To ask the Attorney-General if any instructions have been given to the Crown Prosecution Service on the prosecution of persons formally charged under section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act.

No specific instructions concerning the prosecution of offences under section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 have been issued to the Crown Prosecution Service as a whole. However, some chief Crown prosecutors have issued guidance to Crown prosecutors in their area.As with all cases prosecuted by the service, in accordance with the code for Crown prosecutors, Crown prosecutors are required to satisfy themselves that there is sufficient evidence to afford a realistic prospect of conviction, and, if there is, whether the public interest requires a prosecution, before continuing criminal proceedings for such offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give for the latest year for which figures are available the school attendance rate for (a) the years one to five secondary school, (b) fourth year secondary pupils, (c) fifth year secondary pupils and (d) primary schools for each local education authority.

This information is not collected centrally. The monitoring of school attendance and decisions on whether to publish figures on attendance are matters for local education authorities and schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when work will be started on the British school in Armenia; and if he will make a statement.

The Government set aside £5 million for Armenian relief and reconstruction shortly after last December's earthquake. Two million pounds of this has been allocated to a project to build, furnish and equip a school in Leninaken. Aid Armenia and a number of major British firms are also contributing to the project. Work will start shortly and my Department is planning to complete the school before the beginning of the 1990–91 school year. Parliamentary approval to provision for this school will he sought in the 1989–90 Supply Estimate for the schools, research and miscellaneous services Vote. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £1·5 million will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has now considered the views expressed by the local authority employees, teachers unions and others on his proposals following the second report of the Interim Advisory Committee on Schoolteachers Pay and Conditions; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the pursuant reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 27 April 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many places he is making available for intakes to initial teacher training in 1990; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have decided to make available 23,172 places for intakes to initial teacher training courses in England and Wales in the academic year 1990–91, an increase of over 9 per cent. over the 1989 target of 21,157.Four hundred and fifty of these additional places will be set aside for the development of innovative forms of secondary phase training in chemistry, music and modern languages. Initial teacher training institutions in the university and English PCFC sectors will be invited to bid for these places shortly.I have also decided on the provisional allocations of intake numbers to individual courses at institutions in the English public sector. The Secretary of State for Wales will be seeking advice from the Wales advisory body on the allocation of places to the public sector initial teacher training institutions in Wales. I am writing today to the chairman of the Universities Funding Council to invite the council to consider the allocation of places in the university sector in England and Wales.I am placing details of my proposals in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with respect to the support grades in his Department (a) what is the number of staff employed, (b) how many vacancies there are and how many of these have existed for over one month and over three months, (c) how many temporary and casual appointments there are and (d) how much overtime was worked by them in London and elsewhere.

As at 24 April 1989 a total of 2,963 office support grades (messengers, paperkeepers, office keepers, security guards, reprographic grades and Government telephonists) were employed within the Ministry of Defence.During the period 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989, the number of temporary and casual appointees was 51 and the amount of overtime worked by these temporary and casual appointees was:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many jobs were directly and indirectly supported by arms exports in (a) 1986, (b) 1987 and (c) 1988.

I refer the hon. Member to the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1988 (Cm. 344–11, vol. 2, table 618).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he now expects teachers employed by the Service Children's Education Authority to be paid the back money due to them in respect of lunch-time supervision duties.

Further to my reply of 20 February, at column 445, those teachers involved in lunch-time supervisory duties prior to 1 December 1988 have now completed claims for the hours worked and the individual calculations of moneys due have been completed. Payment is imminent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish the summary of proposed steps for improving recruitment and retention in the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces said in reply to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West (Mr. Janner) on 24 February, at column 847, that we were considering the report on manning and recruiting in the Army in the nineties (MARILYN) and that in due course we should be in a position to publish a summary of the steps we would be taking to improve recruitment and retention. That remains our intention and naturally such a document would be made available to the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation he has had to ensure the requirements of Def Stan 00–55 do not conflict with the impending international standard.

My officials have been, and will continue to be, in consultation with the United Kingdom's representatives on the International Electrotechnical Commission's working group which is developing the international standard for software for computers in the application of industrial safety-related systems. The consultation is aimed at maximising the commonality between this standard and Def Stan 00–55.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why his Department is developing its own standard of safety-related software independent of moves to introduce an international standard for civilian industry.

It is Ministry of Defency policy to use existing international standards, where applicable, in preference to European, national and defence standards. However, the lack of an adequate existing standard for safety-related software in defence equipment meant that it was essential for us to commence development of Def Stan 00–55. We are, though, taking account of the work, begun subsequently, of the International Electrotechnical Commission on an international standard for safety-related software for civilian industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his intention that industry shall be bound by both (a) the impending standard on safety-related software coming from the International Electrotechnical Commission and (b) defence standard 00–55.

The draft defence standard 00–55 covering the use of software in safety critical applications in defence equipment has yet to be issued for consultation. The extent to which that standard, and other related standards, will be applied in defence contracts will be resolved as part of the consultation process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to invite tenders for further type 23 frigates.

Competitive tenders are being sought today for up to four Duke class type 23 frigates from the four United Kingdom shipbuilders with the appropriate capabilities—Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd., Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd., Vosper Thornycroft (UK) Ltd. and the VSEL/Cammell Laird group.Tenderers will be required to submit fixed-price bids for varying combinations of up to four ships based on a phased build programme. Decisions will be taken on the precise timing and number to be ordered after the tenders have been received, evaluated and fully analysed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation Her Majesty's Government are making to the Iraqi Government about the unknown number of executions of young people under the age of 18, in the light of the minimum age limit of 18 for a death sentence to be imposed under international law.

We have repeatedly made clear to the Iraqi authorities our concern at the abuses of human rights in Iraq. Both the United Kingdom and Iraq have ratified the international covenant on civil and political rights which prohibits the use of the death penalty against minors. The Iraqis know that we expect them to abide by their international obligations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long are current waiting periods experienced by new asylum seekers from Vietnam between arrival in Hong Kong and screening by immigration officers; and if he will make a statement.

Asylum seekers arriving in Hong Kong from Vietnam since 16 June 1988 have been subject to screening in accordance with UNHCR criteria. The Hong Kong immigration department is currently screening those who arrived during July 1988. The screening and appeals process started off slowly because the procedures were new and complex, but we expect it to speed up as it becomes more established. Given the size of the problem and the increased rate of new arrivals, the Hong Kong immigration department, in consultation with UNHCR, has been reviewing its screening and appeals procedures with a view to shortening the waiting period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list what is involved in the offset programme in relation to the Tornado deal with Saudi Arabia.

[holding answer 24 April 19891: I have been asked to reply.The Al Yamamah economic offset programme arises from and is associated with project Al Yamamah, the sale of Tornado and other equipment to the Government of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, the offset programme is aimed at encouraging and assisting the creation of viable and profitable joint and other commercial ventures in any sector between United Kingdom and Saudi Arabian companies. It is a broadly based and flexible programme designed to provide the maximum benefit to the economies of both countries, and is open to all United Kingdom companies, not just defence contractors. Detailed arrangements for the programme were finalised between the Government and the Saudi Government at the end of last year. and the programme was formally launched to United Kingdom industry at a British seminar held in London on 31 January 1989.The British offset office established within my Department has responsibility in the United Kingdom for implementing and managing this programme and it is working closely both with other Government Departments and with the many companies who have expressed interest in developing project ideas under the initiative. It is hoped that the first venture proposals will be ready for discussion with the Saudi Government offset committee very shortly. Because of the commercial confidentiality of the market opportunities under consideration, and respecting companies' wishes in this matter, we cannot at this stage give details of the business proposals under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement about the level of aid to Zimbabwe.

We have provided over £200 million in development assistance for Zimbabwe since independence and we intend to maintain a substantial programme. On her recent visit my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister pledged a further £10 million in capital aid for Zimbabwe, in addition to the £15 million that she offered to President Mugabe last October.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research is currently under way into waste reduction technology.

I have been asked to reply.Research is under way at Warren Spring laboratory to process domestic refuse mechanically to recover materials, energy and compost and thus reduce the volume of wate for disposal in landfill sites. Warren Spring laboratory is also studying the preprocessing of refuse prior to incineration.Numerous methods, both end of pipe and clean technologies, have been developed by industry in the United Kingdom for removal of heavy metals and the destruction of toxic components from process waste streams. However, the Department does not hold centrally details of all research and development projects currently being undertaken in the public and private sectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what work is being undertaken by or on behalf of his Department to consider the implications of a proportion of water and sewerage companies remaining in Government ownership.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how the Government contribution to the Hillsborough disaster fund will be financed.

A supplementary estimate on the central environmental services Vote (class X vote 2) will be presented in due course to cover the urgent expenditure on this new service. Pending parliamentary approval of this supplementary estimate, the Government's contribution of £500,000 to the Hillsborough disaster appeal will be met by a repayable advance from the Contingencies Fund. Subject to parliamentary approval of the supplementary estimate, the cash limit for the Vote will be increased by £500,000 from £279,923,000 to £280,423,000. The increase will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library, the detailed coliform and E. coli results of all samples collected in the summer of 1988 for each of the 380 beaches summarised in deposited document NS 4754.

Such detailed information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Details of all samples are recorded on the public register maintained by each water authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether grant application has been made by the Yorkshire water authority for the rebuilding of Bradford Beck and a comprehensive flood alleviation scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Bradford city council and the Yorkshire water authority have submitted a draft joint application for European regional development fund grant for the combined Bradford Beck flood alleviation scheme and phase la of the Bradford Beck sewage strategy. The works are included in the Bradford integrated development operation (IDO).Once a full application has been received it will be considered by the IDO co-ordinating committee who will assess the scheme's compatibility with the strategy and objectives of the programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans his Department has to stop excessive discharges of pollution into the River Mersey.

[holding answer 20 April 1989]: Under the Control of Pollution Act 1974, dischargers must apply to the appropriate regulatory authority—currently regional water authorities or Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution—before discharging into controlled waters. Consents are usually subject to specified conditions, the purpose of which is to protect the environmental quality objectives of the receiving waters.My hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Water and Planning announced on 7 December 1988, at column

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will cease to exempt Unilever on the Mersey from the provisions of the Control of Pollution Act;(2) whether he will now require Granox to comply with the Control of Pollution Act; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 20 April 1989]: The provisions of part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 apply to all companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to what percentage of the work force employed by British Coal are registered disabled.

As at 1 June 1987, 0·6 per cent. of the work force of British Coal were registered as disabled, as published in the Employment Gazette in February 1988. Figures for 1988 will be published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what reviews he is undertaking to implement the European Economic Community directive giving part-time workers the same legal rights as full-time workers; and if he will make a statement.

This draft directive has not yet been approved by the Council of Ministers. At its meeting in June 1985 the Council agreed to defer further discussion. I understand that little progress has been made since then.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his Department's policy on European air fares after the decision of the European Court in the case of Ahmed Saeed Flugreisen and Another v. Zentrale Zur Bekampfung Unlauteren Wettbewerbs E.V.; and if he will make a statement.

Our policy objective is to ensure that air travellers are charged fair prices; this conforms with the judgment of the European Court. We are reviewing the arrangements by which this objective is achieved to ensure that they are in accordance with the court decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a further statement on the application by the Central Electricity Generating Board to build a coal jetty and related works at Fawley.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy informed my hon. Friend on 27 October 1988, at column 320, in view of the board's decision not to pursue for the time being its application for consent to build a generating station at Fawley the Government decided that the board's associated application for an order empowering the building of a jetty and other harbour works should not proceed further. There is therefore no extant application under the Harbours Act. The board recently announced the withdrawal of its application for the generating station.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many people travelling into central London by car receive (a) a free parking space and (b) a subsidised parking space from their employers;(2) what is the total cash assistance provided by employers to employees in central London for travelling by

We do not have that information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what correspondence or consultation has taken place between his railway inspectorate and British Railways Board concerning proposals to withdraw guards on trains running in single line tunnels between Finsbury Park and Moorgate; and if he will place copies of such correspondence in the Library.

[holding answer 26 April 1989]: There has been a thorough consultation between British Rail and the railway inspectorate about the possible introduction of driver-only operation on this line, though I understand that British Rail has no immediate plans to withdraw guards. The inspectorate has assured me that it is satisfied with operational arrangements. I see no need to place copies of its correspondence with British Rail in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for future investment on roads and rail in west Sussex.

[holding answer 26 April 1989]: It is for British Rail to come forward with investment proposals based on its own assessment of priorities. I am always happy to approve worthwhile investment and I would consider carefully any plans to improve rail services in west Sussex.As regards investment in roads. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to him on 13 February 1989.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with respect to the support grades in his Department (a) what is the number of staff employed, (b)how many vacancies there are and how many of these have existed for over one month and over three months, (c) how many temporary and casual appointments there are and (d) how much overtime was worked by them in London and elsewhere.

In this answer, the term "support grades" has been interpreted as the grades support manager 1 to 3 and support grades band 1 to 2:

(a) On 1 April 1989 there were 936 staff in post excluding casual staff (part-time staff are counted as half).

(b) On 1 April 1989 there were 57·5 vacant posts compared with 62 vacant posts on 1 March 1989 and 40 vacant posts on 1 January 1989. These figures reflect the difference between staff in post (including casuals) and authorised posts at each date.

Information on the duration of individual vacancies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he proposes to make a response to the Law Commission's working paper No. 110 on computer misuse; whether he will make it public; and if he will make a statement.

I have no plans to make a formal response.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what non-formal representations he has received on his response to the Select Committee on Trade and Industry's report into information technology.

I have received no non-formal representations on this response.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names of United Kingdom registered companies which have broken the EEC code of conduct in respect of their South African subsidiaries; and if he will forward such a list to the European Commission.

My Department's analysis and summary of company reports submitted in accordance with the EC code of conduct was placed in the Library of each House last month. It has also been made available to officials in Europe.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has received any complaints concerning the guarantees provided by companies with their products; what steps he has taken to assess whether it is possible for consumers to distinguish between a good guarantee and a worthless one; if he proposes to bring foward proposals to require any changes to the guarantees provided by companies; and if he will make a statement.

Only a small proportion of the consumer problems raised with my Department are concerned with guarantees. The National Consumer Council recently published a consultative document on some aspects of the use of guarantees; any recommendations resulting from the NCC consultation will be carefully considered. The subject of guarantees generally has been examined, and remains under review, by the Office of Fair Trading. The Director General of Fair Trading's report entitled "Consumer Guarantees", published in June 1986 makes recommendations aimed at industry and offers good advice to consumers. The Government have no present plans to legislate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the future of Girobank's corporate lending and leasing business in the event of its being sold to a building society.

Under the Building Societies Act 1986, as amended, building societies are not permitted to undertake leasing business or make unsecured loans to corporate bodies. Arrangements would therefore need to be made for Girobank's leasing and corporate lending business to be removed from its balance sheet before it could be purchased by a buidling society. Such arrangements would be a matter for negotiation between the Post Office and the building society concerned in the first instance. The arrangements would need to satisfy the regulatory authorities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what weight he gave to the net asset value of Girobank and to the current year's retained earnings in considering the Alliance and Leicester's £130 million bid for Girobank.

As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced on 20 April, at column 260, we are satisfied that the Post Office Board's decision to accept the conditional offer made by Alliance and Leicester Building Society to purchase Girobank takes full account of the factors, of which price was one, which we announced would be taken into account in evaluating bids.

To ask the Lord President of the Council what representations he has received from hon. Members seeking a reduction in the charge made by the Post Office in the Palace of Westminster of £5·80 to hon. Members for transmitting one page of A4 by fax to a London address.

I have received no representations about the cost of the service provided by the Post Office since the matter was last considered by the Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee in May 1988. The charge made by the Post Office in the Palace of Westminster for its facsimile (Intelpost) transmission service reflects the tariff in use throughout the country. For parliamentary business, right hon. and hon. Members may purchase fascimile machines for their personal use from their office costs allowance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received about the extension of the ESA payment eligibility to farms within national parks in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Six representations have been received on behalf of farmers in the national parks in Wales for the extension of the ESA scheme to their land.I shall give careful consideration to these requests if and when further ESA designations are in prospect.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has as to the likely change in the level of rural general practitioner's remuneration as a result of the introduction of the new contract for general practitioners.

The Government's proposals for linking family doctors' pay more closely to the range and quality of their resources to patients are set out in the report "General Practice in the National Health Service—A New Contract", and appendix F provides illustrative assessments of the effects on different types of practice. The implications for rural practice are fully considered in that report, copies of which were sent to all GMPs. The proposals include a rural areas supplement to the basic practice allowance which is designed to recognise the particular nature of practice in sparsely populated rural areas and to ensure that GMPs practising in such areas are not unduly disadvantaged by the nature of the area in which they work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has as to the costs of the 10 most common operations in each Welsh hospital.

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give for the latest available year the post-16 staying on rate for each Welsh local education authority.

The percentage of 16 and 17-year-olds staying on in full-time education at schools, tertiary and colleges of further education for the academic year 1987–88 is shown in the following table:

	116-year-olds	217-year-olds
Clwyd	47	31
Dyfed	54	40
Gwent	47	31
Gwynedd	52	37
Mid Glamorgan	47	31
Powys	55	36
South Glamorgan	51	33
West Glamorgan	52	34
Wales	50	33
1 As a percentage of 15-year-old pupils in schools in the academic year 1986–87.
2 As a percentage of 15-year-old pupils in schools in the academic year 1985–86.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give for the latest year for which figures are available the school attendance rate for (a) the years one to five secondary school, (b) fourth-year secondary pupils, (c) fifth-year secondary pupils and (d) primary schools for each Welsh local education authority.

Information in the form requested is not collected centrally. However, data in respect of primary and secondary school attendance as a whole on a census day in September 1988 are as follows:

Percentage of pupils on role in attendance
	Secondary	Primary
Clwyd	91	88
Dyfed	90	90
Gwent	90	89
Gwynedd	90	92

	Secondary	Primary
Mid Glamorgan	85	89
Powys	92	94
South Glamorgan	88	88
West Glamorgan	86	84

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average remuneration per general practitioner in (a) each family practitioner committee area, (b) urban areas, (c) rural areas and (d) Wales as a whole.

The information is not readily available centrally. The review body on doctors and dentists' remuneration recommends the level of general medical practitioners' income. In 1989–90 the average gross income of GMPs in the United Kingdom is intended to be £60,000. This figure reflects the review body's recommendation in respect of GM Ps' net income and indirectly reimbursed expenses which the Government have accepted in full, plus estimated directly reimbursed expenses. The recommended average net income is £31,105.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what tests have been conducted in the Milford Haven and the river Cleddau to ascertain pollution caused by Try-butyl-tin (TBT); and what were the results.

This is a matter for the Welsh water authority and the information is not held by the Welsh Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many permanent consultant posts, inclusive of the addition of 100 in the White Paper proposals, he estimates will be in place by the late 1990s; what is the estimated cost of this programme; how the cost of additional consultants is shown in forward National Health Service spending plans; and if he will make a statement.

Change in population between 1990 and 2000
Thousands
		Total	(1)	(2)
North	75 and over	28·4	25·0	3·4
	85 and over	15·5	14·8	0·7
Yorkshire and Humberside	75 and over	26·1	29·7	-3·6
	85 and over	23·7	24·8	-1·1
East Midlands	75 and over	39·0	35·0	4·0
	85 and over	23·1	22·1	0·9
East Anglia	75 and over	28·3	16·6	11·6
	85 and over	17·5	14·3	3·2
South East	75 and over	97·5	123·0	-25·6
	85 and over	93·5	100·7	-7·1
Greater London	75 and over	-14·2	37·1	-51·3
	85 and over	24·6	39·5	-14·9
Rest of South East	75 and over	111·7	85·9	25·7
	85 and over	69·0	61·2	7·8
South West	75 and over	46·7	26·6	20·1
	85 and over	38·6	32·5	6·1
West Midlands	75 and over	49·6	54·9	-5·3
	85 and over	26·6	28·1	-1·5
North West	75 and over	21·5	26·7	-5·2

The projections prepared for "Hospital Medical Staffing—Achieving a Balance—Plan for Action" published in October 1987 suggested that the number of consultants in England and Wales in 1998 would be 19,473. The 100 new consultants announced in "Working for Patients" are not included in this figure.Expenditure on consultants is not separately identified in NHS spending plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health with respect to the support grades in his Department (a) what is the number of staff employed, (b) how many vacancies there are and how many of these have existed for over one month and over three months, (c) how many temporary and casual appointments there are and (d) how much overtime was worked by them in London and elsewhere.

The figures are:

	Figures
(a) The number of staff employed	325
(b) The number of vacancies:
i. currently	9
ii. that have existed for over one month	8
iii. that have existed for over three months	3
(c) The number of casual appointments at present	28
The number of limited period appointments currently	8
(d) The amount of overtime worked by them during March 1989, all within the London pay area	2,518·5 hours

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Caernarfon of 18 April, Official Report, column 122, if he will analyse the total population growth by standard region between 1990 and 2000 for people (a) over 75 years of age and (b) over 85 years of age, as between (i) the growth caused by projections of existing population and (ii) the change caused by net movements of population.

The information requested is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what current channels of communication he uses to keep in touch with opinion among practising dentists in the general dental service in the United Kingdom.

Apart from the Department's standing dental advisory committee, the Department's chief dental officer, who is a member of the General Dental Council keeps, in close touch with the academic and professional leaders of the dental profession. Officials maintain close relations with the officers and senior officials of the British Dental Association and negotiate with the general dental services committee which represents all general dental practitioners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what information his Department makes available to people who are mentally handicapped and their families about any benefits that they may be entitled to;(2) if he intends to make any special efforts to ensure that people who are mentally handicapped receive all the benefits that they are entitled to;(3) if mentally handicapped persons who claim severe disablement allowance are automatically advised of the possibility that they may be entitled to claim income support.

People who are mentally handicapped qualify for benefits under the same criteria as people suffering from other disabilities so the same steps are taken to help them, and those who are acting for them, to claim the benefits to which they may be entitled. Information about these benefits is available in a range of leaflets from Social Security offices, and the freeline telephone inquiry service.The leaflet about severe disablement allowance, which includes the claim form, draws attention to the possibility of claiming income support. Additionally, all young people, under age 18, who claim the allowance are issued with a leaflet about income support, and an explanation of how to claim it, unless it is clear that they have already done so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in receipt of benefit were entitled to transitional payments in 1988; and how many in the current year in (a) Huddersfield and (b) Dewsbury.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 6 March at column 445.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will draw up a code of practice to regulate charity advertising about disabled people.

There are no present plans to draw up such a code of practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many claims regarding road drainage have been made against (a) Belfast divisional roads service and (b) Ballymena divisional roads service during the last three financial years; and how many of these claims were (i) decided by the courts and (ii) settled out of court.

Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of maedi-visna disease in sheep have been recorded by the Department of Agriculture, Northern Ireland, in each of the years from 1980 to 1988, in each of the parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland.

There have been no clinical cases of maedi-visna disease in sheep recorded in each of the years from 1980 to 1988 in any of the Parliamentary constituencies of Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are being taken to ensure that all sheep imported into Northern Ireland are tested for maedi-visna disease.

Sheep may be imported into Northern Ireland only if they meet stringent licensing conditions. These conditions require resting for maedi-visna disease in pre-import and post-import isolation, except where the sheep come from fully accredited maedi-visna-free flocks in the country of origin.There are no maedi-visna testing requirements for sheep from the Republic of Ireland which, like Northern Ireland, is regarded as maedi-visna free.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total number of sheep imported into Northern Ireland in each of the years since 1980; and what were the individual breeds.

The information is as follows:

	Number
1980	88,014
1981	105,314
1982	42,863
1983	41,403
1984	58,971
1985	67,274
1986	57,249
1987	77,175
1988	55.535

The records available do not indicate the individual breeds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sheep were quarantined in Northern Ireland in each of the years since 1980.

The information is as follows:

	Number
1980	531
1981	440
1983	500
1984	400
1985	341

Year	Antrim	Armagh	Down	Fermanagh	Londonderry	Tyrone	Total
1980	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1981	—	—	13,173	2,241	7,226	1,466	24,106
1982	20,553	23,743	38,656	101,771	46,968	151,280	382,971
1983	134,863	196,344	197,546	386,516	198,696	333,162	1,447,127
1984	261,115	366,192	203,254	782,518	327,484	838,121	2,778,684
1985	356,332	677,989	353,037	1,076,299	488,054	1,433,728	4,385,439
1986	1,010,000	1,386,458	707,924	1,882,423	863,477	3,335,010	9,185,292
1987	1,220,903	2,158,513	459,335	2,105,015	963,866	3,782,671	10,690,303
11988	420,719	1,344,994	270,874	1,263,507	501,118	2,132,351	5,933,563
1 Three quarters only.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total amount, in grants, paid out by the Department of Agriculture, Northern Ireland, under

Northern Ireland ADP expenditure 1982–83 to 1988–89
£ million
Counties	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89	Total
Antrim	4·978	3·241	3·088	1·926	1·390	0·585	0·242	15·45
Armagh	1·063	1·110	1·585	1·304	0·817	0·961	0·357	7·197
Down	0·272	0·441	0·481	0·484	0·417	0·362	0·071	2·528
Fermanagh	12·040	10·107	12·215	5·760	3·299	1·475	0·226	45·122
Londonderry	3·614	2·077	2·292	1·210	0·794	0·543	0·190	10·72
Tyrone	6·536	4·658	7·074	2·952	2·391	0·980	0·465	25·056
	28·503	21·634	26·735	13·636	9·108	4·906	1·551	106·073

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total amount, in grants, paid out by the Department of Agriculture, Northern Ireland, under the farm diversification grant scheme in each of the years since 1980 to applicants from each of the parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland.

The farm diversification grant scheme was introduced on 1 January 1988. In 1988 there was one payment which amounted to £5,391·52 in county Antrim.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many flocks of sheep in Northern Ireland have been maedi-visna tested.

A total of 418 flocks of sheep in Northern Ireland have been maedi-visna tested. These are flocks which joined the voluntary Northern Ireland maedi-visna register of accredited flocks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total amount, in grants, paid out by the Department of Agriculture, Northern Ireland, under the agriculture and horticulture development scheme in each of the years since 1980, to applicants from each of the parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland.

The information requested is not available by parliamentary constituency. It has been given, however, by county.the Northern Ireland agricultural development programme, in each of the years since 1982, to applicants from each of the parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland.

The information requested is not available by parliamentary constituency. It has been given by county.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total amount, in grants, paid out by the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland, under the grassland scheme (N.I.) in each of the years since 1987 to applicants from each of the parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland.

The information requested is not available by parliamentary constituency. It has been given by county.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people completed their eight-week eligibility period for bridging allowance during March 1989.

Information concerning bridging allowance recipients is not held in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people exhausted their eight-week bridging allowance payment during October 1988, November 1988, December 1988, January 1989, February 1989 and March 1989.

Information concerning bridging allowance recipients is not held in the form requested and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many YTS places remained unfilled at the end of September 1988, October 1988, November 1988, December 1988, January 1989, February 1989 and March 1989.

The Northern Ireland equivalent of YTS is the youth training programme (YTP). The number of training places unfilled in each month is as follows:

	Number
September 1988	1,024
October 1988	796
November 1988	887
December 1988	912
January 1989	1,201
February 1989	1,436
March 1989	2,078

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were on YTS schemes at the end of September 1988, October 1988, November 1988, December 1988, January 1989, February 1989 and March 1989.

The number of participants in the youth training programme in each month is as follows:

	Number
September 1988	14,596
October 1988	14,562
November 1988	14,306
December 1988	13,255
January 1989	12,585
February 1989	11,995
March 1989	11,418

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish current figures for notifiable offences recorded by the police in the Mansfield area, by offence, showing the percentage change over the most convenient period.

The information readily available to the Home Office is for recorded crime in the Nottinghamshire police force area in 1988 and was published in Home Office statistical bulletin 7/89 on 16 March 1989 (Table 8 shows changes over 1987 by offence group for each police force area.) More detailed information, for areas within Nottinghamshire such as Mansfield, will be published later in the year in the report of the chief constable for Nottinghamshire. Copies of these publications will be available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will meet the costs accruing to the West Midlands police authority of the participation of West Midlands police officers in the investigation of the Hillsborough disaster, and of arranging policing cover in the West Midlands as a result of these duties.

As I said in a letter which I sent to my hon. Friend yesterday, no additional costs will be borne by the West Midlands police authority. "Additional costs" include the cost of overtime worked by the west midlands police officers in their own force area to cover duties which would otherwise have been undertaken by officers seconded to the Hillsborough inquiry. The means of reimbursing the West Midlands police authority will be for further consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been in each of the last three years on charges arising from the misuse of alphachloralose.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the officers of his Department in each grade from 1 to 7 are (a) women and (b) members of ethnic minorities; and what proportion each such figure represents of the total numbers of officers at that grade.

According to the latest available figures, in the unified grades 1 to 7 there are two women at grade 3, 15 at grade 5, three at grade 6 and 73 at grade 7. The proportions in each grade were provided in my earlier reply of 20 April. There are in addition 33 women in grades equivalent to grades 1 to 7.In the unified grades nine members of staff in grades 6 and 7 described themselves as of ethnic minority origin. This represents 2 per cent. of respondents to staff surveys in these grades. Twenty-seven senior medical offices and medical officers who are in grades equivalent to grades 5 and 6 described themselves as of ethnic minority origin. This represents 30 per cent. of respondents in these grades.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to bring forward proposals whereby all individuals would have a personal identity number; and what representations he has received on the matter.

We have no such plan and have received no such representations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if all repayments of debt arising from his recent Budget decisions have now been made.

No.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate for the balance of trade deficit in the current year.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes) on 19 April at column 168.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the estimated annual return on investment capital for each year since 1970.

The information requested is as follows:

Net real rate of return1for non-North sea industrial and commercial companies
	(per cent.)
1970	8·9
1971	9·2
1972	9·5
1973	8·9
1974	5·3
1975	4·2
1976	4·3
1977	6·7
1978	7·1
1979	5·6
1980	3·8
1981	2·8
1982	4·0
1983	4·9
1984	5·6
1985	7·2
1986	8·9
1987	10·2
1Net operating surplus on United Kingdom operations as a percentage of net capital stock of fixed assets before investment and tax at current replacement cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on all recorded cases of unauthorised access to the computer files of (a) the Treasury and (b) the Inland Revenue.

[holding answer 24 April 1989]: It is not the policy of the Treasury or the Inland Revenue to make public details and circumstances of computer security incidents, their perpetrators and their success or failure, since such information might be of assistance to potential attackers.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will give details of his Department's policy on review of the security of Treasury and Inland Revenue computer files;(2) if he can quantify the risk of damage by hackers to sensitive computerised files in the Treasury and Inland Revenue;(3) what measures

[holding answer 24 April 1989]: The Treasury and the Inland Revenue take advice from the appropriate Government authorities on security matters. In the case of unclassified but sensitive data this includes the CCTA IT security and privacy group (part of Her Majesty's Treasury) which is the central Government advisory authority in this area. It would not be sensible to publish details of actual counter-measures, reviews and risks.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether staff of the Treasury and Inland Revenue, respectively, are briefed about computer hacking and computer viruses; whether there are contingency plans to deal with computer downtime caused by unauthorised penetration; and whether plans exist to deal with penetration of particularly sensitive systems.

[holding answer 24 April 1989]: The Treasury and Inland Revenue have contingency plans and staff eduction programmes as part of their wider information systems strategy, but their effectiveness would he reduced if details were made public.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the additional revenue yield from the recent rises in petrol prices; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 24 April 19891: I regret that it is not possible to make a reliable estimate of the change in the revenue yield from recent petrol price rises.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met Finance Ministers of the other European Economic Community member states; and what was discussed.

[holding answer 26 April 1989]: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich (Mr. Bowden) on 21 April 1989.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards economic and monetary union within the European Economic Community.

[holding answer 26 April 1989]: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich (Mr. Bowden) on 21 April at column 327 and to the exchange between my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House and my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Butler) on 18 April at column 181.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received seeking the removal of value added tax zero rating on goods and clothes sold in charity shops.

[holding answer 27 April 1989]; None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about moving Government Departments to the north-west; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 27 April 1989]: I have received a number of letters supporting the relocation of Government Departments to the north-west, including two from my hon. Friend. With regard to a statement, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Beverley (Mr. Cran) on 9 February 1989 at columns 751–52.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the total amounts of European regional development fund moneys allocated to Scotland in (a) 1988 and (b) 1983 to 1988, inclusive.

Awards of £94·9 million were secured in 1988. For the six years 1983 to 1988 total awards of £527·6 million were made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the geographical areas or functions in Scotland which are currently eligible for moneys from (a) the European regional development fund and (b) the European social fund.

The following areas have been designated under objective 2 (industrial regions) of the reformed structural funds and are therefore eligible for European regional development fund support:

the travel-to-work areas of Dumbarton, Greenock, Irvine, Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Lanarkshire, Cumnock and Sanquhar, Ayr, Girvan, Dundee, Arbroath, Falkirk, Alloa, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Bathgate; the wards of Argyll, Cornton, Gowanhill, Ballangeich, Kings Park, Torbrex, Borestone, Ladywell, Polmaise, Sauchenford, Whins and Logie in the travel-to-work area of Stirling.

In addition, the Government have submitted cases in favour of objective 5(b) (rural areas) designation for the Highlands and Islands, the intermediate areas of Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders, the eastern part of Dumfries and Galloway, and the rural parts of Grampian, Tayside and Central. The European Commission is expected soon to announce its decision on rural areas' eligibility.Under the reform of the European social fund, which takes full effect in 1990, operations under objective 3 (combating long-term unemployment) and objective 4 (facilitating the occupational integration of young people) apply throughout the Community. Employment and vocational training measures located in objective 2 and 5(b) areas, which meet certain criteria, are also eligible for assistance. For 1989 applications are being dealt with under the previous fund guidelines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has completed his review of the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 1985; and if he will make a statement.

We have carried out detailed consultations with the fishing industry during the past year on possible changes to the fishing regime in Scottish inshore waters. Having considered all the arguments, we have today issued a consultation paper, which will receive wide circulation, setting out our proposals for change. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library. Comments on the proposals from interested parties have been requested by 2 June. Once these have been considered we expect to lay before the House a new order under the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether in the light of the review of the English tourist board and the British tourist authority, he has any plans to withdraw assistance from tourism projects in Scotland.

I have no such plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will (a) halt petrol imports and (b) put a price freeze on petrol sales; and if he will make a statement.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has any plans to reassess the level of accountability of British Nuclear Fuels plc to Parliament in light of the National Audit Office report "Department of Energy: Monitoring and Control of British Nuclear Fuels plc," dated 5 April.

The Government are awaiting the report of the Public Accounts Committee on this matter and will respond in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a further statement on the application by the Central Electricity Generating Board to build a coal-fired power station at Fawley B.

The Central Electricity Generating Board formally withdrew the application on 30 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if Her Majesty's Government will give permission to the European Commission to disclose details of safeguarded uranium at United Kingdom-based military-civil mixed facilities.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, if he will set out the current plans to repatriate the low and intermediate level radioactive waste to Japan from reprocessing contracts signed for THORP since 1976.

BNFL's post-1976 reprocessing contracts provide for the return of wastes after they have been put into a form suitable for safe transportation and storage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a further statement on the volumes of reprocessed plutonium and uranium likely to arise from British Nuclear Fuels plc's pre-1976 contracts; and what plans there are for (a) the length of time, (b) the conditions and (c) the security conditions under which this will be stored.

Approximately 2,900 tonnes of recovered uranium and 9 tonnes of recovered plutonium (fissile) have arisen, or are likely to arise, from overseas reprocessing contracts entered into before 1976 by British Nuclear Fuels plc. These materials are stored under secure conditions until required by the owners and are subject to appropriate IAEA and Euratom safeguards procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many parliamentary answers he has given on plutonium in the periods (a) 1979 to 1984 and (b) 1985 to 1989, respectively.

Between May 1979 and December 1984, Ministers at the Department of Energy gave 75 answers to hon. Members in reply to questions relating to plutonium. From January 1985 onwards the total is 228.