To ask the Attorney-General whether he will take steps to reduce the time taken by Her Majesty's land registry, Gloucester, to process applications for the registration of freeholds, assuming no requisitions.

In order to meet the unprecedented volume of applications received for registration in the administrative areas served by the Gloucester district land registry, and to reduce the time taken to deal with applications, a new office has been opened in Coventry. A total of 244 staff are now in post there, the majority being under training. Under the provisions of the Land Registration (District Registries) (No. 2) Order 1987, the office will be constituted as a district registry in October 1988 and will take over responsibility from the Gloucester office for registration in the west midlands.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the average time taken, assuming no requisitions, for the Land Registry to deal with applications for the registration of a freehold; and how this period has varied in each of the last three years.

The average completion times for first registration applications (freeholds and leaseholds) at the end of each of the last three financial years were:

	Days
31 March 1986	73
31 March 1987	110
31 March 1988	156

No figures are kept at the Land Registry to distinguish between the completion times on applications requiring requisitions and those not requiring requisitions.

To ask the Attorney-General what, by grade, is the current establishment at Her Majesty's land registry, Gloucester; how this has varied in each of the last three years; and how many officers have been in place against establishment in each of the past three years.

The tables provides details of the established and staff in post at the Gloucester district land registry as at 1 June in each of the last three years.

Year	Official search of whole	Official search of part	Official search of the index map	Office copy of the register	Enquiries
1985–86	182,330	31,618	163,819	63,279	53,113
1986–87	227,396	31,021	202,899	76,543	63,137
1987–88	245,345	33,606	223,394	91,101	75,369

	1 June 1986	1 June 1987	1 June 1988
Establishment	743	747	1590
Staff in post
Permanent	642	676	706
Casual	30	53	30
Total	722	729	736
1 Plus 328 posts at the new Coventry office.

The information classified by grades is not immediately available. I will reply as soon as possible.

To ask the Attorney-General what, in each of the past three years, has been the annual cost, by financial heading, of running Her Majesty's land registry, Gloucester; and what in each year has been the annual profit or loss.

Since not all the Land Registry's costs are allocated to its local offices, profit and loss figures are available only for the registry as a whole. The following is a summary of spending on certain items for which costs were allocated to the Gloucester district land registry since 1985. The figures for 1987–88 are provisional:

	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88
Manpower	5,118,376	5,853,529	6,543,485
Building Capital	72,791	294,869	94,243
Non-computer machinery capital	32,084	106,236	136,153
Stationery	101,104	75,120	157,694
Postages & Telecoms	286,197	290,454	333,672
Machinery Current	39,152	52,898	67,350
Accommodation	350,842	522,190	616,937
Ordnance Survey	326,199	287,205	423,065
Others	125,329	103,942	120,992
Total	6,452,074	7,586,443	8,493,591

To ask the Attorney-General what, in each of the past three years, has been the number of applications by group dealt with by Her Majesty's land registry, Gloucester; what is the current charge for handling applications by group; and how this has varied in each of the past three years.

The number of applications, in each of the relevant work categories, completed at the Gloucester district land registry in the last three years is:

Year	First registrations	Dispositionary first leases and transfers of part	Dealings
1985–86	24,649	25,300	169,438
1986–87	25,364	21,336	181,135
1987–88	23,134	25,721	218,753

To ask the Attorney-General what is the current level of fee charged by the Land Registry to get speedier consideration of applications for the registration of a freehold; when this was last increased; what is the average time taken to deal with applications on this basis, assuming no requisitions; and how this has varied in each year since this facility was introduced.

An application for special expedition currently attracts a fee of not less than £25. That fee was increased from not less than £20 from 1 June 1988 by the Land Registration Fee Order 1988 (S.I. 1988 No. 665). No information is available on average times taken to deal with expedited applications and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Attorney-General if Her Majesty's Government propose to initiate actions for account of profits against (a) Mr. Anthony Cavendish and (b) the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr. Allason) in respect of material about the security services written by them and published without Her Majesty's Government's full agreement; and if he will make a statement.

No.

To ask the Attorney-General when he expects the Crown Prosecution Service to reach a decision on possible Prosecutions under sections 2 and 28 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 against those responsible for the damage sustained by the creation of a new driveway, the construction of a new car park and the erection of new fencing within Condicot Henge in Gloucestershire.

Prosecutions of two defendants in respect of the allegation to which the hon. Gentleman refers were instituted on 26 April 1988.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he has any plans to carry out an investigation into the practice of gazumping.

No. The topic of gazumping has already been fully considered by the Law Commission. Furthermore, the conveyancing standing committee at the Law Commission has recently identified changes in conveyancing practice which could help reduce the incidence of the practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on plans to locate a university, or to convert any existing institution to university status, in Teesside; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware of no such plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on Government support for basic science research in general and Her Majesty's Government's priorities for basic research.

In 1988–89 over £1·4 billion is being provided from public funds for the support of basic and strategic research through the research councils and block grants to United Kingdom universities. Responsibility for determining scientific priorities rests with the research councils and the universities.My right hon. Friend intends to make a considered statement later this year on the Government's policy objectives for the science base and the steps we will be taking to achieve them, taking account of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils' discussion document "A Strategy for the Science Base" and of comments on that received from the higher education and scientific communities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are Her Majesty's Government's priorities for medical-clinical research (a) at present, (b) in the medium term and (c) in the long term.

The Medical Research Council, which receives an annual grant-in-aid (currently £147 million), has the responsibility for determining priorities for medical research funded from the science budget. Its views on priorities in the short, medium and long terms are included in its annual reports and corporate plan, copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many researchers involved in clinical-medical research projects in teaching hospitals have left to work abroad.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last discussed the state of clinical-medical research and its priorities with representatives of (a) the British Medical Association, (b) the Medical Research Council, (c) the medical academic staff committee and (d) representatives of universities of England and Wales.

I met representatives of the British Medical Association, including the chairman of the medical academic staff committee, on 26 January when we discussed various matters concerning education and research in university medical schools.I attended a meeting of the Medical Research Council on 5 February. My right hon. Friend and I will be meeting representatives of the council again on 4 July to hear more about the research they are currently funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to how many clinical-medical research projects, in progress or started in 1975, and financed either with public or private funds, or with both, in teaching hospitals were (a) completed, (b) extended, (c) suspended or totally abandoned for lack of staff or funds and (d) how many of those totally or partially funded with public money had to be extended, completed or extended with the help of private funding.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been, for each year since 1975, the number of medical and other staff working full or part time on clinical and medical research projects in teaching hospitals in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) England and (d) Wales.

This information is not centrally available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what has been, for each year since 1975, the amount of public funding given for clinical-medical research in the teaching hospitals of (a) London, (b) Birmingham, (c) Bristol, (d) Liverpool, (e) Manchester, (f) Cardiff, (g) Edinburgh and (h) Glasgow;(2) what information he has as to how many clinical-medical research projects funded with

The Medical Research Council is the main agency through which the Government fund medical research in the United Kingdom. Current and previous editions of the MRC's handbook and annual reports—copies of which are in the Library—list the various research projects which the council has supported in each year since 1975 and include tables of the MRC's expenditure in university medical schools. Compiling the other information on the thousands of MRC projects concerned would be disproportionately costly.Comparable lists of research projects funded—in whole or part—from universities' general funds, by the National Health Service, or by charities and other private sources are not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to issue guidance on grant-maintained status for schools under the provisions of chapter IV of the Education Reform Bill.

Draft guidance is being issued today. Its purpose is to inform discussion of this topic during the remaining stages of the Bill's passage through Parliament; to guide local education authorities, the governing bodies of schools, and others in any preparatory work they wish to undertake; and to give all concerned an early opportunity to comment. The draft covers all the provisions in chapter IV of the Bill save the provision in respect of postal ballots of parents, which in particular is subject to further consideration by Parliament, and on which guidance will be issued later.Comments on the draft guidance are invited by 21 September 1988. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and in the Vote Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases there have been of a person convicted of murder having previously been similarly convicted since 1965.

Four persons convicted of murder in England and Wales had previously been similarly convicted since 1965: of these, one committed the second murder in prison and two others committed the second murder before conviction for the first.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek to extend the Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act 1980 to prevent persons convicted for committing acts of criminal damage or violence whilst under the influence of alcohol from consuming or obtaining liquor from all licensed premises.

No. We do not believe that this would be practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will permit an increase of the stakes and prices of AWP machines installed in public houses in line with those in licensed clubs.

No. Primary legislation would be required to set different limits for AWP machines installed in public houses from those applying to machines elsewhere where the public have access.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to introduce legislation to permit multiple lotteries held by reference to a single event, including major national sporting occasions.

We are considering the position in the light of recent developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what efficiency gains he estimates have been achieved by the implementation of the Fresh Start proposals to date.

It is estimated that an efficiency gain of about 12 per cent. was achieved by the beginning of 1988. Work is in hand to update this figure now that all establishments but one have implemented Fresh Start.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances police officers on duty wear official issue uniform clothing which obscures or conceals identifying numbers.

It is the policy of the Department and the Association of Chief Police Officers that means of personal identification should be worn by uniformed officers whenever they are on duty.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to abolish the offence of wasting police time; what representations to this effect he has received from the Police Complaints Authority: and if he will make a statement.

No. We have received no such representations from the Police Complaints Authority. My right hon. Friend is, however, considering a recommendation from the authority, contained in its triennial review, published in May this year (HC 466), that it should be empowered to dispense with the investigation of complaints which are vexatious, oppressive or an abuse of the system and cause needless and costly work for the police and itself.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has any plans for the development of a secure prison alongside the site of Kirkham open prison; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. The Department hopes to use Home Office-owned land alongside Kirkham open prison for a secure category B training prison with a population of about 600 inmates. Following exploratory discussions with Fylde district council, preliminary proposals for the site have been submitted in writing. These informal consultations have taken place under the established procedures for Crown developments. The Department recognises that further discussion will be required in order to develop its proposals to the point of submission of a formal notice of proposed development, which it hopes to be able to do by the autumn of this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list in the Official Report the sites for all future secure prison developments, the numbers of prisoners to be accommodated, the category of prisoners to be accommodated and the acreage on each site available for further development;

The prison building programme includes 26 new prisons in the following locations. Eight of these prisons have been constructed. A number of sites remain to be decided; the Home Office is looking for further possible sites in case the programme should be expanded.

Prison	Category of prison	Number of prisoners
Wayland	C	484
Stocken	YCC	300
Thorn Cross	YCC	300
Full Sutton	B	444
Littlehey	C	484
Mount	C	484
Swaleside	B	504
Garth	B	512
Brinsford	B	448
Woolwich	B	850
Whitemoor	B	522
Bullingdon	B	612
Swaleside II	B	610
Lindholme II	B	610
Milton Keynes	B	544
Lancaster Farms	YCC	360
Prison 31	?	600
Prison 41	?	600
Prison 51	?	600
Doncaster	B	720
Ashford	B	600
Rochdale	B	600
Prison 61	?	600
Wrexham	C	600
Banstead	B	600
Buckley Hall1	YCC	300
1 Site yet to be decided.

A number of existing prisons and of these new sites have adjoining land. The prison building programme includes several schemes to expand the capacity of existing prisons by redevelopment or expansion on to adjoining land. Of the new prisons listed in the table, Lindholme II and Swaleside II are being built on Home Office land next to existing prisons. But it is not always possible to obtain planning clearance for such schemes; land must be retained for agricultural production, and for landscaping purposes, to screen existing or future buildings; and some land is poorly located to meet the Department's strategic needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account is taken in recommending persons for appointment to the British Broadcasting Corporation's board of governors of any previous employment they may have had with Her Majesty's Government; how the criteria were applied in the case of Miss Daphne Park; what was the nature of her previous employment by, or on behalf of, Her Majesty's Government; and if he will make a statement.

The criteria that are used in determining appointments to the BBC board of governors, and other broadcasting appointments, are those of personal distinction, experience and ability. Miss Daphne Park's career in the diplomatic service is a matter of public record.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons on his inspection of her Majesty's remand centre, Risley; and if he will make a statement.

The report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, His Honour Judge Stephen Tumim, on his inspection of Risley remand centre in February, is published today with a statement setting out the action being taken in response. Copies have been placed in the Library.The chief inspector draws attention to three major areas of concern. First, certain parts of the establishment were in a poor physical state both with respect to structure and maintenance and cleanliness. Immediate steps have been taken to improve cleanliness and housekeeping, and a major programme of refurbishment costing £2·5 million has been put in hand for completion by the autumn of 1989. This will greatly improve the inmate accommodation and sanitation. In the longer term major redevelopment for completion by the mid-1990s will provide modern accommodation with integral sanitation.Secondly, revised instructions on suicide prevention (circular instruction 3/1987) issued in January 1987 have not been implemented at Risley. This was a grave omission. Although the prison service cannot guarantee to prevent suicides, every suicide is a matter of profound regret and management and staff of establishments must do all they can to identify those at risk and seek to prevent suicide by supervision, care and involvement of the inmate in personal relationships. The directions in the circular instruction are now being given high priority at Risley, as at other prison service establishments.Thirdly. although the chief inspector comments favourably on much good work by staff, on their efforts to give prisoners time out of cells and the use that is made of association, education and physical education facilities, he found that inmates were confined to their cells for far too long. Lack of management and staff continuity on wings detracted from staff-inmate relations. The former youth custody centre at Hindley has taken over Risley's remand role for males under 21, retaining its facilities for work, education, physical education and other training, modified to fit shorter periods of detention. The Fresh Start management structure and staffing systems introduced at Risley since the inspection provide the foundation for improvements in regime. Early plans will be developed for extending the facilities and opportunities for education and other useful occupation.These measures will ensure an immediate and a continuing improvement in conditions at Risley.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to review the law relating to the sale of alcohol in supermarkets; and if he will make a statement.

Following the report of the working group on young people and alcohol, chaired by Baroness Masham, provisions were included in the Licensing Act 1988 to strengthen the licensing law. These included measures to control further the sale of alcohol to young people and in particular to require sales in off-licensed premises by staff, under the age of 18 to be effectively supervised. We are not persuaded that a further review of licensing controls on supermarkets is required at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the working of the Sexual Offences Act 1985; and if he will make a statement.

We are reviewing the working of the Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons have been arrested in Liverpool under the Sexual Offences Act 1985 to the latest date;(2) how many offenders have been arrested in England and Wales under the Sexual Offences Act 1985 at the latest available date.

There is no power of arrest under the Sexual Offences Act 1985. However, the information available to me, which may be incomplete, shows 220 Prosecutions under the Act in England and Wales up to the end of 1986, of which seven were in Merseyside.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply of 26 May to the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz), Official Report, column 279, when he expects to place in the Library a copy of the report on the pilot trial of DNA use in immigration case work.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the reasons for the delay in the publication of the report on DNA testing for immigration purposes; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) on Thursday 16 June, at columns 200–1.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pursuant to his answer of 16 June, Official Report, column 200, he will place in the Library the information provided by the coroner on the case involving the death of the Carlisle baby.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he takes to ensure that a periodic review is undertaken of all police stations owned and occupied by county constabularies and the Metropolitan force in the context of operational efficiency and commercial potential.

Police authorities were asked in 1987 to review their arrangements for managing the police estate as a whole, including operational accommodation, and in particular ensure that surplus accommodation could be identified and either disposed of or used to meet new needs.The scope of using police accommodation better is also reviewed by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in its annual inspections of provincial forces. In the Metropolitan police, an audit of the occupancy of the whole estate has recently been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is towards (a) the ownership and (b) the leasing of premises used as police stations.

Generally speaking, we prefer police authorities to own premises used as police stations, since this usually offers better value for money and gives greater security of tenure. We do not, however, rule out leasing where this is justified, but if the lease is for more than three years, the current market value of the property counts against the total capital allocation for police buildings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out the Government's principal achievements in overseas aid to Third world countries since 1983.

Since 1983 the principal achievements of the aid programme include:

1. a swift and generous response (totalling £253 million between 1983 and 1987) to appeals for emergency and refugee relief;

2. the successful completion of many aid projects, large and small, including the Victoria Dam in Sri Lanka (£113 million) and the Songea-Makambako Road in Tanzania (£90 million);

3. 200 new project allocations, each worth £2 million or more, with a total value of £1,662 million;

4. helping to sustain economic policy reforms, particularly in Africa, through the provision of programme aid (£261 million between 1983 and 1987) in support of IMF/IBRD agreed adjustment programmes;

5. the provision (between 1983 and 1986) of 23,502 person-years of training of overseas personnel and of 14,137 person-years of service by British experts and volunteers in developing countries;

6. in the period to 1987, securing contracts for British firms with a total export value of £1,082 million with aid and trade provision support; and

7. between 1985–86 and 1987–88, the cofunding, under the joint funding scheme of about 1,300 projects with over 50 agencies at a cost of £18·2 million. The budget of the JFS, which is one of the fastest growing areas of the aid programme, now stands at £10·5 million for 1988–89, a 75 per cent. increase on the original allocation for last year.

At the November 1986 European Community Development Council, under Britain's presidency, agreement was reached on much needed reforms of European Community food aid. These reforms are now being implemented.In line with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's initiative on debt, the United Kingdom has cancelled £263 million of aid loans to 14 African countries; and 10 countries have negotiated better rescheduling terms. Agreement was reached at the recent Toronto summit on further debt relief based on this initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further plans he has to increase financial and other help to Third world countries.

In the current financial year we plan to spend about £1,307 million on the aid programme, some £97 million more than the likely outturn for last year. The programme is planned to rise to £1,380 million in 1989–90 and to £1,420 million by 1990–91. This represents growth in real terms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress his Department is making in encouraging primary health care in the Third world.

Developing country Governments have been told of our wish to focus on primary health care in our programme of assistance to the health and population sector. To carry forward this approach we have also initiated a programme of reviews of health needs in a number of these countries. Following discussions with the recipient country authorities, these reviews will form the basis for the development of our future bilateral assistance in this sector. Five reviews have already been completed and seven more are planned over the next 12 months.Over the last 18 months my professional health advisers have visited 14 of the 16 countries with which we have significant health assistance programmes to discuss our primary health care policy and encourage requests for assistance.In addition, we aim to fill a new health and population adviser post in the British development division in southern Africa in the autumn. This will facilitate the identification of further areas for effective assistance in the countries in the region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will indicate the approximate annual sum spent by the tropical pest control section of the Tropical Development Research Institute in the current year; and how it relates in real terms to the expenditure of the Centre for Overseas Pest Research for each year from 1979–80 to 1987–88.

[holding answer 27 June 1988]: Because the Centre for Overseas Pest Research was successively amalgamated into the Tropical Development and Research Institute and the Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute (ODNRI) on I September 1987, it is not possible without disproportionate effort to construct an expenditure series for the years specified.It is estimated that scientific and technical effort by the former Centre for Overseas Pest Research (COPR) amounted to 130 man-years in 1979–80. In 1983–84, COPR's last year of separate existence, the comparable figure was 93 man-years. In 1987–88, under what is now ODNRI, the effort devoted to tropical pest control amounted to 97 man-years.In April last year I instructed the Tropical Development and Research Institute to increase its operations in Africa. Project proposals estimated at £7 million have been prepared to tackle crop, animal and storage pest problems. These projects are based on the valuable experience of the institute and will further develop its expertise in tropical pest control.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set up an investigation into the effects on (a) fauna and flora, (b) lakes and rivers, (b) buildings and (d) the acid deposits in the Snowdonia national park.

The Welsh Office, with the Department of Environment, is investigating the effects of acidic deposition on fauna and flora, lakes and rivers, and buildings, through a number of research projects. When the results of these studies have been fully assessed, consideration can be given to the need for further research in specific areas, including Snowdonia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has any evidence of the effect of increased coniferous afforestation on the levels of acidity in soil and water in (a) Snowdonia, (b) Mid Wales and (c) Wales generally; and if he will indicate whether his Department has instigated, or provided financial support for, studies into this matter.

The Department provides financial support for a number of projects concerned with acidification in those areas most sensitive to the effects of acidic deposition, which are mainly in Mid Wales. Early evidence shows that coniferous afforested catchments are more acidic than adjacent moorland streams.

County	Local authority basic allocations	Local authority specific allocations for renovation	Housing corporation allocations for new build and rehabilitation
	£ million	£ million	£ million
Clwyd	10·643	1·036	5·704
Dyfed	10·736	1·535	6·428
Gwent	20·305	1·128	12·407
Gwynedd	6·852	1·477	4·686
Mid Glamorgan	24·413	10·397	14·007
Powys	3·631	0·060	1·953
South Glamorgan	14·167	1·000	9·444
West Glamorgan	14·491	0·303	9·106
	105·238	16·936	63·735

Unallocated—£21·582 million.Housing capital allocations are made at district level and local authorities are free to determine their own expenditure priorities in the light of the needs of their particular area. They are, however, encouraged to concentrate on renovation, including the priority estates projects and enveloping block repair schemes.Housing association information relates to allocations for new units and rehabilitation of existing units.No decisions have yet been taken on the level of allocations for future years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the take-up rates for the enterprise allowance scheme in (a) Clwyd, (b) Gwynedd, (c) Wales and (d) the United Kingdom.

The information is not available at county level. Since the scheme began in August 1983, 22,883 and 349,893 people have joined in Wales and the United Kingdom respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take action to ensure the independent monitoring of all imported waste in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The legislation requires that controlled waste, including imported waste, is disposed of at licensed sites which are monitored by waste disposal authorities. Additionally, the movement of imported special waste is monitored by local authorities from the port of entry to its final destination.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what funds he has allocated for 1988–89, and what allocations have been earmarked for future years, towards new housing and refurbishment of existing houses, by county and for Wales as a whole.

The information provided in the following table relates to the capital allocations for 1988–89 which have been made to date:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the levels of rate support grant to local authorities in Wales in each year since 1976–77 in real terms.

The levels of rate support grant distributed to local authorities in Wales for each year, expressed in real terms at 1988–89 prices using the GDP (market prices) deflator, are given in the following table:

	£ million
1976–77	1,251·7
1977–78	1,145·3
1978–79	1,096·2
1979–80	1,080·9
1980–81	1,071·6
1981–82	1,047·3
1982–83	1,046·7
1983–84	1,017·6
1984–85	978·6
1985–86	947·7
1986–871	967·2
1987–881	978·6
1988–891	1,000·0
1 Provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the dangers to Welsh livestock of the transfrontier shipment of wastes containing animal residues infested with bovine spongiform encephalopathy; and if he will make a statement.

None. No incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy has been recorded to date outside the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met the Forestry Commission chairman to discuss forestry matters in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I shall be having my first meeting with the chairman of the Forestry Commission for the specific purpose of discussing forestry matters in Wales towards the end of July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what evidence he has to show that the food chain was fully protected in Wales in the period immediately after the Chernobyl incident; and if he will make a statement.

Full compendia of the results of my Department's extensive monitoring programme have been published and copies are in the Library of the House. This work has been backed up by dietary surveys undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and independent whole body monitoring programmes in various parts of the United Kingdom, including Wales. Considered alongside the controls introduced on the movement and slaughter of sheep in certain areas, these fully demonstrate the high degree of protection afforded to consumers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to reduce the agricultural pollution of rivers in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The dangers of pollution from farms are being continually brought to the notice of farmers in Wales by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service. It also offers free advice on what steps should be taken to minimise the risk of pollution. Capital grants are available under the agriculture improvement scheme for the handling, storage and treatment of agricultural wastes. Plans are in hand to stage a major demonstration in Dyfed in early 1989 on the avoidance of agricultural pollution. ADAS and the Welsh water authority are co-operating in staging that event.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the future of the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service in Wales.

The Agricultural Development and Advisory Service is a part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and operates in Wales as the agent of the Secretary of State for Wales. These arrangements will be kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he plans with consumer organisations in Wales about the use of bovine somatotropin; and if he will make a statement.

I have no plans to discuss the use of bovine somatotropin with consumer organisations in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how he proposes to assist the sheep sector in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The sheepmeat sector in Wales is buoyant. Discussions on future support arrangements in the review of the sheepmeat regime are proceeding. We will continue to resist changes which would discriminate against our interests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how he plans to increase the funding of research in agriculture in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I have no such plans. We are looking at the funding of research in agriculture, and discussions are in progress with representatives of the individual sectors of the industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are employed in agricultural research stations in Wales.

As at 1 June 1988 the Agricultural and Food Research Council's Welsh plant breeding station employed 226 people. In addition ADAS employs 44 people at its experimental husbandry farm at Trawsgoed/Pwllpeiran.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when construction of the slurry tank begun on Ciliau Moor common; and when it became apparent that building consent would be required.

My Department first became aware that consent was required for carrying out these works on 7 October 1987. However, I am given to understand that work on the construction originally began in August 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales who were the builders of the slurry tank on Ciliau Moor common.

This information is not known to my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which individuals and organisations were consulted prior to consent being given for the construction of a slurry tank on Ciliau Moor common; and on what dates they were approached.

I wrote to the Open Spaces Society and Countryside Commission on 29 January 1988 to seek their views.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 27 June, if he will place in the Library a copy of the consultants' report commissioned by his Department in 1986 into the redevelopment of Cardiff.

A copy of the report prepared by Jones Lang Wootton is already available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about future funding arrangements for the extra-mural departments of the University of Wales.

In a written answer given in another place on 15 December 1987 Baroness Hooper announced that the Government had decided to transfer responsibility for funding the extra-mural departments of the English universities to the Universities Funding Council proposed in the Education Reform Bill, and that a decision about the funding of the extra-mural departments of the University of Wales would be announced later. After

Exchequer subsidies (£ thousand)	Rate fund contributions (£ thousand)	Exchequer subsidies per dwelling (£)	Rate fund contributions per dwelling (£)
34,624	11,939	122·35	42·19

A reduction then took place reflecting the Government's decision to increase the proportion of resources available for capital expenditure on housing rather than current expenditure.

	Exchequer subsidies (£ thousand)	Rate fund contributions (£ thousand)	Exchequer subsidies per dwelling (£)	Rate fund contributions per dwelling (£)
1982–83	10,102	12,105	37·21	44·59
1983–84	8,832	8,767	33·65	33·40
1984–85	7,104	6,059	27·59	23·53
1985–86	10,024	5,178	39·08	20·19
1986–87	9,999	4,515	39·14	17·67
1987–88	11,762	6,338	46·95	25·30

The information shown in the tables is based on estimates from the housing subsidy claim form. The table shows gross rate fund contributions (including contributions to the administration of rent rebates) to the housing revenue account.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to ensure (a) that all the relevant local authorities in Wales are financially able to discharge in full their statutory duties under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, and (b) that their duties under the Act are being fully discharged by all local authorities.

[holding answer 29 June 1988]: Responsibility for implementing the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act lies with local authorities. We do not allocate resources to specific functions of social services departments and it is not practicable separately to identify the total amount spent on services under the Act. However, the Department receives regular returns on consideration, and taking into account the views of the directors of the four Welsh extra-mural departments, it has been decided that responsibility for funding the extra-mural departments of the University of Wales should also be transferred from the Welsh Office to the Universities Funding Council. Discussions are being initiated with the University Grants Committee and the directors of the four extra-mural departments about the detailed arrangements for the transfer of responsibility to the UFC from 1 April 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the value of the Exchequer subsidies and rate fund contributions, respectively, to Welsh local authority housing revenue account dwellings in total, and on a per dwelling basis for the years 1978–79 to 1987–88.

[holding answer 27 June 1988]: Housing subsidy up to 1980–81 was paid under a different system. In 1981–82 the figures were:Thereafter the figures have been:certain services provided under the Act in addition to information from a number of sources, including the Department's social work services division. While the level of expenditure on social services is a matter for individual local authorities to determine, notional provision for social services in Wales has increased by 77 per cent. in cash terms since 1981–82 (the start of the separate Welsh rate support grant system) and by 26 per cent. at constant prices. Moreover, full consideration is given to the annual level of social services expenditure by the expenditure sub-group of the Welsh consultative council on local government finance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he is considering in the light of those aspects of the report prepared by Her Majesty's pollution inspectorate on waste tip and gas explosion dangers, which have implications for his responsibilities in Wales; whether a similar survey has been conducted in Wales; and if he will make a statement on the scale of the dangers in Wales and the remedial measures he proposed to take.

[holding answer 29 June 1988]: Wales was included in the survey. The responses from local authorities are receiving consideration and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution will report to me shortly. The inspectorate has issued interim advice which will be followed by detailed guidance on the measures site licences should require for the proper management of landfill gas.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what estimate he has made to the extra cost to public funds in the event of those Members retiring at the general election in 1987 who were aged between 64 and 69 years being entitled to resettlement grants; and how many Members who retired then were aged between 64 and 69 years.

The existing arrangements provide that resettlement grants can be paid to Members aged under 65 who leave the House at a general election. At the 1987 general election 27 Members aged 65 to 69 left the House. On the assumption that the level of the resettlement grant payable was that applicable to those aged 55 to 64 years, the additional cost would have been £476,930.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what was the cost to public funds at the 1987 general election of resettlement grants paid to Members (a) who retired or (b) lost their seats; and what would have been the total cost of a resettlement grant based on a payment of one month's salary for each year of completed service.

At the 1987 general election resettlement grants totalling £702,630 were paid to Members who retired and £372,220 to Members who lost their seats. If these resettlement grants had been payable at the rate of one month's salary for each completed year of service the total cost would have been £1,648,042.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many Members not retiring but losing their seats at the last general election received less than one month's pay for each year of service.

Sixteen Members who lost their seats at the 1987 general election received resettlement grants which represented less than one month's salary for each year of service.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many Members losing their seats at the last election and receiving resettlement grants were aged (a) 40 to 45 years, (b) 45 to 50 years, (c) 50 to 55 years, (d) 55 to 60 years and (e) 60 to 65 years.

The number of Members in each of the age ranges specified who lost their seats at the 1987 general election and who received a resettlement grant is as follows:

Age	Number
40 to under 45	11
45 to under 50	6
50 to under 55	8
55 to under 60	3
60 to under 65	2

To ask the Lord President of the Council what was the cost of the resettlement grants allocated after the 1987 election as a percentage cost of the total Members' salaries from June 1983 to June 1987.

The cost of resettlement grants paid following the 1987 general election was £1·07 million, which is approximately 2·5 per cent. of £42·55 million, the total of all Members' salaries paid during the 1983–87 Parliament.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much regional development grant was received by the British Steel Corporation between June 1979 and the latest available date; if he will list the steel works receiving such grant with the amounts given; and if he will make a statement.

Details of payments of regional development grants above certain thresholds are published in British Business. The details published are: under the original RDG scheme, individual payments which exceed £25,000 showing the employment office area concerned; and under the revised scheme, payments to individual undertakings in a travel-to-work area which cumulatively exceed £25,000 in any one quarter. Payments of RDG to the British Steel Corporation published in British Business for the period 1 July 1979 to 31 March 1988 totalled some £190 million. In addition, BSC will have benefited from RDG paid to leasing companies in respect of assets leased to the corporation. Information on these payments, and on payments to individual works, is not readily available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the investment performance and international competitiveness of the British electronics industry.

The United Kingdom electronics industry is a profitable and growing sector which has benefited from the enterprise policies followed by this Government. It invests heavily and has a strong competitive position in a number of areas of the world market. United Kingdom R and D expenditure in the electronics and IT area increased from £1,235 million in 1981 to £1,936 million in 1986. During that period net capital expenditure by the sector increased from £364 million to £657 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information he has concerning the manufacture in the United Kingdom of skin-lightening cosmetics containing either mercury or hydroquinone; what restrictions exist concerning the sale of these products; whether he has received any representations about the export of such products to Nigeria; and if he will make a statement.

The supply of mercury soap and skin lightening creams, and so on, containing more than 2 per cent. hydroquinone is prohibited in the EC. I have not received any representations about the export of such products to Nigeria, but I have stopped the export of mercury soap from Britain to the Third world. Until recently a small number of British firms were producing and exporting it. I shall also be asking the industry not to export to the Third world skin lightening creams, and so on, containing more than 2 per cent. hydroquinone and to ensure that these products carry the warning labels required by law for sale in the EC.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who represented his Department at the International Tropical Timber Organisation conference in Rio de Janeiro; what proposals they put; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 29 June 1988]: The United Kingdom is being represented at the current International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) conference by officials from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Overseas Development Administration. The United Kingdom supports the objectives of the International Tropical Timber Agreement, of which the ITTO is the administrative arm. The objectives balance conservation and trade expansion and diversification. The United Kingdom was one of the first signatories of the agreement under which ITTO was established.

To ask the Prime Minister what is her response to the conclusion in the fourth report of the Select Committee on Defence of Session 1987–88 that the decline in the British merchant fleet has alarming implications for the United Kingdom's national and collective security and that only she is in a position to take a broad overview of a national maritime policy.

The Government will be responding to the conclusions in the Defence Committee's report in due course, but I can assure my hon. Friend that I and my ministerial colleagues have regularly examined the implications of the decline of the British merchant fleet in recent years and have already introduced a number of measures designed to safeguard the national interest.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will seek to pay an official visit to north Devon during the next 12 months.

I have at present no plans to do so

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 30 June.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 30 June.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 30 June.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 30 June.

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

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that the collection of the cereal co-responsibility levy will be effectively policed to present avoidance by misrepresentation of goods and failure to record transactions, so as to avoid discrimination against merchants, processors, and farmer suppliers who obey the law.

Under arrangements coming into effect on 1 July, those responsible for collecting the cereals co-responsibility levy will be required to register with the Intervention Board, keep records of their grain transactions and make them available for official inspection. Failure to comply with these requirements will be punishable by a fine of up to £2,000 for each offence.In addition there will be regular inspection visits in order to ensure that records are kept and the levy paid in full.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he will take to ensure that any proposal to import domestic waste from other countries into the United Kingdom will satisfy the requirements of the Importation of Animal Products and Poultry Products Order 1980; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what factors he takes into account when considering licence applications under the Importation of Animal Products and Poultry Products Order.

In considering applications for new licence under the Importation of Animal Products and Poultry Products Order 1980, particular account is taken of the animal health status of the exporting country, the nature of the product concerned and its potential to carry disease, so that possible disease risks may be assessed. No licence to import domestic waste will be granted unless we can be satisfied that there are adequate safeguards against such risks.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with consumer organisations about the use of bovine somatotropin.

None.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will consider extending controls over the use of nutrition claims in food labelling and advertising; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware of the strong consumer interest in diet and health which has led to a new generation of nutrition claims for many food products. Such claims can have a disproportionate impact upon consumers, undermining the numerical information given in accordance with our voluntary nutrition labelling guidelines, and can mislead consumers not least because the messages are not consistent across all foods. I am also aware that the industry would find guidance on the criteria to be used in establishing such claims useful in the labelling and marketing of their products. The Food Advisory Committee (FAC) has therefore considered this issue in detail and I have now received the committee's advice, for which I am most grateful.The FAC has concluded that there is a need for controls and that it may be sensible for these to be drawn up along the lines of the existing claims provisions in the Food Labelling Regulations 1984, which already cover certain nutrients such as protein, polyunsaturates, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.I am, however, aware that any legislation may mean changes for some food manufacturers and retailers wishing to make nutrition claims. It is not my intention to impose any unreasonable burdens on the industry, but, at the same time, I wish to ensure that consumers are protected and have adequate information to make choices. I am therefore arranging for the FAC's advice to be sent to the representative organisations of all the interests concerned to seek their views on the legislative approach and on the particular recommendations. A copy of the FAC advice has been placed in the Library of the House.My colleagues in the Health and Agriculture Departments share my views on this, and consultations with the interested organisations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also be undertaken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the mean blood-alcohol concentration of drivers killed in road traffic accidents in Scotland.

The mean blood alcohol concentration of drivers who have died within 12 hours of a road accident in Scotland for 1986 (latest figures) is estimated to be around 50 mg per 100 ml.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the mean blood-alcohol concentration of pedestrians killed in road traffic accidents in Scotland.

The mean blood alcohol concentration of pedestrians aged 16 and over who have died within 12 hours of a road accident in Scotland for 1986 (latest figures) is estimated to be around 110 mg per 100 ml.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his reply of 27 May, Official Report, column 363, he is able to say when the second report relevant to pre-court diversion schemes is likely to be received by his Department.

The second report is expected during the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to abolish the present 40 per cent. relief for non-domestic rates.

At present industrial derating, at the level of 40 per cent., applies to all manufacturing industry in Scotland. We have made it clear that industrial derating will continue to have a place in Scotland until the reform of the non-domestic rating system is complete. The appropriate level of derating after 1990 will be considered in the light of the results of the forthcoming revaluation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all teaching hospitals in Scotland, showing their locations.

Information on teaching hospitals and their location in Scotland is contained in the publication "Scottish Health Service Costs", which is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will establish a full independent inquiry into the Scottish prison service that will consider the length of sentences, the impact of fine defaulters on the system, the use of remand by the courts, the needs of drug and alcohol abusers, and the role and purpose of the present authorities.

No. An inquiry of this kind would be very protracted and unnecessarily delay initiatives which the Government have already announced for the Scottish prison service and the penal system as a whole. The activities of the Scottish prison service are closely monitored by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in Scotland and by visiting committees for individual establishments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures he intends to take to improve conditions for the governor, staff and inmates of Peterhead prison.

The main priority at Peterhead is to maintain peace and good order at the establishment in the interests of all staff and inmates. Appropriate and necessary measures to restrict opportunities for attempted disruption and violence have been taken and will be kept under review.The reduced occupancy of Peterhead and the use of E hall, Shotts prison, continue for the time being, but I hope that additional accommodation will become available for use at Peterhead by the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what forces were involved in ending the Peterhead prison siege; and whether such forces will he used in ending any future prison disturbances.

The operational responsibility for dealing with criminal offences, including offences committed in penal establishments, rests with the chief constable concerned. For operational reasons it would not be appropriate to disclose the circumstances in which particular siege incidents are ended, or to speculate on what might be done in future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the relocation of offices and facilities to the northern regions.

As has been stated in the House on several occasions, we are anxious to see a more even spread of defence employment across the regions. Whenever potential opportunities for relocation arise they are carefully considered. However, all proposals must be justified on both economic and operational grounds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under which section the expenditure on the United Kingdom national joint ocean surveillance information centre from defence vote 4 comes.

Although expenditure on class 1, vote 4, is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, I will reply on this occasion. Expenditure on the project to which the hon. Member refers is borne on class I, vote 4, section A.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his policy of non-publication of the value of defence procurement contracts applies in the case of contracts with United States companies whose value has already been publicly announced by the United States Government; and if he will make a statement.

It would be unusual for the United States Government to publish details of prices in individual contracts between my Department and United States companies. Contract price information is regarded as commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many of the redundant Nimrod airborne early warning 3 airframes are to be converted for use as tankers; and what is the estimated cost of this programme;(2) what has been the cost of storage and maintenance of Nimrod airborne early warning 3 aircraft since the cancellation of the Nimrod airborne early warning programme.

Three Nimrod AEW airframes are to be used to provide spares for the Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft, and a fourth as a ground instructional aircraft. Pending a decision on their future use, the remaining aircraft are being maintained in reserve at RAF Waddington. As the task has been absorbed within the RAF's existing manning levels, no additional manpower costs are involved. The only extra costs involved in holding these aircraft in reserve are estimated at about £400,000 per year, chiefly for the heating and lighting of hangars.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flying hours have been flown by Nimrod airborne early warning 3 aircraft since the cancellation of the Nimrod airborne early warning programme; and for what purpose.

Just under 10, comprising pre-delivery test, delivery and positioning flights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of occasions for each year since 1979 that the normal curfew on weekend take-offs and landings at RAF Fairford has been breached; whose authority is required before aircraft are permitted to break the curfew on weekend take-offs and landings at RAF Fairford; and if he will make a statement.

RAF Fairford was made available to the United States air force on the understanding that certain limitations would apply to aircraft operations during peacetime. These included the avoidance, normally, of weekend flying activity. On a few occasions since 1979 weekend sorties have taken place, with the full agreement of the Ministry of Defence, where these have been shown to be necessary for operational or exercise purposes. A record of these sorties is not held centrally. Because of the closure for repairs of the runway at RAF Mildenhall, the MOD agreed to the redeployment of a small number of USAF aircraft to RAF Fairford for approximately six months. During this period, it has been agreed that a limited amount of weekend flying will be permitted to meet operational requirements. Every effort will be made to keep this to a minimum. The new, temporary, arrangements have been publicised locally and notified to the appropriate authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of occasions for each year since 1979 that the normal curfew on Sunday morning take-offs at RAF Mildenhall has been breached; whose authority is required before aircraft are permitted to break the curfew on Sunday morning take-offs at RAF Mildenhall; and if he will make a statement.

There is no such curfew at RAF Mildenhall. However, every effort is made by the United States air force to keep weekend flying to the minimum consistent with the station's operational requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the danger to military aircraft from flying in proximity to high-intensity radio transmissions; and what measures have been implemented to address this problem.

The potential danger to aircraft flying in close proximity to areas of high intensity radio transmissions are well understood by my Department and by the aircrew of the three services. Appropriate instructions are issued and information promulgated to ensure that military flights are undertaken in as safe a manner as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the nature and purpose of the activities at Ouston, Northumberland, from 25 May to 9 June, which resulted in an intense radiation hazard.

During the period 25 May to 9 June a transportable radar, belonging to the Royal Air Force, was deployed for exercise training to a site near Ouston, Northumberland. During the course of the exercise the equipment was activated but no personnel, military or civil, were exposed to any danger.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial contribution is being made by Her Majesty's Government towards the Belgian purchase of the Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

I understand that Belgium currently has no plans to purchase Patriot systems.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the purpose and function of the defence microbiology division at the Chemical Defence Establishment, Porton Down; what is the annual budget of the defence microbiology division; when the defence microbiology division was set up; and if he will make a statement.