To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advertising agents have been appointed by his Department, or by the Central Office of Information on behalf of his Department, to handle campaigns involving the communication of information on subjects for which his Department is responsible to Parliament during the year 1985–86; what was the subject of each campaign; and how much was spent on each campaign.

The spending in 1985–86 by advertising agencies on campaigns is as follows:

Agency	Campaign	Expenditure
The Yellowhammer Company Ltd.	Misuse of Drugs	£60,000
Davidson Pearce Ltd.	Road Safety	£11,000

The figures are in full cost terms, including VAT where applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide a breakdown of pupils in (a) nursery schools and (b) nursery classes in primary schools expressed in terms of full-time equivalents by local authority in Wales.

The information in respect of January 1987 is as follows:

	Full-time equivalent pupil numbers in:
	Maintained nursery schools	Nursery classes in maintained primary schools
Clwyd	186	1,924
Dyfed	202	1,392
Gwent	707	1,560
Gwynedd	—	1,181
Mid Glamorgan	1,021	4,373
Powys	—	801
South Glamorgan	430	1,241
West Glamorgan	117	2,415

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was (a) the number of applications made by Pakistan nationals for a visa to study in the United Kingdom in each year from 1983 to 1986 and (b) the number of applications granted in each of these years; and if he will make a statement.

The information available centrally is given in the following table.

Applications in Pakistan for a visa to enter the United Kingdom as a student
Number of persons
	Applications
	Newly received1	Granted2 3	Refused initially3
1983	200	140	20
1984	220	170	20
1985	210	210	10
41986	290	270	20
1 Including applications subsequently withdrawn or lapsed.
2 Granted initially or on appeal.
3 The application may have been received in a previous year.
4 Visas were mandatory for Pakistani students from 15 October 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of keeping a person on remand in police cells.

The average cost per night of keeping a person on remand in police cells, based on the la test accounts submitted by police forces, is £163.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for payment of the costs involved in keeping a person on remand in police cells.

The Home Office meets the full costs of keeping persons on remand in police cells. The costs are borne on the "Prisons, England and Wales, Vote" (class XI, vote 2).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of (a) men and (b) women who were being held in police cells in the United Kingdom on 31 October.

On 31 October, 899 male and 11 female prisoners were held in police cells in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons in the United Kingdom which receive only prisoners who are on rule 43.

No prisons in England and Wales receive only prisoners who are on rule 43.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of (a) men and (b) women who were being kept on rule 43 in prisons in the United Kingdom on 31 October.

On 30 September 1987, the most recent date for which information is available, 1,595 male sentenced and unsentenced prisoners were segregated under rule 43 in prisons in England and Wales. Figures are not kept centrally for female prisoners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of the report of the chief constable of Bedfordshire on the effect of Luton Town football club's ban on visiting supporters on reducing crime in Luton, he will recommend the adoption of such a scheme to other chief constables ; and if he will make a statement.

The membership card scheme introduced by Luton Town FC has been notably successful and we recommend that the football authorities, clubs and the police study the scheme to find out what lessons may be learned for wider application. The precise nature of a membership scheme to be adopted is a matter for the individual club, in close consultation with the local police and with the benefit of guidelines and advice from the Football League. The advice given by the police would be a matter for the appropriate chief officer in the light of his professional assessment of a wide variety of local circumstances. A scheme which involves a total ban on visiting supporters may not be as well suited to other clubs as it is to Luton Town. The Government will continue to seek wider adoption of membership schemes through the working group chaired by the Minister with responsibility for sport.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the Metropolitan police force's budget has been spent on crime prevention projects for each year since 1979; and how much it is proposed to spend in the next financial year.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that expenditure on publicity initiatives on crime prevention, neighbourhood watch and business watch schemes during the period is as follows:

	£
1981–82	106,000
1982–83	206,000
1983–84	369,000
1984–85	295,000
1985–86	327,000
1986–87	423,000
1987–881	515,000
1 Estimated

Information for 1979–80 and 1980–81 is not available and the level of expenditure for 1988–89 has not yet been decided.In addition, it is expected that over £70,000 will be spent in 1987–88 on equipment for neighbourhood watch and business watch schemes, property marking, videos and films, on the mobile advice unit and on administrative support for some crime prevention panels. The equivalent figures for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Agency	Campaign Subject	Expenditure £
Davidson Pearce	Magistrates Court Service	4,000
Boase Massimi Pollitt Partnership	Crime Prevention	1,688,000
Collett Dickenson Peare & Partners	TV Licence Evasion	1,573,000
Boase Massimi Pollitt Partnership	Police Recruitment	149,000
Davidson Pearce	Electoral Register	156,000
Davidson Pearce	Koestler Awards	1,500
Boase Massimi Pollitt Partnership	Fire Prevention	447,000
Charles Barker	Probation Officer Recruitment	28,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of time between an application for compensation to the Criminal Injuries Board and the time of granting it.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the percentage change, in real terms, in the police precept levied on each London borough between 1985–86 and 1986–87 and 1987–88; what factors account for this change; and if he will make a statement.

It would not be meaningful to calculate increases in the precept in real terms, because of the annual change to the product of the penny rate. The ratepayers' contribution to Metropolitan police expen-diture in 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987–88 was £227 million, £258 million and £284 million respectively. This represents a real terms increase of 10·3 per cent. between 1985–86 and 1986–87 and 5·6 per cent. between 1986–87 and 1987–88.These increases were primarily to meet the cost of additional manpower, increases in policy pay, allowances and pensions and additional equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost of maintaining the Metropolitan police force in 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987–88; and what was the precept levied on each London borough for those years.

Metropolitan police net revenue expenditure was £771 million in 1985–86 and £834 million in 1986–87. The estimate for 1987–88 is £929 million.The precepts levied in each of these years was 12·62p 14·21p and 15·4p respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advertising agents have been appointed by his Department, or by the Central Office of Information on behalf of his Department, to handle campaigns involving the communication of information on subjects for which his Department is responsible to Parliament during the year 1985–86; what was the subject of each campaign ; and how much was spent on each campaign.

The advertising agencies, campaign subjects, and amounts spent by the Home Office during the financial year 1985–86 were as follows:

Information is not available on the average length of time taken to deal with applications to the board. As stated in the board's latest annual report (Cm. 42, paragraph 5) copies of which are in the Library, 70 per cent. of cases resolved in the financial year 1985–86 were dealt with within a year of application.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the reported number of offences in each of the last three years in which a knife has been used in the Greater London area.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Janner) on 21 October, at column 776.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to introduce legislation to set a mandatory sentence including (a) a term of imprisonment and (b) a ban from driving for life in cases where death has resulted from drunken driving; and if he will make a statement.

Parliament has long taken the view that mandatory sentences would restrict the court's ability to take into account the individual circumstances of each case. The courts already have the power to imprison drink-drivers and to disqualify them for substantial periods. The penalties for road traffic offences are currently under consideration by the Road Traffic Law Review, and we shall study its recommendations carefully.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for illegal possession of firearms have been obtained in each year since 1979; and how many of these cases involved illegal possession of (a) automatic and (b) semi-automatic weapons.

The information held centrally, which may be incomplete and which relates to cases where unlawful possession of firearms was the principal offence, is given in the following table. It is not possible to identify separately offences involving the unlawful possession of semi-automatic weapons.

Persons found guilty of unlawful possession of firearms
England and Wales		Number of persons
Year	Total	of which, persons found guilty of unlawful possession of a fully automatic weapon
1979	2,774	39
1980	2,532	48
1981	2,617	62
1982	2,104	62
1983	1,883	56
1984	1,559	77
1985	1,390	50
1986	1,251	62

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the numbers of prosecutions taking place each year since 1978 for assaults on teachers and pupils in schools.

It is not possible, from the results of court proceedings held centrally, to distinguish the occupation of victims of assault.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the lack of printed forms R and WI which are necessary for registration of British citizenship by certain Commonwealth citizens and citizens of the Republic of Ireland ; and whether photocopied forms will be acceptable.

We are satisfied that supplies of these forms are sufficient to meet reasonable demands for them. However, applications on photocopied forms will be acceptable.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he is satisfied with the level of management development activity in British industry.

We regard management development as a priority area. There is evidence that the United Kingdom is falling behind its competitors in this area. We welcome the CBI's management development initiative in setting up the Council for Management Education and Development, whereby industry will address itself to promoting higher standards of professionalism at all levels across the economy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has any plans to introduce new legislation to protect consumers.

The Government intend shortly to introduce regulations to implement the EC directive on doorstep selling; and regulations under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 on price displays at bureaux de change and in connection with the resale of electricity and gas by landlords. A number of safety regulations will be made, mainly to implement EC directives.The Government are currently analysing the response to public consultation on proposals by the Law Commissions for amending the law on the sale and supply of goods.My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State has recently announced the Government's intention to amend the Consumer Credit Act, when there is a suitable opportunity, to simplify and clarify its requirements. We also propose to make certain changes to the advertise-ments regulations under the Act, which will provide improved consumer protection, particularly in the area of secured lending.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has recently received concerning competition in the United Kingdom petrol market.

A small number of representations have recently been received from hon. Members and independent petrol retailers about the United Kingdom petrol market.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) whether he is satisfied with the level of competition in the United Kingdom petrol market ;(2) whether he will refer to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission the question of competition in the petrol supply industry; and if he will make a statement.

Under the competition legislation it falls to the Director General of Fair Trading to keep competition in the United Kingdom market under review. The director general is continuing to monitor certain aspects of the competitive situation in the petrol supply market, but I understand that at present he sees no justification in developments in the petrol market for taking action under the legislation for which he is responsible.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the total number of petrol retail sites currently operating; and how this figure compares with the numbers for the previous 10 years.

Sales of motor spirit to the retail sector
Thousand tonnes
	Year
Grade	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986
5-Star	694	161	21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4-Star	12,117	14,101	14,872	15,393	15,041	15,656	16,107	16,990	17,361	18,621
3-Star	1,388	1,112	859	590	410	257	166	111	77	48
2-Star	2,220	2,052	2,023	2,181	2,486	2,431	2,431	2,331	2,188	2,052
Total	16,419	17,426	17,775	18,164	17,737	18,396	18,704	19,432	19,626	20,721

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what share of the United Kingdom retail petrol market is currently held by the three largest retailers ; and how this figure compares with the share in each of the previous 10 years.

The percentage share of the retail petrol market held by the three largest retailers is as follows :

	Per cent.
1976	53·1
1977	54·1
1978	53·4
1979	56·2
1980	55·2
1981	53·5
1982	50·7
1983	47·0
1984	49·7
1985	50·0
1986	50·4

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information he has concerning the percentage of retail petrol sites in each of the last five years for which figures are available which are (a) independent, (b) tenants and licensees and (c) managed sites.

The percentage of retail petrol sites which are independent is as follows:

The number of petrol retail sites operating over the period 1976–86 is as follows :

	Number
1976	30,383
1977	29,751
1978	28,295
1979	26,480
1980	25,527
1981	24,760
1982	24,108
1983	23,097
1984	22,032
1985	21,140
1986	20,641

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what has been the total volume of retail petrol sales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

The figures, which are available in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics, are as follows:

	per cent.
1982	68·6
1983	68·3
1984	68·6
1985	68·6
1986	68·7

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he last met representatives of Timber Growers United Kingdom to discuss the future of the timber industry.

I have not had the pleasure of meeting representatives of Timber Growers United Kingdom yet.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement regarding Her Majesty's Government's representation at the International Tropical Timber Organisation conference in Yokohama, Japan, from 9 to 20 November; whether Her Majesty's Government gave a commitment to continued funding to the organisation ; whether Her Majesty's Government have committed themselves to the conserva-tion and environmental recommendations of the International Tropical Timber Organisation conference report ; and whether Her Majesty's Government have given a specific commitment to contribute to the project funds of the organisation.

The United Kingdom has ratified the international tropical timber agreement, and thereby accepts all the objectives arising from the United Nations conference on tropical timber which are set out in the agreement, including those relating to the sustainable utilisation and conservation of tropical forests, as well as the financial obligations due under the terms of the agreement. A representative of the Department of Trade and Industry is attending the current ITTO council session.The United Kingdom will consider providing voluntary funding for particular projects put forward by ITTO on a case-by-case basis, and we hope that as the ITTO defines its role, its project work will be closely co-ordinated with other developments in the field, such as the FAO's tropical forest action plan, in which the United Kingdom is playing an active part.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what further progress has been made by Lloyd's in the implementation of the recommendations of the committee of inquiry into regulatory matters at Lloyd's.

Stillbirths by Health Board Area and month, Scotland
Health Board Area	All months	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May	Jun.	Jul.	Aug.	Sept.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.
1985
Scotland	366	39	45	25	28	26	23	37	34	28	25	30	26
Borders	4	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	1	1
Forth Valley	17	2	4	2	1	—	1	—	3	1	—	1	2
Dumfries & Galloway	13	2	3	2	—	1	—	—	2	—	—	3	—
Fife	29	5	4	1	2	2	4	3	1	1	4	1	1
Grampian	32	3	5	1	4	1	1	1	3	3	2	3	5
Highland	12	4	1	—	—	3	1	1	2	—	—	—	—
Lothian	45	4	8	1	4	2	3	6	1	4	2	7	3
Argyll & Clyde	40	5	3	2	2	3	3	4	4	5	3	3	3
Ayrshire & Arran	19	2	—	2	5	—	3	3	—	1	2	—	1
Greater Glasgow	86	4	7	10	6	8	3	12	10	9	9	4	4
Lanarkshire	40	5	6	2	3	4	3	3	5	2	1	3	3
Tayside	23	2	3	2	—	1	1	4	2	1	2	2	3
Orkney	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	2	—
Shetland	1	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Western Isles	2	—	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1986
Scotland	385	38	26	26	45	35	27	30	32	39	32	24	31
Borders	5	—	—	1	—	—	—	1	1	1	—	1	—
Forth Valley	14	2	—	—	1	1	2	1	2	1	2	1	1
Dumfries and Galloway	4	1	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—
Fife	29	2	2	4	5	2	3	1	2	3	1	—	4
Grampian	36	5	1	3	3	3	2	3	1	3	4	2	6
Highland	11	—	1	1	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	—	—
Lothian	34	3	4	2	6	5	2	2	3	2	2	2	1
Argyll and Clyde	39	3	4	2	7	5	2	4	2	2	3	2	3
Ayrshire and Arran	35	4	3	5	5	2	3	3	3	2	3	1	1
Greater Glasgow	76	7	6	1	8	8	7	5	5	10	8	6	5
Lanarkshire	70	8	3	6	6	4	4	6	10	7	4	7	5
Tayside	29	1	1	1	1	3	1	3	2	7	3	2	4
Orkney	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Shetland	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
Western Isles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

The chairman of the Council of Lloyd's has recently submitted a memorandum recording the progress made to date. I have placed this memorandum in the Library. It shows that the Council of Lloyd's has now taken steps to implement 30 of the 70 recommendations in the committee's report, which was published in January this year. The memorandum also demonstrates that Lloyd's is heavily engaged in a programme of consultation on the remaining recommendations. As was the case when a report was last made to the House on this matter by the then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 8 April 1987, at column 273, implementation of the substantial part of the committee of inquiry's recommendations should be completed by the middle of 1989.I look to Lloyd's to maintain the momentum generated so far, and I shall continue to follow Lloyd's progress closely and to keep the House informed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the incidence of still births in each health board area in each month of 1985, 1986 and 1987.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will introduce legislation to control the number arid size of sea and fresh water fish farms in Scotland.

Fish farms in inland waters and the land-based elements of marine fish farms are already subject to control under the Town and Country Planning Acts. The Government have no plans at present to legislate to extend planning controls to offshore fish farm developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will visit phase 2 of the Glasgow royal infirmary in the near future.

My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans at present to visit Glasgow royal infirmary. Any proposals to build a phase 2 of the redevelopment of the infirmary are for the Greater Glasgow health board in the first instance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the replacement for the Glasgow royal maternity hospital will be sited within phase 2 of the Glasgow royal infirmary.

The question of a replacement for the Glasgow royal maternity hospital is currently the subject of an option appraisal being conducted by the Greater Glasgow health board. A decision about the site of that replacement building will be dependent on the outcome of the appraisal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the procedures to be applied to proposals for preliminary investigations of a nuclear waste disposal facility have been amended in any way over the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

There have been no changes to the planning procedures which would apply to such proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about a seminar to be held in Edinburgh by Nirex in the near future; on what date that seminar will be held; and whether he intends to be present.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave her to a similar question yesterday. The Secretary of State would not expect to be present at a seminar.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the nature of the public inquiry to which any proposal for nuclear waste disposal facilities in Scotland will be subject.

Any inquiry held would be an inquiry under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Acts. Its scope would be a matter for the Secretary of State to determine if and when a specific proposal was made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of households in Scotland, with one pensioner living in them, has (a) no bath and (b) no inside lavatory.

The percentage of households in Scotland with one or more residents of pensionable age at the time of the 1981 census with (a) no bath was 3·4 per cent and (b) no inside WC was 1·3 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how the extra funds for hospitals and community services in Scotland announced in the Autumn Statement will be allocated ; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend will announce shortly his plans for financial allocations for all Scottish Office services, including health, for the years 1988–89 to 1990–91.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to introduce reform into Scottish prisons following the recent outbreaks of violence at Scottish prisons.

[holding answer 27 October 1987]: Implications of recent incidents in Scottish prisons are at present being assessed by my right hon. and learned Friend.

Year ending 30 September
	All specialties	Bed losses	Percentage occupancy	Acute specialties	Bed losses	Percentage occupancy
1980	5,522	—	80·7	1,791	—	70·5
1981	5,408	114	80·6	1,748	43	70·2
1982	5,377	31	80·2	1,754	(+ 6)	70·4
1983	5,354	23	80·2	1,740	14	72·0
1984	5,248	106	80·6	1,726	14	71·5
1985	5,158	90	80·0	1,688	38	70·9
19861	5,137	21	79·1	1,678	10	71·5
19871,2	5,109	28	77·9	1,648	30	70·8
1 Provisional.
2Year ending 31 March.

To ask the Attorney-General what has been the stipend paid to a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary in each of the past five years.

The salary of a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary and the dates on which it became payable has been as follows:

	£
1 April 1982	48,250
1 August 1983	51,750
1 January 1984	55,000
1 April 1984	56,650
1 November 1984	58,500
1 July 1985	63,750
1 March 1986	69,000
1 July 1986	71,400
1 April 1987	74,435
1 October 1987	74,750

To ask the Attorney-General what qualifications are required for appointment to the post of Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.

The qualifications required for appointment to the post of Lord of Appeal in Ordinary are set out in section 6 of the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 which provides :

"A person shall not be qualified to be appointed by Her Majesty a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary unless he has been at or before the time of his appointment the holder for a period of not less than two years of some one or more offices in this Act described as high judicial offices, or has been at or before such time as aforesaid, for not less than 15 years, a practising barrister in England or Ireland, or a practising advocate in Scotland".

High judicial office is defined in section 25 of the Act as any of the following offices:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of bed losses in the National Health Service hospitals in the Tayside area for each of the past eight years ; and of these how many were acute beds.

[holding answer 26 October 1987]: The average number of available staffed beds in NHS hospitals in Tayside health board are shown in the table for each of the past eight years together with the bed losses. Also relevant is the average percentage occupancy of these beds, details of which are also included in the table.

"The office of Lord Chancellor of Great Britain…or of Judge of one of Her Majesty's superior courts of Great Britain and Ireland".

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether information about the gross floor area of school buildings, capacity, areas of temporary accommodation and costs of improvement for individual local education authorities can be obtained from the data used to compile his Department's recently published survey of school buildings.

No. The survey was designed to provide information only on a national basis. For representative coverage of the schools within each local education authority, a much larger sample would have been required, at greatly enhanced cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what statistics are kept on the numbers of assaults taking place in schools in England and Wales as a whole and in Newcastle upon Tyne per year; and if he will give the number of assaults on (a) teachers and (b) pupils per year since 1978, in both geographical areas.

No information is collected centrally on the number of assaults on teachers or pupils in schools in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of any guidelines or circulars from his Department with regard to the handling of assaults on teachers or pupils in schools and the involvement of the police.

The Department has issued no such guidelines or circulars.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on information available to young people concerning the opportunities for employment in tourism.

There is a wide range of frequently updated video and written material available for young people illustrating the many employment opportunities in tourism. Providers of relevant careers guidance material include the Manpower Services Commission's careers and occupational information centre, the English tourist board, the hotel and catering training board, trade organisations and individual employers in the industry, education foundations and professional associations, the trade press, commercial publishers, as well as my Department and the Department of Education and Science. The replies to a recent questionnaire my Department sent to all local authority principal careers officers showed how useful the existing material on careers in tourism is found to be.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received on the proposed changes in accounting requirements for trade unions.

Individual responses to the Green Paper "Trade Unions and their Members" are treated in confidence by my Department. Of 48 comments on the proposal to give trade union members and their professional advisers a statutory right of access to their union's detailed accounts, 32 were in favour.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to merge the community programme and the job training scheme.

I refer the hon. Member to the statement made in the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what specific changes he proposes to make in the administration of the enterprise allowance scheme and the small firms loan guarantee scheme to achieve his stated objective of giving more help through these schemes to people in the inner cities.

I am currently considering how the various measures to assist small businesses and encourage enterprise provided by this Department and the Manpower Services Commission can be operated to better effect in inner city areas.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what European Community measures on agriculture and fisheries were adopted during the recess before completion of parliamentary scrutiny ; and if he will make a statement.

A number of Community measures were adopted during the recess. At the request of the Select Committee on European Legislation, I wish to explain the circumstances relating to four measures.The first measure concerns the agreement with the United States on Community exports of pasta products. On 7 August the Council by written procedure endorsed the draft agreement reached by the Commission and the United States Government on a long-standing dispute over the Community's export regime for pasta products, pending a definitive solution in the GATT round negotiations. The settlement averted the escalation of the dispute into what seemed likely to be an unnecessarily damaging round of measures and counter-measures affecting EC/United States trade in agricultural products. The settlement involves a reduction in the level of export refunds paid on EC exports of pasta products to the United States, and agreement that in future half the total of EC pasta products exports to the United States should be made under the inward processing relief arrangement rather than with the benefit of export refunds. The Government supported the agreement (despite parliamen-tary scrutiny not having been completed) because it averted the threat of a damaging trade dispute at the outset of negotiations in the Uruguay GATT round and did not prejudice the Community's position on paying export refunds on processed products in general. The United Kingdom has valuable exports of processed food and drink: United Kingdom exports totalled £3 billion in 1986. Early endorsement of the agreement reached between the Commission and the United States Government was thus in the United Kingdom interest.The second measure concerns the interim steps on the future financing of the common agricultural policy. On 19–20 October, the Agriculture Council adopted proposal 7690/87 introducing special rules relating to the financing of the common agricultural policy. This was an interim measure to deal with the expectation, which has now been borne out, that Community funds would last until about the end of October. The measure has the effect of delaying payment by two months, which is sufficient to ensure that there would be no overrun of the Budget provision in 1987. I therefore agreed to its adoption on this necessary time scale and in advance of scrutiny.The third measure concerns an increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) for cod in ICES area VII (except Vila), including cod in the English Channel. Following advice from the Commission's Scientific and Technical Committee on Fisheries that the 1987 TAC for this stock could safely be increased, the Fisheries Council on 29 September agreed a Commission proposal that the TAC should be increased from 16,000 to 19,000 tonnes. This cod stock is of importance to British fishermen and the fishery has been subject to restrictions for most of the year. I therefore judged it in the United Kingdom interest to see this proposal adopted without awaiting parliamentary scrutiny. Formal adoption took place at a Council meeting on 5 October.The fourth measure concerns an interim autonomous scheme of control in respect of Community vessels fishing in the regulatory area of the North-West Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), which was also agreed at the Fisheries Council on 29 September. The introduction of an autonomous control scheme was necessary following the Community's withdrawal from the existing joint interna-tional enforcement scheme with effect from 26 June 1987 and in the absence of agreement so far on its renegotiation. Although there is at present little direct United Kingdom interest in the fisheries in these waters, I judged it to be in the United Kingdom interest for the Community to be seen to be meeting its control obligations with the minimum of delay and for the proposal to be adopted without awaiting parliamentary scrutiny. Formal adop-tion took place at a Council meeting on 19 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to introduce legislation to amend section 36 of the Transport Act 1985; and if he will make a statement.

We have no such plans. Where London Regional Transport proposes to provide, or secure the provision of, a new London bus service or vary an existing one it is required by the Transport Act 1985 to consult the police, the local authorities affected, the London Regional Passengers' Committee, and any other person it thinks fit. I am satisfied that the consultation arrangements adopted in practice work satisfactorily.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any representations from (1) any community health councils or;(2) any body representing such councils concerning the amendment of the consultation obligations contained in section 36 of the Transport Act 1985;(3) whether he had received any representations from

I have received no such representations directly. Two of my hon. Friends have passed to me representations from Bexley health authority that there should be a statutory requirement for London Regional Transport to consult district health authorities and community health councils regarding proposals to alter local bus services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to introduce a cyclist awareness campaign along the lines of the present think bike campaign for motor cyclists; and if he will make a statement.

As part of its road safety publicity programme the Department is distributing to local authority road safety officers a range of publicity material aimed both at making motorists more aware of cyclists and at encouraging cyclists to use lights and conspicuity aids to make themselves more visible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is considering any applications for expanding air services into Manchester International airport.

Since the beginning of 1986, 28 new scheduled services have been introduced to and from Manchester. There are no formal applications currently outstanding from foreign airlines or their Governments. In the case of United Kingdom airlines, it is for the Civil Aviation Authority to consider applications for licences in the first instance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the M1 motorway between London and junction 25 to be devoid of all carriageway closures and repair work for a continuous period of at least a month.

I do not.Full carriageway closures are usually associated with major renewal works carried out under contraflow. These take place mostly between March and November. There is often then a break until the following year's programme.Many minor works and repairs are still essential throughout the year if the motorway is to he kept in good condition. Most will require at least single lane closures to protect road users and working people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish his proposals for driving licence tests.

The review of the driver testing and training organisation that was announced on 5 March this year has been looking at ways of improving the provision of tests.Demand for driving tests has risen by 10 per cent. over the past four years and is running at 2 million annually. The average waiting time for a test rose to 17 weeks in 1985–86. Recruitment and efficiency measures have brought this down to 14 weeks. We want to see this cut significantly.One problem is that half those taking tests have insufficient skills to pass. They add to the queues when they book further tests.The review has now been completed. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will make an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government as regards the European Economic Community directive on minimum tread depth for motor car tyres.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he proposes to take in discussion with fellow EEC Transport Ministers on the EEC directive No. COMS(87)407 to bring harmonisation of tyre tread depth to 1·6mm on certain categories of motor vehicles and of their trailers; and if he will make a statement.

Our views are set out in the explanatory memorandum on the Commission's proposals (8714/87) sent to the Scrutiny Committee on 6 November. No discussion has yet taken place in the Council of Ministers. We shall be opposing the proposals on the grounds that the costs would be substantial — £70 million per year in Britain alone—and the benefits to road safety would not be significant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce legislation to make mandatory the installation and regular maintenance of gas and smoke detector systems in below-deck holds in cross-Channel ferries used for the transport of live farm animals ; and if he will make a statement.

The Merchant Shipping (Fire Protection) Regulations 1984 require the provision of a fire detection system in all cargo spaces which are not reasonably accessible to the efficient patrol system required by the statutory regulations.There is a requirement on the owner to ensure that any such equipment is maintained in good order at all times.Gas detection systems are not required by international or United Kingdom regulations and there are no plans to introduce requirements for such systems.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what checks, and with what frequency, are carried out on behalf of his Department of systems of ventilation, smoke and gas detection in below-decks holds in cross-Channel ferries regularly used for the transport of live farm animals.

Ventilation systems and fire detection systems, where fitted, are items of inspection both at initial and annual renewal surveys, and are part of the statutory requirements leading to the issue of a passenger certificate. They may also be checked at other general inspection visits as opportunities occur.Fire detection and alarm systems are required in all cargo spaces which are not reasonably accessible to the efficient patrol system required by the statutory regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths and injuries have occurred to motorists using car lifting gear for repairs and maintenance in the last three years.

I have been asked to reply.The home accident surveillance system collects details of non-fatal accidents in and around the home from the accident and emergency departments of 20 hospitals in England and Wales. The three most recent years for which data are available from HASS are 1984, 1985 and 1986; and in these years HASS reported respectively 88, 55 and 84 home accidents involving jacks, hoists and ramps which were being used for vehicle maintenance. While these figures are too small to make reliable estimates of national figures, they probably correspond to national totals of 1,700, 1,200 and 1,600 such accidents in England and Wales for the three successive years.The most recent years for which data are available on fatal home accidents are 1982, 1983 and 1984. In these three years there were respectively 10, 13 and six fatal home accidents involving jacks, hoists and ramps which were being used for vehicle maintenance.It should be noted that the definition of "home" used above includes the garage, driveway, garden and yard, but excludes the public highway. Victims who were in paid employment at somebody else's home at the time of the accidents are also excluded.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what issues he will raise at the international North sea pollution conference to be held in London on 24 and 25 November.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) at column 448.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what volume of chemical waste has been dumped off the British coast in each year since 1970;(2) what volume of waste material has been dumped off the British coast in each year since 1970.

[holding answers 9 November 1987]: I have been asked to reply.Statutory controls over the deposit of waste at sea were introduced in 1974. Information on the amounts of waste deposited off the British coast up to 1984 can be found in the annual reports of the Oslo commission, copies of which are in the Library of the House. The equivalent figures for 1985 and 1986 are given below :

	Tonnes
	1985	1986
Dredgings	12,255,942	13,266,959
Sewage sludge	7,409,851	8,199,640
Solid industrial	1,657,618	1,872,704
Liquid industrial	305,623	282,991

These figures exclude deposits in internal waters behind baselines, which are outside the Oslo convention area, and deposits off the coast of Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what volume of waste material has been dumped off the Yorkshire coast in each year since 1970;(2) what volume of chemical waste material has been dumped off the Yorkshire coast in each year since 1970.

(holding answers 9 November 1987]: I have been asked to reply.Statutory controls over the deposit of waste at sea were introduced in 1974. The amount of waste deposited off the Yorkshire coast each year since then was as follows :

	Tonnes
1975	95,550
1976	95,670
1977	90,950

	Tonnes
1978	90,825
1979	94,475
1980	115,630
1981	117,440
1982	91,950
1983	76,050
1984	92,875
1985	77,100
1986	67,364

This material comprises dredged spoils from the ports of Scarborough and Whitby. No chemical waste was deposited off the Yorkshire coast in this period.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer of 12 November, how his Department is to keep under review the evidence concerning the possible risk to health arising from bathing in sewage-contaminated water; and if his Department plans to produce a report as a matter of urgency.

I am keeping under review both the existing evidence from this country and abroad and the possible need for further epidemiological research. I have no plans at present to publish a report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what conclusions are available concerning the percentage reduction in emissions to the atmosphere of hydrocarbons which would be required in order to produce a 1 per cent. reduction in ambient concentrations of troposhpheric ozone, given current emission levels of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and sulphur dioxide; what relationship exists between hydrocarbon emissions and ozone concentrations at higher percentage reductions in hydrocarbons ; and if he will outline the source of this information.

The answer to this question depends on many factors, notably the species of hydrocarbon, the concentrations of other gases and the meterorological conditions. The recent report of the Department's photochemical oxidants review group (a copy of which is in the Library) concluded that the quantitative relation-ship between the concentrations of ozone and its precursors is not as yet well understood. Large reductions of hydrocarbon emissions in the United States of America have failed to bring about the scale of ozone reductions which were predicted.Harwell laboratory has, however, recently undertaken studies for the Department using one of the most sophisticated computer models yet developed. They show that an across-the-board reduction in hydrocarbons of about 3 per cent. would be required to reduce by 1 per cent. peak hourly ozone concentrations downwind of London in a summertime episode. Reductions of about 75 per cent. would be needed to reduce peak ozone by 50 per cent. Further details may be found in two recent Harwell laboratory reports (R12408, R12859; HMSO) copies of which I have placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to promote a broader approach towards controlling release of the most dangerous substances into the aquatic environment.

The Government have been giving careful consideration to the proposals made in the 15th report of the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities (Session 1984/85), and in particular to the Committee's view that EC members states should work towards a unified approach to controlling discharges of dangerous substances, which would involve both meeting prescribed quality standards in the receiving waters and minimising discharges from individual sources. A similar view was expressed in the recent report on the pollution of rivers and estuaries by the House of Commons Select Committee on the Environment. Ministers from participating countries also agreed to work towards developing such an approach at the 1984 ministerial conference on the North sea at Bremen.The Government agrees that EC member states should seek to develop a unified approach to the control of the most dangerous substances, whose long-term effects on the environment are uncertain. We propose to do so in the United Kingdom. The Government consider that the main elements of the unified approach in this country should be:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make the stretch of the Forth and Clyde canal from Port Dundas to Kirkintilloch navigable.

The Forth and Clyde canal is the responsibility of the British Waterways Board. We are currently considering the board's proposals to restore the canal to navigation through central Glasgow in conjunction with other agencies. The scheme involves a total public investment of £2·6 million and a capital contribution from the board of £350,000. We expect to let the board have a final decision very shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment why the independent accountants who were commissioned to review the Ordnance Survey trading accounts did not investigate any specific Ordnance Survey commercial products to prove or disprove unfair trading.

The study was commissioned to review the format and design of the Ordnance Survey trading accounts and did not attempt to conduct an audit of the accounts, which is the responsibility of the National Audit Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the costings for the Temple Press/Ordnance Survey "Motoring Atlas of Great Britain" included the cost of drawing the maps which were used in the atlas; and if he will make a statement.

Ordnance Survey follow the guidelines for OS commercial activities published in July 1984, and all appropriate costs are taken into account.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the publisher Newnes Books was required to pay any category A royalty for the "ABC London Street Atlas" which it published jointly with the Ordnance Survey ; and if he will make a statement.

In line with other co-publication projects, the appropriate copyright royalty for maps in the product are charged in full as a cost against the revenue which OS and the co-publisher derive from sales. This cost is taken into account when assessing the viability of any co-publication proposal prior to proceeding.The "ABC London Street Atlas" published in 1984 was compiled from a variety of base mapping at small and large scales to a new specification. Accordingly, in line with copyright practice at that time, category B rates were applied when assessing the product for royalty. This is the rate usually charged to such products and that which applies to the majority of competitors' publications in this field which are based on OS map material.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the cost of advertising Ordnance Survey commercial publication, in particular when the commercial publications is advertised together with Ordnance Survey public funded publications, is paid from public funds ; and if he will make a statement.

Ordnance Survey's advertising campaigns are almost all related to its range of small scales and related products which have a broad market appeal that warrant national promotion. The cost of these campaigns is allocated to the relevant product series including core products whether advertised individually or alongside commercial ones, and recovered in accordance with agreed financial targets.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what payment is made to the Exchequer by those publishing houses who are allowed to use the name Ordnance Survey and to use the Ordnance Survey logo on products which they publish jointly with the Ordnance Survey.

The goodwill associated with the Ordnance Survey name and logo is recognised in any negotiation with a publishing house on a joint venture proposal. When considering partnership Ordnance Survey is looking not only at the financial soundness of the project but also at unquantified benefits in editorial design, marketing and selling skills that the proposed partner will bring to the venture.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what annual sums his department has disbursed as grant to rural sewerage schemes from 1978 to the present time (a) in current prices and (b) in 1979 prices.

The information is as follows :

The figures (for England) in respect of schemes approved since October 19781 are:
Year	Grant paid on sewerage schemes	2Value at current prices	2Value at1978–79 prices
1978–79	54,062	109,651	54,062
1979–80	258,184	448,050	220,904
1980–81	726,220	1,063,007	524,101
1981–82	1,961,853	2,615,352	1,289,463
1982–83	2,524,695	3,139,681	1,547,975
1983–84	1,597,468	1,899,253	936,400
1984–85	2,596,059	2,956,318	1,457,571
1985–86	1,829,301	1,964,508	968,573
1986–87	1,840,496	1,918,717	945,996
1987–8833	334,092	334,092	164,719
1 Grant on schemes approved since October 1978 has been paid as a lump sum. On schemes approved before then it has been paid in the form of half-yearly instalments. The amount disbursed annually in this form over the last 10 years has remained steady at £6–7 million in cash terms. Capitalisation of these grants will be completed in 1987–88.
2 Revalued using the Treasury GDP deflator index (November 1987).
3 To 30 September 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report any information his Department has on financial contracts that exist between Nirex and the company Consolidated Environmental Technologies.

I understand that UK Nirex Ltd. has no contractual arrangements with the company Consolidated Environmental Technologies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has about a seminar to be held in Edinburgh by Nirex in the near future; on what date that seminar will be held ; and whether he intends to be present.

I understand that UK Nirex Ltd. has invited all Scottish local authorities to a seminar in Edinburgh on 14 December. The seminar is intended to consider Nirex's discussion document "The Way Forward", which was launched on 12 November. The Secretary of State has no plans to attend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to how many acres of vacant, dormant, derelict or underutilised land are in public ownership or in the ownership of nationalised industry, statutory undertaking, or non-governmental organisations in the city of Plymouth.

The register of unused and underused land owned by public bodies, compiled under part X of the Local Government Act 1980 for the area of the city of Plymouth, contains details of the following areas:

Owner	Area (acres)
Plymouth City Council	408
Ministry of Defence	44
Devon County Council	36
British Railways Board	5
Central Electricity Generating Board	3
Manpower Services Commission	2
South West Water Authority	1

The derelict land survey carried out in 1982 disclosed no derelict land in public ownership in this area.