To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made to implement recommendation 46 of the Fennell report that the annual inspection by the London fire brigade of underground stations and tunnels should continue and unsatisfactory features be remedied and reported on within six weeks and that copies of the reports be sent to the chief safety inspector and railway inspectorate and that arrangements be made by London Underground to publish the reports in consultation with the London fire brigade and London regional passengers committee.

I understand that London Underground Ltd. has agreed a new procedure in response to this recommendation. The London fire and civil defence authority will send LUL a formal report of each inspection. Copies will be sent to the railways inspectorate and the chief safety inspector. LUL will respond to the LFCDA within six weeks. A copy of the report, together with LUL's response, will be passed to the London regional passengers' committee and to the House of Commons Library. This procedure will take effect from the receipt by LUL of the next LFCDA annual inspection report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made to implement recommendation 141 in the Fennell report that London Underground shall review its proposals for the working of the underground ticketing system at stations and take advice from the railways inspectorate and the London fire brigade; and if he will take steps to ensure that for all such final proposals which are at variance with the railway inspectorate's or London fire brigade's advice a reason shall be publicly given by London Underground.

London Underground Ltd. had taken the advice of the London fire brigade and of the railways inspectorate on this matter prior to the publication of Mr. Fennell's report. However, London Regional Transport has, at my request, appointed consulting engineers to carry out an independent study of the Underground ticketing system. The study will focus on the implications for passenger safety and will be completed by the end of April. LRT intends to discuss the results of this review with the railways inspectorate and the London fire brigade.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made in response to recommendation 120 of the Fennell report that the law on fire certification as it relates to underground stations should be clarified.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has made an order under the Fire Precautions Act 1971, that was laid before Parliament on 27 January, under which underground railway stations will require a fire certificate unless regulations which are to be made under section 12 of the 1971 Act apply to them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made to implement recommendation 48 of the Fennell report that locked emergency gates shall be fitted with alarmed panic bars; and what trials have been carried out to see if they work under panic conditions following an incident which for passenger safety has to be responded to at great speed and where a large number of people are involved.

I understand that London Underground has identified 24 exits and 11 sites at stations with lifts where it is necessary to fit alarmed panic bars. London Underground considers that a new design of gate may be necessary in order to accommodate the panic bars, and a prototype is being installed at Moorgate for evaluation in February. If the prototype is successful, London Underground will install the alarmed panic bars at the sites identified by 30 June 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will direct London Underground Ltd. and London Regional Transport to make available a copy of all relevant correspondence, reports and documentation communicated between themselves and the fire authorities for London about the consequences for safety of automatic exit barriers installed at London underground stations; and if he will make a statement.

It is for London Regional Transport, London Underground Ltd. and the London fire and civil defence authority to consider whether to make available such exchanges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make clear the likely sources of funding for environmental protection for communities and land potentially affected by a high-speed Channel tunnel rail link; if he will clarify the position with regard to the use of Government funds for such purposes in the light of section 40 of the Channel Tunnel Act; and if he will make a statement.

The environmental protection measures which BR will need to take as part of its proposals for a new line will form part of the cost of the project which will have to be met from increased BR revenues. Government subsidy is ruled out by section 42 of the Channel Tunnel Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there is any contractual arrangement or other commitment between Her Majesty's Government or British Rail with the French Government or French rail authorities on the speed of trains from the Channel tunnel to London, and over other parts of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 31 January 1989]: There are no agreements between the British and French Governments on the speed of Channel tunnel trains within the United Kingdom. The contractual arrangements between BR and SNCF are a matter for them, but I understand that they provide for the shares of revenues to reflect relative contributions towards the overall quality of service and hence its commercial success. BR would accordingly receive an increased share of the joint revenues from the service and pay a smaller share of the costs if the current journey time between London and the tunnel were reduced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the date on which Dr. Ridley, former director of London Regional Transport, vacated the premises from which he carried out his official duties on behalf of London Regional Transport.

Dr. Ridley's official duties as a member of London Regional Transport terminated on 10 November 1988, when he resigned. Any temporary use of facilities granted subsequently by LRT at its discretion to help him clear up his affairs is a matter for LRT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to recommence recruitment for professional, trained coastguards; and if he will list in the Official Report the number of vacancies occurring at each registered coastguard rescue centre indicating the length of time for which any vacancy has lasted.

[holding answer 30 January 1989]: A recruitment campaign is currently in progress. Advertisements will appear shortly both in trade magazines and selected newspapers in order to reach suitably qualified and experienced candidates. The main thrust of this campaign is to attract candidates who are prepared to fill vacancies on the mainland of Scotland and in the Scottish islands.Particulars of vacancies as at 1 January 1989 are as follows:

Coastguard District	Number	Since
Shetland	3	15 November 1988
		12 November 1988
		4 March 1988
Pentland	1	5 October 1988
Moray	5	Watchkeeping duties cease on
		30 March.
		Vacancies will not be filled.
Tyne/Tees	2	20 June 1988
		26 July 1988
Yarmouth	4	11 November 1988
		15 August 1988
		18 August 1988
		19 September 1988
Thames	1	30 April 1988
Dover	3	7 May 1987
		4 April 1988
		31 July 1988
Milford Haven	1	8 February 1988
Liverpool	1	15 November 1988
Belfast	4	1 February 1988
		20 February 1988
		9 November 1987
		25 November 1988

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will tabulate in the Official Report the overall increase in percentage of fares charged by London Regional Transport for each fare increase since January 1984, together with the respective increase in the cost of living index for the relevant preceding period.

[holding answer 30 January 1989]: The information requested is as follows. As a result of the increased use made of travelcards and capitalcards, the fare charged per mile travelled has remained broadly constant in real terms over the period 1984–85 to 1988–89.

	Annual fare increases Per cent.	Annual cost of living increase (using RPI) Per cent.
January 1985	18·5	17·8
January 1986	6·5	5·5
January 1987	4·0	3·9
January 1988	9·5	3·3
January 1989	12·4	26·8

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has now completed the investigations referred to in his reply to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North, 10 January, Official Report, column 508.

Not yet, but I shall ensure that the advice is provided to the Select Committee as soon as it is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking in response to the Countryside Commission's report asking for a change in water privatisation plans to protect 300 sites it lists as being of conservation and recreational value and 15 sites warranting special protection because of their national importance which are owned by water authorities; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Mr. Young) on 19 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the measures he proposes to limit takeovers of water companies will apply to the Coquet water board; what information he has on the present ownership and control of this undertaking; and whether he will make a statement.

The Coquet water board will not be affected by the recently announced measures limiting takeovers of statutory water companies. It was wound up by the Newcastle and Gateshead Water (Coquet Water Board Dissolution) Order 1983, and its liabilities were taken over by the Newcastle and Gateshead water company. It now has no separate existence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to assess whether the acquisition of a stake in the Folkestone water company in partnership with AIPF by the Southern water authority will lead to greater competition.

The special provisions for water mergers announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 11 January do not apply to mergers involving water companies with assets of less than £30 million. The continued independence of such companies is not essential to comparative competition, which those provisions are designed to safeguard. The acquisition of shares in smaller water companies continues to be subject to fair trading legislation, the administration of which is the responsibility of my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will indicate the increases in water charges proposed by the water authorities for 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

The water authorities are facing demands from the public and from Government to meet increasingly stringent quality standards for drinking water, for our rivers and for coastal waters. These improvements cost money.The Government have therefore agreed to a 20 per cent. increase in capital expenditure in 1989–90 which will enable the authorities to continue to move towards these higher standards. I announced this to the House on 2 November, when I also expressed the expectation that increases in charges for next year should, on average, be kept to single figures.Several of the water authorities' chairmen would have preferred even more ambitious programmes of investment next year. However, in considering the need for increases in water charges I have given full weight to the interests of the consumer and the need to avoid sharp increases in any one year. I have also had to take into account the national pressures on the construction industry and the need to avoid unreasonable demands which would lead to higher construction prices.The discussions I have held with the water authority chairmen enable me to confirm that their proposals on charges for 1989–90 will result in an average increase of under 10 per cent., with individual authorities' average increases ranging from 7 to 13 per cent.I am confident that the figures we have agreed will enable the water authorities to make good progress towards our targets for improved environmental standards in the coming year. They represent an appropriate balance between charges and borrowing next year, taking account of the authorities' long-term financial requirements. Once the industry is privatised, it will no longer have to compete for public funds; it will be free to raise finance on the markets.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Southern water authority has given him an undertaking that it will not use minority stakes in statutory water companies' to block either the removal of limits on dividends or the companies' conversion to plc status; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 30 January 1989]: No such undertaking has been given.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account was taken by his working party on football hooliganism of the arrangements existing in Scotland, particularly those introduced as a consequence of the McElione report; what are the reasons for his non-adoption of any of these arrangements in England and Wales; or what steps he has taken to encourage their adoption.

The McElione report of 1977 made a number of recommendations on the conduct of football matches in Scotland in relation to the Scottish football authorities and Scottish football at that time. Many of these recommendations were taken up in Scotland and similar steps have been taken in England and Wales, including restrictions on the sale of alcohol and the segregation of rival groups of supporters.My working party was established to review the main principles of a national membership scheme for football supporters. This is not an issue on which the McElione report made recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to ensure that any charges levied for the proposed football supporters' identity cards do not depend on the holder's willingness to allow personal details to be used for marketing purposes; and if he will make a statement.

I will discuss this with the Data Protection Registrar and the Football Membership Authority at the appropriate stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all those beaches in England which failed to meet the European Community directive on bathing water quality standards in the last year for which data is available; when it is planned for each of these beaches to meet these standards; and what is the estimated cost in each case.

The information on the quality of English bathing waters during the 1988 bathing season is at present being collated. I expect to announce the results before the start of this year's bathing season. We are currently discussing with water authorities their plans for improving those bathing waters which do not yet meet the required standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to introduce legislation to make it an offence to allow polluted drinking water to come through a tap; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to clause 51 of the Water Bill, which will make it an offence for a water undertaker to supply to any premises water that is unfit for human consumption.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department's review of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 will be published.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Grant) on 17 January at column 150.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish his inspector's report on the Woking local plan.

Inspectors are appointed by the Secretary of State to conduct inquiries into objections to local plans. However the inspector reports direct to the local planning authority.This particular inquiry raised a number of very complex issues and, together with necessary site visits, extended over some 17 weeks. The inspector is making every effort to complete his report as soon as possible and expects to submit it to Woking borough council for its consideration by July.Subsequent publication of the report is then a matter for the local planning authority itself.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 1988, Official Report, column 47, he will now make an announcement in respect of the future development of Exeter airport.

I hope to announce my decision later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what resources will be available for local authorities in the urban programme in 1989–90; and whether he will make a statement.

I am today announcing initial urban programme resource allocations for 1989–90, totalling over £245 million. The resources will be allocated to the 57 urban programme partnership and programme authorities. The money will be used to support projects which will encourage economic development and environmental improvements to rebuild confidence and encourage private investment in those areas.The urban programme is one of the Government's range of programmes to help revitalise our inner cities. It complements the Department of the Environment's other urban initiatives including the urban development corporations, city grant and derelict land grant. Together these programmes will provide £674 million for inner city regeneration in 1989–90.The urban programme allocations made today are provisional; formal allocations are made after inner area programmes have been assessed and approved. Allocations will not be confirmed until authorities have provided a satisfactory annual report on achievements through the UP in 1987–88. Additional resources sometimes become available for redistribution in the course of the year which may lead to outturn being different from these initial allocations.I attach considerable importance to the improvement in the management of the urban programme and am grateful to authorities for their continuing commitment to and achievements in the urban programme management initiative.The allocations to individual authorities are as follows.

£ million
Region and Authority	Initial allocation 1989–90
Northern
Newcastle/Gateshead	17·061
Hartlepool	1·750
Langbaurgh	1·750
Middlesbrough	5·349
North Tyneside	3·400
South Tyneside	4·700
Stockton	1·368
Sunderland	5·019
North West
Manchester/Salford	21·773
Blackburn	4·000
Bolton	3·625
Burnley	1·891
Oldham	3·583
Preston	2·120
Rochdale	3·545
Wigan	2·366
Merseyside
Liverpool	19·353
Halton	1·325
Knowsley	3·768
St. Helens	1·662
Sefton	1·429
Wirral	3·253
West Midlands
Birmingham	23·000
Coventry	4·575
Dudley	1·340
Sandwell	4·407
Walsall	1·595
Wolverhampton	4·867
The Wrekin	0·680
East Midlands
Derby	1·480
Leicester	4·750
Nottingham	5·120
Yorkshire and Humberside
Barnsley	1·598
Bradford	4·500
Doncaster	1·793
Hull	4·636
Kirklees	0·889
Leeds	4·315
Rotherham	1·794

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether on appeal against refusal of planning permission for the conversion of redundant farm buildings, the guidance given in his Department's document PPG7 dated January 1988 will prevail when that conflicts with an earlier county structure plan.

[holding answer 31 January 1989]: Planning appeals are determined on their merits, taking account of all material planning considerations. Where the provisions of a structure or local plan clearly conflict with more recently issued national guidance they will usually be accorded less weight in that process. An up-to-date development plan may justify acceptable local variations from national policies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy that all section 7(1) submissions from new town development corporations be sent contemporaneously to hon. Members whose constituencies are affected.

[holding answer 30 January 1989]: My right hon. Friend is under a statutory obligation to consult local authorities before deciding on applications from new towns development corporations for planning consent under section 7(1) of the New Towns Act 1981. I shall ask corporations also to ensure that they have satisfactory arrangements in place for informing hon. Members of such applications, where they have expressed an interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received from Football League clubs regarding arrests made in the 1987–88 and 1988–89 seasons; and if, in the light of such representations, he will amend his table of arrests and the annex to his letter of 21 December 1988.

[holding answer 20 January 1989]: I have received letters from three Football League clubs about the arrest figures for the 1987–88 season. One Football League club has written to me about the arrest figures included in the list of incidents of football hooliganism in 1988–89, annexed to my letter of 21 December 1988 to parliamentary colleagues.Re-examination of the 1987–88 statistics has revealed that the local police made one transcription error in the figures notified to ACPO. The number of arrests at Leicester City football club should be amended from 81 to 31. The revised total of arrests at league matches in the 1987–88 season is 6,097. The correct entry for Leicester City is the table given in my reply of 19 December to a question from the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes), at columns

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make it her policy to reduce total taxation on those individuals and families where it has increased since 1979 to the level prevailing in 1979.

It is our policy to reduce the burden of taxation as and when it is prudent to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) if she will make a statement on the use of negative vetting of (a) civil servants and (b) others working directly or indirectly for the Government;(2) if she will publish a table showing how many civil servants have been negatively vetted in each Government Department from 1979 to the current date;(3) if she will publish a table showing the total number of civil servants as part of their duties involved in negative vetting investigations of employees and potential employees in each Department from 1979 to the current date;(4) if she will publish a table showing the total number of negative vetting investigators employed in each Department from 1979 to the current date;(5) if she will place in the Library official forms issued to negative vetting investigators from each Government Department;(6) if she will describe the procedures used in negative vetting;(7) how many civil servants in each Government Department failed negative vetting in each of the last 10 years;(8) which civil service or other Government-appointed posts require negative vetting;

It is not my practice to give detailed information about security vetting procedures.

To ask the Attorney-General what involvement his Department has had in the Broxtowe child sex abuse case; and if he will make a statement.

The Crown Prosecution Service conducted the prosecution of members of the Taylor family.In cases such as this it is necessary that the jury should hear the evidence of the young children involved, both in chief examination and in any cross-examination. I welcome the successful use of a video link facility to minimise the distress which testifying inevitably causes to the victims of these abhorrent crimes.

To ask the Attorney-General what child care provision the Attorney-General's and Lord Chancellor's Department provides for pre-school age

Table 1
Numbers of school leavers attempting A-level examinations
Thousands
Regions	German			French			Spanish
	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987
North	0·6	0·3	0·5	0·9	0·7	0·9	nil	1—	1—
Yorkshire and Humberside	0·7	0·7	0·6	1·6	1·7	1·8	0·2	0·2	0·2
North West	0·8	0·7	0·8	2·6	2·3	2·2	0·4	0·4	0·3
East Midlands	0·5	0·5	0·5	1·3	1·2	1·4	0·1	0·1	0·1
West Midlands	0·7	0·6	0·6	1·9	1·8	1·2	0·2	0·3	0·2
East Anglia	0·2	0·2	0·3	0·6	0·6	0·6	0·1	0·1	1—
Greater London	0·7	0·8	0·7	2·6	2·2	2·0	0·3	0·4	0·3
Other South East	1·9	1·8	1·9	5·2	4·7	4·8	0·5	0·8	0·5
South West	0·8	0·6	0·5	2·1	1·7	1·6	0·2	0·1	0·2
England2	6·8	6·3	6·3	18·8	16·8	16·4	2·0	2·2	1·8
1 The numbers of pupils fall below 100.
2 Figures for England may not match the sum of those for the constituent regions owing to rounding.

Table 2
Numbers of school leavers obtaining an A-level pass expressed as a percentage of those who attempted the examination
Percentages
Regions	German			French			Spanish
	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987
North	76·9	72·5	82·1	79·9	77·3	82·5	nil	73·3	52·8
Yorkshire and Humberside	90·3	93·7	81·0	74·6	73·3	75·7	80·1	81·1	76·3
North West	74·7	84·5	77·4	73·7	73·1	79·3	70·7	84·8	96·8
East Midlands	95·3	80·5	90·4	79·1	78·0	78·0	92·5	84·0	89·4
West Midlands	91·4	87·5	82·1	77·7	77·2	70·0	80·6	87·8	84·9
East Anglia	85·7	89·8	82·5	80·0	88·1	88·1	100·0	100·0	100·0
Greater London	88·9	90·1	87·3	83·1	84·8	87·7	83·9	88·2	92·3
Other South East	88·3	92·4	88·2	84·4	80·5	85·3	82·5	85·6	91·5
South West	87·7	82·9	92·2	87·3	78·1	87·4	88·1	100·0	94·5
England	86·7	87·8	85·3	80·8	78·7	82·2	81·7	86·7	90·0

To ask the secretary of State for Education and Science how many students have taken English, physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology and computer children of the Department's employees; what child care provision for school holidays or after school care is provided for employee's children aged five years and over; and what plans there are for increasing provision in the next five years.

A pilot scheme for children of school age will run from 13 to 17 February 1989 and 28 March to 7 April 1989 in London. Together with other Whitehall Departments, staff in my Departments and the Lord Chancellor's Department have been circulated with an invitation to place their children with the scheme.My Departments and the Lord Chancellor's Department are considering proposals to provide nursery facilities for children of pre-school age. It is likely that some nursery facilities will be in operation within the next two years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students have taken German, French, and Spanish at A-level standard over the last three academic years; and what was the success rate in each year, showing the figures by region and in percentage and numerical terms.

The information is as follows. The figures relate to the numbers of pupils attempting A-level examinations, and the proportion who passed.studies at A-level standard over the last three academic years; and what was the success rate in each year, showing all figures by standard planning region and in percentage and numerical terms.

Table 1
Numbers of school leavers attempting A-level examinations
Thousands
	English			Physics			Chemistry
	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987
Regions:
North	2·6	2·0	2·1	2·2	2·1	2·0	2·2	2·0	2·0
Yorkshire and Humberside	3·7	3·7	3·5	3·7	3·7	3·2	3·6	3·5	3·4
North West	5·5	4·6	4·9	5·2	5·3	4·6	4·7	5·1	4·8
East Midlands	3·4	3·2	3·4	3·1	2·8	2·5	2·8	2·8	2·5
West Midlands	4·6	4·2	4·5	4·4	4·1	4·1	4·0	4·0	3·9
East Anglia	1·6	1·6	1·6	1·2	1·3	1·3	1·1	1·1	0·9
Greater London	5·8	5·2	5·3	4·7	5·3	4·5	4·8	4·8	4·0
Other South East	11·5	11·2	11·8	11·0	9·2	9·2	9·1	8·4	7·5
South West	4·2	4·1	4·0	3·6	3·4	3·1	3·3	3·2	3·0
England1	42·9	39·7	41·1	39·1	37·1	34·5	35·6	35·0	32·0
1 Figures for England may not match the sum of those for the constituent regions owing to rounding.

Thousands
	Mathematics			Biology			Computer science
	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987
Regions:
North	3·4	3·0	3·2	2·1	1·8	1·6	0·5	0·5	0·5
Yorkshire and Humberside	5·8	5·7	5·2	3·2	2·7	3·1	0·6	0·5	0·5
North West	7·7	8·0	7·3	3·5	4·1	4·0	0·7	0·8	0·5
East Midlands	5·1	4·6	4·4	2·3	2·6	2·1	0·4	0·4	0·4
West Midlands	6·0	5·6	5·9	3·2	3·3	3·2	0·5	0·6	0·4
East Anglia	2·4	2·1	2·1	1·2	1·2	1·0	0·2	0·2	0·1
Greater London	8·5	8·6	7·5	4·2	3·2	3·3	0·4	0·6	0·6
Other South East	18·0	17·6	17·6	7·8	7·2	6·9	1·3	1·4	1·2
South West	5·7	5·6	5·6	3·0	2·9	3·0	0·4	0·4	0·1
England1	62·5	60·8	58·7	30·4	28·9	28·2	5·0	5·3	4·3
1 Figures for England may not match the sum of those for the constituent regions owing to rounding.

Table 2
Numbers of school leavers obtaining an A-level pass expressed as a percentage of those who attempted the examination
Percentages
	English			Physics			Chemistry
	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987
Regions:
North	77·4	77·1	77·7	75·7	76·3	77·1	83·5	81·0	78·9
Yorkshire and Humberside	71·4	75·7	71·8	76·9	79·7	73·5	79·6	78·5	80·9
North West	77·3	78·3	79·2	78·6	77·6	72·7	82·1	81·1	79·8
East Midlands	79·8	80·7	79·4	78·8	78·1	80·4	83·5	78·5	77·5
West Midlands	75·9	81·3	77·4	76·4	75·1	75·5	80·1	76·9	76·0
East Anglia	84·2	84·2	88·3	81·6	85·6	75·5	75·9	81·7	87·4
Greater London	81·1	82·4	83·6	79·9	75·3	77·6	78·9	75·6	83·3
Other South East	83·1	81·7	84·8	81·7	79·0	81·1	80·4	78·7	85·6
South West	83·6	82·5	86·2	76·3	79·7	79·0	78·9	84·9	82·9
England	79·8	80·7	81·5	79·0	78·0	77·5	80·4	79·2	81·5

Numbers of school leavers obtaining an A-level pass expressed as a percentage of those who attempted the examination
Percentages
	Mathematics			Biology			Computer science
	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987	1985	1986	1987
Regions
North	77·2	77·7	78·1	70·3	73·3	82·3	67·2	85·2	86·3
Yorkshire and Humberside	72·9	74·6	74·6	70·1	73·0	76·2	71·1	76·7	66·5
North West	76·4	74·1	71·6	81·3	72·7	77·5	80·2	66·3	84·6
East Midlands	76·1	72·3	74·5	77·8	71·5	74·4	93·6	59·8	79·0
West Midlands	75·1	74·8	75·2	75·3	73·2	77·6	85·7	68·1	57·1
East Anglia	75·0	78·8	75·6	75·3	81·3	85·8	73·5	87·1	84·7
Greater London	75·4	76·6	74·5	79·0	76·4	76·2	87·2	66·5	73·4
Other South East	81·2	78·6	79·5	78·7	78·0	77·6	80·7	84·3	83·0
South West	75·6	81·4	74·0	78·0	72·4	76·6	79·4	75·0	83·1
England	77·1	76·8	75·9	76·9	74·8	77·5	79·7	74·8	77·3

The information is as follows. The figures relate to the numbers of pupils attempting A-level examinations, and the proportion who passed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local education authorities have implemented section 58 of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986.

All local education authorities in England and Wales are subject to section 58, which empowers an LEA to pay travelling and subsistence allowances to governors of schools and establishments of further education, in accordance with the provisions of a scheme made by it.I do not have any information about the number of authorities which have implemented schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assistance the Government will give to local education authorities not opposed to section 58 of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986.

The fact that an LEA may decide not to introduce a scheme for the payment of travelling and subsistence allowances does not mean that it is "opposed" to the section. It merely shows that the LEA has chosen to give priority to other areas of expenditure, which may, in the circumstances of the particular LEA, be entirely proper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to make mandatory the powers under section 58 of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986.

We believe that it should be for local education authorities, in determining their expenditure priorities, to decide whether to introduce a scheme for the payment of travelling and subsistence allowances to governors.We hope, nevertheless, that LEAs will provide allowances where not to do so would cause genuine hardship or would discourage people from becoming governors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the membership of the Open university visiting committee.

I have appointed Mr. Kenneth Dixon, the chairman of Rowntree plc, to be chairman-designate of the committee. He will take over as chairman on 1 January 1990.I am most grateful to Sir Austin Bide, who has been chairman of the visiting committee since it was set up in 1982. My predecessor and I have benefited greatly from the committee's advice and from its thorough analysis of the problems and opportunities which the Open university has faced over the years. I take this opportunity to thank Sir Austin for his enormous contribution in establishing the committee so successfully.I have also appointed Professor Michael Hart, professor of physics at Manchester university and Mr. Chris Tipple, director of education for Northumberland, to be members of the committee for three years, until December 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the pits that have been involved in British Coal's market research survey carried out by Research Services of Wembley; the number of interviews carried out and the nature of the questions asked; when the results will be made public and if he will make a statement as to whether this research has been undertaken in preparation for the privatisation of the coal industry.

This is a management matter for the British Coal Corporation, and I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give his Department's latest estimate of coal reserves in Great Britain.

The British Coal Corporation is responsible for making any assessments of coal reserves. I will ask the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will list each deep-mined colliery in Scotland, giving details of the rates paid by each colliery to its local authority;(2) how many jobs have been lost in the Scottish mining industry since 1984; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will give the number of employees at British Coal headquarters in Edinburgh each year from 1984 to date; and if he will make a statement.

These are matters for the British Coal Corporation, and I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his policy towards the vetting of prospective employees working at British Nuclear Fuels plc and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.

The security procedures of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and British Nuclear Fuels plc towards prospective employees are similar to those employed in the Civil Service for comparable positions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will initiate discussions with (a) the chairman of British Gas and (b) other bodies within his Department's responsibility about the effect of the imposition of value added tax on non-domestic construction work following the decision of the European Court on 21 June 1988, including the effect on partnership schemes to redevelop redundant inner city land with the private sector.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 21 June 1988 at columns 957–58. Customs and Excise has consulted interested parties on how the judgment of the European Court could be best applied. Action to protect public sector construction programmes, by allowing where necessary compensating adjustments to the relevant central Government expenditure provision, has already been taken in consultation with relevant bodies.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimate of the tax yield if value added tax was imposed at 25 per cent. on those goods which were formerly taxed at this rate under purchase tax; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that information is not readily available at the level of detail required.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the additional revenue to the Exchequer in (i) 1989–90 and (ii) a full year if (a) there were a 5 per cent. increase in duties on cigarettes, tobacco and alcoholic drinks, (b) value added tax were levied on new construction at 15 per cent., (c) the taxable benefit of company cars were increased by 25 per cent. and (d) mortgage interest relief were limited to the standard rate of tax.

(a) It is estimated that the net additional revenue yield from a 5 per cent. increase in the duties on cigarettes, tobacco and alcoholic drinks would be £355 million in 1989–90 and £385 million in a full year;

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average wage (a) for the United Kingdom and (b) in the Nottingham area; and what is the total tax burden in each case for each of the years from 1979 to date.

The information requested for Great Britain was provided to my hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire) on 10 January 1989 at columns 633–56. Data for average earnings in Nottinghamshire are available for April each year in the new earnings survey. They are as follows, with estimates of the implied burden of income tax and NICs. No data are available which would permit any estimates of the burden of indirect taxes to be made.

		Income tax and NICs as percentage of average earnings
April	Average earnings (£ per week)	Single person	Married man, no children
1978	88·50	31·1	27·2
1979	101·50	29·2	25·5
1980	122·60	30·3	26·7
1981	138·40	32·0	28·8
1982	147·80	32·6	29·2
1983	158·40	32·5	28·8
1984	164·30	32·0	27·9
1985	174·70	31·7	27·6
1986	194·40	31·3	27·5
1987	210·20	30·0	26·6
1988	227·30	28·5	25·3

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will list the factors other than the prevailing exchange rates which will be taken into account in judging when the time is right for Britain to join the exchange rate mechanism of the European monetary system.

All relevant factors will be taken into account.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the gross national product has gone to the Exchequer since 1979; where this came from; and if he will make a statement.

Information on taxes and social security contributions as a percentage of gross national product is published each year in "The United Kingdom National Accounts" (table 15.7 in the 1988 edition). The publication is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings he has had with the International Monetary Fund since becoming Chancellor; and if he will give the dates of such meetings and the topics discussed.

Since becoming Chancellor, my right hon. Friend has attended 10 meetings of the International Monetary Fund—including the interim committee, development committee, and in the autumn, the joint annual meetings of the IMF and World bank—on the following occasions:

• 25–30 September 1983;
• 12–13 April 1984;
• 22–27 September 1984;
• 17–19 April 1985;
• 9–11 April 1986;
• 28 September—3 October 1986;
• 9–10 April 1987;
• 27 September—1 October 1987;
• 14–15 April 1988;
• 25–29 September 1988.

The discussions have covered a wide range of subjects summarised in the communiqués of the interim and development committees, copies of which have been deposited in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the revenue or duty received by Her Majesty's Government in the last financial year from value added tax and car tax, as applicable on (a) mopeds, (b) small motorcycles and (c) cars of 1,000 cc or under.

I regret that information is not available at the level of detail required.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the effect on his estimates of public sector debt repayment and of privatisation proceeds of the purchase by the British Petroleum Company plc of 790 million of its shares currently owned by the Kuwait Investment Office.

At their extraordinary general meeting on 31 January 1989, the shareholders of BP approved the purchase of 790 million of BP shares from the KIO. Following the purchase, these shares will be cancelled and the KIO's holding will be reduced to 9·9 per cent. of BP's issued share capital, as recommended by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.The KIO will pay the final instalment of £830 million on these shares in March rather than on the due date of 27 April 1989 and will be issued with share certificates forthwith. The Treasury has agreed to these arrangements because the powers available to BP to purchase its own shares apply only to fully-paid shares and not to partly-paid shares or shares held in the form of interim rights.Following the KIO's payment, the public sector debt repayment in 1988–89 will be £830 million higher than otherwise. There is no other effect on the PSDR in 1988–89. BP will be liable to advance corporation tax on the purchase and it has stated that the KIO is entitled to an equivalent tax credit from the Inland Revenue. BP can offset this ACT against its future corporation tax bill, but only if its United Kingdom taxable income is high enough in the years ahead. The cost of any such offset would in any event be far less than the gains from the Government's decision in October 1987 to proceed with the sale of shares in BP at the underwritten price of 330pThe present estimate of £6·1 billion privatisation proceeds in 1988–89 will be increased to approximately £6·9 billion. There is some flexibility on the timing of privatisation receipts, and the central estimate of total proceeds remains at £5 billion for 1989–90.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the provisions of the Government Trading Funds Act 1973 will be applied to next steps executive agencies.

Trading funds can already be created for agencies which meet the requirements in the Government Trading Funds Act 1973. However, some bodies including those which are directed by statute to provide a service and where the fees are fixed by regulation, are at present outside the scope of the 1973 Act. Some agencies which are at present outside its scope would be able to operate more efficiently under the more commercial regime. We therefore propose to bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity so that trading or agency funds will be available in such cases. This change would add significantly to the range of financial regimes available to agencies and make a significant contribution to the implementation of the Government's next steps policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what information is available to his Department country by country on life expectancy rates in those countries that are actual or potential recipients of British overseas aid.

	Expectation of life at birth (years)		Deaths per 1000 live births
	Males	Females	Infants under 1 year old	Children under5 years old
Europe
Cyprus	72·3	77·0	16·5	17
Gibraltar	71·2	78·1	9·8	—
Greece	72·2	76·4	12·3	18
Malta	70·8	76·0	13·6	—
Portugal	68·4	75·2	17·8	22
Turkey	60·0	63·3	92·1	104
Yugoslavia	67·7	73·2	27·3	31
Africa—North of the Sahara
Algeria	58·5	61·4	88·0	117
Egypt	56·8	59·5	70·5	136
Libya	56·6	60·0	96·5	130
Morocco	56·6	60·0	96·5	130
Tunisia	60·1	61·1	85·3	110
Africa—South of the Sahara
Angola	40·4	43·6	148·5	242
Benin	42·4	45·6	120·1	193
Botswana	52·7	59·3	76·2	99
Burkina Faso	43·7	46·8	150·3	245
Burundi	44·9	48·1	124·1	200
Cameroon	49·2	52·6	103·2	162
Cape Verde	59·0	61·0	76·5	95
Central African Republic	41·4	44·6	142·0	232
Chad	41·4	44·6	142·8	232
Comoros	48·3	51·7	88·3	135
Congo	44·9	48·1	81·1	122
Djibouti	—	—	—	—
Equatorial Guinea	42·4	45·6	137·3	223
Ethiopia	39·3	42·5	154·9	257
Gabon	47·4	50·7	111·9	178
Gambia	33·5	36·5	174·1	292
Ghana	50·3	53·8	98·3	153
Guinea	38·7	41·8	159·1	259
Guinea-Bissau	41·4	44·6	1428	232
Ivory Coast	48·8	52·2	109·9	157
Kenya	51·2	54·7	80·2	121
Lesotho	46·3	52·3	111·1	144
Liberia	47·4	50·7	132·5	215
Madagascar	48·9	50·4	67·0	97
Malawi	38·1	41·2	130·0	275
Mali	46·9	49·7	120·9	302
Mauritania	42·4	45·6	137·3	223
Mauritius	64·4	71·2	26·3	32
Mayotte	—	—	—	—
Mozambique	44·4	46·2	153·5	252
Namibia	46·6	49·9	115·6	—
Niger	40·9	44·1	145·7	237
Nigeria	46·9	50·2	114·2	182
Reunion	65·5	74·0	13·1	—
Rwanda	45·1	47·7	132·0	214
St. Helena	—	—	29·7	—
Sao Tome and Principe	—	—	61·7	—
Senegal	41·7	44·9	142·2	231
Seychelles	66·2	73·5	17·4	—
Sierra Leone	32·5	35·5	179·5	302
Somalia	39·3	42·5	154·9	257
Sudan	46·6	49·0	117·8	187
Swaziland	46·9	50·2	129·2	182
Tanzania	49·3	52·7	114·8	183
Togo	48·8	52·2	102·3	160

Information on life expectancy and infant mortality rates is included in the "United Nations Demographic Yearbook" for 1986, published in 1988. Information on child mortality is included in the UNICEF report on "The State of the World's Children", 1987, also published in 1988. The rates for all developing countries are given in the following table.