To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has received from people living in the corridor delineated by British Rail for routes 1 and 2 for the proposed high speed rail link to the Channel tunnel, concerning the levels of compensation payable to people disturbed by the introduction of new high speed railway lines, and the mechanisms for deciding such compensation; and what plans she has for reviewing the relevant legislation.

As far as I am aware I have received one representation which raised this issue. I have no reason to believe that the existing levels of compensation provided for in the Land Compensation Acts, and the mechanisms for deciding it, are inadequate.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to her answers of 19 October, Official Report, column 855, and 24 October, column 16, and the answer of the Minister of State for the Armed Forces of 19 October, Official Report, column 860, if she will explain the relationship between the estimated costs figure of £174,000 for her Australian visit and the estimated charge of £195,000 for the RAF VC10.

The provisional estimate of the cost of my Australian visit that I gave in my answer of 19 October was based on estimates of the costs of the RAF VC-l0 (given by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces in his answer of 19 October) and of communications, accommodation and ancillary costs incurred by the official party. In arriving at the figure of £174,000 allowance was made for the recoveries expected to be made from journalists and others who also travelled on the VC-10.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to her reply of 2 November to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with respect to the book "Spycatcher", how many copies were ordered; in which country they were obtained; which edition or editions were obtained: how much was expended in their purchase and postal or other costs; and whether any measures were taken to prevent royalties from these purchases accruing to Peter Wright.

I have nothing to add to the reply that I gave to the right hon. Member on 2 November at column 641.

To ask the Prime Minister if, pursuant to the answer of 1 November, she will give an analysis of the figure of £213,318 spent to date in 1988–89 on furnishings and decorations in 10 Downing street.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement about the chairmanship of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

Sir Peter Matthews has advised me that he will wish to retire as chairman of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body after it has completed its next report in 1989. I take this opportunity of expressing the Government's gratitude to Sir Peter for his service as chairman of that review body since 1984.I am glad to be able to announce that Mr. Peter Cazalet has agreed to take over the chairmanship from Sir Peter Matthews from 1 April 1989 for a period of three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children and adults have been recorded as autistic by each local education authority; what special provision is made by them to cater for their special needs; and what contribution is made by his Department and by charitable bodies.

This information is not available. School children in England have not been classified in accordance with categories of handicap since 1983 and further education students have never been so classified. LEAs must make provision for all schoolchildren with special educational needs in accordance with the Education Act 1981. This provision may include placement in one of 14 independent schools in England which are run by the National Autistic Society or local autistic societies. In securing adequate facilities for further education in their areas, LEAs must have regard to the requirements of persons with learning difficulties. A two-year research project into autism, funded jointly by my Department and the Department of Health, began on 1 May 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will give the number of academic departments in United Kingdom universities and polytechnics which have been closed since May 1979;(2) what information is available to his Department from the universities and polytechnics and college funding councils as to the number of academic departments in United Kingdom universities and polytechnics which have closed since May 1979.

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is yet in a position to announce his decision on the proposal that the British Geological Survey should cease to be under the auspices of the Natural Environment Research Council; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. As Sir Clifford Butler's report recognised, the British Geological Survey is an important national resource whose primary function is to meet national surveying needs. It will remain within the responsibilities of my Department and as part of the Natural Environment Research Council. But changes and developments are needed. I accept the concept of a core programme of surveying as recommended by Butler; and, within this, the centrality of the National Geosciences Data Centre. Further work is needed to define that programme, having regard to the priority needs of users both in the private and public sectors; and to examine the survey's future financial and funding arrangements, including such matters as charging for goods and services. Pending completion of this further work, I am making available for the survey, through the NERC, an additional £3 million in 1989–90, with planning additions of £4 million in 1900–91 and £5 million in 1991–92. These planning figures will be subject to review in the normal way through the annual Public Expenditure Survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will issue guidelines to local education authorities on the availability of lists of parents' names and addresses to parents of children in schools considering opted-out or city technology status.

The Education Reform Act 1988 requires the governing body of a school to provide a list of the names and addresses of parents of registered pupils at the school, on request, to any such parent seeking the list in connection with a possible application by the school to become grant-maintained. Parents may ask the governing body to exclude their names and addresses from the list they release. The Department has recently issued guidance on this matter for local education authorities and others in Circular 10/88 and in the booklet, "School Governors: How to Become A Grant-Maintained School". Parallel arrangements for city technology colleges would not be appropriate since these are independent schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to introduce more schools into the assisted places scheme.

Subject to the satisfactory completion of participation agreements, 52 additional schools will be joining the assisted places scheme from September 1989. The schools concerned are all of the high quality required for participation in the APS. I am confident that they will enhance this successful and popular scheme which is now on course to reach 35,000 places by the mid-1990s.

To ask the Attorney-General if there are to be any prosecutions arising from the recent police investigations into allegations of fraud among senior British Rail management in London and Scotland in relation to privatised contracts; and if he will make a statement.

In consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service fraud investigation group, officers of the British Transport police are inquiring into certain allegations of crime involving British Rail in England and Wales. The inquiries are at an early stage and no prosecution decision can be taken until they are complete. The prosecution of offences in Scotland is a matter for my Noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will introduce legislation to make it unlawful for foster parents who have made application to adopt the child in their care to change the surname of the child before consent to the adoption has been given by the judge.

I have been asked to reply.We are sympathetic to making changes in this direction.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what review is taking place of the collection of statistics undertaken by his Department; with whom officials are consulting in the review; when he expects to make any public statement about the outcome of the review; and what representations he has received.

The review of DTI statistics was announced on 22 June 1988 in the Government's response to the Treasury and Civil Service Committee report on the 1988 Budget. (House of Commons Paper 541.) The terms of reference for the review were published in British Business on 12 August 1988.The review is being conducted as an efficiency scrutiny. The scrutiny team is consulting widely, including statisticians responsible for individual surveys, users of DTI statistics and providers of statistics. The team is due to report at the end of December and any public announcement would be made after then. The scrutiny team will continue to consider the views of interested parties. No representations about the scrutiny itself have been made to my Department. However, a number of representations have been received from industry and commerce about the availability of statistics of trade with EC member states after 1992. A framework regulation concerning these statistics is in the final stages of preparation and is expected to go before the Council of Ministers within the next two months; a copy will be deposited in the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information he has received from the European Commission regarding the Belgian Government's compliance with the Commission's decision of 27 June 1984 and the European Court of Justice judgment of 9 April 1987, concerning the required repayment of aid of £3·7 million by a subsidiary of Beaulieu, a Belgian carpet manufacturer.

[holding answer 1 November 1988]: I understand the European Commission has now required the Belgian Government to recover the aid from the subsidiary of Beaulieu by the end of next month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of new jobs to result from new factory projects and extensions to existing factories in Wales already announced during 1988; and if he will make a statement.

The factory building programmes for 1988–89 announced earlier this year for the Welsh Development Agency and Mid Wales Development have the potential to accommodate over 4,800 jobs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what annual salaries are paid to each of the following (a) chairman, Land Authority for Wales, (b) vice-chairman, Land Authority for Wales, (c) chairman, Cardiff Bay development corporation, (d) chairman, Housing for Wales and (e) members of the Welsh Development Agency.

The information is as follows:

Post	Salary £
(a) Chairman, Land Authority for Wales	24,008
(b) Deputy chairman, Land Authority for Wales	6,816
(c) Chairman, Cardiff Bay Development Corporation	24,290
(d) Chairman, Housing for Wales1	22,135
(e) Members of the Welsh Development Agency	4,825
1 Subject to parliamentary approval of the proposals for Housing for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to stimulate the growth of microenterprises in developing countries.

We are able to provide support in this area both directly through the bilateral country programme and also through our contributions to selected non-governmental organisations working in developing countries. Recent examples include support for microenterprises in two Indian urban projects, for handicrafts in Zimbabwe and for small industries in St. Helena and Mozambique.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's support for development projects in China.

I visited China in September to sign a new agreement on concessional financing arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the provision of development assistance to Kampuchea.

We have received numerous inquiries from hon. Members, voluntary agencies and members of the public about aid to Cambodia. I set out our policy on this issue in reply to the hon. Member for Monklands, West (Mr. Clarke) on 28 July, at column 697. As I said then, we are contributing £100,000 to the Food and Agriculture Organisation/World Food Programme appeal for Cambodia. Last month I announced an additional allocation of £500,000 to support projects, including humanitarian projects in Cambodia, proposed by British voluntary agencies for assistance under the joint funding scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid the United Kingdom has given to Nicaragua to date in the wake of Hurricane Joan.

Including our share of European Community emergency aid, total British disaster relief stands at £346,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will increase the amount of aid spent on projects which restore, protect and improve the ecological basis for development including those which build up the environmental capability of Ministries and personnel in small countries.

Allocations to particular projects and sectors within our country programmes are agreed with recipient Governments and this involves weighing up competing priorities. I aim to agree with these Governments more support to the forestry sector and the institutions responsible for it; this will help ecologically in a number of ways, including the protection of watersheds and halting of desertification.

To ask the Secretary of State far Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will increase the number of staff at the Overseas Development Administration dealing with social and environmental aspects of aid.

The number of social development advisers has increased from two to four over the last year and an associate professional has just been appointed.All project managers have responsibility for the environmental aspects of aid which must be addressed at the earliest stage of the project cycle. Environmental advice to the Department has recently been strengthened by a formal link with the International Institute for Environment and Development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to call on the European Commission aid organisations to devote more staff and resources to environmentally sustainable projects.

At the recent opening of negotiations for a successor to the present Lome convention the Community made clear the importance it attached to the protection of the environment and reaffirmed its willingness to step up co-operation with its African, Caribbean and Pacific partners in this field.The Government are concerned that the European Commission, which manages Community aid, should make the best use of its resources to cover environmental concerns; currently the Overseas Development Administration is financing a foresty expert to work with the Commission's own staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest information regarding the damages to the Nicaraguan economy and people by the recent hurricane; and what is the most urgent aid needed by the Nicaraguans, especially the English-speaking Nicaraguans on the Atlantic coast.

The latest information we have is that 29,000 houses, 66 bridges, 24 roads and 300 schools were damaged or destroyed. One hundred and sixteen people are reported dead and 278 badly injured.The most urgent aid required, particularly in the Bluefields area, is for contributions towards the replacement or major repair of housing which has suffered the most severe damage. We have given £60,000 to OXFAM for the supply of zinc sheeting to Bluefields. This would form part of the £250,000 which we have offered to Nicaragua for disaster relief.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what instructions he has given to the United Kingdom representative to the Co-ordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Control in Paris regarding the application by the Federal Republic of Germany that high temperature nuclear reactor technology be given permission to be exported to the Soviet Union.

The West German authorities have yet to submit any application to COCOM for such an export of a high temperature nuclear reactor to the USSR. Were they to do so, relevant officials would examine the specifications of the equipment involved in the usual way to assess whether we considered it to be acceptable in security terms. We would then be in a position to issue instructions to the United Kingdom delegate to COCOM.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make urgent representations to the Soviet Government about their decision to withdraw the exit visa granted to Boris Chernobilsky.

Mr. Chernobilsky has not yet been granted a visa, but has been asked to provide further documentation to support his application. We are following this case closely and will certainly take it up again if Mr. Chernobilsky is not granted an exit visa.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the location of staff, number of offices and expenditure by the British Council in South Africa.

The British Council has the following offices in South Africa.

	Staff
	London appointed	Locally engaged
Johannesburg	3	9
Cape Town	1	3

Estimated expenditure for 1988–89
	£'000
Gross main local budget (including staff costs)	577
Agency funds administered on behalf of others (mainly ODA)	3,224

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the location of staff, number of offices and expenditure by the British Council in the Caribbean.

The British Council has no offices in the Caribbean. In 1988–89 a total of £31,500 has been allocated for academic exchange and arts events. The council also administers £3 million on behalf of others (mainly ODA); manages a World Bank-funded technical assistance programme worth £126 million in Barbados and administers a privately-funded fellowship training programme worth £257,000 in Guyana.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in his assessment of middle east policy, he has made any assessment as to the affiliation of those responsible for the recent fire bombing of a bus near Jericho.

No.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will review the rules relating to the application procedures for ewe premium claims.

The rules governing applications for sheep annual premium are laid down in EC regulations. We keep under review the way in which these rules are implemented in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what level of import duty or tax is applied to foreign apples coming from outside the EEC; and if he will make a statement.

The common customs tariff of the Community in respect of third country apples is as follows:

	Per cent. ad valorem
1 August-31 December	14
1 January-31 March	8
1 April-31 July	6

In addition countervailing charges may be levied under the reference price system.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current wholesale price of apples in London expressed in pence per pound.

The average wholesale prices of the main varieties of apples currently on sale in London are set out in the table. These figures are an average of the most usual prices recorded at New Covent Garden market for the week ending 2 November 1988.

Country of origin and variety of apple	Class	Pence per pound
United Kingdom
Cox's Orange	I	22·7
	II	16·9
Egremont Russet	I	22·5
	II	15·0
Laxton's Superb	II	11·0
Spartan	I	18·8
	II	11·9
Bramley Seedling	I	14·2
	II	10·8
Howgate Wonder	II	7·5
France
Golden Delicious	I	18·0
Granny Smith	1	17·0
Netherlands
Cox's Orange	1	25·0
Elstar	1	14·3
Jonagold	1	18·1
Belgium
Cox's Orange	1	16·7
Jonagold	1	24·4
West Germany
Cox's Orange	1	18·0
United Stales of America
Red Delicious	1	35·2
1 Prices not collected by class.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current policy of the EEC on the growing and marketing of apples.

The EC policy on the growing and marketing of apples forms part of its general policy on fruit and vegetables, and is set out as follows in Council regulation (EC) 1035/72:

"the achievement of a balance between supply and demand at fair prices to the producer, account being taken of trade with third countries, while encouraging specialisation within the Community".

These aims are implemented through a system of quality standards designed to improve the product, to guide production to meet consumers' requirements and to facilitate trade, and through measures to facilitate the formation of producer groups, as well as through a limited system of price support, export refunds, and import charges.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what measures his Department is proposing to take to protect Filipino women resident in the United Kingdom as a result of arranged marriages through commercial marriage bureaux who are subsequently deserted by their British husbands;(2) what steps his Department is taking to monitor and regulate the activities of British-based marriage bureaux who are operating in the Philippines and other developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Relevant provisions are already in place under the immigration rules. As a result of the Immigration Act 1988, the rules have since August provided that neither a husband nor a wife may be admitted to the United Kingdom as the spouse of any person (including British citizens) settled here unless the entry clearance officer is satisfied that the marriage was not entered into primarily to obtain admission to this country and that the couple intend to live together permanently as husband and wife.Persons admitted as spouses are given leave to remain for 12 months in the first instance. At the end of that period, a spouse may be given indefinite leave to remain provided that the marriage has not been terminated and the intention of the parties remains to live together permanently as husband and wife. If the marriage is not subsisting at the end of that period, an application for further leave to remain may be refused. Each case is, however, considered on its merits.The Government have no present plans either to change the rules in this respect or for legislation in respect of marriage bureaux.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when the ministerial group on women's issues will next be meeting; whether the group will be meeting at regular intervals; and whether scrutiny, for direct or indirect sex discrimination in past and present legislation will be a future agenda item for the group;(2) whether the ministerial group on women's issues consulted with the Equal Opportunities Commission, appropriate trade unions, or other equal opportunities expert opinion from the United Kingdom and the European Community before drawing up the proofing system and checklist which will be used to identify direct or indirect discrimination against women in future Government legislation; and whether he will publish the proofing checklist;(3) how the operation of the proofing system, recommended by the ministerial group on women's issues, will be monitored and reviewed;(4) how may training hours and days have been allocated for the staff awareness seminars recommended by the ministerial group on women's issues.

The ministerial group on women's issues will next meet in February 1989. The function of the group is to co-ordinate policy issues of special concern to women, including the practical effect of legislation. At its meetings on 24 October, the group endorsed model guidance on "equal opportunity proofing" and a checklist for staff of Government Departments. These were prepared after discussion with the Equal Opportunities Commission. A copy of the model guidance and the checklist has been placed in the Library.The ministerial group will keep its operation under review to see whether any changes are required in the light of experience. In addition, the Civil Service college is running a one-day pilot seminar on equal opportunity proofing in the new year and it will be repeated on future occasions to meet departmental needs. The ministerial group is also asking departmental trainers to liaise with the college in order to incorporate appropriate guidance in their own training courses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the progress of police inquiries into allegations of fraud by senior managers involving contracts put out to private tender by British Rail; and if he will list the contracts involved.

No. I understand that inquiries are being carried out by the British Transport police, for whom my right hon. Friend has no responsibility.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was (a) the sentenced and (b) the remand population for all prisons in England and Wales and for the latest date available;(2) how many females are currently being held in prison establishments under sentence in England and Wales.

The information is given in the following table. On the same date, 1,742 males and 50 females, most of whom were likely to be remand prisoners, were held in police cells.

Population of Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 30 September 1988: by type of prisoner and sex
Type of prisoner	Males	Females	Persons
Remand	9,431	438	9,869
Sentenced	36,666	1,239	37,905
Non-criminal	216	15	231
Total	46,313	1,692	48,005

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the certified normal accommodation and actual population for each local prison in England and Wales, for the latest date available.

On Friday 4 November the certified normal accommodation (CNA) and population of each local prison in England and Wales was as follows:

Local prison	Certified normal accommodation	Population
Bedford	178	339
Birmingham	592	1,094
Bristol	554	621
Brixton	729	1,085
Camp Hill1	12	3
Canterbury	230	343
Cardiff	253	399
Chelmsford	242	385
Dorchester	132	154
Durham	675	1,060
Exeter	254	336
Gloucester	193	269
Holloway	517	470
Hull	284	472
Leeds	642	1,252
Leicester	204	389
Lewes	229	432
Lincoln	391	698
Liverpool	970	1,419
Manchester	970	1,585
New Hall	95	78
Norwich	225	274
Oxford	127	219
Pentonville	624	818
Preston1	152	164
Reading	178	285
Risley	406	601
Shrewsbury	174	305
Swansea	174	236
Wandsworth	1,254	1,444
Winchester	420	554
Wormwood Scrubs	828	776
1 Local prison accommodation in training prisons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were held in police cells on each Friday during September and October in England and Wales.

The number of prisoners held in police cells in England and Wales on the dates specified by the hon. Member were as follows:

	Number
2 September 1988	1,474
9 September 1988	1,575
16 September 1988	1,620
23 September 1988	1,634
30 September 1988	1,792
7 October 1988	1,752
14 October 1988	1,774
21 October 1988	1,811
28 October 1988	1,486

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners who were remanded in police cells were sentenced by the courts without a social inquiry report since 1 January.

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides occurred in prisons in England and Wales in (a) the remand population and (b) the sentenced population during 1988.

Verdicts of suicide have been returned on 17 inmates who died in Prison Department establishments in England and Wales during 1988. Of these inmates, 11 were on remand and six had been sentenced. Inquests have yet to be held on 14 other inmates (of whom seven were on remand and seven were sentenced) who died in Prison Department custody during this period and whose deaths are thought to have been suicide.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attempted suicides occurred in prisons in England and Wales in (a) the remand population and (b) the sentenced population during 1988.

We have received reports of 424 apparent suicide attempts made by inmates in Prison Department custody in England and Wales during 1988. Information on whether these inmates were on remand or sentenced is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women are currently being held under sentence in Durham prison.

On Wednesday 2 November 1988 there were 35 women held under sentence in Durham prison.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to transfer women prisoners held in Durham to all-female establishments.

There are no plans at present to transfer women prisoners held in Durham to all-female establishments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women with their children are currently being held under sentence in prisons in England and Wales.

On 4 November 1988 there were 27 adult women and six young offenders under sentence being held with their children in prison mother and baby units.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made to safeguard the mental and physical health of category A female prisoners held on remand in solitary confinement.

[holding answer 4 November 1988]: No prisoner is held in solitary confinement.The care of the mental and physical health of category A female inmates, as of all other inmates in prison custody, is the responsibility of the medical staff supported by all the resources available to the prison medical services.The conditions in which it is necessary to hold category A female prisoners provide a regime which is as varied and constructive as the needs of security allow, and include opportunities for exercise, recreation and association with others.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to expand (a) the police service, (b) the probation service and (c) the prison service during the financial year 1988–89; and if he will make a statement.

Estimated spending in 1988–89 is £3,800 million for the police, a £310 million increase on 1987–88, and £250 million for the probation service, a £30 million increase on 1987–88. The published estimate for the prison service is £802 million, a £27 million increase over estimated outturn for 1987–88. There is likely to be additional expenditure in the prison service arising from measures to relieve prison overcrowding; and necessary financial provision will be sought through spring Supplementary Estimates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were sentenced to a period of imprisonment in England and Wales during (a) 1986 and (b) 1987.

The information requested can be found in Table 7.1 of "Criminal statistics, England and Wales, 1987" (Cm. 498), copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of persons sentenced to a period of imprisonment in England and Wales in 1986–87 served less than six months.

Following the increase in August 1987 to one half in remission for persons serving sentences of 12 months or less, all persons received with sentences of under 12 months who qualified for full remission would serve under 6 months in custody. In 1986, the latest readily available data, about 60 per cent. of the 67,000 persons received under an immediate custodial sentence had a sentence of under twelve months, and virtually all the 19,000 received in default of payment of a fine. Information about the time served in custody under sentence is published annually in "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (tables 4.11, 5.11 of the latest issue, for 1986 Cm. 210).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners whose country of origin was either (a) the Republic of Ireland or (b) Northern Ireland are currently being held under sentence in gaols in England and Wales.

Citizens of Northern Ireland are not separately identified from other citizens of the United Kingdom. However, on 30 September 1988 about 300 sentenced prisoners in prison service establishments in England and Wales who were citizens of the United Kingdom or whose citizenship was unknown were known to have been born in Northern Ireland.The recording of nationality on the records held centrally for citizens of the Republic of Ireland is not completely reliable because it depends upon the information provided by the prisoner. On 30 September abut 430 sentenced prisoners in establishments in England and Wales were recorded as citizens of or born in the Republic of Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many requests for transfers to gaols in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland have been received from prisoners, currently serving their sentences in England or Wales, in the current year;(2) how many prisoners have been transferred from a gaol in England and Wales to a gaol in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland during 1988.

Since the beginning of the year there have been 48 requests for permanent transfer to establishments in Northern Ireland and 15 for temporary transfer. There have also been 10 requests for permanent transfer to the Republic of Ireland.During the same period six inmates have been accepted for permanent transfer from England and Wales to Northern Ireland and five for temporary transfer. Not all these transfers have yet taken place. Transfers of prisoners to and from the Republic of Ireland will not be possible until the Republic ratifies the European convention on the transfer of sentenced persons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any prison educational classes have been cancelled or curtailed in local or dispersal prisons during 1988.

The unavoidable absence of teachers and the operational requirement of establishments have caused some curtailment or cancellation of classes in these establishments during the past year.

Population1 of prison department establishments in England and Wales on 30 June 1987 by type of prisoner, sex and ethnic origin
	Ethnic origin
Type of prisoner and sex	White	West Indian/Guyanese/African	Indian/Pakistani/Bangledeshi	Chinese/Arab/Mixed origin	Other, not recorded2 (inc. refusals)	Total number of persons in prison department establishments
Males
Untried	6,960	965	225	200	489	8,839
Convicted unsentenced	1,215	134	17	25	73	1,464
Sentenced	32,457	3,284	1,038	696	441	37,916
Non-criminal	123	66	36	16	47	288
All prisoners	40,755	4,449	1,316	937	1,050	48,507
Females
Untried	195	57	4	13	31	300
Convicted unsentenced	50	8	1	3	4	66
Sentenced	1,036	239	34	43	35	1,387
Non-criminal	5	—	—	—	—	5
All prisoners	1,286	304	39	59	70	1,758
1 The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for the latest date available, what was

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of persons who were originally remanded in custody, were eventually given a non-custodial sentence, or were acquitted or not proceeded with during 1986 and 1987.

The information is given in the following table.Persons remanded into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales in 1986 and 1987 who were not given a custodial sentence: by result of court proceedings.

Percentage
	Year of initial remand in custody
	1986	21987
Not guilty or not proceeded against	5	4
Given a non-custodial sentence or freed on rising1	30	27
Ultimate disposal not recorded	13	21
1 Persons freed on rising are those who were sentenced to immediate custody of such length that it had already been served on remand.
2 Provisional figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for the latest date available, what was the ethnic composition of (a) male and (b) female prisoners held under sentence or remand in prisons in England and Wales.

The readily available information is given in the following table. The information is published annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales", table 1.11 of the 1986 issue, Cm. 210, copies of which are in the Library.the number of prisoners held under sentence who were suffering from a recognised mental illness or personality disorder in gaols in England and Wales.

On 31 March 1988, the most recent date for which figures are available, 235 inmates of Prison Department establishments in England and Wales were, in the opinion of medical officers, suffering from mental disorder of a nature or degree which would satisfy the criteria in the Mental Health Act 1983 for detention in hospital for medical treatment. This compared with 345 inmates so reported on 30 September 1987.A total of 156 of the 345 recorded by prison medical officers on 30 September 1987, and 119 of the 235 recorded on 31 March 1988, were under sentence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to abolish the use of custody for 14 to 17-year-olds in England and Wales.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to extend to adult offenders the criteria which must be satisfied before a court may pass a custodial sentence on a person under 21 years of age in England and Wales.

No; but the Green Paper, "Punishment, Custody and the Community" (Cm. 424) published in July, invites comments on the future use of custody and the desirability of defining in legislation the circumstances in which the proposed supervision and restriction order might be used.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans ethnically to monitor sentencing decisions in magistrates' courts and Crown courts in England and Wales.

Because of differences in the gravity of offences and the circumstances of offenders, it is difficult to do this routinely. Research studies provide some information, such as a study of Crown court sentencing which we hope to publish in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will give a definitive answer to the letter from the hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate dated 18 August and acknowledged under reference 21401/88 on 23 August.

I regret that due to an oversight in my private office my reply to the hon. Member was delayed. I have now written to him.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement regarding the recent action taken by the Metropolitan police to reduce the number of unlicensed vehicles on London streets.

The Metropolitan police enforce the law in respect of unlicensed vehicles throughout the year and from time to time mount special campaigns to detect such offences. I understand from the Commissioner that the most recent of these campaigns took place in May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he last met the chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board; if he discussed the proposed closure of the area workshops; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend and I meet frequently with the chairman of the CEGB to discuss a range of subjects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy by how much gas prices have increased in real terms in each of the last five years.

Gas prices to the domestic sector have not increased in real terms in any of the last five years; they have fallen at an average rate of 3·1 per cent. per year.Gas prices to the industrial sector have increased in real terms in only one of the last five years; over the five year period as a whole they have fallen at an average rate of 6·9 per cent. per year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of each distribution company's purchases of power he will require to be supplied from non-fossil fuel sources after privatisation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan) on 11 May 1988 at column 112.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he now expects to announce the details of the Government's proposals to privatise the electricity supply industry.

The Government intend to introduce legislation at the earliest opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he next intends to meet the chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board to discuss the privatisation of the electricity supply industry.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend, the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Franks).

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on his Department's plans to ensure the energy requirements of elderly people are met over the coming winter.

The Government recognise the particular needs of the elderly. This winter my Department will join again in the Government's "Keep Warm Keep Well" campaign. We recognise the importance of the fuel industries' code of practice which protects those in genuine difficulty with their fuel bills.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on progress towards the development of a European Community energy policy; and if he will make a statement.

As I have informed the House, the Energy Council of 9 June was unable to agree conclusions on the Commission's review of Member states' energy policies with regard to the Community's 1995 energy objectives. The review will be reconsidered at the Energy Council tomorrow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what estimate he has made of the economic benefit of the construction and operation of Sizewell B for the local community.

This issue was fully covered in the report of the Sizewell B public inquiry, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the British companies involved on the construction and future operation of Sizewell B, and the total number of personnel employed on the project.

The construction and operation of the Sizewell B PWR is a matter for the CEGB, however, I am advised by the board that a total of 57 contracts have been let to British companies. I am asking the chairman of the CEGB to let my hon. Friend have the names of these companies.The total number of permanent CEGB staff working on the project, in the project management board, is currently 850, with another 1,200 in the design consultants. I understand that there are also over 1,000 contractor's staff on site. The CEGB estimates that the numbers employed on work associated with Sizewell, together with the jobs actually generated on site, will average out at roughly 10,000 jobs per year being created over the seven-year construction period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the productivity figures for British Coal for each of the last three years; and if he will express the figures as a percentage increase-decrease on the previous year's figures.

Productivity increased by 21 per cent. in 1986–87 and by 10 per cent. in 1987–88. The productivity figures are as follows:

	Output per manshift tonnes	Percentage increase over previous year1
1985–86	2·72
1986–87	3·29	+21
1987–88	3·62	+10
1988–89 to date	4·07	+15
1 Provisional data, year to date compared with similar period last year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what plans he has for maintaining high technology energy related research after privatisation of the electricity industry.

I keep electricity research under continuous review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make it his policy to incorporate demand-side management incentives in his electricity privatisation proposals designed to encourage the wider insulation of homes.

No. In most circumstances the best way of promoting energy efficiency is to ensure that individual consumers are free to make informed decisions on whether to invest in conservation or supply in the light of their individual needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will instigate an inquiry into the comparative costs of electricity generated from coal as against nuclear fuel in Britain in the past, currently, and in the future.

No. I understand that the CEGB has agree to provide information on economic comparisons to the Hinkley inquiry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement on the implications for his Department's research and development funding of the impending closure of the Grimethorpe fluidised bed project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will institute an energy audit and energy conservation scheme for households based upon low interest loans administered by building society, bank, local authority, housing trust or other responsible organisations with repayment phased over the investment's pay-back period.

The provision of low- interest loans by financial and other institutions is a matter for their commercial judgment. The Government already operate schemes for improving the energy efficiency of housing by way of the homes insulation scheme and community insulation projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to ensure the continuation of the fluidised bed project at Grimethorpe; and if he will make a statement.

The future of the facility is a matter for British Coal and private industry wishing to exploit the technology.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what contribution his Department is making to research into the energy policy implications of the greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect is a complex and developing subject and the extent to which energy production and use contribute to the effect are not yet clear. The Government, in their commitment to the development of nuclear power and renewable sources, are taking steps to minimise energy's impact upon climatic conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many (a) new drillings have been made and (b) new finds have been discovered in the North sea over the last three years; if he will split the figures between oil and gas, what percentage these new workings represent of the total output: and if he will make a statement.

The total number of wells drilled on the United Kingdom continental shelf since 1985 is as follows:

Year	Number
1985	290
1986	198
1987	256

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if consideration has been given to a proposal that there should be a management purchase of British Coal; and if he will make a statement.

We intend to privatise the coal industry after the next general election. We are currently considering the options; no decisions have yet been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he last met with the chairman of British Coal; and what matters were discussed.

I meet the chairman of British Coal regularly to discuss all aspects of the coal industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what options he is considering for privatisation of the coal industry.

No decisions have yet been made. The Government will look at a wide range of options.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the implications of the rundown of the fast breeder reactor programme at Dounreay for the continued reprocessing of spent fuel in the United Kingdom.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) on 28 July 1988 at column 484.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the average annual cost of heating a two-bedroomed house in (a) south-east England, (b) the west country, (c) the north-east and (d) Scotland.

Table 1 gives the costs of heating a standardised two bedroom house in the four regions requested. For any region the costs will vary according to the type of fuel utilised and the level of house insulation. Table II gives current and price deflated indices for fuel used for domestic heating. In real terms the cost of heating a house (irrespective of the fuel used) is lower in 1988 than at any time since 1981.