To ask the Prime Minister if she has responded to the petition delivered to No. 10 Downing street on 20 April requesting the fairer distribution of European Economic Community food surpluses.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food replied on 18 May to the petition from the Common Market fair food campaign.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the written reply of 26 April, Official Report, column 96, to the hon. Member for Brent, East, on what date she wrote to the Chairman of the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee.

I wrote the letter to which I referred on 12 March 1987.

To ask the Prime Minister on what basis it was judged appropriate in her reply to the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Sir J. Biggs-Davison), Official Report,6 May, columns 628–44, on Government achievements in the United Kingdom since May 1979, to incur an expenditure above the standard upper limit for resourcing answers to parliamentary questions.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General on 14 March 1988, at column 429. On this occasion it was decided that since the question concerned a large number of Departments it was appropriate to give a consolidated answer.

To ask the Prime Minister for what reason Her Majesty's Government have intervened to halt the publication of the academic work on "Strategies for Deception" by Professor Sir Nicholas Howard, All Souls.

I assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to the volume in the "Official History of British Intelligence" series prepared by Professor Sir Michael Howard, Regius Professor of Modern History and Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. Publication of this volume is still under consideration. At such time as a decision is taken, I shall, of course, inform the House.

To ask the Attorney-General what guidance the Director of Public Prosecutions gave to the City of London police on their inquiry into contacts between the two principal Crown witnesses at the recent appeal hearing relating to the Birmingham pub bombings trial.

The Director of Public Prosecutions passed to the City of London police the information that he had received. In all cases in which the director requests police inquiries it is for the police themselves to determine how those inquiries are conducted.On occasion, advice is offered to assist the police in their investigation. It is not the practice of either the director or myself to disclose whether any advice has been offered, and, if so, in what terms, in any particular case.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of value added tax refund claims under Customs and Excise notice No. 719 processed for the fiscal year 1986–87.

I presume my hon. Friend refers to the fiscal year 1987–88 as my hon. Friend's question on notice No. 719 for the year 1986–87 was answered on 26 November 1987 at column 291. The number of claims processed in the fiscal year 1987–88 was 9,254.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many businesses were registered for value added tax in the Corby district at the end of (a) 1981 and (b) 1986;(2) how many businesses were registered for value added tax in the East Northants district at the end of

I regret that records are not maintained on a town or district basis. Corby and east Northants lie within the area covered by the local VAT office at Peterborough. There were 15,097 businesses registered at this office at the end of 1981 and 19,070 at the end of 1986.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many firms were licensed to carry out industrial dredging off the United Kingdom coast in each year since 1979.

The number of firms to which licences have been issued by the Crown Estate Commissioners to extract sand and gravel off the United Kingdom coastline is as follows:

Year	Firms
1979	19
1980	20
1981	19

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many firms were licensed to carry out dredging off the North sea coast in each year since 1979.

The number of firms to which licences have been issued by the Crown Estate Commissioners to extract sand and gravel off the North sea coast is as follows:

Year	Firms
1979	9
1980	9
1981	9
1982	9
1983	8
1984	8
1985	8
1986	8
1987	8

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on inflationary pressures within the economy; and what action he envisages in that regard.

The central objective of economic policy is the elimination of inflation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when, in the course of his review of the taxation of life assurance, he will be consulting the industry and other interested parties.

Work done so far on the review of the taxation of life assurance has highlighted a number of unsatisfactory features. The present tax regime has built up piecemeal over many years and has proved increasingly out of line with developments. The incidence of tax between offices is very uneven; some offices pay very much less tax than might be expected given their profits and the

	Inland Revenue		Customs and Excise
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
		(1987–88 prices)		(1987–88 prices)
1978–79	*	*	46·7	93·9
1979–80	*	*	52·6	91·3
1980–81	*	*	65·9	98·4
1981–82	*	*	74·3	99·5
1982–83	*	*	80·1	100·1
1983–84	54·6	65·2	89·8	107·2
1984–85	63·2	71·8	102·5	116·5
1985–86	67·7	72·6	113·6	121·9
1986–87	71·4	74·2	130·4	135·6
1987–88	84·1	84·1	151·2	151·2

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the growth in the volume of trade, both inward and outward, between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe in the next 12 months.

[holding answer 16 June 1988]: No specific forecasts of these flows are available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the cost of rebasing to 1982 market value investments held by financial institutions which will not benefit from the 1982 rebasing under the capital gains tax provisions in the Finance (No. 2) Bill 1988;(2) if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of an indexation allowance for investments held by financial institutions which do not benefit from the capital gains tax allowance.

[holding answers 13 June 1988]: I regret that the information needed to provide estimates for these proposals is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department to prevent tax evasion in each year since 1979, in cash and real terms, at 1987–88 prices.

[holding answer 9 June 1988]: The estimated cost of resources devoted by the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise to preventing tax evasion was as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will identify (a) liaison arrangements between his Department and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation civil emergency planning boards and committees, concerning civil emergency and home defence planning, and (b) the extent of collaborative work carried out with these bodies; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 16 June 1988]: Any matters affecting the Treasury are covered by the Home Office in its liaison role with NATO.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will identify the terms of reference of work on (a) civil emergencies and (b) home defence planning carried out in his Department, the number of staff involved and the annual budgets for 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987–88; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 16 June 1988]: The role of my Department in an emergency situation would be to maintain economic activity. The staff and cost implications are small and not separately identifiable within existing budgets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many vessels were operating as industrial dredgers off the coast of the United Kingdom for each of the years from 1980 to 1987;(2) how many vessels were operating as industrial dredgers off the North sea coast for each of the years from 1980 to 1987.

The information is not available within my Department. Figures from Crown Estate Commissioners, who issue licences, indicate that 55 industrial dredgers operate around the United Kingdom coast. Of these, about 20 operate off the North sea coast. A more detailed breakdown of these numbers is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to maintain high standards of driving tuition; and if he will make a statement.

Good instruction is important for good driving skills and behaviour. The Department has agreed with the national instructors associations five measures to help maintain high standards in the compulsory registration system for driving instructors. They are:

• (a) introduction of "banding" into the written examination to ensure an adequate level of knowledge over the whole syllabus;
• (b) expansion of the syllabus of the written examination to include questions on the theory and practice of learning, teaching and assessment;
• (c) a limit of three attempts at each of the two practical qualifying tests within a period of two years from passing the written examination:
• (d) extension of the minimum period of cancellation of tests without forfeiture of fee from three day s to 10;
• (e) targeting checks of registered instructors more effectively on those who need it.

These measures will be introduced progressively over the next nine months.We are also co-operating with the national instructors associations in their development of an industry-approved register of establishments that train instructors, including the appropriate standards for instructor training courses.These measures are designed to maintain and improve driving standards and to reduce accidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the total cost of establishing, servicing, and publishing the report of the Higginson committee on the future of A-levels.

The total salary, and other non-pay costs, including travel, of establishing and servicing the Higginson committee and publishing its report on the future of A-levels was £68,234, which included £7,584 for printing.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will estimate the amount spent per head in industrial support and investment promotion in (a) the northern region and (b) Scotland.

The amount spent per head on industrial support and investment promotion as regional preferential assistance, in the most recent year for which figures are available, is as follows:

Expenditure per head of civilian working population, 1986–87
	£
Northern Region	96·6
Scotland	99·6

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his latest estimate of the number of jobs created in Scotland, England and Wales as a result of investment by non-United Kingdom European Community companies since 1979.

The following are the Invest in Britain Bureau (IBB) figures for the number of jobs expected to be created or safeguarded, in the long term, by inward investment projects announced by companies from member states of the European Community, other than the United Kingdom, in each year since 1979 for England,

The number of jobs (created or safeguarded) associated with inward investment projects announced by companies from other member states of the European Community
	England		Scotland		Wales
	Created	Safeguarded	Created	Safeguarded	Created	Safeguarded
1979	2,574	n.a.	158	n.a.	0	n.a.
1980	2,517	n.a.	405	n.a.	105	n.a.
1981	977	n.a.	331	n.a.	17	n.a.
1982	1,266	n.a.	152	n.a.	56	n.a.
1983	666	2,252	151	705	255	10
1984	1,302	7,026	459	68	683	500
1985	2,236	845	743	393	461	10
1986	3,398	1,237	524	114	431	0
1987	3,483	1,322	336	1,125	510	120
n.a. = Not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of public expenditure was devoted to overseas aid in 1979 and in 1987.

Gross public expenditure on overseas aid represented 1·25 per cent. of total public expenditure in 1979 and 0·90 per cent. in 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will seek to obtain for his departmental library the report by Large and Associates No. LA 1817/274 concerning the investigation of allegations of malpractices at British Nuclear Fuels Ltd., Sellafield, issued in May.

I understand that the report to which the hon. Member refers was commissioned privately from Large and Associates by the two organisations Greenpeace and Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment (CORE). Those organisations have not sent a copy of it to my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what will the final expected cost of the capping of the near-surface trenches of radioactive wastes at the Drigg dump site near Sellafield.

This is a matter for British Nuclear Fuels plc. I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if the chief nuclear installations inspector is satisfied with the current reporting arrangements concerning the entering and leaving of the B205 reprocessing plant, in terms of the accountability of the whereabouts of workers at the plant.

This matter was raised during the Health and Safety Executive's safety audit of BNFL Sellafield in 1986. BNFL subsequently introduced improvements to the health physics control arrangements at the entrance to B205. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is considering, with BNFL, the need for further improvements and is awaiting the results of an experimental system in use on a new plant on the site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the name, age and occupation of each member of the Welsh water authority.

The information requested is given in the following table:

Name	Age (January 1988)	Occupation
Mr. John Elfed Jones, CBE	55	Chairman
Professor Ronald Walter Edwards	58	Professor of Applied Ecology
Mr. Timothy Knowles	50	Managing Director
Mr. Gareth Edwards, MBE	41	Company Director
Major Howard Robert Jackson	67	Farmer
Councillor Sir John Cotterill	53	Farmer
Councillor Graham Jones	55	Steel Worker
Councillor John Thompson, JP	56	Farmer
Councillor Lloyd Turnbull	54	Company Director
Councillor William Elwyn Conway	63	Club Steward
Miss Elizabeth Jean Muir	40	Marketing Consultant
Mr. John William Ray	55	Managing Director
Dr. Martin Owen	41	Executive Director and Group Treasurer

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to announce his proposals for a perinatal intensive care service for Wales and the proposed role within that service of the Morriston hospital special care baby unit.

I have agreed in principle the designation of a regional perinatal intensive care centre at the University Hospital of Wales. To advise on the operational structure of the centre and its relationship with other services in Wales for new-born babies, including the need for satellite units, I am setting up an expert advisory group under the chairmanship of Professor C. E. Stroud, Professor of Child Health, King's College school of medicine and dentistry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many projects have taken advantage of the DRIVE initiative (a) in the area convered by Mid Wales Development, and (b) in the area covered by the Welsh Development Agency.

At 31 March 1988 52 projects had accepted offers of assistance from Mid Wales Development and 27 from the Welsh Development Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received for the decriminalisation of narcotic drugs; and if he will make a statement.

From time to time the Home Office receives representations for the decriminalisation of certain activities relating to controlled drugs. We take the view that action on these lines would be irresponsible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the reasons for the dropping of drugs charges against Mr. Alan Waite, Mr Geoffrey Pope, Mr. Marcel Mullins, Mr. Mark Wittaker, Mr. Paul Brown and Ms. Theresa James.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that, following arrests in 1984, the charges in these cases were dropped in view of doubts about the reliability of police evidence upon which the prosecutions depended.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implications for the management of police operations relating to dangerous drugs in London of the conviction of Inspector Norman McGowan and Police Constable Michael Buchanan for theft of drugs.

The management of police operations is a matter for chief officers. Since the conviction of Mr. McGowan and Mr. Buchanan, the coming into force of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 has introduced new procedures for the treatment of suspects. Since then also, and following a major review of the organisation and management of the Metropolitan police, area drug squads have been established which are under the supervision of an officer whose responsibilities extend beyond drugs matters. I understand that both these changes have helped to improve the supervision and management of officers engaged in the investigation of drug-related crime.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the prison population is represented by ethnic minorities.

According to the records held centrally, on 31 December 1987 about 14 per cent. of the population of prison department establishments in England and Wales was from the ethnic minority communities. More detailed information, for 30 June 1987 and previous years, was published in table 6 of Home Office statistical bulletin 8/88 on "The Prison Population in 1987", copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will provide a list of the legislation and other powers under which the police claim the authority to vet members of the public; and if he will summarise the reasons why such vetting takes place.

In most cases the police do not vet members of the public. The police supply information' about an individual to other organisations which would decide in the light of this information, and any other information in their possession, whether a person was suitable for the post applied for.The principles governing the disclosure of police information are set out in section 17 of the consolidated circular to the police on crime and kindred matters and in Home Office circular 45/1986, copies of which are in the Library.Information from police records is supplied only where there are important considerations of public interest to justify departure from the general rule of confidentiality. These are, broadly speaking:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received on the proposals to introduce electronic tags both for defendants on bail and as an alternative sentence to imprisonment; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to introduce electronic tagging on an experimental basis for remand prisoners.

Letters from hon. Members and interested organisations have suggested various uses for electronic monitoring, including checking the whereabouts of people remanded on bail and as an element in non-custodial sentences. We are examining the equipment which is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to control drunken behaviour amongst young people.

The Government entirely accept the importance of this issue. That is one reason why we set up the ministerial group on alcohol misuse under the chairmanship of my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council. The Licensing Act 1988 tightens the offence of selling alcohol to under-age drinkers, increases the penalties for those found guilty of doing so and makes it an offence for wholesalers to sell alcohol to people under 18. We hope that these measures will increase the number of successful prosecutions for offences connected with under-age drinking.Action has been taken on two recent reports to the Home Office standing conference on crime prevention which made proposals for dealing with this problem. Successful pilot schemes based on the recommendations of the 1986 working group report on violence associated with licensed premises have taken place in several towns. Progress in implementing the recommendations of the 1987 working group report on young people and alcohol was reported by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Romsey and Waterside (Mr. Colvin) on 26 April at columns

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy towards the future involvement of the probation service in providing alternatives to custody for young offenders.

The Government would like to build on the experience of the probation service in supervising juvenile and young adult offenders in the community. We are encouraging and enabling the probation service to develop programmes for young offenders aged 17 to 20 which make them face up to the consequences of the offending behaviour, both for themselves and for their victims. We are strengthening community service orders. We want also to examine the scope for exercising more control over offenders in the community; punishing them for the harm they have done; enabling them to make recompense and helping them to tackle problems which stand in the way of their becoming law-abiding citizens. The probation service will have a central role in these developments and we are already having constructive discussions with it about our proposals which we hope to publish before long.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions he has had with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police about the use of Public Order Act powers to remove illegal travellers' encampments; and with what result;(2) on how many occasions Public Order Act powers have been used in the Metropolitan police area to remove illegal travellers' encampments; and in which local authority areas.

It is an operational matter for the senior police officer present at the scene of an unlawful occupation to decide whether or not in all the circumstances it would be appropriate to use the power in section 39 of the Public Order Act 1986. I understand that the Metropolitan police do not collect statistics on the use of the power and the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to the possible extension of the terms of section 9 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 to cover crimes of violence committed by British citizens outside the jurisdiction as a means of combating football hooliganism by Britons abroad.

I would not wish to rule out of consideration any effective means of tackling the problem of violence by British football supporters abroad. Given the evidential difficulties, however, it seems doubtful whether extraterritorial jurisdiction would in fact be an effective approach to the problem, or offer sufficient advantage to justify such a radical departure from the essentially territoral basis of our criminal law.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to enable the courts in appropriate cases to withdraw, for any period to be fixed by them, the right to hold a British passport of anyone convicted of a hooligan-type offence and who, in their opinion, is likely to bring Britain into disrepute if allowed to travel abroad.

As part of the measures announced by the Government on 16 June to deal with problems of football hooliganism, we shall be considering whether the courts should have powers in the longer term to impose restrictions on overseas travel following conviction for an offence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the position of a trainee who is receiving income support on the proposed employment training scheme, whose spouse or partner gets (a) a job for more than 24 hours a week, or (b) a job for less than 24 hours a week, during the trainee's time on the programme; whether such persons will be obliged to inform his Department of these change in circumstance; and what impact the spouse or partner's earnings will have on the trainee's training allowance.

All those in receipt of income support, including employment training participants, are obliged to inform the DHSS of any change in their, or their partner's circumstances. Income support can normally only remain payable so long as neither partner works for 24 hours a week or more. A partner's wages from part-time employment will be taken into account after allowing the appropriate earnings disregard (£5 or £15 per week). If the income support entitlement of an employment training participant is reduced, the basic training allowance payable may also be reduced to ensure an element of income support remains in payment and entitlement to "passported benefits" is safeguarded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if it is his intention to renew contracts to organisations which have failed to gain approved training organisation status in relation to YTS.

The Training Commission which administers YTS does not intend to renew contracts to organisations which have failed to gain approved training organisation status.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if organisations which have failed to meet minimum standards of the Manpower Services Commission are still being paid to offer places to young people.

No. All organisations providing YTS must achieve approved training organisation status. Where a YTS provider has had its application for approved training organisation status rejected, and its rights of appeal have been exercised without the rejection being reversed, the Training Commission moves to close the contract at the earliest permissible date. In these cases also steps are taken to require recruitment to cease. Where closure occurs, existing trainees are transferred to other places offering suitable training as soon as practicable. In cases where a YTS provider is in breach of contract, urgent remedies are sought under threat of contract closure, or contracts are closed immediately or with a period of notice. During closure procedure it is standard practice to require recruitment to cease.

Scottish health boards' expenditure on mental health1
(£'000)
		1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87
	Argyll and Clyde	17,037	18,098	19,173	19,899	21,006	21,967
	Ayrshire and Arran	6,636	7,299	8,444	9,349	10,284	11,793
	Borders	3,498	3,897	3,953	4,207	4,470	4,616

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement, in the context of United Kingdom membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the offer of on-site physical verification of Warsaw pact bases, depots and troop deployments in the conventional weapon sector, with less than 12 hours' notice, made by the Soviet negotiators to the United States delegation during the recent Moscow summit.

We understand that during the summit the Soviet Union proposed an exchange of data on force levels accompanied by verification through on-site inspections, as well as elimination of asymmetries. This movement towards the Western approach in the conventional arms control field is welcome. An Alliance priority now is to reach a balanced outcome in the CSCE review conference in Vienna which will allow the conventional stability talks to commence. Any agreement reached in the talks will certainly require an exchange of data, verified by on-site inspection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to resume active negotiations with the United States of America and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on verifications of nuclear tests following the joint verification plans announced by Mr. Reagan and Mr. Gorbachev at the Moscow summit.

No. The United States/Soviet joint verification experiments on nuclear testing are bilateral and relate to the bilateral United States/Soviet threshold test ban treaty.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department received any invitation to send a representative or observer to the conference for a nuclear-free Asia/Pacific in Hong Kong on 8 to 12 June.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for each health board the total spending on mental health for each year since 1979.

The table shows health boards' expenditure on mental health in each year from 1981–82 to 1986–87. Information is not available for years before 1981–82.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for each health board the spending on mental handicap for each year since 1979.

Scottish health boards' expenditure on mental handicap
£ thousands
		1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87
	Argyll and Clyde	3,107	3,273	3,317	3,619	3,780	3,801
	Ayrshire and Arran	856	1,011	1,104	1,162	1,295	1,522
	Borders	662	743	795	781	729	697
	Dumfries and Galloway	282	338	600	1,237	1,084	932
	Fife	4,527	4,953	5,493	5,510	5,800	6,052
	Forth Valley	7,239	7,944	8,379	8,944	9,833	10,866
	Grampian	5,307	5,770	6,107	6,520	6,956	7,216
	Greater Glasgow	9,548	9,997	10,417	10,835	11,628	12,901
	Highland	2,275	2,382	2,610	2,702	2,704	2,861
	Lanarkshire	3,987	4,340	4,557	5,374	5,931	6,421
	Lothian	7,329	7,504	8,046	8,976	9,458	8,405
	Orkney1	—	—	—	—	—	—
	Shetland	1	1	1	1	1	1
	Tayside	5,022	5,187	5,619	5,864	6,152	6,430
	Western Isles	0	0	0	0	0	n/a
	Total	50,142	53,443	57,045	61,525	65,351	268,105
1 Expenditure on mental handicap is included in returns of expenditure on mental illness.
2 Excludes Western Isles.
n/a = Not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has in relation to the number of social workers, teachers, medical staff, ancillary staff and other members of the public in Scotland, who have been vetted by police before they are employed in jobs where they work with children; and whether his Department keeps information as to the number of people refused employment and the reasons therefor.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has in relation to the number of licence holders who have been vetted by police before a licence is given; and whether his Department keeps information as to the type of licence applied for, the number of people refused a licence and the reasons therefor.

The table shows health boards' expenditure on mental handicap in each year from 1981–82 to 1986–87. Information is not available for years before 1981–82.

There are many different activities which are, or may be, subject to licensing under a wide range of enactments. In some cases—for example, under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 or the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982—the chief constable has a statutory right to object to the grant or renewal of a licence. No information is collected centrally about the number of licences granted or refused under these enactments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if his Department conducts any environmental monitoring (a) alone and (b) in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence at the ports of Rosyth, Holy Loch and Coulport, to assess the radiological impact of nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable Royal Navy and United States navy ships that use the dockyards.

Marine monitoring for radioactivity in these areas is undertaken both by MOD and by MAFF whose programme provides an independent check on behalf of the Secretary of State for Scotland. MOD publish results of its own surveys while the MAFF work is included in aquatic environment monitoring reports entitled, "Radioactivity in Surface and Coastal Waters of the British Isles," which are in the Library. The MAFF reports, which include assessments of the monitoring results, confirm that the levels of radioactivity around the naval establishments in Scotland remain very low and of no significance in radiological terms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his decision to commission Coopers and Lybrand to handle the establishment of Scottish Homes, including the terms of reference of his agreement with that firm, the fee to be paid and the reason why he has decided not to have the work done by civil servants; and what relevant experience Coopers and Lybrand has in the provision and management of rented housing to meet social needs in Scotland or elsewhere.

The hon. Member will recall that I informed the First Scottish Standing Committee on 4 February, during its consideration of the Housing (Scotland) Bill, that we were likely to commission consultants to assist Scottish Homes to produce proposals in relation to its structure below board level. In pursuit of that intention, eight firms of consultants were invited in May to produce proposals in relation to the task of advising the board and chief executive of Scottish Homes on possible options for the organisational structure; and on an implementation and development plan in relation to the action necessary to enable Scottish Homes to establish itself as fully operational. Coopers and Lybrand was selected to carry out the task after thorough consideration of the proposals submitted by consultants, which involved the general manager of the Scottish Special Housing Association and the director of the Housing Corporation in Scotland as well as officials of the Scottish Office. It has been asked to complete the work by 1 September 1988.The use of consultants for work of this type by Government Departments is not uncommon and recognises their specialist knowledge in relation to large-scale organisational and project management tasks, which is not widely available within the Civil Service. Coopers and Lybrand has a wide range of relevant experience including work for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the Scottish Special Housing Association and a number of local authorities in Scotland and elsewhere. It will work in close consultation with the Scottish Development Department, the Housing Corporation in Scotland and the Scottish Special Housing Association; and with the chairman-designate and chief executive designate of Scottish Homes once they have been appointed.The estimated cost of the work is a matter of commercial confidence, which it would be inappropriate to disclose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will describe the scope and remit of the current review of the present arrangements for fish farming applications; when he expects it to be completed; and if its findings will be published in full.

My right hon. and learned Friend is reviewing the operation of the consultation arrangements introduced by the Crown Estate Commissioners in 1986 and is taking into account representations from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and a number of other organisations about the procedures currently operated by the commissioners in relation to the establishment of offshore fish farms. The review is not yet complete but he hopes to announce its conclusions before long. No decision about the form of announcement has yet been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of (a) adult and (b) young offender women prisoners received accredited vocational training during 1986.

No accredited vocational training courses were held at Cornton Vale during 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of women prisoners in 1986 had had psychiatric in-patient treatment prior to their trial and sentence; and what percentage of these women were mothers.

Information is not available in the form requested. Details of previous psychiatric treatment of inmates in penal establishments is obtained, if necessary, in individual cases but is not recorded centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of women prisoners in 1986 (a) had previously been in prison and (b) had previous convictions and non-custodial sentences.

The only statistical information held centrally on the previous sentences and convictions of inmates is obtained from the inmates on reception into the penal establishment and may not be completely reliable. The figures from this source are as follows:

Women received under sentence into prisons in Scotland: 1986
Percentage admitting:	per cent.
Previous direct prison sentence	60·8
Other direct custodial sentence (but not direct prison sentence)	4·2
Other previous sentence only (non-custodial or custodial sentence in default of fine/compensation order)	14·1
No previous sentence	20·9

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of (a) adult and (b) young offender women prisoners acquired qualifications; and if he will list those qualifications.

The question cannot be answered in precisely the terms stated. The position in relation to individual educational qualifications gained during the past two years was as follows:

1986	gained by 13 candidates
O grades	23
Highers	Nil
1987	gained by 9 candidates
O grades	17
Highers	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what percentage of men with no previous convictions were sent to prison in the most recent five years for which statistics are available;(2) what percentage of women with no previous convictions were sent to prison in the most recent five years for which statistics are available.

The only available statistical information on previous convictions is obtained from inmates on reception into the penal establishment and may not be completely reliable. The figures from this source are as follows:

Adults received under sentence in prisons in Scotland:
Percentage admitting no previous convictions, 1983–87
	Men	Women
1983	3·4	7·4
1984	3·5	7·9
1985	5·3	15·3
1986	6·7	20·9
1987	6·2	18·7

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of convicted (a) men and (b) women were sent to prison in (i) 1977 and (ii) 1987.

The information requested is given in the table:

Percentage of adults, with a charge proved against them, given a sentence of imprisonment
Year	Men	Women
1977	5·1	1·7
1987	8·0	3·5

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of (a) men and (b) women convicted of crimes of violence were sent to prison in each of the last five years.

The information requested is given in the table:

Percentage of adults convicted of a crime of violence given a sentence of imprisonment
Year	Men	Women
1983	42·6	7·7
1984	41·4	7·3
1985	45·4	8·8
1986	43·7	9·3
1987	40·0	9·6

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what physical training and recreation activities are available to (a) male and (b) female prisoners.

A wide variety of facilities for physical education and recreation are available in all penal establishments in Scotland. Usage by individual inmates is influenced by considerations of security and control as well as priorities of need.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which of the vocational courses of the industrial training boards, currently available to (a) adult and (b) young offender male prisoners, are also available to the same categories of women prisoners.

At present there is no fully accredited vocational training available for female inmates at Cornton Vale, although skill training is provided in sewing, garment making, cookery and horticulture. Plans are well in hand to introduce properly accredited courses in catering and hairdressing in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions the electronic link between the central office and each room in Cornton Vale women's prison malfunctioned between 1985 and 1987; and what was the average time taken for repairs to be carried out.

The system malfunctioned on 34 occasions in 1985, 32 in 1986 and 40 in 1987. The average time taken to complete repairs was 1½ hours. When it was thought the work on individual rooms might take more than one hour, the inmate was moved temporarily to another room.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average number of days of in-service training provided to staff at Cornton Vale prison in 1986.

The information is not immediately available, but I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many body and strip searches in Cornton Vale in 1986 and 1987 were carried out on prisoners who were pregnant.

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many women prisoners who gave birth while imprisoned in Cornton Vale in 1985, 1986 and 1987, respectively, (a) kept their babies with them following the births and (b) did not keep their babies following birth; and what was the length of sentence served by each such mother following the births.

The number of inmates who gave birth while in the custody of Cornton Vale was:

Year	Inmates
1985	6
1986	3
1987	4

Two of these inmates were released from custody directly from hospital without returning to Cornton Vale. Of the 11 who did return to Cornton Vale, 10 returned with their babies and one did not.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland until what age babies are permitted to remain with their mothers in Cornton Vale prison.

In general children do not remain at Cornton Vale with their mothers beyond the age of 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of (i) female staff and (ii) male staff at Cornton Vale women's prison in 1986 were on sick leave for (a) less than one week, (b) between one week and up to one month, (c) between one month and up to six months and (d) for six months or more.

The information is not immediately available but I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether women prisoners who are mothers are able to keep photographs of their children during the course of their imprisonment.

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what percentage of mothers imprisoned in 1986 in Cornton Vale prison, whose children were in local authority care, were visited by their children at least once during their imprisonment; what was the average length of time, from initial imprisonment before such a visit took place; and whether visits took place at the usual visiting hours and in the visiting area used by mothers whose children were not in care;(2) what percentage of mothers imprisoned in Cornton Vale prison in 1986, who had access orders in respect of their children, fulfilled those orders

Information is not available in the form requested. Visits by children in local authority care to mothers who are inmates at Cornton Vale are arranged in appropriate cases on an individual basis and in consultation with the relevant local authority social work department. Such visits would normally take place in less formal surroundings and outwith usual visiting hours and are a significant feature of the regime at Cornton Vale.Detailed information on children in local authority care subject to access orders, or visits by children subject to such access, is not routinely collected in respect of those admitted to Cornton Vale.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what percentage of women imprisoned in 1986 were mothers whose children were in local authority care before their trial and conviction; and what percentage of these women were single mothers;(2) what percentage of women prisoners in 1986 were mothers with children under school leaving age; and what percentage of those children. while their mothers were in custody

The information requested is not available.Details of child care arrangements may be volunteered by the inmate or may be obtained for social work or other purposes in individual cases. Such details, however, are not routinely collected or centrally recorded in respect of those admitted to penal establishments in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of (a) male and (b) female prisoners were employed outside their prisons in 1986.

The percentage of male prisoners employed outside their prisons during 1986 was 1·2 per cent. No female prisoners were so employed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the amount of disciplinary action against (a) male and (b) female prisoners; and what proportion of such disciplinary action in each case was for the mutiny or violence category of offence.

The latest available information on numbers and types of disciplinary offences by inmates is given in appendix 5 of the "Prisons in Scotland—Report for 1986" (Cm. 223), copies of which are available in the Library.In 1986 there were no disciplinary findings or punishments on inmates for the offence of "mutiny". There is no category of offence of "violence". Figures are given in the "Prisons in Scotland" report for specific offences of assaulting officers or assaults on other inmates, and for the general offence of "offending against good order and discipline" which may include other acts of violence such as fighting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of (a) girls and (b) boys, between the ages of 10 and 16 years, held in care have committed no crimes.

It is estimated that at 31 March 1987 60·5 per cent. of boys and 86·5 per cent. of girls in local authority care were there for reasons not related to the commission of crimes or offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what amount of hostel accommodation is available for (a) men and (b) women offenders; and what facilities for children are available at these establishments.

Offenders' hostels grant-aided by my right hon. and learned Friend under section 79 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 presently offer a total of 80 places, 17 of them for women; they do not contain accommodation for children. Information is not held centrally about other residential accommodation catering for offenders which may be provided by local authorities or voluntary bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will consider increasing the current meat allowance for prisoners in Cornton Vale prison; and if he will state the current allowance for prisoners in other prisons.

The current allowance of meat for prisoners is the same at Cornton Vale as in other prisons in Great Britain. It is based on properly balanced dietary scales for inmates as a whole. I see no reason to change it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in the light of violence against persons of ethnic minorities awaiting either deportation to the country of their origin or appealing against deportation in Her Majesty's prisons in Scotland, he will take steps to safeguard them by placing them in establishments outwith Her Majesty's prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Cancer registrations in children aged <1, by health board: 1977–1986
Health board	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986
Argyll and Clyde	1	—	1	2	—	—	3	1	—	1
Ayrshire and Arran	1	—	1	2	4	1	2	1	—	2
Borders	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dumfries and Galloway	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	—	1
Fife	2	—	1	1	—	—	1	2	2	2
Forth Valley	—	—	1	—	2	—	1	1	—	—
Grampian	—	1	—	2	2	1	3	2	3	—
Greater Glasgow	4	2	1	3	2	2	2	3	1	—
Highland	—	1	—	—	1	1	1	—	—	1
Lanarkshire	—	—	4	5	—	4	2	—	4	1
Lothian	4	1	1	3	—	2	1	—	2	2
Orkney	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Shetland	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tayside	—	1	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	—
Western Isles	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—
Scotland	13	6	10	19	12	11	17	12	12	10

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what monitoring systems he has initiated, in pursuance of his commitment to providing equality of opportunity for all employees in, and potential recruits to, the Ministry of Defence to comply with the codes of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission,

[holding answer 14 June 1988]: There is no evidence of widespread or systematic abuse against inmates of ethnic origin. Prison staff are particularly vigilant in detection of abuse against all inmates, including ethnic minorities. All instances of inmate assault, for whatever reason, are fully investigated, including police involvement where sufficient evidence exists to bring charges against the suspected perpetrators.From 1 January to 1 May 1988 only 13 people were held in detention in Scottish prisons, at any one time, under the provisions of the Immigration Act 1971. Such a small number does not justify the provision of special accommodation. However, I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons to advise me on what improvements, if any, might be made to the arrangements for accommodating such detainees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the latest figures for the incidence of all types of cancers, including leukaemia, for all age groups, broken down to the smallest geographical areas available; and if he will also give the comparable figures for similar periods over the past 10 years.

[holding answer 9 June 1988]: This information could not be provided except at disproportionate expense.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the incidence of cancers in babies in Scotland; how this compares with previous years, broken down by area; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 9 June 1988]: The tables set out the information requested, by health board, for registered cases of cancer in children aged less than one year at date of registration over the period 1977 to 1986.respectively; and what such exercises have revealed concerning the employment of people from ethnic minorities and of women respectively.

The Ministry of Defence, in common with other Government Departments, has been carrying out a voluntary survey of the ethnic origins of all non-industrial and industrial staff. The survey of non-industrial staff is being conducted in six phases. To date, three phases have been completed, and of the respondents 1·9 per cent. are from the ethnic minorities. The survey of industrial staff commenced this month and the results are not likely to be available for some time. The ethnic monitoring of recruitment commenced in 1987 and as yet no results are available.As regards women, there are no specific monitoring exercises currently taking place but records are kept which show the proportion of males and females in each grade. Consideration is being given to ways in which the progress of women and ethnic staff can be effectively monitored.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has established an equal opportunities unit; and whether his equal opportunities efforts are coordinated by an equal opportunities officer.

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the integrity of Royal Air Force Harrier wing structures; and what investigations are currently being made into defects in these structures.

I am fully satisfied that the integrity of the Harrier wing is being maintained through a planned programme of inspection and repair.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the Tornado F3 aircraft currently in store at Royal Air Force St. Athan will be held there awaiting modification and upgrading.

All the F3 aircraft currently in storage at RAF St. Anthan will receive modifications to bring their capability and maintainability to a level comparable with the latest production aircraft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the delivery rate for Tornado F3 aircraft was first agreed with British Aerospace; and what changes in that agreed rate have occured since that date.

The delivery rate for the Tornado programme was first agreed with Panavia, the Tornado prime contractor, in 1974. In 1982, following full consultation with Germany and Italy, it was agreed that the peak annual delivery rate for the Tornado should be adjusted to 44 for the United Kingdom. Although there have been some changes since then in the balance of deliveries between Tornado variants to accommodate export sales requirements, there has been no change to the agreed peak delivery rate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated cost of upgrading the 18 RAF Tornado F2s to F2A standard.

The estimated cost of upgrading 18 RAF Tornados F2 to F2A standard is about £20 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to the sale of the RAF Tornado F2 and F3 aircraft, currently in store at RAF St. Athan, to Italy.