To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those international organisations on which his Department is represented and the total cost of those commitments.

The activities of the European Community, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Council of Europe each have an education component and this Department provides the United Kingdom representations. In addition, the Department participates appropriately in the scientific activities of these organisations. The Government's contribution to the budgets is provided through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In addition, this Department makes specific contributions to the centre for educational research and innovation of the OECD (£97,143 in 1987–88) to the International Baccalaureate organisation (£16,100 in 1987–88) and to the European university institute (£1,232 million in 1987–88).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about the establishment of a London special boarding schools trust to take over responsibility for these schools after the abolition of the Inner London education authority; and what response he has given.

Representations have been received from representatives of the London special boarding schools trust to establish a trust which would take responsibility for all ILEA's residential special schools. Representations in support have also been received from the heads of the residential special schools and in correspondence to the Department. The trust is one of the options being considered by the working party that my right hon. Friend set up to consider the future of the schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has for alternative locations for his Department's offices, following the sale of the property currently occupied in York road, London SE1 .

The Department is currently planning to relocate its headquarters staff in Sanctuary Buildings towards the end of 1990. The new headquarters will not provide for all London-based staff and some supplementary accommodation is being sought. Studies are being undertaken to examine the feasibility of relocating some London based staff outside the London area. The lease of the present headquarters is held by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of state for the Environment. He is considering its future.

To ask the Attorney-General whether under the proposals in the Green Paper "The Work and Organisation of the Legal Profession", it is envisaged that advocacy before the European Court of Justice will require a full or limited advocacy certificate.

Under article 17 of the protocol on the statute of the Court of Justice of the European Economic Community, parties other than the states and institutions of the Community must be represented by a lawyer entitled to practise before a court of a member state. Under the proposals in the Green Paper on the work and organisation of the legal profession, advocates with both limited and full advocacy certificates would have rights of audience before the courts, although the extent of these rights would depend on whether their certificates are full or limited. If the proposals in the Green Paper are implemented, lawyers with either full or limited advocacy certificates should be entitled to practise before the European Court of Justice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list by country the amounts of debt outstanding to the Overseas Development Administration as at 31 March 1988.

Amounts due to be repaid to the Overseas Development Administration as at 31 March 1988 are shown in the table. Repayments of past aid loans are added to the annual public expenditure survey provision for overseas aid and are thus available for new aid spending.

	£
Antigua	145,033·72
Barbados	561,770·30
Belize	10,630,803·02
Bolivia	270,856·48
Brazil	3,416,096·55
British Virgin Islands	2,480,774·86
Cambodia	118,498·47
Cameroon	83,967·58
Cayman Islands	989,582·42
Colombia	2,847,924·56
Costa Rica	3,214,041·25
Cyprus	371,322·97
Dominica	5,601,561·30
Ecuador	7,557,273·24
Egypt	6,599,586·12
Falkland Islands	211,771·03
Fiji	2,123,799·52
Ghana	388,706·65
Gibraltar	1,011,047·10
Grenada	2,499,586·02
Guyana	25,041,467·13
Honduras	3,352,298·07
India	1224,423,946·91
Ivory Coast	1,814,770·77

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give total gross domestic fixed capital formation for the United Kingdom at market prices as a percentage of GDP(E) at market prices for each year since 1959 to the most recent available date, together with the average for (a) 1974 to 1979 and (b) 1979 to 1987 inclusive.

This information may be obtained from the Central Statistical Office databank, a collection of macroeconomic time series in computer readable form to which the House of Commons Library has direct access.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest figures for take-up of profit-related pay; and if he will make a statement.

Profit-related pay has just completed its first full year of operation, under the innovatory scheme for tax relief which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer introduced. At the end of 1988, a total of 830 schemes were registered, covering well over 120,000 people.The progress of PRP is encouraging, but experience has suggested that one of the rules has discouraged some employers from setting up schemes and complicated things unnecessarily for others. This is the rule that PRP should be at least 5 per cent. of total pay if profits are unchanged from the base year. The Government have therefore decided to abolish it.I am authorising the Inland Revenue to operate an extra-statutory concession to this effect from today. This means that employers whose accounting years begin on 1 April will be able, if they wish, to register schemes before then without having to meet the 5 per cent. test. We shall put forward the necessary legislation in the Finance Bill.This change should simplify considerably the operation of profit-related pay. I hope that it will help those who have already opted for PRP, and encourage others to follow in their footsteps. Full details of the changes are available in a press release published by the Inland Revenue today.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he intends to set a date limit for the notification of milk quota transfers in England and Wales.

Following discussion with the industry, I have decided to make use of the powers provided by the Dairy Produce Quotas (Amendment) Regulations 1989. Quota transfers notified after 21 April, even if they are notified as having occurred in the previous quota year, will not affect the calculation of supplementary levy liability until the start of the new quota year on 1 April.I hope that this will encourage producers to notify transfers of quota in good time, which should in turn facilitate the smooth running of the quota system.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about charges for work in connection with the enforcement of the milk and dairies regulations.

Following consultations with interested parties about the recommendations on the efficiency scrutiny report published last year, my right hon. Friend the Minister and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales propose to make certain adjustments which will enable us to reduce the charge for work in connection to the enforcement arrangements with a scheduled dairy farm inspection visit. We are proposing that this should be set at £78 with effect from 1 April 1989. The existing charge is £90 but it would otherwise have had to be increased to £105 to take account of increased costs since April 1987. We also propose to increase the concession for producers with fewer than 20 cows from £10 to £18, giving a proposed charge of £60 compared with the current charge of £80.The scrutiny report did not identify any savings in the system for sampling and testing untreated milk and private water supplies. In order to recoup costs associated with the work it will be necessary to increase these charges from £22 to £26 to take account of increased costs since 1987. The charge will also need to be increased by a further £5 if the efficiency scrutiny's recommendation for changes to the tests on untreated milk is implemented. These changes are still to be considered.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ban the sale of untreated milk.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have recently been reviewing our arrangements for the sale of untreated milk, which represents 2 to 3 per cent. of milk sales in England and Wales. Effective heat treatment is the only way to minimise the risks of transmitting milk-borne diseases to the consumer. My right hon. Friend and I propose therefore to consult the interested parties with a view to prohibiting the sale of untreated milk from the earliest possible date. We shall consult also on what arrangements should be applied to sales of untreated milk in the interim period.A consultation document will be issued shortly inviting comments on this proposal and on the detailed arrangements for its implementation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much public expenditure there has been on education in Scotland in the current year; and what are the figures for each of the last 10 years.

Estimated outturn for total public expenditure (by central and local government) on education in 1988–89 is £2,126 million. The equivalent figures for the past 10 years are set out in the table:

£ million
1978–79	901
1979–80	1,051
1980–81	1,273
1981–82	1,432
1982–83	1,505
1983–84	1,574
1984–85	1,616
1985–86	1,676
1986–87	1,802
1987–88	1,948

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland are presently on the enterprise allowance scheme; and what are the figures for each year since its inception.

On 24 January 1989, the latest date for which information is available, there were 7,979 people participating in the enterprise allowance scheme in Scotland. The number of people entering the scheme in Scotland in each year since its inception in August 1983 is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland are in part-time work; what is the average number of part-time workers for each of the past 10 years; and what proportion these figures represent of the total work force in employment at the latest date for which figures are available.

Information on part-time workers in Scotland for each of the past 10 years is available only for female part-time employees in employment. These estimates, given in the table, exclude part-time male employees, the self-employed and participants on work-related Government training programmes. For the years 1978, 1981 and 1984 the censuses of employment record some 0·06 million male part-time employees in employment. In September 1988 female part-time employees comprised 20·6 per cent. of all employees in employment in Scotland and 18·2 per cent. of the civilian work force in employment.

Female part-time employees in employment in Scotland1
Year	Annual averages millions
1978	0·31
1979	0·33
1980	0·33
1981	0·34
1982	0·34
1983	0·34
1984	0·35
1985	0·36
1986	0·37
1987	0·38
September
19882	0·39
1 These estimates may be revised when the results of the 1987 Census of Employment becomes available.
2 Not adjusted for seasonal variation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on behalf of the Lord Advocate on the police investigation of David Johnstone of Radio Forth for statements relating to the Lockerbie air disaster.

The Lord Advocate has no intention of requiring Mr. David Johnston, head of news, Radio Forth, to be brought before a sheriff to be precognosced on oath. If Mr. Johnston has new information of value to the investigating authorities, it is to be expected that, out of a proper sense of public responsibility, he will disclose it to them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the name, location and size of each of those forest estates sold by the Forestry Commission from 21 June 1984 to date; and if he will list the price obtained for the sale of such public assets in each case.

[holding answer 17 January 1989]: In view of its length, I have arranged for copies of the list to be placed in the Library of the House. This covers the period from 22 October 1984 to 21 December 1988, the latest date for which information is available. Lists of forest areas sold between 22 June 1984 and 21 October 1984, or which were in the process of being sold at the latter date, were provided on 5 December 1984 in answer to a question from the hon. Member for Falkirk, West (Mr. Canavan) at columns 139–50.

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he has met the chairman of the London residuary body to discuss plans to build a national theatre for dance.

[holding answer 2 February 1989]: No.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what representations he has received on plans to build a national theatre for dance on the south bank.

[holding answer 2 February 1989]: None. The plans were put forward by the private sector.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what information he has on the reasons for the withdrawal of plans to build a national theatre for dance on the south bank.

[holding answer 2 February 1989]: I am informed that a bid was made for the county hall site, which included the building of a dance theatre; but another bid worth £20 million more from the County Hall Development Group was accepted by the London residuary body, under its statutory obligation to obtain the maximum benefit for the ratepayers, in June 1988.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will supply figures on levels of overseas investment in the United Kingdom by region for each of the past five years.

Figures for net inward direct investment in the United Kingdom are not available by region. For the United Kingdom as a whole they are as follows:

£ million
1983	3,301
1984	-246
1985	4,123
1986	4,078
1987	15,664

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what additional measures are being taken to reduce the burden of licensing requirements under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts.

My Department is today laying a statutory instrument under section 1 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 further to reduce licensing requirements, in line with intentions expressed in the White Paper "Releasing Enterprise" (Cm. 512), published in November 1988.Following the outcome of the review announced on 20 December 1988 in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Wireless Telegraphy Apparatus (Receivers) (Exemption) Regulations 1989 will exempt from licensing requirements the use of radio equipment used for receiving—as distinct from transmitting—with one important exception. The television licence fee will continue to be charged as the arrangements for licensing users of television to receive authorised broadcasts are not affected by these proposals.Licences for receivers are not required for radio spectrum management purposes. Reception of authorised sound radio broadcasting and of radio amateur transmissions was exempted some time ago. In particular, people will no longer need a separate licence to use television receive-only (TVRO) equipment such as satellite dishes for television broadcasts direct to the home from fixed-service satellites. Removal of licensing will, moreover, avoid the costs to users and to Government caused by changing requirements as new services develop.The statutory instrument will come into force on 27 February 1989.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions he has had with the European Commission to establish whether the proposal of his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment on merger policy with regard to the water industry of 11 January, Official Report, column 841, is likely to contravene European Economic Community competition policy and what response he has received.

[holding answer 2 February 1989]: Formal clearance by the EC Commission of the proposals for mergers in the water industry is not necessary. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment will, however, be keeping the Commission informed about the details of his proposals.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any guarantees and conditions on the use and production of chemical weapons have been attached to the Britain-Iraq £340 million trade credit.

[holding answer 31 January 1989]: The UK-Iraq £340 million financial protocol makes no specific reference to imports which might conceivably relate to the production of chemical weapons. However, it can be used only to finance goods which meet United Kingdom export licence requirements, and these specifically prevent the supply of a number of key precursors. The protocol makes an important contribution to Government policy of developing economic and commercial relations with Iraq and is based on a commercial assessment of the risks involved. We have made clear to the Iraqi Government our condemnation of the use of chemical weapons and we expect the Government of Iraq to honour their pledge not to use these weapons in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce immigration rules to consolidate the rules contained in HC 169 and all subsequent amendments of those rules.

Yes. We propose to do so on the next occasion on which changes are made to the immigation rules.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Don Valley, 20 January, Official Report, column 352–53 about the numbers of female victims of sexual offences treated by (a) male and (b) female police surgeons, if he will list by police authority comparable figures for the other police authorities in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions prosecutions have been brought under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 in relation to river pollution; if he will list such occasions in date order and by court; and if he will make a statement.

The information held centrally for 1987, which may be incomplete, is given in the table. Provision of corresponding information for other years would involve disproportionate costs.

Persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts in 1987 under Sections 31 and 32 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974
England and Wales	Number1
Avon and Somerset	12
Cambridgeshire	2
Cheshire	8
Cumbria	7
Derbyshire	3
Dorset	1
Durham	1
Gloucestershire	7
Greater Manchester	1
Hampshire	3
Humberside	7
Leicestershire	10
Lincolnshire	3
Merseyside	1
Norfolk	10
North Yorkshire	12
Northamptonshire	3
Shropshire	4

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make public the ethnic origin of prisoners held in Her Majesty's prison, Wormwood Scrubs at the most recent convenient date.

The information is given in the table.

Population1 of Wormwood Scrubs prison: by ethnic origin 30 September 1988
	Number
White	657
West Indian, Guyanese, African	276
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi	39
Chinese, Arab, Mixed origin	19
Other, not recorded, refused	19
All persons	1,010
1 The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement as to what standard classifications are used when recording the ethnic origin of prisoners.

The standard classification used to record the ethnic origin of prisoners, is that currently used in the EC labour force survey. Details are to be found in "The ethnic origins of prisoners: the prison population on 30 June 1985" and persons received July 1984 to March 1985 (Home Office statistical bulletin 17/86).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how prison governors ensure that all inmates have equal access to training courses and to jobs.

In general, inmates are informed of the opportunities for education, training, and employment, and are invited to express their preferences at the beginning of their sentence. An assessment is then made of their suitability for the activities of their choice in terms of medical fitness, educational standard, and motivation.While the wishes of inmates are taken into account, access to a particular course or specific type of employment is dependent on the suitability or otherwise of the individual and on the constraints of local circumstances. Opportunities for choice may be more limited in local prisons and remand centres and for prisoners with special needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to ensure that all prisoners are aware of their right to write to the Commission for Racial Equality at the same time as raising internally any complaint of racial discrimination.

Guidance was issued to establishments in 1977 about the right of prisoners to write to the Commission for Racial Equality. Specific reference to this will be included in the next revision of the information booklet for prisoners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis about the extent of employment discrimination against women within the Metropolitan police and the action he is taking to counteract it.

Like the chief officers, the Commissioner is aware that, subject to the specific exceptions provided by section 17(2) of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, any sex discrimination in the treatment of police officers is unlawful.Over the last four years, the Metropolitan police has worked with the Equal Opportunities Commission on the implementation of its equal opportunities policy, as the commission recognised in its 12th annual report. The force has a dedicated equal opportunities unit, and a formal grievance procedure which can be used by officers who consider that they have suffered from sexist behaviour or language.Equal opportunities training is included in central and local training programmes. Detailed guidelines on equal opportunities legislation and practice are issued to all officers of inspector rank and above, and are available to other ranks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends removing the requirement for police officers (a) to serve warrants for non-payment of fines and (b) to act as coroners' officers.

Arrangements for service of warrants for non-payment of fines are settled locally between police forces and the courts. As much as possible should be dealt with by civilian staff rathern than police officers in order to release the latter for operational duties.As regards coroners' officers, it has been suggested to police authorities, chief officers of police and the coroners' service that civilians rather than police officers should be appointed to such posts. This is in line with the conclusion of the Broderick committee on coroners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extra police have been allocated to the West Midlands police force for each year between 1974 and 1988.

The information is as follows:

Year	Posts approved
1974 and 1975	—
1976	38
1977 to 1980	—

Year	Posts approved
1981	175
1982 to 1987	—
1988	70

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has plans for changing the way in which the regions and headquarters of the prison service are organised.

Fresh start has brought fundamental changes over the past two years to the way in which individual establishments in the prison service operate. I have decided that the time is now ripe for carrying this process a stage further and undertaking a comprehensive study of the organisation and location of the service's headquarters and regions. The terms of reference for the review are:To study the organisation of the prison service in England and Wales above the level of individual establishments and the locations at which work is done and to make recommendations for changes to improve effectiveness and value for money.The work is being done by a small team of consultants and civil servants and is due to be completed by the end of July.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were sent to prison in each of the last three years for cruelty to children.

The information is not all available in the form requested. The number of persons given immediate custody for offences of cruelty to or neglect of children under section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", supplementary tables 1.1(a) and 2.1(a). The number of offences of homicide where the victims were children is published in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", Cm. 498, tables 4.6, 4.12 and 4.13. Copies of these publications are in the Library of the House. The number of persons sentenced for other offences of violence against children is not available separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what prison association is allowed for inmates at Wandsworth prison.

The position before the recent intensification of industrial action was that, apart from the hospital ward complex, there was no general association other than that which occurred during exercise periods and other group activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average time a person on remand in custody has spent in prison during the last 12 months.

The latest readily available information was published in table 2.1 of "Prison statistics England and Wales 1987" (Cmnd. 547), a copy of which is held in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will extend the validation period of shotgun certificates from three years to six years; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will introduce legislation to extend the validation period of firearms certificates to six years; and if he will make a statement;(3) what representations he has received

We have received occasional representations on this matter but details are not available in the form requested. Proposals for extending from three to six years the validity of shotgun and firearm certificates were made during the passage of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988. These were not acceptable to the Government. I remain of the view that review of the conditions attached to a certificate and the circumstances of the holder at three-yearly intervals is right, and that to extend the period to six years would represent an unacceptable relaxation of the controls. We have, however, made provision in the 1988 Act for the co-termination of firearm and shotgun certificates, which will represent a substantial saving in costs for those holding both types of certificate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to make the sale of live shotgun cartridges dependent upon the production of a valid shotgun certificate; and if he will make a statement.

Section 5 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 makes it an offence to sell shotgun ammunition to a person (other than a dealer in such ammunition) unless that person produces his shotgun certificate, or produces a certificate belonging to some other person together with a written authority from the holder to purchase the ammunition on his behalf, or shows that he is entitled to possess a shotgun without holding a certificate. This is an important strengthening of the law which it is intended to bring into force, with other relevant new provisions, by way of a second commencement order early in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report from the chief constable as to how many (a) men, (b) women, (c) boys under 18 years of age and (d) girls under 18 years of age were reported as missing in the Thames valley during each of the last five years for which records are available; and how many and what percentage in each category were subsequently traced;(2) if he will call for a report from the chief constable as to how many

Information in the form requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of persons aged 18 years or below who were refused leave to enter the United Kingdom by virtue of relationship with a person resident in the United Kingdom, and whose application was refused on the ground that they could not establish such relationship, in each year since 1975.

The information requested is not available centrally. Information on the total number of children under 18 years of age in the Indian subcontinent initially refused entry clearance to the United Kingdom in 1977–87 is given in table 7 of "Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom, 1987" (Cm. 415), and 770 children were refused in the first three quarters of 1988. The estimated corresponding numbers of children initially refused a certificate of entitlement to, or confirmation of, the right: of abode in the United Kingdom were negligible prior to 1986, 560 in 1986, 350 in 1987, and 200 in the first three quarters of 1988. Some applications refused initially are subsequently granted on appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) of 31 January, if he will call for a report from the Comissioner of Police of the Metropolis summarising the specific criteria applied by traffic wardens and police officers in deciding (a) to tow away an illegally parked vehicle, (b) to clamp an illegally parked vehicle and (c) to issue a fixed penalty notice for an illegally parked vehicle and as to what account is taken of the gravity of the infringement and the likelihood of the vehicle causing an obstruction; and if he will publish this summary in the Official Report.

No. The enforcement of road traffic law is a matter for individual chief officers of police. I am generally content that the enforcement of parking restrictions is conducted with common sense, tact and discretion and that there are adequate safeguards for those motorists who feel they have been treated unreasonably.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serious offences were committed in the area covered by the Lincolnshire constabulary in each of the last five years for which records are available.

[holding answer 1 February 1989]: The information is published annually in table S3.1 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", supplementary tables, volume 3, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make it his policy under a DNA testing scheme to permit the test to be taken by individuals over 18 years who applied for entry as dependants under the age of 18 years and were turned down;(2) if he will list the countries of origin of dependants who may apply to join relatives already settled in the United Kingdom to whom the DNA testing scheme, if approved, will apply.

[holding answer 31 January 1989]: My right hon. Friend announced on 26 July 1988 that we were considering whether DNA testing should continue to be left to private initiative or organised on a centrally run scheme. We will announce our conclusions on these matters as soon as possible.

To ask the Prime Minister whether, in the light of her answer to the right hon. Member for Stoke on Trent, South Official Report, 29 November 1988, column 178, she will take steps to ensure that the Department of Health will not seek crown immunity from prosecution for health authorities when the anticipated controls on pollution emissions come into effect.

I confirm that we do not intend there to be any crown immunity for health authorities in respect of the proposed new controls on emissions to the atmosphere.

To ask the Prime Minister if there are any proposals to change the 1988–89 cash limit and running costs limit for the Cabinet Office.

Both the overall cash limit and the running costs limit for the Cabinet Office: Other Services (class XX, vote 2) have been reduced by £3,000, from £16,137,000 to £16,134,000 and from £19,616,000 to £19,613,000 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 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 Energy what is the land use impact of electricity produced by nuclear power compared to that used by coal.

The CEGB advises me that the construction process of an 1,800 MW coal-fired power station equipped with FGD plant requires some 100 hectares of land of which about half would be retained for operational use. The construction process of a 1,200 MW PWR nuclear power station requires some 75 hectares of which about a third would be retained for operational use.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list by type and location the total land holdings of the Central Electricty Generating Board in the three counties of Yorkshire.

This is an operational matter for the Central Electricity Generating Board. I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on information available to his Department on the merits of three-bladed steel wind turbine generators as a source of energy.

The Department's research and development programme is intended to examine the merits of wind energy, in particular its economic and environmental acceptability. On the basis of information available from our studies to-date we believe that wind energy has the potential to make a substantial contribution to United Kingdom energy supplies and that the three-blade, horizontal axis configuration is one of the more promising options.Steel is used extensively in the manufacture of wind turbines, for both the rotating components and the support structure. It can be used for making the rotor blades, but lighter composite materials are preferred by most manufacturers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) whether the Central Electricity Generating Board or his Department has calculated the fissile plutonium content of the approximately 18 tonnes of fuel discharged from Berkeley reactor 1 between 4 April and 17 July;(2) on what dates in 1987, 1988 and 1989 Bradwell nuclear power station was refuelled; if he will give the figures for fuel discharged and loaded; and if he will make a statement;(3) whether the Central Electricity Generating Board or his Department has calculated the amount of fissile plutonium in irradiated fuel discharged from Bradwell nuclear power station between January 1987 and January 1989; and if he will make a statement;(4) what is the typical period or length of time that the fuel remains in the core of a typical Magnox nuclear power reactor; and if he will make a statement.

These are operational matters for the Central Electricity Generating Board. I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he plans to issue any further safety notices in respect of practices in the North sea.

Yes. I have today issued the following safety notice:

The Department is concerned that the provision of alcohol offshore, even on a strictly controlled basis, may provide opportunities for abuse.

Operators are asked to ensure that all their staff are aware that if such abuse occurs they may render themselves liable to prosecution under S.7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Operators may also render themselves liable under S.2.

However, the Department consider that operators should not allow any such opportunities to arise. This can be done only by barring the possession or use of alcohol offshore. The Department expects operators to ensure that they implement such a policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all those water supplies in Wales which fail to meet the standards set out in the European Economic Community directives on the safety of drinking water and whether or not these are are the subject of derogations; how and when it is proposed for each of these water supplies to meet the standards laid down; and what the latest estimated cost of complying with the standards is in each case.

The following sources of supply in Wales, many of which serve populations of less than 1,000, are the subject of derogations under article 9 of the drinking water directive (80/778/EEC):

• Source
• Alwen
• Caerau
• Carno
• Crai Reservoir
• Elan Aquaduct
• Garret Lwyd
• Garw Levels
• Georgetown
• Lovesgrove Borehole
• Nantybwch
• Nantymoel
• Portis
• Strata Florida
• Ystradfellte

Small Sources (serving population of less than 1,000)

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many full-time hill farmers there are in Wales; what was the corresponding figure 10 years ago; and if he will make a statement.

In June 1977, there were 9,960 whole-time farmers, partners and working directors on holdings in the original less-favoured area, (now known as the severely disadvantaged area). In June 1987, there were 16,637 whole-time farmers, partners and working directors in the extended LFA, of which 9,902 are estimated to be on land directly comparable to the original LFA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the planned expenditure by his Department on trunk roads in Ceredigion district for the years 1989 and 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Planned expenditure on new construction and improvement (excluding renewal) is £2·4 million for 1989–90 and £3·5 million for 1990–91. This does not include local authority expenditure. Information about major scheme starts will he given in the Welsh commentary on the public expenditure White Paper and in the forthcoming edition of "Roads in Wales".

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with British Waterways about the future of the Montgomery canal.

The Secretary of State discussed the proposal to restore the Montgomery canal with the chairman of the British Waterways Board last November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions his officials have had With Powys county and Montgomeryshire district council, the Welsh tourist board and the Mid Wales Development Board about funding restoration work on the Montgomery canal; what estimate has been given for this work; and whether any European Economic Community funding was available.

Welsh Office officials have had many discussions with members of the steering group seeking to restore the Montgomery canal. Restoration proposals have been variously estimated to cost £14 million to £18 million. No decision was taken on whether EC funding would have been available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether in the light of the voluntary contributions requirements of article 14 of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, he proposes to introduce additional facilities for AVCs within the teachers' superannuation scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Prudential Pension Fund Services has been appointed to provide a new additional voluntary contribution (AVC) scheme for teachers who are members of the teachers' superannuation scheme for Northern Ireland.It is intended to make regulations as soon as possible to give effect to the new scheme, and to secure approval for it under section 592 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 so that teachers' contributions are allowable as a deducation from income before assessment to tax. Subject to these requirements, the scheme is intended to come into operation on 1 April 1989, enabling members to secure tax relief on single premium payments in the 1988–89 tax year.The AVC scheme will offer a flexible, money purchase alternative to the existing provision for buying in added years. Members will be able to choose to invest their contributions in a with-profit or a unit-linked fund, or on cash deposit at building society rates of interest, or to apply them to the purchase of additional life insurance cover, or in any combination of these investment vehicles. Members will also be free to vary their contributions, and their allocation between investments, at any time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the information available to him about the relative environmental record of HCFC 22 and chlorofluorocarbons 11 and 12.

HCFC22 is estimated to have a very low ozone depletion potential—one twentieth of that of CFC 11 and CFC 12. The Government's view on the use of HCFC22 is set out in its reply to the first report from the Environment Committee (Session 1987—88HC 270–1) on air pollution. (Cm. 522).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects HFA 134a to be in use as a substitute for chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that it is available for use as a refrigerant as soon as possible.

The Government are encouraging the manufacturers of chlorofluorocarbons and halons to develop suitable and safe substitutes as quickly as possible. HFC134a is expected to be available in commercial quantities in the early 1990s, subject to the satisfactory outcome of toxicological testing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will take steps to bring the disposal of chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants in industrial premises under safety at work legislation; and if he will make a statement;(2) what measures his Department is taking to ensure the safe disposal of chlorofluorocarbons from air conditioning systems in trains, airplanes, motor coaches and cars;(3) if he will take steps to make it illegal to discharge chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigeration into the atmosphere;(4) if he will make a statement on the facilities available in the United Kingdom for

This question, together with others by the hon. Member, reflects the recommendations of a report prepared by the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association called "Safe Disposal of CFC Refrigerants". My right hon. Friend and I have recently been sent copies of the report. Officials are discussing it with the association and with other industry representatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much financial assistance has been given by his Department towards tourism for each year since 1983; and if he will make a statement.

Expenditure on a number of the Department's programmes assists tourism particularly those concerned with the heritage, including parks and palaces, the countryside, rural development, inner city initiatives and activities by local authorities. Overall figures are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present number of caravan sites for gipsies in Greater London under the Caravan Sites Act 1986.

Currently, there are 28 sites, two of them temporary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the allocations for 1989–90 for inner area programme authorities and the corresponding figures for 1988–89.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Patnick) on 1 February, at columns 215–17, when I announced the initial urban programme allocations for 1989–90. The initial allocations for 1988–89 are in the table.

Region and authority	Initial allocation 1988–89
£ million
Northern
Newcastle and Gateshead	16·84
Hartlepool	1·75
Langbaurgh	1·75
Middlesbrough	5·5
North Tyneside	3·42
South Tyneside	4·4
Stockton	1·37
Sunderland	4·4
North West
Manchester and Salford	22·2
Blackburn	4·0
Bolton	3·75
Burnley	1·8
Oldham	3·7
Preston	2·0
Rochdale	3·6
Wigan	2·2

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities which have received allocations in 1988–89 and are to receive proposed allocations in 1989–90 under the private sector renewal initiative; and if he will indicate the respective figures.

We gave additional allocations under the private sector area renewal initiative as follows:

	£
1988–89
Allerdale	245,000
Birmingham	400,000
Blackburn	401,000
Bolton	200,000
Derby	50,000
Hyndburn	203,000
Middlesbrough	50,000
Pendle	101,000
Rochdale	200,000
Sheffield	400,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will exemplify the figures applicable for the London borough of Hillingdon under a system of capital value rates plus local income tax.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to figures equivalent to those quoted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 25 January at column 1012 concerning a ward sister. A ward sister earning £15,000 living in a flat in Hillingdon worth £60,000 and with a rateable value of £275 would pay rates bill of £558, a community charge of £242, disregarding the transitional safety net, and £640 under a system of capital value rates plus local income tax.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by how many full-time equivalent employees the staff of St. Edmundsbury council has increased over the 12-month period to the latest count by his joint manpower watch; by what percentage this figure varies upwards or downwards from the national averages far shire county districts; and if he will make a statement.

The number of staff, full-time and part-time, employed by St. Edmundsbury district council increased by 34 ( + 4·5 per cent.) in the 12 months to September 1988. In this same period, the overall increase for non-met district councils was 83 employees (less than +0·05 per cent.). Full-time equivalent figures are not available at individual authority level.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to ensure that all land in England and Wales notified as a site of special scientific interest under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act has been registered as such by the appropriate local land charge office.

I am advised by the Nature Conservancy Council that details of SSSI notifications are forwarded to local land charge offices, who are requested to register them as a local land charge as required by section 28 (11) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as amended.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the sites of special scientific interest in the ownership of the Anglian water authority.

The information is currently being assembled by the Nature Conservancy Council. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will produce an annual report on his Department's progress in the implementation of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1985.

We propose to include details of the Department's activities in the appropriate yearly supplementary reports on the implementation in the United Kingdom of the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. Copies of these reports are placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what direction Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has given to the Southern water authority in respect of pollution in Chichester harbour; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is aware of the problem of Chichester harbour, which appears to emanate from the authority's Bosham sewage treatment works during periods of heavy rainfall. The authority has plans to remedy the situation, which the inspectorate is discussing with it.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the Southern water authority's announced need for an increase in charges.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dorset, North (Mr. Baker) on 1 February at columns 213–14. Southern Water will be announcing its own charges for 1989–90 in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what European Economic Community directives on the disposal of hazardous and toxic waste have yet to be implemented by the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

All directives in respect of waste disposal have been implemented except for directive 87/101 on waste oils, for which the implementation date is 1 January 1990, and directive 84/631 on transfrontier shipment of hazardous waste in respect of Northern Ireland. Regulations to implement the latter are expected to come into force next month.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the sites and the local authority areas in the west midlands used for the disposal of hazardous and toxic waste; and if he will indicate whether they are council operated or operated by a private firm.

Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has a record of some 151 waste disposal facilities in the west midlands area. These are listed by local authority area and by ownership:

	Council	Private
Birmingham	5	31
Coventry	2	7
Dudley	6	13
Sandwell	9	28
Solihull	2	12
Walsall	1	22
Wolverhampton	3	10

Details of the sites, including information on the types of waste for which they are licensed, can be obtained from the appropriate waste disposal authorities, who are required to maintain a public register.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to answer parliamentary questions relating to those activities of residuary bodies which have a direct effect on (a) individuals in contact with those bodies or their tenants or (b) their staff.

Residuary bodies are non-departmental public bodies whose main line of accountability is to Parliament through the Secretary of State. My right hon. Friend will, of course, answer questions on all matters relevant to his ministerial responsibilities in relation to them. In accordance with normal practice relating to non-departmental public bodies, questions on their day-to-day affairs should be referred to the residuary bodies themselves.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what tests have been carried out to establish the presence of blue asbestos at New St. Andrew's house, Edinburgh; what levels of asbestos were found; when he expects to make known the results of such tests; and if he will make a statement.

Repeated air samples have been taken from New St. Andrew's house and no blue asbestos has been found. Brown and white asbestos has been found in sprayed ceiling insulation and to a lesser extent in ceiling tiles, but the repeated air tests have shown any asbestos to be below accepted minimum safety standards.The Scottish Office has been kept aware of the results of tests. A joint inspection by the Health and Safety Executive, the PSA Scotland safety officer and a trade union representative was carried out in August 1988. The conclusion was that the asbestos was in a safe condition and that there was no immediate risk to staff. Inspection of the building will continue and any required air tests will be taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he plans to give to planning authorities in rural areas as to whether they can properly take account of local needs for low-cost housing in drawing, up local plans and deciding planning applications; and if he will make a statement.

In preparing their local plans authorities must ensure that adequate provision is made, consistent with the structure plan, for housing demand of all kinds. As was made clear in circular 1/85, planning controls are concerned with the use of land rather than with the identity of the user. The question of who is to occupy premises for which permission is to be granted will normally be irrelevant.I recognise, however, that in some rural areas there are genuine difficulties in securing an adequate supply of low-cost housing for local needs. In such areas, the need for low-cost housing and the existence of arrangements made by the developer, or between the developer and the landowner or the local authority, to ensure that new low-cost housing is made available for local needs could be material considerations which the authority would take into account in deciding whether to grant planning permission. Such considerations might be particularly relevant to the release of small sites within or adjoining existing villages which would not otherwise be allocated for housing.Since planning conditions cannot normally be used to impose restrictions on tenure or occupancy, the planning authority would need to satisfy itself before granting planning permission that other secure arrangements to the effect would be made. Examples of such arrangements might be the involvement of a village trust or housing association with a suitable lettings policy; or covenants designed to give priority to first-time buyers from the locality; or an agreement between the planning authority and the developer under section 52 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971. It would be important for schemes to ensure that the benefits of low-cost provision pass not only to the initial occupants but to subsequent occupants as well.Local plan policies should make it clear that the release of such sites to secure provision of low-cost housing for local needs will be additional to the provision made in the plan for general housing demand, recognising that particular local needs may justify the release of land that would not normally be allocated to meet general housing demand. It should be made clear that land allocated in the plan to meet general housing demand will not be confined to local needs only, and planning permission for such land should not be refused on the ground that the developers or landowners are not prepared to enter into arrangements. to secure provision for local needs.The case for releasing additional land that would not normally receive planning permission for housing, in order to secure provision of low-cost housing for local needs, will be essentially a matter for local judgment. Where a planning authority refuses permission for such development, and the matter goes to appeal, I and my inspectors will bear in mind the essentially local nature of the decision, though each case will be considered on its merits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to raise the case of long-term refuseniks, including Boris Chernobilsky of Moscow.

We press the Soviet Authorities at every possible opportunity about long-term refusenik cases such as Boris Chernobilsky. The most recent occasion was at the United States-USSR bilateral talks on human rights on 26 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Cambridgeshire, North-East (Mr. Moss) of 25 January, Official Report. column 575, community grant aid will be monitored within the different geographical areas of Cyprus; and if he will make it his policy to seek to ensure that the area known as the Turkish republic of north Cyprus derives appropriate benefit.

The European Community has made it clear that assistance under the EC-Cyprus financial protocol should benefit the whole population of the island. The commission is responsible for the administration of grants to Cyprus; but all projects are subject to member states' approval by qualified majority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those international organisations on which his Department is represented and the total cost of those commitments.

The following sets out the international organisations to which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office paid subscriptions in the 1987–88 financial year. Total contributions paid by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to these organisations was £578,273,000.

Organisation

1987-88 outturn

Subscriptions paid from class II, vote 2, other external relations