To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the responsibilities of each of the deputy secretaries in his Department and the numbers and grades of staff reporting to each.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to publish a new edition of the treaty of Rome; and if it will include the amendments caused by the Single European Act.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) on 8 July, at column 149, and 20 July, at column 13. I understand the European Community publications office expects to keep to its schedule for publication this year of a revised consolidated text including the amendments introduced by the Single European Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communications he has had with the European Community Energy Commissioner and the Director General of Safeguards of Euratom over recent reports that nuclear materials originating in nuclear facilities in the European Community have been illicitly sold on the black market in the Sudan.

There has been no communication on this subject with the EC Energy Commissioner. Some official contact has taken place between the Department of Energy and Euratom which endorses the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 19 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what part his Department played in arriving at the detailed arrangements agreed between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics regarding the inspection of the missile bases in the United Kingdom by the Soviet Union as part of the agreement on intermediate range nuclear forces between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

There have been regular and close consultations between the United States and its allies on all aspects of the INF treaty, including the details of the verification regime.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what reciprocal arrangements have been agreed between the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to cover the arrangements agreed for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to inspect at short notice missile bases in the United Kingdom as part of the intermediate range nuclear forces agreement between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America;(2) if he will publish details of the exchange of notes between the United Kingdom Government and the Soviet Union regarding the arrangements to be made for them to inspect missile bases in the United Kingdom as a consequence of the agreement between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The text of the exchange of notes between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union will be laid before the House in the ususal way once the exchange has taken place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs following the European Community's condemnation of the violation of the territorial integrity of Angola by South Africa, what further actions to deter further military aggression in Angola are being taken by (a) Her Majesty's Government and (b) the United Kingdom's European allies.

The South African ambassador was called to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 18 November. We supported the declaration by the Twelve on 23 November and United Nations Security Council resolution 602 of 25 November. On all of these occasions South Africa's intervention in Angola was condemned and the immediate withdrawal of its forces demanded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the speech which Her Majesty's ambassador in South Africa made in Johannesburg on 24 November at the annual Businessmen of the Year Dinner.

This was an after-dinner speech with no written text and no bearing on policy. I am placing in the Library of the House a copy of Her Majesty's ambassador's most recent policy speech, to the South African/Britain Trade Association on 16 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of that part of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 23 and 24 November which dealt with the subject of radiation levels in food.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, North-East (Mr. Kirkhope) on 25 November, at column 222.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all the cases on which the ambassador in Chile or his staff have made direct representations to the Chilean Minister of the Interior, indicating for each whether the intervention was on behalf of another Government.

Her Majesty's ambassador and his predecessor in Santiago have spoken to successive Ministers of the Interior as well as to other Ministers and members of the military junta on many occasions about our concern over human rights in Chile. A full list of these representations is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. One intervention, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been made this year on behalf of another Government. It concerned the arrest and detention of Sr. Luis Tricot.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington (Mr. Boyes), Official Report, 18 November, column 593, he will list the dates of the meetings held with and the letters delivered to the Chilean authorities on his own behalf and on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Ireland.

On 16 September 1987, Her Majesty's embassy in Santiago delivered to the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs an aide memoire expressing concern about Sr. Tricot's arrest and detention. This action was taken formally on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Ireland where Sr. Tricot had refugee status prior to his return to Chile.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the procedure adopted in the allocation of licences for the extraction of fish within the 150 mile fisheries zone surrounding the Falkland Islands.

The Falkland Islands Government are responsible for the allocation of fishing licences for the Falkland Islands interim conservation and management zone. Licences are allocated in accordance with the conservation needs of the fishery and take account of the relative methods of fishing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will list the names of those individuals, organisations or companies who have been awarded licences for the extraction of fish within the 150 mile fisheries zone surrounding the Falkland Islands.

Details are commercially confidential. Applicants have been notified by the Falkland Islands Government of their squid licence allocations. Finfish licensing is not yet complete. A list of countries allocated licences will be placed in the Library of the House in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the charges made for visa applications in each of the countries for which visas are required for visits to the United Kingdom.

The current fees for visit visas or entry certificates are:

	£
Single Entry	20
Multiple entry (normally valid for two years)	40

irrespective of the nationality of the applicant. Fees are payable in the equivalent local currency at the time of application.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the Minister of State, the Lord Glenarthur, has refused to meet the full delegation from Hong Kong, led by Mr. Martin Lee QC, relating to the Green Paper on representative government.

Lord Glenarthur agreed to receive the Legislative Council members of the delegation in view of the special position of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. We have no doubt that they will be able to reflect fully and accurately the views of the entire delegation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to introduce legislation to control the use of the description "university" and the issue of degrees in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is already able to exercise control over the use of the term "university" in the name of a company or business by virtue of regulations now having effect as if made under section 29 of the Companies Act 1985 and section 3 of the Business Names Act 1985. Regarding the issue of degrees, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) on 13 November 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science why he has revised the format of Her Majesty's inspectorate's annual report; and if he will make a statement.

Previous annual reports from Her Majesty's inspectorate have been based on evidence gained during the course of just one term. The new style report will offer a view of the nature, quality and effectiveness of education in schools and colleges in the light of all the inspection work carried out by HMI over a whole academic year. It will present an overview on the standards of education in general, on progress made since the previous year's report, on trends and regional differences and on issues that HMI judges need to be addressed by those responsible for the education service. It is hoped that these changes will lead to a better and more useful report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if his Department has yet completed the analysis of the questionnaire on the numbers of deaf-blind children in each local education authority, following the issue of a consultative document in December 1986; and if he has arranged a date to meet representatives of SENSE to discuss the resulting figures.

The analysis of responses to the questionnaire which accompanied the Department's consultative document is not yet complete. Most local education authorities were unable to meet the original deadline for replies. Officials of the Department will arrange to meet representatives of SENSE as soon as work on the analysis is complete and before the final version of a statement on the educational needs of deaf-blind children is issued.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the numbers of education welfare officers in post in England and Wales for each of the last five years for which statistics are available.

This information is not collected centrally by my Department or that of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. Education welfare officers are employed by individual local education authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's handlings of large-scale energy projects of the proposals contained in the lecture by Sir Frank Layfield to the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee on 10 November, attended by his officials, concerning the planning inquiry process, and in particular the case for early appointment of assessors, continuity of inquiry staff, and financing of umbrella organisations of objectors; if he will seek to obtain a transcript of the meeting; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's views on major public inquiries were given in the reply to the fifth report of the Environmental Committee, Session 1985–86, "Planning: Appeals, Call-in and Major Inquiries" (Cm 43). A transcript of Sir Frank Layfield's lecture is not yet available. I shall write to the hon. Member once I have studied it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what response he intends to make to the report by the association for Conservation of Energy on Regenerating the Inner City: "The Energy Dimension", a copy of which he has received.

I refer the hon. Member to the letter which my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State wrote to him on Thursday 26 November. A copy of the letter is being placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the planned capital investment in the Scottish coalfield for each year from 1988 to 1993; and what proportion of this will be in opencast mining.

This is a matter for the British Coal Corporation, and I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of the outstanding debt of the electricity supply industry is attributable to the development and construction costs of nuclear power stations.

The electricity supply industry has borrowed funds when it has not been able to meet its financing requirements from internal resources. It is not possible to identify the funds borrowed with particular elements of the total financing requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he last met representatives of the National Union of Mineworkers; and what matters he discussed.

I met representatives from the Kent area of the National Union of Mineworkers on 17 November, together with my hon. Friend the Member for Dover (Mr. Shaw) to discuss issues arising from the closure of Snowdown colliery.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are the planned manpower figures for the Scottish coal industry for each year from 1988 to 1993; and if he will make a statement.

This is a matter for the British Coal Corporation and I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of the costs of refubishing an existing coal fired station; and what is his estimate of the cost of building a comparable new coal fired power station.

This is a matter which falls within the management responsibility of the Central Electricity Generating Board. I have asked the chairman to write to the Hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he last met representatives of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers; and what matters he discussed.

I last met representatives of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers when I addressed its annual conference on 24 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of the cost of building a new nuclear power station.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Cryer) on 23 November 1987 at column 8.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he last met representatives of private licensed mines and private opencast sites; and what matters were discussed.

I have met a number of representatives of the licensed sector. We have discussed the outlook for the licensed sector and the scope for greater flexibility an transparency within the existing law. They have made representations to me about changes they would wish to see in the licensing system.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the external financing limits and outturn figures for the Post Office for each year since external financing limits were introduced.

External financing limits have been set for the Post Office since 1976–77, when they were described as cash limits. The limits and outturn against them have been published in annual public expenditure White Papers and the Post Office's reports and accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. However, the information requested is as follows:

	Limit £ million	Outturn £ million
1976–77	-24·4	-0·7
1977–78	1·8	-21·5
1978–79	1·2	-16·7
1979–80	-40·5	-3·40
1980–81	-20·0	-7·7
1981–82	0·0	-13·4
1982–83	-55·8	-59·7
1983–84	-50·9	-61·5
1984–85	-60·0	-99·5
1985–86	-70·0	-74·7
1986–87	-93·0	-93·1
1987–88	-57·0	—

The limit for 1988–89 of —£97 million was announced in the Autumn Statement on 3 November.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many radio investigation officers there are; how they inspect yacht licences on craft moored offshore; and how many prosecutions there have been in the last five years for infringement of the ship radio (VHF) licence regulations.

The radio investigation service currently has 202 staff. When necessary, the radio investigation service inspects radio installations on craft moored offshore using vessels hired for the purpose, or its own inflatable dinghy. The number of people prosecuted over the last five years for offences related to the use of radio in the marine environment is as follows:

Year	Prosecuted
1983	0
1984	0
1985	8
1986	5
11987	10
1 To 30 September.

All the prosecutions were successful. Information on which of the prosecutions were for infringements of the ship radio (VHF) licence regulations is not readily available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what were the quantities of cigarettes imported from the Federal Republic of Germany for home use; and what percentage this represents of total cigarettes delivered for home use in each of the periods April 1985 to September 1985, October 1985 to March 1986, April 1986 to September 1986, October 1986 to March 1987, and April 1987 to October 1987, respectively.

Details of imports of cigarettes for home use only are not available. Total imports from April 1985 are as follows:

Import of cigarettes from the Federal Republic of West Germany 1985 to 1987
Period	Imports from Federal Republic of Germany (millions)	Percentage of total cigarette imports
April 1985 to September 1985	3,574·8	63·8
October 1985 to March 1986	5,965·8	80·2
April 1986 to September 1986	3,466·6	72·0
October 1986 to March 1987	6,615·3	77·7
April 1987 to September 1987	2,390·1	60·4

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the Chilean Government officials whom the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Mr. Clark) met on his recent trip to Chile; and if he will make a statement.

I had meetings with the Deputy Foreign Minister; the Finance Minister; the Minister of Public Works; the Minister of Mines; the Chief of Staff of the Chilean Navy; the President of the Central Bank; the Executive Secretary of the Foreign Investment Commission. I also attended a lunch hosted by the Foreign Minister. After my arrival in Chile, I was invited to see the President, on whom I paid a courtesy call.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in which products he anticipates increased trade with Chile as a result of the recent visit to Chile by the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Mr. Clark); and if he will make a statement.

The Chilean market offers excellent opportunities for British exporters across a wide range of product areas. In the first 10 months of this year, our exports to Chile were up by over 70 per cent, over the same period last year. I am hopeful that one result of my visit will be that British companies will increase their sales to the Chilean mining sector.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of all press statements from his Department about the recent visit to Chile by the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Mr. Clark).

A copy of my Department's press notice, announcing the visit, is available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) whether the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Mr. Clark) expressed concern about human rights abuses at every meeting with Government officials on his recent visit to Chile; and if he will make a statement;

The purpose of my visit was to promote British exports to Chile. I nevertheless took the opportunity, where appropriate to express Her Majesty's Government's concern about human rights in Chile. Her Majesty's Government have raised with the Chilean authorities the matter of two Chileans, formerly resident in the United Kingdom, who are in prison awaiting trial on arms charges.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the organisations with which the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Mr. Clark), held meetings on his recent trip to Chile; and if he will make a statement.

I had meetings with the President and senior officials of CODELCO, the Chilean copper mining corporation; the chairman and officials of the British/ Chilean chamber of commerce; the president of FISA (the Santiago International Trade Fair); and the general manager of Minera Escondida Ltd. In addition, I met representatives of the Chilean opposition and an official of the Chilean Human Rights Commission.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has any evidence of the 28 per cent, ceiling on subsidies for the construction of shipping being breached in other European Economic Community countries.

The Commission is responsible for ensuring that member states observe the rules of the European Council sixth directive on aid to shipbuilding which came into force on 1 January 1987. Under Article 4(5) of the Directive, the Commission can be asked to investigate the aid offered by member states in intra-Community competition. More than 20 such investigations have so far taken place. Only in the case of the Brittany Ferries order has the Commission established a breach of the aid ceiling. An Article 93(2) procedure is now in progress against the French authorities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what actions are being taken to ensure that (a) bottle jacks and (b) car lifting gear in general meet British safety standards;(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the present controls over the safety standards of

[holding answer 26 November 1987]: The Department commissioned the Institute for Consumer Ergonomics to undertake a safety appraisal of DIY car maintenance equipment including car lifting gear. The institute's recommendations were included in the Department's report on vehicle maintenance, which was published in November 1986.I am arranging for copies of the report to be placed in the Library.The report has proved a valuable aid to the development of new standards and the revision of existing ones. The British Standards Institution expects to publish new standards for car ramps and axle stands early next year. The BSI has recently issued for public comment a revised draft of BS Au 154(a): 1970 for hydraulic jacks to take account of models intended for use by amateur mechanics. A review of BS Au 172: 1979 for accessory jacks (of both bottle and scissor types) for passenger cars is also being undertaken as a matter of priority. I also indicated my Department's intention to approve standards for the various types of car lifting gear for the purpose of the general safety requirement of the Consumer Protection Act, as soon as satisfactory standards become available. This will mean that suppliers must either comply with the approved standard or achieve an equivalent level of safety by other means.Enforcement of this legislation is the responsibility of the local authority trading standards departments. The amount allocated to local authorities for expenditure on consumer protection and trading standards activities is reviewed annually during consideration of the rate support grant. The amount allocated for these activities has increased in recent years. The new legislation provides local authorities with greater flexibility and enhanced powers for the execution of their statutory duty to enforce consumer protection laws.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his strategy for rural area development in Scotland; if he intends to establish a rural development agency; and if he will make a statement.

I believe that rural area development in Scotland is best tackled by supporting and encouraging the initiative and potential which exists in rural communities.Government assistance for rural development is channelled through a variety of mechanisms, including the Scottish Development Agency, the Highlands and Islands Development Board, local authorities and other public bodies. Full details of the wide range of assistance available is provided in the booklet "Rural Scotland" which my Department published earlier this year. We will continue to encourage these bodies to respond to the needs of rural areas in a co-ordinated manner to secure the economic and social development of rural Scotland.I have no plans to establish a rural development agency. I believe that the interests of rural areas are better served through the existing mechanisms than by the creation of another public body.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide 100 per cent, funding for an expanded community service order scheme in Scotland.

My right hon. and learned Friend is at present reviewing the arrangements for providing community service by offenders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what procedures will be applied to proposals for preliminary investigations of a potential site in Scotland for the disposal of (i) low-level, (ii) intermediate-level and (iii) high-level nuclear waste; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add at present to the reply which I gave the hon. Member on 10 November, at column 142.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate what percentage of nuclear waste produced in Scotland is the result of the production of military materials; and what percentage of such waste is categorised as high level.

This information is not available in the form requested. It has, however, been estimated that, for the period to 2030, low and intermediate wastes from defence sources throughout the United Kingdom as a whole would amount to not more than 20 per cent, of the corresponding civil wastes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total production of sheep and goatmeat, in tonnes, in Scotland in each year since 1979.

The total production of sheepmeat, in thousand tonnes, in Scotland for each year since 1979 is as follows:

	'000 tonnes
1979	52·5
1980	60·8
1981	57·4
1982	56·7
1983	59·7
1984	57·3
1985	57·6
1986	58·4

Little goatmeat is produced, and there is insufficient information on which to base estimates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the average selling price per acre of agricultural land in Scotland in each of the past 10 years.

The information required is shown in the following table. The data are for equipped farms with vacant possession, sub-divided between hill and upland type farms and other farms.

	Hill and upland type farms £/hectare	Other farms £/hectare
1978	588	2,016
1979	1,189	3,034
1980	1,221	2,940
1981	1,241	2,548
1982	1,183	2,784
1983	1,408	3,018

	Hill and upland type farms £/hectare	Other farms £/hectare
1984	1,042	3,020
1985	1,024	2,568
1986	1578	2,130
21987	874	1,931
1 This figure results from an unusually large piece of land sold at a below average price.
2 To date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what record he has maintained of land which has been taken out of agricultural use in Scotland since 1979; if he will list in the Official Report the total average of land currently in agricultural use in Scotland; and what was the comparable amount in 1979.

The annual June agricultural census provides information on land going out of agricultural use. Between 1979 and 1986 the total recorded was 125,500 hectares. The areas of land covered by the census in 1986 and 1979 respectively were 5,968 thousand hectares and 6,134 thousand hectares. The two series are not completely comparable for a variety of reasons, including corrections and remeasurements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many representations he has received on his proposals regarding school government; and of these how many have been in favour.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Dumbarton (Mr. McFall) on 20 November 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish, for each Scottish health board, the numbers of acute beds in hospitals which are occupied by geriatric and psychogeriatric patients.

This information is not routinely collected. Relevant information will, however, shortly become available from a special survey. I shall write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will allow increased capital consents to Grampian regional council to deal with problems of repair and replacement of educational buildings in Aberdeen which have been found to have serious structural faults.

We are currently considering how consent to incur capital expenditure in 1988–89 and later years should be allocated, and I will most certainly take account of the problems which have recently materialised in Aberdeen. We expect to complete our deliberations early in 1988. My right hon. and learned Friend cannot give any undertakings about allocations to Grampian regional council at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what investment is planned in the hydroelectric industry for each year from 1988 to 1993.

This is a commercial matter for decision by the Scottish electricity boards and I am asking the chairmen of the Scottish electricity boards to write to the hon. Gentleman.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 5 November, Official Report, columns 183–4, he will give the most up-to-date figures for the numbers of hypothermia and cold-related deaths in Scotland in 1987; and if he has final figures for 1986.

The provisional figure for the number of deaths from hypothermia in Scotland in 1987 up to the end of October is 127. The final figure for 1986 is 209.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if copies of the review of the Highlands and Islands Development Board are available.

Copies of the summary report are now available in the House Library and copies have been sent to all hon. Members with constituencies in the boards area. Copies of the full report will be lodged in the House Library shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many additional private sector rented dwellings he expects to achieve as a result of the proposals on his recent White Paper on housing.

[holding answer 27 November 1987]: A considerable number.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how the wind-up criteria for the Scottish new town development corporations are affected by the Scottish Development Department's White Paper, "Housing: The Government's Proposals For Scotland"; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 26 November 1987]: The Government's proposals for new town housing, set out in the Scottish housing White Paper, are designed to promote diversity of tenure within the Scottish new towns. It is our intention to review the current policy of transferring new town housing remaining at wind-up to local authorities. These proposals are, however, unrelated to the specification of criteria for determining when the corporations should be wound up.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the community charge which would have been payable in the current year by district, regional and islands council area were the number of adults registered to pay to be 10 per cent, less than anticipated.

No. The illustrative levels of estimated personal community charge published by my right hon. and learned Friend represent the levels which would be required to replace domestic rate income in 1987–88. My right hon. and learned Friend has no intention of publishing alternative figures which would depend on purely hypothetical assumptions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the rebates scheme under the new community charge poll tax for those people who are (a) sick, (b) unemployed, (c) elderly or (d) on low incomes; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services hopes to publish draft community charge rebate regulations in the spring or early summer of 1988 following consultation with local authorities.It is intended that the procedures for assessing needs and resources should be aligned as far as is possible with those included in the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the total cost of the recent trials arising from the incidents on the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham on 5 and 6 October 1985; and if he will make a statement.

The total cost of the 62 cases brought to trial arising from these events amounts, in respect of fees and witnesses expenses paid to date from both prosecution and defence, to £882,220.

To ask the Attorney-General what actions he intends to take in relation to the distribution of books in the United Kingdom against which he has successfully sought injunctions abroad.

The organised distribution or sale or advertising of "Spycatcher", or of any book in respect of which there is an injunction in this country, is at risk of being a contempt of court. The Treasury Solicitor has received satisfactory undertakings from nearly all recipients of a letter sent on my instructions as a law enforcement officer giving warning of this. I shall continue to direct the sending of such letters. I am considering those cases where the response was unsatisfactory.

To ask the Attorney-General what plans the Lord Chancellor has to increase the resources available to the courts in England and Wales.

Additional provision has been made available for the court service in England and Wales for the current financial year. The autumn statement reflects further provision for the Lord Chancellor's Department, including the court service over the next three years.

To ask the Attorney-General if he has any plans to seek to amend the Latent Damage Act 1986 with respect to professional liability.

No. But I refer my hon. Friend to the Government's decision announced on 28 October by my hon. Friend the Minister for Corporate and Consumer Affairs, to commission a series of studies into selected professions to establish the nature, scope, extent and implications of the liability problems that they face.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received on the workings of the Prosecution of Offenders Act 1985.

I have received a number of representations, both from within and without this House. Some have been supportive of the Crown Prosecutions service, some have not. Of those in the latter category, a great many have contained adverse criticism of the service, which has been either misinformed or misguided. This criticism has failed to acknowledge the excellent work and numerous successes of the service's deeply committed staff; whilst blaming the service for matters which are outside its control, or for which other agencies in the criminal justice system are responsible.

To ask the Attorney-General what action he proposes to take following the publication of the Law Commission paper on landlord and tenant.

The Law Commission report on Landlord and Tenant: Reform of the Law (Law Com. No. 162) to which the hon. Member refers is an overall, preliminary survey of a wide topic, and does not put forward detailed proposals for further action.

To ask the Attorney-General if the Lord Chancellor will take measures to increase the speed with which the Land Registry processes applications for registration.

The Treasury has recently approved a significant increase in expenditure and manpower to be made available to enable HM Land Registry to meet its growing commitments. Furthermore, discussions are being held with a view to ensuring that manpower resources can be adjusted more readily to reflect the level of activity prevailing from time to time in the conveyancing and mortgage markets.

To ask the Attorney-General how long it takes on average to process a land registration application.

The current position is that applications for searches and office copies of entries on the register are processed on average within two to three working days of receipt. Applications for dealings with registered titles are processed on average within 51 working days. Applications for new titles are processed on average within 140 working days.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received regarding the extent to which the submission of application forms for export licences to the United States Government by United Kingdom vendors of American computer equipment complies with EEC regulation 2641/84; and if he will make a statement.

I have received no representations.

To ask the Attorney-General what is his policy toward prosecuting companies in the United Kingdom making an application to the United States Government for an export licence for American computer systems which provide as part of their application information which is officially secret; and if he will make a statement.

Any allegation of illegal conduct will be considered on its merits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on future aid programmes to Mozambique.

So far this year we have committed £5 million to be spent on capital projects, £15 million as support for Mozambique's balance of payments, a further £15 million for food and emergency aid and we have a continuing programme of technical co-operation. We expect to maintain a significant level of assistance to Mozambique both directly and through our contribution to projects sponsored by the Southern African development co-ordination conference.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to change the level of aid to India.

The level of our aid spending in India will continue to be determined by what we can afford and by the rate at which we and the Indian authorities agree on projects to be supported. I look forward to reviewing the progress of our substantial programme with the Indians when I go there in December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for assisting Uganda's economic development.

In June this year we pledged £25 million of balance of payments support for Uganda to be spent over two years. £15 million of this has already been allocated — £5 million as bilateral programme aid to finance vital imports for the agricultural, transport and industrial sectors, and £10 million as co-financing with the World Bank special facility for Africa. The remaining £10 million is subject to Uganda maintaining the economic recovery programme agreed earlier this year with the IMF. In addition, we are providing assistance to the transport, health, public administration, education and power generation sectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is planning to offer any technical and any other form of assistance to Egypt to help overcome difficulty in that country consequent upon the fall of the water level in the river Nile; and if he will make a statement.

We have not been asked by the Government of Egypt to provide assistance to help overcome difficulties arising from the fall in the water level of the Nile. We shall certainly consider any requests that they put to us.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many orders and for how much money have been placed in Britain as a result of Overseas Development Administration expenditure for the latest 12 months period available; and how many jobs have resulted from that expenditure.

In 1986 approximately 13,000 contracts were placed in the United Kingdom as a result of the bilateral aid programme. Expenditure on British goods and services amounted to £750 million. Procurement of British goods and services on projects and programmes funded by the multilateral aid agencies amounted to approximately £600 million. It has been estimated that the aid programme directly supports about 75,000 jobs in the United Kingdom each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution has been made in 1987 by the Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute to the long-term alleviation of famine conditions in east and central Africa.

The Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute is engaged in a variety of projects which all contribute to the long-term alleviation of famine in east and central Africa. Its research, advisory and field management work there ranges across food security and seed stocks, control of insect pests, improved processing of poor people's food crops such as sorghum, millet and cassava, livestock systems, resettlement projects and coordination of climate studies. Earlier this year I allocated some £6·8 million to ODNRI to strengthen the institute's programme of work on insect pest problems affecting rural populations in Africa.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy towards the role played by non-Governmental organisations in assisting the development of poor countries.

Non-governmental organisations play an important and distinctive role in overseas development and are particularly effective at a grass roots level in reaching some of the poorest communities in ways which are not always open to Government to Government aid. Support from the aid programme for nongovernmental organisations has increased steadily over the last few years and I have decided, subject to parliamentary approval, to increase our support for the next year under the joint funding scheme by 50 per cent., as well as increasing our support for volunteer recruitment agencies by 18 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to help avert famine in Ethiopia.

So far this year we have committed £10·74 million from the bilateral programme for famine relief in Ethiopia, including an offer of £2 million, which I announced on 17 November, to help the Office of the United Nations disaster relief co-ordinator mount an airlift to transport food to those in most urgent need. In addition we are contributing some £12·5 million as our share of the cost of food and other emergency relief provided by the European Community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has held with development agencies in Britain about the situation in Ethiopia.

My officials are in regular contact with British voluntary organisations concerned with Ethiopia. A substantial proportion of our relief assistance to Ethiopia is channelled through such organisations, including pledges so far this year of 20,000 tonnes of emergency food aid and support for the joint OXFAM/ Save the Children fund relief trucking fleet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what place considerations of trends in population growth in recipient countries take in his decisions on the aid programme.

Rapid population growth is a key factor affecting economic and social progress in poor countries. We support developing countries which have programmes designed to give parents both healthier families and choice in determining the number and spacing of their children.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government will take to seek to prevent famine in Ethiopia and Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

So far this year we have committed £10·74 million from the bilateral programme for famine relief in Ethiopia. In addition we have contributed some £12·5 million as our share of the cost of food and other emergency relief provided by the European Community.For the Sudan Britain has provided about £500,000 in relief aid this year including a co-ordination expert for the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission and help for people displaced by war in southern Sudan. We stand ready to provide more assistance if necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the United Kingdom is contributing to the United Nations development programme in the current year.

A total of £23 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the proportion of the purchase price of the Upland Goose hotel in the Falkland Islands paid from his Department's grant to the Falkland Islands development corporation.

No aid programme funds were involved in the purchase.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if Her Majesty's Government will consider giving financial or technical assistance to the renovation of the water supply in Phnom Penh, Kampuchea; and if he will make a statement;(2) if the Overseas Development Administration will consider reversing its ban on development aid to the Kampuchean Government in the light of the recent peace initiatives between the Phnom Penh government and Prince Sihanouk's Democratic Kampuchean Coalition; and if he will make a statement.

We see no grounds at this stage for changing our present policy on aid to Cambodia.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about making the abuse of solvent a criminal offence; what views he has sought on the matter; and what steps he plans to make.

We occasionally receive proposals in favour of making solvent misuse a criminal offence, but have accepted the judgment of professionals working in the field that this would be counter-productive. We consider that the more effective approach lies through a combination of education and information for parents and professionals and voluntary reductions in supply for retailers, backed where necessary by the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the policy of the prison service on the availability of herbal medicines to inmates; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for the health care of inmates of a prison service establishment is vested in the medical officer, who uses his professional knowledge and clinical judgment in deciding the treatment appropriate in each case. Inmates have a right to refuse treatment prescribed by the medical officer but they are not permitted to substitute a treatment of their own prescription unless it is a form of treatment of which the medical officer approves.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are currently being held (a) on remand and (b) in police cells.

On 31 October 1987, the latest date for which reliable information is available, about 10,570 untried or convicted unsentenced prisoners wre held in prison department establishments in England and Wales and 910 prisoners were held in police cells, many of whom were on remand. By 20 November 1987 the number held in police cells had fallen to 650.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons in the last five years have been convicted of crimes involving a legally licensed smooth-bore short-barrelled gun, under 24 in in length.

The information requested is not available from the records of court proceedings held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will take steps to ensure that statistics on the type of weapons which have been used in the commission of crimes are kept;

Information on notifiable offences recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have been used or stolen is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" chapter 3 of the edition for 1986 (Cm. 233), copies of which are in the Library. The information collected relates to the principal weapon used in the offence, as reported by the victim; only the main class of weapon (rifle, pistol, air-weapon etc.) is recorded because more detailed information could not be collected reliably from victims whose reports are often imprecise. In a large proportion of these offences the weapon used is not recovered. The other information asked for is not available from the records held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has concerning the numbers and types of firearms which are issued to citizens of Switzerland as part of that country's civil defence policy; and if he will make a statement.

Such information as is available to me suggests that Swiss males over the age of 20 may be issued with a firearm, usually an automatic one, to enable them to participate in military service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had concerning the case for individuals serving in the Territorial Army continuing to practise using self-loading rifles at private shooting clubs; and if he will make a statement.

None. We have considered the possibility of exempting certain categories of persons, or members of certain organisations, from the proposed restrictions on full-bore self-loading rifles, but have: concluded that any such exemptions would seriously weaken the new controls and discriminate against legitimate shooters who happened to fall outside these: categories.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who authorised the temporary release from prison of John and George Daly to attend the funeral of their mother; and what was the cost to public funds.

John and George Daly, who are category A inmates, were not "temporarily released" from prison (that is allowed to leave unaccompanied) but attended their mother's funeral service — but not the burial—under escort. This was authorised in accordance with standing instructions by a senior official of the prison department. The cost to public funds was about £200.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, following the refusal of permission to his Department to appeal, he will now give instructions for an entry clearance certificate to be issued immediately to Mrs. Sayban Nessa (ref. m378012).

I have instructed the entry clearance officer in Dhaka to issue entry clearance to Mrs. Nessa.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he intends giving to local authorities in relation to prosecuting alleged contraventions of the Shops Act 1950, in the light of the recent referral of a case to the European Court of Justice alleging a breach of article 30.

We shall decide what action, if any, is necessary when the outcome of the case is known. There is no reason to suppose that local authorities are not aware of their current responsibility and powers under section 71 of the Shops Act 1950 to enforce its provisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inmates of prisons have been released temporarily on compassionate grounds in each of the last five years; who authorised such releases; and what was the cost to public funds.

Prisoners may be temporarily released on compassionate grounds on the authorisation of the prison governor, under rule 6 of the Prison Rules 1964 (as amended). The number of such releases and their cost are not recorded centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the meeting between his Minister of State, the noble Lord Caithness, and the all-party delegation representing the Merseyside fire and civil defence authority on Wednesday 18 November.

At the request of the Merseyside fire and civil defence authority my noble Friend the Minister of State met a delegation from the authority on 18 November to receive representations in support of its application for a redetermination of their 1988–89 expenditure level. We shall take into account the matters raised at this meeting together with other relevant considerations when coming to a decision on the authority's application.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on (a) the incidence of the use of gaming machines by minors and (b) the installation of gaming machines in premises providing easy access to minors.

We have some information about the use of amusement machines by young people. We are interested in obtaining clear evidence and that is why my right hon. Friend announced research into this subject on 6 May. There is no statutory prohibition on young people entering many of the premises including amusement arcades which have these machines. When we have the results of the research we shall be in a better position to judge whether it is necessary or desirable to introduce fresh legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received from special constables in the past year about their inability to appeal against a chief constables'decision in disciplinary matters; and if he will make a statement.

We can find no record of any such representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet received the report of the working group on mentally disordered offenders in the prison system; and if he will make a statement.

A joint Home Office/DHSS working group of officials chaired by Dr. John L. Kilgour, CB, Director of Prison Medical Services was set up last year to consider and report to Ministers on the problems presented by mentally disordered offenders in the prison system in England and Wales. There were two main objectives; to see what could be done to minimise the numbers of such prisoners, and to develop arrangements for their treatment whilst in custody and after.The working group's report describes various factors which bear on the issue and steps which are being taken, or should be put in hand, to bring about improvements. The Government accept the 16 recommendations made. In addition to measures for improving administrative procedures within the Home Office and the prison service, the recommendations include:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he requires the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to inform him of the numbers and types of firearms held by his force;(2) whether he will publish statistics concerning the numbers and types of firearms held by the Metropolitan police;

It is for each chief officer of police to decide what weapons are required to enable him to discharge his operational responsibilities. He is guided in this by advice issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers. The Home Office is represented on the committee which produces this advice.The Home Office is responsible for ensuring, through HM inspectorate of constabulary, that police forces are efficient and HM inspectorate checks, during its annual inspections, that police forces have adequate equipment available to them. Police authorities are responsible for providing that equipment and for keeping themselves informed on matters connected with the policing of their area. As police authority for the Metropolitan police, my right hon. Friend has access to information relating to the types and numbers of weapons held by that force.It is a matter for the judgment of chief officers of police and police authorities as to how much information should be publicly disclosed in relation to police firearms. I gave details of the broad categories of firearms held by the Metropolitan police in answer to a question from the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) on 27 November. We do not believe it to be in the public interest to disclose details of the number of firearms held in each of those categories.The Department has not issued advice to chief constables on the collection and dissemination of statistics on the numbers and types of firearms held by their forces. The only representations received concerning the collection and publication of such statistics have been from the press.The above policy is in line with the devolved character of policing in this country under the 1964 Police Act. We constantly watch the working of these relationships to ensure that they are efficient, but so far see no practical advantage in proposing changes to them in this respect.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the reply, Official Report, 13 November, column 336, whether his Department has any plans to practice in peacetime the national warning procedures for ballistic missile attack.

The United Kingdom warning and monitoring organisation of the Home Office regularly practices the procedures for issuing a national warning of ballistic missile attack.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the reply, Official Report, 13 November, column 336, to what proportion of the United Kingdom population the sirens intended to warn of impending nuclear attack are intended to be audible.

It is estimated that some 90 per cent, of the population should be capable of being warned of an impending air attack by sirens and the whole population by radio broadcasts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the reply, Official Report, 13 November, column 336, whether the advice on protective measures in the event of a ballistic missile attack is currently available to the public upon request; and if he will make a statement.

In 1985 we published emergency planning guidance to local authorities, which provides detailed planning advice on wartime and other emergencies; this was followed in 1986 by "Civil Protection" (a booklet and video) giving a more basic introduction to the subject—both of these are available to the public and copies are in the Library. Arrangements for issuing more direct guidance to the public are kept under review: the nature and timing of such guidance would depend on the nature of the threat evident at the time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions, in each of the past five years, the Government have been prevented from seeking extradition from the Republic of Ireland because the Republic has not acceded to the European convention on the suppression of terrorism.

No United Kingdom warrants have been returned unexecuted from the Republic of Ireland in the last five years on the basis that the offences concerned were regarded as political.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the increase in tax in percentage terms on a packet of 20 cigarettes of the most popular brand since May 1979; and what has been the change in the tobacco price index compared with the all items index in the same period.

The total of duty and value added tax on a packet of 20 cigarettes has increased by 188 per cent. since May 1979.The tobacco price index increased by 160 per cent, between May 1979 and October 1987 compared with an increase of 88 per cent, in the all items index over the same period.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax in total, including specific tax, ad valorem tax and value added tax, in pence per packet of 20 cigarettes, is levied on (a) a packet of United Kingdom manufactured king size cigarettes retailing at £1·55, and (b) a packet of imported Virginia king size cigarettes retailing at £1·23.

The information is as follows:

	Total tax £
(a) King size cigarettes at £1·55 per packet	1·14
(b) King size cigarettes at £1·23 per packet	1·03

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the effect on the retail price index of a 30p per 20 increase in duty on cigarettes.

A measure that would increase the excise duty together with consequential VAT by 30p per 20 cigarettes would increase the retail price index by about 0·7 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department last surveyed the energy efficiency of the lighting of his Department's building; and what were the conclusions.

Surveys have been carried out in most of the Treasury buildings this year. There is scope for greater lighting efficiency and cost-effective recommendations are being pursued.