To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish in the Official Report the latest available figures of the failure of take-up of cervical cytology appointments for each health authority in Wales.

The information is not available at this stage. However, the relevant computer package is now in place on all family practitioner committee computers and the Welsh Office will be monitoring the position as soon as meaningful data are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff within his Department in each of the following categories: (a) politically restricted, (b) intermediate and (c) politically free as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code, are local authority councillors.

The figures are (a) none, (b) three and (c) one.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff within his Department in each of the years 1979 to 1988 in the categories (a) politically restricted, (b) intermediate as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code, have (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully appealed to the Civil Service appeal tribunal against a refusal of permission to take part in local or national political activity.

The totals are In 1987 one member of staffin the intermediate group unsuccessfully appealed to the Civil Service appeal tribunal. There have been no other cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff within his Department fall within each of the categories: (a) politically restricted, (b) intermediate and (c) politically free as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code.

The totals are (a) 313·5, (b) 1,596 and (c) 256·5.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff within his Department in the category intermediate, as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions code, have permission to engage in local or national political activity.

Six.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff within his Department in the category politically restricted, as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions code, have permission to engage in local political activity.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his Department's policy with regard to (a) paid and (b) unpaid leave for staff to undertake voluntary public service.

My Department follows the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code and each application is considered sympathetically on its merits.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of the removal allowances granted to prison officers in the last year before their abolition.

Since May 1984 newly joined prison officers have not qualified for payment of removal allowances on taking up their first appointment after initial training. The cost of removal allowances paid to new entrant prison officers in the last year before abolition was £2·3 million. Removal allowances are still paid to established prison officers in accordance with the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code when they are transferred at public expense.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many early resignations there have been from the prison service by area in the latest available year; and what reasons were given for such resignations.

During 1988 a total of 319 staff of all grades resigned from the prison service before minimum retirement age. The figures for each region were:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average annual number of hours worked by prison officers prior to the introduction of Fresh Start; and what is the figure for prison officers working under Fresh Start at the latest available date.

Before the introduction of Fresh Start, prison officers worked on average 56 hours per week. The equivalent figure for 1988–89 is 46·6 hours. From 1 April this year no prison officer will work more than an average of 45 hours per week and this will reduce progressively in subsequent years so that from 1 April 1992 all officers will work an average 39-hour week.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects increases in prison officer staffing levels to reach a level equivalent to half the capacity represented by the reduction in annual working hours of prison officers to be achieved.

The undertaking under the framework agreement to replace with additional staff half of the hours lost as a result of the transition to a shorter working week is already being implemented. We are making additonal new recruits available annually before each decrease in hours. This process will continue until the end of the framework period on 1 April 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many newly trained prison officers applied for a posting (a) in London and were posted elsewhere and (b) outside London and were posted in London in the latest available year.

Of the 2,743 officers who joined the prison service in the year ending 31 January 1989, 441 were posted to London, having expressed a preference to be posted to another part of the country. All those who expressed a preference for a London posting were posted there.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the provision for compensation for lay visitors injured in the course of their duties;(2) whether nationwide insurance cover is provided by his Department for prison lay visitors.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply to a question from the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on 17 January at column 138.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison lay visitors have been registered in the United Kingdom for each of the last 10 years; and how many for each year have been injured in the course of their duties.

Appointments of lay visitors to police stations are made by the appropriate police authority. No central register is kept.We are not aware that any lay visitor to police stations in the Metropolitan police division has been injured in the course of his or her duties. Information about lay visitors outside the metropolitan area is a matter for the police authority concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of South Yorkshire as to what, by territorial division and sub-division for the South Yorkshire police, the present establishment manning levels are; what is the actual figure; what are the comparable national figures; and if he will make a statement.

Information on South Yorkshire is set out. Comparable information about other police forces is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by year and by police force the number of complaints that the Police Complaints Authority has received since its inception in April 1985; how many have been substantiated; how many prosecutions have been instituted; what was the result; if found proved, what was the sentence; and if he will make a statement.

The numbers of complaints against each police force dealt with by the Police Complaints Authority are contained in the authority's annual reports for 1985 (Cmnd 307), 1986 (Cmnd 295) and 1987 (HC 465). Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The report for 1988 will be published later this year. The reports also contain other details of the authority's casework, including analyses by category of the disciplinary outcome of all complaints, the reasons for the authority's decisions that no disciplinary charges should be preferred and for 1987 the total number of criminal charges brought.Totals of the numbers of all complaints which were substantiated and the type of proceedings that resulted are published annually in the reports of Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many exclusion orders have (a) been sought and (b) been granted against persons convicted of football-related offences in the Metropolitan police area in the last five years for which information is available;(2) what is the current policy of the Metropolitan police Commissioner towards seeking exclusion orders against persons convicted of football-related offences in the Metropolitan police area; and if he will make a statement.

Since 1 August 1987, when the exclusion order provisions of the Public Order Act 1986 came into force, the Metropolitan police have recorded 254 exclusion orders made against persons convicted of a football-related offence in the Metropolitan police district. The decision to make an exclusion order is a matter for the courts, who may exercise their power if they are satisfied that the making of an order will help to prevent violence or disorder at, or in connection with, prescribed football matches.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has planned any local celebrations for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in areas where there is a prominent military presence.

The Ministry of Defence and NATO are sponsoring a NATO briefing tour and a touring exhibition to mark the 40th anniversary of NATO. They will visit 21 locations throughout the United Kingdom between April and September. There is a prominent military presence in most of the localities covered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the report on noise levels to the east of RAF Upper Heyford to be complete; and if he will make a statement.

The report is being prepared but it cannot be finalised until further noise measurements to assess the effect of an alternative take-off pattern have been completed. A short period of settled weather with winds from an easterly direction would allow completion of this exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the study into the possible realignment of the runway at RAF Upper Heyford or other ways of reducing aircraft noise to be complete; and if he will make a statement.

I hope to be in a position to publish the results of the study shortly after Easter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on his proposals to change the status of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.

My right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge and Mailing (Sir John Stanley) announced on 18 April 1985 at column 251 that we were considering a change in the status of FRA vessels which would have meant their ceasing to be registered as British merchant ships for the purpose of the Merchant Shipping Acts, and operating instead as Government-owned vessels on non-commercial service.We gave an undertaking that full consultation would follow that announcement and during that process it became clear that this proposal could have had unwelcome implications for the legal rights of RFA personnel. We have therefore decided to prepare instead a new Order in Council to replace the 1911 Order in Council which now governs all RFA vessels. The new Order in Council will enable RFA vessels to be designed and operated in a way which will meet military requirements, and to remain as British-registered vessels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what agreements or understandings he has reached with British Aerospace to make use of its proposed air combat manoeuvering facility in the North Sea.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if International Military Services still maintains its office in Tehran.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Hamilton (Mr. Robertson) on 13 January 1988 at column 200. The position is unchanged.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reproduce the figures 7, 8, 10 and 11 of his Department's note on the relationship between local taxes and income and the distributional impact of the community charge, published on 15 December 1988, to show the impact on pensioner couples.

The information requested has been placed in the Library. The figures show that 55 per cent. of married pensioner couples stand to pay less with the introduction of the community charge.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much funding has been provided by Bolton council for improvement grants for owner-occupied homes over each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Bolton metropolitan borough council has reported the following information:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the latest position on the ownership of and the intended developments at Heveningham hall.

Heveningham hall is owned by ID Investment Development AG, which purchased it in 1981. Gulfpark Property Management Ltd, which manage the hall on the behalf of the owners, have stated publicly that rebuilding of the fire-damaged east wing will start this spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East, Official Report, 20 December 1988, column 191, how many foam slag houses in each of the areas listed in that answer are owner-occupied, council houses and alternatively owned.

North East Derbyshire district council has now identified 196 poured concrete houses using foam slag aggregate: 178 are council-owned, and 18 owner-occupied. Ownership details for the Scottish properties are not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has plans to include foam slag houses within the categories covered by the Housing Defects Act.

We have no evidence justifying designation of foam slag properties under the housing defects legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East, Official Report, 20 December, column 191, on foam slag and no-fines houses, he anticipates that the Building Research Establishment will be able to publish its forthcoming technical guidance.

The Building Research Establishment hopes to publish its report on Wimpey no-fines houses this summer. It expects to issue technical leaflets on the other, less common, no-fines types at intervals over the next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the performance targets set for the chairman of the Severn-Trent water authority in 1987–88; and if he will specify the annual bonus received by the chairman in each of the last four years.

Information about Government controls on the Severn-Trent water authority, including performance aims and achievement against them, is set out in the authority's report and accounts for 1987–88 on pages 60 and 61. A copy is available in the Library.Water authority chairmen and executive board members were first eligible for performance bonuses in respect of 1986–87. The chairman of the Severn-Trent water authority received a bonus of 7·5 per cent. of his annual salary for that year and 9 per cent. for 1987–88.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what responses he has received to his consultation document on a new system of industrial pollution control for industry; and if he will make a statement.

We have received responses from 91 organisations and individuals. A list of these has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Respondents gave a broad welcome to our proposals. In particular, there was a widespread acceptance of the idea that processes subject to control should be operated according to the best available technology not entailing excessive cost; and of our proposal that the new system should adopt a consent-based approach for authorising discharges, but with a residual duty remaining with the operator to carry out all other functions not specified in the consent in accordance with best practice.A clear majority of respondents to the Department's separate consultation document on the inputs of dangerous substances to water also agreed with our proposal that the responsibility for authorising the discharge of substances from prescribed processes to water should rest with Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution acting in consultation with the proposed National Rivers Authority. The Department therefore proposes to proceed on this basis. We shall make a further announcement about the results of this consultation exercise shortly.Our proposals, which will mark a significant advance in industrial pollution control in this country, have been welcomed in this way, and will be introduced into legislation at the earliest opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment why loft and roof insulation are not included in statutory building regulations; and if he has plans to add them to present requirements.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: The Building Regulations 1985 include a requirement for the insulation of the roof or loft. A consultation paper issued last July porposed that the existing thermal insulation requirements (including those for the roof) should be upgraded. Responses to the consultation are being considered. It was also proposed that the form of this part of the regulations should be brought more into line with that of other parts, by requiring reasonable provision to be made for the conservation of fuel and power, and by including guidance on insulation standards in the approved document. Experience has shown that this approach enables effective control to be maintained, but in a clearer and more flexible way

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he plans to issue to community charges registration officers on how to register (a) submariners spending alternate periods of four weeks at sea and four weeks on shore, (b) members of the armed forces on four months tours of duty in Northern Ireland, (c) Gurkhas, (d) Royal Navy personnel on sea-going vessels and (e) members of the armed forces attached to foreign forces and serving abroad with them.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: My Department is consulting the local authority associations, and we shall issue guidance shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment is he has any proposals to seek to exempt from community charge residents of (a) homes for elderly persons run by the Abbeyfield Society or (b) other homes run by other organisations including local authorities and charities of the same type of accommodation and level of care as Abbeyfield.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: I intend to amend the definition of a residential care home in paragraph 9(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (using the power conferred by paragraph 9(6)) to include any home run by the Abbeyfield society. This will bring the definition of a residential care home, for community charge purposes, more closely into line with the definition used for income support purposes.People receiving care or treatment in a home run by any organisation will be exempt from personal community charge liability, if they have their sole or main residence in the home, and if the home falls within the description in the 1988 Act of a residential care home, a nursing home, a mental nursing home or a hostel providing a high level of care.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what instructions he proposes to give to valuation and community charge tribunals concerning the provision of material in ethnic minority languages and translation facilities.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: The Government are making available to local authorities translations of the notes to the community charge canvass form in five important minority languages. These explain the right to appeal. Most members of valuation and community charge tribunals will have been members of local valuation panels, and will have experience of appeals from people whose first language is not English. Anyone appealing to a tribunal may be accompanied by a friend or representative, who may speak on their behalf.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment why there has been a delay in the publication of the first report of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution on river water quality containing data collected in 1987; when he expects the report to be published; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: The first annual report of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution covering the period 1 April 1987 to 31 March 1988 is due for publication before Easter. The issue of the Department's annual digest of environmental protection and water statistics published on 24 February contains information on river water quality based on data collected in 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide details of the financial target percentages and external financing limits for each water authority for the year 1989–90.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: The external financial limits for water authorities in England (DOE services) are given in the table, on a full-year basis. They will be adjusted to take account of the privatisation of the water authorities, due to take place in the year. It is not the intention to set financial targets by statutory instrument for the year 1989–90 because the water authorities will have been privatised before it is over.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff within his Department fall within each of the categories (a) politically restricted, (b) intermediate and (c) politically free, as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: The numbers are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff within his Department in each of the years 1979 to 1988 in the categories (a) politically restricted and (b) intermediate, as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code, have (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully, appealed to the Civil Service appeal tribunal against a refusal of permission to take part in local or national political activity.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: One officer in the politically restricted category of staff appealed in 1986 to the Civil Service appeal board against the Department's refusal to permit him to stand for election to a local authority. The board upheld the Department's decision. No other appeals have been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his Department's policy with regard to (a) paid and (b) unpaid leave for staff to undertake voluntary public service.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: My Department's policy on these matters accords with paragraphs 870–873 of the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code, a copy of which is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to how many people have been appointed by Derbyshire county council to serve on the Peak Park planning board; and how many of them live in the board's area.

[pursuant to her reply, 22 February 1989, c. 702]: Eight members of the board are appointed by Derbyshire county council. At present one of these lives within the national park.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money has been paid by his Department to the Peak Park planning board over the last six years.

[pursuant to her reply, 22 February 1989, c. 702]: A total of £10,834,400 in national parks supplementary grant has been allocated in respect of the board's net expenditure over the period 1983–84—1988–89.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which water abstraction plants for domestic use in the Anglian water region are complying with EEC limits on the nitrate levels in water supply; which are not; and on what dates each of the plants which are not complying will comply with the limits.

With the exception of the following:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to tackle the outbreak of cryptosporidia contamination in the Thames water authority's Farmoor reservoir; if he will initiate a full inquiry into the causes of this outbreak; what action will be taken to prevent a recurrence of this outbreak; how far the levels of cryptosporidia contamination exceeded normal safety standards; and when this contamination was first discovered.

A possible link between a diarrhoea] illness called cryptosporidiosis in the Oxford and Swindon areas and the water supply from Thames water authority's Farmoor treatment works was first identified a little over a week ago.On finding cryptosporidia organisms in the treatment works and the distribution system on 20 February, Thames Water, in conjunction with local health authorities, immediately advised the public to take certain precautionary steps including boiling water for one minute before use by young children and immuno-compromised people. The water authority took urgent steps to remove the organisms from the water and tests over the last few days indicate that there has been a substantial improvement in the water leaving the works. Thames Water cannot yet be certain that there are none of these organisms left in the water and it is, therefore, maintaining the advice to boil water for the time being.I understand that Thames Water also proposes to undertake an independently led review at learning lessons from the experience.I am entirely satisfied that Thames Water has behaved in a very responsible manner throughout this incident and is taking all the necessary steps.Until 1985 there had been no confirmed connection anywhere in the world between cryptosporidiosis and water supplies. However, it is extremely difficult to detect the organism and complex new analytical techniques are only now being developed. Thames Water is in the forefront of these developments. For both these reasons, there is no routine sampling for this organism in water supplies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make a statement on the response of the Thames water authority to the possible threat to the public water supply in the Swindon area from the organism cryptosporidia;(2) what information he has on routine testing by water authorities for the organism cryptosporidia in the public water supply; and if he will make a statement;(3) what information he has on the incidence of the organism cryptosporidia, in the public water supply; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today by my hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Water and Planning to the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will hold talks with the chairman of British Rail about the closure of the longsight overhead line department and the alternative provision of emergency electrification problems in the new region.

No, I see no reason to do so. These are management matters for the British Railways board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Leyton of 8 February, Official Report, column 707, what information he has as to the total expected cost of the automatic ticket barriers programme on London Underground.

LRT estimates that the total cost of installing automatic ticket barriers at 63 stations will be £22·2 million at current prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each year since 1980 the number of (a) fatalities and (b) serious injuries on Britain's roads and railways, respectively.

The information requested is given in the table; 1987 is the most recent year for which complete data are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to include in the relevant regulations, for use within the highway, speed-activated signs.

Speed-activated signs may already be authorised by the Secretary of State for appropriate locations. Further experience and research is required before such signs are generally prescribed in the Traffic Signs (Speed Limit) Regulations for use by local highway authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in installing speed-activated signs on roads for which he has responsibility in Leicestershire.

There are no current plans to install speed-activated signs on trunk roads in Leicestershire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will designate the A427 in Leicestershire a trunk road.

No. The proposed M1-A1 Link, a new trunk road, will serve the movement of longer distance traffic in that area. Work on that scheme is expected to start later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what will be the rate of grant for rural bus services in 1989–90.

Rural bus grant will be paid at the rate of 1p per eligible bus mile.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he is taking to encourage the provision of transport facilities in rural areas not well served by public transport.

The Rural Development Commission is provided with £1 million a year from the Department of Transport to encourage new transport facilities in rural areas inadequately served by public transport. To date 194 grants, totalling £1·8 million, have been made. Funds are still available to support worthwhile projects.To assist that process the Rural Development Commission and the National Advisory Unit have jointly produced a new booklet to promote new approaches to the transport needs of rural communities. The booklet describes the scope for encouraging more flexible commercial services as well as self-help options, such as community buses and social car schemes as well as other solutions. The booklet points the way to sources of advice and financial incentives available. It should prove a valuable guide to the development of transport facilities for rural communities. A copy of the booklet entitled "Promoting Transport for Rural Communities" has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the annual reports of the Traffic Commissioners for 1987–88 will be published.

The reports will be published on 28 February and I am placing copies in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now announce the shortlisted tenderers for the provision of a second crossing of the river Severn.

Yes. We received preliminary proposals from eight private sector consortia in response to the invitation published in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 7 December 1988 for proposals for the provision of a second crossing over the River Severn. This initial selection process was aimed to avoid abortive tendering costs being incurred by the construction industry.We are grateful to all those who responded.The shortlist of consortia selected as full tenderers is Costain/Amec/Wimpey; John Laing/GTM Entrepose; Tarmac/HBM/Fairfield Mabey; and Trafalgar House/ Balfour Beatty.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will introduce guidelines to ensure manufacturers remove the words "fully flushable" from packets of sanitary towels pending further research on the problem of blocked drains and contamination at sea.

I have no plans to do so. I understand that the industry has its own rigorous flushability test code and that it continues to work closely with the Water Research Council to ensure that any non-degraded waste material is effectively screened by water and sewage authorities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list in the Official Report (a) the main post offices and (b) the sub-post offices in the areas of Colchester borough and Maldon district which have opened or closed since 1979.

The Post Office has supplied the following information. There has been no change since 1979 in the provision of main post offices in the Colchester Borough and Maldon district. During the same period one sub-office has been opened, at Fiveways (Colchester); and four sub-offices have been closed, at Lee road, Greenstead road, St. Botolph's (all in Colchester borough) and Mill road (Maldon district).

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he intends to remove the £30 limit on agreements on the licensing of money lenders.

As part of the review of the consumer credit licensing system, it is proposed that the exemption from licensing of traders lending money for sums not exceeding £30 shall be removed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (a) how many British Standard Institute technical committees exist to advise on drawing up product standards and (b) how many of these committees have a representative of a consumer organisation, defined as a member of an organisation belonging to the consumers in the European community group sitting as one of their members.

[holding answer 24 February 1989]: The British Standards Institution informs me that BSI has 3,160 technical committees and sub-committees, of which about 1,200 are active at any one time, and the great bulk of which have work programmes which include product standards. Of these, about one quarter are concerned with consumer products. The consumer policy committee of BSI, which brings together most United Kingdom members of the consumers in the European Community group and others, is represented on 305 BSI technical committees and sub-committees.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of the European countries which have a larger trade deficit than the United Kingdom are oil producers.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: With the exception of Norway no other western European country produces significant quantities of oil. The United Kingdom trade deficit is larger than that of Norway.

To ask the Lord President of Council if he will seek to initiate a review of all offices occupied by right hon. and hon. Members and their staff, to establish whether guidelines laid down under health and safety legislation in respect of space per person are being exceeded.

I refer the hon. Lady to the Services Committee's second report of Session 1986–87: "New Parliamentary Building (Phase 2)", HC378, and its first report of Session 1987–88: "New Parliamentary Building (Phase 2): The Next Steps", HC561. Those reports, which were recently considered by the House, recommend certain standards of accommodation for Members and their staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if, in view of reported atrocities by the Ethiopian armed forces against civilians in Eritrea and Tigray, he will seek to procure the termination of support for the present Ethiopian regime through the Lome conventions;(2) whether he will consult his European partners in the Twelve as to the propriety of continuing Lome aid to Ethiopia in the light of its activities in the north of that country;(3) if he will take steps to reduce by £25·3 million the United Kingdom component of long-term aid to Ethiopia under Lomé III until the Ethiopian regime ceases its operations against civilians.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 February at column 1.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to make an official visit to Rugby.

I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister what is the latest estimate of the cost of clearing up operations after the storm of 13 February; and if she will make a statement.

It is too soon to assess the extent and cost of damage and restoration work arising from the recent storms. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has sought detailed reports directly from those authorities affected in order to make an assessment of the situation as soon as possible.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will appoint a Minister for the Protection of Consumers.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the regrading of the post of chief press officer at Number 10 Downing street; and what staff inspection procedures were conducted prior to this regrading.

This post has not been regraded.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans, in view of the increasing needs of the single European market, to seek to increase the emphasis being placed by schools and colleges upon the teaching of modern European languages.

The Government attach importance to improving the nation's skills in modern foreign languages. Our policies aim to make all levels of the education system more responsive to national needs and consumer demand.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether she has any plans to meet representatives of the borough of Wandsworth to discuss funding for 1990–91, following the abolition of the Inner London education authority;(2) whether she has received any representations from the borough of Wandsworth about the level of funding following the abolition of the Inner London education authority in 1990; and if she will make a statement.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 28 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 28 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 28 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 28 February.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an audience of Her Majesty the Queen.

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the breakdown of awards to arts organisations under the business sponsorship incentive scheme by regional arts association areas, Wales and Scotland for each year since its inception.

A regional breakdown from October 1984 to 1987–88, in descending order of awards under the business sponsorship incentive scheme, is as follows:

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will estimate the annual central Government subsidy per visitor in the latest available year to (a) the Tate at Millbank and (b) the Tate in the North.

It is not possible to make direct comparisons in the form requested since the Tate gallery Liverpool has only been open since 28 May 1988.Grant-in-aid allocations for the Tate and visitor numbers are as follows:

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many staff within the Civil Service in the category intermediate, as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions code, have permission to engage in local or national political activity.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: A review in 1987 showed that about 97,000 people in the intermediate category were in posts whose occupants are given standing permission to take part in local or national political activities.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many staff within the Civil Service fall within each of the categories (a) politically restricted, (b) intermediate and (c) politically free as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: The information is not held centrally.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many staff within the Civil Service in each of the years 1979 to 1988 in the categories (a) politically restricted and (b) intermediate, as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code, have (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully appealed to the Civil Service appeal tribunal against a refusal of permission to take part in local or national political activity.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: The Civil Service appeal board has heard three appeals against a refusal of permission to take part in local or national political activity. In each case, the Department's decision was upheld. One appeal, from a member of the restricted category, was heard in 1986 and the other two, both in the intermediate category, in 1987.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many staff within the Civil Service in each of the categories (a) politically restricted, (b) intermediate and (c) politically free as defined by the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code, are local authority councillors.

[holding answer 27 February 1989]: This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the commencement of conventional arms talks in Vienna.

Negotiations on conventional forces in Europe and on confidence and security building measures will begin in Vienna on 6 March. My right hon. and learned Friend and other Foreign Ministers of CSCE participating countries will attend their opening. NATO Ministers first called for such talks in May 1986. An outline of NATO's objectives in these negotiations is set out in the 8 December statement from the North Atlantic Council ministerial meeting, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United States State Department on its report regarding human rights abuses in the Israeli occupied territories.

None. The State Department report is in line with our own assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, during his recent visit to Iraq, he gained assurances from the Iraqi Government that they will, in future refrain from using chemical weapons.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Hamilton (Mr. Robertson) on 20 February 1989 at columns 472–3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to hold meetings with European Economic Community Ministers with regard to the establishment of the single market in 1992; and if he will make a statement.

The Foreign Secretary and I regularly meet with Ministers from other member states at Foreign Affairs Councils the next one of which will be 20–21 March. However, single market issues are normally dealt with in the Internal Market Council which is attended by DTI Ministers. The next IMCs will be on 13 March and 6–7 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent information he has received on alleged atrocities being perpetrated by Ethiopian armed forces against the civilian population in the north.

We have recently received oral and written reports from the Relief Society of Tigray (UK). We are studying these carefully.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, having regard to the 45th session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, he will, under item 12 of the agenda, seek to raise the issue of the repeated violations of the Ethiopian regime against the human rights of the peoples of Eritrea and Tigray.

We shall refer under item 12 of the agenda of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to our concern about reports of violations of human rights in Eritrea and Tigray.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Iranian arms procurement office in Victoria street has re-opened; and if he will make a statement.

The Iranian military procurement office has not re-opened.