, we are today introducing a Bill which will clarify the powers of the water authorities to prepare for the restructuring and privatisation which we propose for the industry, and also to facilitate the carrying-out of domestic metering trials.I have arranged for copies of the policy arid consultation paper to be deposited in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields on 13 July about the implementation of CITES conferences resolution 2.12, how many live turtles have been imported into Grand Cayman from Nicaragua since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has for the future of the inner city task forces.

I announced an expansion of the inner cities initiative to 16 task forces on 27 April 1987, at column 31. Leaders and other staff of the task forces are now being appointed and premises found in the city areas they cover. Task forces are intended to promote local initiative and to improve the targeting of Government programmes in the chosen area. We are not committed to 16—task forces will be ended when they have completed their work, and new ones formed in areas which appear promising for this kind of pilot initiative.

Taylor asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the titles of those newspapers in which advertisements for the offers of sale of shares in Rolls-Royce and British Airports Authority were placed.

Public application forms for the sale of shares in Rolls-Royce plc were available in the following newspapers:

• Rolls-Royce plc
• Daily Mail
• The Daily Telegraph
• Financial Times Guardian
• The Independent
• The Times
• London Evening Standard
• Glasgow Herald
• The Scotsman
• Mail on Sunday
• Observer
• Sunday Telegraph
• The Sunday Times
• Birmingham Post
• Coventry Evening Telegraph
• Derby Evening Telegraph
• Lancashire Evening Telegraph
• Leicester Mercury
• Liverpool Post
• Manchester Evening News
• Nottingham Evening Post
• Sunderland Echo
• Western Daily Press
• Yorkshire Post

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the comparison of gross domestic product at 1987 prices between (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the United States of America, (c) Japan, (d) West Germany and (e) France, of the amount allocated by each country to military research.

The available information relates to Government funding of research and development for defence purposes in 1985 and is given in the table. For countries other than the United Kingdom the information is obtained from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.Government funding of R and D for defence purposes as a percentage of gross domestic product:

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the comparisons, as a percentage of gross domestic product by 1987 prices, between (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the United States of America, (c) Japan, (d) West Germany and (e) France of the total amounts spent by central Government and private industry on research funding.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has made to the Department of Commerce of the United States of America regarding the threat to the United Kingdom textile industry posed by the Textile and Apparel Trade Bill, currently before the Congress; and what reply he has received.

When he was in Washington in March, the previous Secretary of State for Trade and Industry made clear to the United States Administration and to Members of Congress the United Kingdom Government's

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the comparisons, as a percentage of gross domestic product at 1987 prices between (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the United States of America, (c) Japan, (d) West Germany and (e) France, for research funding in academic institutions by central Government and private industry.

The available information for countries other than the United Kingdom relates to 1983 and is obtained from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The data are shown in the table.

The available information relates to 1985 and is given in the table. For countries other than the United Kingdom it is obtained from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.strong opposition to the Textile and Apparel Trade Bill. The United States Administration are also opposed to the Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what occasions during the past 12 months the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has met Mr. Rupert Murdoch.

My right hon. and noble Friend has met the proprietors of all the major newspaper publishing companies during the last 12 months. He last met Mr. Murdoch on 21 May 1987 at Wapping, when he was Secretary of State for Employment. This was their only meeting during the period.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what occasions during the past 12 months the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has visited News International Ltd. at Wapping.

My right hon. and Noble Friend has visited the News International plant at Wapping on only one occasion, when he was Secretary of State for Employment. This was on 21 May 1987.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will publish as a table in the Official Report the United Kingdom imports and exports of textiles and clothing from and to (a) other individual European Community countries, (b) the rest of the world and (c) the European Community for each year since 1970;(2) what are the figures for imports and exports of textiles and clothing between the United Kingdom and, separately, the European Community and the rest of the world in real terms for each year since 1975.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what information he has regarding average unit labour costs in the textile and clothing industries of each country involved in the multi-fibre arrangement;(2) if he will publish as a table in the

This information is not collected by the Department and I can not readily identify a published source of the information to which the hon. Gentleman could be referred.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what regulations control the packaging of bleaches, weedkiller, drain cleaners and other toxic household goods to ensure the safety of children.

The Classification, Packaging and Labelling of Dangerous Substances Regulations 1984, which came into operation on 12 December 1984, set out packaging and labelling requirements for hazardous household chemicals to warn parents to keep them away from small children. The Child Resistant Packaging (Safety) Regulations 1986, which come into force on 1 December this year, prescribe child resistant packaging for the more hazardous household chemicals, including weedkiller, drain cleaner, oven cleaner, white spirit and paint stripper. Whilst ordinary household bleach is only classified as an "irritant" and child resistant containers are not therefore mandatory, I understand that many suppliers are now using them of their own volition. I welcome this responsible action.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he has any plans to introduce further facsimile machines for the use of right hon. and hon. Members.

No. Right hon. and hon. Members may make use of the facsimile transmission machine in the Central Lobby Post Office on repayment or, alternatively, they may purchase machines for their personal use from their secretarial allowance.

asked the Lord Privy Seal, if he will make a statement about Ministers' pay.

The salaries of Ministers and other paid office holders were last increased from 1 January 1987 under the terms of the Ministerial and Other Salaries Order 1983, and will remain at these levels until they are superseded by a new order. The Government have considered possible changes to ministerial salaries against the background of the 21·9 per cent. increase in the salaries of Members of Parliament that will take place on 1 January 1988 if the House decides to confirm the resolution of 26 July 1983 linking the parliamentary salary to a Civil Service pay scale. The Government do not consider that a similar percentage increase in the salaries. of Ministers and other office holders would be justified. Instead, they propose that all Ministers and office holders should receive the same cash increase of £4,048 as Members of Parliament are due to receive from I January 1988. Ministers and other office holders in the House of Commons will receive an increase of £3,036 in their parliamentary salaries from 1 January 1988 under the terms of the resolution of 26 July 1983. It is proposed to award them cash increases of £1,012 in their ministerial salaries to bring their overall increase up to £4,048. The salaries of Ministers and other office holders in the House of Lords will also be increased by £4,048. The details are set out in the table. I have today laid the draft Ministerial and Other Salaries Order 1987 to implement these changes.