To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will introduce diplomatic passports for United Kingdom diplomats; and if he will make a statement.

There are no immediate plans to introduce diplomatic passports but a joint Home Office/Foreign and Commonwealth Office working group is at present studying the question.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to which nations do and which do not issue diplomatic passports to their diplomatic staff; and if he will make a statement.

I am not aware of any country, other than the United Kingdom, which does not issue diplomatic passports to its diplomatic staff overseas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payments have been made to the Government of Cyprus in each of the last three years (a) in total, (b) as aid and (c) in respect of the use of the sovereign bases.

The information is as follows:

	Financial Year 1984–85	Financial Year 1985–86	Financial Year 1986–87
(a)	1,578,143	1,568,326	1,377,547
(b)	1,578,143	1,568,326	1,377,547
(c)	Nil	Nil	Nil

	Publication dale	Total print run	Number of Her Majesty's Stationery Office sale copies	COI copies
Britain 1979	23 January 1979	21,000	10,250	10,750
Britain 1980	29 February 1980	18,370	9,750	8,620
Britain 1981	6 March 1981	17,500	7,645	9,855
Britain 1982	23 February 1982	17,500	7,880	9,620
Britain 1983	14 February 1983	18,400	7,580	10,820
Britain 1984	29 May 1984	23,000	6,980	116,020
Britain 1985	6 February 1985	17,600	7,480	10,120
Britain 1986	2 January 1986	17,750	7,188	10,562
Britain 1987	2 January 1987	17,750	7,348	10,402
Britain 1988	6 January 1988	17,500	6,721	10,779
1 Includes 5,000 copies of a special edition prepared for distribution at the London Economic Summit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wrexham on 11 January, if he will give the reasons as to why the terms of the contract under which the renewable resources assessment group at Imperial college, London provides scientific advice to the Falkland Islands Government are commercially confidential; and at whose suggestion they were made confidential.

The terms of the contract have been negotiated between the Falkland Islands Government and the renewable resources assessment group and are subject to the approval of the Islands' Executive Council. It is normal commercial practice for details of contracts to remain confidential to the parties concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of preparing "Britain 1988—An Official Handbook"; and how many copies have been printed.

17,500 copies of the handbook have been printed by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 10,779 for the Central Office of Information on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and 6,721 sale copies. Preparation and production costs are estimated to total £145,200; Her Majesty's Stationery Office's production costs are recovered from sales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the publication date of "Britain—An Official Handbook" in 1979 and each succeeding year; and how many copies were printed in each year.

The information requested is given in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are the estimated volumes of radioactive waste likely to be produced by a commercial fusion reactor in terms of cubic metres per gigawatt (e) year.

I am advised by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority that a commercial fusion power reactor of the type now envisaged might produce 10–100 cu m of radioactive waste per gigawatt (e) year. This volume is similar to that produced by a fission reactor of similar volume, but its radioactivity reduces more quickly with time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when national representatives of the European fast reactor collaboration programme last met; and what subjects were discussed.

Representatives of the utilities, the design companies and the R and D organisations involved in the European fast reactor collaboration meet frequently and discuss a wide range of fast reactor issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give details of past and current spending proposals for renewable energy research and development supported by his Department over the last five years.

My Department's expenditure on renewable energy research and development over the last five years is as follows:

	£ million
1982–83	14·7
1983–84	11·7
1984–85	14·9
1985–86	13·2
1986–87	12·0
1987–88	114·4
1 Estimated.

To ask the Attorney-General what changes in staffing there have been since 1983 in the county courts of (a) Bristol, (b) Exeter, (c) Yeovil and (d) Taunton.

Since 1983 the number of staff at the county courts at Bristol, Yeovil and Taunton have increased from 81 to 82, 19 to 20½ and 13½ to 14 respectively. The number of staff at Exeter remains unchanged. It is intended by the end of January 1988 to increase the staffing levels at Bristol, Exeter and Yeovil by two additional members of staff and at Taunton by one additional member of staff.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received regarding the backlog of cases before the county courts of (a) Bristol, (b) Exeter, (c) Yeovil and (d) Taunton.

During the last six months the Lord Chancellor's Department has received 16 representations concerning delays in listing cases at Bristol county court and one concerning delays in listing at Exeter county court. None was received in relation to Yeovil or Taunton.

To ask the Attorney-General in how many defended divorce proceedings in each of the last three years for which figures are available legal aid was granted to (a) male defendants and (b) female defendants.

The information requested is as follows:

	Male Respondents	Female Respondents
1984–85	1,815	859
1985–86	1,797	844
1986–87	1,442	796

To ask the Attorney-General how many divorce proceedings in each of the last three years for which figures are available were (a) contested and (b) uncontested.

Figures for the latest three years for which full data are available (1983 to 1985) are shown in the table.

England and Wales
	1983	1984	1985
Uncontested decrees nisi granted	149,189	147,136	161,409
High Court defended divorce cases disposed of by trial	500	489	464

To ask the Attorney-General what was the cost of the Land Registry services for each of the last five years in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) by county.

The following table shows, for England and Wales, the expenditure involved in providing Land Registry services; and for Scotland, the expenditure involved in providing the services of the Department of the Registers (about 97 per cent. of which is attributable to the Register of Sasines and the Land Register of Scotland). Figures are not kept for England and Wales separately, nor for individual counties in England, Wales and Scotland. Such figures could be provided only at inordinate expense.

	England and Wales£ million	Scotland Wales£ million
1982–83	66·8	8·2
1983–84	75·6	9·9
1984–85	82·4	10·9
1985–86	91·0	12·2
1986–87	102·2	12·4

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many investigations have been made under section 444 of the Companies Act 1985 and its predecessor, section 173 of the Companies Act 1948, in each of the last five years;(2) how many civil servants at the Department of Trade and Industry, and how many others, are currently concerned in carrying out investigations under section 444 of the Companies Act 1985;(3) what criteria he uses in deciding whether to hold an investigation under section 444 of the Companies Act 1985 into the ownership of shares in or debentures of a company.

The criteria for an investigation under section 444 of the Companies Act 1985 is that it appears to the Secretary of State there is good reason to investigate the ownership of any shares or debentures of a company, and that it is unnecessary to appoint inspectors for the purpose. The section empowers the Secretary of State or his officers to make the investigations; it does not empower him to appoint outsiders for this purpose. No investigations are currently in progress. Information sought about previous investigations cannot be provided without undue expense.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry received the report of his inspectors into the affairs of Mr. Michael Hepker, Sumrie Clothes plc and related matters; if he will make the report public; and if he will make a statement.

The inspectors' report on Sumrie Clothes plc has not been received. When it is, a decision on publication will he taken.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the statement by his Under-Secretary of State on 11 January, why he requires to seek the prior approval of the EEC Commission before implementing his proposals to restrict the use of foams in furniture in the interests of safety.

In accordance with directive EC 83/189 on the provision of information on technical standards and regulations, member states of the European Community submit new proposals to the Commission of the European Community in draft. This provides other member states and the Commission with an opportunity to comment on the proposals from the point of view of any possible conflict with proposals for EC legislation, and in case the proposed measure could constitute a new barrier to trade which could not be justified by reference to the need for protection of health and safety of consumers or workers. These established procedures will be followed in the case of the proposed regulations for improved fire resistance of domestic upholstered furniture. Although the Commission has the power to prohibit the United Kingdom making any regulations which it believes would be a barrier to trade and can use the European Court to enforce its ruling, it would be unlikely to do so in any case where the regulations would affect United Kingdom and other EC manufacturers alike, as these would.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many jobs have been created by the Peckham task force in (a) its first 12 months of operation and (b) its second 12 months of operation; and how many of those jobs have been filled by (i) young people and (ii) local people.

Many north Peckham task force projects create new jobs directly. Other jobs are created indirectly by businesses helped by task force work:

— jobs in firms assisted by the task force development fund;

— jobs created in voluntary or statutory agencies as a result of task force assistance;

— jobs gained for residents as a result of training courses facilitated by the task force.

In addition, the broad range of work being encouraged by the task force to increase skills and enterprise amongst north Peckham residents feeds through into more confident and employable people who can compete for and hold down jobs in the wider London economy.It would involve disproportionate cost to estimate the jobs resulting directly and indirectly from the whole of the task force's work, and be misleading to include only those that can be readily counted.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much has been spent by the Peckham task force; and in relation to any expenditure on estates, which estates have been the recipients of work paid for through the task force.

Since the Government's north Peckham task force was set up in 1986, some £2·3 million of Government funds have been committed for task force projects benefitting the residents of the area. Of this, about £1 million has come from funds available to task forces and £1·3 million from other Government programmes. In addition, some £250,000 has been committed by the private sector and £130,000 by the local authority. Estates which have benefited from task force funds are north Peckham estate, where the task force contributed to improved lighting and the refurbishment of premises for Southwark adult education institute, and Gloucester Grove estate, on which projects to establish shopping facilities and to convert unused garages to workshops for small firms are in hand.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the future of support for innovation schemes for single company projects.

As my right hon. and learned Friend told the House during his statement on 12 January, we have decided that research and development which is at the stage of commercial exploitation should be the responsibility of the private sector. Therefore, the general schemes of single company support for innovation were closed to new applications at 18.00 hours on 12 January. Formal applications received before then will be appraised under the schemes as they existed previously. The schemes covered are support for innovation, the microelectronics industry support programme, support for software products support, and the fibre-optics and optoelectronics scheme.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of his Department's 1987–88 expenditure on press and public relations will be devoted to the production of a video to promote a new corporate image of his Department.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: In the context of the new measures recently announced to the House, we have produced a short video to help with staff communications, as is now common in many organisations in both the public and private sectors. This video is mainly concerned with the Department's new policies and services although it does also mention the importance of the Department's image with the business community. The production cost of this video is approximately £17,000. The Department's expenditure on press and public relations in 1987–88 is expected to be £1,123,000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to change the corporate image of his Department; and what costs will be involved on (a) new stationery, (b) uniforms and badges and (c) the change of vehicle logos.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: We have introduced new letterheads in the Department to replace a wider range of diverse styles which were previously in use. An expensive survey would be needed to identify the exact costs of redundant stationery including those held locally by secretaries and typing pools. We estimate the purchase cost of redundant stationery held in the central stationery stores to be approximately £5,000. However, this will be offset to a significant extent by using this stationery internally or in scrap pads. It is our intention that in due course the new style will be reflected in other areas such as uniform badges and on vehicles. Planning is still in hand for this process but in many cases we will phase in the changes as part of normal renewal and maintenance programmes.

To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to Yorkshire.

I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to Winterbourne Houghton.

I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on co-ordination between the relevant Departments responsible for taxation and family policy, with particular reference to eligibility for mortgage interest tax relief as it applies to married couples, unmarried couples cohabiting and groups of individuals buying the same house together.

All Government Departments take account of the effects of legislation on the family and there is proper co-ordination of their work on policy changes. Mortgage interest tax relief is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer; the aspect to which my hon. Friend refers was discussed in the Chancellor's Green Paper "The Reform of Personal Taxation" published in March 1986 (Cmnd. 9756).

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to visit Tayside.

I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the proposals by the Commission for the mutual recognition of firearms certificates; and if she will make a statement.

My hon. Friend is no doubt referring to the proposal for a Council directive on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons. Member states must be free to carry out the checks necessary to preserve security and maintain law and order. We shall continue to make clear to other member states our belief that the proposal in its present form does not contain adequate safeguards to combat terrorism and limit the ability of criminals to acquire firearms illegally. As the proposal has yet to be formally discussed, it would not be appropriate to raise it at the next European Council.

To ask the Prime Minister what consultation has taken place between Her Majesty's Government, the First Division Association, and the permanent secretaries, in their capacity as affected employees, over Sir Robin Ibbs's report on the Civil Service.

The report to which the hon. Gentleman refers is still under consideration. The unions will be consulted if any change in terms and conditions of service is contemplated.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list all those who accompanied her on her recent visit to Africa; and what their duties were.

On my visit to Africa I was accompanied by four officials and 11 support staff. It would not be appropriate to list the names and duties of those who accompanied me.

To ask the Prime Minister what was the cost of her recent visit to Africa; and if it was all met from public funds.

It is too soon to give precise information on the cost of this visit. A provisional estimate is £80,000. The cost was met from public funds.

To ask the Prime Minister which Minister is responsible for ensuring that the conventions governing the content of Government advertising and promotional materials are complied with.

Ministers in charge of Departments are responsible for ensuring that Government conventions on publicity and advertising are complied with.

To ask the Prime Minister if, pursuant to her reply of 11 January, Official Report, column 2, she will list all those papers about the 1957 Windscale lire withheld from release under the terms of the Public Records Act.

It has been the practice of successive Administrations not to disclose the contents of closed records. The limited number of records concerned have been retained under section 3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958 or closed for longer than 30 years under section 5(1) of the Act in accordance with the established criteria.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 14 January.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 14 January.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to provide more funding for a public education campaign on Third world issues.

I have decided to increase the Overseas Development Administration's annual grant to the Centre for World Development Education from £100,000 to £125,000 for the financial years 1988–89 and 1989–90. The Scottish Education and Action for Development also receives an annual grant of £6,000, and recently I agreed a contribution of £70,000 to the Council of Europe's public awareness campaign on north/south interdependence.The widespread distribution to schools last year of our booklet "British Aid" is to be followed this year with the ODA's first video for schools on the aid programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide the latest figures for property repossessions arising from mortgage default in 1987.

The Building Societies Association has estimated that 21,950 properties in the United Kingdom were taken into possession by building societies in the year ending June 1987, 0·3 per cent. of the number of loans which were outstanding to the societies at the end of that period. It is estimated that 630 dwellings were taken into possession by English local authorities during the financial year 1985–86, the latest period for which an estimate is available. Corresponding information is not available from other lending institutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to make special financial arrangements to assist district councils in the county of Durham in the event of severe weather conditions during the winter.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing) on 17 December 1987 at column 617, and to my right hon. Friend's reply on 13 January 1988 to my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham (Mr. Arnold).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has of the proportion of households in England which will be liable to pay above average community charge which are households with below average incomes.

In order for a community charge to be larger than the average of £224, local authorities in that area would have to be spending at least £47 per adult more than the estimated cost of a standard level of service. I estimate that in England 16 per cent. of households have below average incomes and live in such areas. Many of that 16 per cent. may be entitled to a rebate. This estimate is necessarily subject to a margin of error.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the implications of the proposed community charge for premises in enterprise zones.

Non-domestic property in enterprise zones will continue to be exempt from rates during the life of the zone. We propose to provide for a special method of valuing properties in enterprise zones, so that, when the zone comes to an end, rateable values will discount any element of rent payments which reflect the benefit of the rates holiday.Individuals living in enterprise zones presently pay domestic rates and will be liable for the community charge in the same way as everyone else.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the detailed calculations for each local authority showing the assumptions about numbers of poll tax payers whose incomes will lead to payment of rebates, which led him to give a figure of £1,500 million for payment of rebates in his speech of 16 December 1987, Official Report, column 1117.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Raison) on 8 December at columns 98–99, for the basis on which my right hon. Friend made his estimate of a total rebate cost of £1,500 million.It is not possible to make such estimates for individual local authorities since information about incomes at this level is available on a sample basis which is not adequate to make estimates at local level.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the sale of land belonging to Nottingham city council for supermarket development without competing tenders being received; and if he will make a statement.

None. One letter of objection about a proposed superstore development at Hyson Green, Nottingham, addressed to the leader of the city council and signed by 10 persons has been copied to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to introduce proposals to abolish the cash-flow provisions affecting the right to buy council homes.

The White Paper "Housing: The Government's Proposals" proposed that the cost floor rule under the right to buy should be abolished. The responses are still under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether local authorities will still be able to utilise the priority suppliers scheme under the arrangements for competitive tendering proposed in the Local Government Bill; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 11 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest information about the deterioration of forests due to acid rain; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 18 December 1987, at column 795, to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has of the percentage of the United Kingdom native tree species showing signs of acid rain die-back.

I have asked to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to review the law on treasure trove; and if he intends to issue a consultation paper.

My right hon. Friend has been reviewing the arrangements for reporting and recording of archeological finds generally. We plan to issue a consultation paper shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the desirability of a nationwide tree survey; and if he will make a statement.

I have not received any such representations. However, annual surveys of forest health are carried out by the Forestry Commission. Various surveys have been carried out, or are being carried out, into the effects of the great storm on 16 October 1987, but these are confined to the affected area in the south-east of England.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals are being considered by his Department for the reduction of emission of hydrocarbons and nitrous oxide from car exhausts.

As to standards which are already permitted within the European Community, I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 7 December, at column 20, to my hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Carrington). We expect proposals from the Commission shortly to allow tighter standards of controls over small cars.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the current emoluments to the chairmen and members of the residuary bodies for the five former metropolitan county residuary bodies.

The information is as follows:

Current remuneration (from 1 October 1987)
	£
Chairmen
Greater Manchester	19,064
Merseyside
West Midlands
South Yorkshire	17,330
Tyne and Wear
West Yorkshire

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the numbers of meetings of each residuary body since 1 April 1987.

The number of full residuary body board meetings held during the period 1 April 1987 to 13 January 1988 was as follows:

Residuary body	Number of full Board meetings
London	34
Greater Manchester	9
Merseyside	18
South Yorkshire	9
Tyne and Wear	10
West Midlands	18
West Yorkshire	10

To ask the Secretary of State for the Envoronment (1) if, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett) of 16 November 1987, Official Report, columns 183–185, he will publish in the Official Report (a) the number of income tax payers he has assumed were resident in each rating authority, (b) the average level of income he assumed each income tax payer was earning and (c) the total number of income tax payers in England, the average level of income they were earning and the source of his information;(2) if, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett) of 16 November 1987,

[holding answer 13 January 1988]: The assumption about the relationship between expenditure and grant was described in the note covering the exemplifications placed in the Library on 12 November. Full equalisation of taxable resources was assumed. To calculate exemplifications on this basis it is unnecessary to make assumptions about the number of income tax payers or the average income, either for England as a whole or for each district and borough.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett) of 16 November 1987, Official Report, columns 183–85, on local income tax, he will publish the figures he assumed for England for (a) the total amount of Government grant, (b) what part of Government grant was equivalent to the total paid in rate rebates and (c) the level of the national non-domestic rate in pence to two decimal places.

[holding answer 13 January 1988]: A number of assumptions were made about such matters as the total amount to be raised from LIT, rebates, balances and the yield of an extra 1p income tax. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 November to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes). It was unnecessary to make any additional assumptions about the total amount of Government grant The Government's assumption about the level of the NNDR has been that, on the basis of actual poundages in 1987–88, it would be 224·11p.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on the transport by air of plutonium, plutonium oxide or plutonium nitrate produced at the Sellafield reprocessing plant; and whether he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.The transport of all radioactive materials by air must comply fully with the national and international regulations governing this type of transport The International Atomic Energy Agency is about to undertake a review of this particular issue, to decide whether any regulatory changes are required.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all consultancies carried out by the London-based agents Fuller Peiser since 1983 on behalf of his Department.

The Department is currently using Fuller Peiser as agents for the disposal of some of its property m London. I am not aware that the Department has placed other work with the firm since 1983.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all asset sales by the Department or its agencies managed by the London-based agents Fuller Peiser since 1983.

The Property Services Agency is currently using Fuller Peiser as agents for the disposal of some of its property in London. No central record is kept of commissions by the Department's agencies, but we are aware that the firm was also retained as agents by Aycliffe and Peterlee new town development corporation to carry out the marketing for the disposal of the industrial assets of the Corporation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the closure by British Rail of a part of the Lenton Triangle junction, Nottingham; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received representations from the hon. Members for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) and for Nottingham, North. It would not be appropriate to comment on these in view of his quasi-judicial position.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about the opening of a railway line from Nottingham through Bulwell to Mansfield; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received representations from the hon. Members for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) and for Nottingham, North. As this possibility of reopening a passenger service between Nottingham and Mansfield through Bulwell is relevant to British Rail's proposal to close part of the Lenton Triangle junction, it would not be appropriate for my right hon. Friend to comment in view of his quasi-judicial position.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to improve the speed of traffic flow along the M1 during carriageway repairs.

We are always looking for ways of improving traffic flow, consistent with safety of road users and the work force at roadwork sites. We aim to minimise delays by careful programming, improved traffic management and greater use of lane rental contracts which give an incentive for early completion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the financial contribution to the running costs and maintenance of the Settle to Carlisle railway service which has been provided by North Yorkshire county council in 1987 and proposed for subsequent years.

I understand that North Yorkshire county council is making no financial contribution to the maintenance and running costs of the Settle to Carlisle railway service in the financial year 1987–88, but is contributing £750 for publicity. I am awaiting confirmation of the council's position.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the financial contribution to the running costs and maintenance of the Settle to Carlisle railway provided by Cumbria county council in 1987 and as to what contribution is envisaged by Cumbria county council over the next two years.

I understand that Cumbria county council is presently contributing £27,000 to support services on the Settle to Carlisle railway, and that that level is unlikely to change in the next two years, provided the line stays open for British Rail services. I also understand that the county council is contributing £2,000 for publicity in 1987–88. I am awaiting confirmation of the council's position.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to change the conditions regarding the health of a coach driver before he obtains a public service vehicle licence.

The conditions, which are set out in "Medical Aspects of Fitness to Drive" (published by the Medical Commission on Accident Prevention), are kept under regular review by the Secretary of State's honorary medical advisory panels. Compliance is monitored through an initial medical examination and regular mandatory checks for all PSV drivers from the age of 46.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many persons have been killed or injured by pedal cyclists in each of the last five years.

Statistics are available only for pedestrians injured by pedal cyclists. They are as follows:

Pedestrians injured by pedal cyclists: Great Britain: 1982–86
	Killed	Seriously injured	Slightly injured	Total
1982	11	231	565	807
1983	8	220	570	798
1984	8	239	556	803
1985	10	168	423	601
1986	8	155	419	582

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he gives concerning hunting adjacent to motorways; and if he will make a statement.

We are not aware of any special safety problems that this is posing or of ignorance on the part of hunting interests about the dangers and need for vigilance. The attention of the Fox Hounds Association has been drawn to this in the past.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why his decision on the route of any A30 improvement between Honiton and Exeter has not yet been announced; and what decision he has now reached.

We are considering the response to the public consultation held last year and other relevant factors. We shall announce our preferred route as soon as we have completed this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will show the most recent information on the percentage of passenger journeys made by transport mode for each region in Great Britain.

The following information is available from the 1985–86 national travel survey:

Percentage of journeys (all journeys over 1 mile)
Region	Car or Van	Bus or coach	Rail	Other public public modes	Other public private modes	All modes
Northern	63	20	1	2	14	100
Yorkshire and Humberside	62	20	1	1	16	100
East Midlands	72	12	—	1	15	100
East Anglia	75	7	—	1	17	100
South East excluding London	77	6	3	1	13	100
London	60	15	11	1	13	100
South West	76	7	—	1	16	100
West Midlands	72	12	1	1	14	100
North West	66	16	1	2	14	100
Wales	71	13	1	1	14	100
Scotland	59	21	1	2	17	100
Great Britain	69	13	3	1	14	100

Other public modes include coach tours and excursions, taxis and minicabs, air journeys (within Great Britain), and other public modes.Other private modes include motor cycles, scooters and mopeds, bicycles, other private modes and walking (over 1 mile).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, ignoring journeys to and from work of under

Percentage of journeys
	Length of Journey
	25 to 50 miles	50 to 100 miles	100 to 150 miles	150 to 200 miles	200 to 250 miles	Over 250 miles
Car or van	82	80	81	75	61	48
Bus or coach	5	7	9	9	12	19
Rail	11	10	7	10	21	20
Other Public Modes	1	2	2	3	4	12
Other Private Modes	1	1	1	3	2	1
All Modes of Transport	100	100	100	100	100	100

Other public modes include coach tours and excursions, taxis and minicabs, air journeys (within Great Britain) and other public modes. It is not possible separately to identify air journeys.Other private modes include motor cycles, scooters and mopeds, bicycles and other private modes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the availability of eye protectors prescribed in the Motor Cycles (Eye Protectors) Regulations 1985.

The supply of visors has improved through new manufacturers' products significantly increasing the numbers available. A drop in demand was reported in December but not all motor cyclists may yet have approved eye protectors. I urge all those riders who are in such a position to obtain them well before 1 April 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Association of Chief Police Officers concerning possible difficulties in enforcing the Motor Cycles (Eye Protectors) Regulations at the present time.

The Association of Chief Police Officers expressed concern about the availability of 25 miles, he will show the most recent information available on the percentage of journeys made by (i) car-van, (ii) bus-coach, (iii) rail, (iv) aircraft and (v) other over distances of 25 to 50 miles, 50 to 100 miles, 100 to 150 miles, 150 to 200 miles, 200 to 250 miles and over 250 miles, respectively.

The following information is available from the 1985–86 national travel survey:approved eye protectors. This has led it to recommend that riders should for the time being be warned rather than prosecuted for not having approved eye protectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, following the preliminary hearing of 2 December 1987, he is in a position to announce where and when the formal investigation into the King's Cross underground lire will be held.

The formal investigation into the King's Cross underground fire will be held before Mr. Desmond Fennell OBE QC and will begin on Monday, 1 February 1988 at 10.30 am in Westminster Central hall, Storey's gate, London SW1H 9NU.A second one-day preliminary meeting devoted to technical matters concerning the King's Cross underground fire, will be held before Mr. Desmond Fennell OBE QC, at 10.30 am on Monday, 25 January 1988 in Church house, Great Smith street, London SW1.Both meetings will be held in public. Advertisements will be placed in the press.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will detail the current administrative costs of the dock labour scheme and the individual administrative costs of each local board in each of the past 10 years.

I have been asked to reply.I refer my hon. Friend to the income and expenditure account which is published in the annual report and accounts for the National Dock Labour Board and in the notes to the accounts which follow. The latest published figures, for the year ended 27 December, 1986, show that the board's management levy was maintained at 2¾ per cent. of the total leviable wage bill, and amounted to £4·3 million. Administrative costs for individual local boards are not made public.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether work on the new kitchen block at the premises of the former Her Majesty's prison at Medomsley, Derwentshire, has been completed.

No. The building element of this work is nearing completion, but the kitchen equipment will not be installed pending a decision on the future role of this establishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the recently closed prison at Medomsley; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's prison Medomsley, originally a detention centre, was temporarily brought into use as a category C training prison in June last year. The establishment was closed in October and the staff deployed to areas of pressing need in other prisons. The establishment is presently being surveyed with a view to assessing whether, and how, it should be redeveloped. A decision on Medomsley's future will be made when the results of the survey have been evaluated.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will initiate a review of the administration of drugs in Her Majesty's penal establishments.

No. This was one of the matters reviewed by the Social Services Committee in its Third Report in the 1985–86 Session. The use of medicines at all establishments continues to be monitored by the Director of Prison Medical Services.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of convictions obtained for offences under the Video Recordings Act 1984 in respect of each year during which the Act has been in force.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancashire, West (Mr. Hind) on 27 November at columns 365–66.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alleged and actual incidents of arson at holiday and second homes have been dealt with by police forces in Wales since 1979.

Information in the form requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will place a copy of the drug addiction research initiative report, complemented by Dr. Virginia Berridge, in the Library.

No. It is open to Dr. Berridge to publish the report or make it otherwise available as she wishes. The public bodies (including the Home Office) which jointly funded the report have no plans for its publication.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's policy on the refund of unexpired television licences of deceased holders to their next of kin.

Refunds are available when two licences are held of which one was obtained in error; when a unexpired monochrome licence is surrendered for a colour licence; and when a licence is surrendered within 28 days of its issue (or due date of issue in cases of renewal). We have no plans to extend these arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the prison population for England and Wales on the latest date available.

On 8 January the prison population in England and Wales was 47,271, excluding 557 prisoners held in police cells.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average prison population in England and Wales for 1987.

The provisional average population of prison department establishments in 1987 was about 48,400. The provisional average population held in police cells was about 530.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the prison remand population for England and Wales for the latest date available.

On 30 November 1987, the latest date for which reliable information is available, about 10,890 untried or convicted unsentenced prisoners were held in prison department establishments in England and Wales. A further 912 prisoners, many of whom were on remand, were held in police cells. By 11 January, the latest date for which information on prisoners in police cells is available, the number was 676.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average prison remand population during 1987.

The information requested will not be available for another month.The average population of untried or convicted unsentenced prisoners in prison department establishments in England and Wales for the first 11 months of 1987 was about 10,640. Over the same period an average of 535 prisoners, many of whom would have been on remand, were held in police cells.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the certified normal accommodation and the actual population on the latest date available for (1) Her Majesty's prison, Bedford, (2) Her Majesty's prison, Birmingham, (3) Her Majesty's prison, Cardiff, (4) Her Majesty's prison, Doncaster, (5) Her Majesty's prison, Exeter, (6) Her Majesty's prison, Leeds, (7) Her Majesty's prison, Leicester, (8) Her Majesty's prison, Lewes, (9) Her Majesty's prison, Lincoln, (10) Her Majesty's prison, Liverpool, (11) Her Majesty's prison, Manchester and (12) Her Majesty's prison, Reading.

On 8 January the certified normal accommodation and populations of the prison service establishments listed were as follows:

Establishment	Certified normal accommodation	Population
Bedford	176	346
Birmingham	592	1,135
Cardiff	340	424
Doncaster1	720	—
Exeter	310	428
Leeds	642	1,381
Leicester	200	435
Lewes	364	551
Lincoln	359	678
Liverpool	968	1,236
Manchester	969	1,565
Reading	178	323
1 Planned to open in 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the weekly cost of supervising a person on probation and community service in England and Wales for the latest date available.

In the financial year 1985–86 the weekly cost of supervision by the probation service in England and Wales was about £15 for a person on a probation order and about £13 for a person serving a community service order. These are estimates which depend on assumptions about the allocation of the time of probation officers and are approximate. The figures are derived from those published in "Probation Statistics, England and Wales" (table 12.3 of the latest issue, 1986), copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the weekly cost of supervising a person in a probation hostel in England and Wales for the latest date available.

The estimated weekly cost of accommodating a person net of residents' contributions in a probation/bail hostel in England and Wales in 1986–87, was £155·25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons convicted of an indictable offence in England and Wales in 1986 by a magistrates' court had committed an offence which involved violence;(2) what percentage of persons sentenced to a period of immediate imprisonment in 1986 in England and Wales had been sentenced to a period of six months or less.

In 1986, there were 34,647 persons found guilty of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. There were 42,743 persons sentenced at all courts to immediate imprisonment, of whom 49 per cent. rceived sentences of six months or less. This information can be found in table S1.1(A) of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables 1986, volume 1" and in table 7.28 and 7.29 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1986", (Cm. 233), respectively, copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons in 1986 were committed to prison in lieu of default in payment of a fine.

The information available centrally is that in 1986 about 19,200 persons were received into prison department establishments in England and Wales following committal in default of payment of a fine. The figures appear in the annual publication "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (table 7.3, of the 1986 issue. Cm. 210), copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the weekly cost of keeping a person in prison in England and Wales for the latest date available.

Information on the costs of running the prison service is published in the annual reports on the work of the prison department, copies of which are in the Library. The report for 1986–87 (Cm. 246) shows that the average weekly cost of keeping a person in a penal establishment in England and Wales in that year was £252 (see appendix 6, table D).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department has been able to return to Mr. Khurshid Ahmad Malik the Indian passport which was deposited with the Department in September and acknowledged on 21 October under the reference M565200, to enable him to return to his homeland after receiving private medical treatment, details of which have been sent to the Under-Secretary of State by Dr. S. A. Malik of Southend on Sea.

I regret that we have not been able to do so. As Mr. Malik was told in the immigration department's letter to him on 6 January, an exhaustive search has not traced his passport. I acknowledge that this has caused Mr. Malik considerable inconvenience and extend the Department's apologies to him. The letter recently sent him may, as it indicated, assist him in obtaining an emergency travel document from the Indian high commission. If the high commission is unable to issue a travel document we will consider what further action we are able to take.I can assure my hon. Friend that strenuous efforts to locate the missing passport will continue. Staff are trained to treat passports and other documents with care and the incidence of loss of passports within the immigration department, which receives some 500,000 items of correspondence each year, many of which contain passports, is very small.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what had been the longest time a person had been held in prison awaiting trial as of 31 October.

[holding answer 17 December 1987]: According to such information as is held centrally, the longest period a person has been held in custody on 31 October awaiting or during his trial was just over 15 months. The trial was completed on 10 December 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to introduce a unified business rate in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the proposed business rate will take effect in Scotland; and when the Scottish business rate will be brought to the same level as in England.

The introduction of a uniform business rate applying throughout Great Britain cannot be considered until non-domestic property north and south of the border is valued for rating purposes on a comparable basis. The process of harmonising valuation practice is under way but is unlikely to be completed until after the 1990 revaluation. On the question of a separate uniform business rate for Scotland, I refer the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) to my reply to his question on 17 December at column 643.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the number of convictions obtained for offences under the Video Recordings Act 1984 in respect of each year during which the Act has been in force.

The table gives the number of persons against whom a charge was proved of an offence under the Video Recordings Act 1984, excluding offences under section 14 (which cannot be identified separately from other offences of forgery).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what schemes within the trunk road network started construction in each year since 1979.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The relevant information, by financial year, is as follows:

Trunk Road Schemes (over £1 million) which started construction since 1978–79
Road and date	Scheme
1978–79
A92	Bourtreebush—Aberdeen City Boundary
A929	Powrie Brae Improvement
A94	Park ford Improvement
A1	Broxbum—Skateraw Diversion
A9	Blackford Bypass
A9	Tore—Maryburgh
A9	Pitlochry Bypass Phase I
1979–80
A9	Aviemore—Granish
A9	Charleston—Tore
A96	Auchmill Road Bucksburn Phase II
A96	Elgin Relief Road
A1	Ayton Bypass
A9	Ardullie—Foulis
A952	Invernettie Diversion
A92	Thornton Bypass—Northern Section
A9	Pitlochry Bypass Phase II
A9	North of Kingussie—South of Aviemore
1980–81
A9	Improvement at Syde and Pert
1981–82
A82	Reconstruction of Eas Eonan and Derrydarroch Bridges
A74	Improvement at Johnstone Bridge
A94	Balnabreich—St. Ann's
A742	Improvement from Greenock—Inverkip
A835	Silverbridge—Gorston Diversion
A9	Evanton Bypass
A9	Regional boundary—Drumochter Lodge
A96	West Adamston Improvement
A92	Thornton Bypass Phase II
A1	Penmanshiel Diversion Contract No. 4
A78	Dundonald Camp—Monkton Diversion
A75	Carsluith Diversion
A9	Killiecrankie—North of Calvine State I
A9	North of Guay—Tynreich
A82	Carnoch—Craigrannoch Stage I
A82	Strathfillan Manse
A94	Improvement at Stracathro
A9	Auchterarder and Aberuthven Bypass
A77	Bridgemill Diversion
1982–83
A7	Canonbie Diversion
A92/A94	Stonehaven Bypass
A972	Kingsway Stage II