To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will use the powers available to him under the Regulation of Railways Act to require British Rail to supply him with regular returns of working hourse of (a) drivers, (b) signalmen and (c) other staff.

There is no requirement in legislation for the British Railways Board to provide the Secretary of State with regular returns of working hours. The Transport Act 1962 places upon the board a duty to provide railway services having due regard to efficiency, economy and safety of operation. The question of working hours is therefore a matter of management for the board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has had any approach from British Railways to withdraw its passenger service from Manchester Victoria to Stockport via Miles Platting, Denton and Reddish, south; and whether such a service will be maintained after 15 May.

We have received no such proposal. The timetabling and routing of services are entirely a matter for the board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what was his Department's forecast rate of road traffic growth and the actual rate for each of the last five years;(2) what is the Department's current forecast rate of road traffic growth for each of the next three years;(3) what percentage increase in road traffic is anticipated by the year 1999.

The Department's estimates of traffic growth compared with actual growth are as follows for the years requested:

Growth (per cent.)
Year	Low	High	Actual
1984	1·9	3·3	4·5
1985	1·7	3·2	3·1
1986	1·6	3·1	6·1
1987	1·5	3·0	5·6
1988	1·6	2·9	5·2

The forecasts for annual traffic growth for the next three years are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish his White Paper on the future road building programme for Britain.

In the late spring or summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action is taken to record systematically vehicle speeds on motorways.

Automatic traffic counters, which also measure vehicle speeds, are being installed at 25 motorway sites. At present, speed data are being obtained from two of these sites; another eight should be supplying data by the end of the year, with the remaining 15 becoming operational in 1990.These data will enable vehicle speeds, and trends in vehicle speeds, to be analysed by type of vehicle and time of day. It is unlikely that it will be possible to do such analyses until mid-1990 because of the need to have a sufficient number of sites supplying reliable, consistent, data.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the cost of the national road building programme in East Sussex for 1988–89 and for 1989–90.

Expenditure on national trunk road programme schemes in East Sussex is as follows:

1988–89	4·2
1989–90	121·0
1 (estimated).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress of the current road building programme in the north west.

Five major motorway and trunk road construction contracts are currently under way. The total works value is around £80 million. Work continues on other improvements and maintenance of the network.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce early conditional acceptance in the Cleveland TPP bid of the Stockton south spine road; and when commencement of the project will occur.

All local highway authorities have been invited to submit bids by 31 July for transport supplementary grant for 1990–91. Decisions on the allocation of resources will be announced later in the year. The programme for construction of this scheme is a matter for Cleveland county council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the options being considered for the future operation and management of British Rail; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he has any plans to set up a national track authority to lease track time to competing companies on a national or regional basis; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he has any plans to re-introduce regional railway companies to operate a full range of services; and if he will make a statement.

I am considering the long-term options for British Rail including privatisation. The possibilities for privatisation include: a single privatised company to run the entire network; a division into several independent companies based on British Rail's business sectors; a division into a number of independent regional companies; a vertically separated railway industry with track owned by a track authority on which independent companies would run services; or a combination of these. We are not yet in a position to take decisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent the building of the second Severn crossing is dependent upon assessment of future traffic flows.

The decision to build the second Severn crossing has already been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what decisions he has reached about the proposed changes in the A50 road through Stoke-on-Trent; and if a date has been arranged for the consequent inquiry.

Final design is being undertaken to enable publication of the complete package of draft statutory orders in November this year. Arrangements for an inquiry cannot be made until objections are known. If one is necessary for this scheme we would expect it to take place in the spring of 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if there have been any recent developments in regard to new routes from the United States to Manchester airport; if he expects any further developments in the near future; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have continued to press the United States authorities to agree a reasonable exchange of rights to enable new routes to be established between the United States and Manchester airport. The United States has been considering an offer we made earlier in the year and has recently promised revised and comprehensive counter-proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total cost of the King's Cross public inquiry; and which parties appearing before the inquiry received reimbursement of legal costs.

The cost to the Department of the King's Cross investigation, excluding staff costs, was about £1·2 million. The Department does not have information on the costs incurred by others. My right hon. Friend made it clear to the House on 10 November that he had accepted in full Mr. Fennell's recommendations about the award of costs to represented parties as set out in paragraphs 4–8 of chapter 21 of his report; claims are being settled on that basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6 and 7 respectively, and overall in his Department are (a) women and (b) members of ethnic minorities.

The numbers and proportion of women at 1 September 1988 were:

		Percentage
Grades 1 to 5	22	15
Grade 6	104	25
Grade 7	36	26
Overall	162	23

We do not hold information on the ethnic origin of all our staff but of those who have responded to the ethnic monitoring survey, those from ethnic minorities were:

	Number
Grades 1 to 7	110
1 1·7 per cent. of respondents in those grades.

The survey was conducted on the undertaking that anonymity would be preserved. Any further breakdown of the figures could identify individuals and cannot therefore be provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when his Department last conducted a survey of the ethnic origin of its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

A survey of all the Department's employees was carried out in 1986 since when all new recruits have been asked to complete an ethnic monitoring questionnaire on a voluntary basis. We are proposing to conduct another survey later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at his Department.

Recruitment of grades above administrative officer is carried out by the Civil Service Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many vehicles and at what value were purchased by (a) his Department, (b) universities and (c) other public sector agencies for which he is responsible, in 1988; and how many of these vehicles were British-made within the definition of British as set out by the Department of Trade and Industry in its arrangement on content with the European Community.

The Department of Education and Science purchased nine vehicles in 1988 at a total cost of £48,041·45. I am unable to confirm that these vehicles were United Kingdom-produced, on the definition employed by the DTI for statistical purposes, under which a vehicle is classified as United Kingdom-produced if the United Kingdom content exceeds 50 per cent. of the ex-works value, but they are all of EC origin. The information sought regarding the universities and other public sector agencies for which my right hon. Friend is responsible is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated number of settlers from Turkey, who are now living in the occupied area of northern Cyprus.

I told the House on 10 June 1988, at column 696, in answer to a question from the right hon. Member for Strangford (Mr. Taylor), that we estimated that there were then about 35,000 non-Cypriot settlers in northern Cyprus. We have no evidence to suggest there has been any change in the meantime.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury, 28 November, Official Report, columns 107–8, what representations he has made to the Thai authorities regarding British citizens imprisoned there, in particular in respect of those held in chains; and if he will make a statement.

When British prisoners have been shackled in circumstances not covered by normal Thai practice, Her Majesty's embassy at Bangkok have made effective representations and the chains have been removed.Her Majesty's embassy continue closely to monitor conditions under which British prisoners are held, to ensure that these are no worse than those applied to Thai or other prisoners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made about the treatment of Edward Heaton-Smith, presently held in Phitsanalok prison, Thailand; what information he has about the conditions in which he is held, particularly with regard to his continuing isolation from other foreign nationals, the duration of his being shackled in leg-irons and his ill-treatment at the hands of the prison authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Representations made to the Thai authorities by Her Majesty's Embassy at Bangkok have met with the following responses:

(a) Leg-irons are worn by all new arrivals at a prison. Their release is conditional on the prisoner satisfying the prison authorities as to his conduct. Mr. Heaton-Smith has not met the latter criterion;

(b) a report on the alleged ill-treatment is awaited from the prison governor;

(c) Mr. Heaton-Smith will be transferred to Klong Prem prison, where there are British prisoners; but he first has a charge to face in Phitsanulock.

The British Consul visited Mr. Heaton-Smith on 16 March 1989, when he showed no signs of malnutrition or abuse.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Soviet trade inspectors there are in the United Kingdom monitoring the manufacture by British companies of goods and equipment to be delivered to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics under export contracts; and what were the comparable figures for each of the last five years.

The figures for the number of Soviet trade inspectors resident in the United Kingdom over the last four years are as follows:

	Number
1986	20
1987	17
1988	21
1989	27

Records of previous years were not kept in the same way, and comparable figures prior to 1986 are therefore not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many representations he has received about the denial of human rights or the use of torture in (a) Bhutan, (b) Brunei, (c) Burma, (d) China, (e) Taiwan, (f) Hong Kong, (g) India, (h) Indonesia, (i) Iran, (j) Iraq, (k) Israel, (1) Japan, (m) Jordan, (n) Kampuchea, (o) North Korea, (p) South Korea, (q) Kuwait, (r) Laos, (s) Lebanon, (t) Macao, (u) Mongolia, (v) Maldives and (w) Malaysia; and which organisations made these representations;(2) how many representations he has received about the denial of human rights or the use of torture in

We receive representations on a wide range of countries from many organisations and individuals. The precise information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received about the denial of human rights or the use of torture in Aruba; and which organisations made those representations.

We have checked our records for the last three years. In that time we have received no representations about the denial of human rights and the use of torture in Aruba.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the President of the Soviet Union and other Soviet authorities regarding the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Laos and the present whereabouts of the former Laotian King Savang Vatthana and Crown Prince Vong Savang; what information he has of the whereabouts of the former Laotian Chief of Staff, General Phasouk S. Ratsphak; and if he will make a statement.

We have not discussed the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Laos or the whereabouts of the former King and Crown Prince of Laos with the Soviet authorities, at least in recent years. We have no knowledge of General Phasoul S. Ratsphak.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Hornchurch, Official Report, 29 November 1988, column 185, what response he has had from the Gibraltar authorities in respect of amending their law on consensual homosexual acts between males.

The Gibraltar Attorney General has prepared a Bill amending the law on consensual homosexual acts between males to conform with article 8 of the European convention on human rights. We understand that the Bill will shortly be submitted to the Council of Ministers for introduction in the Gibraltar House of Assembly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many vehicles, and of what value, were purchased by (a) his Department and (b) other public sector agenices for which he is responsible in 1988; and how many of these vehicles were British made within the definition of British as set out by the Department of Trade and Industry in its arrangement on content with the European Community.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office bought 240 vehicles at a cost of £3,089,600 in 1988. Other public sector agencies for which the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has responsibility, purchased 32 vehicles at a cost of £275,000.Most popular models of vehicle produced by the multinational manufacturers are built in the United Kingdom and other European countries. Using the definition employed by the DTI for statistical purposes, under which a vehicle is classified as United Kingdom-produced if the United Kingdom content exceeds 50 per cent. of the ex-work value, it is not possible to determine how many were United Kingdom-produced without individual inspection of each vehicle. Vehicles purchased by the FCO are considered British if they have been bought in the United Kingdom from a British manufacturer. On this basis, 176 vehicles were British.In the same period, the Overseas Development Administration purchased 371 vehicles costing £3,785,000 and their public sector agencies nine vehicles costing £98,500. Of these, 372 were British.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to obtain for his departmental library a video copy of the "Horizon" programme on BBC2 on 10 April on the consequences to the Panama Canal of destruction of the central American forest.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office library does not normally stock audiovisual material or transcripts of television programmes. We are, however, fully aware of the contents of the programme concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has received the affadavit sworn by Ms. Jennie Street in Khartoum dated 12 February concering the use of napalm by the Ethiopian armed forces in Eritrea; and whether he will condemn its use against the civilian population of both Eritrea and Tigré.

We have a copy of this affidavit. While we have no means of verifying the allegations it contains, the frequency, and gravity, of such reports is cause for concern. We have made this known to Ethiopian authorities and raised the matter at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of a report together with the findings of the meeting held under ICAO auspices from 6 to 10 March of international experts.

The ICAO report of this meeting has not been published. For reasons that the House will appreciate, it is preferable that details of this work should not become publicly known.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will (a) place in the Library or (b) circulate in the Official Report, the names of those attending on behalf of the United Kingdom, the meetings from 6 to 10 March, held under ICAO auspices.

It is not the custom to name officials engaged in Government business. It would be particularly inappropriate to name those who are involved with this important and often sensitive work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when and where he expects the international convention on the subject of Semtex envisaged in his answer of 10 April, Official Report, column 360, will take place; and whether British attendance will be at ministerial level.

We are discussing with European Community partners and others the most appropriate forum in which to negotiate a convention. Further technical study of the feasibility of marking explosives must precede any such negotiation. The United Kingdom will continue to take a leading role.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to which countries apart from Czechoslovakia have the ability to manufacture and export Semtex and as to which of these countries takes either of these courses of action.

As far as I am aware, Semtex is riot produced in any country other than Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak authorities have stated publicly that they no longer export Semtex.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the value of the United Kingdom's stock of net overseas assets at the end of 1988, based on the same method of assessment as that used in the calculation for 1987 in paragraph 3·29 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1988–89", and what are the reasons for the exclusion of any such figure from the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1989–90."

Preliminary estimates of identified United Kingdom net overseas assets at the end of 1988 are made available by the CSO on request. The latest estimate is of the order of £115 billion to £120 billion. (The estimated level of identified net overseas assets at the end of 1987 has been revised up to just over £100 billion).However, the method of assessment which is used by the CSO assumes that the balancing item does not reflect errors in the capital account. In practice, it is likely that a substantial part of the balancing item, which has totalled over £40 billion in the last three years taken together, reflects unidentified capital inflows, some of which will lead to an underrecording of United Kingdom external liabilities. The standard methodology is being reconsidered by the CSO. In view of this, an estimate of overseas assets was not included in the Financial Statement and Budget Report. An estimate of the value of the United Kingdom stock of net overseas assets will, however, be included as usual in the Pink Book in August.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt there is to be repaid after the Budget repayment is concluded.

The total of net public sector debt outstanding is forecast to be £157 billion (32 per cent. of GDP) at the end of 1988–89, a fall from £171 billion (38 per cent. of GDP) at the end of 1987–88.On the assumption that the stock of debt falls by the £14 billion net debt repayment forecast for 1989–90, the outstanding stock of debt at the end of the year would be £143 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has received any representations concerning current expenditure limits on cheque guarantee cards; if he has any plans to ask the Office of Fair Trading to examine the operation by the banks of such limits; and if he will make a statement.

I have received no representations on the limits applicable to cheque guarantee cards. I am, however, advised that the Association for Payment Clearing Services, which is the responsible body, has yet to take a final position on the expenditure limit for cheque cards issued under the cheque guarantee card scheme, but that it is likely to do so in the near future. The current agreements between the banks and building societies concerning the standard cheque card scheme have, I understand, been furnished to the Director General of Fair Trading for examination in accordance with the requirements of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976. Individual banks are free to issue their own cheque guarantee cards providing for higher limits outside the scheme.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all the industries remaining in the state sector by the end of 1989 for which no firm plans have yet been announced to put in the private sector.

No privatisation proposals have yet been announced for the following nationalised industries:

• British Railways Board
• British Waterways Board
• Civil Aviation Authority
• London Regional Transport
• Post Office

The Government have announced the intention to privatise British Coal in the next Parliament. The Government have also announced that work has been set in hand to study the possible options, including privatisation, for the future of British Rail.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles and at what value were purchased by (a) his Department and (b) other public sector agencies for which he is responsible, in 1988; and how many of these vehicles were British-made within the definition of British as set out by the Department of Trade and Industry in its arrangement on content with the European Community.

(a) None; (b) None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further plans he has to tackle (a) inflation and (b) the expansion of consumer credit.

[holding answer 13 April 1989]: Interest rates will continue to be set to bear down on inflation. Interest rates are also the only effective means in an open economy of curbing consumer credit growth, if excessive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the security statistics for 1988 are now available, together with details of persons charged with terrorist-type offences and convictions for scheduled offences for the year.

Yes, the statistics for 1988 are as follows (statistics for earlier years are contained in Official Report 7 March 1988, columns 67–74 inclusive):

Statistics on security (January-December 1988)
	Number
Part I—Statistics of terrorist activity
Shooting incidents1	(179) 358
Explosions	253
Bombs neutralised	205
Weight of explosives in lbs2	8,717
Explosions neutralised	10,434
Armed robberies	653
Amount stolen (£)	1,388,600
Malicious fires	518
Deaths:
Civilian	54
Army/UDR	33
RUC/RUC'R'	6
Injuries:
Civilian	600
Army/UDR	229
RUC/RUC'R'	218
Part II-Statistics of security forces' activity
Houses searched	3,442
Finds:
Firearms	552
Ammunitions (rounds)	105,052
Explosives (1bs)	10,425
Persons charged with terrorist-type offences
Murder	23
Attempted murder	46
Firearms offences	121
Explosives offences	29
Theft Act	42
Other	178
	439
Notes:
1 Figures in ( ) refer to shots heard only and are not included in the total.
2 Estimated weight only.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the OfficialReport to show how many (a) shotguns, (b) hand-guns and (c) air- and gas-powered weapons legally held in Northern Ireland are held for (i) sporting purposes, (ii) possession only and (iii) personal protection, or as much of such information as is available to him for each year since 1976 to the latest available date.

[holding answer 23 March 1989]: The approval for the holding of firearms for particular purposes is a matter for the chief constable, and it is not the practice to disclose details.

To ask the Prime Minister what is the current grade of the chief press secretary and the salary attached to that grade.

The current grade of the chief press secretary is grade 3, which has a salary range, inclusive of discretionary points and London allowance, of £39,600—£49,600.

To ask the Prime Minister whether she will publish a table showing (a) the works of art, objects or artefacts currently on loan from national museums and galleries at (i) 10 Downing street and (ii) Chequers, (b) the museum or gallery from whose collections they are loaned and (c) the term of each loan.

Details of the paintings, reproductions and photographs at 10 Downing street were given in the Official Report, 29 October 1987 at columns 359–63. The further information requested is only available at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, respectively, and overall in his Office are (a) women and (b) members of ethnic minorities.

The number of women and ethnic minorities in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 serving in the Cabinet Office is:

Grade	Women	Percentage	Members of ethnic minorities	Percentage
1	0	0	0	0
2	0	0	0	0
3	1	6	0	0
4	0	0	0	0
5	8	15	1	2
6	8	29	0	0
7	41	22	1	1
	—	—	—	—
Total	58	20	2	1

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service when his Office last conducted a survey of the ethnic origin of its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

The last survey was conducted in 1986. There are no plans to repeat it, but the ethnic origins of all new entrants to the department are monitored on a continuous basis.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what investigations he is making as to the causes of death of numbers of sheep and lambs in west Somerset and elsewhere; whether the injections of sheep by the vaccines Heptavac P and Ryvac 7P and the simultaneous use of an organo-phosphrous compound in sheep dips are safe; and if he will make a statement.

My officials are assessing all relevant information, including so far as is possible the husbandry, nutritional and medical history of the flocks where suspected adverse reactions have occurred, and results of post mortem examinations.Vaccines such as Heptavac P and Ryvac 7P and organo-phosphrous sheep dips have both been very widely used in the national flock for many years without giving rise to any evidence that their use together is unsafe. Nevertheless, it is a point I have asked my officials to examine in the context of their investigations.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many vehicles and at what value were purchased by (a) his Department and (b) other public sector agencies for which he is responsible, in 1988; and how many of these vehicles were British-made within the definition of British as set out by the Department of Trade and Industry in its arrangement on content with the European Community.

During the financial year 1988–89, my Department purchased 43 vehicles, at a total cost of £336,800. All vehicles were EC-made, but the number that were specifically British-made is not readily available, since many models are produced in more than one EC country.Information about non-departmental public bodies for which I am responsible is not readily available.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to make a statement regarding the future of the Potato Marketing Board.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 10 April at column 362.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farms have gone into receivership during the last 12 months.

Statistics of receiverships are not analysed by trade. Figures are, however, available for bankruptcies and company liquidations in England and Wales for agriculture and horticulture. The latest figures are for 1987, when there were 172 bankruptcies and 126 company insolvencies. These and related figures were published in an article on insolvencies on pages 32 and 33 of the British business dated 28 October 1988, which is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to issue guidelines to local education authorities in Wales for the training of school governors in special educational needs, in order to help them fulfil their duties under the Education Act 1981; whether this is part of the programme he is promoting to encourage community care; if he will provide financial resourses to facilitate such training; and if he will make a statement.

All local education authorities in Wales will receive education support grant for governor training in 1989–90. In submitting applications for grant LFAs were invited to detail their proposals for training courses. Some mentioned special educational needs specifically and my officials intend to monitor the position.The Department's publication "School Governors: A Guide to the law" contains a chapter on governors' responsibility for pupils with special educational needs. Copies have been distributed to all school governors of county and controlled schools. A similar publication for special schools will be issued shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends to issue a circular to local education authorities in Wales on the implications of the Education Reform Act 1988 on the needs of children with special educational requirements under the Education Act 1981; what consultation he is having with local education authorities, voluntary organisations dealing with special education needs including Mencap in Wales and with education specialists in this area; and if he will make a statement.

The Welsh Office has issued a draft circular for consultation on assessment and statementing procedures under the Education Act 1981. It includes guidance on the implications of the Education Reform Act for pupils with special educational needs. A Welsh Office circular on the national curriculum and assessment will be issued shortly and will be followed by a guide for teachers. These will also contain references to special educational needs, as do the notes accompanying the Statutory Orders prescribing the attainment targets and programmes of study for mathematics and science in the curriculum. Welsh Office circular 36/88 contains guidance on provision for children with special educational needs in the arrangements for local management of schools. The Curriculum Council for Wales has decided to set up a committee to consider special educational needs in the curriculum. Mencap, as well as other bodies interested in special educational needs have been included in the consultations to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will establish procedures for monitoring the situation in mainstream schools to ensure that at least one, and preferably two, governors have a specific interest in, and knowledge of, special educational needs, in line with the proposals of the Warnock report.

Under the 1981 Education Act, every school must have a "responsible person" who ensures that all who are likely to teach a pupil are told that he has a statement of special educational needs. This person may be the head, the chairman of governors or another governor. We have no plans to change these requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list all water supplies in Wales that are in breach of the European Economic Community directive on water quality in respect of safety limits on lead in drinking water; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will list all water supplies in Wales in breach of the European Economic Community directive on water quality in respect of safety limits in lead in drinking water; and if he will make a statement.

The most recent information relates to February 1989 when the following supplies failed to comply with the requirements of the EC drinking water directive in respect of lead:

Eithin Fynydd	Taicynhaeaf
Talybont	Abertrinant
Dyffryn	Glascoed/Trecastle
Cilfor	Cilcain/Alwen
Rhyd-Ddu	St. David's (Brecon)
Penystryd	Llanfrynach
Dinas Mawddwy	Lampeter Olwen
Abergynolwen	Capel Dewi
Rhyd	Bontgoch
Penmaenmawr	Garw
Aber	Parc Gwyn
Capel Curig	Abermagwr
Rhydymaen	Preseli
Brithdir	Pwllfa/Craig
Braich y Rhiw	Bryngwyn
Croesor	Bychau
Glanllwyd	Nantymoel
Cwmpedol

The Welsh water authority has confirmed that all necessary remedial action will be completed by December 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hospital beds there were by specialty in 1979 and in 1988.

Information on the numbers of hospital beds is published annually in "Bed Use Statistics", copies of which are in the Library of the House. The latest edition is for the year ending March 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of people on waiting lists for each type of operation in each health district in Wales and the number who have been waiting for over six months, one year, two years, three years or more for each type of operation in each health district in Wales.

The information requested is not available centrally. However, hospital waiting list bulletins, published bi-annually, provide waiting list statistics for individual specialties and for individual hospitals. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what representations he has received on the effect of the uncertainty over the present and second Severn crossing on decisions on the possible location of new heavy industry in Wales;(2) if he will publish an assessment of the effects of the uncertainty over the present Severn road crossing and future crossings on decisions on the locations of new heavy industry in south Wales.

There is no uncertainty over the present and second Severn road crossings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide details of the amount spent by Welsh Water on advertising and publicity since 1 January.

This is a matter for the Welsh Water Authority. I suggest that the hon. Lady writes to the chairman of the authority direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to improve any of the trunk roads leading into Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire during the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Improvement of the A44 between Capel Bangor and Penllwyn is planned within the next five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if, pursuant to his answer of 11 April, Official Report, column 480, he will give details of what records are kept relating to inquiries of WINvest; and what indicators he considers useful in assessing the level of interest in Wales as a location for investment.

Inquiries to WINvest are recorded at the time of receipt but comprehensive records are not maintained for the reason I gave the hon. Gentleman on 11 April at column 480.A more useful indicator of the levels of interest being shown in Wales as a location for investment is the number of companies actually visiting Wales for the first time. There were 246 such visits in 1987, 241 in 1988 and 76 in the first quarter of 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will now, in view of the worsening of congestion along Baglan road, Port Talbot, accelerate the start of the work on the Baglan-Lonlas part of the M4.

The Earlswood-Lonlas section of the motorway is planned to start in January 1990. Advancing the Baglan-Earlswood contracts would he at the expense of other schemes, including those on the A55. The Baglan-Lonlas scheme is expected to be completed by mid 1994.Work will start shortly on a scheme to relieve delays at the M4 Baglan junction. This will give greater priority to M4 westbound traffic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when work commenced on the last part of the M4 to be completed; and why there has been a delay in the start of the Baglan-Lonlas road.

Work on the Bridgend northern by-pass started in 1978. Given that the A48 already provides Baglan-Lonlas with a dual carriageway link to the M4 the decision was taken to give priority to the A55. Baglan-Lonlas will have higher priority as expenditure on the A55 starts to fall.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those occasions on which his Department has made direct contributions to voluntary appeals for financial assistance towards expenditure on items for use in the National Health Service in Wales since 1979; and what sums were involved in each case.

[holding answer 11 April 19891: There have been no such contributions as far as I am aware.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the Deeside waterfront scheme; if he will visit and meet Alyn and Deeside district council to discuss the waterfront project; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 13 April 1989]: Alyn and Deeside district council have referred the planning applications for this scheme to me. I have decided that the practical implications of this scheme, which is clearly of major significance to north-east Wales, should be thoroughly assessed at a public local inquiry and I have today called-in the applications for determination. In these circumstances a meeting with the council would be inappropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the regional distribution of the final destination of coal imports from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and if he will make a statement.

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the type of Government subsidy and the approximate subsidy per tonne of the coals imported into Britain from (a) Australia, (b) Poland, (c) the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, (d) South Africa and (e) Latin American countries; if he will list comparable information on subsidies to British coal exports; and if he will make a statement.

The Government give no specific subsidies to support exports of British coal. We have no evidence of such subsidies in the countries listed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the present position in regard to the staffing of the offices of the proposed Director General of Electricity Supply; and by what date he anticipates that provisional appointments will be made.

Planning for the establishment of the Office of Electricity Regulation (OFFER) is under way. It is hoped that a suitable candidate for the post of Director General of Electricity Supply (DGES) will be identified in time for him or her to participate in the process of setting up OFFER. To this end, a firm of selection consultants has been appointed to assist my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland in finding a suitable candidate. Formal appointments to OFFER will take place after enactment of the Electricity Bill currently before Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many vehicles and at what value were purchased by (a) his Department, (b) British Coal, (c) the electricity industry and (d) other public sector agencies for which he is responsible, in 1988; and how many of these vehicles were British-made within the definition of British as set out by the Department of Trade and Industry in its arrangement on content with the European Community.

The answers are:

(a) None.

(b) and (c) Purchases by British Coal, the electricity industry and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority are matters for the industries themselves. I have asked the respective chairmen to write to the hon. Member.

(d) The Oil and Pipelines Agency, for which I was then responsible, bought one vehicle; it was non-British and cost £13,277.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what type of oil spill containment and treatment equipment is available, and within what time span, for any spills or seepages that may occur near the North Sea oil platforms and depots.

Stocks of oil spill containment and treatment equipment are held by the oil industry, in accordance with their contingency plans, and Government. All standby vessels around offshore oil installations carry spraying equipment and dispersants. These vessels are required to be within five nautical miles of the installation. Dispersants and spraying equipment, for use in aircraft and larger vessels, are based at strategic locations around the coast. Inflatable booms and skimmer systems for containment and recovery of oil from the sea surface are also available.The response strategy employed largely depends on the size and nature of the spill and its location, but it is expected that, where necessary, oil companies will respond quickly enough to prevent damage to the environment. Specifically, for spills of oil from platforms in near shore areas, operators are required to be able to mount an initial response within 30 minutes using treatment equipment held on the standby vessel. Back-up resources must then be made available within half the minimum time predicted for oil to reach the beach.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Vietnamese boat people have been permitted to become residents in the United Kingdom during the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many of these came via refugee camps in Hong Kong.

The total number of south-east Asian refugees accepted for settlement in the United Kingdom in 1988 is published in table 3 of the Home Office statistical bulletin 10/89 "Control of Immigration Statistics—Fourth Quarter and Year 1988", a copy of which is in the Library. Of these, 205 came from Hong Kong. No further breakdown by nationality is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of Hong Kong were permitted to become resident in the United Kingdom during the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what were the categories of reasons for these permissions.

The information requested is given in the following table:

Acceptances for settlement in 1988 of British Dependent Territory Citizens from Hong Kong by category of acceptance
Acceptances	Number
Completed four years in approved employment	160
Completed four years in permit-free employment	20
Husbands	160
Wives	320
Children	170
Other	320
Total acceptances	1,150

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons convicted of attempted murder left prison in each of the last five years; and what was the average length of detention in each year.

The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost because of the large number of cases that would require checking. The readily available information relates to the length of sentence imposed and is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", supplementary tables vol. 2 (tables S2.3 and S2.4 of the issue for 1987, Cm. 498). Copies are held in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals are currently serving sentences for attempted murder in United Kingdom prisons; and what is their average length of sentence.

It is estimated that on 31 December 1988 about 13 non-British citizens were serving sentences in prison service establishments in England and Wales for attempted murder. About half of them were serving life sentences. The lengths of sentence of those serving determinate sentences varied from under one year up to 30 years; their average sentence was about 14 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is any facility on the police national computer to distinguish between spent and unspent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act; and if he will make a statement.

There is at present no facility available on the police national computer to distinguish between convictions which are spent or unspent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. This is, however, one of the facilities being considered for implementation on the police national computer in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to consult the Firearms Consultative Committee before publishing security arrangements under the firearms legislation.

Advice on safe-keeping arrangements for firearms and shot guns will be contained in new guidance to the police on the administration of the firearms legislation. This will be issued, and made publicly available, at the end of May, in readiness for the introduction of the remaining provisions of the Act, and new rules, in the summer. There has been extensive consultation on the guidance with shooting and other interests. I regard it as important to have the Firearms Consultative Committee in place as soon as possible but the implementation of the new provisions cannot await consultation with the committee. It will, however, be open to the committee to keep under review and make recommendations on the administration and enforcement of the safe-keeping requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the availability of compensation for the families of pedestrians killed by police cars pursuing other vehicles.

The position in respect of compensation for injury, loss of life or damage to property following a road accident involving a police vehicle is in general the same as following any other road accident. Any compensation or other payments would normally be dealt with under insurance cover arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Libyan citizens are: (a) currently serving sentences and (b) awaiting sentencing in United Kingdom prisons.

The nationality of remand prisoners is not recorded centrally. On 31 December 1988 the latest date for which information is readily available, central records show seven Libyan citizens serving sentences in prison service establishments in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times a body belt has been used on an inmate in prison in England and Wales in each of the last three years.

The information is published annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales 1988" (table 10·2 of the latest issue, for 1987, Cm 547), copies of which are held in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters he has received to date about the Firearms Act 1988 (a) from when his proposals were first published until First Reading, (b) between First Reading and Royal Assent and (c) since Royal Assent until the latest available date.

The information is not kept in the precise form requested but figures compiled on a monthly basis from September 1987, when I announced our proposals, to March 1989 are as follows:

	Number
1987
September	819
October	904
November	962
December	407
1988
January	907
February	653
March	373
April	173
May	131
June	113
July	54
August	77
September	50
October	105
November	55
December	36
1989
January	89
February	120
March	78

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make it his policy to comply with the recommendation of the Association of Chief Police Officers to create a national register for missing persons; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has now received the association's report. They have requested that he consult the Central Conference of Chief Constables on its recommendations. This he is now doing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when papers were referred to him concerning an entry clearance application made by Mrs. Robina Kausar at the post in Islamabad; when it was discovered these papers had been lost and a duplicate referral requested from the post; when Mrs. Kausar's husband in the United Kingdom was interviewed; when a decision is to be taken on this application made at Islamabad on 24 August 1987; when he received the copy of a letter from the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Waldegrave) to the hon. Member for Bradford, West, dated 5 December 1988 concerning the case, stating it was to be treated with priority.

Mrs. Kausar's entry clearance application to join her husband, Mr. Muhammed Nazir, for settlement was referred to the immigration and nationality department on 12 January 1988 because documents submitted by the sponsor appeared to have been altered. At no time were any of the papers connected with this case mislaid, and I am sorry that the hon. Member was misinformed on this point.Owing to the large backlog of work in the Department, the application was not however considered until 21 November. I received a copy of the letter dated 5 December 1988 sent by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the hon. Member for Bradford, West on 12 December, by which time we had begun our inquiries into the employment aspects of the application. These were necessary after it was confirmed that Mr. Nazir had furnished forged documents in support of the maintenance requirements of the immigration rules.It was not felt necessary to interview Mr. Nazir as our outstanding inquiries could more easily be answered by correspondence with the employer and solicitor. A decision to authorise settlement entry clearance was taken on 10 April immediately following receipt of a satisfactory reply on the employment aspect. Notification has been sent accordingly to the entry clearance officer in Islamabad who will contact Mrs. Kausar once it has been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to take any further steps to enforce section 1 of the Protection of Children (Tobacco) Act 1986 in relation to the sale of individual cigarettes to young people under the age of 16 years.

Enforcement of the law on the sale of cigarettes to persons under the age of 16 is an operational matter for the chief officer of the police force concerned. If the hon. Member is aware of any general problem in the enforcement of the legislation, perhaps he would let us have the details.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial provision is made by the prison department for persons released from custody following their imprisonment for fine default.

[holding answer 14 April 1989]: Persons released from custody following imprisonment in default of payment of a fine receive a subsistence allowance to cover the period until they can reach an office of the Department of Social Security and a travel warrant or payment in cash for fares to their home address or destination.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what were the findings of the Audit Commission inquiry into the workings of the probation service; and if he will make a statement;(2) what action his Department will be taking following receipt of the Audit Commission report entitled "The Probation Service, Promoting Value for Money".

[holding answer 14 April 1989]: The Audit Commission found that well planned and targeted probation work can be effective, and that there is an important role for the probation service to play in providing the courts with more commuity-based services. But the Audit Commission calls for several improvements, which have to be made before the probation service can do this: supervising offenders more effectively; focusing activities more sharply on serious offenders; better research and evaluation of effectiveness; closer collaboration with the courts and other agencies; and improving management systems.I welcome the report. Further action on its important recommendations will be closely linked to action on the proposals set out in the Green Paper "Punishment, Custody and the Community", and the programme of work set out in part 2 of the Green Paper (and in "Tackling Offending: an Action Plan") is already in hand. Her Majesty's inspectorate of probation will be collaborating with the Audit Commission in a series of "value for money" audits in probation areas throughout England and Wales, starting in 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in England and Wales received notification of their actual parole date after the passing of their parole eligibility date.

[holding answer 14 April 1989]: Accurate statistics of the number of cases where inmates have been notified of the outcome of their parole review after their parole eligibility date will not be available until a new computer system is operational. In 1988, about 6,100 parole dossiers were delayed beyond this target.

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 as to what urgent action is being taken in the light of the recent arson attacks on bookshops; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 14 April 1989]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that two attacks on London bookshops are at present being investigated. No conclusions can be drawn until the inquiries are complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the introduction of DNA testing for the purposes of the immigration rules; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 13 April 1989]: I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) on 13 April 1989 at column 1046 and to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Pollock (Mr. Dunnachie) on 10 April 1989 at column 321.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give figures of numbers of cases requiring new consideration in the light of DNA blood tests; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 14 April 1989]: As DNA evidence can be produced at any stage of the entry clearance process, it is not readily possible to quantify the number of cases involved. A substantial number of applications and appeals have been resolved on the basis of DNA evidence which established the relevant relationships. A number of cases involving reapplicants who no longer qualify for admission have been deferred pending my right hon. Friend's decision on whether and in what circumstances to exercise his discretion outside the rules.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of Tamils from Sri Lanka who have been given refugee status in the United Kingdom in the last three years.

[holding answer 14 April 1989]: Statistics are not kept on the number of refugees who belong to specific ethnic groups. The numbers of Sri Lankans granted asylum in the last three years are as follows:

	Number
1986	4
1987	6
1988	19
1 provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement explaining the reasons for awarding the contract for the police national computer to Siemens.

[holding answer 14 April 1989]: The hardware for the replacement police national computer was the subject of an open competition which was won by Siemens plc because its proposal offered best value for money.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to how many special constables are employed as security guards.

[holding answer 14 April 1989]: Information is not held centrally on the private occupations of special constables appointed by chief constables under section 16 of the Police Act 1964. Special constables appointed under other legislation are not a matter for my right hon. Friend, although we are aware of one case where employees of a security firm were provided under contract to the owners of a port and sworn in as special constables by the local justices.

To ask the Attorney-General what information he has on contacts between prosecution witnesses in the case of Hosni E. Farhat and Ahmed Gaddafi Aidain of Libya; and if he will make a statement.

None.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on his policy towards the enforcement of the Shops Act 1950 in the light of the decision of Mr. Justice Warner to adjourn applications for injunctions brought on behalf of local authorities to restrain various do-it-yourself stores from Sunday trading.

Enforcement of the Shops Act 1950 is, by virtue of section 71 of that Act, the duty of the local authorities, which have the necessary powers. In my view, the possibility that provisions of any part of any Act may at a future date be held by the European Court of Justice to be incompatible with the United Kingdom's obligations under the treaty of Rome is irrelevant to the question of statutory responsibility for enforcement of such an Act. I accordingly consider that such responsibility in respect of the Shops Act is unaffected by article 177 references that have been made in certain cases, and that accordingly local authorities remain subject to their duty to enforce the Act.The decision of Mr. Justice Warner was given in January in a case brought by the King's Lynn, Chester and Worcester local authorities. I understand they were seeking summary judgment on their applications for final injunctions against certain DIY stores. Mr. Justice Warner adjourned the applications on the ground, I understand, that the outcome of the references to the European Court of Justice in other cases would establish whether the defendants had an arguable case or not.The learned judge's decision in my view does not conflict with the opinion I have here expressed as to responsibility for enforcement of the Shops Act.The proceedings were unusual in that the local authority was seeking to show that the shops had no arguable case and that the authority should therefore have a final injunction immediately. The learned judge, in his discretion, thought this was premature. But, as I understand he was at pains to point out, it remains open to local authorities in England and Wales to seek interlocutory injunctions to restrain Sunday trading: nor does the decision have any bearing on discretionary considerations in the conduct of prosecutions.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will provide for the latest available 12 month period (a) the number of Queen's counsel excluding Treasury counsel, (b) the amount of total public money received by Queen's counsel, (c) the number of cases dealt with by Queen's counsel, (e) the number of cases prosecuted by Queen's counsel, (f) the average fee, brief and refreshers, in prosecution cases, (g) the number of criminal cases defended by Queen's counsel where payment was made from public funds, (h) the average fee for defence counsel, brief and refreshers, in criminal cases where payment was made from public funds, (i) the duration of average criminal case in which Queen's counsel appeared and (j) the average income of Queen's counsel from public funds; and if he will make a statement.

(holding answer 23 March 1989): There are currently 673 Queen's counsel. In 1987–88, the average brief fee for a trial in the Crown court payable to Queen's counsel representing legally aided defendants was £3,273·20 and the average full day refresher was £271·30. The number of criminal cases defended by Queen's counsel where payment was made from public funds was around 1,440. The other information requested by the hon. Member is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Attorney General if he will provide for the latest available 12 month period in respect of the Crown court (a) the total amount of public money received by junior counsel, (b) the number of cases dealt with by junior counsel, (c) the number of cases prosecuted by junior counsel, (d) the average fee, brief and refreshers, in prosecution cases prosecuted by junior counsel, (e) the number of criminal cases defended by junior counsel where payment was made from public funds and (f) the average fee for defence counsel, brief and refreshers, in criminal cases where payment was made from public funds; and if he will make a statement.

(holding answer 23 March 1989): On 1987–88, the average brief fee for a trial in the Crown court payable to junior counsel representing legally aided defendants was £557·90, and the average full day refresher was £136. The number of cases defended by junior counsel where payment was made from public funds was around 94,030. The other information requested by the hon. Member is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will provide for the latest available 12-month period, the duration of average criminal case in which junior counsel appeared, in days, the average income of junior counsel from public funds in respect of the magistrates' courts (a) the amount of total public money received by junior counsel, (b) the number of cases dealt with by junior counsel, (c) the number of cases prosecuted by junior counsel, (d) the average fee, brief and refreshers, in prosecution cases prosecuted by junior counsel, (e) the number of criminal cases defended by junior counsel where payment was made from public funds, (f) the average fee for defence counsel, brief and refreshers, in criminal cases where payment was made from public funds, (g) the duration of average criminal case in which junior counsel appeared, in hours, and (h) the average income of junior counsel from public funds; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 23 March 1989]: The information requested by the hon. Member is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will provide for the latest available 12-month period (a) the number of solicitors regularly practising in firms offering legal services to the public, (b) the number of solicitors regularly practising in the criminal courts, (c) the number of solicitors' firms on the criminal legal aid panel and (d) the number of solicitors firms on a duty solicitor scheme for police stations; in respect of the Crown courts, what is (i) the amount of total public money received by solicitors retained to defend and (ii) the number of cases in which publicly funded solicitors instructed counsel to defend; in respect of criminal cases in the magistrates' courts, what is (1) the amount of total public money received by solicitors, (2) the number of cases dealt with by solicitors, including those where junior counsel was instructed, (3) the average cost of publicly funded defence cases, and (4) the duration of average criminal cases in hours, in respect of 24 hour duty solicitor schemes, what is (A) the number of visits made to police stations, (B) the duration of the average visit, (C) the total cost and (D) the average cost; and in respect of court based duty solicitor schemes, what is (a1) the number of defendants represented, (a2) the total cost and (a3) the average cost per defendant; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 23 March 1989]: There are currently 50,494 solicitors in England and Wales with practising certificates. In 1987–88, 405,000 payments were made out of the legal aid fund in respect of criminal cases in the magistrates' courts at an average cost of £281·21 per case. In 1987–88, 170,655 visits were made to police stations under the 24-hour duty solicitor scheme and the total cost of the scheme was £23·2 million, at an average cost per suspect of £85·38. In 1987–88, 99,864 defendants were represented under the magistrates courts duty solicitor scheme and the total cost of the scheme was £4·8 million, at an average cost per defendant of £28·88. The other information requested by the hon. Member is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the issue of the verification of a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty was last discussed by a meeting of NATO defence ministers.

The details of what is discussed at meetings of NATO's Defence Ministers are confidential but NATO's Defence Ministers are briefed regularly on nuclear arms control matters, including nuclear testing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times in the last 10 years security has been tested and evaluated at (a) RAF Finningley and (b) 840 Signal Unit, Lindholme, for both (i) civilian and (ii) service personnel; and if he will make a statement on the results.