asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average rise in farm rents per hectare, for farms which experienced, a rent change, for Welsh tenants during the last full year for which figures are available.

The latest information available is for the period mid-October 1985 to mid-October 1986 and shows that for the 30 per cent. of farms which had a rent change, the average rent per hectare rose from £40·12 to £48·43, an increase of 20·7 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the agricultural land which became vacant in 1986 in the tenanted sector was subsequently lost to that sector.

Figures are not available separately for Wales. However, based on the results of the annual rent inquiry published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, some 48·4 per cent. of the total area of agricultural land which fell vacant in 1986 in the tenanted sector of England and Wales was not subsequently relet.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has on the occasions on which planning permission has been granted for residential housing developments on appeal to his Department since 1979.

Welsh Office records of planning permissions granted for residential housing development on appeal show the name of the developer, the site, and the district in which the site lies. They also give a brief description of the development but not the number of dwellings unless this has been specified in the planning application.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total spending by his Department on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

The total expenditure on press and public relations in 1986–87 was £969,057. This figure includes expenditure on salaries and accommodation for all the information grades and support staff, based on the ready reckoner figures for 1986–87.Estimated expenditure for the current year is £598,500—a budget figure only—as the ready reckoner tables for 1987–88 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

The total spending in 1986–87 on television, radio, newspaper and promotional literature amounted to £406,965.The estimated spend for the current year for newspaper, television and radio advertising, together with other promotional literature, is £598,500.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people of pensionable age there are at present in Wales; what proportion of the population they represent; and what were the corresponding figures for 1957, 1967 and 1987.

The information requested is given in the following table. Data for 1987 are not yet available.

Number of Persons of Pensionable Age1 in Wales
	In thousands	As a percentage of total population
1986	542.4	19.2
1977	504.7	18.0
1967	434.7	16.0
1957	373.0	14.3

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many mortgage repossessions occurred in Wales in each year since 1979.

This information is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the tenants of each local housing authority in Wales are behind with their rent payments; and in each case what proportion of the total number of tenants they represent.

The information is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current level of unemployment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of unemployed people in the United Kingdom.

The following information is in the Library. On 11 June 1987 the number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom was 2,905,325.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what have been the numbers of accidents in manufacturing industry and the building industry for each of the last five years.

Reported Occupational Fatal and Major1 Injuries in Manufacturing and Construction, Great Britain
	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
Manufacturing
employees	4,218	4,193	4,349	4,774	4,932
self employed	14	23	28	35	17
non-employed	26	44	68	60	49
Total	4,258	4,260	4,445	4,869	4,998
of which fatal	119	133	129	132	111
Construction
employees	1,796	2,050	2,294	2,388	2,351
self employed	51	69	77	87	135
non-employed	48	46	77	82	92
Total	1,895	2,165	2,448	2,557	2,578
of which fatal	129	131	149	124	143
1 As defined in the Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations and reported to relevant enforcing authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will outline his plans for area manpower boards; and if he will make a statement.

I have written to the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission asking for the commission's proposals for establishing a degree of employer representation on area manpower boards which reflects the increased employer representation which is to be introduced for the commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of people in receipt of unemployment benefit in the constituencies of (a) Burnley, (b) Pendle, (c) Hyndburn and (d) Rossendale and Darwen.

The following information is in the Library.

Unemployed claimants of benefits—11 June 1987
	Number
Burnley constituency	4,943
Pendle constituency	3,722
Hyndburn constituency	3,235
Rossendale and Darwen constituency	3,735

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what was the total spending by his Department on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year;(2) what was the total spending by the Manpower Services Commission on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year;

The table gives the available information. Data collected under the new reporting regulations, which came into force in April 1986 are not yet available.(3) what was the total spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year;(4) what was the total spending by the Manpower Services Commission on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year;(5) what was the total spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if any changes will be made to the cash limits on his Department's Votes for 1987–88.

The cash limit on class VII, Vote 2, relating to administrative expenditure by the Department of employment will be reduced by £1,769,000 from £63,860,000 to £62,091,000. This is to compensate for an overspend of £1,769,000 in 1986–87 and follows the standard practice whereby the cash limit for this financial year is reduced by the amount of the previous year's overspend.The running costs control limit for 1987–88 will also be reduced by £2,337,000 from £402,435,000 to £400,098,000.The Department is reviewing its monitoring procedures for payments in order to improve its cash-limit control.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has concerning the number of people employed as full-time equivalents in the textiles and clothing industries for each quarter in the last eight years.

Employees in Employment in the Textile and Clothing Industries in Great Britain
Thousands
	1 Textiles				1 Clothing
	2 Males All	Part-time	Females All	Part-time	2 Males All	Females All	Part-time
1979
March	196·8	..	179·3	39·0	67·5	255·8	50·8
June	192·8	..	178·9	37·0	68·6	257·7	51·1
September	188·9	..	176·1	37·2	67·6	257·3	48·7
December	182·3	..	171·4	35·4	66·4	252·5	49·8
1980
March	174·1	..	163·8	32·8	64·0	243·8	50·1
June	166·3	..	158·4	31·4	62·7	233·1	45·4
September	155·8	..	149·1	29·8	60·6	225·0	44·0
December	150·1	..	142·3	28·1	58·2	211·8	40·3
1981
March	144·9	..	137·2	26·0	57·0	202·8	38·8
June	140·7	..	132·3	25·9	56·7	198·9	41·1
September	139·8	3·5	132·3	25·5	3 56·1	195·7	35·3
December	136·7	..	130·3	24·9	54·6	193·5	33·9
1982
March	134·3	..	128·1	24·3	53·6	190·4	32·9
June	130·9	..	125·2	23·9	54·2	187·6	33·3
September	128·0	..	122·6	23·3	53·4	187·8	32·8
December	125·2	..	120·5	21·7	52·9	185·3	32·0
1983
March	124·0	..	117·6	20·4	52·0	182·5	30·8
June	122·7	..	116·1	20·1	51·4	183·1	30·2
September	123·0	..	117·3	21·1	51·7	185·5	29·2
December	121·1	..	116·8	20·3	51·7	187·1	30·1
1984
March	119·0	..	114·2	20·0	51·8	188·8	29·8
June	119·5	..	114·0	19·4	51·1	187·8	26·7
September	120·6	2·1	114·3	19·9	351·4	188·0	27·7
December	120·4	2·1	114·5	19·0	51·4	189·6	27·7
1985
March	118·7	2·0	112·8	19·1	51·3	189·4	27·7
June	118·9	2·1	113·9	19·6	52·2	190·7	28·0
September	120·7	2·3	115·9	19·2	53·5	194·2	27·7
December	121·4	2·2	115·5	18·7	53·2	192·7	25·1
1986
March	120·5	2·3	114·6	18·9	53·6	191·7	26·2
June	119·9	2·4	114·3	19·1	53·6	189·5	24·1
September	117·2	2·2	112·0	17·8	53·3	186·6	22·9
December	118·1	2·2	113·9	18·0	53·8	184·7	22·1
1987
March	115·1	2·0	107·8	15·5	52·5	183·0	24·0
1 Textiles are defined as SIC Class 43 and clothing as SIC Class 45 excluding footwear.
2 Estimates of the number of part-time male employees are available for all industries at census of employment dates with quarterly estimates from September 1984 for those industries where the sample is large enough to give reasonable estimates, including textiles but not clothing.
3 Includes 3,600 part-time males at September 1981 and 2,200 at September 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, following the enactment of the Irish Soldiers and Sailors Land Trust Act 1987, he will give particulars of any Irish ex-Service men

[pursuant to his reply, Thursday 16 July 1987]: There is insufficient detail in the quarterly employment estimates to form the basis of a calculation of a full-time equivalent series. Estimates of total employees and, where available, part-time employees are shown in the table.of the first world war on the waiting list of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive; and if he will give particulars of any such Irish ex-Service men drawing war pensions from the Department of Health and Social Security who have not received help from the Irish Soldiers and Sailors Land Trust.

There are two Irish ex-service men to the first world war on the waiting list of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. As the Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust does not have records of former tenants, it is not possible to answer the second part of the question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the pay scale for (a) clerical support staff and (b) locally engaged staff employed at British posts in (i) India, (ii) Pakistan, (iii) Bangladesh, (iv) Ghana and (v) Nigeria.

The pay scales are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total spending by his Department on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

Total expenditure on press and public relations was as follows:

£ million
	1986–87	1987–88 Estimate
Payment to Central Office of Information for overseas information material and related activities	18·7	19·6
Other Information Services	0·7	0·9
Running costs of Diplomatic Wing Information/News Department	11·9	2·0
Running costs of ODA Wing Information Department	0·2	0·2
Costs of Information Staff at overseas posts	114·6	15·9
Total	136·1	38·6
1 Indicates provisional figures.

Most of this expenditure is incurred in carrying out the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's responsibilities for the projection of Britain's image and Her Majesty's Government's policies overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what what the total spending by his Department on television radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office expenditure on advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87 was:

	FCO Diplomatic Wing	FCO ODA Wing
	£	£
1986–87	335,754	228,347
Estimates for 1987–88 are	198,000	240,000

This expenditure relates mainly to advertising for recruitment; advertising relating to the Anglo-Soviet agreement on the settlement of claims (1986–87 only); publicity to promote the new entitlement of certain British residents overseas to vote in British and European Parliament elections; and promotional literature in the United Kingdom. A breakdown of these figures to identify the medium used is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current policy of Her Majesty's Government in respect of reflagging Kuwaiti oil tankers operating in the Gulf.

The reflagging of merchant shipping is a commercial and administrative matter. It does not require our approval but does require applicants to satisfy certain requirements imposed by the Department of Transport. These requirements apply to all applicants wherever they originate.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's relations with Syria.

We have no plans for high level bilateral contacts or for resuming diplomatic relations with Syria. We note the Syrian action against Abu Nidal but look for further convincing evidence of a sustained change in Syrian policy on terrorism.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to make a response to the recent report by the advisory committee for the safety of nuclear installations.

The recent report of the independent Advisory Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations does not require an immediate response from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. I note, however, that in his foreword to the report, the chairman welcomed the Government's recent decision to increase salary scales for the NII.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make it his policy to invite safety inspectors from the International Atomic Energy operational safety review team to assist the nuclear installations inspectorate until such time as the latter has fulfilled its full desired complement of inspectors.

The NII of the HSE is able to carry out all its essential statutory functions with its existing complement of staff. The operational safety review teams of the IAEA were never intended to perform the role of the national regulatory authorities of member countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what response he has made to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's nuclear energy agency report, "Electricity, Nuclear Power and Full Cycle Data in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Countries"; and if he will reappraise his nuclear safety programme in the light of the report.

As this report is of a purely statistical nature, compiled from data supplied by each member country, no response is called for.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the total spending by his Department on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

The provisional figure for expenditure by my Department on press and public relations in 1986–87 is £13,876,852. Estimated expenditure for the current year is £9,287,647.The bulk of the programme costs are in respect of the energy efficiency campaign. Special effort was put into the campaign during Energy Efficiency year 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, what was the total spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

The provisional figures for expenditure by my Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87 was £7,060,000. The bulk of this expenditure was related to the special effort put into the energy efficiency campaign during Energy Efficiency Year. This figure excludes costs included in gas privatisation. Estimated expenditure for the current year is £2,520,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (I) what information he has concerning the loan of United Kingdom electricity supply industry staff to ESCOM in South Africa;(2) whether all uranium imported into the United Kingdom from

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

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of the uranium stocks held by (a) British Nuclear Fuels Limited, (b) the Central Electricity Generating Board, (c) the South of Scotland Electricity Board and (d) the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is of (i) South African and (ii) Namibian origin.

This is a matter for the industries and I have asked the chairmen of BNFL, the CEGB and the UKAEA to write to the hon. Member. The SSEB is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many people in Wales were disconnected from their (a) gas, and (b) electricity supplies during the last year for which figures are available.

This is a matter for the industries themselves. I have asked the chairmen of the Electricity Council and British Gas plc to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in discussions between his Department and Shetlands Islands council towards final approval of the Foula pier improvement scheme; and if he will make a statement.

We are now considering the proposal for pier improvements at Foula in the light of the discussions between the Scottish Development Department and Shetland Islands council. We hope to reach a decision shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what aspects of the sale of the Clydesdale bank he discussed at his recent meeting with representatives of the National Australia bank; on what date the meeting took place; when he first learned about the proposed sale; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend met representatives of the National Australia bank at their request on 6 July. The purpose of that meeting was for the National Australia bank representatives to give my right hon. and learned Friend prior notice of their intentions in relation to the Clydesdale bank, as subsequently announced publicly on 7 July. My right hon. and learned Friend had been alerted to the proposed sale on 2 July.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the implications for the Scottish economy of the proposed purchase by the National Australia bank of the Clydesdale bank; and if he will make a statement.

The question of any statutory intervention, of course, falls to the consideration of my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, however, in terms of his responsibilities for the Scottish economy, has noted with interest the statement by the National Australia bank management that they intend that the Clydesdale bank will have a greater degree of autonomy than it has enjoyed in the recent past, and that they see Clydesdale as a springboard for further expansion in the United Kingdom and Europe.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total expenditure by his Department on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

The running costs of the Scottish Information Office in 1986–87, including the cost of paid publicity, were £1·5 million. The costs for 1987–88 are estimated at £1·7 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

The total expenditure by my Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87 was £926,000. Estimated expenditure for the current financial year is £1·2 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the achievements of his Department in helping small businesses over the last three years; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring.

My Department operates a wide range of measures, designed to improve the performance and competitiveness of businesses, large and small. Over the past three years, the measures taken by the Government to reduce burdens on business, some of which have particular application to small firms, have been set out in the White Paper "Building Businesses … Not Barriers" (Cmnd. 9794) published in May 1986, and in the progress report "Encouraging Enterprise" published in May this year.As these documents show, work is continuing in the company law field. In particular, the procedures introduced by the companies registration offices (CROs) for reminding companies of their filing obligations have proved of real value to small business men. Since the introduction of the reminder procedure for filing annual returns and accounts at the CRO, compliance rates have risen from around 60 per cent. to approximately 80 per cent.Consultative documents have been issued inviting views on accounting and audit requirements for small companies, procedures for filing annual accounts and returns at the CROs and abolition of the ultra vires rule with a view to action in the next Companies Bill. That Bill is also likely to include further measures designed to simplify company law requirements and, where possible, remove them altogether, especially where small business men are concerned. In addition, we currently await comments on the consultative document published jointly with the Inland Revenue earlier this month on possible changes in tax and company law aimed at making it easier for small companies to disincorporate.The new regional development grant scheme for development areas introduced in November 1984 was designed to be particularly favourable to firms with up to 200 employees. The main indicator of success in meeting this objective is that 83 per cent. of all grants made by the Department since the beginning of the scheme has gone to firms of this size. This represents an amount of grant of £78 million, which has been paid towards projects involving the creation of some 27,000 jobs. Comparable figures for the proportion of grants under the old regional development grant scheme going to small firms are not available but there is no doubt that the proportion was much lower.On 17 February 1987 the Minister of State announced simplified arrangements for regional selective assistance offers of up to £25,000. Some indication of the impact of these new arrangements will be given by the trends in the number and value of offers of this size but it is too early to draw any conclusions from the information available so far. Twenty per cent. by value of DTI offers of RSA in the last three years have been made to firms with fewer than 200 employees; this amounts to over £80 million in grant offered.The business improvement services scheme (BIS), a package of measures specifically tailored to the needs of small firms, was introduced in November 1984 in areas of England which have suffered a decline in the steel, shipbuilding and textiles industries. The scheme was extended in March 1986 to certain similarly affected fisheries areas and again in July 1986 to west Cornwall to provide support for small firms in that area, following the closure of the Geevor tin mine. At 3 May 1987 almost 6,000 offers had been made with a value of £45 million. It is too early to make an assessment of the performance of BIS but it has been a popular scheme. Initial reactions by the business community have been favourable.The exchange risk guarantee scheme (ERGS) has operated since 1978; following its most recent review in July 1985, it was decided that the resources available should be concentrated on small firms. The scheme enables firms to take advantage of low-interest foreign currency loans from the European Coal and Steel Community. These loans can also attract a subsidy linked to the number of jobs created.The period of loan for which ERGS cover is provided is, typically, seven to 10 years. The fluctuation in exchange rates over the period of time will ultimately determine the cost of providing such cover and, therefore, the precise cost will not be known until the expiry of the loan period. In these circumstances specific performance indicators are not considered appropriate. However, the operation of the scheme is kept under regular review.Under the support for innovation scheme there is a minimum of £100,000 eligible costs below which applications are only considered from small firms. Such applications are subject to a simplified appraisal process and the criteria are applied less stringently. Since April 1985, 352 small firms have been offered assistance involving expenditure of £6 million on total project costs of £24 million. Projects from small firms with costs in excess of £100,000 are not given favourable treatment.Over the last three years about 15,000 firms with up to 500 employees have received subsidised consultancy through the various elements of the business and technical advisory services (BTAS) aimed at improving marketing, design and management. About 90 per cent. of those assisted had fewer than 200 employees; more than half had fewer than 50 employees. Individual BTAS projects are monitored in the short term to ensure that firms get value for money and benefit from the experience. In the longer term, the Department, as part of its overall evaluation of expenditure, regularly carries out assessments of the benefits of funding support for business. A report on the SFI scheme, covering SFI support for all sizes of business, will be published this autumn.The British Overseas Trade Board provides a wide range of services to exporters. Although not available exclusively for small businesses, these are designed with the needs of such firms particularly in mind. Small firms account for over 70 per cent. of the board's contact with industry, and continued attention will be given to encouraging and enabling these firms to develop their potential for breaking successfully into overseas markets.The board attempts as rigorous an assessment as possible of the value of its expenditure on the services it provides. These assessments can never be wholly accurate but indicate that the BOTB services examined are linked to around £2 billion of exports which would not otherwise have been won. This produces a ratio of exports to expenditure of about 50:1.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will seek to amend the Mock Auctions Act 1961 in order to strengthen the powers of enforcement officers.

There are no plans at present to amend the Mock Auctions Act 1961.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many successful prosecutions took place in each of the last five years for offences under the provisions of the Mock Auctions Act 1961.

The number of successful prosecutions under the provisions of the Mock Auctions Act 1961 in each of the years 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985 were as follows:

	Number
1982	90
1983	33
1984	24
1985	7

Figures for 1986 are not yet available but are expected to be published in September this year.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give details of the importation of turtle products by (a) description, (b) weight and (c) value in each of the past five years.

Turtle products are not separately identified in the UK Overseas Trade Statistics. However, import permits for turtle products are granted by the Department of the Environment in accordance with European Council regulation 3626/82, which implements the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora within the European Community, from which the following information has been obtained.Figures are not yet available for 1986. Information on the value of turtle products is not available; with the exception of meat and calipee (for which weight is available), the only information relates to the number of items.

United Kingdom imports of Turtle products 1982–85
Quantity
Product	1982	1983	1984	1985
Handbags	11	164	—	—
Bodies	3	112	—	1
Shoes	634	414	—	—
Shells	6	328	9	21
Shell:
carvings	64	—	7	16
boxes	3	—	—	—
pieces	—	—	14	—
cabinet	1	—	—	—
Scales	6	—	—	—
Belts	10	27	—	—
Wallets	—	140	—	—
Skin pieces	—	—	20	—
Eggs	—	—	—	150
Meat (kg)	—	1,000	6,902	—
Calipee (kg)	—	—	545	—

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will set out the latest information regarding shareholding in British Telecom using the same format as that given in his reply to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Nellist) on 20 January 1986.

As my previous answer to the hon. Member for Coventry South-East (Mr. Nellist) made clear, this is properly a matter for British Telecom. Its 1987 annual report gives the most recent available figures on categories of shareholdings. A copy of this is available in the Library of the House.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the answer of 13 July, when he expects to be in a position to announce his decision on the possible reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission of the proposed purchase by the National Australia bank of the Clydesdale bank.

My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will be in a position to make a decision on the possible reference of this proposal when he has received the advice of the Director General of Fair Trading. The Director General will submit his advice as soon as is reasonably practicable.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what date his Department first knew of the potential PZ order for ferries from British Shipbuilders.

My Department was first approached in February 1986 about a possible order for a series of ferry hulls. British Shipbuilders became involved in March 1986 in discussions about building a series of complete ships.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assistance was provided by his Department in the successful tender for the PZ order to British Shipbuilders.

Considerable assistance was provided for this order from the shipbuilding intervention fund under the rules of the EC fifth directive on aid to shipbuilding. The tender also took into account the benefit of export credit provided on OECD understanding terms.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total spending by the Department of Trade and Industry on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total spending by the Department of Trade and Industry on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

Information is not readily available to distinguish between expenditure on advertising in newspapers and that in the press generally. Nor is it readily available for amounts spent other than centrally by my Department.The figures which are readily available are:

Advertising
	TV	Radio	Newspapers (Press)	Promotional Literature
	£	£	£	£
1986–87	—	2,921	986,798	1,007,569
1987–88	16,000	15,500	1,648,000	1,491,500

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, when reviewing teachers' pay, he will consider extending the boundaries of outer London weighting to include teachers working in Berkshire.

My right hon. Friend has it in mind to refer the question of London weighting allowances to the interim advisory committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of Science and Engineering Research Council/Medical Research Council funds are spent on fundamental research compared with industrially relevant development work.

The information is not available exactly in form requested. A breakdown of Science and Engineering Research Council and Medical Research Council spending into the four categories—basic research, strategic applied research, specific applied research and experimental development—is given in table A23 on page 22 of the 1986 "Annual Review of Government Funded Research and Development," a copy of which is in the Library. The definition of the four categories is given in annex 3, page 183, of the review.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what extent private industry contributes financially to scientific research in universities and polytechnics.

In respect of universities. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Wallace) on 8 July 1987 at column 156. Comparable information is not collected centrally for polytechnics.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) for what purpose the department of Bacteriology at the university of Edinburgh applied for funds from the Medical Research Council; and why this application was not acceded to in full;(2) if the work that the department of bacteriology at the university of Edinburgh proposed to the Medical Research Council is being carried out at other centres.

The department of bacteriology at the University of Edinburgh applied to the Medical Research Council for funds to support research on susceptibility to meningitis (the project is entitled "The Secretor State and Susceptibility to Bacterial Meningitis"). The application was carefully considered by the council's physiological systems and disorders board in the light of advice from expert referees. The decision was that the application was not of sufficient scientific merit to justify full support, but that it should receive limited support to enable the applicants to confirm the premliminary hypothesis on which the study is based.The Medical Research Council is not aware of any similar work being done in this country. However, I understand that similar work is at present being done in the Netherlands.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) pursuant to the answer of 6 July, Official Report, column 37, whether letters referred to Conservative Central Office or his political adviser have the status of a ministerial reply; and if he will make a statement;(2) pursuant to the answer of 6 July,

All letters from candidates were considered for reply by Conservative Central Office or my political adviser, as were letters relating to policies announced in the Conservative manifesto. Replies on Conservative Central Office paper do not have the status of a ministerial reply. About 15 replies on educational matters were deal with in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply of 6 July, Official Report, column 37, if he will make it his policy to regard mandatory levies as part of fees for the purposes of the student grant.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total spending by his Department on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

Total spending, including staff costs, on press and public relations by the Department of Education and Science in 1986–87 was £1,937,849. The estimated expenditure for the current year is £2,305,287.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

Total spending on advertising and other promotional literature by the Department of Education and Science in 1986–87 is as follows:

	£
Newspapers	532,000
Television	—
Radio	—
Other promotional literature	533,000

The estimated expenditure for the current year is £1,52,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the conditions under which Simon Brown, aged 17 years, has been held in police cells at Horseferry road police station; for how long he has been held there: and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to how and when the family of Simon Brown, aged 17 years, were informed that he was to be moved from police cells at Horseferry road police station to Ashford remand centre; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to how many visits Simon Brown was allowed from members of his family while he was being held in police cells at Horseferry road police station; and if he will make a statement.

Police cells in the metropolis are the responsibility of the Commissioner of Police. The police provide the best conditions they can under difficult circumstances, but we are well aware that facilities may leave much to be desired. The measures which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced yesterday are designed to alleviate the present situation.I am informed that Simon Brown was held in Horseferry road police cells from 8 to 11 July before being transferred to Ashford remand centre.The police do not allow visits to prisoners in Horseferry road police cells although they do allow food and changes of clothing to be taken in by the prisoner's familyThe police are not obliged to inform prisoners' families when they are transferred to prison custody, but they do so if the prisoner requests it. No record is kept which would enable the police to say whether that was done in this case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policy is followed at Ashford remand centre in allowing visits to people being held on remand; on what days visits are allowed; how people are informed of this and if he will make a statement.

Because of a substantial increase in the population of Ashford remand centre and the limited accommodation available for visits, my right hon. Friend authorised, exceptionally, last year a reduction in the minimum of 15 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays normally allowed for visits to remand prisoners. The current provision at Ashford is for 15-minute visits on alternate weekdays with 10-minute visits on Saturdays. Inmates are informed of the visiting arrangements on arrival at the establishment and details are contained in notices on all landings. When next of kin are notified of an inmate's reception, information on visiting arrangements is provided. In addition, details are displayed on notices in the visitors' centre outside the remand centre, at the gate and in the passage leading to the visits room.

Ordinary Visitors and business visitors admitted to the United Kingdom between November 1985 and March 1987
Number
		Nationality
		India	Pakistan	Bangladesh	Ghana	Nigeria
	VISITORS
	1985
	November	7,080	3,300	520	1,730	9,280
	December	8,490	4,120	600	1,820	12,760
	1986
	January	5,070	2,930	420	1,250	8,020
	February	5,890	2,640	340	1,140	7,100
	March	6,970	3,940	500	1,270	9,100
	April	10,220	5,140	580	1,160	8,020
	May	18,350	6,120	980	1,510	10,110
	June	20,410	10,040	1,080	1,670	10,410
	July	19,960	14,770	1,600	2,730	20,420
	August	16,740	8,750	1,360	2,920	19,200
	September	13,210	6,210	1,060	2,000	12,320
	October	8,520	4,340	850	1,290	5,660
	November	5,450	2,610	500	810	3,480
	December	4,730	3,090	510	970	4,400
	1987
	January	3,730	2,130	400	680	3,500
	February	3,710	1,880	310	590	1,750
	March	4,890	2,650	380	680	1,930
	BUSINESS VISITORS
	1985
	November	2,280	1,090	180	770	5,400
	December	1,680	650	190	590	2,950
	1986
	January	1,970	680	100	500	4,320
	February	2,260	760	120	590	5,530
	March	2,340	870	110	510	5,280
	April	2,530	1,060	160	610	5,330
	May	3,290	1,170	210	700	5,830
	June	2,940	1,010	180	600	5,460
	July	2,650	1,080	150	530	5,520
	August	2,000	890	150	620	4,080
	September	4,030	1,150	170	680	5,650
	October	2,780	1,050	170	570	3,320
	November	2,490	930	150	570	2,820
	December	1,480	690	110	370	1,820
	1987
	January	1,950	780	90	460	1,850
	February	2,110	710	100	490	1,820
	March	2,510	920	100	620	2,820

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of the recent robbery at the Knightsbridge safe deposit centre, he will order an urgent review of the private security industry; and if he will seek to impose statutory controls over its operation.

No. While the private security industry shold be properly regulated, it does not follow that the answer lies in statutory regulation. We have made

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) ordinary and (b) business visitors entered the United Kingdom in each month since November 1985 from each of the following countries: (i) India, (ii) Pakistan, (iii) Bangladesh, (iv) Ghana and (v) Nigeria.

The latest available information is given in the following table:it clear that we look to the industry itself to provide self-regulation, and much progress has been made by both the British Security Industry Association and the International Professional Security Association.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total spending by his Department on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

The total running cost of the Home Office public relations branch, excluding direct expenditure on paid pubicity, in 1986–87 was £753,000. The forecast expenditure in the current financial year is £877,500.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

The total amount spent by the Home Office on advertising, promotional literature and other paid publicity, in 1986–87 was £5·7 million, Estimated expenditure for the current financial year is £9·1 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total spending by the Metropolitan police on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that staffing and accommodation costs of the Directorate of Public Affairs and spending on recruitment and other advertising and other promotional literature totalled £4,444,103 in 1986–87. The estimate for 1987–88 is £4,654,926.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total spending by the Metropolitan police on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature, in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that expenditure by the Metropolitan police on all forms of recruitment and other advertising, and other promotional literature totalled £2,269,000 in 1986–87. The estimate for 1987–88 is £2,483,000.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list the most recent percentage pay increases agreed with the following public sector workers: (a) university lecturers, (b) the police, (c) doctors and dentists, and (d) civil servants.

The information requested is as follows:

	Percentage increase	Date of most recent increase
University Lecturers	16·6	1 1 December 1986
Police	7·5	1 September 1986
Doctors and Dentists	7·7	1 April 1987
Civil Servants	4·6	1 April 1987
1 First stage of a staged deal. Second increase of 7·4 per cent, due from 1 March 1988.

asked the prime Minister what representations she has received concerning the use of Bhaktivedanta manor at Letchmore heath as a temple by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and if she will make a statement.

I have recently received a petition from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and a letter from my hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Mr. Watts). I shall be writing to him in due course.

asked the Prime Minister if, pursuant to her answer on 14 July, relating to the Westland affair, she will list each of the previous answers to which she referred, giving in each case a precise column reference in the Official Report; if she will make it her policy in future, when answering questions by alluding to previous replies, to give detailed Official Report column references: and if she will make a statement.

In my reply of 17 November 1986, at column 50, I told the hon. Gentleman that full accounts have already been given by myself and other Ministers in statements in Parliament, speeches in debates and answers to parliamentary questions, and by the head of the Home Civil Service in his evidence to the Defence Committee. This material is readily available in the Official Report and in the minutes of evidence to the Committee. The Government stand by those accounts, and see no reason to qualify or add to them.

asked the Prime Minister whether turtle soup has been served at any official Prime Ministerial function since 1979; and if she will make a statement.

Records for the period before 1982 are not available. Since 1982 there have been no occasions when turtle soup has been served at any official luncheon or dinner at No. 10 Downing street.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list all Government contracts for which the organisation KMS has tendered since 1979; and if she will give the date in each case.

Details of tenders for Government contracts are not recorded centrally. Records for my office are readily available only from April 1984. No contracts have been placed with, or payments made to, KMS Limited by or on behalf of my office during that period.

asked the Prime Minister if she will raise with the United States Administration the question of paying compensation to the families affected by the United States bombing of Libya in 1986.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if she has asked Mr. Richard Branson to pay the costs of his rescue; and if she will make a statement.

No. It is not our policy to charge for rescuing those whose lives are at risk.

asked the Prime Minister what was the total spending by the Cabinet Office on press and public relations in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

The information is not available in the precise form requested. Expenditure on press and public relations in 1986–87 by the Cabinet Office, including by No. 10 Downing street, the Management and Personnel Office, and the Central Statistical Office, as well as on such services provided to the Office of Arts and Libraries, was £551,500. An estimated £535,000 is expected to be spent on these activities in 1987–88.

asked the Prime Minister what was the total spending by the Cabinet Office on television, radio and newspaper advertising and other promotional literature in 1986–87; and what is the estimated expenditure for the current year.

Such expenditure by the Cabinet Office, including the Central Statistical Office and the Management and Personnel Office, is nearly all related to recruitment by the Civil Service Commission. Total spending in 1986–87 was £2,156,000, of which £2,004,000 was on recruitment. Estimated expenditure in 1987–88 is expected to be £2,400,000, of which £2,212,000 will be on recruitment.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was (a) the total number of obstetricians

Table 2
Permanent paid staff in Obstetrics and Gynaecology: showing number of staff, number and percentage of female staff; number of part-time staff2 as proportion of all staff and number and percentage of female staff at 30 September each year
England and Wales
	Number of staff			part-time staff
	Total	Female	Percentage of female	Total	Percentage of all staff	Female	Female part-time staff as percentage of all part-time staff
1978	1,174	186	15·8	542	46·2	77	14·2
1979	1,190	195	16·4	550	46·2	82	14·9
1980	1,186	203	17·1	537	45·3	78	14·5
1981	1,215	230	18·9	540	44·4	80	14·8
1982	1,252	245	19·6	543	43·4	89	16·4
1983	1,272	241	18·9	539	42·4	84	15·6
1984	1,283	258	20·1	543	42·3	83	15·3
1985	1,276	267	20·9	532	41·7	82	15·4
1986	1,303	262	20·1	528	40·5	78	14·8
1 Including consultants, associate specialists, senior registrars and registrars.
2 Including maximum part-time consultants and associate specialists and other part-time staff in grades of consultant, associate specialist, senior registrar and registrar.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list (a) the amount of grant aid allocated by Government to each voluntary organisation devoted to women's health, for each year from 1974, (b) the percentage' increase or decrease in

The tables set out available data for England and Wales of doctors in the specialty of obstetrics and gynaecology. Data of the sex of part-time medical staff are not available prior to 1978 or for all grades. Table 2 includes part-time medical staff in the consultant, associate specialist, senior registrar and registrar grades.

Table 1
Hospital medical staff1 in obstetrics and gynaecology: showing number of staff, and number and percentage of female staff at 30 September each year
England and Wales
		Females
	All Staff	Number	Per Cent.
1974	2,306	611	26·5
1975	2,426	613	25·3
1976	2,426	590	24·3
1977	2,466	626	25·4
1978	2,497	641	25·7
1979	2,518	691	27·4
1980	2,560	673	26·3
1981	2,616	718	27·4
1982	2,682	742	27·7
1983	2,709	735	27·1
1984	2,715	766	28·2
1985	2,733	832	30·4
1986	2,752	866	31·5
1 Including consultants and senior hospital medical officers with allowance, associate specialists, senior registrars, registrars, senior house officers and house officers.

Government grants to these organisations, for each year from 1974 and

The information requested would be available only at disproportionate cost.The following is a list of voluntary organisations funded by the Department in 1986–87 which are either devoted to women's health and welfare, or of primary or particular interest to women, and of the amount of funding they received from the Department in 1986–87.

Voluntary organisations funded under Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968
	£
General Scheme
Women's National Cancer Control Campaign	68,000
Women's Health Concern	7,000
Women's Therapy Centre	5,000
Widow's Advisory Trust	20,000
London Black Women's Health Action Group	3,750
Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development (FORWARD)	40,000
Mastectomy Association	6,000
Maternity Alliance	37,000
National Childbirth Trust	42,500
La Leche League of Great Britain	6,000
National Association for Maternal and Child Welfare	10,000
Miscarriage Association	2,274
Stillbirth and Neo-natal Death Associaton	22,000
Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths	10,000
National Women's Aids Federation	29,590
Rape Counselling and Research Project	22,000
Anorexic Family Aid	24,881
London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (towards its telephone information service in relation to AIDS)	10,335
Central Funding Initiative for Services for Drug Misusers
City Roads (to provide additional accommodation for women and children)	72,177
Coke Hole Trust (rehabilitation service)—mother and baby unit	10,963
Phoenix House, S. Tyneside Project (to provide a residential rehabilitation unit with special facilities for women and their families)	78,051
Tranx (National Tranquilliser Advice Centre)	20,300

The Department funds many other voluntary organisations whose work is of interest to both women and men, including a number of organisations working for young children.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients are currently in the Eastdale unit at Balderton hospital; and how many people are currently awaiting transfer to the unit.

I understand from the Central Nottinghamshire health authority that there are six patients in the unit. Of these, two are at present away from it, one in police custody and the other on assessment leave. Seven patients have been identified as potentially suitable for short periods of phased leave and observation in the unit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is now able to publish a firm date for the start of building work on the new district general hospital to serve Lichfield, Tamworth and Burton on Trent.

The management of this scheme is the responsibility of the West Midlands regional health authority. I understand that building work is due to start in July 1989.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the medical and surgical aids which are available (a) free of charge and (b) at a reduced cost to women aged 60 years or over and men aged 65 years or over.

A wide range of aids is available free of charge to people of pensionable age. Those available on general practitioner prescription are listed in part IXA of the "Drug Tariff'', a copy of which is available in the Library. There is no comprehensive list of the aids available through the hospital and community health services.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost of extending entitlement to concessions on the cost of medical and surgical aids to all persons aged 60 years or over.

The information on which to base a reliable estimate is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will bring in legislation to ban private laboratories from advertising testing services to the general public.

No. We are considering how best to ensure that private laboratories offering testing services maintain acceptable standards. The Advertising Standards Authority's guidance to the media is that advertisements from laboratories should be accepted only if the work in question is supervised by a suitably qualified person.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the dates for the start and the completion of the new Kendal hospital.

No firm start date is available pending final approval to contract arrangements. A decision is expected shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many jobs have been lost or created in Nottingham in the National Health Service (a) since 1979 and (b) since 1983.

I have interpreted "Nottingham" as referring to Nottingham district health authority. Information on jobs lost or created is not collected centrally. The table shows staff in post figures for Nottingham district health authority, at 30 September 1983 and 1985. Due to the effects of the 1982 reorganisation, data are not available for 1979 on a consistent basis with those for later years. The figures for 30 September 1985 are the latest available to this level of detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the trend over the past (a) 10 and (b) five years of the number and proportion of households consisting of (i) married and (ii) cohabiting couples.

The available information which most closely approximates to that requested is as follows:

Great Britain
	1976	1979	1981	1984
Estimated number of private households (millions)1	19·3	19·7	20·1	20·5
Estimated percentage of households containing a married couple2	67	65	65	63
Estimated percentage of women aged 18–49 who were cohabiting2	n/a	3	5	4

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why there is a special family income support unit that deals solely with claims from civil servants.

There is no such unit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the size of the waiting list in the Barnet health authority; and how this compares with the waiting list in September 1986.

I am sorry I cannot give my hon. Friend the information he seeks as the latest figures available centrally are for 30 September 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost of providing free prescriptions for all sufferers from cystic fibrosis; and if he will make a statement.

All cystic fibrosis sufferers under the age of 16 are automatically exempt from charges and a number of those over 16 will be exempt on financial or other medical grounds. The cost of extending exemption to the remainder would be small but it would be unfair to single out one group from others who seek exemption on medical grounds.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to make free prescriptions available for all cystic fibrosis sufferers; and if he will make a statement.

We have no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when a decision will be reached by his Department's attendance allowance office at Norcross, Blackpool, in the case of Miss Irene Clipsom of 24 Mill Lane, Rugeley, Staffordshire, in respect of her mother Mrs. Clipsom, national insurance No. ZA 57 26 89 A.