To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has been taken to ensure that the national freshwater quality classification scheme will consider the conservation status of rivers, in terms of their ability to support and maintain aquatic plant and animal communities.

The existing classification schemes for rivers and estuaries are currently under review and my right hon. Friend will be publishing a consultation paper on possible revisions later in the spring. The paper will address the ability of watercourses to support aquatic flora and fauna.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will obtain a copy of "Pollution-Controlling the Problems" and "Nuclear Waste and Radiation Risks" recently published by the Association of District Councils for his departmental library; and if he will make a statement.

Copies of these two reports are in the Department's library. We have taken note of their contents.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the residual land on the depot site in the parish of Pyrton in Oxfordshire is surplus to the Crown's requirements; and what plans he has to return it to agricultural use.

The depot site is surplus to the Crown's requirements. There are no plans to return it to agricultural use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Property Services Agency will relinquish rights assumed in wartime over the depot site in Pyrton, Oxfordshire.

No. Rights were not assumed in wartime. Records show that rights were established before the war when the buildings were erected.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of any documents held by (a) the Property Services Agency and (b) his Department, relating to the acquisition, planning status, construction, rating and occupancy of the depot site in the parish of Pyrton in the county of Oxfordshire which have not been released to the Public Record Office.

I have arranged for copies of such documents to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many circulars from his Department since 1970 have dealt with land needs for (a) housing, (b) employment, (c) shopping and (d) outdoor recreation.

I invite my hon. Friend to refer to my Department's "Planning Guidance: Index of Extant Circulars", a copy of which is in the Library. The index lists seven circulars, two development control policy notes and two planning policy guidance notes relating to housing development; two circulars relating to employment; three circulars and one planning policy guidance note relating to retail development; and three circulars relating to sport and recreation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which urban development corporations have signed agency agreements with local authorities for development control work, and which urban development corporations are using consultants for development control work.

All urban development corporations, other than Bristol and London Docklands, have agency agreements with their local authorities for development control work. Bristol DC uses consultants for this work; London Docklands DC uses in-house staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes were built by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations in 1988.

It is provisionally estimated that there were 15,300 local authority completions and 9,200 housing association completions in 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate any changes he proposes to make following his consultation exercise in 1988 on houses in multiple occupation.

Possible changes are still under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes to monitor problems arising from the new regulations on fixing of rent levels for houses in multiple occupation; and if he will make a statement.

We shall monitor the impact of the new private renting regime in relation to all types of dwelling, including houses in multiple occupation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what housing investment programme allocation has been made to the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in the current year.

Details of local authorities' housing investment programme allocations for 1989–90 were announced on 8 December 1988. Stockton-on-Tees borough council's allocation is £2,241,500 which includes £37,500 for the homes insulation scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what capital receipts were available to the borough of Stockton-on-Tees at the beginning of the current financial year.

This information is not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estate action and other housing projects his Department is undertaking in Stockton-on-Tees.

Two ongoing housing schemes, on the Clarences and Eastbourne estates, are being supported by estate action resources in 1989–90.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about neglect of shopping areas awaiting redevelopment; and if he will make a statement.

This issue is sometimes raised in the context of development plan policies, individual planning applications and proposals for inner-city regeneration. The most recent representations are those raised by my hon. Friend in the Adjournment debate on 10 April, to which I replied.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding the significance of and need to safeguard the Roman remains discovered on the Hammerson Group site, Cannon street.

English Heritage has informally advised that the existing consent will enable satisfactory recording of the majority of the archaeological remains. It is in touch with the developers and the Museum of London. To date we have received no other representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take immediate action to safeguard the Roman remains discovered on the Hammerson Group site, Cannon street.

Scheduling ensures that any works to the site require scheduled monument consent. Our information is that some of the remains will be destroyed but most of these areas were already partly damaged by the foundations of the previous building. The scheduled monument consent granted in December 1988 allowed for preservation by record of this part of the site. The majority of the remains, some 75 to 80 per cent. will be preserved beneath adjoining buildings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has regarding the historic significance of the Roman remains discovered on the Hammerson Group site, near Cannon street station; and if he will make a statement.

The site was scheduled in June 1986, being one of the largest Roman baths found in Britain. Recent discoveries have confirmed the existence of extensive and high quality remains.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations have been received seeking a tightening of the town and country planning law relating to amusement arcades; and whether the Government have any plans for future amendments to the law.

[holding answer 17 April 1989]: My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations about planning decisions affecting amusement centres. Although some people regard them as socially or morally undesirable, amusement centres are a lawful use of land, and any applications for planning permission to establish them must be judged on their merits in terms of their land use planning implications. I do not consider that any amendment of planning law would be appropriate. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department is responsible for the licensing arrangements under the Gaming Act 1968, and for byelaws under the Public Health Act 1961, which regulate the operation of amusement centres.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funding has recently been awarded to the Teesside development corporation; and for what projects it has been allocated.

The external financing limit of the Teesside development corporation in 1989–90 has been agreed at £34 million. The corporation will continue to fund a number of major projects, including the redevelopment of the Teesdale area and the Tees offshore base.Good progress has been made on the reclamation of the Teesdale site, the proposals for which include housing, offices and leisure facilities. The comprehensive redevelopment of this site will require the construction of a new bridge and barrage across the River Tees. These schemes are the subject of a Private Bill which was laid before Parliament in November last year.The Tees offshore base is being developed as a joint venture between Teesside development corporation and the Tees and Hartlepool port authority. A number of major companies have already located at the base which is expected to provide 1,000 new jobs by the end of 1989.

To ask the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what rights exist for safety representatives to inspect and take copies of accident reports and statistics in the House of Commons.

There is no restriction on safety representatives who are members of the House of Commons Safety Committee, inspecting and taking copies of accident reports and statistics in the House.

To ask the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what health and safety training is being provided for young workers in the House of Commons.

The accepted definition of "young workers" is those between 16 and 18 years of age. The House does not employ staff in this category. Training in health and safety is available, however, to staff of the House as part of the general training programme organised on a departmental level.

To ask the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, how many industrial injuries were sustained by workers in the House by category in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Information on reported accidents which have been classified as industrial injuries is not readily available. The number of reported accidents from 1979 to date is as follows:

	House of Commons staff	Property Services agency staff
1979	n/a	24
1980	n/a	23
1981	64	26
1982	40	31
1983	49	19
1984	67	23
1985	45	22
1986	47	22
1987	29	30
1988	36	10

n/a = not available

To ask the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, when the House of Commons last held a fire drill.

Thursday 16 February 1989.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what have been the reported losses of property from the House of Commons Members' cloakroom in 1988 and 1989 to date.

A coat, a cap and umbrella, and some champagne were reported lost from the House of Commons Members' Cloakroom in 1988. The coat was subsequently found. A blue holdall is the only reported loss, to date, this year.

To ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, answering on behalf of the House of Commons Commission, what is the policy of the House of Commons Commission on the purchase of organic food for sale in the restaurants of the House of Commons.

Direct responsibility for the purchase of foodstuffs for use in the House lies not with the Commission but with the General Manager of the Refreshment Department, whose policy is to purchase adequate and regular supplies of good quality food at reasonable prices. It is understood that the Refreshment Department will use organic foods whenever these criteria are satisfactorily met.

To ask the Lord President of the Council whether he will list in specific terms the difficulties currently preventing more satisfactory arrangements for parties of visitors to the Palace of Westminster to shelter from inclement weather while queueing to join the Line of Route; what steps are being taken to overcome these difficulties; and when the issue will be finally resolved and new arrangements put in place.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) on 17 April 1989. It would not be appropriate at this stage for me to identify the difficulties involved or the steps being taken to resolve them. However, it is hoped that mutually acceptable arrangements will be agreed shortly and that these new arrangements will be put in place as soon as possible thereafter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average annual cost of (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special needs pupils in the United Kingdom for the year 1987–88; and what is the average cost per pupil in Durham for (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special needs for the same year.

The available information is given in the table.

Net Institutional Expenditure1per pupil2—1987–88
	Nursery and primary schools	Secondary schools	Special education
	£	£	£
Durham	1,050	1,405	4,620
England	1,010	1,520	4,925
1 Net institutional expenditure includes the cost of salaries and wages, premises and certain supplies and services. It does not include the cost of school meals central administration and inspection, debt charges or revenue contributions to capital outlay.
2 The figures are based on LEA expenditure returns to DoE and pupil number returns to DES.

Information for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what programmes exist which teach children about (a) the dangers of alcohol, (b) the dangers of smoking and (c) the dangers of illegal drugs; and if there is evidence of local education authorities encouraging their schools to run any such schemes.

An increasing number of schools now provide pupils with education about the dangers associated with alcohol and drug misuse and cigarette smoking. Such education programmes have increased as a result of Government and LEA funding of drugs education co-ordinators and in-service training for teachers. The order recently laid for science in the national curriculum makes specific provision for the teaching of different aspects of health education, including education about alcohol, drugs and smoking.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what per cent. of teachers trained in United Kingdom in the years 1970 to the latest date available remain in the profession for at least five years and 10 years.

Information is not available in the precise form requested. However, on the basis of teacher entry, wastage and re-entry rates for the year ending March 1986 (the latest for which figures are available), it can be estimated that 61 per cent. of those completing initial teacher training in England and Wales are in full-time service in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England and Wales five years later. The proportion in service 10 years after qualification is 47 per cent. Thereafter, the numbers leaving and re-entering service are in balance, so that the proportion in service 20 years after qualification is still 47 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has considered making extra funds available to the Open university to allow for the reintroduction of the broadcast loan scheme.

My right hon. Friend announced on 2 November last year an increase in the Open university's grant of £4·2 million in the financial year 1989–90 and similar additions for the next two years. The detailed allocation of these additional resources within the undergraduate programme is a matter for the university. It is receiving £68·4 million in recurrent grant in 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money he has allocated in each of the last five years to local education authorities in respect of the school building replacement programme; and if he will make a statement on the criteria he applies in reaching decisions about the allocation of funds to the replacement programme.

Local education authorities are responsible for the maintenance of school buildings. Under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, each year authorities receive block allocations of prescribed expenditure for the main service blocks, including education, but it is for them to decide how to spend their allocations. My right hon. Friend sets the local education authorities' allocations of prescribed expenditure for education. In formulating these capital allocations, priority is given to committed expenditure up to the levels previously indicated to authorities, new projects to meet population growth and new projects to remove surplus places in the schools sector. Any remaining funds are allocated for improvement and replacement projects. In accordance with the criteria the allocations for schools in the last five years are set out in the table.

£ million
	County and voluntary controlled schools	Voluntary aided and special agreement schools
1985–86	230·0	35·3
1986–87	232·9	27·8
1987–88	254·0	39·1
1988–89	319·0	47·1
1989–90	311·4	56·1

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his best estimate of the numbers of young people in further or higher education or on Government training schemes under the age of 25 years who will be liable for at least 20 per cent. of the community in (a) Scotland and (b) England and Wales.

All students (excluding school pupils) aged 18 to 24 will be liable for at least 20 per cent. of community charge. In 1987–88 there were some 110,000 full-time and part-time students aged 18 to 24, excluding those on training courses, studying in Scotland and 970,000 in England and Wales. The Training Agency estimates that in 1987–88 there were on average 6,000 people aged 18 or over on the youth training scheme in Scotland and 71,000 in England and Wales. In addition, 12,000 trainees aged 18 to 24 started on employment training in Scotland and 78,000 in England and Wales between 5 September 1988 and 31 March 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of (a) the number of educational establishments in the Greater London area which will require certification officers for the introduction of the community charge in April 1990 and (b) the number of students who will require certification in the Greater London area.

It is estimated that, excluding private and independent establishments, there are 114 educational establishments within the area of the London boroughs which will require certification officers for the introduction of the community charge. There is no reliable estimate of the numbers of independent and private establishments requiring certification officers. It is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the numbers of students requiring certification for community charge purposes within the area of the London boroughs because the criteria for registration as a student do not coincide with categories of students for whom figures are collected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to ensure that applicants for academic and non-academic university posts are interviewed by a selection committee whose chairman does not enjoy sole executive authority.

That is a matter for the universities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the current pupil— teacher ratios for both primary and secondary education in each local education authority.

In January 1988 the pupil—teacher ratios in maintaned primary and secondary schools in each local education authority in England were as follows:

Pupil teacher ratios by LEA January 1988
	Primary Pupil: teacher ratio	Secondary Pupil: teacher ratio
Barking	20·9	14·7
Barnet	20·1	14·2
Bexley	22·4	16·0
Brent	18·5	11·1
Bromley	23·0	15·8
Croydon	21·8	15·1
Ealing	19·3	13·9
Enfield	21·7	15·1
Haringey	19·0	11·9
Harrow	21·8	15·6
Havering	22·6	15·1
Hillingdon	22·0	15·6
Hounslow	20·1	14·9
Kingston upon Thames	21·5	14·2
Morton	21·6	15·9
Newham	21·5	14·1
Redbridge	24·0	16·1
Richmond upon Thames	20·9	15·5
Sutton	22·7	16·5
Waltham Forest	21·2	11·8
Inner London	17·6	13·1
Birmingham	23·2	16·0
Coventry	22·5	14·4
Dudley	22·7	14·0
Sandwell	22·4	14·0
Solihull	23·1	15·5
Walsall	20·8	13·9
Wolverhampton	20·1	13·8
Knowsley	20·7	13·4
Liverpool	21·0	14·4
St. Helens	22·3	14·0
Sefton	23·2	16·1
Wirral	21·6	15·7
Bolton	22·9	15·1
Bury	22·4	15·0
Manchester	21·4	12·9
Oldham	22·4	15·5
Rochdale	22·3	14·1
Salford	21·7	13·8
Stockport	23·3	15·0
Tameside	23·4	15·5
Trafford	21·9	14·8
Wigan	21·2	13·6

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in tabular form (a) the number of teachers in each local education authority in England and Wales, (b) the number of pupils in each and (c) the pupil-teacher ratio of each.

[pursuant to his answer, 11 April 1989, c. 428.]: The figures for England are as follows. Corresponding figures for Wales are the responsibility of my right hon.. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at his Office.

Senior grades in my Department are recruited by the Civil Service Commission. The commission has recently run publicity campaigns aimed at increasing awareness amongst ethnic minorities of career opportunities in the Civil Service. The commission monitors the ethnic origin of all applicants.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at his Department.

Senior grades in my Department are recruited by the Civil Service Commission. The commission has recently run publicity campaigns aimed at increasing awareness amongst ethnic minorities of career opportunities in the Civil Service. The commission monitors the ethnic origin of all applicants.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent his Department has studied the possibility of replacing locally collected local authority income with a hypothecated amount within the income tax system; and if he will list such research or studies which have taken place over the last 10 years.

This approach of "assigned revenues" has been considered and rejected in successive studies of local government finance, most recently in the 1983 White Paper "Rates: Proposals for rate limitation and reform of the rating system" (Cmnd. 9008). It is not the practice of the Government to hypothecate revenues from a particular tax to particular areas of expenditure.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a table showing (a) the works of art, objects or artefacts currently on loan from national museums and galleries at 11 Downing street, (b) the museum or gallery from whose collections they are loaned and (c) the term of each loan.

[holding answer 17 April 1989]: The works of art on loan to No. 11 Downing street from galleries are as follows. Details of the terms of loan for each painting can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been removed from the United Kingdom at the expense of the carriers under the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 1987, by country of destination.

None. The Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 1987 does not contain powers to remove people from the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the policy of his Department towards encouraging courts in England and Wales to allow rape or child abuse victims to give their evidence behind screens to try to stop intimidation of such people; and if he will make a statement.

It is for the courts to decide in the circumstances of each case whether or not to use screens. In addition, section 32 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 enables children under the age of 14 to give evidence by live television link from outside the courtroom in trials on indictment for violent and sexual offences. An advisory group chaired by his honour Judge Thomas Pigot QC is considering whether video-recorded evidence by children and other vulnerable witnesses should be admissible in criminal proceedings, and we look forward to receiving its report in the summer. We will examine any proposals for further protecting witnesses from courtroom intimidation in the light of group's findings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received about the denial of human rights in England; and which organisations made these representations.

Representations are regularly received, both from individuals and organisations, which might be interpreted as alleging violations or denials of human rights in relation to specific cases or generally. No central record is kept of such representations or of the organisations making them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of whether police schemes for providing young people with purposeful activity of a sporting nature during their leisure time or vacation provided any evidence of a reduction in criminal referrals; how many such schemes are in operation; and what assessment has been made as to the costs of these schemes compared with the cost of referrals.

There are no central records of schemes of this kind, although we are aware of many being run throughout the country, most of which draw local sponsorship and voluntary effort. It is for chief officers to decide whether to establish such schemes and to assess their value within the general cost-effective management of each force. One scheme, the Staffordshire police activity and community enterprise programme, (SPACE) in Staffordshire, has been the subject of a Home Office crime prevention unit paper which concluded that there was a possible link between SPACE and changes in the local crime pattern, but that other factors could also be involved. In Avon and Somerset, police schools liaison officers run over 100 different schemes and activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Hornchurch, Official Report, 1 December 1988, column 396, what response he has had from the Law Officers in Jersey and the Isle of Man in respect of amending their laws on consensual homosexual acts between males.

The island authorities in Jersey and the Isle of Man have indicated that they have under consideration the question of legislation on this matter in order to enable them to conform with the European convention on human rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking on the recommendations of the National Association of Probation Officers recent report on the imprisonment of women with dependent children, a copy of which he has been sent.

We published last year proposals for the development of non-custodial sentences. The national standards for community service orders, introduced on 1 April, ask probation areas to ensure that community service placements are available for women offenders, including those who are pregnant and those with young children. A review is taking place of policies on mothers and babies in prison.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost hitherto of the current investigation into the Guildford and Woolwich pub bombings; how far this is apportioned between (a) the Home Office, (b) Avon and Somerset policy authority; how many officers are absent from duties in Avon and Somerset and whether full account is taken of this; and if he will make a statement.

The inquiries by the Avon and Somerset constabulary into the new evidence which had been made available to my right hon. Friend in this case have been concluded. Following the issue of a writ the matter of costs is sub judice.The case was referred to the Court of Appeal on 16 January and the conduct of the prosecution case now rests with the Director of Public Prosecutions.

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 on the progress of investigations into the recent murders in London's Chinatown.

No. The conduct of the investigation is a matter for the commissioner.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect the single European market in 1992 will have on immigration arrangements for people from (a) Montserrat and (b) other British dependencies; and if he will make a statement.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Wiltshire as to the number of (i) soldiers and (ii) civilians arrested by Wiltshire constabulary in (a) Salisbury and (b) Amesbury and subsequently charged with being drunk and disorderly or causing a breach of the peace in each of the past 12 months.

The information available centrally relates to the number of persons found guilty or cautioned for offences of drunkenness in the Wiltshire police force area in 1987. This information was published in Home Office statistical bulletin 31/88, a copy of which is in the Library.To produce such information for each month of 1987 would involve disproportionate cost. Information is not collected centrally on the occupation of persons found guilty or cautioned nor can the area breakdown requested be given. Information for 1988 is not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the number of (a) fiances and (b) male spouses who have been refused entry clearance and had an appeal against that refusal turned down on more than one occasion over the last five years.

The information requested is not available; the information available centrally does not separately identify re-applicants.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what positive practical proposals are being considered by his Department for continued or future support for schemes including bail support provision and other measures as a means of tackling overcrowding in (a) Her Majesty's prison Armley and (b) other prisons with a view to reducing the number of unconvicted young prisoners on remand; and what further measures he proposes.

The Government continue to demonstrate their commitment to reducing the number of young people remanded in custody and to relieving prison overcrowding.An extensive development programme is under way to provide 500 extra bail places at approved hostels by April 1991. The first two hostels in this programme are due to open shortly and one of these is in Bradford. We are considering proposals of establish further approved bail hostels in West Yorkshire.My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor is preparing improved training on bail decisions for magistrates. We are encouraging the development of bail information schemes which give courts better information on which to base decisions about bail. A scheme is proposed for Leeds and is now subject only to final approval.By the mid-1990s over 25,000 new prison places will have been delivered by the prison building programme. The programme is frequently enhanced. We are now considering proposals to build two 300-place remand centres by 1991. One of these is at Everthorpe on Humberside. The building programme includes a refurbishment project at Her Majesty's prison Leeds which will increase its certified normal accommodation by 226 in 1992 and by 500 in 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to introduce a language or literacy test for immigrants seeking to settle in the United Kingdom.

We have no plans to apply such a test to those who wish to come to this country for settlement. But anyone wishing to acquire British citizenship by naturalisation is already subject to a language requirement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what prior notice and publicity of the recent increase in TV licence fee charges was given (a) in Stoke on Trent North and (b) nationally.

The increase from 1 April 1989 was announced to the House by my right hon. Friend on 27 October 1988, and was widely reported. Counter grille notices were displayed at Post Offices from 20 March. Reminders were also enclosed with renewal notices for licences expiring on 31 March; though I understand that in some areas these were delayed in the post. The Post Office is inquiring into the reasons for this.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the level of TV licence fees (a) generally, (b) for the elderly and (c) for those in sheltered accommodation.

Increases in the standard licence fee will remain linked to RPI increases until April 1991. There are no plans to alter these arrangements before then. Licence fees for the elderly and those in sheltered accommodation have been discussed on a number of occasions, and we are not persuaded of the need for further review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles and at what value were purchased by (a) his Department, (b) the police and fire services 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 arrangements on content with the European Community.

[holding answer 17 April 1989]: A total of 181 vehicles was purchased by the Home Office in 1988, at a cost of £1·95 million. Of these, 173 were described by the manufacturers as United Kingdom-produced, on the definition employed by the Department of Trade and Industry 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.Information on the country of origin of vehicles purchased by individual police forces and fire brigades and by public sector agencies is not held centrally. However, about 80 per cent. of the vehicles in use in the police service in 1988 are reported to be United Kingdom-produced.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to publish the forthcoming report of the war crimes inquiry, which is currently investigating persons suspected of involvement in Nazi crimes and now resident in the United Kingdom.

[holding answer 17 April 1989]: As I indicated to the House in exchanges following my statement on 8 February 1988 announcing the establishment of the inquiry, publication of its report will depend on the nature of its contents. I shall consider this matter carefully when I have received the report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the law governing licences for the installation of amusement machines; and whether the Government proposes to review the law in this area.

[holding answer 17 April 1989]: We have received representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals concerning the provisions of the Gaming Act 1968 as they apply to amusement-with-prizes machines, in particular on the question of possible excessive involvement of children and young people in playing such machines. As a result we undertook a review, including research by the Home Office research and planning unit, during 1987–88 and we announced our conclusions on 28 July 1988 at columns 423–24. The results of the research showed that, while for a small minority of young people public concern is well-founded, the scale of the problem does not justify legislation. We have, however, initiated various steps, including consultation with all interested parties, to deal with problems identified in the review.We have also received representations to allow amusement-with-prizes machines in licensed betting offices, but have no current plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the immigration and work permit status of the late Mr. Kandiahkanapathy Vinayagamoorthy and the late Mr. Ambikaipahan Anapatan.

[holding answer 17 April 1989]: Both men had been granted exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom, which entitled them to take employment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively, and overall in the Department of Trade and Industry are (a) women and (b) members of ethnic minorities.

The figures as at 13 April 1989 are:

	Number	Percentage
(a) Women
G1	Nil	—
G2	1	8·3
G3	3	5·4
G4	Nil	—
G5	24	10·9
G6	14	8·0
G7	110	11·4
All staff	5,974	43·4
(b) Ethnic minorities1
G1–4	Nil	—
G5	2	0·9
G6	4	2·3
G7	16	1·7
All staff	1,147	8·3
1 From 86 per cent, response to survey.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the Department of Trade and Industry 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.

An ethnic survey of DTI staff was completed in April 1988. The resulting data base is continuously updated.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at the Department of Trade and Industry.

Recruitment to senior grades is normally conducted on the Department's behalf by the Civil Service Commission. On those few occasions when DTI recruits directly, the Department makes clear in its advertisements that it is an equal opportunity employer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the future status of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory.

Today the National Weights and Measures Laboratory has been established as a next steps agency. The laboratory is responsible for ensuring that the measurement aspects of retail and wholesale trade are accurate and fair through its work to approve designs of equipment such as scales, petrol pumps and weighbridges. It will play an important role as the EC becomes a single market in 1992.As an agency, the NWML will have increased financial and management freedoms to enable it to operate more effectively and efficiently. The change to agency status will give Dr. Peter Clapham, the chief executive, and the laboratory greater freedom to meet the challenges arising from the rapid development of technology as well as from the single European market.The NWML remains part of the DTI and its 50 employees will continue to be civil servants. It will continue to serve both local authority customers and industry, as well as advising on technical matters relating to measurement and trade.Details are set out in the laboratory's policy and resources framework document, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what effect the single European market in 1992 will have on trade arrangements with (a) Montserrat and (b) other British dependencies; and if he will make a statement.

Removal of remaining internal trade barriers after 1992 will make it easier for everyone to do business throughout the Community. The Community will undoubtedly continue to offer preferential access to developing country products under the ACP/Lomé and other arrangements.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of new companies formed in 1987 and 1988 had a nominal share capital of £100 and £100 to £1,000.

In 1987–88 a total of 38·3 per cent. of new companies in Great Britain were incorporated with nominal share capital of up to and including £100, and 0·5 per cent. with nominal share capital of over £100 and under £1,000. This and other information about companies is available from "Companies in 1987–88" a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish the text of his Department's letter to the stock exchange complaining about the exchange's publicly expressed hostility to the proposals of Sir Ronald Dearing in his report on the future making of accounting standards.

No. The hon. Member may have seen a further press release from the international Stock Exchange, which the Government welcome.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, on how many arms contracts losses have been incurred under the export credits guarantee scheme for each year since 1979; and what has been the total involved for each year.

[holding answer 13 April 1989]: Separate figures are only available for arms business underwritten on ECGD's section 2 (national interest) account. On this basis, total figures for premium, claims and recoveries are as follows:

Financial Year	Premium £000s	Percent age of Total Premium received by ECGD	Claims £000's	Percent age of Total Claims paid by ECGD	Recoveries £000's
1979–80	13,192	8·7	26,162	9·9	4,011
1980–81	6,357	4·2	31,684	10·9	3,847
1981–82	9,238	3·9	7,471	2·5	10,701
1982–83	12,196	3·5	5,183	0·9	4,012
1983–84	17,465	10·7	18,502	2·7	5,747
1984–85	10,754	6·7	10,445	1·2	924