To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the most recent figure for empty local authority housing; how many of these properties have been vacant for periods over six, 12 and 24 months, respectively; and if he will make a statement.

The total number of local authority empty dwellings as at 1 April 1988 was 3,365; the number vacant for more than six months was 389. Information on the number vacant for 12 and 24 months is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report a list of those sections of motorways in Wales fitted with matrix indicators which permit written messages to be conveyed on them.

There are no written message matrix indicators on the M4 in Wales. There are however nine variable message signs between Newport and the Severn bridge and 71 matrix indicators displaying traffic signs over the whole length.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times he has met the farmers' organisations of Wales since October 1987, giving the details of each meeting with each organisation.

Since October 1987 I have met farmers' organisations 15 times. Details are as follows:

22 October 1987—Meeting with the Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) to discuss the hill livestock compensatory allowances (HLCA) review.

28 October 1987—Meeting with the National Farmers Union (NFU) Wales to discuss HLCA review.

28 October 1987—Ministerial meeting with the NFUs for England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, to discuss HLCA review.

10 February 1988—Meeting with the FUW to discuss a wide range of agricultural subjects including extensification, stabilisers and milk quotas.

30 March 1988—Meeting with the NFU to discuss a range of agricultural issues.

10 May 1988—Speech to the FUW annual general meeting about sheepmeat regime and general matters of interest to the agriculture industry.

19 July 1988—Meetings with the NFU, FUW and the Country Landowners Association (CLA) at the Royal Welsh show to discuss general subjects of current interest to the agriculture sector.

31 August 1988—Visit to mid-Wales co-operatives with representatives of the Welsh Agricultural Organisation Society (WAOS) to discuss co-operation in the Welsh agriculture sector.

13 September 1988—Visit to West Midland Farmers Association to open its new premises at Bridgend.

20 October 1988—Meeting with the FUW to discuss HLCA review.

25 October 1988—Visit to mid and west Wales region of the Organic Growers Association to discuss general topics of interest to organic farming.

27 October 1988—Meeting with the NFU Wales to discuss HLCA review.

27 October 1988—Ministerial meeting with the NFUs for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to discuss HLCA review.

2 November 1988—Speech to the Welsh Agricultural College: Farming Conference on the outlook for Welsh agriculture and subjects of general interest to the industry.

8 December 1988—Meeting with the NFU to discuss the Wool Board and agriculture generally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times he has met consumer organisations in Wales since October 1987; and if he will make a statement.

Since 1987, I have met Welsh representatives of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and the chairman of the Transport Users Consultative Committee (Wales). My hon. Friend the Minister of State has hosted a meeting with the chairman and members of the Welsh Consumer Council, and attended the annual conference of parent-teacher associations in Wales. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has met the Association of Welsh Community Health Councils. All three of us are consumers and meet other consumers every day.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to make any changes to his Department's running costs and cash limits in the current year.

Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, cash limits are being changed as follows:The cash limit on class XVII, vote 5 is being increased by £18,789,000 from £223,766,000 to £242,555,000. This increase covers additional provision of £18,803,000 for trunk road construction, of £261,000 for historic buildings and ancient monuments and of £100,000 for the cost of the nurses' clinical regrading, partly offset by savings of £375,000 elsewhere.The cash limit on class XVII, vote 8 is being increased by £10 million from £777,017,000 to £787,017,000. This increase will enable health authorities in Wales to meet the estimated total costs of the nurses' clinical grading exercise which I announced on 4 November 1988.The running costs limit for the Welsh Office is being reduced by £1,000 from £41,081,000 to £41,080,000. This decrease will be offset by a corresponding increase in the running costs limit for the office of the Minister for the Civil Service (class XX, vote 1) and reflects the transfer of costs for recruitment under the direct entry grade 7 competition 1988. There is a consequent reduction of £1,000 in the cash limit on class XVII, vote 9 from £42,526,000 to £42,525,000.The cash limit on class XVII, vote 11 is being increased by £1,000 from £2,796,000 to £2,797,000. This increase is matched by a corresponding reduction of £1,000 to the cash limit on class XVII, vote 10 from £1,014,800,000 to £1,014,799,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will give (a) the amount of finance made available in the form of grant or loan by the European Economic Community towards the construction of the Welsh section of the M4 and (b) the actual and estimated costs of construction, giving all figures at current prices;(2) if he will give

I shall write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give consideration to the position of refugees from the northern area of Somalia, with a view to giving special assistance; and if he will make a statement.

We have already provided over £2·3 million for relief programmes to help some 400,000 refugees who have fled into Ethiopia from civil strife in northern Somalia since the middle of last year. Over £1 million of this assistance has been channelled through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and £1·3 million through British charities for water and health facilities. We shall continue to consider sympathetically further requests for assistance.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when his Department intends to respond to the findings of the study carried out for the Government by PA Cambridge Consultants into geographical variations in costs and productivity.

My Department commissioned this study to assess the extent and source of differences in industrial costs and productivity in English regions. I have seen the study and noted its findings. The study was published on 20 July 1988 and a copy has been placed in the library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many oral parliamentary questions he has answered by written reply, in connection with his duties as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, because the question was not reached at Question Time, for the most recent year for which figures are available.

In respect of my responsibilities for the Duchy of Lancaster, there were no such questions during 1988.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which investigations under sections 432, 466 and 442 of the Companies Act have been completed since 1 February 1988.

The following investigations under these sections have been completed since 1 February 1988:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the management target for the duration of inquiries under sections 432, 466 and 442 of the Companies Act.

The usual practice is to agree a provisional time scale for the investigation with the inspectors at the outset and to hold regular progress meetings thereafter.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which inquiries under sections 432, 466 and 442 of the Companies Act are currently outstanding.

The following investigations under section 432 and 442 of the Companies Act 1985 remain outstanding. There are no outstanding investigations under section 446.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the average length of time for completion of inquiries under sections 432, 466 and 442 of the Companies Act begun since May 1979.

Two years three months.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many prosecutions have resulted from inquiries under sections 432, 466 and 442 of the Companies Act since May 1979.

To date, there have been eight prosecutions following such inquiries since May 1979.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of the public appointments made by his Department have been from the ethnic minorities; and what proportion this represents of the total.

This information is not collected.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of the public appointments made by him since June 1987 have been (a) men and (b) women.

Whilst information in the form requested is not collected, details are given each year in the publication "Public Bodies" of the number of men and women holding public appointments. The latest edition, for 1988, shows that at 1 April 1988 903 men and 227 women held appointments made by my Department.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions he has had on inner city renewal and urban regeneration and the likely impact of value added tax on non-domestic construction on the viability of private sector schemes in these areas in general; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a number of representations about the imposition of VAT on non-domestic construction. following last year's decision of the European court. This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on whether he has any plans for privatising Post Office Counters Ltd.

The Post Office has no plans to sell its subsidiary Post Office Counters Ltd. to the private sector.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much of the broadcasting spectrum will be allocated to (a) Channel 5, and (b) MVDS.

As stated in our recent White Paper "Broadcasting in the '90s: Competition, Choice and Quality", the fifth terrestrial television service will make use of two standard 8 MHz channels, 35 and 37, in the UHF broadcasting band; whilst decisions on the amount of choice of spectrum for MVDS will be announced by the end of April this year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether it is his intention to release additional frequencies to the radio authority for ancillary services, programme links and radio communications.

My Department is currently considering how best to meet the rapidly growing needs of both existing and prospective programme-makers for additional spectrum for the range of programme-making and related activities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has any plans to promote further measures to encourage the recycling of industrial materials.

We shall continue with our present initiatives of sector conferences; promoting awareness of the benefits of recycling to industry, schools and the general public; and the provision of technical advice through our Warren Spring laboratory. A series of seminars will be held throughout the United Kingdom during the next few months to promote the collection of waste paper for recycling and a conference on plastics waste and recycling is planned for September.Where appropriate, further initiatives will be introduced.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many anti-dumping actions have been initiated by the European Commission against Japanese companies over the last three years; and what have been the results of these actions, broken down into duty imposed, price undertaking agreed, or no duty imposed.

During the period in question the European Commission initiated 12 investigations into alleged dumping by Japanese companies in response to complaints from European industries. Two of these resulted in the imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties, two were terminated without an anti-dumping remedy, while the remaining eight cases are still under investigation. In one of these cases provisional antidumping duties have been imposed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when discussions began between the British Steel Corporation and Firth Brown Ltd. for the transfer of the British Steel Corporation's river Don works, press forging and drop forging divisions, Sheffield to Firth Brown Ltd.

These discussions, which took place in the early 1970s, were primarily a matter for the British Steel Corporation and information concerning them is not readily available within the Department.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the investment programme of the British Coal Corporation will be published.

The report is published today.The commission was asked to investigate the investment programme of British Coal. It took into account British Coal's achievements and looked to the future, particularly in the light of the changing environment posed by privatisation of electricity supply. The commission concluded that British Coal should take a more positive view of the opportunities which existed to influence vital aspects of its business future, for example, in its response to the threat of future imports.The Commission found that in general investment and post-investment appraisal had worked effectively, but singled out Asfordby new mine for particular comment. It disagreed with British Coal's view that the project had ever been demonstrably viable according to British Coal's investment criteria. However, the commission accepted that the project now has sunk costs and that this, combined with agreement on six-day working, might mean that the remainder of the project could be shown to be a worthwhile investment. However the commission recommended that in future the sort of conditional approval which was given for expenditure in Asfordby, in advance of its showing a sound financial prospectus, should not be allowed, except where other factors were explicably judged to be of sufficient weight, were clearly laid out in the project appraisal, and a decision to proceed was made at board level.Looking to the future, the commission recommended that British Coal should now commit itself firmly to

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will provide figures for spending on (a) regional selective assistance and (b) regional development grant for (i) Scotland, (ii) England, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland for each year from 1978–79 to 1988–89, and estimated figures for 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92, in cash and at 1987–88 prices.

[holding answer 24 January 1989]: Gross expenditure on regional development grant and regional selective assistance in England, Scotland and Wales in the financial years 1978–79 to 1987–88 is shown in the tables together with current estimates provision for 1988–89. Information about planned expenditure on regional assistance in future years will shortly be published in the public expenditure White Paper.The RDG and RSA schemes do not operate in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Attorney-General when the Green Paper on the future of the legal profession and the two other consultation papers, which were announced to the House on 24 October 1988 will be published.

The three papers on the work and organisation of the legal profession, conveyancing by authorised practitioners and contingency fees have been laid before the House today and have been published as command papers. The Government's overall objective in publishing the Green Paper on the work and organisation of the legal profession is to see that the public has the best possible access to legal services and that those services are of the right quality for the particular needs of the clients. The Government hope that this examination of the legal profession will stimulate comment from a wide range of opinion. These are matters not only of concern to lawyers but are of great public importance. The Government will welcome comments on all three papers by 2 May 1989.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will outline the division of responsibilities for administration of magistrates courts in England and Wales between different Government Departments.

Responsibility for the magistrates courts service is shared between the Home Secretary and the Lord Chancellor. The balance of these responsibilities is defined in the Justices of the Peace Act 1979. Broadly, the Home Secretary has responsibility for matters relating to the staffing and administration of the courts. The Lord Chancellor is responsible for the appointment, training and conduct of magistrates.

To ask the Prime Minister what steps she plans to take to ensure the atmospheric control technology, the support refrigerant technology for catering, and the packaging material for documentation for the forthcoming United Kingdom-sponsored conference on the ozone layer depletion and dangers of chlorofluorocarbons, minimises the use of chlorofluorocarbons.

As my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment informed the House on 15 December 1988 at column 725, Government Departments have been asked to review their policies, specifications and practices with a view to promoting the objective of reducing use of chlorofluorocarbons and halons to the maximum possible extent.

To ask the Prime Minister if, at her next meeting with President Mitterrand, she will propose the establishment of a joint British-French team to co-ordinate investment, social and environmental criteria for the high-speed rail link between London and Paris, to take account of British Rail's corporate disadvantages; and if she will make a statement.

I can see no advantage in the establishment of such a team. As I have already explained to my hon. Friend, there is regular contact at working level between the British and French Governments on issues related to the construction of rail links to the Channel tunnel.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on interdepartmental co-operation on the implementation of judgment of the European Court on value added tax on new non-domestic construction.

Any statement on this matter will be made in due course by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the present division of responsibility for consumer affairs among ministries for the representation of the interest of the consumer;

I am satisfied that the present arrangements for representing consumers' interests and the present division of responsibility among Departments work satisfactorily. I have no plans to change the existing arrangements for interdepartmental consultations.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will consider the creation of a consumer affairs Ministry embracing the activities in relation to consumers of a number of Departments; and if she will make a statement.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those English counties which, in the last 12 months, have produced (a) timetables for all bus services within their counties, (b) bus route maps, (c) timetables for supported bus services only, and (d) no publicity at all; and if he will indicate in each case whether a charge other than mailing costs is made for the information, where available.

This information is not held by my Department. However, information on timetables along the lines requested is available in a commercial publication and I will write to the hon. Member with details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will inquire into the circumstances whereby callers to his Department's regional office in Manchester were informed that the line of the A6 Disley-High lane bypass is likely to be the Brown route; and if he will make a statement.

I am not aware of any callers having been advised as to the likely outcome of the A6 Disley and High lane bypass public consultation. The Department published its proposals for a bypass last January. These took the form of a single favoured route (the Brown) and rejected alternatives. There was a massive response from the public which is still being considered.It is likely to be some time yet before an announcement can be made as to whether a scheme should be added to the national trunk road programme and, if so, on the choice of route.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria British Rail is required to meet when considering a railway line for closure; and what consultation process it is required to hold.

When considering a railway line for closure British Rail should have regard to the objectives which were set for the chairman on 21 October 1986 and which were announced to the House the same day in reply to a question from the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mr. Chapman) at columns 772–74. The statutory railway closure procedure is set out in section 56 of the Transport Act 1962, as modified by section 54 of the Transport Act 1968.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he intends to take to improve road conditions on the section of the M1 between the M25 and 15 miles north of Luton.

On the M1 itself a scheme is being prepared to instal climbing lanes in both directions from junction 9. An experimental automatic incident detection system has also been installed on the northbound carriageway of the M1 from Bedfordshire to Northamptonshire. In conjunction with more frequent matrix signals, this will give motorists better warning of slow-moving or stationary traffic ahead when incidents occur.Improvements to alternative routes, including the extension of the M40 to Birmingham, are expected to attract some traffic away from the M1. We are, in our current review of the road programme, considering what further measures are necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning congestion with particular reference to tailbacks being experienced during the early morning from the M25 to about 15 miles north of Luton; and if he will estimate the time lost to motorists in tailbacks on that section of the M1.

From time to time members of the public write to us about congestion, usually as a result of an incident on the motorway. In our economic assessment of the need for improvement, account is taken of notional delays to vehicles. We do not systematically record information about the time actually lost in tailbacks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which junction 8 on the M1 is operating satisfactorily.

We plan to study problems of queuing occurring on the northbound off-slip at junction 8. Temporary difficulties were experienced when the junction was closed to allow for the rebuilding of the A4147. The junction is now fully operational.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will take steps to ensure that there are an adequate number of places in approved commercial airline pilot training establishments to meet current and future demand;(2) if he will make a statement on the shortfall in qualified commercial airline pilots and the lack of technologically advanced training facilities to overcome this problem.

The Government's policy is that the aviation industry should be responsible for meeting the costs of training whatever skilled manpower it needs. It is important to maintain professional pilot training facilities in the United Kingdom and to ensure a supply of high-quality United Kingdom professional pilots, but the responsibility for funding such training must rest with the air transport operators themselves.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will introduce legislation to provide for bridge height signs to be displayed in imperial and metric measures.

No fresh legislation is needed. Bridge heights may already be shown in imperial and metric measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the collision of a river craft with Battersea bridge on 19 January; and what steps he will be bringing forward to improve river safety and navigation on the Thames.

This incident is being investigated by a marine surveyor from the Department as well as by the Port of London Authority. The surveyor will be concerned to establish the causes and to see whether the circumstances point to any steps which can be taken to avoid a recurrence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to match the subsidy provided by the French Government to Sociéte Nationale de Chemins de Fer for its Channel tunnel rail plans, by making available to British Rail additional funds to enable it to meet essential environmental costs relevant to a new line of railway from the tunnel to London; and if he will make a statement.

Section 42 of the Channel Tunnel Act 1987 prohibits Government subsidies in connection with British Rail's Channel tunnel rail services. But I expect BR's proposals for a new line to take full account of environmental considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public money (a) has already been spent on the docklands light railway, and (b) is planned to be spent in the next three years.

Public expenditure on the initial docklands light railway and City extension is expected to reach some £140 million by the end of this financial year. Public expenditure in the following three years on the City extension is forecast to total some £45 million. In addition to this Olympia and York the developers of Canary wharf are contributing £68 million. The cost of the Beckton extension will be met by the LDDC out of the increases in the value of its land holdings generated by the railway.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe of 12 January, Official Report, column 728, if he will now summarise in a statement to the House the main findings of the report on the British Airtours Boeing 737 accident at Manchester airport on 22 August 1985.

There has been no request for a review board, so we expect to publish the full report on 13 March. No useful purpose would be served by publishing a summary of the findings before that. The report has already been seen in draft by the CAA and by other par ties to the investigation. Relevant recommendations have been acted upon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if there are any plans to improve the traffic flow on the A40 at the remaining road junctions in London; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Improvements are planned or under construction at the four remaining junctions on the A40 in London as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give (a) the amount of finance made available in the form of grant or loans by the European Economic Community towards the construction of the M4 Severn bridge and (b) the total actual cost of construction, giving all figures at current prices.

The United Kingdom was not a member of the EEC when the existing Severn crossing was constructed in 1961–66.The cost of construction of the Severn bridge alone was £ 63·8 million, and the Severn crossing as a whole (including the Wye bridge linking viaducts);£ 102·3 million, both at current prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of gross and net public sector capital spending by his Department by both central Government and local authorities for 1988–89 and for each of the next three years, at current prices and at constant 1987–88 prices.

The table shows spending on fixed assets, both gross and net by central Government and local authorities. Information about public sector capital spending will be included in table 21.1.11 of the 1989 public expenditure White Paper, to be published on 30 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the National Bus Company's accounts; and if he will make a statement.

The NBC's report and accounts for 1987–88, published today, show that at 31 March 1988, the estimated gross proceeds from the disposal programme are £323 million, an increase of £17 million over the estimate given in the accounts for 1986–87. After allowing for the repayment of all the NBC's debt, taxation, redundancy costs, and the costs of the disposal programme, there should be a net surplus to the Government of at least £89 million.This is an excellent outcome to the NBC's privatisation programme which involved the sale of 72 subsidiaries (over half of which were sold to their own managment) embodying some 14,000 buses and coaches and 48,000 employees. The completion of the NBC's disposal programme, well within the statutory deadline, has played an essential role in the successful introduction of competition in the bus industry and I pay tribute to all those involved. A copy of the accounts has been deposited in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives he plans, following the Paris 145-nation conference on chemical weapons, control and disarmament to facilitate the framework for the formation of an international regulatory agency within the United Nations for the control of exports of chemical agents capable of being put to military use.

We are committed to the achievement of a comprehensive global and verifiable ban on chemical weapons as the only effective means to halt the spread of these weapons and to ensure the destruction of existing stockpiles.Pending the conclusion of such a convention, 19 western countries (the "Australia Group") meet regularly to exchange information and to concert action on export controls on chemical weapon precursors. Members of the group also circulate to national industries a longer warning list of other chemicals which might have relevance to the manufacture of chemical weapons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has considered the recent Council of Europe middle east peace initiative; and if he will make a statement.

We warmly welcome this helpful Council of Europe initiative, which has our full support, as do all efforts which encourage the parties to the Arab-Israel dispute to recognise each other's legitimate rights and to make progress towards a settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protests have been made by Her Majesty's Government to the French authorities regarding the construction of an airstrip at Point Geologic in Antarctica and the threat to penguin breeding grounds; if any of the Greenpeace protesters were British subjects; what policing arrangements exist within Antarctica; and if he will make a statement.

We are following with close attention the construction of the French airstrip at Point Geologie in the French-claimed sector of Antarctica. The information required under the Antarctic treaty concerning French activities this austral summer has already been provided by the French authorities.The French are constructing their airstrip under the terms of article VII. 2 of the agreed measures on the conservation of antarctic fauna and flora, which permit such activities to the minimum extent necessary for the establishment, supply and operation of Antarctic stations. Observance of the agreed measures is subject to review, and this can be done during the normal course of Antarctic treaty meetings, the next of which will take place in Paris in May.I understand that a number of the members of Greenpeace involved in the recent airstrip protest were British subjects.Under the Antarctic treaty, consultative members have the right to designate observers to carry out inspections in all areas of Antarctica including all stations operated by treaty members.The United Kingdom is a founder member of the Antarctic treaty system, and a full consultative party.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he proposes to make any changes to his Department's diplomatic wing running costs limit and cash limits for 1988–89.

The cash limit for class II, vote 1 (overseas representation) will be decreased by £9,196,000 from £439,022,000 to £429,826,000. In addition, the running costs limit on vote 1 will be reduced by £4,347,000 from £406,298,000 to £401,951,000. Both changes are due to reductions in assumed costs overseas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 23 January.

The Foreign Affairs Council met in Brussels on 23 January. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State represented the United Kingdom.The council again discussed the dispute with the United States over the EC directive banning imports of hormone-treated meat. It called on the Commission to continue the action initiated in GATT to seek condemnation of United States unilateral retaliatory measures, but also to continue bilateral contacts with the United States Administration to secure a negotiated settlement of the dispute. While approving a revised list of Community counter-retaliation measures, it agreed to defer the question of their implementation for further consideration, at its meeting in February, in the light of progress in GATT and bilaterally.The council reviewed EC/EFTA co-operation, and called for a further strengthening of the relationship. To this end the EFTA countries will be invited to an informal ministerial meeting in March. The United Kingdom welcomes such moves.Taking account of the Community's close relations with Cyprus and Malta, the council agreed on new financial protocols to be offered to the two countries, providing generous levels of grant aid and access to El B loans.The Presidency introduced the Commission draft directive on the right to vote in local elections. Substantive discussion was deferred.Meeting as a conference of representatives of the member states, Ministers agreed on the appointment as vice-presidents of the Commission for 1989–90 of Mr. Frans Andriessen, Mr. Martin Bangemann, Sir Leon Brittan, Mr. Henning Christophersen, Mr. Manuel Marin and Mr. Filippo Pandolfi.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average general Government expenditure in cash terms, real terms, and as a percentage of gross domestic product for each period of five years since 1959.

Figures for general Government expenditure (excluding privatisation proceeds) in cash and real terms and money gross domestic product for 1963–64 to 1991–92, for which five yearly averages can be derived, were given in table 1.1 of the 1988 Autumn Statement. For earlier years, calendar year figures for general Government expenditure, in cash and real terms, and as a percentage of GDP, were published in the article "Long term trends in public expenditure" in the October 1987 edition of Economic Trends.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessments he has made on the impact of the imposition of value added tax on non-domestic construction of the viability of schemes entered into but not confirmed by binding building contracts before the date of publication of the judgment by the European Court on 21 June 1988.

I have given detailed consideration to this matter in the course of consultations with developers following the EC court ruling on the imposition of VAT on non-domestic construction. I propose to publish draft clauses shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sales of the new National Savings capital bond have been made to date; and if he will make a statement.

By Tuesday 24 January savers had invested some £45 million in capital bonds since they were introduced on 4 January. Purchases are currently running at nearly £20 million a week. This is a most encouraging start. It demonstrates that investors are attracted by the offer of a guaranteed annual return of 12 per cent. gross of income tax over five years, regardless of what happens to other interest rates.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is proposing any change to the Central Office of Information cash limit for 1988–89.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for class XIX vote 1 will be increased by £103,000 from £1,181,000 to £1,284,000. The increase will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure. The additional expenditure is needed to cover services provided by the Central Office of Information on an allied service basis.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if there are any proposals to change the 1988–89 cash limit and running costs limit for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

Both the cash limit and the running costs limit for HM Customs and Excise (class XIX, vote 2) have been reduced by £3,000: from £514,733,000 to £514,730,000 and from £464,058,000 to £464,055,000 respectively. These decreases will be offset by corresponding increases in the cash limit and running costs limit for the Cabinet Office: Office of the Minister for the Civil Service (class XX, vote 1) and reflect the transfer of costs for recruitment under the direct entry grade 7 costs competition, 1988.There is no overall increase in either cash limits or gross running costs limits for Government as a whole as a result of these changes, which will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce identifiable channels of complaint or grievance procedures for prisoners who feel that they have suffered racial discrimination; and if he will make a statement.

Any prisoner who thinks that he or she may have suffered racial discrimination can raise the matter through the usual grievance procedures. In addition, provided that the complaint is raised internally at the same time, the prisoner may write to the Commission for Racial Equality, which will decide what action to take.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that every regional race relations co-ordinators' group includes a representative from the Prison Officers Association.

The regional race relations co-ordinators' group provides a forum for the discussion of race relations issues and, drawing on these discussions and on information from governors and prison service headquarters, advises the prisons board on the service's implementation of the race relations policy. Its membership includes the four regional race relations co-ordinators, representatives from headquarters and one of the community relations consultants. It is not the general practice to invite representatives of staff associations to participate in meetings that are essentially concerned with management matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will take steps to ensure that boards of visitors have oversight over race relations matters; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will take steps to ensure that boards of visitors routinely receive results of all racial monitoring and liaise on a regular basis with the race relations committee on their establishment.

The principal duty of a board of visitors is to satisfy itself as to the state of the prison premises, the administration of the prison, and the treatment of prisoners. Boards report annually on how they have carried out this duty. Guidance to boards on the content of their report includes the need to report on race relations matters. We would expect them to ensure that they have access to the necessary information for this purpose. We are considering, however, whether more detailed advice would be helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that the monitoring of members of ethnic minorities in prison and various work parties and training courses is sensitive to the length of time inmates stay in a particular workplace and the allocation of high-status jobs.

Guidance issued to governors requires them to ensure that all inmates have equal access to training courses and to jobs and to be particularly vigilant in monitoring access to the more attractive jobs. No specific guidance has been given in regard to monitoring the length of time inmates stay in particular jobs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that data collection on race in prison department establishments is standardised to enable comparisons to be drawn across establishments and across regions.

Establishments have already been given guidance on the standard classifications to be used when recording the ethnic origin of prisoners. This took effect from I June 1984.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish the report entitled "Race Relations in Prison" by Elaine Genders and Elaine Player; and if he will make a statement.

We understand that the Oxford University Press will be publishing the report on 2 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that staff who are chosen to undertake specific duties in prison such as classification and transfer are given particular guidance on the exercise of their discretion in matters involving race relations.

Guidance issued to prison staff stresses that all duties can be discharged properly only if staff treat prisoners with humanity and respect, impartially and without discrimination on the grounds of colour, race or religion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners and others taken into custody have been subjected to body belts in 1988; to what extent a rota system of consultant psychiatrists is available to (a) prisons and (b) the police; on how many such cases their services were used; and if he will make a statement.

A governor may order an inmate in a prison service establishement to be put under restraint in a body belt where this is necessary to prevent the inmate from injuring himself or others, damaging property or creating a disturbance. During 1987 (the last year for which figures are currently available), body belts were used on 74 occasions in establishments in England and Wales. The prison medical office must be informed whenever a governor orders an inmate to be put under restraint.Consultants employed in the NHS are frequently called upon by prison medical officers for specialist advice in the context of inmates' treatment generally and in emergencies. In the year ended 31 March 1988 (the last year for which information is available), the cases of 2,815 inmates were referred to NHS consultant psychiatrists, and of a further 9,410 to other NHS psychiatrists. Such services are available round the clock by arrangement with regional health authorities. Information about the incidence of referrals or consultants for specific purposes is not available.The treatment of people held in police custody is governed by code C (code of practice for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers) of the codes of practice made under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The code states that reasonable force may be used to prevent escape, injury, damage to property or the destruction of evidence and requires medical attention for the suspect to be sought whenever necessary, normally from the police surgeon.Custody records in respect of every person detained by the police are held locally and the information sought could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to increase the establishment of the Essex police force by 150 phased equally over the next three years.

My right hon. Friend will consider applications for increases in the Essex police establishment, together with those received from other authorities, in the context of the extra police posts which may be

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for (a) new passports and (b) amendments to passports were made at each office in each year since 1979; and if he will indicate the number of applications received in each month in 1987 and 1988.

The information, which relates to passports issued rather than to applications, is shown in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the average time taken to process applications for new passports at each office from time of receipt to date of issue as at the first day of each month in 1988;(2) what was the average time taken to process applications for

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of staff (a) in past and (b) actually on duty in each passport office on the first day of each month in 1988.

I regret that the information is not available in precisely the form requested. The processing times in working days for straightforward, non-urgent applications of all types are shown in the table, and relate to applications completed on the dates shown.

The table shows the number of staff in post and on duty at each regional passport office on the first working day of each month in 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed on a casual basis, namely, not on the permanent staff, at each passport office in each month of 1987 and 1988; and what was the cost of such staff.