To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what discussions he has held with London Regional Transport about the introduction of rolling stock on the London Underground designed to reduce crime opportunities and increase passenger protection;(2) what studies he has undertaken or commissioned into the design of underground train carriages so as to increase passenger protection against crime.

My Department maintains close contact with London Underground Ltd. on measures to combat crime on the Underground. Features to improve passenger security have been incorporated in the prototype trains built to evaluate the replacement stock to serve the Central line in the 1990s. These include alarms which allow passengers to talk to the driver and greater visibility between carriages. The trains will undergo passenger service trials later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made with the Autoguide electronic route guidance system.

I have today helped the private sector to launch its Autoguide demonstration scheme, which covers much of the Westminster area and the corridor to Heathrow airport. I have also issued a consultation document on the following stage on the project : the London pilot system. I have placed copies in the Library.Both the demonstration scheme and the London pilot system are important steps towards a national commercial Autoguide service, which will make an important contribution towards keeping traffic moving and improving the quality of road travel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what report he has received from Her Majesty's ambassador in Tel Aviv regarding the claim by the Palestine Liberation Organisation to have detonated bombs on 20 March in a bus shelter in Rehvot; and whether he will instruct the ambassador to convey the regrets of Her Majesty's Government to the Government of Israel about this terrorist incident.

We have seen no report of such a claim.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has raised through the British interests section in the Australian embassy in Damascus Her Majesty's Government's reaction to the refusal of the Syrian Government to receive President Reagan's envoy, Mr. Philip Habib; and whether he will make a statement.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what report he has received from Her Majesty's ambassador in Baghdad regarding the public statement made there on 26 March by Mr. Yasir Arafat rejecting Mr. George Shultz's peace initiative; and whether Her Majesty's ambassador has made any representations to the Government of Iraq regarding this statement.

The "Summary of World Broadcasts" edition of 29 March quotes Mr. Arafat as saying in Baghdad on 27 March :

"We are not against any peace initiative, but we are not ready to respond to any initiative that ignores the Palestinian people and their rights".

We have not raised this statement with the Government of Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average period of time for holding an inquiry into a planning appeal, from the date of the original planning application to the local authority to the commencement of the inquiry.

For the 1,922 planning appeals decided in 1987, following public inquiries, the median time from the date of the planning application to the start of the inquiry was 54 weeks. It must be borne in mind that an appeal can be lodged at any time up to six months after the local planning authority's decision, or after the date by which that decision should have been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if Nottingham city council was informed of the tenants' choice interviews conducted in Nottingham in the current week; and if he will make a statement;(2) what contact and co—operation his Department had with Nottingham city council prior to the setting up of research interviews with tenants on the sale of estates.

A small sample of tenants in Nottingham, from estates selected in consultation with the city council's director of housing, are taking part in group discussions to identify factors which are important in a choice of landlord. The project is not concerned with the sale of these estates or of any other particular estates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether Rushmoor borough council had a legal agreement, endorsed by his Department at the time of the transfer of the Greater London council housing stock, whereby subsidy will continue to be paid on the major technical repairs programme for the Prospect Estate at no cost to the borough.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what basis he will issue the capital allocation of £25 million for the preparation costs of the community charge which he announced on 24 March.

The £25 million capital allocations will be issued pro rata to adult population. Letters have been sent to each charging authority in England informing it of its individual allocation. A list of these allocations has been placed in the Library. Subject to parliamentary approval of the community charge legislation, the allocations will assist councils to begin preparing for the introduction of the community charge in 1990. Although authorities are unlikely to incur significant additional current expenditure in the financial year 1988–89, it is likely to be helpful for them to be able to begin preparations on capital projects such as the installation or adaptation of computer systems. These allocations show that the Government recognise the need for authorities to make an early start on these so that the collection of the community charge will run efficiently from the beginning. These early allocations will enable councils to plan sensibly for the operation of the new system, which will for the first time make them truly accountable to the people they serve.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those bodies that have made representations to his Department on the possible effects of the introduction of the poll tax on rural areas and on the services provided by local authorities.

[holding answer 12 April 1988]: A summary of the 1,271 responses received by 31 October 1986, when the consultation period on the Green Paper ended, was placed in the Library on 15 December 1986. Since June 1987 my Department has received some 8,300 letters, the majority of which—about 6,100—are from private individuals. However, the letters contain a variety of comments on specific aspects of our proposals, or requests for further information, and for this reason do not readily lend themselves to an analysis of correspondents' views.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the projected rate increases for all counties, boroughs and districts in England for the financial year 1988–89.

[holding answer 12 April 1988]: The following is the available information for county precept increases and local rate increases in boroughs and districts in 1988–89:

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	Per cent.
Avon	7·9
Bedfordshire	6·1
Berkshire	8·5
Buckinghamshire	9·2
Cambridgeshire	4·9
Cheshire	10·0
Cleveland	11·9
Cornwall	12·9

	Per cent.
Cumbria	5·5
Derbyshire	13·5
Devon	11·3
Dorset	7·4
Durham	15·0
East Sussex	14·1
Essex	17·8
Gloucestershire	11·9
Hampshire	8·8
Hereford and Worcester	9·8
Hertfordshire	16·9
Humberside	20·3
Isle of Wight	9·7
Kent	12·5
Lancashire	18·5
Leicestershire	11·0
Lincolnshire	14·0
Norfolk	10·0
Northamptonshire	15·1
Northumberland	114·6
North Yorkshire	11·9
Nottinghamshire	7·2
Oxfordshire	9·3
Shropshire	8·7
Somerset	11·7
Staffordshire	8·3
Suffolk	7·9
Surrey	10·5
Warwickshire	15·9
West Sussex	9·1
Wiltshire	7·8
1 Excluding Northumbria police precept.

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	Per cent.
Isles of Stilly	3·1
Greater Manchester
Bolton	6·3
Bury	7·4
Manchester	-9·7
Oldham	10·1
Rochdale	7·4
Salford	8·6
Stockport	10·0
Tameside	7·9
Trafford	10·1
Wigan	9·5
Merseyside
Knowsley	3·7
Liverpool	1·2
St. Helens	5·7
Sefton	7·4
Wirral	7·2
South Yorkshire
Barnsley	8·9
Doncaster	8·3
Rotherham	7·6
Sheffield	12·1
Tyne and Wear
Gateshead	10·0
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	-7·2
North Tyneside	9·0
South Tyneside	8·5
Sunderland	3·8
West Midlands
Birmingham	3·2
Coventry	8·0
Dudley	1·9
Sandwell	5·0
Solihull	0·4

	Per cent.
Walsall	4·7
Wolverhampton	3·5
West Yorkshire
Bradford	11·0
Calderdale	18·1
Kirklees	12·8
Leeds	8·0
Wakefield	12·2

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	Percentage
City of London	4·1
Camden	-2·6
Greenwich	12·5
Hackney	9·3
Hammersmith and Fulham	5·2
Islington	13·6
Kensington and Chelsea	-26·4
Lambeth	-17·9
Lewisham	3·7
Southwark	-9·3
Tower Hamlets	11·6
Wandsworth	31·7
Westminster	-0·4
Barking and Dagenham	6·2
Barnet	15·6
Bexley	13·4
Brent	10·7
Bromley	7·3
Croydon	8·0
Ealing	-24·5
Enfield	20·5
Haringey	-9·9
Harrow	8·5
Havering	8·0
Hillingdon	7·4
Hounslow	7·3
Kingston-upon-Thames	10·5
Merton	10·8
Newham	11·6
Redbridge	0·5
Richmond-upon-Thames	10·7
Sutton	9·6
Waltham Forest	-31·3

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	Per cent.
Avon
Bath	0·0
Bristol	15·0
Kingswood	0·7
Northavon	9·5
Wansdyke	8·1
Woodspring	14·5
Bedfordshire
North Bedfordshire	0·9
Luton	-3·6
Mid Bedfordshire	5·4
South Bedfordshire	12·5
Berkshire
Bracknell	3·0
Newbury	11·4
Reading	21·7
Slough	0·2
Windsor & Maidenhead	0·2
Wokingham	29·4
Buckinghamshire
Aylesbury Vale	1·6
South Bucks	21·4

	Per cent.
Chiltern	7·3
Milton Keynes	3·9
Wycombe	3·0
Cambridgeshire
Cambridge	27·0
East Cambridgeshire	-0·9
Fenland	11·1
Huntingdonshire	4·6
Peterborough	8·8
South Cambridgeshire	1·7
Cheshire
Chester	5·9
Congleton	5·2
Crewe and Nantwich	10·3
Ellesmere & Neston	5·0
Halton	5·0
Macclesfield	4·7
Vale Royal	9·8
Warrington	10·8
Cleveland
Hartlepool	11·1
Langbaurgh-on-Tees	11·7
Middlesbrough	-27·8
Stockton on Tees	23·2

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	per cent.
Cornwall
Caradon	21·8
Carrick	14·1
Kerrier	17·1
North Cornwall	12·5
Penwith	12·9
Restormel	5·1
Cumbria
Allerdale	0·0
Barrow in Furness	16·5
Carlisle	0·3
Copeland	0·6
Eden	6·0
South Lakeland	0·7
Derbyshire
Amber Valley	-8·6
Bolsover	9·7
Chesterfield	0·6
Derby	-5·7
Erewash	16·4
High Peak	6·2
North East Derbyshire	17·8
South Derbyshire	8·0
Derbyshire Dales	13·9
Devon
East Devon	1·5
Exeter	7·8
North Devon	11·2
Plymouth	16·2
South Hams	7·8
Teignbridge	13·7
Mid Devon	13·6
Torbay	6·8
Torridge	1·0
West Devon	22·7
Dorset
Bournemouth	0·0
Christchurch	7·6
North Dorset	24·7
Poole	5·6
Purbeck	6·8

	per cent.
West Dorset	15·7
Weymouth and Portland	0·0
East Dorset	18·6
Durham
Chester le Street	7·3
Darlington	9·7
Derwentside	20·6
Durham	10·1
Easington	53·8
Sedgefield	9·5
Teesdale	9·7
Wear Valley	11·8

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	Per cent.
East Sussex
Brighton	33·3
Eastbourne	0·0
Hastings	4·8
Hove	from 0p to 4·9p
Lewes	6·7
Rother	2·8
Wealden	6·3
Essex
Basildon	-6·0
Braintree	17·4
Brentwood	-5·0
Castle Point	5·6
Chelmsford	36·1
Colchester	14·9
Epping Forest	5·0
Harlow	6·3
Maldon	-6·0
Rochford	14·9
Southend on Sea	0·0
Tendring	0·5
Thurrock	17·5
Uttlesford	2·5
Gloucestershire
Cheltenham	5·0
Cotswold	6·1
Forest of Dean	2·1
Gloucester	5·6
Stroud	20·7
Tewkesbury	1·7
Hampshire
Basingstoke and Deane	18·8
East Hampshire	16·6
Eastleigh	5·8
Fareham	7·7
Gosport	9·3
Hart	12·2
Havant	21·7
New Forest	20·4
Portsmouth	3·4
Rushmoor	-3·8
Southampton	4·0
Test Valley	9·7
Winchester	7·3
Hereford and Worcester
Bromsgrove	15·1
Hereford	-33·6
Leominster	9·4
Malvern Hills	5·3
Redditch	7·4
South Herefordshire	2·4
Worcester	4·1
Wychavon	6·6
Wyre Forest	13·6

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	Per cent.
Hertfordshire
Broxbourne	0·0
Dacorum	5·1
East Hertfordshire	13·1
Hertsmere	0·6
North Hertfordshire	21·3
St. Albans	39·4
Stevenage	0·0
Three Rivers	0·8
Watford	0·0
Welwyn Hatfield	7·1
Humberside
Beverley	11·2
Boothferry	13·9
Cleethorpes	9·0
Glanford	0·6
Great Grimsby	11·5
Holderness	25·0
Kingston-upon-Hull	-17·0
East Yorkshire	24·4
Scunthorpe	5·9
Isle of Wight
Medina	3·9
South Wight	4·3
Kent	—
Ashford	5·1
Canterbury	8·8
Dartford	1·1
Dover	26·0
Gillingham	42·3
Gravesham	5·8
Maidstone	1·4
Rochester on Medway	0·3
Sevenoaks	13·0
Shepway	33·0
Swale	5·2
Thanet	9·8
Tonbridge and Mailing	10·8
Tunbridge Wells	20·3
Lancashire
Blackburn	-4·1
Blackpool	6·9
Burnley	0·0
Chorley	5·0
Fylde	4·5
Hyndburn	1·7
Lancaster	8·0
Pendle	9·6
Preston	18·4
Ribble Valley	7·2
Rossendale	9·2
South Ribble	11·4
West Lancashire	0·2
Wyre	3·3

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	Per cent.
Leicestershire
Blaby	-4·3
Charnwood	-2·6
Harborough	5·5
Hinckley and Bosworth	15·7
Leicester	9·5
Melton	41·2
North West Leicester	6·3
Oadby and Wigston	4·9
Rutland	1·3

	Per cent.
Lincolnshire
Boston	12·8
East Lindsey	18·3
Lincoln	14·8
North Kesteven	6·5
South Holland	6·7
South Kesteven	1·9
West Lindsey	7·1
Norfolk
Breckland	16·5
Broadland	15·5
Great Yarmouth	3·9
North Norfolk	9·7
Norwich	4·1
South Norfolk	20·0
Kings Lynn/West
Norfolk	9·0
Northamptonshire
Corby	0·0
Daventry	0·0
East Northampton	24·1
Kettering	8·1
Northampton	15·8
South Northampton	16·4
Wellingborough	1·1
Northumberland
Alnwick	22·3
Berwick·upon·Tweed	16·9
Blyth Valley	9·6
Castle Morpeth	15·0
Tynedale	8·0
Wansbeck	7·4
North Yorkshire
Craven	10·5
Hambleton	20·7
Harrogate	6·8
Richmondshire	13·3
Ryedale	7·6
Scarborough	7·6
Selby	3·8
York	9·6

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	Per cent.
Nottinghamshire
Ashfield	8·8
Bassetlaw	8·9
Broxtowe	5·7
Gedling	13·0
Mansfield	16·1
Newark and Sherwood	23·5
Nottingham	0·0
Rushcliffe	1·3
Oxfordshire
Cherwell	4·4
Oxford	88·2
South Oxfordshire	5·0
Vale of White Horse	2·4
West Oxfordshire	3·2
Shropshire
Bridgnorth	5·6
North Shropshire	26·5
Oswestry	24·6
Shrewsbury and Atcham	9·3
South Shropshire	12·5
The Wrekin	15·2
Somerset
Mendip	12·0

	Per cent.
Sedgemoor	0·2
Taunton Deane	4·2
West Somerset	19·4
South Somerset	31·0
Staffordshire
Cannock Chase	2·4
East Staffordshire	3·0
Lichfield	7·6
Newcastle under Lyme	5·5
South Staffordshire	6·9
Stafford	21·7
Staffs, Moorlands	22·6
Stoke-on-Trent	3·6
Tamworth	0·0
Suffolk
Babergh	5·8
Forest Heath	17·5
Ipswich	9·8
Mid Suffolk	11·4
St. Edmundsbury	16·0
Suffolk Coastal	39·1
Waveney	7·8

Increases in local rates and county precepts 1988–89
	Percentage
Surrey
Elmbridge	2·5
Epsom and Ewell	10·8
Guildford	0·0
Mole Valley	6·2
Reigate and Banstead	7·4
Runnymede	-14·6
Spelthorne	-72·9
Surrey Heath	10·5
Tandridge	4·5
Waverley	9·4
Woking	11·5
Warwickshire
North Warwickshire	4·6
Nuneaton and Bedworth	8·4
Rugby	1·5
Stratford-on-Avon	-1·7
Warwick	7·4
West Sussex
Adur	7·8
Arun	8·4
Chichester	7·0
Crawley	12·3
Horsham	9·0
Mid Sussex	17·6
Worthing	0·0
Wiltshire
Kennet	7·4
North Wiltshire	25·9
Salisbury	13·9
Thamesdown	-7·4
West Wiltshire	41·4

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many grammar schools are operated by local authorities; what was the figure for 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The numbers of grammar schools maintained by local education authorities in England in January 1987 and in January 1979 were 152 and 254 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to meet the University Grants Committee to discuss proposals for ethnic monitoring in relation to admission proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Further to my reply to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) on 29 February 1988, at columns 404–5, the Department issued on 8 March its consultative document addressing the issues and options for consideration in the collection of ethically based statistics for students in further and higher education. The University Grants Committee was included among the bodies in the university sector to which copies were sent. In addition, as adumbrated in my previous reply, the Department has raised the question of the ethnic monitoring of university applicants with the Universities Central Council on Admissions, which is now considering the proposal in consultation with other interested bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek additional funding for setting up interdisciplinary research centres in 1989–90.

Funding in 1989–90 for inter-disciplinary research centres and for the science base generally will be subject to review in this year's public expenditure survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what measures he proposes to take to ensure that reception classes in primary schools are adequately staffed.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Brent, South (Mr. Boateng) on 15 March, at column 531.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received concerning his plans for further education; and if he will make a statement.

362 responses have been received to the consultation paper. "Maintained Further Education : Financing, Governance and Law", from a wide range of local education authorities, colleges, educational and other organisations, and individuals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has for the future of the Horniman museum; and if he will make a statement.

We are urgently considering the most appropriate arrangements for the Horniman museum and will make an announcement as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he is developing for the future of the Child Guidance Service within inner London, in the light of the proposed abolition of the Inner London education authority.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Cartwright) on 28 March, at column 273.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance his Department has given to local education authorities in Wales concerning the salary scales of supply teachers; and if he will make a statement.

It is for local education authorities to determine to pay of supply teachers within the framework set down in the "School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 1987."

To ask the Attorney-General whether there are any plans to initiate a review of the use of the Welsh language in courts in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The Government are committed to the principle of equal validity in the use of English and Welsh in court proceedings in Wales as provided for in the Welsh Language Act 1967. The Lord Chancellor will willingly consider any specific representations about the facilities for the use of Welsh in courts for which he is responsible, but a further general review is considered to be unnecessary.

To ask the Attorney-General what recent representations he has received concerning the Welsh Social Security Commissioner; and if he will make a statement.

Since the closure of the Cardiff office of the social security commissioners on 4 August 1986 my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor has received written representations on that subject from nine Members of Parliament, one peer and two members of the public, to which replies were sent explaining the reason for the closure and the steps taken to ensure that hearings continue to take place in Cardiff as necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restriction Her Majesty's Government impose on the use of British military equipment and weapons supplied to the kingdom of Morocco to ensure that they are used neither for external aggression against the Saharawi people nor for internal repression.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 14 July, at column 442.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many nuclear-powered submarines he expects to have been taken out of service by the year 2000; and what proposals he is considering for their decommissioning.

On current plans 10 nuclear-powered submarines will have been taken out of service by the year 2000. Sea disposal of the entire submarine, land burial of the intact reactor compartment and piecemeal disposal of the reactor machinery in a deep disposal site to be

Inward investment into Wales by county from 1 April 1983 to 31 December 1987
	1983		1984		1985		1986		1987		Total
County	Project	Investment £ Millions	Project	Investment £ Millions	Project	Investment £ Millions	Project	Investment £ Millions	Project	Investment £ Millions	Project	Investment £ Millions
Clwyd	2	120·1	5	29·1	10	39·7	22	49·9	29	45·8	68	284·6
Dyfed	1	—	3	6·0	5	10·5	1	27·0	7	12·9	17	56·4
Gwent	6	3·0	18	51·8	15	22·8	23	38·8	17	69·6	79	186·1
Gwynedd	1	—	1	0·8	—	—	1	—	3	0·7	6	1·5
Mid Glamorgan	3	9·9	8	25·7	23	49·3	24	37·6	30	66·1	88	188·6
Powys	—	—	—	—	2	0·6	—	—	1	0·1	3	0·7
South Glamorgan	6	28·0	7	29·3	10	18·9	2	0·2	13	37·3	38	113·8
West Glamorgan	3	0·4	3	21·2	4	16·5	8	22·2	13	6·5	31	66·9
Total Wales	22	161·4	45	163·9	69	158·3	81	175·7	113	239·0	330	898·6

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the teaching hospitals in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Undergraduate medical and dental education is provided by the University of Wales college of medicine and the Cardiff Dental school on the site of the University Hospital of Wales. Clinical training is provided primarily at the University hospital of Wales, the Cardiff royal infirmary and Llandough hospital.The postgraduate education of doctors continues through to the senior registrar grade and there are training posts in all the larger hospitals in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to press for a devaluation of the green pound; and if he will make a statement.

The European Commission proposal not to make any changes in the green pound in the price package for 1988–89 will be subject to discussion at the forthcoming meetings of the Council of Ministers. We strongly support the Commission's aim of removing all MCAs by 1992 and we have already made clear our commitment to press for the immediate abolition of our MCAs in the pigmeat sector. developed by Nirex are options which are under consideration by the MOD but no decisions have yet been taken.The safety and environmental implications of these options will, of course, form part of the Government's deliberations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Mon of 21 March, Official Report, column 26, if he will give the corresponding figures for each year since 1979.

The numbers of inward investment projects secured for Wales by county during the period 1 April 1983 to 31 December 1987 are shown in the following table. Figures for the years prior to the establishment of WlNvest in April 1983 are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if his Department currently applies outside financial appraisals for straightforward regional development grant applications.

[holding answer 12 April 1988]:: No

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when his Department first received a request that Morriston hospital should be made a sub-regional centre. for prenatal services; what progress has been made in considering the proposal; when he expects to make a decision; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 12 April 1988]: The response of West Glamorgan health authority to consultation on the recommendations of the perinatal mortality initiative report relating to the establishment of a regional perinatal intensive care service were received in May 1987. Together with the responses of other health authorities in Wales it has been the subject of detailed study and an announcement of the Welsh Office proposals, in the light of consultation, will be made as soon as possible.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will announce the composition of the United Kingdom delegation for the 40th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The 40th Session Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will be opened in Strasbourg on 2 May 1988. The delegation from the United Kingdom for the Session will consist of eleven Members of the Conservative party, six Members of the Labour party and one Member of the Social Liberal and Democratic party. I have also appointed a number of substitute delegates.The appointments of representatives and substitutes have been made on the basis of nominations by the Leaders of those parties concerned.The same delegation will be representing the United Kingdom Parliament at the Assembly of the Western European Union, which next meets in Paris on 6 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the United Kingdom to ratify the convention establishing the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.

I am glad to announce that the United Kingdom's instrument of ratification of the MIGA convention was deposited by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the World Bank's offices in Washington on 12 April 1988. Sufficient ratifications have now been received for the convention to enter into force. The United Kingdom has therefore become an original member of the agency and will play a full part in its formative stages. MIGA, which will encourage private investments in developing countries, principally by issuing contracts of guarantee against defined non-commercial risks, is a welcome addition to the World Bank group and we hope it will have a long and successful life.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current level of employment in (a) the coal industry in Scotland and (b) the electricity using industries in Scotland.

British Coal has about 5,000 employees in Scotland at present. In addition, roughly 1,000 people are employed on opencast and deep mining by subcontractors. There are also a small number working in licensed private mining.There is no generally accepted definition of "the electricity using industries". Estimates of the numbers of employees in employment in Scotland in September 1987 by broad industry categories are given in table 1·5 of the March

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing for each district council area in Scotland (a) the rate of support grant for 1987–88, (b) that figure expressed per capita of the population of the authority, (c) the rate support grant in 1978–79 in 1986 prices, (d) expressed as a sum per capita of the then population of the authority, and (e) the percentage difference between (c) and (d).

The figures show for each local authority the total and per capita amounts of rate support grant paid in 1987–88, the total and per capita amounts of rate support grant paid in 1978–79 expressed in 1986–87 prices, and the percentage difference between the 1978–79 and 1987–88 per capita figures. The GDP deflator is used to convert the figures for 1978–79 from cash to 1986–87 prices. The grant figures used for 1987–88 are based on the Rate Support Grant (Scotland) Order 1987. No adjustment has been

	(1) Total RSG 1987–88	(2) Total RSG per head 1987–88	(3) Total RSG 1978–79 in 1986–87 prices	(4) Total RSG per head 1978–79 in 1986–87 price	(5) Percentage change between column 2 and column 4
Regions
Borders	39,903,204	391·96	37,585,671	374·04	5·0
Central	73,894,672	271·85	74,802,201	275·19	-1·0
Dumfries and Galloway	53,254,149	362·84	49,262,167	343·36	6·0
Fife	97,346,577	283·13	100,201,708	292·07	-3·0
Grampian	145,915,693	290·18	148,270,940	319·42	-9·0
Highland	89,287,275	444·74	90,335,804	479·17	-7·0
Lothian	188,261,970	253·75	228,644,362	304·73	-17·0
Strathclyde	868,415,907	370·39	900,064,841	368·08	1·0
Tayside	124,784,343	31805	124,661,542	309·39	3·0
Islands
Orkney	9,421,381	489·02	8,241,727	452·92	8·0
Shetland	11,139,709	472·42	11,887,137	554·18	-15·0
Western Isles	29,665,079	941·93	23,576,297	794·75	19·0
Districts
Berwickshire	453,691	24·20	773,274	43·24	-44·0
Ettrick and Lauderdale	700,083	21·07	1,281,908	39·00	-46·0
Roxburgh	1,497,245	42·51	1,710,379	47·68	-11·0
Tweeddale	287,902	19·71	453,246	32·69	-40·0
Clackmannan	1,042,782	21·91	1,978,584	41·16	-47·0
Falkirk	1,650,467	11·54	3,226,336	22·38	-48·0
Stirling	933,493	11·50	2,458,923	30·89	-63·0
Annandale and Eskdale	840,120	23·39	1,212,824	34·57	-32·0
Nithsdale	996,694	17·38	1,623,543	28·87	-40·0
Stewartry	452,270	19·55	657,241	29·33	-33·0
Wigtown	706,293	23·25	1,010,377	33·96	-32·0
Dunfermline	1,485,223	11·50	4,412,015	34·53	-67·0
Kirkcaldy	1,953,516	13·18	4,965,083	33·19	-60·0
North East Fife	983,908	14·79	2,040,632	31·04	-52·0
Aberdeen City	4,180,520	19·33	6,230,813	29·87	-35·0
Banff and Buchan	958,713	11·53	3,013,947	38·32	-70·0
Gordon	1,967,205	27·79	3,565,627	62·31	-55·0
Kincardine and Deeside	738,280	15·44	1,414,273	36·99	-58·0
Moray	1,166,722	13·76	3,265,358	40·05	-66·0
Badenoch and Strathspey	120,125	11·33	249,434	26·03	-56·0
Caithness	1,122,787	41·38	1,286,147	46·25	-11·0
Inverness	676,472	1113	1,576,523	28·46	-61·0
Lochaber	361,610	18·67	1,096,253	54·47	-66·0
Nairn	276,063	26·96	352,922	34·69	-22·0
Ross and Cromarty	1,297,308	27·08	3,166,531	74·17	-63·0
Skye and Lochalsh	515,714	44·74	427,913	42·41	5·0
Sutherland	698,277	52·85	997,605	78·81	-33·0

	(1) Total RSG 1987–88	(2) Total RSG per head 1987–88	(3) Total RSG 1978–79 in 1986–87 prices	(4) Total RSG per head 1978–79 in 1986–87 price	(5) Percentage change between column 2 and column 4
Regions
East Lothian	1,512,254	18·47	2,812,136	35·7	-48·0
Edinburgh City	12,513,104	28·55	13,283,327	29·1	-2·0
Midlothian	3,100,730	38·16	4,280,388	50·71	-25·0
West Lothian	3,617,707	25·74	5,526,067	42·31	-39·0
Argyll and Bute	3,712,326	56·60	3,724,008	57·56	-2·0
Bearsden and Milngavie	615,782	15·33	1,704,323	43·82	-65·0
Clydebank	4,362,463	88·66	4,474,560	82·52	7·0
Clydesdale	2,375,903	40·76	2,399,805	42·79	-5·0
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	1,964,426	31·43	2,427,921	39·23	-20·0
Cumnock and Doon Valley	2,787,310	64·03	3,107,957	66·61	-4·0
Cunninghame	3,697,912	26·96	5,508,373	40·8	-34·0
Dumbarton	1,409,745	17·78	3,218,793	40·5	-56·0
East Kilbride	1,449,300	17·71	3,108,537	37·15	-52·0
Eastwood	951,835	16·98	2,095,626	40·98	-59·0
Glasgow City	46,813,579	64·56	53,811,989	66·46	-3·0
Hamilton	3,903,354	36·50	7,160,877	66·81	-45·0

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each district council area in Scotland those services on which authorities spend below the national average; and by how much.

This information is not readily available, and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will request the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to reconstitute the arts and antiques squad; and if he will make a statement.

It is for chief officers to take operational decisions about the deployment of the resources available to them. I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the need for a specialist arts and antiques squad is kept under review, but that there are no plans at present to re-establish the squad.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidance to police forces concerning contacts with the Economic League.

We see no grounds for doing so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now inquire into alleged connections between the Economic League and the police forces of the United Kingdom.

An inquiry was made by North Yorkshire police in March 1987 into allegations about the activities of the Economic League in that force's area. I am not aware of any other allegations about connections between the Economic League and the police. If the hon. Member has a specific case in mind, perhaps he would let me know.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advance there has been in making British law match more closely United Nations guidelines for legal sanctions on drug trafficking.

The United Kingdom has, since 1964, been a party to the United Nations single convention on narcotic drugs 1961, which requires the application of stringent controls over the production, manufacture, distribution and availability of such drugs, with the aim of preventing their diversion to the illicit trade. In 1986 the United Kingdom ratified the United Nations convention on psychotropic substances 1971, which requires similar controls over a wide range of synthetic drugs liable to misuse. The provisions of these conventions are embodied in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, as amended by subsequent modification orders, and its associated regulations. We are now participating in negotiations on a new United Nations convention against illicit trafficking.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what links have now been established between drug trafficking and terrorist activities.

We have no direct evidence of such links in respect of terrorism directed against the United Kingdom or United Kingdom interests, but we remain alert to the possibility both at national level and in multilateral organisations such as Trevi.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rate of interception for illegal trafficking in drugs he treats as providing a reasonable indication of effective policing and an effective deterrent.

It is not possible to calculate an interception rate for covert illegal activity. But there are a number of indicators (for example, information over time about the availability, purity and street price of certain drugs) which chief officers can use to help them assess the effectiveness of their enforcement activities including their efficacy as a deterrent.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration has been given to rationalising international law enforcement agreements so that law officers can have the same freedom of movement and operation on the people they are watching or pursuing.

Police officers may already follow suspects from one country to another when this appears to be necessary. The facilitation of international cooperation of this kind is one of the functions of the International Police Organisation (Interpol).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to meet the chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation; and what issues he hopes to discuss.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to meet the chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the immediate future. But, generally, we keep in close touch with the broadcasting authorities in order to discuss a wide range of issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to seek to give members of the public greater protection against rape and other crimes of violence in subways: and if he will make a statement.

We are strengthening the police and we have put before Parliament proposals which will increase certain penalties, strengthen existing controls over the possession of firearms and shotguns, prohibit the sale of specified offensive weapons, and make it an offence to possess a knife in a public place without good reason. Our current crime prevention publicity campaign is directed against the 4 per cent. of crime committed against the person as well as the 96 per cent. committed against property. These measures will help tackle violent crime wherever it may occur.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for control of the manufacture or sale of raw materials which might be used to manufacture drugs illicitly.

Proposals to secure closer international collaboration for this purpose are being pursued vigorously alongside other major enforcement measures included in the draft of a new United Nations convention on drug trafficking.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to revise the Representation of the People Act 1983 to take account of the difficulties experienced by voluntary psychiatric patients who are required to record an address, other than the psychiatric hospital, for voting purposes.

No. Voluntary patients in psychiatric hospitals may register as electors in respect of any address with which they have been associated other than the hospital address. Guidance to psychiatric hospitals makes it clear that any former address is acceptable and that no voluntary patient need lose his vote for want of an address.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the number of deaths (a) by suicide and (b) misadventure in Brixton prison since 1981.

Twenty verdicts of suicide and three of misadventure have been returned on inmates who have died at Brixton since the beginning of 1981. Three open verdicts have also been returned during that period on inmates who were found hanged at the prison, and the inquest on one inmate thought to have committed suicide there has yet to be held.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) at what time prisoners are locked in their cells for the night at each of the following prisons: Birmingham, Leeds, Pentonville, Manchester, Wandsworth, Wormwood Scrubs and Holloway;(2) how many prisoners spent on average

The daily routine for prisoners may vary both within and between prisons and from day to day. The information, which has been collated locally by the establishments concerned, relates to the week beginning 20 March 1988.

		Numbers of prisoners who spent on average
Establishment	Average daily population	20 or more hours a day in cells	23 or more hours a day in cells	Time locked in cells for night
Birmingham	1,149	546	Nil	Between 1900 hours and 2100 hours
Leeds	1,372	770	Nil	Between 1830 hours and 2030 hours
Pentonville	698	99	Nil	Between 1830 hours and 2000 hours
Manchester	1,755	916	Nil	2000 hours
Wandsworth	1,548	950	Nil	2045 hours
Wormwood Scrubs	925	350	Nil	Between 1915 hours and 2015 hours
Holloway	470	16	16	2000 hours
1 Patients in hospital unit.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the letter reference MLB/JD, dated 19 January 1985, from the prosecuting solicitor's office of Gwent Police Authority to an applicant for a firearms certificate, has been drawn to the attention of Her Majesty's inspector of constabulary.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of significant private sector employers in the United Kingdom; and if he will indicate what definition of significant his Department uses for this purpose.

There is no statistical definition of "significant employers" and different firms will be significant in different contexts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide the best available estimate of the proportion of individuals on YTS, the job training scheme and the community programme involved in working in the arts.

At 31 December 1987, it is estimated that 1·6 per cent. of YTS trainees were on training programmes in creative, educational and recreational service occupations. This figure excludes sports occupations.Of the 224,000 people working on the community programme at 29 February 1988, approximately 2 per cent. were on projects defined as "cultural".Similar information for the job training scheme is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list for each year from 1979 to 1987 in relation to (i) all wages councils, (ii) the Hat, Cap and

	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
All wages councils
Number of homeworkers whose pay was checked in employers' records	3,570	2,565	1,665	1,358	1,974	1,883	1,606	1,374	858
Number of homeworkers visited to check pay	922	658	439	288	426	300	NA1
Total number of homeworkers found to be underpaid	101	160	91	113	59	122	21	8	14
Total amount of arrears assessed as due to homeworkers	£4,065	£5,326	£4,815	£10,221	£8,325	£25,814	£2,909	£2,174	NA1
Hat, Cap and Millinery wages council
Number of homeworkers whose pay was checked in employers' records	77	86	65	5	75	92	54	71	2
Number of homeworkers visited to check pay	11	79	19	5	36	15	NA1
Total number of homeworkers found to be underpaid	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	NA1
Total amount of arrears assessed as due to homeworkers	0	0	£150	0	0	0	0	NA1
Clothing Manufacturing2 wages council
Number of homeworkers whose pay was checked in employers' records	2,373	1,641	957	985	1,085	1,440	1,187	1,041	464
Number of homeworkers visited to check pay	703	555	308	222	266	244	NA1
Total number of homeworkers found to be underpaid	16	6	43	38	25	120	20	6	12
Total amount of arrears assessed as due to homeworkers	£489	£233	£1,448	£2,960	£2,559	£20,545	£2,179	£1,842	NA1
Made-up Textiles wages council
Number of homeworkers whose pay was checked in employers' records	27	0	10	1	0	0	0	0	11

The statistics compiled by the Wages Inspectorate do not provide for separate identification of homeworkers visited to check employers' records who were found to be underpaid. Although figures are available for the amount of arrears assessed as due to all homeworkers, the amounts collected for them are not separately identifiable. However, in the experience of the inspectorate it is rare for arrears assessed as due to homeworkers not to be paid.I regret that the figures stated in the

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will list for each year from 1979 to 1987 (a) the total number of homeworkers found by the Wages Inspectorate to be earning less than the statutory minimum hourly rate but who were assessed as not being underpaid, (b) the total number of homeworkers found by the Wages Inspectorate to be earning less than the statutory minimum hourly rate and who were assessed as being underpaid and (c) (a) as a percentage of (b);(2) if he will list for each year from 1979 to 1987 in respect of (i) the Clothing Manufacturing, (ii) the Hat, Cap and Millinery (iii) the Made-Up Textiles and (iv) the Retail Bespoke Tailoring wages councils

I regret that the comparisons requested cannot be provided. As virtually all homeworkers in the wages council trades are pieceworkers, what is checked and recorded by inspectors is whether the rates per piece paid by the employer meet the statutory minimum remuneration required of section 15 of the Act. If they do, no homeworker employed on that work is being underpaid. If any do not, all the workers (aged 21 or over) employed on the work concerned are being underpaid and arrears are assessed accordingly. The actual earnings of homeworkers are not therefore a factor in determining whether they are being paid at least the statutory minimum remuneration due. Provided an adequate piece rate has been fixed by the employer, it is up to individual pieceworkers how much they earn.The numbers of homeworkers found to be underpaid in the wages council trades specified are provided in a separate reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will publish for 1986 and 1987 a table showing (a) the total number of workers found by the Wages Inspectorate to be earning less than the statutory minimum hourly rate but who were assessed as not being

I regret that the comparisons requested cannot be provided. Although the Wages Act 1986 enables wages councils to fix a minimum hourly rate, whether or not workers are earning above or below that rate is not necessarily recorded by wages inspectors. What inspectors check and record is whether the legal requirement is met, that is, whether the total sum paid to workers for the week is at least the statutory minimum remuneratin due for that week. Only workers found by inspectors to be receiving less are assessed and recorded as being underpaid. For time workers, statutory minimum remuneration is defined in section 14(4) of the Act. For pieceworkers, the definition is in section 15.The figures requested for workers found to be underpaid in 1986 and 1987 are as follows:

	1986	1997
All wages councils	15,533	9,129
Clothing Manufacturing	942	630
Hat, Cap and Millinery	None	5
Made-up Textiles	2	1
Retail Bespoke Tailoring	10	4

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will publish in relation to all wages councils for 1986 and 1987 (a) the amount of arrears assessed by the Wages Inspectorate as due to workers but not recovered, (b) the amount where recovery was not considered practicable, (c) the amounts in (a) and (b) expressed as percentages of the arrears actually recovered, (d) the number of workers in respect of whom arrears were assessed but not recovered, (e) the number of workers for whom recovery of arrears was not considered practicable and (f) the numbers in (d) and (e) expressed as percentages of the number to whom arrears were actually paid;(2) if he will publish in relation to (i) the Clothing Manufacturing, (ii) the Hat, Cap and Millinery, (iii) the Made-Up Textiles and (iv) the Retail Bespoke Tailoring wages councils for 1986 and 1987 (a) the amount of

	All wages council trades		Clothing manufacturing		Retail bespoke tailoring
	1986	1987	1986	1987	1986	1987
(a) Arrears assessed but not recovered	£756,707	£416,596	£38,425	£38,681	£136	£765
(b) Arrears where recovery was not considered practicable	£349,006	£193,135	£35,487	£34,058	£136	£765
(c1) (a) above as percentage of the arrears recovered	47·6	50·4	66·9	80·0	5·8	440
(c2) (b) above as a percentage of the arrears recovered	22·0	23·4	61·8	80·0	5·8	440
(d) Workers for whom arrears were assessed but not recovered	2,591	1,624	246	138	1	2
(e) Workers for whom recovery was not considered practicable	1,298	826	231	117	1	2
(f1) (d) above as a percentage of workers paid arrears	20·0	21·5	35·3	27·7	11·1	100
(f2) (e) above as a percentage of workers paid arrears	10·0	10·9	33·2	23·5	11·1	100

In 1986 and 1987, all arrears were fully recovered in the Hat, Cap and Millinery and the Made-Up Textiles wages council trades. The figures in the table do not indicate the extent to which arrears were recovered in the Clothing Manufacturing and Retail Bespoke Tailoring trades, or in wages council trades overall. The position in 1987 for wages council trades overall was as follows:

	£	Per cent.
Total arrears assessed	1,242,524	—
Arrears not pursued at the request of workers	223,461	18·0
Arrears not pursued for other reasons	193,135	15·5
Arrears paid	825,928	66·5

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will publish for each year from 1979 to 1987 the total number of establishments where employers were found by the Wages Inspectorate not to have displayed copies of wages orders as required by the wages council legislation: and if he will express this number as a percentage of the establishments visited by the inspectorate;(2) if he will publish for each year from 1979 to 1987 the total number of establishments classified to the Clothing Manufacturing wages council where employers were found by the Wages Inspectorate not to have displayed copies of wages orders as required by the wages council legislation: and if he will express this number as a percentage of the establishments classified to the Clothing Manufacturing wages council visited by the inspectorate;

Numbers of establishments found not to be displaying copies of wages orders
Percentages
	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
All wages council trades
(a) numbers of establishments checked by	8,555	9,188	6,822	6,568	7,388	8,525	8,370	8,057	6,275

The information requested is given in the following table:(3) if he will publish for each year from 1979 to 1987 the total number of establishments classified to the Hat, Cap and Millinery wages council where employers were found by the Wages Inspectorate not to have displayed copies of wages orders as required by the wages council legislation: and if he will express this number as a percentage of the establishments classified to the Hat, Cap and Millinery wages council visited by the inspectorate;(4) if he will publish for each year from 1979 to 1987 the total number of establishments classified to the Made-up Textiles wages council where employers were found by the Wages Inspectorate not to have displayed copies of wages orders as required by the wages council legislation; and if he will express this number as a percentage of the establishments classified to the Made-up Textiles wages council visited by the inspectorate;(5) if he will publish for each year from 1979 to 1987 the total number of establishments classified to the Retail Bespoke Tailoring wages council where employers were found by the Wages Inspectorate not to have displayed copies of wages orders as required by the wages council legislation: and if he will express this number as a percentage of the establishments classified to the Retail Bespoke Tailoring wages council visited by the inspectorate.

The information requested is in the following table:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the contribution of ornamental horticulture to the environment to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.