To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the percentage of gross national product at factor cost taken by total taxes and social security contributions, respectively, in the current financial year and in 1973.

Total taxes and social security contributions were 33·2 per cent. of gross domestic product at market prices in the financial year 1973–74. The equivalent percentage for 1988–89 implied by the economic forecast published by the Treasury on 1 November is 37·4 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will bring up to date the figures for output per head of the working population given in his answer dated 2 March 1987, Official Report, column 521, including an estimate for the current year; and if he will add broadly comparable figures for 1958, 1963 and 1968 together with the average annual increase between 1958 and 1973, 1973 and 1988, and 1979 and 1988.

The information requested is given in the table:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to the statement of the Paymaster General, Official Report, 24 October, column 122, he will list in the Official Report the names of the current or forthcoming Government publications, notices or statements that will publish information concerning the operation of the new funding mechanisms of the European Economic Communities, as set out in the Official Report, 24 October, column 75.

Information on the Community budget is published in the annual statements on the Community budget, the public expenditure White Paper, the autumn statement and the six-monthly White Papers on developments in the Community, as well as being provided from time to time in statements to Parliament following relevant meetings of the Council of Ministers and in reply to specific questions from hon. and right hon. Members. Information on the budget is also published by the European Commission, for example in its recent publications "Financial Report: 1987" and "The Community Budget: The Facts in Figures".Any proposals for Community legislation will continue to be deposited in Parliament with explanatory memoranda, and once adopted such proposals are published in the official journal of the European Communities which is made available to Parliament. I have already written to the hon. Member, following the debate on 24 October, to explain the position in rather more detail.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the gross payment made to the European Economic Community by the United Kingdom in 1987–88; what sums were received from the European Economic Community; and under what categories the European Economic Community receipts can be classified.

The information requested is set out in the table:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for cash limits on local authority capital spending.

As already announced, the Government plan to introduce with effect from 1990–91 the new public expenditure planning total set out in Command 441 and, subject to the approval of Parliament, a new system to regulate the capital finance of local authorities in England and Wales about which my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales have consulted local government. The Government's broad intention is that, with effect from 1990–91, cash limits should be applied to the sources of finance for local authority capital expenditure which fall within the new planning total. The main existing cash limits on local authority capital spending in England and Wales (DOE/LA1 and WO/LA1) apply to expenditure net of receipts. With the recent surge in receipts, and given the difficulties of predicting future levels of receipts, these cash limits are no longer appropriate as instruments of financial management and control. Subject to consultation with the local authority associations, therefore, the Government propose that these cash limits, and the associated end-year flexibility and penalty arrangements, should be discontinued with effect from the current financial year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many personal equity plans have been taken out in 1988 to date; what was the comparable figure in 1987; what was the total figure for 1987; and what was the original Treasury forecast of take-up for 1987.

[holding answer 2 November 1988]: About 100,000 personal equity plans have been started so far in 1988. The comparable figure for 1987 was about twice that, and the full-year total was over 250,000.When personal equity plans were announced in the 1986 Budget it was recognised that take-up would be heavily influenced by external factors. The estimated cost of the scheme assumed that take-up could reach 500,000 in the first year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the expenditure on child benefit goes to families who pay (i) more and (ii) less in income tax than they receive in child benefit.

[holding answer 1 November 1988]: In 1988–89, child benefit payments are estimated to be about £4·7 billion. Of this, about 70 per cent. will be paid to families whose income tax liability exceeds their child benefit and 30 per cent. will be paid to non-taxpayers and those whose income tax is less than their child benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what instructions have been given to the chairman of the Welsh water authority in respect of setting up shadow organisations to implement plans for privatising the water industry in Wales; who will be responsible for the costs related to this; and on what authority such costs will be incurred.

The Public Utility Transfers and Water Charges Act 1988 gave the Welsh water authority the power to act in relation to proposals for privatisation. The costs incurred are a matter for the authority. I wrote to the chairman of the Welsh water authority on 11 May 1988 inviting him to submit, on behalf of the authority, in accordance with guidelines issued with my letter, a scheme to provide for the separation of the utility functions from those to be transferred to the National Rivers Authority. Copies of the guidelines were laid in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to ensure proper training and recruitment of speech therapists in each area health authority in Wales.

Training in speech therapy is provided in Wales at the South Glamorgan institute of higher education and in England at a number of higher education institutions in the public sector. As with other courses of higher education, students are recruited on a national basis. The South Glamorgan institute trains students from all parts of Wales, but many Welsh students train in England.The recruitment of speech therapists locally is essentially a matter for the district health authority concerned, but my Department does have a strategic role at the all-Wales level in ensuring as far as possible that the identified staffing requirements of the NHS in Wales are met. Speech therapists are among those groups which have been the subject of detailed scrutiny in the first round of the manpower resource planning exercise undertaken by the Health Service in Wales this year. As part of the exercise, initiated by the manpower steering group established by the Department in 1986, health authorities were requested to make projections of future manpower requirements, including demand and supply estimates, over the next decade. A report on the outcome of that first planning round is being finalised, following which consideration will be given to its findings to determine the need and scope for action at the all-Wales and district levels to forestall any projected manpower difficulties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any further plans to improve health care facilities for the elderly at Cardigan hospital; and if he will make a statement.

The facilities at Cardigan hospital are a matter for East Dyfed health authority in the first instance. That authority's strategic plan includes a scheme to improve and co-ordinate services for the elderly in the Cardigan area by, inter alia, providing consultant geriatrician beds and a day hospital at Cardigan hospital. Timing of the implementation of the scheme is a matter for the authority to determine in the light of competing demands and available resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if, in the light of the additional moneys made available to the National Health Service in Wales, he will enable the joint purchase by the Welsh health authorities of two advanced lithotripsy machines to enable Welsh people to undergo treatment in Wales both north and south.

Lithotripsy is a developing technology which is being monitored by the Department. Consideration is presently being given to proposals for the provision of a service in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he will take to ensure that the Central Electricity Generating Board complies with the European Community directive on sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.

Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will continue to be responsible for ensuring that emissions standards are complied with.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if, under the proposals for privatisation of the electricity industry, he will introduce a legal requirement to decommission nuclear power plant and clear the site as soon as practicable.

No. The timing of decommissioning operations is a matter for the nuclear power station operator to consider within the guidelines on safety and environmental protection set by the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate and Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will procure for his Department's library a copy of the analysis, by physicist Richard Webb, concerning the circulation of the cooling gas in advanced gas reactors.

Consideration will be given to procuring, for my Department's library, a copy of the analysis once it has been published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he intends to discuss any security implications with the European Commission following the announcement by Commissioner Mosar to the European Parliament on 26 October that Euratom will publish henceforth an annual safeguards report for public distribution; and how publication of this report will effect confidentiality agreements contained in current Euratom United Kingdom safeguard treaties.

The Commission has made it clear that it will respect the need to protect confidential information when producing any such report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if his proposals for the privatisation of the electricity industry will include any policy on a power station construction programme responding to environmental needs; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will make a statement on the power station construction requirement over the next 20 years; what numbers are expected to be nuclear, gas, oil and coal fuelled; how he expects these to be determined under privatisation; and how he expects environmental considerations and the greenhouse effect to play a part in the programme.

The CEGB envisages that 15·5 GW of new generating capacity will be required in England and Wales by the end of the century. The demand for new plant is expected to increase early in the next century as existing power stations reach the end of their operational lives. Following privatisation, the size and type of new power stations required to meet demand will be a matter for the privatised industry. The CEGB's present plans include the commissioning of four PWRs by the year 2000. Nuclear stations do not contribute to acid rain and have the potential to make an important contribution to containing he United Kingdom's carbon dioxide emissions. However, the impact of the United Kingdom's power stations alone on the worldwide greenhouse effect is small Any new coal-fired power stations would need to be fitted with modern emission control equipment to the requirements of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has given any approvals for the export of plutonium to (a) the United States of America, (b) Japan, (c) European Community Council members states and (d) other European states since May 1979; and if he will list details in the Official Report.

[holding answer 26 October 1988]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad) on 18 February 1987 at column 635. This covered all exports of plutonium other than in gram quantities to the destinations mentioned by the hon. Member. The total amount of such exports between May 1979 and March 1988 was 2,960 kg.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has instructed the Natural Environment Research Council to increase its planned future expenditure on environmental research since 27 September.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to increase spending in higher education on research into environmental issues; and if he will make a statement.

The main elements of public funding for higher education institutions' research on environmental issues are general grants from the University Grants Committee (shortly to be succeeded by the Universities Funding Council) and grants for specific research projects from the Natural Environment Research Council. My right hon. Friend is seeking advice from the Advisory Board for the Research Councils on the distribution between scientific fields of the substantial extra funds for science he announced on 1 November at column 605.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is in a position to make a statement on the progress of the working parties on the national curriculum.

The three subject working groups which my right hon. Friend has set up have reported in good time to enable us to press ahead with our national curriculum objectives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further progress he has made on the introduction of the national curriculum.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr. Latham).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response he has received to the publication of the national curriculum working party report on mathematics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what responses he has had thus far to the report of the national curriculum working party on science.

My right hon. Friend is awaiting advice on his proposals for mathematics and for science from the National Curriculum Council which has statutory responsibility for consultation. The proposals were based on the recommendations of the mathematics and science working groups. The NCC's advice is due by the end of November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the suitability of school teachers' qualifications and training in relation to the implementation of the national curriculum from September 1989.

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 4 November at column 783.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has made any estimate of the number and type of teachers required to teach the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has made any estimates of the number and type of teachers required to teach the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

The national curriculum will change the pattern of demand for teachers. At secondary level, there will be additional demand for teachers in some subjects and a reduction in others. Work on estimating future demand continues all the time, but firm estimates cannot be made until we have a clear picture of national curriculum requirements subject by subject.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of progress towards local management of schools; and if he will make a statement.

I am pleased to say that bids under the education support grant programme show that all local education authorities are working constructively to prepare schemes of local management, for submission to my right hon. Friend by 30 September 1989 for those authorities outside inner London. We are thus on target for approved schemes to start in April 1990 with full implementation from April 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list for each local education authority the figures for truancy for children in secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

This information is not available centrally. Under the Education Acts, responsibility for taking action on truancy rests with local education authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total amount of funding for city technology colleges committed thus far by sponsors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the latest progress of his proposals for city technology colleges.

I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Gentleman to the answer which my right hon. Friend gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Mitchell).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the chairman-designate of the Universities Funding Council to discuss financial arrangements for higher educaton.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the chairman-designate of the Universities Funding Council to discuss university funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he proposes next to meet the chairman and chief executive designates of the Universities Funding Council to discuss the funding of higher education.

We have had discussions on a range of issues with the chairman of the Universities Funding Council, Lord Chilver. These will continue. In addition, my right hon. Friend wrote to him on 31 October to give some general guidance to the council on its funding responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give figures for the number of teachers who will receive training during 1988–89.

An estimated 35,000 students will be undertaking initial teacher training courses of between one and four years duration in universities, polytechnics and colleges in England. All the approximately 400,000 serving teachers in maintained schools in England will have the opportunity of some in-service training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received seeking improvements in the pay and conditions of teachers.

The Department has received approximately 600 letters since last April about the pay and conditions of school teachers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to how many parent governors have been appointed in the Inner London education authority.

There were just under 2,000 parent governor seats to be filled in county and maintained special schools in the Inner London education authority. I understand that virtually all these places have been filled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the cost of the assisted places scheme for each year since its inception; and what is the total cost since the scheme began.

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received concerning the recently published results for the new GCSE examination.

My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations about GCSE examination results. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough and Horncastle (Mr. Leigh).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his Department's assessment of the first year results of the GCSE examination.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a further statement on the progress of the introduction of the GCSE examinations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the way in which the GCSE exams have proceeded.

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough and Horncastle (Mr. Leigh).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to assess the performance of students within Devon education authority at general certificate of secondary education level; and if he will make a statement.

It is for the Devon education authority and individual schools to assess the implications of the GCSE achievements of their pupils for school and local authority policies and practices. I hope that they will have particular regard to the recently published national report on the introduction of the GCSE from Her Majesty's inspectorate, as well as their own monitoring, and consider ways in which they can contribute to improving the GCSE.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response he has received from teachers' organisations concerning the GCSE examinations; and if he will make a statement.

Ministers and officials have had discussions with teacher organisations on the introduction of the GCSE on a number of occasions. I welcome their continuing contribution to improving the GCSE.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to discuss with local education authorities the provision of resources for the GCSE examination; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has discussed the resource implications of the introduction of the GCSE with representatives of the local authorities on a number of occasions. The Government's expenditure plans for 1987–88 and 1988–89 allowed in full for what the local authorities themselves said would be needed. The expenditure plans for 1989–90 announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his autumn statement take account of the continuing needs of schools now that the GCSE has been successfully introduced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he plans to make any alterations in 1989 in the arrangements for the publication of GCSE results.

The issuing of GCSE results is the responsibility of the independent GCSE examining groups. My right hon. Friend has made clear to them that late results cannot be tolerated. The groups have undertaken to improve their administrative arrangements for next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he gives to local education authorities which are in the process of reorganising secondary education about opting out by secondary schools.

My right hon. Friend has made it clear that local education authorities remain responsible for the organisation of educational provision within their areas and should continue to take steps to rationalise provision where appropriate in accordance with the guidance in the Department's circular 3/87. If a school does not have a viable future as a local authority-maintained school its governors are unlikely to be able to convince my right hon. Friend that it would become viable as a grant-maintained school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the current number of schools showing an interest in the opting-out provisions of the Education Act 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his future plans for the salaries of heads, deputy heads and other teachers.

My right hon. Friend gave the interim advisory committee on school teachers' pay and conditions its remit for 1989–90 in September. The remit specifically asked the committee to give advice on what modifications should be made to the pay of heads and deputies, taking into account in particular the introduction of local management schemes for schools. The remit also asked the committee to give advice on what the general pay increase to all teachers should be and what modifications should be made to the system of selective payments. The committee is due to report to my right hon. Friend by mid-February at the latest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the current numbers of students entering universities and polytechnics in the current year; and if he will make a statement.

The numbers of home initial entrants to universities and other higher education institutions in Great Britain in 1987, the latest year for which figures are available, are provisionally estimated at 72,000 and 98,000 respectively. The total is the highest ever, and the Government remain committed to the further widening of access to higher education.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Thurnham).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how he proposes to ensure that the interests of children with special educational needs are represented on school governing bodies.

Governors have a specific responsibility under the 1981 Education Act to ensure that appropriate provision is made for children with special educational needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students are currently enrolled in polytechnics in the United Kingdom; and what are his projections for the numbers for the next five years.

Information for higher education student numbers at polytechnics and colleges in Great Britain is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance he has given to local education authorities regarding priority admission for local pupils to grammar schools which have set an entry standard and are now subject to more open enrolment as a result of the Education Act 1988.

The Department's circular No. 11/188, offering guidance on the admission of pupils to county and voluntary schools, issued to all local education authorities and others concerned on 20 October. Under the provisions of the Education Reform Act, local education authorities and school governors will still be able to operate whatever selection arrangements seem appropriate for deciding which pupils are suitable for a grammar school education, but they will not be able to set an admissions limit for those pupils which is below a school's assessed capacity. If the school does not have the capacity to admit all the eligible applicants, priority may be decided in accordance with any reasonable criteria, published beforehand. Such criteria might, for example, give priority to applicants living nearest to the school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to seek to improve the standards of safety provision in school playgrounds.

Safety standards are primarily the responsibility of the local education authority concerned. My Department has sought information from authorities about safety in school playgrounds; it is not yet clear whether guidance on achieving higher standards of safety is required. The situation is under review in consultation with the Health and Safety Executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the appointment of governing bodies for schools under the terms of the Education Act 1986.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Saffron Walden (Mr. Haselhurst).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to seek to increase the numbers of his senior civil servants who were educated at state schools.

Senior civil servants reach their rank on the basis of their performance. This will continue to be the case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will review the procedures for school closures; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Blackburn, on 20 October, Official Report, column 1000, he will place in the Library a copy of his letter of reply and enclosures relating to school closures and reorganisations.

I am arranging for a copy of my reply and enclosures to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to publish his report on student finance; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to publish his White Paper concerning student loans; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to publish his report on student finance; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his Department's plans with regard to financial support for students in higher and further education.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer my right hon. Friend gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to increase recruitment to the teaching profession; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to increase recruitment to the teaching profession; and if he will make a statement.

The Government already have an energetic campaign, foscused on the secondary shortage subjects, to increase recruitment to teaching. The campaign includes a special bursary of £1,300 for trainee teachers of mathematics, physics, CDT and technology, and vigorous publicity and recruitment activities. The latter are directed by our teaching as a career unit (TASC) which is actively promoting teaching as a career to undergraduates, to school pupils and to older people contemplating a career change.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to meet representatives of local education authorities to discuss the recruitment of teachers; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no such plans at present, but officials hold such meetings from time to time to discuss these matters. Our teacher recruitment activities are spearheaded by the teaching as a career unit (TASC) which operates in conjunction with the local authority associations and whose members work very closely with individual education authorities. The unit has recently completed a series of regional seminars to discuss recruitment policies with authoities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to seek to increase the staying-on rate at the age of 16 years; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to seek to increase the staying-on rate at the age of 16-years; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Members to the reply which my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Mrs. Rumbold) gave to the hon. Members for Burnley (Mr. Pike) and for Barnsley, Central (Mr. Illsley) on 21 June at column 530.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the expenditure on research commissioned by Government Departments, other than through the science budget of the Natural Environment Research Council in 1986–87, 1987–88 and planned for 1988–89, all in 1988–89 prices.

The figures at 1988–89 prices are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science in how many (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) higher schools/colleges/universities (i) Japanese, (ii) Chinese, (iii) Arabic and (iv) Korean will be taught during the current academic year.

The available information is given in the table. It relates to universities, and to polytechnics and other colleges of further and higher education. Comparable information in not available centrally in respect of schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the expenditure in the science budget of the Natural Environment Research Council in 1986–87, 1987–88, and planned for 1988–89 in 1988–89 prices, other than on the British Antarctic Survey.

The science budget spend and planning figures at 1988–89 prices, excluding BAS are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the Natural Environment Research Council; and what matters were discussed.

My right hon. Friend last met members of the council when he visited the royal research vessel Challenger in the pool of London in May. A range of matters concerning the council's activities was discussed. I also refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Wallace).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a further statement on future policy on the funding of scientific research.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 1 November at columns 605–10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will indicate what representations he has received in respect of student loans; and if he will make a statement.

Since 1 July, about 80. The Government's proposals for the future of student support will be published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will bring forward proposals to review the present law relating to school transport.

My right hon. Friend has no such plans at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of places on school governing bodies in secondary schools in England and Wales reserved for parents have been filled; and what training is available to such governors.

The information available so far from local authorities suggests that most schools are successfully filling the places on their governing bodies reserved for parents.The provision of training for governors is the responsibility of local education authorities. The Government will be supporting nearly £5 million of local authority expenditure on governor training through education support grant in the financial year 1989–90. It is also sponsoring specific initiatives to provide training materials and information for governors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to respond to Her Majesty's inspectors' report, "The New Teacher in School," published on 24 October.

My right hon. Friend has already commented in a press release at the time of publication of the report. It is not the practice for him to respond formally to such reports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress of his review of financing of student unions.

I refer to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Mr. Amess) on 26 October at column 213.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of under-graduates in England and Wales in 1987–88 were funded wholly or partially by industry-funded scholarships; and what plans he has to encourage a greater number of such scholarships.

Information about the proportion of students in receipt of industrial scholarships is not available. Students in receipt of mandatory awards may receive sponsorship or scholarship income up to a specified limit without any corresponding reduction in their grant. In keeping with the Government's policy of encouraging links between industry and higher education, the amount of scholarship income which is disregarded in assessing entitlement to grant has been substantially increased in recent years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has produced any estimate of the cost of surplus places in primary and secondary education; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has produced any estimate of the cost of surplus places in (a) primary and (b) secondary education; and if he will make a statement.

The premises-related costs of retaining a surplus primary and secondary place are estimated at £120 and £200 a year, respectively. There are additional but unquantified teaching costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will issue guidelines to universities relating to the temporary release of academics to assist in the exploitation of their research.

No. Such release is a management matter for individual universities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on plans to establish a city technology college in the London borough of Brent.

The London borough of Brent is one of a number of London boroughs being considered with sponsors as a suitable area for the establishment of a city technology college.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make available to inner London boroughs sufficient grant to enable the Inner London education authority voluntary sector funding to continue after April 1990.

It will in general be for the inner London councils to consider what support they will give to the work of education voluntary organisations in inner London after April 1990. The Government are however making available grant of £500,000 a year for three years to the headquarters bodies of voluntary organisations to support their co-ordinating role in inner London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make available sufficient capital grant to allow inner London boroughs to acquire and equip new administrative buildings for their new education functions.

To the extent that their existing accommodation or capital resources are insufficient for the proper housing of their education departments, it will be open to inner London councils to apply to my right hon. Friend for the transfer of suitable ILEA property from April 1990. The Department is arranging discussions with councils to assess their accommodation requirements and the ways in which these might be met; any request for other forms of assistance could be considered only in the light of those assessments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the value of those research proposals graded A by the biochemical ocean flux study of the Natural Environment Research Council which are currently unfunded, which are directly relevant to the absorption of carbon dioxide in the oceans, and to the carbon cycle generally.

I am informed that the cost of unfunded research within phase 1 of the NERC biogeochemical ocean flux study, lasting until March 1992, is £2·7 million. The NERC is committing £6·97 million to the programme and £0·37 million has been obtained externally. All of this work is directly relevant to furthering our understanding of the global carbon cycle and the absorption of carbon dioxide in the oceans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to change the method of setting student fees in higher education; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has received any representations concerning the payment of tuition fees in higher education; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have no proposal to require students in receipt of mandatory awards to meet part of their tuition fees. However, my right hon. Friend is considering the possibility of some shift from block grant to tuition fees in the public funding of higher education institutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice has been given by the Medical Research Council on the effectiveness and cost of neutron and proton therapy by comparison with conventional x-ray therapy in the treatment of cancer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice the Medical Research Council gave on the use of a cyclotron to be used in the treatment of cancer by neutron and proton therapy.

The Medical Research Council is currently undertaking full-scale clinical trials, using neutrons generated from a cyclotron, of the efficacy of neutron therapy in the treatment of cancers. The council will publish substantive conclusions in the early 1990s when the trials have been completed. The council is planning to begin clinical trials of proton therapy, using protons generated from a cyclotron, in 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to take steps to increase the level of funding for Leicester university and polytechnic; and if he will make a statement.

From 1989–90 onwards, the public funding of these institutions will be the resposibility of the Universities Funding Council and the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council under the Education Reform Act 1988. That Act specifically precludes my right hon. Friend from influencing the funding of named institutions without parliamentary authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a further statement on the part which education authorities are playing in the promotion of links between schools and commerce and industry.

Local education authorities are playing an active part in encouraging and facilitating the development of links between schools and businesses. The recent report of the CBI business-education task force suggested that industry should now do more to foster such links, particularly in the light of the forthcoming reduction in school leavers entering the job market.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much was spent per pupil in primary schools in Staffordshire in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how this compares with the figure in 1978–79, at constant prices.

Staffordshire spent an average of £717 per primary pupil in 1978–79 and £880 per primary pupil in 1986–87. The figure for the earlier year has been repriced to 1986–87 prices using the gross domestic product (market prices) deflator.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what responses he has had to the consultation document on qualified teacher status.

Responses to the consultation document on qualified teacher status were requested by 14 October. Over 200 have been received. My right hon. Friend will now give careful consideration to the points raised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schoolchildren resident in the London borough of Brent were being educated in September 1988 in (a) the London borough of Barnet, (b) the London borough of Harrow, (c) the London borough of Brent and (d) elsewhere.

Information about the numbers of school pupils in maintained schools in each local education authority derives from a pupil census carried out in January of each year. As of January 1988, the totals requested were as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much of the increase in the grant for science research will be allocated to the Daresbury laboratory near Warrington.

As my right hon. Friend said in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. James Pawsey) on 1 November at columns 605–10, he will be inviting the Advisory Board for the Research Councils to advise him on the allocation of the money now available. It is of course for the councils themselves to decide the level of funding for their own establishments, including the Daresbury laboratory.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has reconsidered the proposals that schools should pay for museum education services in place of the previous arrangements whereby local education authorities funded such services.

Circular 7/88, issued on 6 September, makes it clear that local education authorities will be free to except from delegation the school-related costs of museum education services under schemes for local management of schools. Where authorities exercise this discretion, they will continue to fund the museum services directly. Where authorities choose to delegate the costs to schools, the schools themselves will decide whether they wish to continue to support the services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he intends to introduce any new initiative to reduce teacher shortages in Greater London.

Our teacher recruitment campaign continues to focus on the areas where shortages are most marked, including London and the south-east. The programme includes advertising, conferences and exhibitions designed to promote the attractions of teaching and improve recruitment to initial teacher training. Officials of my Department and the teaching as a career unit continue to be in close contact with the LEAs and institutions involved in teacher recruitment and training in Greater London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he plans to take to monitor the standards of sports tuition in schools.

Physical education, of which sport is a component, is a foundation subject in the national curriculum. Programmes of study, attainment targets or guidelines and assessment arrangements will be established as appropriate for PE in due course. The National Curriculum Council and the School Examinations and Assessment Council will respectively advise my right hon. Friend on all aspects of the school curriculum and on examinations, assessment and testing in schools. Her Majesty's inspectorate will also continue to monitor standards as part of its programme of visits to and inspections of schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he plans to take to encourage teachers to take advantage of the training schemes offered by the various national sporting bodies for teachers and supervisors.

It is for LEAs and schools to consider the in-service training needs of their staff, in relation to their resources. The LEA training grant scheme provides specific grant support for a range of national priority areas and for locally determined priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has made of the number of school teachers undertaking the teaching of sports for which they have no specialist qualification.

In January 1984, the latest date for which figures are available for maintained secondary schools in England, there were an estimated 40,500 full and part-time teachers who taught physical education (including sport). Of these teachers, 42 per cent. did not hold a post A-level qualification in the subject, and they were responsible for 12 per cent. of the tuition in physical education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received about small rural primary schools.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) gave to him on 21 June at column 522.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement concerning the educational objectives of his announced programme of intelligence testing; and what evidence he has in his possession that suggests that such tests are a reliable guide to (a) future performance in any skill, (b) general ability in any branch of knowledge or (c) effective discharge of occupational responsibility.

The national assessment arrangements are not a programme of intelligence testing. They will assess by reference to clear attainment targets what pupils know, understand and can do in a range of subjects. There is widespread evidence that the setting of clear objectives accompanied by rigorous assessment and reporting can make a significant contribution to improving pupils' motivation and performance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if the Government will meet any costs incurred by Scottish universities in subsidising the payment of community charge by overseas students in the year 1989–90.

No. It is for individual universities to determine the terms on which they recruit overseas students.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what evidence his Department has collected, on data available to it on teacher shortages; and if he will place this in the Library.

"Action on Teacher Supply in Mathematics, Physics and Technology", issued in July 1986, analysed the position in those subjects in some detail. A copy is in the Library. On more recent data, I have arranged for tables showing primary and secondary vacant posts analysed by region and by subject, as at January 1988, to be placed in the Library. Further data including tables drawn from the 1987 primary school staffing survey, and on the current match between teachers' qualifications and what they teach drawn from the results of the 1988 secondary school staffing survey, will be available in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what measures his Department intends taking to improve the link between education and industry in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

My Department encourages the development of links between education and industry in all areas. In rural areas, links with farms and local shops and enterprises may be appropriate; but there will often also be opportunities for establishing links with industry in nearby towns.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the Government's plans for the Natural Environment Research Council's British Antarctic survey; whether any part of the additional monies that he has made available to the science budget will be allocated to the survey; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's aim is to sustain the outstanding scientific research carried out by NERC's British Antarctic survey, as part of the United Kingdom's due contribution to a better understanding of the natural environment and man's impact on it. Thus part of the additional expenditure over the three years will be used to enhance the survey's air facility at the Rothera station, the main base for geophysics work. The present ice skiway will be replaced by a gravel airstrip. This will increase the range of weather conditions within which the present Twin Otter aircraft can safely operate and the size of aircraft that can use the runway. An additional, larger aircraft will be purchased, greatly extending the range of the survey's geological field survey parties within the British Antarctic territory.There will also be additional expenditure for the rebuilding of the Halley station which is the main centre for continuing the survey's important study of the ozone hole that develops over Antarctica during the Austral spring. The weight of compacted ice has greatly reduced the safe life of the existing buildings; and rebuilding is proving more difficult than expected because of the deterioration of the ice shelf near the base. It is important that the new accommodation should be completed as quickly as possible to ensure that there is no break in the continuous monitoring of the weather and of the ionospheric conditions.I have accordingly allocated an additional £10 million in 1989–90 with planning additions for a further £8 million in 1990–91 and £5 million in 1991–92. These sums will be made available for the survey through the Natural Environment Research Council.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to Iwerne Minster.

I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister when she first expects to meet the President-elect of the United States of America.

I expect to meet the President-elect during my visit to the United States from 16–17 November.

To ask the Prime Minister how many letters she has received (a) supporting and (b) opposing the Government's intentions not to increase child benefit.

I have received a number of representations both supporting and opposing the Government's intentions not to increase child benefit.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 8 November.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 8 November.