To ask the Prime Minister if she will list the respective responsibilities of the Department of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for food inspection.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton (Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop) on 7 December 1988 at column 163 concerning the division of responsibility between the Department of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Food inspection under the Food Act 1984 is a local authority responsibility. The district councils, including London boroughs, are responsible for food hygiene and safety inspections. The county councils and the London boroughs are responsible for inspections for the composition and labelling of food.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will arrange for transcripts made by the Central Office of Information of interviews she gives to be placed in the Library after publication of the interviews.

No.

To ask the Attorney-General how many of (a) his staff and (b) those in the Crown Prosecution Service are devoted to matters relating to the security services.

None.

To ask the Attorney-General when he next plans to meet the Director of Public Prosecutions; and what will be discussed.

On Thursday 9 February, 1989. We plan to discuss a variety of matters of departmental interest.

To ask the Attorney-General when he last met the Irish Attorney-General; and what subjects were discussed.

On Thursday 29 September 1988. We had a constructive meeting in regard to matters of concern to our respective responsibilites, in particular extradition between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received on the conduct of the Guildford Four case.

None. As the hon. Member will know, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has now decided to refer the case to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) under section 17 of the Criminal Appeal Act, 1968.

To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were brought in 1987 by the Crown Prosecution Service under the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were brought by the Crown Prosecution Service under the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929 in 1987; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were brought by the Crown Prosecution Service under the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929 in 1987; and if he will make a statement.

The Crown Prosecution Service brought one prosecution in 1987 under the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929.

To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were brought in 1988 by the Crown Prosecution Service for failure to register live births; and if he will make a statement.

None.

To ask the Attorney-General when he last met the Director of Public Prosecutions; and what matters were discussed.

I refer the hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin).

To ask the Attorney-General if he will ask the Crown Prosecution Service to undertake proceedings against Mr. Brian Clough of Nottingham for common assault.

No. It is for the police to decide whether or not to institute criminal proceedings. If proceedings are instituted, the matter is then passed to the Crown prosecution service for independent consideration. It will employ the criteria set out in the code for Crown prosecutors.

To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to his written reply to the hon. Member for Birmingharm, Erdington on 16 January, Official Report, column 11, whether proceedings are to be instituted against Mr. Richard Norton-Taylor of The Guardian, and its editor Mr. Peter Preston, arising from the publication on 4 January of the name and background of the new head of the Secret Intelligence Service.

No.

To ask the Attorney-General how many justices of the peace there are now; how many there were five, 10, 15 and 20 years ago; and if he will make a statement.

The total numbers of active justices of the peace in England and Wales, in January of the years mentioned and rounded to the nearest hundred, was as follows:

• 1989 — 28,200
• 1984 — 25,800
• 1979 — 24,000
• 1974 — 21,500
• 1970 — 19,300(the earliest year for the figures are avilable)

I welcome the opportunity to record the Lord Chancellor's appreciation of the voluntary work done by increasing numbers of justices, drawn from all ages, communities and backgrounds up and down the country. They make an essential and much appreciated contribution to the administration of justice.

To ask the Attorney-General how many advisory panel members for magistrates' selection committees have requested that they remain anonymous.

Advisory committees have until the end of 1992 to make their membership known. Whether, and if so when, they do so before that time is a matter for each advisory committee to decide.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met officials of the Food and Agriculture Organisation; and what issues were discussed.

I met the director-general on 13 December 1988. We discussed the locust situation in Africa and the threat to the world's tropical rain forests. I received a report on progress of the review of the Food and Agriculture Organisation's objectives and functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current level of aid given by the Government to India; and if he will make a statement.

Our gross bilateral aid expenditure on India was estimated to be about £90 million in the financial year 1987–88. We are awaiting final confirmation of the figures. At that level, India remains our largest bilateral aid programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to ship eggs to Eritrea, the Sudan and other countries with a food supply problem; and if he will make a statement.

I have no such plans. Eggs and egg products are not suitable for general distribution as food aid. They can only be used under very strict control.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to reduce the debt burden of developing countries.

We have made the major contribution to the interest subsidy account of the IMF's enhanced structural adjustment facility. We have converted nearly £1 billion of old aid loans into grants. The Paris Club is now implementing the special Toronto terms based on the sub-Saharan African initiative first proposed by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1987. These are all very significant contributions towards lessening the debt burden on the poorest countries—and widely recognised as such.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the president of the World bank; and what matters he expects to discuss.

I understand that the president of the World bank plans to visit London in April, when I would expect to see him to discuss a range of policy issues of mutual interest and concern.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's response to the recent UNICEF report, "State of the World's Children".

I welcome the publication of this report. It examines the problems faced by women and children in developing countries and is an example of the work of UNICEF in advocacy for children.Our contributions to UNICEF increased from £7·64 million in 1985–86 to over £15 million in the last financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the Send a Cow project.

The project, with support from our joint funding scheme, is progressing well. About half of the 54 cows sent to Uganda so far have already calved and the remainder are expected to calve within the next few weeks. Those chosen to receive the cows, including widows of the recent conflicts and others with large families and low incomes, both Moslem and Christian, are now starting to benefit from the extra milk yields.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about current methods of assessing the effectiveness of overseas aid.

We have developed well-tried systems both for ensuring and assessing the effectiveness of our aid. These include annual country review and objectives papers; project appraisal and monitoring; project completion reports; and the full evaluation of a sample of projects. A full account will be given in this year's public expenditure White Paper, to be published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British aid to the Caribbean dependencies.

In the most recent year for which figures are available (1987), British aid disbursements to the four Caribbean dependencies in receipt of aid were £8,767,000, or £214 per head.I visited the Turks and Caicos Islands, the largest recipient of our aid, from 5 to 8 January and subsequently chaired in Barbados a meeting of dependent territory governors to review aid policy in the dependencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign arid Commonwealth Affairs what aid the United Kingdom is currently giving to Vietnam.

We do not provide bilateral aid to Vietnam. We are, however, contributing our share (about £540,000) of the cost of emergency food aid supplied through the European Community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution Britain is making to the development of primary education in India.

We have contributed £1·3 million to a pilot project in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Two hundred classrooms have been built to improved designs which provide a better educational environment; and teachers and teacher educators have been trained in child centred learning techniques. We are now considering a proposal to extend the project throughout the state, at a cost of abou £30 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to discuss the Lomé renegotiations with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Negotiations on a successor to the 3rd Lomé convention, which expires in February 1990, were opened formally in October last year.The first EC/ACP Ministerial negotiating meeting is in Brazzaville next month. I plan to attend this and subsequent Ministerial negotiating meetings. I also intend to continue to raise Lomé issues on my bilateral visits to Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British support for the Southern Africa Development Co-ordination Conference.

The United Kingdom is a firm supporter of the Southern Africa Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC). Pledges of British bilateral assistance for SADCC projects now amount to some £60 million. I shall attend the SADCC annual conference in Angola next month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding British aid in response to the Armenian earthquake.

I have received a great many representations from organisations, commercial companies and individuals offering donations, cost price relief supplies and personal help. It has been a magnificent and spontaneous response. The Soviet authorities have gone out of their way to express their gratitude for all the help provided from Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about Britain's contribution to the earthquake disaster relief operation in Armenia.

Of the £5 million emergency aid which I announced on 9 December 1988, some £1.4 million has been allocated in response to specific requests from the Soviet authorities for assistance with emergency relief and search-and-rescue measures. This phase of the relief operation is now over. The balance of our £5 million will be used for rehabilitation and reconstruction activities which are now under consideration by the Soviet authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will undertake a study of the implications of the debt for development swap in Sudan with UNICEF, whereby Midland bank's debt exposure has been donated to finance development programmes for the Kordofan region, and as to what opportunities this precedent opens up for charitable work in the third world with the support of Her Majesty's Government.

We warmly welcome the Midland bank's voluntary decision to reduce Sudan's debt obligations and the arrangements under which this will facilitate development work in the Sudan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on future aid and trade relations with the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of countries.

Aid and trade relations between the European Community and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries are governed by the Lomé conventions. Negotiations on a successor to the third Lomé convention, which expires in February 1990, were opened formally in October last year. We will be actively involved throughout the renegotiation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, following the announcement of a grant of ․100 million being made available for Nigeria, he will publish the revised figures for the net aid programme including aid administration costs, for the financial years 1988–89 and 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

For the financial years 1988–89 and 1989–90, the net overseas aid budget, which includes aid administration, stands at £1,387 million and £1,430 million respectively. Assuming the conditions are met for the disbursement of the ․100 million aid grant for 1989 pledged as part of our Nigeria initiative, I would at present expect, on the basis of current exchange rates, that some £47 million would be added to the aid programme in 1989–90 for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the number of staff in his Department, by grade, in receipt of local pay additions outside London and the south-east economic planning region; what are the different amounts paid to staff by grade; whether this figure varies due to location; what qualifying period of scale-related criteria is used; and whether this varies by location.

All grades currently in receipt of local pay additions are employed in Central London and at Croydon. Details were contained in the answer to the hon. Member for Knowsley South (Mr. Hughes) of 20 October 1988 at column 984.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on the internationally monitored system of on-site inspections following a pre-emptory challenge of the nature of the work, or of materials stored, in relation to verification of chemical and biological disarmament; and what is his policy towards the formation of international inspection teams.

The concept of challenge on-site inspection currently under discussion at the conference on disarmament in Geneva in the negotiations for a comprehensive convention banning chemical weapons is largely drawn from a United Kingdom proposal tabled in 1986. However, much work remains to be done to elaborate the detailed procedures which will be required to make the regime effective.It is agreed in the negotiations that on-site inspections will be carried out by international inspection teams drawn from the technical secretariat of the international organisation which will be established to oversee and administer the implementation of the convention.The development, production, stockpiling and use of biological weapons is already banned by the 1972 biological weapons convention to which over 100 states (including the United Kingdom) are party. This convention has no specific provision for on-site inspections, either routinely or on challenge.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the level of income at which the following should have a lower overall tax burden in real terms now than in 1979 (a) a single man, (b) single woman, (c) married man, (d) married woman, (e) married man with wife not working and with one child, (f) married man with wife not working and with two children, (g) married man with wife not working and with three children and (h) married man with wife not working and with four children.

Available information is contained in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire) on 10 January at columns 633–56.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on current foreign investment and capital flows into the United Kingdom.

Inflows of direct and portfolio investment into the United Kingdom are estimated to have been £6·8 billion in the first three quarters of 1988. Net capital inflows into the United Kingdom are estimated at £2·2 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will ensure that all public departments in determining the award of contracts under competitive tendering procedures give proper consideration to the maintenance of professional standards.

The award of contracts for goods and services is primarily the responsibility of individual Departments. However, the Government's "Guidelines on Public Purchasing Policy", last issued by the Treasury in January 1987, require that such goods and services should be acquired by competition unless there are convincing reasons to the contrary. The guidelines provide that the assessment of value for money should take account of other factors as well as price, including the financial, technical and professional status of tenderers. At the same time, part of the function of the Treasury's central unit on purchasing is to increase the professionalism of Government purchasing, by working with Departments to improve their organisation and systems and the training and professional skills of purchasing staff.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the trend in personal savings.

The personal sector saving ratio has fallen in recent years. However this has been largely offset by rises in saving by companies and the public sector, leaving total national savings broadly unchanged as a share of gross domestic product. Rises in interest rates in recent months will encourage more saving and less borrowing by households.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest information on the growth of unit labour costs in manufacturing industry.

In the three months to November 1988, manufacturing unit wage costs increased by 0·5 per cent. on the same period a year earlier.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the expected yield of total taxes in 1988–89; and what were the comparable figures for 1978–79, using 1988–89 prices.

Total taxes on income, expenditure and capital in 1988–89 are expected to yield £143·8 billion, as published in the autumn statement. The comparable figure for 1978–79 is £105·4 billion at 1988–89 prices.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest forecast for the rate of inflation in 1989.

The autumn statement contains the latest published forecast for RPI inflation in 1989.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the outlook for general Government expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic profit.

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's autumn statement to the House on 1 November 1988 set out the Government's plans for public spending. It noted that general Government expenditure (excluding privatisation proceeds) in 1988–89 is expected to be below 40 per cent. of GDP for the first time in over 20 years; and that over the next three years it is expected to fall further.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the current level of economic growth.

Gross domestic product is likely to have grown by around 4·5 per cent. in 1988. This would he the fourth consecutive year of growth in excess of three per cent., a performance unmatched since the war.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the number of private shareholders in the United Kingdom.

The joint Treasury and Stock Exchange survey carried out in January and February 1988 estimated that approximately 9 million people own shares, 20 per cent. of the adult population. This represents a threefold increase since 1979.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the current figure would be if the £8,500 salary threshold after which tax is levied on the value of benefits such as company cars were to be raised to keep it in line with its real value when that £8,500 figure was set.

The earnings threshold at which benefits like a company car provided for private use becomes taxable was raised to £8,500 in 1979–80. If this threshold had been indexed in line with inflation according to the statutory formula for increasing personal allowances and thresholds, the threshold in 1988–89 would be £17,000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average individual cumulative gain to those earning £25,000 a year as a result of changes in taxation since 1979.

The information for individuals with no reliefs other than the main personal allowance is as follows:

Tax Liability in 1988–89 on earnings of £25,000
	1978–79 tax regime indexed for inflation £	1988–89 tax regime £	Reduction in tax liability £
Single person	8,012·50	6,063·00	1.949·50
Married man	7,423·75	5,467·00	1,957·00

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are currently excluded from payment of income tax.

In 1988–89, it is estimated that some 11·3 million single people and married couples are not liable to income tax.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amounts were collected in capital gains tax on the sale of residential property in each of the last five years; and what numbers of properties were involved.

I regret that no information is available centrally about sales by companies. For individuals and trusts, limited information is available about assessments relating to sales in 1985–86. The capital gains tax on sales of properties identified as residential was about £100 million payable by about 40,000 taxpayers. In addition tax may have been paid on other residential property not identified as such.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what audit safeguards are currently in place to ensure that all payments of capital gains due on sales of residential property are properly made.

Most such sales are made by owner occupiers and are exempt from tax. Sales by developers and investors are picked up through the ordinary process of examining taxpayers' returns and business accounts, a proportion of which are checked against information supplied by third parties.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions in respect of fraudulent mortgage interest relief at source claims have been instituted in each year since the inception of the scheme; and with what result.

There were three criminal prosecutions by the police in 1987–88, all of which were successful. There have been another 10 so far this year of which eight were successful. Further prosecutions are pending.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants are currently employed in administering and calculating mortgage interest relief at source entitlements; and what were the numbers in each year since the inception of the scheme.

The estimated current number in terms of full time staff equivalents is 820. The numbers on the same basis in the earlier years were:

	Numbers
1983–84	1,000
1984–85	1,125
1985–86	1,000
1986–87	950
1987–88	950

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will tabulate in respect of both numbers employed and civil service grades those engaged in administering and calculating (a) mortgage interest relief at source entitlements and (b) capital gains tax on residential property.

The estimated figures in terms of full time staff equivalents are as follows:

A: Mortgage interest relief at source
Grade	Numbers
Inspector (P)	1
Inspector	28
Tax Officer (Higher Grade)	250
Tax Officer	290
Revenue Assistant	170

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the charitable status of the Atlantic salmon conservation trust (Scotland) in the light of evidence which was submitted to him by the hon. Member for East Lothian on 6 Septembr 1988.

The question of whether any particular body has charitable status is not one for Treasury Ministers.In Scotland, the Inland Revenue is responsible for deciding whether a body or trust which is claiming tax exemption as a charity is established for charitable purposes only. This is a matter of law.Responsibility for determining a particular taxpayer's liability lies with the Inland Revenue, subject to his rights of appeal to independent appeal commissioners and to the courts. As I explained in my letter of 26 September to the hon. Member, it is well recognised that Ministers do not seek to influence the Inland Revenue's decisions on particular cases. It would not be right therefore for me to intervene in this case.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what, in respect of the payment of local pay additions in the Central Computer and Telecommunication Agency, is the number of staff by grade, in respect of local pay additions outside London and the south-east economic planning region; what are the different amounts paid to staff, by grade; whether this varies due to location; what qualifying period of scale-related criteria is used; and whether this varies by location.

There are no CCTA staff outside London and the south-east economic planning region in receipt of local pay additions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the number of staff in Her Majesty's Stationery Office, by grade, in receipt of local pay additions outside London and the south-east economic planning region; what are the differing amounts paid to staff, by grade; whether this figure varies due to location; what qualifying period of scale-related criteria is used; and whether this varies by location.

None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the number of staff of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, by grade, in receipt of local pay additions outside London and the south-east economic planning region; what are the differing amounts paid to staff by grade; whether this figure varies dues to location; what qualifying period of scale-related criteria is used; and whether this varies by location.

None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any progress has been made in implementing the recommendation in paragraph 34(c) in "Using Private Enterprise in Government", on pooling information about contractors between Departments and inviting certain Departments to take responsibility for compiling data about the performance of contractors in certain industries.

The central unit on purchasing maintains a data base of activities subjected to competitive tendering in Departments. This information is distributed annually to all Departments so that those contemplating market testing a particular activity can benefit from the experience of others who have already tested that activity. The CUP has also issued general guidance to Departments, which includes advice on contractor appraisal.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the net value added tax receipts raised from Scotland in 1987–88.

Information about value added tax receipts is not available on a regional basis.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of individual taxpayers resident in Scotland, and the approximate amount of tax raised from them in 1987–88.

The latest available information covers residents of Scotland liable to tax for 1986–87. Including married women whose earned income exceeded the wife's earned income allowance, as well as their husbands and single people, the total was about 2,070,000 individuals, with income tax liability of about £3,250 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the corporation tax raised from taxpayers having their seat in Scotland.

I regret that information on which to base an estimate is not available centrally.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies his Department has carried out into the effect on personal savings of a reduction in the higher rate of capital gains tax to 25 per cent.; and if he will publish the results of such studies.

We examine a large number of options covering the whole range of the tax system as part. of the Budget process. It is not customary to publish the results of studies into the effects of tax rate changes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the concessions available to private educational establishments in Scotland with charitable status.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind tax reliefs.Private education establishments in Scotland which have charitable status are entitled to the same direct tax reliefs as any other charity in the United Kingdom. Charities are generally exempt from income tax, corporation tax and capital gains tax, provided that their income and gains are applied for charitable purposes only.The provision of education in a registered school is exempt from VAT.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about the contents of his forthcoming Budget Statement.

My right hon. Friend has received a large number of representations covering a variety of proposals.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the percentage change in real personal disposable income broken down into the top 1 per cent., next 9 per cent., next 40 per cent. and bottom 50 per cent. quartiles for every year since 1959.

[holding answer 10 January 1989]: I regret that information in the form requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the work force has opted for personal pensions or is in money purchase schemes contracted out.

I have been asked to reply. The latest available figure (June 1988) for the work force^* of the United Kingdom is 28,164,000 Over 800,000 people have opted for a personal pension since they were introduced in July 1988. Over 6,500 contracted-out money purchase (COMP) schemes have been set up: no figures are available on the number of individuals involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the average award received by students from Durham local education authority in their first year at university, polytechnic or other institution of higher education.

The average amounts received by students in higher education from Durham local education authority for the 1986–87 academic year were £1,451 per award holder in maintenance and £641 per award holder in fees. Data are not collected separately for first-year students.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any proposals for introducing changes in the administration of fees in higher education.

We are considering the possibility of increasing the impact of student enrolments through some shift in the public funding of higher education from the grant to be disbursed by the Universities Funding Council and the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council towards students' fees met under the mandatory awards arrangements. When we have a clear proposal, we shall consult the various interests before taking a decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about staff redundancies in the Natural Environment Research Council.

The Department has received 166 representations about staff redundancies in the NERC. Staffing levels are for the council itself to determine. I am informed that areas of high priority science have been safeguarded, and I understand that only about 41 compulsory redundancies are now expected, less than half the number originally announced. The redundancies arise from the council's planning to reflect changing scientific priorities and to keep within its projected budget following a reduction in income for commissioned research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research is now undertaken by the Natural Environment Research Council in respect of the greenhouse effect; and if he will make a statement.

Such research spans many NERC fields of activity. Major relevant projects in the marine sciences directorate include the biogeochemical ocean flux study, the fine Resolution Antarctic model, and the world ocean circulation experiment, while the terrestrial and freshwater directorate's work includes improving global climate model predictions. The British Antarctic Survey does long-term meteorological and climate studies, and the ocean drilling programme improves understanding of past global climate. NERC also administers four CEGB-funded fellowships relating to greenhouse gases, and supports the United Kingdom universities' global atmospheric modelling project and the tropical ocean and global atmosphere project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much grant was provided for the school of peace studies at Bradford university by the University Grants Committee for each of the last 10 years.

The public funding of universities is not earmarked in this way. It is for each university to decide how to fund its departments from the UGC block grant and the other income at its disposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to ensure that all local education authorities collect statistics on the incidence of arson and vandalism in schools and colleges on a uniform basis.

I am discussing with the local authority associations the best way of collecting these statistics on a uniform basis, as part of an information-gathering exercise to support the efforts of the special action squad in vandalism and arson in schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response he is making to the representations of Sir David Smith FRS, in relation to the financing of the university of Edinburgh.

University lecturers' pay has increased by 24 per cent. since 1986 and negotiations for a 1989–90 settlement are in progress. Government grant to universities is to be increased by about 5 per cent. in 1989–90 and it is for them to assess what pay increase they can afford.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to take steps to prevent the unreasonable removal of school governors by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

It is for local authorities to decide who to appoint to the places on school governing bodies reserved for them. But they must exercise their powers reasonably, and we would consider very carefully any complaint that an authority had not done so in a particular instance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on school library provision.

It is for individual institutions to decide what library and other provision to make from the total funds at their disposal. However, an additional £9 million has been allocated to universities through the University Grants Committee for the period 1987–88 to 1989–90 specifically for the purchase of books and periodicals, together with £2 million provided in 1987–88 and 1988–89 to enable university libraries to link with computer networks to improve access.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what prior undertaking on capital expenditure he can give to city technology college promoters planning to establish city technology colleges in the premises of existing maintained schools before proposals are made for those purposes under section 12 of the Education Act 1980 or section 14 of the Education Act 1944.

My answer of 28 July 1988 to my hon. Friend the Member for Wyre Forest (Mr. Coombs) at column 402 set out the factors I would take into account in deciding proposals which came to me under the provisions of section 12 of the Education Act 1980 and which had as an objective making premises available for the establishment of a city technology college. Should the governors of a voluntary school seek my leave to give notice of their intention to discontinue the school under the provisions of section 14 of the Education Act 1944, for a similar objective, I shall take the same factors into account, in addition to the other requirements laid down in that section.I made it clear in that statement that, in considering any such proposals, I should need to satisfy myself specifically that the sponsors' plans were sufficiently clear, considered and developed; and that, subject to my approval of the proposals, I had reached agreement in principle with the promoters on a funding agreement. A key aspect of the latter is the grant I am prepared to make available towards the capital costs involved in the establishment of all CTCs. Clearly promoters will need to have a firm indication from me of the level of that grant in order to prepare plans that are sufficiently well developed to satisfy the LEA or governors that the closure or discontinuance of the existing school is justified.In order to be able to give such a firm undertaking I shall need to consider what expenditure on the premises is likely to be required for a CTC established there to meet the basic requirements of the programme, but in giving any such indication I shall make clear that any capital grant is subject to a detailed feasibility study and to my decision on the statutory proposals or applications, which will be treated strictly on their merits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of any revisions to cash limits on his Department's Votes in 1988–89.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, where appropriate, cash limits for the following votes will be revised as follows:

Class and Vote	Current cash limit £1000s	Increase/ reduction £1000s	Revised cash limit £1000s
XII. 1	481,457	-547	480,910
XII. 3	1,849,624	+ 40	1,849,664
XII. 4	67,735	-10	67,725
XII. 5	60,179	+ 979	61,158

An increase of £410,000 is being sought on class XII, vote 3 for expenditure originally included in provision on class XII, vote 1 in respect of outstanding liabilities for Goldsmiths' College. The increase on class XII, vote 3 reflects the inclusion of this expenditure following the college's incorporation as part of the University of London. A matching and offsetting reduction on class XII, vote 1 is also sought.A reduction of £370,000 to the cash limit for class XII, vote 3 is also sought to reflect the decision not to seek supplementary provision in respect of the carry forward of capital underspend under the end year flexibility scheme as previously announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 21 July 1988 at columns 725–728.A further reduction of £137,000 is also sought to the cash limit on class XII, vote 1 to reflect the transfer of complete responsibility for trade union education and training to the Department of Employment. A matching increase will be made to the Department of Employment's cash limit on class VII, vote 1.A reduction of £10,000 is sought to the cash limit on class XII, vote 4 to reflect the transfer of £4,000 to the Office of Minister for the Civil Service for the cost of recruitment under the direct entry grade 7 competition 1988, and of £6,000 to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys to reflect increased costs of a commissioned survey. Matching increases will be made to the cash limits on class XX, vote 1 and class X, vote 16 respectively.My Department's running cost limit will also decrease by £10,000 from £66,203,000 to £66,193,000.The increase on class XII, vote 5 reflects two changes to the vote of the Agricultural and Food Research Council. An increase of £1,760,000 is being sought to assist the AFRC in meeting the costs of restructuring made necessary by the reductions in research commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. This increase is offset by a reduction of £781,000 to reflect the reduction in grant from the AFRC to the Institute of Plant Science Research to take account of receipts from the sale of the assets of the Plant Breeding Institute.Any net increase in expenditure on these votes as a result of these changes will be charged to the reserve. The overall planned total of expenditure will therefore remain unchanged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table showing the proportion of school leavers in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland who continued into (i) university education and (ii) other higher education for each year since 1979.

The information is as follows. The figures reflect the intended destination of school leavers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to put into effect the 21 recommendations made in 1986 by the Select Committee on Transport, particularly the proposals in relation to air security which requested a special security fund to finance airport safety, and the introduction of banding machines for baggage in the wake of the Lockerbie disaster; and if he will make a statement.

The response published in November 1986 made it clear that the Government accepted most of the Select Committee's recommendations, either wholly or in part.The response explained what further action would be taken on each recommendation. Work has been carried forward as promised.The particular recommendations mentioned by the hon. Member were not amongst those accepted. Banding machines can make a limited contribution to security, because of the high proportion of soft bags, and bags with outside compartments.An aviation security fund has already been tried. It was abandoned because it was bureaucratic, complicated and costly to administer. It provided little incentive to efficiency.The current arrangements for financing aviation security do not suffer from such problems. They do not inhibit the maintenance of proper security measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects to announce the main findings of the central London rail study; whether any proposals from Her Majesty's Government will be announced at the same time; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend expects to make an announcement on the findings of the central London rail study shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether further extensions to the M40 will be to a three-lane standard.

The M40 extension north of Wendlebury is being built as a dual three-lane motorway.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to issue a letter of consultation about the available options for the United Kingdom Decca chain and Loran C; if he will list the parties who will be consulted; if he will list the Decca Radio and power supply equipment transmitter sites which need replacing in the next five years; and who will be representing the United Kingdom at the relevant discussions in Dublin in February.

My right hon. Friend intends to issue a consultation document in the spring on the options for marine radio navigation systems in United Kingdom waters. He intends to consult bodies with marine and related interests, including those representing users and the general lighthouse authorities. The question of equipment renewals for the existing Decca Navigator system is a matter for Racal Decca Marine Navigation Limited under the company's current contract with the general lighthouse authorities, which runs to 1994. At the Dublin meeting of the international Loran C policy group, which is considering the feasibility of establishing a North West European Loran C system, the United Kingdom will be represented by officials from the Department and the general lighthouse authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will commission a report on the feasibility of the construction of a Liverpool land bridge for traffic moving between north America and the continent when the Channel tunnel opens in 1993.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 16 January to the question by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mr. Parry) at column 81

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the criteria for the proposal to limit newly qualified motor cycle drivers to 400 cc machines; whether high brake horsepower output machines will be included; for what period this limitation will apply; and if he will make a statement.

The EC Commission is expected to propose that, as part of its plans for further harmonisation of driver licence categories, inexperienced riders should be limited to motor bikes below a certain size or power. The limit is likely to be 400 cc or 35 kw. It remains unclear how these would relate to each other. We agree with the Commission's objective. We are still considering the details of the proposals.The Commission is also expected to propose a separate test before motor cyclists may ride more powerful machines. We believe that two years riding experience would be a sufficient safeguard. We shall continue to argue for this and against introducing a new special test. Unfortunately, our position has not been made clear in some press reports on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what value per hectare was given to land lost in Oxleas wood to the construction of the east London river crossing in his Department's cost bearing analysis of that scheme.

This information is not available.For the purpose of the cost benefit analysis, the district valuer provided an overall estimate of the cost to all land and property required for the scheme, including 8·3 hectares in Oxleas wood. The estimate also included the cost of land to be acquired and dedicated as open space in exchange for the land taken for the wood.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the introduction of Autoguide in London.

The Government believe that advanced driver information systems such as autoguide can do much to ease congestion and so make better use of our roads. The Road Traffic (Driver Licensing and Information Systems) Bill, now before Parliament, demonstrates our commitment to this exciting new technology.The Government have today invited the private sector to make proposals for installing a pilot autoguide scheme in the London area. A copy of the guidelines has been placed in the Library. Subject to a satisfactory proposal being received, and to the Road Traffic Bill becoming law, we hope that a licence can be issued this year.We envisage that the pilot scheme will involve around 1,000 vehicles. Its operation will be closely monitored by the Department of Transport working in collaboration with the autoguide operator. We are discussing with local authority associations and the police how they might be involved in monitoring the pilot scheme.Provided that the pilot scheme demonstrates the satisfactory performance of autoguide it is our intention that the operator should be authorised to upgrade the scheme to a fully commercial autoguide system, to which the public would be able to subscribe. This would mean that motorists could have autoguide equipment in their cars by the early to mid-1990s.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further steps he is taking to improve transport for London docklands; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I, together with the private sector, are investing heavily to improve access to docklands.London Regional Transport is taking steps, in co-operation with GEC, to ensure that the docklands light railway fully meets its performance specification. The Government are supporting a major programme of upgrading and extension of the docklands light railway. The service to Bank will be open next year and will be fully operational by 1991. The carrying capacity of the railway will then be more than three times its present level. Further enhancement is planned to meet the needs of the full development at Canary wharf. A Bill to authorise extension of the railway to Beckton is currently before Parliament.To accommodate the rapid pace of development in docklands, the Government believe that additional rail infrastructure will be required to supplement the docklands light railway. I have therefore established an east London rail study which is examining the best options for improving rail access from central London to docklands and east Thames-side. The study will include Olympia and York's proposal for a new underground railway between Waterloo and Greenwich peninsula via the Isle of Dogs, and the options canvassed in the docklands access consultation document on which LRT and the LDDC are currently seeking views. The work is being carried out by Halcrow Fox and Associates for my Department, the Department of the Environment and LRT. It would take into account the benefits which new rail links will provide to property owners and developers and the contributions which they should be expected to provide. It will also take into account the potential for new housing development in East Thames-side. Subject to the conclusions of the east London rail study and to the negotiation of satisfactory contributions from all developers concerned, the Government would wish to see a new line built and the deposit of a Bill in November this year.In parallel with these improvements in the public transport network, a substantial programme of work is in hand to give docklands an effective internal road network and link it to the strategic road system. The LDDC is proceeding, subject to the statutory procedures, with its plans for Limehouse link road to be completed by 1993 and with other new schemes to serve docklands traffic. Within my own programme, I am developing the strategic road network in east London through improvement to the A 13, the Hackney/M11 link, upgrading the north circular road and extending it to the A2 via the east London river crossing.In order to carry forward the improvement of transport to and within docklands, I am asking my hon. Friend the Minister of State to take the lead in co-ordinating the activities of the various agencies involved and to ensure an adequate level of service while construction work is being carried out. He will be supported by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment with special responsibility for inner cities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will publish in the Official Report the information his Department now collects on the failure rates of public service vehicles; and if he will specify the levels of disaggregation;(2) what information his Department now collects on the pass rates of public service vehicles at the annual Department of Transport tests; and if he will indicate the levels of disaggregation at which he will make this information available.

[holding replies 18 and 19 January 1989]: The Department's vehicle inspectorate executive agency collects information on the results of all public service vehicles at annual test. National and regional analyses of this information are contained in the inspectorate's annual report and accounts 1987–88, a copy of which is held in the statistical section of the House of Commons library.Further analysis of the information on a sub-regional basis is also available and can be sent to the hon. Member if required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he foresees any potential adverse effects upon safety legislation in the United Kingdom if any deliberations of the International Maritime Organisation are delayed as a result of members' contribution defaults; what steps are being taken to remedy the default situation; and if he will make a statement.

[holding reply 13 January 1989]: No adverse effect on the United Kingdom's safety legislation programme is foreseen, given that the International Maritime Organisation's maritime safety committee is to meet in 1989 as originally planned. At its November meeting, the IMO council requested the secretary general to remind member states of their obligation to pay their assessments on time. This is being reinforced by direct approaches by the secretary general, and individual member states, to those governments currently in default, including Panama which has the largest accumulation of arrears. In addition, the council has established a Working Group to examine and advise on the organisation's longer-term financial solution.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce the outcome of his review of the cases of over-age applicants for entry certificates as dependent children who were refused entry before they were 18 years old and have since proved they were wrongly refused by the use of DNA tests.

I am not yet in a position to announce any conclusion on this matter, but I hope to be able to do so before long.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange for statistics on criminal injuries to include information on the number of such injuries sustained by people during their working time.

Statistics on criminal injuries are held centrally by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board but only in relation to applications made for compensation. The board publishes figures relating to police officers injuries on duty (paragraph 7.1 of their latest annual report, Cm. 536) but has no plans to collect such information for other occupations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to being about an increase in the numbers of black people applying to join the prison service.

Recent advertising campaigns have specifically highlighted the need for recruits from the ethnic minorities, and recruitment material emphasises the service's commitment to racial equality. In addition, several initiatives have been taken to improve contacts with ethnic minority groups to explain the work of the prison service, and these will continue.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that boards of visitors comment on race relations in their annual reports.

Advice on the format and content of annual reports, which specifically lists race relations as an item for comment, was reissued on 21 December to all board chairmen in anticipation of the preparation of reports for 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 1988 on football statistics, Official Report, columns 56 to 60, he will publish similar tables for the 1987–88 English Football League season showing the number of arrests of home and away supporters on each ground plus the numbers of each team's supporters who were arrested on away grounds.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department(1) how many of the 6,147 arrests at Football League matches last season took place within football grounds;(2) how many of the 6,147 people arrested at Football League matches during the last season were convicted as a result.

The information collated by the Association of Chief Police Officers on arrests at Football League matches in England and Wales does not distinguish between arrests made inside grounds and arrests directly connected with those matches made outside the grounds. Nor does the information detail the outcome of arrests and distinguish between home and away supporters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legal expenses have been incurred by his Department in court cases pertaining to Viraj Mendis.

The estimated costs to date (but not including the costs incurred in the court proceedings on Thursday, 19 January) incurred by Treasury Solicitor's Department and in fees for Counsel in representing Home Office interests before the courts in the case of Viraj Mendis are about £8,000 excluding VAT. Any costs incurred within the Home Office cannot be separately identified from those incurred on other cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional appointments are being made of (a) civilian, and (b) police staff to deal with shotgun licence and firearm certificate applications following the enactment of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988.

The Firearms (Amendment) Act received Royal Assent on 15 November 1988, but its provisions have not yet come into force. The appointment of civilian and uniformed staff to process applications for certificates is a matter for individual chief officers of police, who are responsible for the administration of the Firearms Acts. Information on the number of such appointments is not kept centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish a table showing how many transmitters are sited in each ITV region.

I understand from the IBA that ITV transmitters are situated as follows:

	Main Stations	Relays
Anglia	3	18
Border	2	58
Central	5	58
Channel	1	6
Grampian	7	74
Granada	1	56
HTV (Wales)	6	157
HTV (West)	1	52
LWT/Thames	1	39
STV	4	76
TVS	6	59
TSW	5	72
TTT	3	35
UTV	3	40
YTV	2	52