To ask the Minister for the Arts which of the offers of objects in lieu of tax during the financial year 1988–89 listed in his answer on 24 April, Official Report, column 432, carried a condition as to destination; if he will give the relevant particulars; whether he will give particulars of the 10 portraits satisfying tax of £260,717; and whether he will give the total sum of tax thus satisfied during the year in question, with a breakdown into (a) the total covered by the basic provision and (b) the total covered by recourse to the reserve.

Among the items accepted in lieu of tax in the financial year 1988–89 referred to in my answer of 24 April, Official Report, c.432, the following carried conditions:

Print by William Blake—conditional upon allocation to the Fitzwilliam Museum.

"The Artist's Studio" by Tillemans—conditional upon allocation to the Castle Museum, Norwich.

Roubiliac busts—conditional upon remaining in situ at Mellerstain House.

Kauffman portraits—conditional upon allocation to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

"Fabula" by E1 Greco—conditional upon allocation to the National Galleries of Scotland.

The £260,717 referred to in the answer of 24 April has been paid in respect of nine portraits accepted in lieu of tax (a tenth portrait was withdrawn at a late stage); further details of the acceptance of this conditional offer and allocation will be announced shortly by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Scotland.The total tax satisfied during the 1988–89 financial year was £6,719,816·88, of which £2 million was covered by the basic provision and £4,719,816·88 was spent from the Reserve. The total includes £30 additional tax on the Kauffman portraits, announced as £34,100 in the reply of 24 April.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many indecent or obscene items have been seized by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise under the Customs and Excise Act 1952 and the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 in each year since 1979.

The number of indecent or obscene items seized by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, under these Acts, in each year since 1979 was as follows:

	Number
1979–80	98,300
1980–81	66,600
1981–82	83,500

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the duty paid on (a) aviation kerosene and (b) fuels used by commercial vehicles.

The effective rate of duty on aviation kerosene is nil.Most commercial vehicles use diesel fuel (DERV), some use petrol and a few use liquified petroleum gas (LPG). The rates of duty are:

	£1 litre
DERV	0·1729
Petrol
(unleaded)	0·1772
(leaded, 4 star)	0·2044
LPG	0·1022

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to amend section 4 of the Exchange Equalisation Account Act 1979 so as to provide that the Comptroller and Auditor-General's certificate on the operations on and transactions in connection with the account is accompanied by information of the losses incurred each month.

No. I see no reason to change the practice of successive Governments regarding the disclosure of details of the exchange equalisation account.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from investment trusts and unit trusts about personal equity plans; and if he will make a statement.

I have received representations from a number of investment trusts and unit trusts, and from the Association of Investment Trust Companies. The main concern is that investment trusts in particular will find it difficult to meet the requirement from 6 April 1990 that, to qualify for investment through a personal equity plan, 75 per cent. of their own investment must be in United Kingdom ordinary shares. The Government have therefore decided to introduce four relaxations:

(i) To help investment and unit trust PEP schemes in existence before the Budget, an investor will have the option of investing up to £750 a year in an investment or unit trust which does not satisfy the 75 per cent United Kingdom requirement. This will be an alternative to investing up to £2,400 in trusts which do satisfy the requirement.

(ii) Third market and unquoted shares of United Kingdom companies in a unit or investment trusts' portfolio will count towards the 75 per cent. test.

(iii) Unit trust "funds of funds" will be qualifying investments, provided that the unit trusts in which the fund of funds invests are authorised securities schemes. From 6 April 1990, funds of funds must also comply with the requirement to invest at least 75 per cent. in United Kingdom equities.

(iv) Investment trusts' "capital" and "income" shares will also count towards the 75 per cent. test, as will other ordinary shares issued by them. This will enable investment trusts (and unit trusts) to invest in United Kingdom investment trusts which issue capital or income shares rather than ordinary shares. But, as with unit trust "funds of funds", the underlying investments must, overall, be 75 per cent. in United Kingdom companies.

The Personal Equity Plan Regulations 1989 will be amended in due course to reflect these changes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has to the level of exports as a percentage of total production in the United Kingdom in 1974, 1979 and 1989; and what are the comparable figures in other Group of Seven countries.

[holding answer 28 April 1989]: Figures for 1974, 1979 and 1987, the latest year for which comparable figures are available, are given in "OECD National Accounts" volume 1 1960–1987 for all the countries in question except the United Kingdom. Figures for the United Kingdom can be found in the CSO publication "Economic Trends Annual Supplement" and in the CSO press release of 17 March 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what extra provision will be made in medical schools for students to receive course tuition in general practice business management; and whether such provision will be made additional to, or within, the current curriculum.

Medical education and training follows the recommendations of the education committee of the General Medical Council. These already provide for training in administrative and managerial skills to be given as part of the postgraduate, vocational phase of medical training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many university teachers have taken early retirement in each year since 1979 (a) in total, (b) in each university and (c) in each subject.

The available information is as given in my reply of 10 February 1989 at columns 842–842. Details for individual institutions and subjects are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements will apply for the approval of courses of initial teacher training when the term of office of the members of the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education expires at the end of 1989.

As I announced yesterday, I am today issuing a consultation document setting out my proposals in detail and asking for comments by 30 June. I have placed a copy in the Library. I propose that the council is reconstituted, that the criteria for the approval of courses are made tougher, and that the role of local committees in the accreditation process is strengthened.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking within the European Economic Community Council of Ministers to ensure that the aid provided through Lomé conventions III and IV to the Ethiopian Government is administered in the interests of, and actually reaches, those for whom it is intended.

We are actively involved in examining proposals prepared by the Commission for development assistance to Ethiopia under the Lomé conventions through our participation in the European development fund committee, on which all member states are represented. We have consistently stressed to the Commission the importance of close monitoring of such assistance to ensure that the aid reaches the intended beneficiaries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the total British public and private overseas aid for 1988; and if he will make a statement.

This figure is not yet available.

To ask the Attorney-General for what reason legal aid has been terminated for whooping cough vaccine cases; and if he will make a statement.

There is no policy to terminate legal aid in whooping cough vaccine cases. Each case is being re-examined individually following the judgment in Loveday v. Renton as, under the Civil Legal Aid (General) Regulations 1989, the Legal Aid Board is required to reassess legal aid certificates in the light of new information or knowledge. The Lord Chancellor may not intervene, or influence the decisions of the Legal Aid Board.

To ask the Prime Minister if, during her visit to the kingdom of Morocco on 28 March 1989, she raised the matter of the non-aligned states' policy towards the 1990 nuclear non-proliferation treaty review conference.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister if, during her visit to Nigeria on 29 March, she raised the matter of the status of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and the prospects for the 1990 non-proliferation treaty review conference, with Ministers of the Nigerian Government.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister when the Cabinet Office started and completed the review of the 1985 conventions governing Government advertising; when the revised commentary was issued to Departments; and whether she will place a copy of them in the Library.

[holding answer 2 May 1989]: A review of the conventions on Government publicity and advertising took place in early 1988. Consolidated supplementary guidance was issued by the Cabinet Office to Departments in March 1989 and I am arranging for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Prime Minister if, during her recent visit to Namibia, she raised with the authorities there the future of Namibian uranium procurement for United Kingdom nuclear weapons and nuclear power programmes.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) if she will publish in the Official Report a list of Sir Alan Walters' outside interests;(2) what are Sir Alan Walters' connections with the Centre for Policy Studies.

Sir Alan Walters is a private individual who has a consulting contract with the Government. It would not be appropriate to publish or require him to publish his interests in or connections with private sector bodies.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will publish in the Official Report the salary of Sir Alan Walters on his appointment.

Sir Alan Walters' remuneration is linked to that of a second permanent secretary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current number of special constables in England and Wales.

There were 15,788 special constables in England and Wales on 31 December 1988, the latest date for which figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons in Yorkshire which have child care provision for inmates; how often these are inspected by outside agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's prison Askham Grange, near York, has a mother and baby unit which provides accommodation for up to 15 mothers with their babies.A health visitor from the local area health authority regularly visits the unit and provides child care advice to inmate mothers. Arrangements for a Department of Health team to inspect mother and baby units and report periodically on matters such as child care practice are being considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables in the South Yorkshire police force are (a) from ethnic minorities and (b) women; and if he will show these figures also as a percentage.

On 31 December 1988, the South Yorkshire police special constabulary had a total of 309 members. Of this number, 11—3·6 per cent.—were from the ethnic minorities and 103—33·3 per cent. —were women.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the hourly charges made to rugby league clubs for police officers on duty at professional rugby league matches held within areas covered by the North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria police authorities.

I understand that the present charges per hour, exclusive of VAT, for the services of each police constable provided for duty inside the grounds of rugby league clubs in the area mentioned are as follows:

Police force	Cost £ (excluding VAT)
North Yorkshire	18·30
South Yorkshire	16·20
West Yorkshire	18·30

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women gave birth while detained in prison in the United Kingdom according to the latest available figures.

Between 1 April 1987 and 31 March 1988, 75 women in custody gave birth at outside hospitals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last discussed with the Crown prosecution service the operation of the Drug Trafficking Offences Act.

Home Office officials have frequent discussions with the Crown prosecution service about the operation of the Act. The most recent took place on 25 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the legal basis of the powers under which European Community member states require nationals from other European Community states to produce a valid passport before permitting entry; and how this practice will be affected by the Single European Act.

Council directive 68/360/EEC requires member states to allow EC nationals who are exercising freedom of movement rights under the treaty of Rome to enter their territory simply on production of a valid identity card or passport. Other EC nationals entering the United Kingdom are required to produce on request a valid national passport or identity document by virtue of the Immigration Act 1971. Discussions within the Community on how effect should be given to the Single European Act in this area are still in progress, but it is the Government's present view that it will remain necessary to require EC nationals to produce on request a valid passport or identity document when entering the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the prison service will make available the supplies recommended to prisoners in his new video on AIDS.

The videofilm "AIDS Inside and Out"' is part of a new educational resource package which aims to give prisoners essential information about AIDS and the human immunodeficiency virus. It advises how they can avoid risk to themselves and others not only while they are in custody but after their release. In the latter context the contribution which condoms can make to safer sexual practice is explained; and drug misusers are advised that if they cannot avoid injecting when they leave prison they should use only clean needles and never share injecting equipment.Because of the special circumstances in prisons it would not be right to make drug injecting equipment available to prisoners for unsupervised use. Nor are we persuaded that it would be right to change the policy of not including condoms among the items which prisoners may have in their possession.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the extent to which the current police initial recruitment test is culturally biased to the detriment of applicants from an ethnic minority background.

There is no evidence that the police initial recruitment test works to the detriment of applicants from the ethnic minorities. But the test may not be directed sufficiently closely to the abilities which police officers need to do the job. The case for replacing it is under consideration by the Police Advisory Board.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has had discussions with the West Midlands police authority about the percentage of the costs of the inquiry being undertaken by its officers into the Hillsborough disaster to be borne by central funding.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Mr. Beaumont-Dark) on 28 April 1989, at column 702.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply of 24 April, Official Report, column 406, if any information about assaults on police officers on duty at Hillsborough has been collated.

Information about assaults on police officers at Hillsborough on 15 April is being collated for the South Yorkshire police as part of the inquiry being carried out by the chief constable of the West Midlands police.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pursuant to his reply of 21 April, Official Report, column 342, in which he stated 19 police officers had so far been recorded as having received medical treatment for physical injuries sustained on duty at Hillsborough, he will state in each case how the physical injury was caused.

It is not yet possible to state how these injuries were caused. The inquiry by the chief constable of West Midlands police may cast further light on these matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested and charged, during the last 12 months, under section 5 of the Public Order Act, for displaying a symbol representing a dove within the sight of person liable to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby; and what sentences were given in each case where a conviction was obtained.

If the hon. Member has any incident in mind, I should be happy to investigate. It is not possible to identify from the available criminal statistics relating to prosecutions under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 the circumstances in which arrests were made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the pay and conditions of service of the fire service.

The Government are fully committed to an effective fire service and to the nationally recommended standards of fire cover and in this context have been pursuing a policy of better value for money in the fire service for a number of years. The Audit Commission examined this in 1986 and made a number of suggestions for consideration. Some of these are being examined by a Home Office chaired working party under the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council machinery. Others relate to pay and conditions of service. On these, officials wrote on my behalf in May last year to the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades asking what steps it had taken with regard to the Audit Commission's findings and asking that the council should set up a working party with participation by officials from the Home Departments. This was not accepted. My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State then met each of the member bodies of the council individually and discussed with them how matters should be taken forward. When he had completed this round of consultation, my right hon. and noble Friend wrote to the various organisations summarising the Government's position and asking that the council as a body should reconsider its view on my proposal that a working party should be set up. We await a reply.Among the issues which I wish to see examined by the proposed working party are: the ban on whole-time firefighters serving in a retained capacity in their spare time; manning practices on public holidays; the Fire Brigades Union's ban on rostered overtime; and whether the present pay formula remains the best way of determining fire service pay for the future.The Government are resolved to have these issues properly considered and our hope is that we can carry out this important exercise with all the member bodies of the national joint council who I hope will participate fully with a positive attitude and an open mind. I would like the proposed working party to make recommendations for the national joint council to address. If such co-operation were not forthcoming, the Government would have to come to their own view on the merits of the issues and, whilst I cannot speculate on what steps we would feel compelled to take, I cannot exclude the possibility of legislation if this appears necessary and justified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what funds were allocated from his Department for directly commissioned research elevant to mental handicap for each of the past five years; and whether he intends those funds to be increased over the next five to 10 years.

The principal research element of the all-Wales mental handicap strategy is the work of the mental handicap applied research unit, based at the university of Wales college of medicine, Cardiff and of the centre for social policy research and developmemt, based at the university college of north Wales, Bangor. These bodies have been supported over the period in question from the funds available to Wales from the Department of Health and Social Security's research and development budget, which has provided approximately £1,008,900 for their work over the last five years. Additional funding provided for research work directly by the Welsh Office over this period has been as follows: 1986–87—£10,600; 1987–88—£20,084; 1988–89—£1,815.It is intended that provision for the two mental handicap research teams should continue so as to enable them to continue to assist in the development of the strategy. Allocation of specific funding for individual projects would be considered if it could be shown that research proposals of sufficient quality and relevance to the development of the strategy were required outside the work of the research teams.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the budget of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales for each year from 1978–79 to 1987–88, expressed as actual expenditures and as a percentage of National Health Service expenditure in Wales.

The Health Promotion Authority for Wales was not established until 1 April 1987. Its expenditure in 1987–88 was £1,295,000, which represents just over 0·1 per cent. of net National Health Service expenditure in Wales for that year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the definition of a small school for the purposes of Welsh Office circular 36/88.

As explained in paragraphs 109 and 110 of circular 36/88, there are two factors which may affect formula funding of small primary schools.First, authorities' schemes of local management may allow, through the formula, for any additional costs of supporting the curriculum in small schools compared with larger schools. Schemes will need to be considered individually to ensure that a case for additional support exists. Accordingly, no advice has been given on size of school.Second, LEAs' formulae may take account of the extent of variations between the actual teaching costs of some small schools and the LEA's average cost of employing teachers. In some small schools, it may be necessary to charge average rather than actual salaries, at least in the initial years of formula funding. Circular 36/88 does not set a precise limit on the size of school. Because the great majority of primary schools in Wales are relatively small, LEAs have been advised that actual teaching costs could be used for all primary schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the current percentage of children of pre-school age currently enrolled in state-run pre-school education in Wales.

The information in respect of pre-school age children (excludes the rising fives) as at January 1988 is as follows:

Nursery or primary schools—68·8 per cent. of which: In nursery schools or nursery classes in primary schools—36·7 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report the estimated cost for each of (a) Southendown, (b) Sandy Bay Porthcawl and (c) Swansea bay of (i) a long sea outfall, (ii) full sewage treatment works with a short sea outfall, (iii) full sewage treatment works with a long sea outfall to enable them to comply with EEC bathing water directive 76/160/EEC; and when the appropriate solution will be put in place, giving the estimated date of commencement and completion.

The authority is currently reviewing its programme of remedial works which aims to achieve compliance of all listed water. The full cost of the programme has yet to be evaluated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has concerning the extent of die-back or other forms of ill-health in Welsh forests.

Wales is included in the annual forest health surveys carried out by the Forestry Commission. The results of the 1987 survey were published in Forestry Commission bulletins Nos. 74 and 79, and the preliminary results of the 1988 survey were published in the Forestry Commission's research information note 139. Copies of these publications are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has concerning the extent of pollution damage to trees adjacent to the Welsh water authority's Beacons reservoirs; and if he will make a statement.

I am not aware of any pollution damage to trees adjacent to the Welsh water authority's Beacons

Local authority capital expenditure on acquisition of land, existing buildings and works in respect of nursery, primary, secondary and special schools
£000
	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88
Clwyd	3,118	3,231	3,833	4,507	5,200
Dyfed	3,898	2,957	2,432	3,382	5,281
Gwent	4,617	4,521	4,648	4,528	5,590
Gwynedd	1,132	1,210	1,704	1,576	2,083
Mid Glamorgan	5,521	5,183	2,871	4,251	5,939
Powys	1,555	1,067	475	1,961	1,739
South Glamorgan	1,334	1,945	1,384	2,138	1,893
West Glamorgan	2,840	2,206	3,191	3,677	4,738

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will reply to the hon. Member for Newport, East concerning his letter dated 14 March, regarding rail matters affecting Gwent referred to in the Official Report on 1 March, column 304.

My right hon. Friend wrote to the hon. Gentleman on 17 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will be replying to the hon. Member for Newport, East concerning his letter dated 2 March, regarding the partnership arrangement between the Welsh Office, the county councils and the EEC referred to in the Official Report, 1 March, column 345.

I hope, as was indicated in the interim reply to the hon. Gentleman on 20 March, to reply shortly. In the interim, all local authorities involved in EC programmes have now been consulted on the EC plans relating to their areas, and the plans have now been formally submitted to the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much from each local education authority's capital allocation has been spent on the improvement or replacement of existing school buildings in each of the last five years.

[holding answer 27 April 1989]: Local education authority capital expenditure on acquisition of land, existing buildings, new construction and works for the periods requested is given in the following table. Figures on improvement or replacement of existing school buildings are not collected separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish such information as may be in his possession about the proportion of buses in London which have video cameras installed in order to deter assaults on staff.

I do not believe that it would be in the interest of crime prevention to publish this information.

Prosecution in respect of	Defendant	Date of first criminal proceedings	Court	Outcome
Craigentinny, Edinburgh	(1) BRB	25 July 1982	Sheriff's Court, Edinburgh	(1) Guilty, fined £250
	(2) George Walls			(2) Guilty, fined £50
Denham Station	BRB employee	25 April 1983	Aylesbury Crown Court	Not guilty
West Cliff Lift	Bournemouth BC	24 November 1983	Bournemouth Magistrates Court	Guilty, fined £750 plus £500 costs
Crofton	BRB	23 July 1984	Wakefield Magistrates Court	Guilty, fined £300 plus £400 costs
Barking Station	(1) BRB	3 December 1984	Barking Magistrates Court	(1) Guilty, fined £1,000 plus £500 costs (BRB appealed successfully and costs awarded against HSE)
	(2) Fairbrother (employee)			(2) Case against Fairbrother withdrawn
Birmingham International	BRB employee	10 September 1984	Solihull Magistrates Court	Absolute discharge
Swann Carr Farm, Bradbury, Stockton on Tees	(1) Wm. R. Selwood Ltd.	25 July 1985	Darlington Magistrates Court	(1) Guilty, fined £300 plus £50 costs
	(2) BRB	12 November 1985		(2) Not guilty
West Cliff Lift	Bournemouth BC	25 January 1985	Bournemouth Magistrates Court	Guilty, fined £2,000 plus £500 costs
Shields	(1) BRB	Not known	Glasgow Sheriff Court	(1) Not guilty
	(2) Two staff			(2) Guilty, fined £ 150 plus £ 125 respectively
Leicester North Station	BRB	25 June 1985	Leicester Magistrates Court	Guilty, fined £500 plus £250 costs
Coquet Viaduct	A. Monck & Co. Pic	23 September 1985	Alnwick Magistrates Court	Guilty, fined £1,250 plus £1,100 costs
Bridgnorth Loco Workshops	Severn Valley Railway	8 July 1985	Bridgnorth Magistrates Court	Guilty, fined £2,000 plus £150 costs
Glasgow Central Station	Camrex Corrosion Engineers	2 July 1985	Glasgow Sheriff Court	Company, which was in liquidation, received an admonition
Sunderland Station	BRB	8 August 1985	Sunderland Magistrates Court	Guilty, fined £1,500 plus £300 costs
Liverpool Street Station	London & Midland Scaffolding Ltd. Scaffolding Ltd. (Monks)	13 January 1987	Central Criminal Court	Guilty, fined £5,000 plus £900 costs
Etches Park, Derby	BRB employee	24 February 1987	Derby and South Derbyshire	Guilty, fined £500 plus £50 costs

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) each occasion on which there was a prosecution by the railway inspectorate in each of the years 1980 to 1988 inclusive, (b) the defendant in each case, (c) the date of the first criminal proceedings in each case, (d) the court in which criminal proceedings commenced and (e) the outcome of the proceedings in each case.

This information is given in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will investigate urgently the circumstances under which baggage belonging to passengers from Stoke North on Britannia flight BY5784 15.00 to Pisa on 26 March did not travel on the same aircraft as the passengers concerned; and if he will make a further statement about aircraft security.

This matter is being investigated. I shall write to the hon. Member when the conclusions are known.I refer the hon. Member to the replies on 24 April by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friends the Members for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Evans) and for Wealden (Sir G. Johnson Smith).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received the report of Mr. J. B. Fitzpatrick, CBE, LLB, following the inquiry in Bristol into the proposal to double toll charges on the Severn bridge; and how long he will be considering its findings.

This report has not been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, South, 13 January, Official Report, column 800, he will give the latest available figure of the estimated proportion of private motor cars using roads in the Greater London area whose costs are not met by the taxable income of their owners; and if he will state when the results of studies in hand on this and related topics will be published.

The information is not available. Results of the studies are expected early next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has set a new financial target for the Civil Aviation Authority.

With the agreement of the Civil Aviation Authority, a new financial target of an average annual rate of return (current cost operating profit) before taking account of interest, of 8 per cent. on net assets revalued at current cost, has been set for the three-year period 1989–90 to 1991–92. The target applies only to one third of the authority's assets since en-route navigation service charges have, by international agreement, to break even and its subsidiary Highlands and Islands Airports Limited is subsidised by the Scottish Development Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what terms he has agreed to capital reconstruction of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company; and if he will make a statement.

As part of the company's capital reorganisation proposals, I have agreed to waive the repayment of Government grants totalling £110 million and to cancel £1·5 million of Government loans. In exchange, the company accepts that it will no longer be eligible for support under the Ports (Financial Assistance) Act 1981 and that the Department's guarantee of its overdraft will cease. The Government's shares in the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company will be voted in support of the board's proposal to capitalise the company's loan stock at the extraordinary general meeting on 30 May.If the shareholders approve the capital reorganisation, I intend to sell the whole of the Government's current holding of company shares at the earliest appropriate opportunity. Following that, I shall relinquish the special share which empowers me to appoint up to three directors to the company's board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's response to the proposal made by the Czechoslovak Foreign Minister, Jaremir Johanes, inviting Her Majesty's Government to enjoin in a British-Czechoslovak initiative in the United Nations on the conclusion of a convention on the control of plastic explosives.

We have kept in touch with the Czechoslovak Government since I first discussed this proposal at my meeting with Mr. Johanes on 10 January. A team of British officials visited Czechoslovakia on 26–27 April and held most useful discussions. I am arranging for a copy of a joint press statement following the talks to be deposited in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to request the Japanese Government to ratify the 1929 Geneva convention on the treatment of prisoners of war; and if he will make a statement.

No. Japan signed but did not ratify the international convention relative to the treatment of prisoners of war (Geneva, 27 July 1929), to which the hon. Gentleman refers. However, on 21 April 1953, she acceded to the Geneva convention relative to the treatment of prisoners of war (Geneva, 12 August 1949), which replaced the 1929 convention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met the Secretary General of the Brazilian Ministry of the Interior; and what was discussed.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs did not meet the Secretary General during his visit in April, but my hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development had very useful discussions with Dr. Mello, covering a wide range of environmental issues, including urban pollution and the future of the Amazon rain forests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next proposes to have discussions with his European Community partners concerning the development of common European foreign policies.

My right hon. and learned Friend expects to meet colleagues from the Twelve to discuss political co-operation matters on 12–13 June in Luxembourg.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response has been offered by Her Majesty's Government to the proposals by Mr. Rocard in regard to the establishment of a European institute of advanced security studies within the framework of the Western European Union.

This question is being considered by the WEU Permanent Council, which will then report to Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to institute an examination of effectiveness of the ballistic missile control regime.

As a founder member of the missile technology control regime, it is our policy to ensure, in conjunction with our MTCR partners, that the regime operates effectively. To this end we keep the effectiveness of the regime under constant review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the preparations for the election in Panama on 7 May; and if he will make a statement.

We have noted recent reports quoting Opposition concerns at the use of fraud by the Government to manipulate the election results in favour of the Government coalition candidate. We would deplore any such tactics, and call upon the authorities in Panama to ensure that free and fair elections are held in accordance with established democratic principles; and to allow individuals from abroad to travel to Panama to observe the elections.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mr. Arshad Iqbal is to be issued with a visa by the post in Islamabad to join his wife in the United Kingdom; when Mr. Iqbal's appeal, No. TH/36030/87/6216, was upheld by the immigration appeal tribunal; and when the post was instructed to issue a visa to Mr. Iqbal.

[pursuant to the reply 25 April 1989, c. 463]: I am now replying in full rather than referring the case to the FCO correspondence unit, in the light of the circumstances of this case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to extend the 56-day deadline on the backdating of rebates.

No. The Scottish community charge rebate scheme provides for claims made within 56 days of 1 April 1989, or of the date of receipt of the first community charge demand notice where this is later, to be treated as having been made on 1 April 1989, subject to certain prescribed conditions. The purpose of this provision is to help people at the outset of the scheme who may not realise that rebate cannot normally be awarded until it is claimed. The 56-day period allows sufficient time for the making of a claim, and we see no need for it to be extended. The scheme also provides for a claim to be backdated where the claimant can show good cause for not having claimed earlier.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to review his Department's payments used to cover hostel charges.

Details of changes in benefit payments for hostel dwellers were announced to the House by my right hon. Friend on 16 March 1989 at columns 546–48.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the present number of staff at his Department's offices in Doncaster and Mexborough; what was the number of vacancies at each of these offices on 31 March; what percentage this is of the formal complement; and what were the comparable figures five and 10 years ago.

The information is as follows:

	Doncaster East	Doncaster West	Mexborough NIO
31 March 1989
Staff in post	155	188	19
Complement	14	183	20
Vacancies	0	0	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, further to his reply to the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham, Official Report, 8 February, column 713, if he will estimate the number of low-income families with children who are ineligible for either family credit or income support.

I regret that this information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will indicate when he expects to publish a response to the Occupational Pensions Board report on protecting pensions; and if he will make a statement.

When my right hon. Friend published the Occupational Pensions Board report, "Protecting Pensions", he launched a consultation exercise and asked for comments to be received by 30 April. We are now considering the responses to the consultation exercise and will announce decisions in the light of the comments received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether independent research has been commissioned into the extent to which the social fund is meeting its objectives.

Yes. We have commissioned the social policy research unit at the university of York to carry out this research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the total numbers and amounts of applications for the period 5 April 1988 to 31 March 1989, inclusive, in respect of (a) social fund community care grants, (b) social fund crisis loans and (c) social fund budgeting loans.

[holding answer 17 April 1989]: The information requested is set out as follows and is provisional:

	Community care grants	Budgeting loans	Crisis loans
Applications processed	296,149	867,571	468,232
Financial value (£ million)	79·029	267·437	26·899

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how the abolition of the pensioner earnings rule will affect pensioners receiving income support.

[holding answer 24 April 1989]: Abolition of the pensioners earnings rule will affect pensioners currently having their basic pension reduced on account of earnings over £75 a week, those individuals currently deferring receipt of basic pension because of earnings over £75 a week and who may now choose to draw their pension, and those with earnings of under £75 a week who may now choose to earn more. Pensioners with earnings over £75 a week are unlikely to be entitled to income support.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department is taking to investigate the effects of the apple crop spray known as Alar; and if he will make a statement.

The independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides has advised Ministers responsible for the control of pesticides that there should be no changes to the approval of the pesticide, Daminozide. At its meeting on 20 April the advisory committee considered the information which had been submitted to the American authorities, and concluded that the use of Daminozide did not pose a health risk to consumers.Ministers are grateful for the committee's willingness to consider the available data on a basis of such urgency, and have accepted the advice.Monitoring will be continued to assess the occurrence of residues in apples and apple products sold in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to take steps to introduce a low-input low-output system of farming, on the lines of that introduced in other European Economic Community countries.

The Community extensification scheme envisaged incentives to farmers for less-intensive production of a range of supported agricultural products. Now that the Council has adopted the relevant legislation—which, in particular, allows extensification to be applied on a pilot basis initially—I will be considering in consultation with the interests concerned what pilot schemes might be appropriate.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give for each year from 1979 to 1989 (a) the price of bread to the consumer and (b) the price of wheat to the producer, in actual and at 1979 prices, showing the percentage increase or decrease in each year.

The price information requested for bread and wheat is set out in the table. Final figures for 1988 and forecast figures for 1989 for wheat will not be available until published in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1989".

	Average price of standard white wrapped and sliced loaf (800g)				1Weighted average price of United Kingdom wheat at point of sale
	Actual price		21979 price		Actual price		1979 price
	Pence per loaf	Percentage change	Pence per loaf	Percentage change	£ per tonne	Percentage change	£ per tonne	Percentage change
1979	29·3		29·3		95·92		95·92
1980	33·7	15·0	28·2	-3·8	99·30	+3·5	82·96	+13·5
1981	36·3	7·7	27·2	-3·5	108·92	+9·7	81·65	-1·6
1982	37·1	2·2	25·8	-5·1	113·74	+4·4	79·21	-3·0
1983	37·6	1·3	24·9	-3·5	124·80	+9·7	82·70	+4·4
1984	38·5	2·4	24·4	-2·0	114·59	-8·2	72·57	-12·2
1985	40·2	4·4	24·1	-1·2	112·25	-2·0	67·26	-7·3
1986	43·0	7·0	24·9	3·3	111·18	-1·0	64·34	-4·3
1987	43·7	1·6	24·1	-3·2	111·00	-0·2	61·33	-4·7
1988	46·3	5·9	24·0	-0·4	3104·83	-5·6	54·32	-11·4
1989	448·7	7·5
Source: Bread prices: Employment Gazette.
Wheat prices: Annual Review of Agriculture, Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1988.
1 The wheat prices quoted are net of co·responsibility levies.
2 Using the gross domestic product deflator (at market prices).
3 Forecast.
4 January to March inclusive

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice his Department issues on the preparation of game for human consumption.

The production of game meat in common with all other food sold for human consumption is subject to the provisions of Food Act 1984 and the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970. Enforcement is the responsibility of local authorities.We were considering meat inspection provisions for deer when the EC Commission issued a consultation document on health rules for game meat. In advance of decisions in Brussels we have encouraged local authorities to introduce inspection procedures for farmed deer slaughtered in abattoirs. Officers of the state veterinary service are available to provide advice to producers and local authorities and they frequently do so.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quantities of meat and bone meal were exported by the British rendering industry for each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Exports of the British rendering industry are not separately identified within the statistics on the total exports of meat meal and bone meal. The figures on these for the last three years are as follows:

	Tonnes
	1986	1987	1988
Flours, meals and pellets of meat or offal (including tankage), unfit for human consumption; greaves	10,001	12,299	13,228
Bone meal	3,902	5,061	15,174
1 From 1988, bone meal is combined in the statistics with other bones and their derivatives apart from "ossein and bones treated with acid". The tonnage of bone meal exported in 1988 could be around 2,000 tonnes lower than that shown.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now take steps to monitor and record the incidences of suspected bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases as between non-EEC export-approved slaughterhouses and EEC export-approved slaughterhouses.

The numbers of suspect cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy which are identified at slaughterhouses, as part of the monitoring exercise to stop animals slipping through the net, are being recorded, but I have no plans to distinguish between EC export-approved abattoirs and others.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the Official Report those radioactive substances for which his Department carries out routine exploratory tests in coastline areas; where those sites are; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is published regularly by my Ministry in reports entitled "Radioactivity in surface and coastal waters of the British Isles", copies of which are placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who will be the shareholders and in what percentage under the proposed management buy-out of Messrs Harland and Wolff in co-operation with Mr. Olsen; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 2 May 1989]: The shareholders in the proposed management buy-out of Harland and Wolff plc will consist of present management and employees and Mr. Olsen through two of his companies. The issue of shares in the new company is a matter for those parties, but I understand that the precise allocation of shares in the new company has not yet been finally agreed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to update the Mexe raft equipment.

There are no plans to modify the design of the Mexeflote equipment currently in service, which adequately meets Army requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what aircraft have been ordered by his Department for the RAF since 1979.

I refer my hon. Friend to table 5 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates for 1989" (Cm 675-I), published yesterday, which lists all major equipment ordered by my Department since 1979, including aircraft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the limits placed on the alcohol consumption by ratings on board Royal Navy vessels.

The limits are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has available as to the annual recruitment rate from Coventry into each of the armed services from 1970 to the latest date; and if he will break the figures down by service and by the age and gender of recruits.

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the Defence Representations Group of the Western European Union has met; and if he will list those who have represented the United Kingdom at those meetings.

The Defence Representations Group of the Western European Union has met on 11 occasions since its formation in 1987. The United Kingdom has been led by a senior official from the Ministry of Defence (the level has varied from meeting to meeting) supported by other officials from the Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the crash of a United States Air Force A10 aircraft at Bank farm, Benwick, on 17 April; and whether the aircraft was carrying weapons, including bombs.

As I told the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 24 April at column 365 an A-10 aircraft crashed on 17 April 1989 during a routine training flight on open farmland one mile south of Benwick, Cambridgeshire. The pilot was killed. The aircraft was equipped with a GAU-7 anti-tank gun and practice ammunition.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will instruct Her Majesty's chief inspector of pollution to conduct an immediate evaluation of sites at Moss valley, Wrexham; Lodmoor country park, Weymouth and Comeston country park, Barry, to ascertain if hazardous toxic industrial wastes have been disposed of safely.

No. The sites in Wales were covered in a study recently carried out by the Welsh Office. This study looked at some 94 sites in Wales which had been reclaimed from old industrial sites. The study, and copies, are available from the Welsh Office.The Lodmoor site is adjacent to an active landfill site operated by Dorset county council. As both the operator of the site and as the waste disposal authority for the area it is its responsibility to ensure that the site is operated properly. According to the information held by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution the Lodmoor landfill does not accept toxic industrial wastes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much toxic waste was imported into the United Kingdom in 1988.

Information on imports of toxic waste is currently held by the waste disposal authorities. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is in the process of collecting this information centrally. Figures will be available later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in how many of the 56 toxic waste disposal sites in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, a potential danger from methane gas has been identified; if he will list them; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has been carrying out a postal survey of landfill sites which may need gas control measures to be installed or improved. Initially the survey set out to identify sites which may have the potential to give rise to landfill gas. The second phase was to identify sites which are giving off gas and what controls are either in place or are needed. This second phase is still under way and information is still being collected. It is not possible yet to say which particular sites in South Yorkshire are likely to require further action to be taken.Doncaster district council is the responsible waste disposal authority which, together with South Yorkshire hazardous waste unit, should ensure that adequate control measures have been installed in accordance with waste management paper No. 27—guidance recently issued by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether individuals holding identity cards will be able to check the information stored on the soccer identity card computer system;(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that information fed into the national computer system on soccer identity cards will not be released to mail order and similar companies;(3) what steps he is taking to safeguard information fed into the national computer system on soccer identity cards from being misused.

The Government intend that members of the scheme and applicants to it should have the full protection of the Data Protection Act 1984. This will be in relation to the collection of information to be held, access to it and the use to which such information is put. Discussions with the data protection registrar on these matters have taken place and will continue as the scheme is drawn up by the football membership authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, 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 support grades in my Department mainly comprise staff from the messenger, reprographics and paperkeeping groups, cleaners and office keepers. For my Department, including the Property Services Agency, the information as at 1 April 1989 is:

(a) there were 856 staff in these grades;

(b) there were 38 vacancies. Nineteen had been vacant for over one month, 13 of them for over three months;

(c) vacancies were covered by casual staff when they arose. Casual staff are recruited locally and no central record is kept.

My Department and the Department of Transport shared common citizenship until 31 March 1989. Average overtime worked by the two Departments was 6·4 hours in London headquarters and 1¼ hours in regional offices. In PSA the average was 3·1 hours in London and 3·6 hours elsewhere.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in which month he expects his consideration of collective local community charge registration and payment statistics to be completed and to be publicly announced.

I shall announce my conclusions as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what indicative figures for the likely level of community charge in the city of Nottingham have been given by his Department over the last two years giving the date and criteria used in each case.

The Department has not published any forecasts of the likely level of community charge in Nottingham. We have published illustrative figures based on reported expenditure levels for 1987–88 and 1988–89 and on local authority responsibilities in those years.These were placed in the Library on 29 June 1987 and 24 June 1988, respectively. Both were accompanied by a full explanation of the assumptions used to produce the figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the orders and regulations concerning the implementation of the community charge (a) laid before and agreed to by the House. (b) laid before, but not yet agreed to by the House and (c) yet to be laid before the House giving in each case an outline of the area of implementation affected.

[holding answer 2 May 1989]: The following negative resolution instruments concerning the community charge were laid on 17 March 1989:

1989 No. 438—The Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989. These regulations (apart from regulations 4 and 5) came into force on 7 April 1989. Regulations 4 and 5 come into force on 22 May 1989.

1989 No. 439—The Valuation and Community Charge Tribunals Regulations 1989. These regulations (apart for the purposes of regulations 4 to 8 and 11) came into force on 7 April 1989. Regulations 4 to 8 came into force on 1 May 1989.

1989 No. 440—The Valuation and Community Charge Tribunals (Transfer of Jurisdiction) Regulations 1989. These regulations came into force on 1 May 1989. 1989 No. 442—The Personal Community Charge (Exemptions) Order 1989. This order came into force on 7 April 1989.

1989 No. 443—The Personal Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989. These regulations are coming into force on 1 October 1989.

A debate on these regulations is being arranged through the usual channels.We intend to lay further regulations on the community charge covering cross border information, the form of the community charge demand note, and the information to accompany it, discounts, co-owners and other miscellaneous provisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek a meeting with the organisers of the new environmentalist group, Ark to discuss environmental matters.

We have no present plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Ealing, North of 4 April, Official Report, columns 151–2, when he expects the Housing Corporation to supply the information referred to in that answer; and if he will make a statement.

The Housing Corporation is currently assembling the information needed to answer my hon. Friend's question and expects to respond by Friday 5 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations have been received about the future of the Caravan Sites Act.

I receive various letters, from hon. Members and the public, about the Act. The Government announced their conclusions on a review of its operation on 6 February 1987.

Housebuilding starts in thousands
	December 1987 to February 1988	December 1988 to February 1989	Percentage change
North	1·6	2·6	+68
Yorkshire and Humberside	3·6	4·2	+18
East Midlands	4·5	4·3	-5
East Anglia	3·5	3·1	-10
South East:
Greater London	4·2	4·0	-5
Rest of south east	12·5	12·2	-3
South West	6·8	5·8	-15
West Midlands	4·3	3·9	-9
North West	3·9	4·9	+24
ENGLAND	44·9	45·0	—

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites of special scientific interest in Norfolk have been damaged in the last five years.

I am advised by the Nature Conservancy Council that over the past five years, out of a total of 129 sites of special scientific interest in Norfolk, 23 have sustained some damage to relatively small areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make available his Department's publications, "Grant-Related Expenditure 1989–90" and the "Technical Handbook of Grant-Related Expenditure, 1989–90".

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will place copies of these documents in

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the size of signs erected on inner-city developments promoting the Government's involvement; how many such signs have been erected; how much has been spent on erecting the signs; and for what purpose the signs have been erected.

The Department provides two sizes of signs, 8 ft by 2 ft and 4 ft by 1 ft. Since November 1987, 4,452 signs have been produced at a cost of £15,204 of which 2,864 have been issued to local authorities and other recipients of the Department's financial assistance through the urban programme, derelict land grant, estate action and urban development grant/city grant. Records are not kept of the number and cost of signs erected.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the number of new housing starts in each region in February 1989, and February 1988, together with the percentage change in starts.

Since monthly housebuilding figures are very variable it is advisable to consider data over three-month periods. Housebuilding starts for the regions in England in the three months to February 1989 and the corresponding period a year earlier are given in the table.the Library of the House. Copies have also been sent to every local authority in England, and to the local authority associations.