To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the right of the individual petition has yet been ratified in accordance with article 63 of the convention with regard to the first protocol of the European convention on human rights for (a) the Bailiwick of Guernsey, (b) the Bailiwick of Jersey and (c) the Isle of Man; and if he will make a statement.

The right of individual petition in accordance with article 25 of the European convention on human rights was renewed by Guernsey and Jersey for a period of five years with effect from January 1986. The first protocol to the convention was extended to Guernsey and Jersey in February 1988.The Isle of Man Government decided, in 1976, not to renew the right of individual petition and reaffirmed this decision on subsequent occasions. They are currently considering whether to have the first protocol to the convention extended to the island.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement regarding negotiations between Her Majesty's Government and the authorities in (a) Jersey and (b) Guernsey, concerning procedures relating to presentation of petitions from these islands and certain orders of the Privy Council of 1679; and if he will seek assurances that the procedure with regard to the registration of Acts of Parliament orders or letters of the Privy Council in those islands will not be changed without prior approval of Parliament.

Informal discussions on clarifying the procedures for appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council have taken place with the Attornys-General of Jersey and Guernsey. Any changes relating to the registration of Acts of Parliament, Orders or letters of the Privy Council would be matters requiring the approval of Her Majesty The Queen in Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the judges rules remain applicable in (a) the Channel Islands and (b) the Isle of Man where the Police and Criminal Evidence Act does not apply; whether the judges of the courts in those islands are empowered to alter or amend the judges rules; and what proposals there are to extend the Police and Criminal Evidence Act to those islands.

The judges rules, which have been replaced by the code of practice issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, do not apply in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and the courts in those islands have no power to amend or alter these rules. Principles similar to those laid down in the code of practice have been adopted in the islands. There is no provision whereby the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 could be extended to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to whether legislation has yet been introduced in (a) the Channel Islands and (b) the Isle of Man to prevent discrimination on the basis of racial or ethnic origin or sex; and if he will make a statement.

No. But I have no doubt that the island authorities will be prepared to consider such legislation if circumstances required it.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the financial costs incurred by the United Kingdom Government in the case of Gillow v. United Kingdom before the European Commission and Court of Human Rights; what part of those costs shall be borne by the island of Guernsey; and what measures have been taken by Her Majesty's Government as high contraction party to the convention for the island of Guernsey, to secure the rights and freedoms protected by the convention in that island in relation to the future application of the Housing Control of Occupation (Guernsey) Laws.

The sum of £12,869, agreed as compensation and costs to the plaintiff, has been paid by the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The Bailiwick will also he asked to reimburse the United Kingdom for costs to cover the employment of counsel at Strasbourg when these have been determined. Her Majesty's Government are satisfied that Guernsey will take full cognisance of its obligations under the convention in the application of the Housing Control of Occupation (Guernsey) laws.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with British Telecom to ensure that logs of telephone calls are in a form that can easily be used, if necessary, by the police and security services; whether he is satisfied with the established procedures for allowing access to such logs; and whether he will make a statement.

I am not aware of problems arising in this area.

To ask the Prime Minister when she next intends to visit Kilmarnock.

I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to pay an official visit to Ramsbottom.

I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to meet the Prime Minister of Iceland.

I have no plans to meet the Prime Minister of Iceland in the near future.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions she had during her recent meeting with the President of Cyprus as to the future of British bases in Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

It is not my normal practice to give details of such discussions. President Vassiliou and I dealt with a number of matters of interest to both countries.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 May.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the numbers of children in each local education authority who received free school meals (a) because their parents were on family income supplement and (b) at the discretion of the local education authority at the latest date for which figures are available.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time nurses work in the National Health Service in Scotland.

The latest information, which is provisional and relates to 30 September 1987, is as follows:

Nursing staff in the NHS in Scotland
	Whole-time	Part-time
Qualified	26,756	14,183
In training	10,805	40
Unqualified	8,743	13,170
Total	46,304	27,393

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, further to his written answer on 28 January, Official Report, column 325, he will clarify the circumstances in which health boards could be designated responsible persons for the purposes of the community charge; about whom the information will he requested; and what kinds of information health boards would be required to provide.

Under section 17(6) of the Abolition of Domestic Rates Etc. (Scotland) Act 1987 the responsible person who is required to supply information in respect of premises for community charge registration purposes is defined as the owner-occupier or tenant-occupier of the premises or, where there is no such person, the owner or any tenant who has a lease of 12 months or more. The Act also provides that any other person may be designated as a responsible person by the community charges registration officer. In the case, for example, of nurses' homes, it is therefore possible that health boards, or one of their officers, would be, or would be designated as, responsible persons. The responsible person is required to provide the information about persons solely or mainly resident on the premises requested in the inquiry form or the supplementary inquiry form prescribed in schedules 3 and 4 of the Community Charges (Registration) (Scotland) Regulations 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether any official publicity material in relation to the community charge, that either has been given to members of the public on request, or has appeared in the Scottish newspapers, informs future community charge payers that their name and address may be sold without their consent or knowledge;(2) whether any official publicity material in relation to the community charge, that either has been given to members of the public on request, or has appeared in the Scottish newspapers, informs future community charge payers that their name and address on the register may be inspected by police, Inland Revenue, the Department of Health and Social Security and other organisations without their consent or knowledge.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will ensure that any future official publicity material in relation to the community charge will inform future community charge payers that their name and address may be sold without their consent or knowledge, and that their name and address on the register may be inspected by police, Inland Revenue, the Department of Health and Social Security and other organisations without their consent or knowledge.

My right hon. and learned Friend is considering whether any restriction should be put on the availability for sale of the publicly available parts of the community charges register. It is made clear in the notice to be sent to registered persons informing them of their entry in the community charges register (schedule 1 to the Community Charges (Registration) (Scotland) Regulations 1988) that the parts of the register showing names, addresses and collective community charge mulipliers applying to certain premises will be made publicly available. My right hon. and learned Friend will consider in due course whether any further publicity should be given to these points.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all the laboratories now operating in Scotland with their respective specialities and the number of (a) specialised, (b) auxiliary and (c) ancillary staff, at each establishment.

In respect of the National Health Service information is not held centrally in precisely the form requested. The available information, including manpower, is contained in "Laboratory Statistics" published by Information and Statistics Division, Scottish Health Service Common Services Agency. The information relates to individual laboratories at each establishment, in the following groups: clinical chemistry, haematology, microbiology and pathology. Copies of the latest edition, for the year ending 31 March 1985, are held in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many retail developments are currently the subject of planning appeals before him; and what is (a) their total square footage, (b) the number with a square footage at or above 100,000 sq ft and (c) the total square footage of the appeals in (b).

It is estimated that there are over 60 current appeals with a retail element of which about half are likely to have a floor area in excess of 100,000 sq ft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will announce the fees to be charged to students attending Scottish institutions other than universities in the academic year 1988–89.

For the academic year 1988–89 my right hon. and learned Friend has prescribed the following fee levels for home students and for students from other European Community (EC) countries on full-time advanced courses in the central institutions and colleges of education (fees for 1987–88 are shown in brackets):

	£
Postgraduate courses	1,800 (1,730)
Undergraduate and equivalent courses	578 (556)

For non-advanced courses, the central institutions and colleges of education will be invited to set their own fees, by having regard to fees charged for comparable courses at local authority further education colleges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will announce the results for the 1987 season of monitoring the Scottish bathing waters identified under the European Community's bathing waters directive; and if he will make a statement.

The monitoring results for 1987 are set out in summary form in the table. Nineteen out of 23 waters monitored met the directive's standards. My Department expects to publish shortly a full report on the quality of the bathing waters during the 1986 and 1987 seasons, and I shall make a further statement at that time.

Result table
Nairn	Pass
Cullen	Pass
Fraserburgh	Pass
Aberdeen	Pass
Montrose	Pass
Arbroath	Pass
Carnoustie	Pass
St. Andrews	Pass
Kinghorn	Pass
Aberdour	Pass
Gullane	Pass
North Berwick	Pass
Yellowcraigs	Pass
Dunbar	Pass
Pease Bay	Pass
Sandyhills	Pass
Girvan	Fail
Turnberry	Fail
Ayr	Fail
Prestwick	Pass
Troon (South)	Pass
Irvine-Gailes	Fail
Saltcoats/Ardrossan	Pass

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average cost per trainee at an information technology education centre; and how long does the course last.

Information technology centres provide a range of training, most of it under YTS. In 1987–88 the annual cost to the Manpower Services Commission per YTS trainee was £4,224. As with all YTS schemes, information technology centres provide up to two years of vocational training for unemployed 16-year-olds and up to one year of training for unemployed 17-year-olds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many filled places were there on the new job training scheme on 31 March.

At 25 March 1988, the latest date for which figures are available, 30,435 formerly unemployed people were participating in the new job training scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the aggregate disposable income in 1979, showing the median, the lowest and highest deciles, and the lower and upper quartiles, for (a) all households in the United Kingdom and (b) Greater London, in an adjusted form on the current basis, as if the housing benefit scheme had applied at that date, as provided for 1983 in the answer in the Official Report, 22 July 1987, columns 211–12.

It is not possible to produce estimates from the 1979 family expenditure survey on the same basis as those provided for 1983 in the Official Report, 22 July 1987, columns 211–12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many dwellings have been purchased by each of the local housing authorities in Wales from the private housing sector in each of the past five years.

The information requested is given in the following table:

Acquisition of Dwellings by Local Authorities 1983–87
	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
Aberconwy	1	3	4	0	2
Alyn and Deeside	15	2	12	3	2
Arfon	9	18	7	4	1
Blaenau Gwent	3	5	0	4	32
Brecknock	0	0	2	5	21
Cardiff	5	0	3	5	4
Carmarthen	0	0	5	12	7
Ceredigion	4	7	3	0	0
Colwyn	0	1	0	0	0
Cynon Valley	0	0	0	0	0
Delyn	0	0	1	0	1

	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
Dinefwr	0	0	0	0	0
Dwyfor	5	0	0	4	9
Glyndwr	0	1	1	0	0
Islwyn	1	0	4	1	1
Llanelli	0	1	0	1	0
Lliw Valley	2	0	0	0	9
Meirionnydd	3	0	0	1	1
Merthyr Tydfil	0	4	0	62	1
Monmouth	0	0	5	12	19
Montgomeryshire	0	0	0	0	0
Neath	14	0	5	40	26
Newport	10	4	1	61	89
Ogwr	6	3	44	39	67
Port Talbot	0	7	0	0	0
Preseli	15	26	17	12	3
Radnor	0	0	0	2	4
Rhondda	0	0	0	0	1
Rhuddlan	0	0	1	0	0
Rhymney Valley	6	3	6	11	64
South Pembrokeshire	0	1	2	0	0
Swansea	7	2	1	3	9
Taff-Ely	3	0	0	15	3
Torfaen	0	0	0	0	0
Vale of Glamorgan	0	0	2	5	7
Wrexham	0	0	0	0	1
Ynys Mon	4	0	0	0	0
Total	113	88	126	302	384

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide additional finance for Alyn and Deeside district council for housing repairs, maintenance and rehabilitation schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Alyn and Deeside district council receives an appropriate share of the capital allocation which we make to housing authorities, and resources are also made available towards the activities of the housing associations in the area. The authority has not bid against additional resources the Department has available for enveloping and block repair schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the number of children in each local education authority who received free school meals (a) because their parents were in receipt of family income supplement and (b) at the discretion of the local education authority, at the latest date for which figures are available.

In September 1987 an estimated 82,236 children received school meals because their parents were in receipt of supplementary benefit or family income support. But information about the numbers in each category is not available. A further 7,314 children received free school meals at the discretion of the local education authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list for each year since 1981 the number of whole-time equivalent qualified nurses working in Wales in (a) hospital maternity units and (b) special care baby units;(2) if he will list for each year since 1981 the number of whole-time equivalent qualified midwives working in Wales

[holding answer 26 April 1988]: Information taken primarily from the NHS payroll is not sufficiently detailed to distinguish reliably between the occupational categories of nurses and midwives requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advice his Department is giving to local authorities and other institutional users of tropical woods in Wales about the use of wood from unsustainable sources; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 3 May 1988]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley) by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Industry on 21 April, at column 534.

To ask the Attorney-General if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Birkenhead on 26 April, Official Report, column 64 he will set out the criteria the Crown Prosecution Service uses in judging whether time occupied by earlier court proceedings has occasioned staleness of a significance sufficient for criminal proceedings not to be instituted.

Each case will be viewed in the light of its particular circumstances and of the considerations set out in paragraph 8, in particular, of the code for Crown prosecutors to which my previous answer referred.The code for Crown prosecutors may be found in the annual report made by the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Attorney-General. Copies of the director's first report were placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 13 August 1987. This was announced on 21 October 1987, at column

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present pupil-teacher ratio for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England and Wales.

In January 1987 the pupil-teacher ratios in maintained primary and secondary schools in England were 21·9 and 15·6, respectively. Information for schools in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those colleges which have given a definite indication of their intention to apply to join the Polytechnics Central Funding Council sector by 30 April and whose full-time equivalent enrolment numbers for courses of advanced further education on 1 November 1985 did not exceed 55 per cent. of their total full-time equivalent enrolment numbers on that date.

The following colleges have given a provisional indication of their wish that the Secretary of State should exercise the power conferred by clause 106(1) of the Education Reform Bill to incorporate them within the PCFC sector with effect from 1 April 1989, subject to the Bill's obtaining the Royal Assent:

• Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education
• Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology
• Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology
• Harrow College of Higher Education
• Luton College of Higher Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will issue guidance on the way in which the governing bodies of further education colleges should be reformed so as to meet the requirements of clauses 132 and 133 of the Education Reform Bill; and if he will make a statement.

I am today issuing draft guidance which sets out how I would expect college governing bodies to be reformed and their instruments of government revised in order to meet the requirements of clauses 132 and 133 of the Education Reform Bill if it receives Royal Assent in its present form. The draft guidance is being issued now in order to inform discussion of the further education clauses during the remaining stages of the Bill's passage through Parliament, to help local education authorities, colleges and others to prepare for the reconstitution of governing bodies as envisaged by the Bill, and to give all concerned an early opportunity to comment. Draft guidance on the provisions I would expect to see contained in the planning and delegation schemes envisaged by clause 121 of the Bill was issued on 21 April.Copies of the draft guidance have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and in the Vote Office. They are also being sent to local education authorities, further and higher education colleges, and a range of interested bodies, with a request for any comments by 22 July 1988.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many applications were awaiting determination on 1 April for (a) regional development grant and (b) RSFA in the Corby development area.

The number of applications awaiting determination on 1 April 1988 for the Corby development area was:

	Number
(a) Regional Development Grant	245
(b) RSA	9

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received seeking new legislation to protect consumers; and how he intends to respond.

Suggestions for new legislation to protect consumers are received from a wide group of organisations and individuals. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 February to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Darling), which set out information on plans for new legislation for the protection of consumers.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps are being taken to extend the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Bill [Lords] to (a) the Channel Islands and (b) the Isle of Man: and what other measures are being taken to ensure that the intended purposes of this legislation are not avoided by persons or businesses in the United Kingdom, based in those island territories.

Part I of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Bill contains provision under which it may be extended to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man by Order in Council. In accordance with normal practice it will be for the islands themselves to decide if and to what extent it should be so extended. The Isle of Man is understood to be considering introducing new legislation of its own on copyright, in parallel with the United Kingdom Bill, and in this event extension of the provisions of the Bill is unlikely to be appropriate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions have taken place with the authorities of (a) the Channel Islands, and (b) the Isle of Man regarding the implementation of the Financial Services Act in those territories; and if he will make a statement on the nature of these discussions in respect of (i) investment businesses and (ii) other businesses.

Guernsey and the Isle of Man have been designated under section 130 of the Financial Services Act as having a law in relation to insurance companies which affords adequate protection to policyholders and potential policyholders. My Department has also had discussions with the authorities of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man regarding the possible designation of those territories under section 87 of the Financial Services Act in relation to collective investment schemes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what figures are available for the growth in the number of businesses in Houghton and Washington.

Comprehensive information on the lines requested is not available. However, data collected on the setting up of new manufacturing firms employing more than 10 people show that 20 such firms have opened since January 1985 currently employing more than 1,600 people. The full employment implications of these openings, particularly the inward investment cases, have yet to fully work through. For example, excluded from this data is the forecast of an additional 2,400 jobs at Nissan to bring the total employment to 3,500 by 1992.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the figures for manufacturing investment in the north-east for each year since 1979.

The available information is shown in the following table:

Net capital expenditure1 in manufacturing industry in the North-East2 at 1980 prices
Year	Net capital expenditure £ million
1979	600
1980	396
1981	254
1982	247
1983	247
1984	281
1985	350
1986	297
1 Excluding leased assets.
2 The North-East comprises Cleveland, Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.

Source: Annual Census of Production.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to encourage the growth of new technology industries in the north-east of England.

Industry in the north-east will be greatly encouraged by the enterprise initiative, with major new initiatives covering design, marketing, quality, manufacturing technology, business planning, business information systems, exports, research and technology and business education backed up by investment and innovation grants for small firms, and regional selective assistance where clearly necessary to bring about good projects.New and existing high technology firms and industries will also be encouraged by the work of other organisations in the region receiving support from DTI and from other Government Departments, including the Northern Development Company, English Estates North and the urban development corporations. Taken together with the priority given to new technology by the city action team and the task forces, and the work of others in the region involved in technology transfer and industry/education, this represents a strongly supportive environment and infrastructure for high technology industry to succeed in the north-east.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the increase for domestic product per capita in each of the regions of the United Kingdom since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Estimates of gross domestic product per capita in each of the regions of the United Kingdom were published in the November 1987 edition of Economic Trends, a copy of which is available in the House Library.Increases in gross domestic product per capita between 1979 and 1986 are provided for the specified regions in the table:

Gross domestic product1 per capita from 1979 to 19862
	1979	19862	Increase £/head	Increase per cent.
North	2,701	5,142	2,441	90
Yorkshire and Humberside	2,754	5,215	2,461	89
East Midlands	2,840	5,378	2,538	89
East Anglia	2,778	5,643	2,865	103

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the output of the steel and aluminium forgings industry in (a) 1987 and (b) 1986.

The figures are as follows. Separate figures are not available for aluminium forgings.

Deliveries of forgings
000's tonnes
		Steel forgings	Other forgings
	1986	19·7	174·3
	1987	23·3	223·2

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on his Department's Opportunity Japan campaign.

The Opportunity Japan campaign is being mounted by senior British business men with the support of the Department of Trade and Industry and the British Overseas Trade Board. It will aim to heighten United Kingdom companies' awareness of the increasing opportunities offered by the strategically important Japanese market and will stress the arguments for tackling it now with the appropriate long-term commitment.This message will be elaborated by His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, vice chairman of the British Overseas Trade Board, Cabinet Ministers and business men experienced in Japan at briefing meetings for targeted company chief executives. These will be held in June and July at venues throughout the country.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Scottish and Newcastle company has filed accounts and an annual return for the last financial year with Companies House.

Scottish and Newcastle Brewery plc filed accounts made up to 3 May 1987 with Companies House, Edinburgh, on 8 September 1987 and an annual return made up to 10 September 1987 on 22 October 1987.These documents are available for inspection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received any representations regarding the status of Heanor hospital, Derbyshire, as a war memorial.

I have recently received a letter from my hon. Friend about this and I will write to him shortly. No other representations have been received to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military assistance has been given to Israel by the United Kingdom since 1982; and if he will make a statement.

Military assistance for Israel has been limited since the imposition of arms sales restrictions in 1982. Israel continues to pay for some places on United Kingdom training courses. All requests for training and exchanges of information are considered on a case-by-case basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his negotiations with the Gibraltar coroner on how three SAS men will give their evidence into the deaths of three IRA terrorists without revealing their identities at the inquest.

No discussions about arrangements for military personnel to give evidence to the inquest have yet taken place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has yet made arrangements for the exchange of visits between the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down and the Soviet chemical warfare facility at Shikhany.

An exchange of visits between the Chemical Defence Establishment (CDE) at Porton Down and the Soviet chemical warfare facility at Shikhany was originally suggested by the United Kingdom in 1986. At that time the Soviet Union had not yet acknowledged that it possessed chemical warfare (CW) stocks, but it did so in early 1987. It accepted the idea of an exchange of visits in principle towards the end of last year.Arrangements have now been made for the Soviet Union to send an official team to visit Porton Down from 24 to 26 May, as the first part of the exchange of visits. In return, a United Kingdom team will visit Shikhany in July for an equivalent period. These visits are designed to improve confidence and understanding between Britain and the USSR in the context of the continuing negotiations of the conference on disarmament in Geneva for a comprehensive and global ban on chemical weapons, which is one of NATO's arms control priorities. They will involve the exchange of scientific, technical and military information on CW-related matters.Since the United Kingdom abandoned its chemical weapons capability in the 1950s, the role of the CDE is research into protective measures for United Kingdom armed forces for defensive purposes. The Soviet CW complex at Shikhany, on the other hand, is part of their substantial capability for the research, development and production of chemical weapons.The programme at Porton Down will be designed to maximise the opportunities for the exchange of information and for building confidence between the two sides. In addition to the visit to CDE, it will include a tour of the other facilities and organisations at Porton Down, including the United Kingdom defence nuclear biological and chemical centre and the DHSS public health laboratory service centre for applied micro-biological research. At CDE the facilities to be visited will include research and trials units, and the recently constructed facility for the destruction of old CW agents. It is intended that the full range of CW-related issues should be discussed during the visit, including production, assessment of the CW hazard, storage, trials, detection, protection, monitoring, decontamination, medical countermeasures and disposal.

NHS directly employed staff
Trent Regional Health Authority
Whole-time equivalents1
District health authorities	Ancillary	Nursing2 and midwifery	Medical3 and dental	Administrative4 and clerical	Others5	Total
At 30 September 1982
North Derbyshire	722	1,875	84	293	320	3,294
South Derbyshire	1,672	3,939	202	891	1,216	7,920
Leicestershire (T)	2,803	6,176	574	1,479	1,573	12,604
North Lincolnshire	1,103	2,272	123	515	794	4,807
South Lincolnshire	813	1,803	96	384	334	3,431
Bassetlaw	219	591	35	139	124	1,107
Central Nottinghamshire	1,113	2,019	99	440	489	4,160
Nottingham (T)	2,702	5,181	557	1,510	1,938	11,887
Barnsley	623	1,445	109	389	329	2,896
Doncaster	778	2,311	126	457	392	4,063
Rotherham	712	1,563	87	361	344	3,068
Sheffield (T)	3,183	6,092	629	1,507	1,554	12,964
RHA HQ and HQ units	122	90	*780	656	830	2,477
Regional total	16,564	35,354	63,500	9,019	10,237	74,674
At 30 September 1983
North Derbyshire	729	1,913	83	315	342	3,383
South Derbyshire	1,619	3,860	208	839	1,249	7,774
Leicestershire (T)	2,727	6,065	596	1,411	1,619	12,419
North Lincolnshire	1,052	2,260	110	537	800	4,759
South Lincolnshire	809	1,874	98	401	354	3,536
Bassetlaw	219	597	35	144	126	1,120
Central Nottinghamshire	1,116	2,038	101	435	501	4,191
Nottingham (T)	2,590	5,168	564	1,412	1,949	11,684
Barnsley	604	1,454	111	373	328	2,869
Doncaster	766	2,318	125	444	409	4,061
Rotherham	708	1,532	93	348	352	3,033
Sheffield (T)	3,101	6,068	649	1,431	1,573	12,822
RHA HQ and HQ units	118	85	*815	930	826	2,774
Regional total	16,158	35,230	63,586	9,020	10,428	74,423
At 30 September 1984
North Derbyshire	788	1,964	91	356	404	3,602
South Derbyshire	1,479	3,867	214	860	1,325	7,744
Leicestershire (T)	2,580	6,017	592	1,488	1,765	12,442
North Lincolnshire	945	2,293	111	541	820	4,710
South Lincolnshire	744	1,905	95	422	380	3,546
Bassetlaw	207	624	32	149	152	1,163
Central Nottinghamshire	1,026	2,071	108	474	550	4,229

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his departmental budget includes any sums earmarked for HIV testing of pregnant mothers.

No. However, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his announcement on 3 November 1987 about future spending plans for health and personal social services, the additional money for AIDS over £50 million was intended, among other things, to help develop preventive, counselling and diagnostic services. A copy of the announcement has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the staffing levels in each health authority within the Trent region for the last five years in the categories (a) ancillary posts, (b) nursing, (c) medical dental, (d) administration and clerical, and (e) other grades, including ambulance staff and technicians.

The information requested is shown in the tables.

District health authorities	Ancillary	Nursing2 and midwifery	Medical3 and dental	Administrative4 and clerical	Others5	Total
Nottingham (T)	2,299	5,251	554	1,449	2,026	11,579
Barnsley	556	1,474	108	371	344	2,853
Doncaster	711	2,301	129	439	434	4,012
Rotherham	648	1,593	87	354	377	3,058
Sheffield (T)	2,851	6,098	668	1,473	1,646	12,736
RHA HQ and HQ units	110	86	*870	952	800	2,818
Regional total	14,942	35,545	63,656	9,328	11,020	74,492
At 30 September 1985
North Derbyshire	729	2,052	97	383	439	3,700
South Derbyshire	1,377	3,876	203	825	1,328	7,609
Leicestershire (T)	2,454	6,289	636	1,456	1,819	12,654
North Lincolnshire	854	2,247	123	497	850	4,570
South Lincolnshire	702	1,965	98	430	400	3,596
Bassetlaw	194	664	36	154	165	1,213
Central Nottinghamshire	966	2,136	109	452	557	4,220
Nottingham (T)	2,151	5,506	581	1,387	2,096	11,721
Barnsley	505	1,551	107	348	353	2,863
Doncaster	667	2,325	117	422	442	3,973
Rotherham	623	1,668	105	332	390	3,118
Sheffield (T)	2,672	6,307	662	1,444	1,677	12,763
RHA HQ and HQ Units	97	85	*885	885	819	2,770
Regional total	13,990	36,671	63,759	9,014	11,335	74,768
At 30 September 1986
North Derbyshire	624	2,128	107	402	492	3,752
South Derbyshire	1,284	3,855	203	830	1,335	7,506
Leicestershire (T)	2,196	6,349	640	1,440	1,838	12,463
North Lincolnshire	828	2,316	114	499	867	4,623
South Lincolnshire	637	2,022	93	422	423	3,597
Bassetlaw	190	687	37	134	161	1,210
Central Nottinghamshire	885	2,193	101	449	573	4,200
Nottingham (T)	1,976	5,339	586	1,247	2,053	11,200
Barnsley	488	1,614	102	330	367	2,901
Doncaster	631	2,432	103	427	464	4,057
Rotherham	584	1,768	101	332	412	3,197
Sheffield (T)	2,555	6,327	684	1,448	1,729	12,743
RHA HQ and HQ Units	97	93	*907	940	827	2,864
Regional total	12,973	37,122	63,778	8,900	11,539	74,313

Source: DHSS annual censuses of NHS medical and non-medical manpower.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the numbers of (a) acute and (b) care of the elderly beds in each hospital in the Waltham Forest district in 1975 and in each year since 1979.

The information requested is given in the table.

The average daily number of available beds for the acute and geriatric specialties in each hospital in Waltham Forest DHA
		Average available beds
Name of hospital	Year	Acute	Geriatric
Chingford Hospital	1975	79·8	5·4
	1979	78·2	20·1
	1980	56·1	50·9
	1981	44·4	61·1
	1982	42·0	59·3
	1983	40·3	41·6

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the total cost of the work requiring to be carried out on National Health Service properties identified by the National Audit Office report of 28 March, HC 405.

The notional cost of bringing all National Health Service properties in England up to an adequate condition is estimated to be of the order of £1·8 billion. It would be wasteful to devote resources to bring every property to an adequate condition, since some are empty and awaiting disposal and some are planned for replacement. In England the NHS target is to have 70 per cent. of properties in an adequate condition and at present 68 per cent. are considered to be so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give details of the changes to social security benefits which were announced on 27 April.

The measures announced last week included changes to the rules of the housing benefit, income support and family credit schemes and arrangements to provide transitional protection to those claimants in vulnerable groups who have lost significant sums at the point of change to the new schemes.First, we propose to increase the limit on the amount of capital which renders a claimant ineligible for receipt of housing benefit to £8,000. Subject to the necessary consultation with local authorities and others, this change will be made as soon as possible to take effect from the date when the regulations become effective.Secondly, some minor changes are being made to the detailed rules of income support and, where applicable, housing benefit and family credit. In particular, we are amending the procedures for taking account of the value of a home no longer occupied by a claimant: for example, because the claimant has been admitted to long-term residential care or has left the marital home because the marriage has broken down. There will now be a period of 26 weeks to allow for the disposal of the property, with provision for extension in exceptional cases of genuine difficulty. Other detailed changes, including those to provide transitional protection to people affected by the changes in rules relating to full-time work, are described in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Saffron Walden (Mr. Haselhurst) on 28 April. at columns

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received about the introduction of family credit.

The introduction of family credit has been widely welcomed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the administrative arrangements to be used to implement the amendments to the housing benefit regulations announced by him on 27 April; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 3 May, at column 424.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will be responding to the correspondence sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, on matters raised by the South Manchester community health council; and if he will make a statement.

I replied to the right hon. Member on 28 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received on the implications of the Griffiths report on care in the community.

We have received a number of comments on Sir Roy Griffiths' report and will take account of them in framing our own proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, after the introduction of the proposed community charge, claimants will be informed when their names and addresses are passed to the community charge registration officer of the local authority area in which they live.

Yes. Detailed arrangements are still being developed in consultation with the local authority associations, but the intention is that the letters and forms that are to be given to income support claimants will make clear the circumstances in which a claimant's name and address are passed to the community charge registration officer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement outlining the guidelines to his local offices for deciding eligibility to benefits for those claimants whose previously owned capital sum is held in trust; and if he will indicate specifically whether such guidelines take account of any legal variations pertaining to the laws of trust between Scotland and England.

The Chief Adjudication Officer is responsible for providing guidance to local adjudication officers who decide claims for income support. Guidance on the treatment of capital held in trust is contained in volume 3, paragraphs 30401 to 30464, of the Adjudication Officers' Guide, a copy of which is in the Library. Paragraphs 30421 to 30428 of the AOG contain advice about the different rules of intestacy in Scotland and England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list each Office of Population Censuses and Surveys monitor published since 1 January 1987, giving the title, date and numbers of copies distributed to date; how many have been distributed free of charge to (a) Government, National Health Service and other users and (b) press; and how many have been sold so far and at what price.

Up to 31 December 1987. OPCS monitors were available free of charge. Following a review of published statistical data, with effect from 1 January 1988, some of the monitors were discontinued and a charging system for the continued monitors was introduced. A copy of the new arrangements has been placed in the Library.The information requested is as follows. The sales figures are the numbers sold between 1 January and 29 April 1988.