Written Answers

Written Answers To Questions

Friday 22 January 1988

Church Commissioners

Mr Terry Waite

To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, whether the money paid by the Church of England to Charles Armstrong and John Entwistle in order to help secure the release of Mr. Terry Waite was paid from funds provided by the Church Commissioners; and if he will make a statement.

The money paid to Charles Armstrong and John Entwistle for travelling and related expenses for the purpose of trying to secure the release of Mr. Terry Waite and other hostages has been paid entirely from discretionary funds at the disposal of the Archbishop of Canterbury, none of which was provided by the Church Commissioners.

Education And Science

Sexual Harassment

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his Department's policy on sexual harassment at work; whether guidance on reporting complaints has been issued to all staff; how many complaints have been reported in the past five years; and what disciplinary action has been taken.

The Civil Service policy on sexual harassment is set out in the programme of action to achieve equal opportunities for women in the Civil Service which was published by the Cabinet Office (Management and Personnel Office) in 1984. Sexual harassment at work is not tolerated and is dealt with as a disciplinary matter through the usual Civil Service complaints procedures. Guidance on reporting complaints was issued to all staff in 1984.Five formal complaints have been reported centrally to personnel division in the last five years. In the four proven cases appropriate disciplinary action was taken.

Overseas Development

Ethiopia

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of the current food situation in Ethiopia.

The food situation in Ethiopia is serious: over 1 million tonnes of food aid is needed to feed people until the next harvest in November. Donors have responded promptly with pledges of food aid which at present total over 600,000 tonnes. Shipments are well under way and will meet requirements for the earlier part of the year. Rebel action in Eritrea and Tigre is severely hampering delivery of this food to those in need.

Nicaragua

To ask the Secretary of State for foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the applications from non-governmental organisations for joint funding of projects in Nicaragua in 1985–86 and 1986–87; which applications were successful; and what were the reasons for rejecting the applications that failed.

There have been relatively few applications from non-governmental organisations requesting ODA support for projects in Nicaragua. The 14 received in 1985–86 and the 10 received in 1986–87 met the criteria for a 50 per cent. ODA contribution under the terms of the joint funding scheme. The details are as follows:

Agency	Project
1985–86
OXFAM	Technical assistance for project evaluation
OXFAM	Health Education Programme
OXFAM	Food Production
CAFOD	Tool Bank
CAFOD	Poultry raising Co-op
CAFOD	Community housing programme
CAFOD	Piggery for rural Co-op
Christian Aid	Drinking water project in Trapiche
Christian Aid	CIIR water project
Christian Aid	Tools and building material for Miskito Indians in Rio Coco
CAFOD	Multiple Services Centre
CAFOD	Integrated Development
OXFAM	Agricultural Development Programme (1)
OXFAM	Appropriate Housing Programme
1986–87
OXFAM	Mechanical Workshop, Malpaisillo, Leon
OXFAM	Integrated pest management programme
Christian Aid	Mother and child health care in Las Seqovias
OXFAM	Agricultural Development Programme (2)
OXFAM	Agricultural Development Rama Indians
OXFAM	Literacy Training
OXFAM	Appropriate housing, Special Zone No. 1
OXFAM	Assistance to displaced people
OXFAM	Training health promoters
CAFOD	Integrated Development Programme

Overseas Aid

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government have any plans to review their policy on overseas development assistance; and if he will make a statement.

Policy on overseas aid is kept under continuous review. The 1988 public expenditure White Paper (Cm. 288 i. and ii.) published on 20 January shows that aid is now planned to grow in real terms up to 1990–91. The Government's observations on the Foreign Affairs Committee's Second Report, Session 1986–87, on bilateral aid (Cm. 225) published in October 1987 set out in detail the Government's aid policies and priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department has any plans to produce a new White Paper on overseas aid; when the last one was produced; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's observations on the Foreign Affairs Committee's report on bilateral aid (Cm. 225) are a detailed statement of aid policies and objectives. The last White Paper on overseas aid — "Overseas Development: The Changing Emphasis in British Aid Policies (Cmnd. 6270)"— was published in 1975.

Population Projects

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many requests for assistance with population projects were outstanding at 31 December 1987.

At 31 December 1987, following requests received, preparatory work was in hand on eight

Exports finished manufactured goods less erratics current weighted volume indices
1980=100 OTS basis seasonally adjusted
	Consumer goods						Intermediate goods			Capital goods
	Total	Machinery	Passenger motor cars	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous
1986	104	66	89	116	108	111	128	101	99	152
1986
First quarter	98	58	86	110	109	112	121	98	95	151
Second quarter	102	62	91	115	107	110	125	100	98	154
Third quarter	107	68	93	120	107	109	134	97	95	152
Fourth quarter	107	76	87	121	111	114	132	107	106	152
1987
First quarter	117	72	109	130	108	110	134	106	108	140
Second quarter	118	71	114	130	104	106	136	105	103	149
Third quarter	128	81	121	142	107	108	142	111	112	154
1986
January	98	53	90	109	106	1 1 1	115	99	96	152
February	100	62	89	112	109	112	123	96	94	152
March	96	59	79	109	110	114	126	98	96	151
April	103	61	96	114	106	109	122	99	97	156
May	103	59	90	116	109	113	125	105	103	157
June	101	65	86	114	107	109	129	96	94	151
July	107	70	83	123	111	113	136	100	97	155
August	108	65	105	118	103	105	133	94	93	147
September	106	68	90	120	106	110	133	98	95	153
October	102	74	93	111	111	114	130	105	103	152
November	110	77	75	131	110	111	134	104	104	150
December	108	78	93	120	113	117	133	111	112	153
1987
January	112	70	115	120	104	105	131	104	108	125
February	125	75	96	146	113	115	141	110	109	158
March	115	72	117	124	107	111	128	103	105	136
April	128	75	129	140	105	107	140	105	105	146
May	114	70	108	126	103	107	132	104	104	137
June	113	69	106	125	104	103	137	105	100	162
July	131	78	134	142	106	106	133	108	108	150
August	115	76	108	127	104	104	137	107	107	149
September	138	88	122	156	111	113	155	118	120	162

Exports finished manufactured goods less erratics
£ million, OTS basis seasonally adjusted
	Consumer goods				Intermediate goods			Capital goods
	Total	Machinery	Passenger motor cars	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous
1986	7,074	513	1,362	5,141	13,682	10,097	1,365	10,183	7,704	2,070
1986
First quarter	1,615	106	299	1,197	3,343	2,472	320	2,453	1,841	502
Second quarter	1,732	117	340	1,261	3,353	2,467	334	2,523	1,901	519
Third quarter	1,832	133	362	1,324	3,407	2,506	356	2,467	1,856	518
Fourth quarter	1,896	157	361	1,360	3,579	2,652	355	2,740	2,106	532

population projects or projects with a population component. These are in India, Kenya, Pakistan and Tanzania.

Trade And Industry

Weights

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will publish a table in the Official Report giving for 1986 and the latest quarter the information in tables B6, B12, C7 and C14 of the monthly review of external trade statistics, using current weights.

The information is as follows:

	Consumer goods				Intermediate goods			Capital goods
	Total	Machinery	Passenger motor cars	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous
1987
First quarter	2,119	156	459	1,485	3,542	2,600	362	2,745	2,152	491
Second quarter	2,141	154	488	1,478	3,517	2,564	374	2,722	2,065	515
Third quarter	2,396	175	533	1,641	3,613	2,638	380	2,918	2,255	530
1986
January	528	32	103	389	1,084	801	103	817	609	167
February	550	38	101	405	1,115	820	108	806	605	165
March	538	36	94	403	1,144	851	110	830	627	169
April	579	39	117	419	1,096	809	108	834	627	174
May	580	37	113	426	1,133	837	112	876	662	177
June	572	41	111	416	1,124	821	113	813	612	167
July	603	45	106	449	1,165	853	120	839	632	172
August	613	43	136	430	1,101	809	116	801	606	168
September	616	45	120	445	1,141	844	120	828	617	178
October	602	50	127	418	1,185	885	117	900	680	179
November	655	54	105	491	1,179	860	120	889	682	173
December	640	54	129	450	1,215	908	118	952	744	180
1987
January	674	50	161	45	1,115	816	118	897	717	148
February	748	53	133	555	1,235	902	128	953	729	183
March	697	53	165	473	1,192	883	116	895	706	160
April	773	54	182	530	1,175	858	127	913	702	170
May	690	51	156	476	1,165	863	123	900	694	157
June	677	50	150	472	1,178	843	125	909	668	189
July	794	56	192	540	1,183	865	120	943	728	170
August	714	55	159	492	1,175	848	122	937	718	171
September	861	63	183	609	1,254	925	138	1,038	810	189

Inports finished manufactured goods less erratics current weighted volume indices
1980 = 100 OTS basis seasonally adjusted
	Consumer goods				Intermediate goods			Capital goods
	Total	Machinery	Passenger motor cars	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous
1986	142	189	134	145	169	167	158	168	173	153
1986
First quarter	132	173	128	132	158	155	150	162	166	147
Second quarter	138	181	127	141	164	163	153	157	160	146
Third quarter	150	194	144	151	172	171	159	170	175	152
Fourth quarter	149	208	136	153	181	179	168	183	189	166
1987
First quarter	129	180	106	141	166	165	150	167	177	139
Second quarter	147	192	124	161	182	178	164	173	180	152
Third quarter	162	214	149	168	203	199	178	194	201	181
1986
January	128	177	122	128	154	150	142	162	167	140
February	131	177	124	131	158	154	152	164	167	149
March	137	166	138	136	162	159	155	161	164	151
April	127	170	112	134	153	152	146	152	157	138
May	143	198	135	142	169	168	156	157	161	150
June	143	176	135	148	169	168	155	161	162	150
July	149	194	142	150	172	170	164	166	169	149
August	157	197	158	155	178	177	156	173	178	155
September	145	192	132	149	167	166	157	171	176	153
October	143	191	142	139	170	167	161	175	179	166
November	157	228	141	162	197	194	181	190	194	178
December	148	204	126	158	177	175	163	183	195	155
1987
January	124	159	113	130	167	165	147	179	191	141
February	130	219	93	143	162	161	155	167	176	141
March	133	161	111	149	168	169	147	156	164	134
April	136	185	115	146	179	177	161	166	174	145
May	151	205	127	165	193	188	174	185	191	164
June	155	185	131	172	174	169	157	167	175	148
July	157	211	145	162	202	199	174	195	203	177
August	175	226	175	173	210	207	185	192	196	188
September	153	205	127	167	196	191	176	195	203	177

Imports finished manufactured goods less erratics
£ million OTS basis seasonally adjusted
	Consumer goods						Intermediate goods			Capital goods
	Total	Machinery	Passenger motor cars	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous	Total	Machinery	Miscellaneous
1986
	14,987	1,903	4,809	8,166	12,706	8,967	1,609	11,067	8,526	1,616
1986
First quarter	3,391	429	1,116	1,820	2,862	2,029	369	2,619	2,002	383
Second quarter	3,547	460	1,136	1,927	2,979	380	2,537	1,941	384	—
Third quarter	3,932	488	1,279	2,134	3,268	2,307	412	2,792	2,150	402
Fourth quarter	4,116	525	1,279	2,285	3,597	2,509	449	3,118	2,433	446
1987
First quarter	3,630	456	1,054	2,086	3,289	2,290	405	2,952	2,334	399
Second quarter	3,981	482	1,196	2,275	3,549	2,453	440	2,967	2,336	406
Third quarter	4,445	523	1,447	2,442	3,925	2,726	475	3,308	2,586	474
1986
January	1,067	141	342	575	916	647	115	839	643	120
February	1,124	146	360	606	955	675	125	893	679	132
March	1,200	142	413	639	992	707	128	887	680	131
April	1,105	144	332	621	933	668	120	824	636	123
May	1,221	168	405	638	1,015	723	129	844	648	129
June	1,221	148	398	667	1,031	731	131	869	656	132
July	1,285	165	420	690	1,055	743	139	899	681	133
August	1,364	164	465	725	1,136	801	137	947	733	136
September	1,283	159	394	719	1,076	762	136	947	735	133
October	1,294	160	433	691	1,112	770	143	984	762	145
November	1,445	194	440	802	1,305	912	160	1,077	827	159
December	1,377	171	405	792	1,179	828	146	1,057	843	142
1987
January	1,163	131	375	646	1,111	774	131	1,046	835	134
February	1,211	186	307	705	1,077	744	142	986	776	137
March	1,257	139	372	735	1,101	772	133	920	723	128
April	1,236	155	366	706	1,166	807	146	961	761	132
May	1,365	174	414	768	1,253	863	156	1,056	821	144
June	1,380	153	416	801	1,131	784	139	950	753	130
July	1,427	171	468	779	1,307	916	156	1,104	870	151
August	1,609	184	569	844	1,364	947	165	1,092	843	165
September	1,409	168	410	819	1,254	862	154	1,112	872	158

Based on the United Nations broad economic categories analysis.

Clywd (Rdg)

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the amounts of regional development grant in Clwyd for each year since 1975; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply. The information requested, which is only readily available for the financial years 1976–77 onwards, is as follows:

	£ million
1976–77	3·3
1977–78	7·4
1978–79	9·5
1979–80	4·9
1980–81	8·6
1981–82	15·8
1982–83	17·8
1983–84	12·2
1984–85	23·4
1985–86	22·8
1986–87	27·9

Expenditure in 1985–86 and 1986–87 included payments respectively of £1·5 million and £8·7 million under the revised regional development grant scheme introduced in November 1984.

Home Department

Government Data Network

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department is considering a network as an alternative to his Department's participation in the Government data network; and if he will make a statement.

The Home Office has a number of current and future requirements for data communications, some of which are already served by networks. The proposed Government data network is one option to be considered in fulfilling each of these requirements.

Parole

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated effect on the prison population of abolishing parole for prisoners serving under (a) two and (b) three years and replacing this with supervised or conditional release after one-half and one-third of the sentence, respectively.

The information requested is as shown. The estimates assume no compensatory change in sentencing practice. The effect also depends on the precise nature of the supervisory scheme and in particular the extent to which persons might be recalled to prison while under supervision. The estimates assume no offsetting increase due to such recalls or due to any additional reconvictions occurring as a result of earlier release.

Estimated reduction¹in the England and Wales prison population²from replacing parole with supervised or conditional release after one-third and one-half of sentence.
Number
Sentence lengths affected	One half sentence	One third sentence
Under two years	³ 300	5,900
Under three years	³ 400	7,900
¹ It has been assumed that release would be contingent upon good behaviour and that, as with the existing remission scheme, offences against prison discipline would cause release to be deferred by the equivalent of 1 per cent. of sentence on average.
² Estimates based on statistics for 1986, adjusted to reflect the subsequent increase in remission to one half for sentences up to 12 months (August 1987). Excluding fine-defaulters, non-criminal prisoners, lifers and those prematurely released from prison whose numbers are unlikely to be affected by the scheme. Estimates rounded to nearest 100.
³ No contribution made by sentences up to 12 months which are already eligible for remission of one half sentence.

Metropolitan Police

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the number of days off work sick reported for members of the Metropolitan police force for each of the last five years; and if he will express this as an average figure.

The information supplied by the Metropolitan police is as follows:

¹Year	Number of days	Average per officer
1984	292,156	10·9
1985	329,114	12·3
1986	346,135	12·8
1987	334,364	12·2
¹ Information for 1983 is not available.

Firearms Certificates

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Thames Valley on the average time taken, from application to determination, in processing applications for firearms certificates, since December 1986.

I understand from the chief constable of the Thames Valley police that this information is not available, though a rough estimate suggests that the normal procedures are completed in between two and six weeks.

Michael Ryan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Thames Valley as to the reasons for the speed with which Michael Ryan was granted a firearms certificate in December 1986.

I understand from the chief constable of the Thames Valley police that Michael Ryan's application for a firearms certificate was received at divisional level on 25 November 1986 and on completion of the necessary inquiries a certificate was issued on 11 December. Information that the application was received on 10 December relates to the date of its receipt at headquarters, after it had been processed at divisional level.

Nuclear Safety

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the report of the working group on nuclear safety established after the Chernobyl disaster; and if he will make a statement.

I take it that the hon. Member is referring to the joint working group on Chernobyl which was set up jointly by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Home Department and for Scotland following representations from the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council for England and Wales and the Scottish Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council. The group is not concerned with nuclear safety generally but with the implications of Chernobyl for the fire services of Great Britain. It will in due course report to the two councils which will then advise my right hon. Friends what farther action should be taken in the light of the report. The question of publication will be considered at that stage.

Nuclear Power Stations (Access)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions fire officers have been denied access to nuclear power stations to investigate a fire during the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

The Department does not routinely collect information of this kind. I understand, however, that two incidents were reported to the joint working group on Chernobyl but that any difficulties there may have been have been resolved.

Environment

Winget-Type Houses

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the total numbers of Winget-type houses in each housing authority area in England where such houses exist.

Information on the distribution of all designated dwellings by local authority was obtained in 1983 and updated in July 1986; copies of this are in the Library. Further updated information is being assembled and I shall arrange for this to be placed in the Library shortly. The following local authorities reported Winget properties in their area:

	Dwellings
Kingston-upon-Hull City Council	889
Norwich City Council	469
Wakefield City Council	1210

All but nine of these were in council ownership.

Urban Programme Schemes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will itemise, by borough, approved current urban programme schemes in Greater London which utilise Manpower Services Commission community programme placements in their operation.

The Department does not hold the information in the form requested, but the following schemes involving community programme placements have been identified in the current inner area programmes.

Brent

Kensal Green Day Centre
Roundwood Community Association Play Areas
United Indian Youth Centre
Brent Energy Services Team
Community Task Force
NACRO city Farm
Pakistani Workers Association
Lincoln Parade Employment Resource Centre
Neasden Community Workshop
Rutland Park Renovation Scheme
Kilburn Building and Training Centre Renovation
Women's Home Improvements Scheme

Hammersmith and Fulham

Family Welfare Association
Colebrooke Community Programme Project
Burnbake Trust
Papersaver
South Press for the Blind
Family Welfare Association C P Vehicle
Hammersmith and Fulham Amenity Trust Block Allocation

—Hammersmith Bridge Road
—101 Community Centre
—Distillery Road
—College Park Campaign
—Dalling Road Nursery
—Peabody Estate, Lillie Road

Islington

CSV Kings Cross Environmental Improvements Project
Stoppers Inflatables
Bentham Court Community Scheme

Kensington and Chelsea

Richard Costello Day Centre
Alan Lennox Boyd Centre

Wandsworth

Doddington and Rollo Community Association Workshops
Battersea Boatyard
Balham Seventh Day Adventist Community Resource Centre
Wandsworth Heatwise
Southfields Sikh Community Centre

Rates

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish details, using the most recently available figures, of how many non-domestic properties in England, Wales and Scotland paid annual rate bills of (a) less than £500, (b) less than £750 and (c) less than £1,000.

This information is not collected centrally.

The Arts

Wales Railway Centre

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will arrange to visit the site of the Wales railway centre, Cardiff, to discuss future funding.

I have no such plans. I understand the project has received financial assistance from a number of organisations sponsored by the Secretary of State for Wales.

National Finance

Vat

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised during the last year for which figures are available from value added tax on donations of equipment to higher educational institutions.

I regret that the information is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis value added tax on donations of equipment to higher educational establishments is calculated; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to my replies to my hon. Friend the Member for Arundel (Mr. Marshall) on 19 January at columns 652–53.

Growth Rates

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the annual average compound growth rate in 1960 to 1969, 1970 to 1979 and 1980 to date for (a) the United Kingdom, (b) West Germany, (c) Japan, (d) France, (e) Italy and (f) Sweden.

The figures are given in the following table:

Annual average compound growth rates¹
	1960–69	1970–79	1980–86
United Kingdom	3·0	2·1	2·2
Germany	4·4	2·9	1·4
Japan	10·6	4·7	3·7
France	5·5	3·9	1·6
Italy	5·8	3·0	2·0
Sweden	4·4	2·0	1·6
Sources: OECD, CSO·
¹ Using expenditure measure of GNP/GDP at market prices except United Kingdom (GDP(A) at factor cost).

Co-Operative Retail Societies

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the co-operative retail societies registered at the Registry of Friendly Societies;(2) if he will list the trading subsidiaries of those cooperative retail societies that do not include the word coop in their title.

A list of the co-operative retail societies registered at the Registry of Friendly Societies has been placed in the Library. Particulars of the trading subsidiaries for all these societies could only be extracted from their annual returns at disproportionate cost. If my hon. Friend has a specific point in mind, perhaps he would write to me.

Ec (Budget)

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what information he has on the percentage of the annual EEC budget contributions of member states, other than the United Kingdom, which is made up from (a) value added tax contributions, (b) agricultural levies and (c) customs duties; and if he will give the figures for each of the last five years;(2) what percentage of the United Kingdom's annual EEC budget contribution is made up from

(a) value added tax contributions, (b) agricultural levies, and (c) customs duties; and if he will give the figures for each of the last five years.

Information concerning all member states' gross contributions to the EEC budget is contained in the "Official Journal of the European Communities—Court of Auditor's Report", OJ 87/C336, 15 December 1987, a copy of which is available in the Library. Table 19 of the report (on page 177) presents information on gross contributions made by individual member states for the period 1982 to 1986 inclusive, broken down into the categories requested. Similar information is contained in the annual statements on the Community budget, the most recent of which was published last July as Cm. 194.

Money Supply

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out in tabular form the relationship between the rate of increase in M3 and the level of inflation 18 months later.

Figures for the 12-month growth rates of M3 and the retail prices index are shown in the "Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin", table 11.3, and the Monthly Digest of Statistics, table 18.5, respectively.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year since 1958 the velocity of monetary circulation in the United Kingdom, the reserve ratio of the banks and the banks' holdings of (a) Treasury bills, (b) other short-dated securities and (c) other gilt-edged securities, and the level of bank advances to (i) manufacturing industry, (ii) home loans and (iii) other purposes.

The available information is not always in the form requested, nor back to 1958. Annual information on the velocity of circulation from 1963 is given in the table. Information on reserve ratios for the period in which they were in force may be found in the "Bank of England Statistical Abstract, No. 2", the "Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin" and "Financial Statistics". The most appropriate source for the other items requested is the monetary sector end-year balance sheets. These give information on outstanding levels of, inter alia, Treasury bills, British Government and Government-guranteed securities, loans for house purchase and total bank lending. Such information as is available is contained in the appropriate tables of "Financial Statistics" or the "National Income Blue Book" or on the central databank. Information on lending to manufacturing industry is available in the "Bank of England Statistical Abstract, No.1", the "Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin" and in "Financial Statistics".

	¹Velocity of circulation
1963	2·94
1964	3·01
1965	3·04
1966	3·06
1967	3·01
1968	3·00
1969	3·13
1970	3·23
1971	3·20
1972	2·89
1973	2·63
1974	2·56
1975	2·98
1976	3·26
1977	3·53
1978	3·53
1979	3·66
1980	3·67
1981	3·40
1982	3·14
1983	3·06
1984	3·00
1985	2·93
1986	2·64
¹ Derived as ratio of GDP(A) at current market prices to money stock M3, both series in seasonally adjusted form.

Licensed Deposit Takers

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a list of licensed deposit takers.

The Banking Act 1987 eliminates the distinction under the Banking Act 1979 between recognised banks and licensed deposit takers. The Bank of England is required to list authorised institutions in its annual report, under the Banking Act, which is laid before Parliament. It also periodically produces updated lists of authorised institutions, and I am placing a copy of the list as at 8 January 1988 in the Library.

Small Firms (Vat)

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had in the EEC with a view to raising the level at which small firms become liable for value added tax and with what result; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 19 January 1988]: The EC Sixth VAT directive restricts increases in the VAT registration threshold to those which maintain its value in real terms. Removal of this restriction would require an amendment to article 24 of the directive, which would require the unanimous approval of the member states.In her address to the European Council in March 1985 the Prime Minister launched an initiative for deregulation to encourage the growth of small businesses. Late in 1986 the Commission produced a draft directive for small and medium-sized enterprises which proposes, among other things, a mandatory lower threshold of 10,000 ecu (about £7,000) and a higher optional threshold of 35,000 ecu (about £24,500).The European Parliament has given general support for the draft. The United Kingdom will maintain its insistence that the optional higher threshold be no less than 35,000 ecu and will continue to argue vigorously for it to be increased. It is not possible to forecast when and in what form the directive will be adopted.

Northern Ireland

Electricity Disconnections

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level of domestic electricity disconnections in Northern Ireland; and whether he has any plans to overcome this problem.

In the 12 months to 31 December 1987 the total number of disconnections for debt in Northern Ireland was 2,439, which is less than one half of 1 per cent. of the average total number of consumers on supply.Northern Ireland Electricity adheres to the electricity supply industry's voluntary code of practice in relation to disconnections, and as the rate of disconnections for debt has fallen in recent months no specific action is planned.

Ace Schemes

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on (a) the likely uses of the increased funding for ACE schemes in Northern Ireland and (b) the use of ACE projects in activities relating to the community care initiative.

The ACE programme will increase from the current average level of 6,200 to 8,000 places during 1988–89. In allocating the additional places, priority will be given to projects which have the potential to create self-sustaining jobs, to those which further the development of community health and social care and to environmental measures. Special attention will also be given to projects in areas where the level of ACE provision is lower than the local incidence of long-term adult unemployment would warrant. Four hundred of the additional places have been specifically allocated to support the Northern Ireland 2000 programme, which seeks to provide more and higher quality environmental projects.Sympathetic consideration is always given to proposals from sponsors seeking places for community care activities. Approximately 30 per cent. of ACE scheme places currently support such activities.

Kilroot Power Station

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the expected completion date of the Kilroot power station.

Northern Ireland Electricity expects to complete the conversion of phase I of the Kilroot power station to dual coal-oil firing by July 1989. The first of the two generating sets undergoing conversion should be operational by the end of January 1989.

Hospital Beds

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland will encourage health boards to conduct audits of beds available at 12 noon on each day; what information he has as to the likely information to be gained from this, and if he will make a statement.

Under the current arrangements information on daily bed availability is already collected in each hospital, summaries of which are provided by boards to the Department of Health and Social Services. This count of bed availability is measured at midnight each day.Information derived from this source provides indicators for measurement of performance and enables the continuous monitoring of levels of service provided.

Industrial Pollution

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if, in the light of recent incidents at Carrickfergus and elsewhere, he is satisfied that there are adequate measures and supervision to control industrial pollution in the Province; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 21 January 1988]: Yes, they are broadly in line with those which apply elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The resources required to supervise the control of industrial pollution are kept under regular review.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Israel

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now instruct Her Majesty's ambassador to the United Nations to vote against the resolution which demands that Israel desists from the removal from camps and the resettlement of Palestinian refugees in the Gaza strip.

No. Israeli policy in the occupied territories has involved unacceptable pressure on Palestinian refugees to move against their will, and the forced demolition of their shelters. We and the overwhelming majority of the international community oppose this.

House Of Commons

Scottish Standing Committees

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he has anything to add to his answer of 18 January, Official Report. column 486, regarding the membership of Scottish Standing Committees; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my pursuant answer to that question on Wednesday 20 January, at column 740.

Parliamentary Salaries

To ask the Lord Privy Seal what information he posseses on comparable parliamentary salaries exclusive of allowances in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) France, (c) Germany, (d) Australia and (e) the United States of America, for the latest published figures available.

[holding answer 19 January 1988]: The information requested is as follows:

Countrya	Salary (per annum)
United Kingdom
Member of the House of Commons	Basic salary of £22,548. Maximum salary of £23,614 for those who draw the London allowance of £1,066 per annum, which is taxable. Whole of salary taxable.
France
Deputy in the National Assembly	410,634 Fr (£40,863) of which 45 per cent. 184,785 Fr (£18,388) is tax-free
Federal German Republic
Member of the Bundestag	DM 104,748 (£35,166). All taxable
Australia
Federal Member of the House of Representatives	A$ 46,065 (£18,326). All taxable.
United States of America
Member of the House of Representatives	US$ 89,500 (£49,958). All taxable.

Note: The sterling figures are calculated using rates of exchange at the close of business on Wednesday 20 January.

Scotland

Hospital Beds

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if his Department will encourage health boards to conduct audits of beds available at 12 noon on each day; what information he has as to the likely information to be gained from this; and if he will make a statement.

No. The "bed count" is taken at midnight because at that time there is the least amount of patient movement and greater statistical accuracy is assured. A count at midday would disrupt the work of the ward and be a less accurate reflection of ward work. The information derived from the bed count is published in "Scottish Health Statistics," copies of which are held in the Library.

Homeless Persons

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will revise the guidance to local authorities concerning homeless persons which is given under section 37 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987; and if he will make a statement.

Although the code of guidance has been well received generally I am aware from voluntary organisations in the field that some revision of the code might be desirable. I have asked for details of proposed amendments and when these are received I shall consider the position further.The very difficult problems which can arise when dealing with homeless people call for the exercise of good housing management and close co-operation between all agencies involved. We are committed for our part to maintaining an effective legislative framework to help the homeless.

Local Authorities (Staff)

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the most recent available figure for the total number of persons employed on a full-time basis, or full-time equivalent, by regional, islands and district councils in Scotland.

[holding answer 26 October 1987]: This information is published quarterly in the "Joint Manpower Watch Survey", which is available in the Library of the House. The most recent figures available are for June 1987.

Prime Minister

Hospital Services (Oswestry)

To ask the Prime Minister whether she is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Welsh Office and the Department of Health and Social Security with regard to the services provided by the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital at Oswestry; and if she will make a statement.

Yes. I assume the hon. Member's question relates to the recent decision of the Shropshire health authority to close a number of beds temporarily at this hospital. Health authorities are not obliged to consult over temporary closures, but should the authority decide to make a temporary closure permanent there is a set consultation procedure to follow. The Welsh Office together with local community health councils would be consulted formally.

Crown Employees

To ask the Prime Minister whether all persons in public service who are paid from moneys supplied under Votes by Parliament are treated as employees of the Crown for all (a) legal, (b) pensions and (c) other purposes.

Civil Servants, including those whose salaries are borne directly on Votes, are regarded as servants of the Crown for all relevant purposes.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will introduce legislation to render all persons in public service who are paid from moneys supplied under Votes by Parliament and who are employees of the Crown liable to prosecution under the criminal law where they are alleged to have committed criminal acts.

No. Employees of the Crown are not exempt from the criminal law.

Wales

Privatisation

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, by each Welsh local authority, each service which has been privatised or put out to tender and the savings which have been made; and if he will make a statement.

All local authorities in Wales have complied with the competition regulations introduced under part III of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 and put out to tender as appropriate highways and sewerage work, new building works, new works and maintenance work. The Local Government Bill currently in the House of Lords will extend compulsory competition to refuse collection/street cleaning, building cleaning, school/welfare catering, other catering, vehicle maintenance and ground maintenance. In addition, the Government are considering extending competition to the management of local authority sport and leisure facilities.Information on the savings made is not held centrally. However, from time to time selective information on savings is published in the

Local Government Chronicle and the "Public Service Review".

Neonatal Units (Staffing)

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each year since 1976, for each neonatal unit in Wales (a) the number of sister posts, (b) the number of staff nurses or staff midwives, (c) the number of support nursing staff, including nursery nurses and nursing auxiliaries and (d) the number of medical staff with specific commitment to neonates.

Data on hospital midwifery staff, analysed by district health authority, are available annually in "Health and Personal Social Services Statistics for Wales", copies of which are in the Library of the House. Detailed information on specific areas of work is not yet sufficiently reliable for the Department to give accurate staffing figures for each neonatal unit. Information on medical staff with a specific commitment to neonates is not held centrally.

Free Milk

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many children under five years of age and cared for by registered childminders are currently in receipt of free milk; and how many childminders are involved.

There were 5,571 places with 2,361 registered childminders in Wales at 31 March 1987. Information is not available centrally on the number and age of children using these places or on the number of children in receipt of free milk.

National Museum Of Wales

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with respect to the 15th report of Session 1986–87 from the Committee of Public Accounts and the Comptroller and Auditor General's memorandum on the National Museum of Wales, and the agreement obtained in June 1979 from the Treasury for the purchase by instalments of the Rubens cartoons to be spread over three years, what reservations concerning these cartoons were voiced by his Department at the time that its agreement was obtained.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraph 3 of the Comptroller and Auditor General's memorandum (PAC 37).

Rent Arrears

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in the Official Report in rank order starting with the local authority with the highest proportion of rent arrears, the total arrears of rent outstanding for domestic properties owned by each Welsh local authority at the latest available date, together with the percentage figure which their arrears represent of each authority's total rent roll and the number of tenants with arrears of more than four weeks.

The information requested on rent arrears for 1986–87 is shown in the following table. Data on the number of tenants with arrears of more than four weeks are not collected centrally.

	1986–87 (provisional)
	Rent arrears¹	Arrears as per cent. Of rent roll
	£
Ogwr	538,105	4·4
Lliw Valley	168,587	3·2
Glyndwr	81,301	2·8
Arfon	125,498	2·8
Wrexham Maelor	271,190	2·7
Delyn	120,246	2·6
Llanelli	159,149	2·6
Preseli Pembs	116,034	2·3
Rhuddlan	46,281	2·3
Ynys Mon	114,600	2·2
Dinefwr	48,337	2·2
Monmouth	114,878	2·2
Alyn and Deeside	89,393	2·1
Vale of Glamorgan	127,300	2·1
Neath	101,779	2·0
Brecknock	51,213	1·9
Torfaen	260,961	1·9
Swansea	301,254	1·9
Taff Ely	148,158	1·8
Port Talbot	100,770	1·8
Rhondda	85,847	1·6
Colwyn	42,661	1·6
South Pembroke	46,429	1·6
Cardiff	363,385	1·6
Carmarthen	52,035	1·6
Aberconwy	45,381	1·5
Ceredigion	50,336	1·5
Newport	191,000	1·5
Merthyr Tydfil	91,063	1·3
Cynon Valley	71,870	1·3
Radnor	15,160	1·3
Dwyfor	11,741	1·1
Meirionnydd	19,992	1·0
Rhymney Valley	110,043	1·0
Islwyn	53,406	0·9
Blaenau Gwent	111,843	0·9
Montgomeryshire	n/a	n/a
¹ Current and former tenants.

Electorates

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the Welsh counties in order of percentage growth in electorate since 1982; and what has been the percentage growth and the actual figures in each case.

	Electorate		Increase 1982–1987
	1982	1987	Number	Per cent.
Powys	85,199	90,239	5,040	5·9
Gwynedd	176,523	184,828	8,305	4·7
Clwyd	299,115	312,686	13,571	4·5
Dyfed	256,289	265,497	9,208	3·6
Gwent	329,734	335,829	6,095	1·8
West Glamorgan	283,663	286,436	2,773	1·0
Mid Glamorgan	405,615	407,227	1,612	0·4
South Glamorgan	291,825	292,213	388	0·1

Source: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

Oswestry Orthopaedic Hospital

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the appropriate authorities with regard to the problems at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital at Oswestry; and if he is satisfied that this hospital is at present being run in a way which meets the needs of patients from Wales who depend upon it.

Officials of the Department are in touch with appropriate health authorities about the problems at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital. The current closures are of a temporary nature and hence a matter for the Shropshire health authority. Shropshire health authority has undertaken to consult the Department, Welsh health authorities and other Welsh interests about any proposals for substantial permanent variation in the service provided at the hospital.

Winget-Type Houses

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in the Official Report the total numbers of Winget-type houses in each housing authority area in Wales where such houses exist.

We have no record of any Winget houses in Wales.

Ambulance Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to intensify his Department's monitoring on the state of the ambulance services in each part of Wales; whether he will review the procedure used for these purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for the management and operation of the ambulance services in Wales is that of the district health authorities. I am satisfied with the Deparment's existing arrangements for issuing guidance and for monitoring its implementation.

Library Authority (Newport)

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will announce a decision on Newport borough council's application of 1984 to be designated a library authority under the provisions of the Local Government Bill 1972.

I expect to be able to do so shortly.

Increases in local government electorate by welsh county since 1982 are given in the following table:

Hospital Closure Procedure

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if, pursuant to his answer of 18 January on hospital closure procedure, he will now undertake to review the consultative documents issued by Gwynedd health authority on the future of (a) Mudog memorial hospital, (b) Caernarfon cottage hospital and (c) the care facilities for the elderly in Llangefni, with a view to determining whether these documents are prejudicial to proper consultation; and if he will make a statement.

If the hon. Gentleman is concerned about the adequacy of the Gwynedd health authority's consultation documents on the future of these health services he should in the first instance bring this to the attention of the authority. If, following such an approach, his concern about the documents persisted we would be prepared to consider his representations.

Greencroft Hostel, Aston

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the implications of the closure of the Greencroft hostel, Aston, Deeside, for the standard of living and opportunity to enjoy communal social life of residents and their families; and if he will make a statement.

None. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to him yesterday, at column 821, on this subject.

Higher Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he is able to announce his decisions on local authority higher education provision in 1988–89; and if he will make a statement.

Having consulted the Welsh Joint Education Committee and the Welsh Counties Committee I have decided that the advanced further education quantum for 1988–89 should be set at £36·6 million. This represents a 7·3 per cent. increase between 1987–88 and 1988–89. I have decided that £400,000 of the quantum should be used to fund the following selective initiatives:

Continuation of support provided in 1987–88 for the development of in-service training courses to increase the supply of Welsh medium secondary school teachers and for the development of commercial activities and professional updating (PICKUP) courses.

Development of a manufacturing systems engineering degree course at the Polytechnic of Wales.

Development of an engineering access course at the Polytechnic of Wales.

Support for research activities at the North East Wales Institute of HE and the Polytechnic of Wales.

I have received advice from the Wales Advisory Body for Local Authority Higher Education on the planned disposition of academic provision and the number of student places on higher education courses in local authority colleges in Wales. The WAB proposals provide for a growth of 1 per cent. between estimated enrolments of 13,498 full-time equivalents in 1987–88 and target student numbers of 13,589 for 1988–89. The proposals provide for continued emphasis to be given to courses in science, engineering and other vocational disciplines; and for sub degree and part-time provision to be protected.The WAB has also provided advice on how the AFE quantum, net of the £400,000 for selective initiatives, should be distributed between local authorities. The proposals for distributing the quantum are related to the proposals for target student numbers for 1988–89 by institution, mode of attendance and subject; and they allow additional funding for degree and post-graduate courses. WAB have recommended that Dyfed should continue to receive some cash protection for 1988–89 in respect of the College of Librarianship Wales. WAB has considered bids from institutions against the £400,000 set aside for selective initiatives and has provided advice on how this sum should be allocated.I have decided to accept the WAB's advice on academic provision and student numbers, on the methodology for distributing the net quantum and on the distribution of the £400,000 for selective initiatives. The local education authorities have been informed of these decisions and of their individual allocations.Copies of a note explaining the methodology by which the AFE quantum for 1988–89 is being distributed have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Non-Civil Servant Advisers

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list his non-civil servant advisers, giving their present main employment and their field of expertise.

[holding answer 21 January 1988]: I have no special adviser.

Attorney-General

Council For Licensed Conveyancers

To ask the Attorney-General what have been the costs under convenient headings, and in total, of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers since its inception.

The expenses of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers for the 15 months from its inception to 31 March 1987 extracted from the audited accounts for that period are as follows:

	£
Members' fees	16,654
Staff salaries	55,163
Examination costs	13,669
Accommodation	12,668
Travelling and subsistence	9,162

	£
Telephone, stationery, printing, etc.	7,838
Audit and consultancy fees	1,100
Sundry expenses	3,355
	119,589

Mr Rick Gibson

To ask the Attorney-General if the Director of Public Prosecutions will prosecute Mr. Rick Gibson for using aborted freeze-dried foetuses in an artistic display; and if he will make a statement.

The Metropolitan police have forwarded a report to the Crown Prosecution Service concerning an exhibition at the Young Unknowns Gallery. The papers are currently under consideration.

Anthony Cavendish

To ask the Attorney-General (1) what representations he received from The Observer on 16 January relating to its proposed publication of matter relating to Anthony Cavendish; and what response he made;(2) why he refused to make available to

The Observer newspaper a copy of the revised terms of the injunction previously granted against both The Observer and The Sunday Times in relation to Anthony Cavendish.

On Saturday 16 January the Treasurer Solicitor received the following representations from The Observer newspaper.

(a) The newspaper asked whether the Government did not accept that the order which the court had varied the previous day against The Sunday Times applied also to The Observer ( The Observer having decided not to apply to the court on that day for a variation of the separate order made against it).

The Treasury Solicitor replied that the Government did not so accept.

(b) The newspaper asked the Treasury Solicitor whether the Government would consent to the court making the same variation of the order against The Observer as the one made in the case of The Sunday Times.

The Treasury Solicitor replied that the Government would so consent.

(c) Late in the afternoon the newspaper asked for a copy of the order against The Sunday Times.

The Treasury Solicitor replied that it was of substantial length (its annex is 62 pages) and he had no means of letting The Observer have a copy that day before it went to press.

Energy

Sellafield (Safety)

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many workers at the British Nuclear Fuels reprocessing plant at Sellafield have exceeded the level for radiation at which an investigation has to be carried out; whether any of them is entitled to apply for compensation; what plans Her Majesty's Government have to improve the safety of such workers; and if he will make a statement.

I have asked the chairman of British Nuclear Fuels plc to reply to the detailed questions raised by the hon. Member.BNF plc, like any other licensed nuclear operator, must continue to meet the requirements of the independent Health and Safety Executive. Good progress has been made in meeting those requirements specified in HSE's initial audit report on the implementation of safety changes at Sellafield.

Windscale Fire

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if' he will make a statement on the implications for current nuclear policy of the new information released under the 30-year rule on the 1957 Windscale fire.

The latest release of records included no information on the causes or effects of the fire that was not already in the public domain.

Nuclear Power Stations

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what transmission line developments are to be made in association with the proposed Hinkley C and Hinkley D station developments; and what visual impact these would have.

An application has been received from the CEGB for the Secretary of State's consent under paragraph 10(b) of the schedule to the Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act 1899 for minor diversion of the transmission line entries to Hinkley point. The local planning authorities have objected to the proposal and it will therefore be necessary to hold a public inquiry into the matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has received an application for a pressurised water reactor power station at Helbury, Dorset.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are the estimates of radioactive emissions from (a) pressurised water reactors (b) advanced gas cooled reactors and (c) Magnox reactors.

Details of radioactive emissions from nuclear power stations are published by licensed operators as follows:

CEGB: "Report on Radioactive Discharges, Associated Environmental Monitoring and Personal Radiation Doses Resulting from Operation of CEGB Nuclear Sites."

BNF plc: "Annual Report on Radioactive Discharges and Monitoring of the Environment."

I am arranging for a copy of the CEGB report to be placed in the Library of the House. A copy of the BNF report is already in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give the estimated numbers of households not connected to the electricity grid in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales; what are the comparable figures in (i) 1979 and (ii) 1973; and what measures exist to enable households to become connected to the grid.

The Electricity Council advises me that the electricity supply industry does not have these figures. Electricity boards are required to make a supply available to premises situated within 50 yd of a distributing main. Beyond this distance boards can arrange connection for an appropriate payment. In some circumstances it is possible to requisition a board to provide a distributing main to enable connection to be made.

Energy Efficiency Office

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he is in a position to announce his decision on the future role of the Energy Efficiency Office.

On 25 September I said that I intended to take stock of the Energy Efficiency Office's programmes, to assess their cost-effectiveness and continuing relevance and to consider the strategic options for the future. This I have now done, and conclude that there is a continuing role for the EEO to fulfil. Its programmes, especially in the industrial and commercial sectors, continue to benefit the United Kingdom by improving energy efficiency, which is reflected in price, export competitiveness and profits. In the domestic sector, the EEO's activities promote the economic and energy efficient construction, insulation, heating and use of the nation's housing stock. Accordingly, I plan no change in the EEO's 1988–89 budget of £20·9 million.However, general awareness of the case for energy efficiency is now well established and I have therefore asked the EEO to target its work in the most economically attractive areas. Moreover, I have also asked the EEO to examine how the contribution from those who benefit from the office's industrial and commercial programmes could be increased, including the feasibility of adapting those programmes where appropriate to recover part of their costs, and the extent to which programmes could be taken over for operation by the private sector. Developments on both counts will be taken into account when the 1989–90 budget is finalised and I am not committed to extending the present level of funding beyond 1988–89.The EEO will shortly begin consultations with those concerned and I hope to announce the result of this further work before the summer recess.

Radiation (Research Study)

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what evaluation he proposes to make of the implications of the radiation effects research foundation study released at the end of 1987 with particular reference to its implications for (a) the economics of nuclear power programme in the United Kingdom and (b) standards of radiological protection for workers in the United Kingdom nuclear industry.

The study by the Radiation Effects Research Foundation — "The Effect of Changes in Dosimetry on Cancer Mortality Risk Estimates in the Atomic Bomb Survivors"—was taken fully into account by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) when issuing its GS-9 document, "Interim Guidance on the Implications of Recent Revisions of Risk Estimates and the ICRP 1987 Como Statement".The implications of the NRPB's interim guidance statement are being considered by a working group which is advising the Health and Safety Commission.

Trawsfynydd Power Station

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has had any discussions with (a) the Central Electricity Generating Board and (b) the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate with regard to the implications for emergency services and health services in Wales of the proposed emergency shutdown experiment at the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station scheduled for 12 February; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Strangford (Mr. Taylor) on Thursday 21 January 1988 at column 856.

Social Services

London Lighthouse

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what financial assistance he has given to London Lighthouse.

The Government intend to make a further grant of £750,000 towards the capital costs of London Lighthouse the West London hospice and community support centre for people with AIDS.The London Lighthouse centre will provide much-needed community support and hospice care for people with AIDS. The Lighthouse has caught the imagination of many people, and has done extremely well to attract funds from so many sources.The Government have already approved a grant of £500,000 towards the costs of the premises. This additional £750,000 will bring the total Government contribution to £1·25 million. This should enable London Lighthouse to open on time with its finances on a firm footing.

Nhs Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will set out a table for England and Wales showing for (a) 1961 and (b) the most recent available date (i) numbers employed in the National Health Service and (ii) the number of hospital beds available to the general public;(2) if he will set out a table showing the numbers employed in the National Health Service in England and Wales in

(a) 1961 and (b) the most recent available date; and if he will list the population of England and Wales at the same dates.

The available information for England is given in the table. Information for Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

	¹1971	1986
NHS directly employed staff 30 September (WTE)¹²	629,500	801,600
Mid-year population (thousands)	46,131	47,255
Average daily available beds⁴	419,600	315,700
¹ 1971 is the earliest year for which staffing, population and bed information is available in England.
² The staffing figures for 1971 are not comparable with 1986 due to NHS reorganisation.
³ Includes medical and dental locums and nursing and midwifery agency staff. Figures independently rounded to nearest 100 WTE.
⁴ Figures are rounded to nearest one hundred.

Mentally Ill People

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mentally ill people received treatment as in-patients and out-patients in the Durham health authority area during the years 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987 to date.

I regret that I am unable to give the hon. Member the exact information he requires. Information on numbers of mentally ill people receiving treatment is not centrally collected.The available information on admission for in-patient care and attendances at out-patient clinics is shown in the table. It is possible for a person to be admitted more than once in one year or to attend an out-patient clinic several times. Central records cannot identify admissions or attendances for one person.Up until the end of 1986 information was collected by calendar year. No information is available yet for 1987.

Durham Health Authority: Menial illness hospitals and units
	1985	1986
Admissions to mental illness hospitals and units	725	725
Out patient attendances' (old and new patients) at mental illness clinics	7,962	7,652
¹ Clinics conducted anywhere by hospital psychiatric medical staff.

Geriatric Patients

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many geriatric patients there have been in Sunderland, Durham and Hartlepool health authorities in each of the last three years.

The requested information is given in the table:

Geriatric patients treated in NHS hospitals in the following District Health Authorities
	1984	1985	1986
Sunderland District Health Authority
In-patient cases treated	4,721	5,054	4,254
Day cases	4	27	34
New out-patients	955	964	782
New Regular day patients	226	226	259
Total regular day patients	6,976	6,823	7,065
Durham District Health Authority
In-patient cases treated	651	670	653
Day cases	—	—	—
New out-patients	154	125	121
New regular day patients	63	50	65
Total regular day patients	2,323	2,042	2,009
Hartlepool District Health Authority
In-patient cases treated	817	1,047	1,326
Day cases	—	—	—
New out-patients	84	80	60
New regular day patients	224	190	218
Total regular day patients	6,599	6,487	6,211

Hospital Construction (Spending)

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total spending on the construction of new hospitals in England in each year since 1973.

Following is the information available centrally for the years since National Health Service reorganisation (1 April 1974):

Capital expenditure on new and replacement hospitals and existing hospitals undergoing virtual reconstruction
	£000
1974–75	112,855
1975–76	139,949
1976–77	149,882
1977–78	136,840
1978–79	124,420
1979–80	125,615
1980–81	170,001
1981–82	209,444
1982–83	198,318
1983–84	184,113
1984–85	191,557
1985–86	224,896
1986–87	245,094

Area	1987 Electorate	Average Electorate per Constituency
		Number	Percentage difference from national average
England	36,393,203	69,585
Isle of Wight	99,760	99,760	43·4
Wiltshire	418,708	83,742	20·3
Gloucestershire	404,523	80,905	16·3
Dudley	238,017	79,339	14·0
Solihull	158,291	79,146	13·7
Cambridgeshire	474,083	79,014	13·6
West Sussex	552,766	78,967	13·5
Haringey	157,835	78,918	13·4
Berkshire	550,173	78,596	12·9
Harrow	156,613	78,307	12·5
Suffolk	469,349	78,225	12·4
Hampshire	1,171,949	78,130	12·3
North Yorkshire	542,206	77,458	11·3
Hounslow	154,370	77,185	10·9
Sunderland	231,086	77,029	10·7
Buckinghamshire	461,401	76,900	10·5
Bedfordshire	383,437	76,687	10·2
Sefton	229,968	76,656	10·2
North Tyneside	152,645	76,323	9·7
Hertfordshire	753,542	75,354	8·3
Shropshire	300,615	75,154	8·0
Warwickshire	374,484	74,897	7·6
Calderdale	148,439	74,220	6·7
Leicestershire	667,016	74,113	6·5
Essex	1,181,599	73,850	6·1
Cheshire	734,959	73,496	5·6
Humberside	661,392	73,488	5·6
Doncaster	219,863	73,283	5·3
Dorset	512,764	73,252	5·3
Avon	730,224	73,022	4·9
Surrey	802,181	72,926	4·8
Hereford and Worcester	510,121	72,874	4·7
Kent	1,092,732	72,849	4·7
Lincolnshire	506,890	72,413	4·1
Staffordshire	791,913	71,992	3·5
Ealing	215,596	71,865	3·3
Kirklees	285,476	71,369	2·6
Norfolk	569,401	71,175	2·3
Wigan	234,836	71,162	2·3
Cornwall and Isle of Scilly	355,134	71,027	2·1
St· Helens	141,878	70,939	1·9
Derbyshire	850,236	70,853	1·8
Nottinghamshire	776,815	70,620	1·5
Somerset	352,302	70,460	1·3
Cleveland	422,661	70,444	1·2
Northamptonshire	422,587	70,431	1·2
Sheffield	421,939	70,323	1·1
Devon	771,876	70,171	0·8

Source: Annual summarised accounts of health authorities in England.

These figures do not take account of capital investment in smaller health building schemes in connection with the upgrading and refurbishment of existing hospitals. National Health Service capital expenditure has increased in real terms in each year since 1979.

Electorates

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the shire counties, London boroughs and metropolitan boroughs in England in ranking order according to the degree by which their electorates vary from the nationally averaged electorate appropriate to the number of parliamentary constituencies within them.

The information requested is as follows:

Area	1987 Electorate	Average Electorate per Constituency
		Number	Percentage difference from national average
Bradford	346,000	69,200	-0·6
Hackney	138,190	69,096	-0·7
Oxfordshire	412,914	68,819	-1·1
Enfield	204,166	68,055	-2·2
Bury	134,615	67,308	-3·3
Camden	134,493	67,247	-3·4
Sutton	134,365	67,183	-3·5
Durham	468,998	67,000	-3·7
Stockport	227,629	66,950	-3·8
Walsall	199,949	66,650	-4·2
Lancashire	1,065,58	66,599	-4·3
Wandsworth	199,718	66,573	-4·3
Salford	179,445	66,461	-4·5
Bolton	197,674	65,891	-5·3
Gateshead	163,884	65,554	-5·8
Leeds	542,913	65,411	-6·0
Wirral	261,547	65,387	-6·0
Rotherham	194,250	64,750	-6·9
Wakefield	238,699	64,513	-7·3
Rochdale	154,025	64,177	-7·8
Newcastle upon Tyne	224,530	64,151	-7·8
Tameside	166,589	64,073	-7·9
Trafford	172,743	63,979	-8-1
Oldham	165,901	63,808	-8·3
Merton	127,576	63,788	-8·3
Cumbria	381,759	63,627	-8·6
Wolverhampton	189,944	63,315	-9·0
Manchester	334,959	63,200	-9·2
Brent	188,259	62,753	-9·8
Birmingham	752,719	62,727	-9·9
Liverpool	375,803	62,634	-10·0
South Tyneside	124,966	62,483	-10·2
Havering	186,926	62,309	-10·5
East Sussex	555,401	61,711	-11·3
Lambeth	184,464	61,488	-11·6
Croydon	243,150	60,788	-12·6
Lewisham	182,279	60,760	-12·7
Richmond upon Thame	120,477	60,239	-13-4
Coventry	240,834	60,209	-13·5
Knowsley	120,039	60,020	-13-7
Hillingdon	179,744	59,915	-13·9
Redbridge	178,401	59,467	-14·5
Bromley	237,293	59,323	-14·7
Northumberland	235,174	58,794	-15·5
Islington	117,496	58,748	-15·6
Cities of London and Westminster	117,157	58,579	-15·8
Sandwell	233,303	58,326	-16·2
Tower Hamlets	115,487	57,744	-17·0
Barnsley	172,600	57,533	-17·3
Barnet	230,055	57,514	-17·3
Southwark	172,186	57,395	-17·5
Barking and Dagenham	114,486	57,243	-17·7
Bexle	171,654	57,218	-17·8
Waltham Forest	164,902	54,967	-21·0
Greenwich	164,657	54,886	-21·1
Newham	160,106	53,369	-23·3
Hammersmith and Fulham	103,464	51,732	-25·7
Kingston upon Thames	101,253	50,627	-27·2
Kensington and Chelsea	98,201	49,100	-29·4

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Service if he will list the 30 English non-metropolitan districts which have the greatest percentage growth in their electorate since 1982; and what has been the percentage growth and actual figures in each case.

The information requested is as follows:

	Total electors
Non-Metropolitan County District (ranked by percentage growth)	1982 Register	1987 Register	Difference	Percentage growth
Milton Keynes	90,251	114,252	24,001	26·6
Wokingham	83,321	101,633	18,312	22·0
Crawley	56,283	66,095	9,812	17·4
East Hertfordshire	79,942	89,722	9,780	12·2
Huntingdonshire	86,175	96,591	10,416	12·1
Peterborough	96,370	107,949	11,579	12·0
Wimborne	56,060	62,712	6,652	11·9
Redditch	48,423	54,094	5,671	11·7
Selby	60,434	67,394	6,960	11·5
Hart	54,406	60,260	5,854	10·8
West Oxfordshire	58,595	64,822	6,227	10·6
Fareham	66,633	73,706	7,073	10·6
Maldon	36,013	39,817	3,804	10·6
South Staffordshire	72,687	80,324	7,637	10·5
New Forest	114,752	126,690	11,938	10·4
Test Valley	67,263	74,253	6,990	10·4
South Cambridgeshire	79,331	87,571	8,240	10·4
Bracknell	60,523	66,764	6,241	10·3
Caradon	51,991	57,345	5,354	10·3
Basingstoke and Deane	95,287	104,967	9,680	10·2
Thamesdown	113,080	124,508	11,428	10·1
East Hampshire	67,644	74,463	6,819	10·1
Northampton	117,467	129,195	11,728	10·0
Richmondshire	28,268	31,067	2,799	9·9
North Cornwall	50,408	55,370	4,962	9·8
Daventry	42,647	46,786	4,139	9·7
Aylesbury Vale	96,180	105,466	9,286	9·7
Lewes	63,017	69,080	6,063	9·6
Chelmsford	105,314	115,438	10,124	9·6
Northavon	86,660	94,872	8,212	9·5

Cold-Related Deaths

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the numbers by deaths by hypothermia and other cold-related complaints in the Seaham and Peterlee areas of his Department.

The number of mentions of hypothermia on death certificates, irrespective of whether or not it was the underlying cause of death, registered for usual residents of Easington county district was one in 1986, which is the latest full year for which data are available.

Hospital Beds

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if his Department will encourage health authorities to conduct audits of beds available at 12 noon on each day; what information he has as to the likely information to be gained from this; and if he will make a statement.

No. It is for health authorities to decide how best to monitor available beds each day. I do not consider any useful additional information would be obtained from specifying the time at which this should be done.

Social Fund Officers

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what grade social fund officers will be given within his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Social fund officers will be employed from existing grades of DHSS staff. They will be staff at the local officer 1 grade, higher executive officer grade and local office managers. The local officer 1 grade is the main grade at which decisions on applications to the social fund will be made. There will in addition be clerical and administrative support provided by administration officers and administration assistants.

Genetic Metabolic Diseases

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received on the case for recognition of a supraregional service in genetic metabolic diseases; what is the Government's intention in regard to the funding of the work undertaken at Guy's hospital after next April; and if he will make a statement.

A number of representations have been made concerning the application for supraregional designation of the services for genetic metabolic diseases at Guy's hospital. An application was considered by the Supraregional Services Advisory Group in 1987. My right hon. Friend accepted the advice of the advisory group that the service did not meet the criteria for supra regional designation.A further application for designation of these services will be considered by the advisory group this year.The funding of the service continues to be a matter for the health authority.

Kidney Dialysis

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to make extra funds available for kidney dialysis in 1988–89 in the Birmingham health area; and if he will make a statement.

Decisions on the levels of funding in its seven renal units in the west midlands are a matter for the West Midlands regional health authority. The hon. Member may therefore wish to write to the chairman of that authority for further information. For our part we will be allocating some £1·21 billion to the west midlands health region in 1988–89 which represents a 6·7 per cent. increase over the current year.

Limited List Prescribing

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimates he has made of the savings to his Department by the introduction of the restricted list of medicines that can be prescribed by general practitioners under the National Health Service.

In 1985–86 the selected list scheme saved £75 million on the drugs bill. It is difficult to make meaningful estimates for subsequent years, but we have no reason to doubt that significant savings continue to be made.

Oxford Regional Health Authority

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the annual administrative cost of the Oxford regional health authority, for the most recent year for which figures are available.

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) on 15 December at columns 493–95.

Leicestershire Fpc

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set out in the Official Report in tabular form the resources made available for the last two financial years, and planned for the next financial year, to the Leicestershire family practitioner committee for the discharge of its functions.

The financial allocations made to cover administration costs incurred by the Leicestershire family practitioner committee were £810,100 in 1986–87 and, to date, £766,500 in 1987–88. The former figure includes nonrecurring expenditure relating to a move to new premises, and the latter reflects the value of efficiency savings after the installation of computer facilities. The family practitioner committee has been informed of our willingness to increase this year's allocation by about £27,000.

Guardians Ad Litem

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the rate support grant allocated for the current year to Leeds, Calderdale and Bradford was to allow for increased expenditure on guardians ad litem; and if he will make a statement.

Rate support grant is not paid in support of specified individual local authority services. Each authority is free to determine its own priorities between and within services. On provision for guardians ad litem, the position remains as set out in my letter of 1 December 1987 to the chairman of the City of Bradford metropolitan council, a copy of which was sent to the hon. Member.

Hospitals (Bradford)

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the hospitals and services proposed by Bradford health authority for closure or reduction in the Bradford area; what representations have been made by the authority chairman for increased funding; and if he will make a statement.

Bradford health authority is responsible for managing services in Bradford and I suggest that the hon. Member approach the chairman for details of any planned changes. I have received no representation about funding from the Bradford health authority chairman.

Special Payments

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services, further to the statement made on 18 December 1987 about special payments to certain social security recipients following the discovery of the error in the calculation of the retail price index, what plans he has to compensate people who retire or become widowed between the time the special payments are made, in the first week of February and April 1989.

In the case of individuals whose benefits become payable after the special payments are made in the first week in February, we have decided not only to compensate those who retire or become widowed, but to make payments to broadly the same additional groups as received the £8/£5 special payments. The only exceptions will be those who have not lost as a result of the error in the retail prices index: married women with retirement pensions based on their husbands' national insurance records, and those people who receive invalid care allowance, severe disablement allowance or the lower rate of attendance allowance.Pensioners and others who enter after the first week in February one of the groups covered by the £8 special payments will receive a special payment of £5·50. In respect of mobility allowance, the special payment will be £3. We will aim to make these payments as soon as practicable after individuals come on to benefit.There will be a cut-off point beyond which individuals entering the affected groups will not be eligible to receive special payments. This point will be the benefit week which ends on 2 October.Special arrangements will be made to give extra compensation to severely disabled war and industrially injured pensioners who will lose significantly more than other groups.

Aids

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will respond to the report by the Select Committee on social services problems associated with AIDS.

I have today presented to the House the Government's observations on the report from the Social Services Committee on problems associated with AIDS. The committee's report provides a valuable focus on the issues raised by HIV infection and AIDS, and the Government's response sets out the strategy which they have adopted to meet the challenge of AIDS.

Defence

Uk-Usa (Special Arrangements)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide the dates of all agreements relevant to his Department and United Kingdom forces between the United Kingdom and the United States of America relating to special arrangements.

I refer the hon. Member to the lists of bilateral agreements between the United Kingdom and United States Governments in the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Mr. Stanley) to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) on 7 May 1987 at columns 532–34, and to my reply to him on 2 December 1987 at column 593 about the special arrangements covering nuclear accident response issues, whose details remain classified.

Military Uniforms (Unauthorised Supply)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will introduce legislation to provide controls over the unauthorised supply of British armed forces military uniforms by private arms dealers; and if he will make a statement;(2) what evidence he has of the incidence of the unauthorised supply of British Army uniforms by private arms dealers: and if he will make a statement.

I will write to the hon. Member.

National Trust Land

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what response he has received from the National Trust to his request for permission to erect military installations on National Trust land in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The MOD approached the National Trust last year in relation to two projects connected with the upgrading of tracking and safety facilities for the Royal Aircraft Establishment Aberporth range in Cardigan bay. One project requires the provision of a mast and instrumentation system to cover the northern area of the range and, for this purpose, the MOD sought to lease a small area of National Trust land at Mynydd Rhiw. The second project involves the modernisation of a number of existing tracking stations around the bay. The MOD approached the National Trust about improvements to the access to two of these sites which adjoin National Trust land and about safety aspects of a third site. The National Trust turned down the Ministry's proposals just before Christmas and we are now considering this in relation to our plans for the development of the range.

Ss Castillion

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further steps his Department will take to ensure that all explosives are removed from the SS Castillion which sank off Ynys Môn in 1942; and if he will make a statement.

The practicalities of resuming the clearance task later this year are being considered.

Trident

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest estimate for the cost of Trident.

I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend on 21 January.

Employment (Suppliers)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimate of those directly and indirectly employed in the United Kingdom providing goods and services to his Department.

The latest figures available are for 1985–86, when it was estimated that 285,000 people were directly and 230,000 indirectly employed in United Kingdom industry providing goods and services to the Ministry of Defence. Estimates for 1986–87 should be available in the next two months.

Nerve Cases

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what complaints or representations he has received from service men or women or their representatives about ill effects following the testing of nerve gases or other chemicals upon them; whether any compensation has been paid or is being considered; and if he will make a statement.

In the last 10 years there have been 15 inquiries from service men or women or their representatives concerning the testing of nerve gases or other chemicals upon them, none of which have resulted in any claims being made.

Falkland Islands

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of the recent non-stop flight from Britain to the Falkland Islands.

As part of an operational training exercise, an RAF VC1O flew non-stop from RAF Brize Norton to the Falkland Islands, leaving on 19 December 1987, and then returned non-stop. The aircraft was air-to-air refuelled both southbound and northbound. The direct operating cost was £140,000, all of which fell within the budget for the agreed flying activity levels for the RAF.

Chemical Weapons

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has carried out into verification of chemical weaponry.

Research is carried out at the chemical defence establishment into the detection and identification of chemical warfare agents. This work is part of the United Kingdom's programme to provide effective measures of protection for United Kingdom forces, and is also relevant to the development of methods and procedures to provide effective verification of a CW ban. In addition, the United Kingdom has contributed significantly to the thinking of the conference on disarmament on verification, for example, in the development of the concept of challenge inspection.

Nato Nuclear Planning Group

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what matters he intends to raise at the next North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear planning group meeting.

It would not be approprate for me to say; the details of nuclear planning group discussions are confidential.

China

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to meet his counterpart from the People's Republic of China; and if he will make a statement.

; Defence relations between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China are good. My right hon. Friend does not, however, have any immediate plans to meet Mr. Zhang Aiping.

Low-Flying Aircraft

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities are provided to United States Army helicopter units based in the Federal Republic of Germany to conduct low-level pilot qualification exercises in the United Kingdom; on how many occasions such facilities have been utilised; and if he will make a statement.

The United Kingdom provides facilities for training by helicopter aircrew of the United States in a variety of ways, including, on occasion, the use of the United Kingdom low-flying system for training purposes by aircrew based in the Federal Republic of Germany. Detailed records of such usage are not maintained, but my Department is not aware of any occasion during 1987 when such usage included low-level pilot qualification exercises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what procedures exist to permit military aircrew to report their own breaches of low-flying regulations to the relevant authorities;(2) how many breaches of low-flying regulations were reported to the relevant authorities by the aircrew involved in 1986 and 1987.

It is standard procedure for aircrew to debrief, normally to their authorising officer, on all aspects of a training sortie in order to confirm that the requirements of a sortie have been met. The debrief provides the opportunity for the aircrew to report any difficulties encountered during the sortie, including breaches of low-flying regulations. If a breach of the regulations were sufficiently serious it would be reported to relevant authorities, otherwise the matter would be dealt with at station level. Central records of breaches reported during the debrief sessions are not held.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many confirmed breaches of low flying regulations in each year since 1974 were caused by negligence on the part of aircrew.

The information requested cannot be provided without disproportionate effort.

Holsworthy (Exercises)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what minimum separation distance was authorised for fixed wing aircraft participation in the exercise held in the vicinity of Holsworthy, Devon, on 11 and 12 July 1987;(2) what minimum separation distance was authorised for fixed wing aircraft participating in the no light exercise held in the vicinity of Perranporth and Mullion, Cornwall, from 10 to 16 October 1987.

The minimum separation distance authorised was 250 ft.

Tactical Fighter Exercise

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if a tactical fighter meet exercise is to be held in the United Kingdom in the current year; and if he will make a statement.

No such exercise is planned.

Decimomannu Range, Sardinia

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the minimum height at which Royal Air Force aircraft are permitted to fly over land at the Decimomannu range in Sardinia.

RAF aircraft on temporary detachment to Decimomannu in Sardinia for training purposes make use of the air to ground range at Capo della Frasca. It is standard procedure that, in the course of that training, RAF aircraft on the range are not authorised to fly below 85 ft above ground level.

Copper Flag Exercises

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list Royal Air Force participation in Copper Flag exercises in the United States since 1977, giving the number and type of aircraft involved and dates of the exercise on each occasion.

The Royal Air Force has participated once in a Copper Flag exercise, which took place from 14 to 25 July 1986. Eight Phantom aircraft were involved.

Nuclear Weapon Tests

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Davyhulme of 18 January, when he received the initial report of the National Radiological Protection Board into the mortality and cancer incidence in the United Kingdom participants in the United Kingdom atmospheric nuclear weapon tests and experimental programmes.

My hon. Friend is presumably referring to a preliminary draft of the report which the NRPB plans to publish towards the end of this month. This draft was sent to the Department and others in late December for comment on factual accuracy.

Bates Project

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the contractor providing software for the Bates project has been changed since the contract was originally let in 1981.

Bates as a project has always been managed on a prime contractor basis with numerous subcontracts for various elements. Marconi Command and Control Systems (MCCS) employed subcontractors on the development of the software. However, since 1985 MCCS has increasingly taken on this work itself.

Ravc, Melton Mowbray

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether horses in the ownership or control of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps at Melton Mowbray are used for foxhunting purposes.

Seven horses held on the strength of the RAVC centre, Melton Mowbray, have been used in fox hunts this season.

M16 And Sa 80 Rifles

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what considerations other than price influence the Government decisions on the procurement of either MI6 or SA 80 rifles.

Whilst price is of major importance in any value-for-money assessment, the Department also makes an analysis in detail of the performance characteristics of alternative weapons against the user's requirements before any decision is taken on a particular purchase.

Drops

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria have been used in the course of demountable rack off-loading pick-up systems/RTE procurements (a) for deciding whether to pursue trial equipments in preference to off-the-shelf equipments and (b) in deciding to whom to permit participation in the second round of procurement trials; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: Following the initial DROPS evaluation trials in 1984–85, it was decided that the Department's production requirement for DROPS RTE equipment should be the subject of a full open competition to determine best value for money. As a consequence, the contract was awarded to Arbau Klaus in November 1987. Further RTE trials will be limited to pre-production evaluation and validation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what respective numbers of the two types of demountable rack off-loading pick-up system trailer are now envisaged; what factors persuaded him of the advantages of a proliferation of types; to what extent the latter procurement is (a) to meet a new requirement not foreseen in 1982 and (b) to fulfil a role the previously selected trailers have proved unable to fulfil by virtue of not being manoeuvrable or operable by one man; and if he will make a statement;(2) what recent announcements he has made to industry on forthcoming competition for a further substantial procurement of demountable rack off-loading pick-up system trailers; what will the relationship of such procurement be to the original 1982 demountable rack off-loading pick-up low mobility requirements in respect of manoeuvrability and one-man operation; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: As a result of the 1982–83 DROPS competition and subsequent trials, an order is already in hand to provide 295 trailers for the low mobility roles and requirements for DROPS operation in rear zones. A requirement for some 209 trailers has since been identified for the improved low mobility roles specific to DROPS support of the multi-launch rocket system. In addition to their timings the trailer requirements are distinct in calling for equipment of significantly different performance characteristics. No question of proliferation thus arises. The MLRS requirements were announced in the "Contracts Bulletin" on 28 October 1987 and were presented to interested firms at a conference on 29 November 1987. Tender invitations are now in the process of preparation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies and equipment were selected in 1983 for rail transfer equipment trials following the original demountable rack off-loading pick-up system/ CLOTS submissions from industry; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: Ralph Blatchford and Co Ltd and EKA Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the off-the-shelf German rail transfer equipment now ordered meets the original specification published in the 1982 demountable rack off-loading pickup system/CLOTS tender documents; whether he has changed the specifications required; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: The original performance requirements specified have not changed in significant regards although the engineering specifications for the supply of equipment are now more refined and detailed. The ordered equipments meet all essential requirements other than in regard to minimum clearance of overhead power cables and full ability to operate at different step heights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been spent on equipment, development and trials of the aborted design of rail transfer equipment for demountable rack off-loading pickup systems; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: Costs of providing and supporting RTE equipment for the 1984–85 DROPS trials were some £500,000. Trials costs cannot be separately identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decision he has reached on further use of the rail transfer equipment for demountable rack off-loading pick-up system flatracks selected in 1983 for trials; what consideration is being given to off-the-shelf German equipment used by the Army for concept trials in 1979–80; and if he will make a statement.

No final decision has been reached on the further use or disposal of the RTE trials equipment evaluated in 1984–85. The Department is currently giving no procurement consideration to German equipment used in concept trials in 1979–80.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the likely costs resulting from the failure of the medium mobility demountable rack off-loading pick-up system truck to meet its specifications; and by whom these costs will ultimately be borne; and if he will make a statement;(2) what effect the problems of the medium mobility demountable rack off-loading pick-up system truck will have on the in-service date of this equipment; and if he will make a statement;(3) if redesign will be required to remedy serious instability of the medium mobility demountable rack off-loading pick-up system truck; and if he will make a statement;(4) if he will make a statement on the failure of trials involving a cross-country demountable rack off-loading pick-up system truck turning over on hard level ground; whether any injuries resulted from this failure; and if he will make a statement;(5) if he will provide further details on the failure of the demountable rack off-loading pick-up systems truck during trials at the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: In the course of handling trials on 17 November at RARDE Chertsey a fully loaded medium mobility DROPS pre-production validation vehicle toppled over on to its side whilst executing a figure of eight manoeuvre on the slip bed, causing slight leg injuries to its civilian driver. The vehicle is one of 12 medium mobility and seven improved mobility vehicles commissioned for the trials: three medium mobility vehicles had previously completed the manoeuvre without mishap. Further examinations by the Department's project and engineering staff in association with the main contractor for the vehicles have indicated that the incident resulted from the fitting of a larger pattern of road wheel to provide enhanced off-road mobility in the vehicle for validation purposes.In the normal way the trials experience is to result in a number of detailed modifications involving the fitting of smaller wheels and other minor engineering changes. Accurate estimates are not yet available but the Department's modification costs are not expected to be substantial and will be contained within the approved programme limits. Major redesign work will not be involved and the vehicles are continuing to undergo their validation trials. The incident is not expected to have any major adverse affect upon the continuation of the DROPS programme or the in-service date of the vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, in view of the closure of Scamell's plant at Watford and the departure of Multilift's chief design engineer, he is satisfied that sufficient design expertise will continue to be available to ensure that the redesign of the demountable rack off-loading pick-up system trucks will be successful; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: There is no requirement to redesign DROPS equipment. Therefore, the question does not arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what lessons have been learnt from the procurement of DROPS; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 January 1988]: DROPS procurement is still proceeding and will not be complete for some years. None the less the programme has demonstrated how the widest possible competitive approach to industry based upon a performance specification can achieve real value for money solutions and at the same time avoid unnecessary research and development costs for the taxpayer. It has also demonstrated the importance of full internal recording of all procurement assessment considerations and processes.

Transport

A20 (Improvements)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used in deciding to impose a 50 mph speed limit on the latest major A20 road improvements; and what discussions he has had with the police regarding the resources necessary to enforce this.

The first two kilometres of the recently completed improvement to the A20 Sidcup bypass have a speed limit of 70 mph. The 50 mph speed limit on the urban section of the bypass was imposed to increase safety through the interchanges at Crittal's corner and Frognall corner and to reduce the speed of traffic approaching the sharp bend at Kemnal corner which has a speed limit of 40 mph.Discussions were held with the police before the speed limits were imposed. I understand that they have the necessary resources to enforce them.

Motorways (Hunting)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to his answer of 14 January, Official Report, column 360, relating to hunting adjacent to motorways, he has received any response from the Fox Hounds Association; and if he will place relevant papers in the Library.

No.

Early-Morning Flight

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what aircraft passed over central London at 5.25 am on Sunday 17 January en route for Heathrow; at what height it was flying; what was the maximum height at which it could have flown while still landing at Heathrow safely; and if he will, following his review of aircraft noise, ban such flights in future.

The aircraft was a Gulf Air Tristar.I shall draw the request for height information to the attention of the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority and I shall ask him to write to my right hon. Friend.We are still considering the responses to the proposals for future night restrictions at Heathrow which my noble Friend has discussed with the right hon. Member. Our consultation document made it clear that we do not propose to ban flights arriving at Heathrow at this hour, but we shall continue to restrict the total numbers of night movements.

Park And Ride (Cambridge)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will indicate the grounds on which his Department has refused to accept for transport supplementary grant in 1988–89 the Cambridge park and ride scheme proposed by Cambridgeshire county council and Cambridge city council; what alternative proposals for relieving congestion will attract support from his Department; and if he will make a statement.

TSG is intended to support capital improvements and traffic management measures on local roads which carry substantial flows of longer distance through traffic. The benefits from a park-and-ride scheme would be local in character. The scheme did not satisfy the criteria for TSG which are set out in the Department's circular 1/87; there is a copy in the Library. The responsibility for relieving local congestion rests with the local authorities to whom rate support grant is available.

New Railway Stations

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has about plans to open new railway stations in Scotland in 1988, 1989, and 1990; and at what locations.

I understand that British Rail is planning to open new stations at Musselburgh in 1988 or 1989, and at Wallyford in 1989.It is also considering the recommendation of the Strathclyde rail review about stations on the rail network managed by Strathclyde passenger transport executive.

Rail Crash, Colwich (Report)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects to publish his inspector's report on the rail crash which occurred at Colwich, Staffordshire, in September 1986; what is the reason for the delay; and what steps officials of his Department have taken to inform the widow of the train driver killed in the crash of the date of publication.

The report on the inquiry into the collision between two express passenger trains at Colwich junction is in its final draft stage and will be published with the minimum delay as soon as essential consultations have been completed. The delay in publication is due to the extensive technical investigations that have to be carried out. The widow's son and her solicitor have been kept informed as to the progress of the report. The family will he informed in advance of the date of publication and arrangements have been made to send them a copy of the report.

School Transport

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the incidence of injuries to, and deaths of children being conveyed in vehicles to or from school.

The number of deaths, serious injuries and slight injuries to children conveyed in vehicles to or from school is given in the table.

Child casualties in vehicles including family cars travelling to or from school: by severity: Great Britain: 1982 to 1986.
Year	Fatal	Serious	Slight	All
1982	10	168	1,195	1,373
1983	3	142	1,092	1,237
1984	6	184	1,322	1,512
1985	5	157	1,327	1,489
1986	7	129	1,372	1,508

Cannibalised Cars

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in discussions with local authorities to extend the protection of the public from the sale of cannibalised cars; and if he will make a statement.

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Corporate and Consumer Affairs and I discussed the sale of unroadworthy cars with the Director General of Fair Trading, local authority, motor trade and consumer organisations on 15 December 1987. We are working with the Office of Fair Trading and the other organisations on the possible extension of trading standards officers' powers to inspect cars on garage forecourts. The repair of accident-damaged cars has been considered by a working party set up by the Association of Chief Police Officers, whose report I look forward to seeing. Buyers of secondhand cars would be well advised to arrange a pre-sale inspection.

Nuclear Material (Transport)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the ACTRAM committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency on nuclear material transport and security with regard to the obligations discharged by his Department.

ACTRAM is an independent body appointed to advise the Secretary of State for Transport and the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission on major issues relating to the safe transport of radioactive materials. It has no connection with the International Atomic Energy Agency.ACTRAM's first report ("Transport of Radioactive Materials for Medical and Industrial Use") was published earlier this month. A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.A second report, dealing with quality assurance and compliance assurance arrangements for the United Kingdom regulations covering the transport of radioactive materials, is expected to be published in the spring.

Cabotage

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential implications for the competitiveness of the road transport industry when EEC rules on cabotage come into force in the United Kingdom, with specific reference to the differing safety standards applicable in the road transport and cabotage industry; and if he will make a statement.

A recent study on the impact of cabotage carried out by the Polytechnic of Central London has shown that there are likely to be more opportunities to be grasped by United Kingdom hauliers when cabotage is carried out under conditions of fair competition than there will be for foreign hauliers.Work within the EC is directed at gradually achieving common conditions. There is already agreement on drivers' hours and tachograph recording.

£ million
	1980	1981	1982	1983	¹1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	¹1987–48
Revenue support grant required	142	113	156	213	214	105	69	45
Investment
DLR net of external contributions	—	—	—	—	15	17	8	22
Other	190	203	162	204	192	212	241	248
Total	190	203	162	204	207	229	249	270
Funded by:
Capital grant	179	186	161	200	151	244	240	194
Internal resources	11	17	1	4	56	(15)	9	76
¹ Fifteen months.
² Forecast.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Hedgerows

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy on the loss of hedgerows and their value to wildlife and the community.

Hedgerows play an important role in the countryside and provide a wide variety of benefits. In addition to their agricultural role they can form an integral feature of the landscape, provide a valuable habitat for wildlife and, in some cases, be of considerable historical interest. Their value is, however, dependent upon positive action and sympathetic management to keep them in good condition.It is my Department's policy to enlist the voluntary co-operation of the farmers and landowners to whom the management of hedgerows necessarily falls. Our Agricultural Development and Advisory Service provides expert advice on hedgerow management, and initial advice for conservation purposes is free of charge.A certain amount of hedgerow removal has occurred in recent decades due to changing agricultural circumstances, but we would not condone the unnecessary removal of, or damage to, hedgerows. We no longer grant aid the amalgamation of fields which often involved hedgerow removal. On the contrary, we provide capital grants at very favourable rates for both the laying of hedgerows and the planting of new ones.

Dead Sheep (Disposal)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library any literature relating to the disposal of dead sheep circulated to farmers in the restricted area of Cumbria between 20 June 1986 and 8 April 1987.

[holding answer 21 January 1988]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to him on 14 January, at column 376.

London Regional Transport

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the revenue support for London Regional Transport for each year, in constant terms, from 1980; and what was the investment support for each year from 1980, excluding money, for the docklands light railway.

Capital grants and internal resources used to finance investment are not hypothecated to programmes. The figures requested (at November 1987 prices) are as follows:

Employment

Skillcentre (Newham)

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects a skillcentre to open in Newham.

There are no present plans to open a skillcentre in Newham.

Radiological Protection

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action his Department has taken following interim guidance on revised standards of radiological protection issued by the National Radiological Protection Board in November 1987.

As announced on 18 November 1987, the Health and Safety Commission has set up a working group on ionising radiations which met for the first time on 9 December 1987. The working group will consider the recent guidance from the National Radiological Protection Board as part of its remit and will advise the commission on an appropriate course of action. I am content to await any subsequent recommendations.

Government Employment Schemes

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for each year since 1979 to date the number of persons employed on Government employment schemes.

Figures for each year since 1979 for the employment measures run by my Department and the Manpower Services Commission on which participants have contracts of employment are as follows:

	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987
YWS¹³	—	—	—	174,266	130,000	66,182	66,000	2,800	—
CI²	8,865	8,176	8,985	8,849	9,612	9,532	9,517	9,813	⁵6,909
STEP/CEP/CP²	22,400	18,400	34,300	51,645	134,400	161,437	241,159	307,999	⁵189,134
JSS/JS¹	—	—	—	180	656	260	268	297	⁶451
NWS¹	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	37,552	⁶18,700
VPP⁴	—	—	—	—	945	961	1,282	1,634	⁵1,558
¹ Approved applications.
² Entrants.
³ This scheme closed on 31 March 1986.
⁴ These are estimated staff employed by sponsors to run projects.
⁵ April to November 1987.
⁶ April to December 1987.

Labour Statistics

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for each year from 1979 to date the numbers in employment by, categories, for (a) the

Employees in employment
Thousand
September of each year	All industries and services	Agriculture forestry and fishing	Energy and water supply	Metal manufacturing and chemicals	Metal goods, manufacturing and vehicles	Other manufacturing	Construction	Distribution Hotels Catering and Repairs	Transport and communication	Banking Insurance and finance	Other Services
SIC 1980	0–9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
United Kingdom
1979	23,262	403	724	1,146	3,386	2,742	1,252	4,289	1,490	1,685	6,144
1980	22,768	403	729	1,048	3,188	2,529	1,237	4,268	1,480	1,754	6,133
1981	21,816	385	706	927	2,903	2,350	1,108	4,180	1,421	1,755	6,082
1982	21,337	382	676	868	2,697	2,236	1,073	4,114	1,371	1,810	6,108
1983	21,182	377	642	814	2,534	2,169	1,061	4,158	1,346	1,910	6,168
1984	21,346	368	612	808	2,467	2,162	1,054	4,276	1,347	2,017	6,237
1985	21,597	367	577	803	2,433	2,172	1,019	4,371	1,351	2,129	6,373
1986	21,676	355	529	781	2,333	2,140	998	4,425	1,351	2,250	6,515
1987	21.978	349	498	780	2,282	2,140	1,026	4,494	1,371	2.386	6,654
Yorkshire and Humberside
1979	2,012	33	119	164	246	298	111	362	113	100	467
1980	1,945	31	119	150	228	271	109	359	112	105	464
1981	1,843	31	116	126	203	251	96	348	105	106	462
1982	1,801	31	112	114	186	237	93	344	105	106	473
1983	1,776	30	105	102	171	229	93	351	105	112	479
1984	1,774	29	100	98	161	227	93	363	105	116	483
1985	1,796	29	90	93	157	233	90	376	105	135	488
1986	1,791	29	79	85	151	226	88	380	103	142	509
1987	1,814	29	74	80	149	227	91	390	108	145	522

Information about employment in local areas is available only for years in which censuses of employment are conducted. The available employee estimates for the Barnsley local authority district and the Barnsley, West

Employees in Employment¹
(Thousands)
Divisions SIC 1980	District²Barnsley		Constituency²Barnsley West and Penistone
	1981	1984	1981	1984
All industries and services	78·5	73·0	27·5	25·5
0 Agriculture, forestry and fishing	0·5	0·5	n.a.	0·4
1 Energy and water supply	19·1	16·1	n.a.	4·5
2 Extraction of minerals and ores other than fuels: manufacture of metals mineral products and chemicals	4·6	3·7	n.a.	1·8
3 Metal goods, engineering and vehicles	4·3	3·1	n.a.	1·7
4 Other manufacturing industries	10·3	9·6	n.a.	3·3
5 Construction	5·4	4·4	n.a.	2·4
6 Distribution, hotels and catering; repairs	11·0	10·6	n.a.	4·4

United Kingdom, as a whole, (b) Yorkshire and Humberside, (c) Barnsley metropolitan council area and (d) Barnsley, West and Penistone constituency.

The available information is as follows:and Penistone constituency, taken from the September 1981 and September 1984 censuses of employment, is as follows:

Divisions SIC 1980	District ² Barnsley		Constituency ² Barnsley West and Penistone
	1981	1984	1981	1984
7 Transport and communication	3·2	3·5	n.a.	1·4
8 Banking, finance, insurance, business services and leasing	2·0	2·3	n.a.	1·0
9 Other services	18·1	19·1	n.a.	4·7
¹ The figures exclude the self-employed and members of HM Forces.
² The district and constituency are defined in terms of ward boundaries as at 1981. n.a. An industry breakdown for the constituency is not available for 1981.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been (a) the annual percentage change since 1979 in the total (i) employed and (ii) unemployed, and (b) the aggregate percentage change since 1979 to the latest available date in the total (i) employed and (ii) unemployed, in each of the categories of employment listed in tables 1.2 and 1.3 of the Employment Gazette.

I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Job Creation

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the job creating schemes and training help for which companies located in the Blackpool travel-to-work area qualify.

The Manpower Services Commission administers the following schemes/programmes which are available to companies located in the Blackpool travel-to-work area:

YTS
New job training scheme
Training grants for employers
National priority skills scheme
Training for enterprise
Community programme

These schemes/programmes have individual qualifying criteria and these would need to be satisfied before companies were able to participate.Local employer networks and local collaborative projects also offer employers a chance to influence the provision of training in the area and there is a training access point which may help companies identify appropriate training.

Departments Cash Limits

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether any changes will be made to his Department's cash limits or running costs limits for 1987–88.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the neccesary Supplementary Estimates, the following changes will be made. The cash limit on class VII, vote 1, will be increased by £10 million from £1,414,276,000 to £1,424,276,000. This is due to additional expenditure of £15 million on the community programme, on which take-up is running higher than expected, partly offset by reduced expenditure of £5 million on the job release scheme, where take-up is slightly lower than expected. The net £10 million increase in the cash limit on class VII, vote 1, is more than offest by a reduction of £13,999,000 in the cash limit on class VII, vote 5, (Manpower Services Commission), from £1,949,853,000 to £1,935,854,000, due to lower than expected take-up of the new job training scheme. There is a token £1,000 increase in the DE administration cash limit (class VII, vote 2). Therefore, overall there is a net reduction in DE group cash limits of £3,998,000.The Department of Employment's running costs limit on class VII, vote 2, will be reduced by £2,590,000 from £474,347,000 to £471,757,000 and the MSC's running costs limit on class VII, vote 5, will be correspondingly increased by £2,590,000 from £346,543,000 to £349,133,000. This is to adjust for an over-provision on DE's running costs when expenditure for the employment service was transferred from MSC to DE in the Winter Supplementary Estimates. The running costs total for the Department of Employment Group as a whole remains unchanged at £924,159,000.

Community Programme (Greater London)

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many Manpower Services Commission community programme places were allocated to Greater London in 1987–88 if he will itemise the number of these places managed under the scheme by (a) each local authority, (b) each voluntary sector managing agency and (c) each private sector managing agency; and what are the main categories of beneficiary for each scheme.

The number of community programme places allocated to the Manpower Services Commission's London region for 1987–88 was 17,330.It is not possible to itemise these places by the various managing agencies as requested as this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the following information is available.The total number of community programme projects and authorised places for the London region, analysed by project and sponsor type is as follows. Table 1 gives information about projects, and table 2 authorised places as at 14 October 1987, the latest date for which statistics are available.

Table 1 Total number of projects by sponsor type MSC London Region
London
	Total	Local authority	Local education authority	Vohuntary organization	Nationalised Industries	Private Sector	Health Authority	Government Department	Other	Educational Indtitution	Ex Offenders Organisations	Churches
Total	506	119	0	0	4	18	20	5	0	22	25	29
Environmental	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Building and Landcaping	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Home Insulation	18	1	0	0	0	10	0	0	0	0	1	0
Research and Surveys	22	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	1
Library	29	12	0	0	0	1	3	1	0	3	0	1
Youth work	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Voluntary Acts	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other social services	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cultural	31	10	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	5	0	0
Workshop	20	2	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0
CP agent MGMT	55	13	0	0	0	2	2	1	0	2	7	5
Environmental and Landscaping	41	17	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Building and Construction	54	9	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	6	5
Archaelogical digs	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Childrens services	29	6	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	2	1
Young peoples services	55	10	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	5	1	2
Services for the elderly	82	24	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	1	3	10
Services for the disabled	66	9	0	0	1	1	6	0	0	1	3	4
Centres for the unemployed	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Table 1 Total Number of Places by Project Type and Sponsor MSC London Region
	Youth Organisations	Old Peoples Groups	Disability Groups	Ethnic Groups	Environmental and Conservation Groups	Other Voluntary Organisations	Quasi Commercial Body
Total	24	4	34	37	13	105	42
Environmental	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Building and Landscaping	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Home Insulation	0	0	0	0	2	4	0
Research and Surveys	0	0	3	2	0	6	2
Library	0	0	0	1	0	7	0
Youth Work	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Voluntary Acts	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other Social Services	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Cultural	1	0	0	3	1	5	4
Workshop	0	0	0	2	0	9	3
Community Project Agent Management	3	0	1	4	0	10	4
Environmental and Landscaping	0	0	2	1	8	8	2
Building and Construction	4	0	0	1	0	13	10
Archaelogical Diggings	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Childrens Services	7	0	1	2	2	3	1
Young Peoples Services	9	0	4	4	0	17	1
Services for the Elderly	0	3	0	15	0	14	8
Services for the Disabled	0	1	23	2	0	9	6
Centres for the Unwmployed	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Table 2 Number of Places by Project Type and Sponsor (Total)
	Churches	Youth Organisations	Old Peoples Groups	Disability Groups	Ethnic Groups	Environmental and Conservation Groups	Other Voluntary Organisations	Quasi Commercial Body
Authorised places
Total	551	741	86	763	1,125	315	3,243	1,183
Environmental	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Building and landscaping	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Home insulation	—	—	—	—	—	96	158	—
Research and surveys	7	—	—	79	81	—	92	11
Library	20	—	—	—	40	—	114	—
Youth work	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Voluntary acts	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Other social services	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	18
Cultural	—	81	—	—	85	31	216	78
Workshop	—	—	—	—	89	—	301	208

	Churches	Youth Organisations	Old Peoples Groups	Disability Groups	Ethnic Groups	Environmental and Conservation Groups	Other Voluntary Organisations	Quasi Commercial Body
CP agent management	62	67	—	4	165	—	261	124
Environmental and landscaping	—	—	—	114	28	157	347	28
Building and construction	173	103	—	—	17	—	379	301
Archaeological digs	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Children's services	11	172	—	12	38	31	41	5
Young people's services	25	318	—	60	167	—	634	29
Services for the elderly	220	—	74	—	371	—	460	273
Services for the disabled	33	—	12	494	44	—	240	108
Centres for the unemployed	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Volume 125: debated on Friday 22 January 1988

Written Answers To Questions

Church Commissioners

Mr Terry Waite

Education And Science

Sexual Harassment

Overseas Development

Ethiopia

Nicaragua

Overseas Aid

Population Projects

Trade And Industry

Weights

Clywd (Rdg)

Home Department

Government Data Network

Parole

Metropolitan Police

Firearms Certificates

Michael Ryan

Nuclear Safety

Nuclear Power Stations (Access)

Environment

Winget-Type Houses

Urban Programme Schemes

Rates

The Arts

Wales Railway Centre

National Finance

Vat

Growth Rates

Co-Operative Retail Societies

Ec (Budget)

Money Supply

Licensed Deposit Takers

Small Firms (Vat)

Northern Ireland

Electricity Disconnections

Ace Schemes

Kilroot Power Station

Hospital Beds

Industrial Pollution

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Israel

House Of Commons

Scottish Standing Committees

Parliamentary Salaries

Scotland

Hospital Beds

Homeless Persons

Local Authorities (Staff)

Prime Minister

Hospital Services (Oswestry)

Crown Employees

Wales

Privatisation

Neonatal Units (Staffing)

Free Milk

National Museum Of Wales

Rent Arrears

Electorates

Oswestry Orthopaedic Hospital

Winget-Type Houses

Ambulance Services

Library Authority (Newport)

Hospital Closure Procedure

Greencroft Hostel, Aston

Higher Education

Non-Civil Servant Advisers

Attorney-General

Council For Licensed Conveyancers

Mr Rick Gibson

Anthony Cavendish

Energy

Sellafield (Safety)

Windscale Fire

Nuclear Power Stations

Energy Efficiency Office

Radiation (Research Study)