To ask the Minister for the Arts if there have been any items accepted in lieu of tax or allocated since he last made an announcement on the subject to the House.

Since my announcement on 3 May at column 105 I am pleased to announce that a painting by Rubens has been accepted in lieu of tax. In accordance with the condition on which it was offered, the painting will be allocated to the Ashmolean museum, Oxford. It satisfied £169,852·48 tax and followed the precedent set by the acceptance of Picasso's "Weeping Woman", in that the Ashmolean agreed to pay the owner the difference (£180,147·52) between the tax liability to be satisfied and the "special price" of £350,000.

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will arrange with the Property Services Agency that before the freehold of the Tate gallery is handed over to the trustees the fabric of the gallery is brought up to acceptable standards; and how much he estimates it will cost.

[holding answer 8 May 1989]: Untying of the national museums and galleries from the Property Services Agency took effect from 1 April 1988. The progressive transfer of ownership of the buildings to the relevant trustee bodies is part of this process. The Government share the view of the institutions concerned that this allows the trustees to make more flexible and effective use of the resources available for the upkeep and improvement of the buildings.I have also provided the national museums and galleries with substantial increases in their building and maintenance grant-in-aid over this period. The Tate gallery's provision of £2·4 million in 1988–89 was enhanced by a supplementary estimate of £0·8 million in that year; a further increase of 17 per cent. brings the figure for the current year to £3·8 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have purchased 21/2 per cent. Treasury stock in each year since the stock was first issued; and how many holders of the stock sold their holdings in each year.

I regret that the information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has as to the levels of overseas investment of each of the Group of Seven countries in the latest year for which figures are available.

[holding answer 28 April 1989]: Figures for the flow of net overseas investment in 1987 of all the countries in question, can be found in the February 1989 edition of the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the anticipated costs of administering value added tax on liquefied petroleum gas in accordance with clause 20 of the Finance Bill.

[holding answer 5 May 1989]: I regret that no estimate is available. However, the arrangements proposed in clause 20 of the Finance Bill were formulated after extensive consultations with representatives of fuel and power suppliers, and go as far as the Government are able within the terms of the judgment of the European Court of Justice to ease the administrative burden of operating the revised relief.

To ask the Prime Minister whether, in view of the change in the director generalship of UNESCO, Her Majesty's Government will now re-apply for membership of UNESCO.

We are following developments at UNESCO closely and hope that the director general can bring about the changes that are needed. Before we can consider reviewing our position on membership we will need to be convinced that fundamental reforms are being implemented both in UNESCO's administration and in its programmes. This will certainly not be possible until after UNESCO's general conference in November this year, which will adopt the organisation's new medium-term plan (1990–95) as well as its programme and budget (1990–91).

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list the dates on which she has made official visits to Wales since 1979, indicating the location of each visit.

The information is as follows:

• 17 to 18 July 1980—Anglesey
• 11 December 1980—Cardiff
• 2 July 1982—Mid Wales
• 21 September 1984—North East Wales
• 26 April 1985—North Wales
• 21 June 1986—Porthcawl
• 13 March 1987—Bangor and Penmaenbach tunnel

I have omitted from the above any dates on which I was solely engaged on party business.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 May.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. I was also present at Victoria station to mark the arrival of President Babangida. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I will attend a state banquet in honour of President Babangida.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his reply to the hon. member for Nottingham, South (Mr. Brandon-Bravo), 2 February 1989, Official Report, column 402, how the clerical error to which he refers came about; whether the error has been notified to the safe works authorities; whether any other unreported errors have been made in plutonium accountancy; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to my reply of 2 Gebruary 1989 to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, South (Mr. Brandon-Bravo). I re-emphasise that the underlying data were not affected in any way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, Official Report, 17 January 1989, column 157, in what form the unseparated plutonium was exported and to which country; from which reactors the 2,865 kg originated, and in what quantities from each reactor; and if he will update the table to March 1989.

The unseparated plutonium was exported in the form of irradiated fuel. The precise quantities of separated plutonium exports linked to individual reactors cannot be disclosed on the grounds of commercial confidentiality. Figures of exports and imports of plutonium for the financial year 1988–89 will be included in the published data on plutonium production later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a comparative table showing the volumes and radioactive content of radioactive waste arisings per unit of energy output expected from (a) thermal nuclear reactors, (b) fast breeder nuclear reactors and (c) fusion nuclear reactors; and if he will ask United Kingdom Nirex Ltd. to prepare management and storage plans for radioactive waste from fusion power.

These are matters for the operators of the reactor types in question. I have asked the chairmen of the Central Electricity Generating Board and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority to write to the hon. Member about thermal nuclear reactors and fast breeder nuclear reactors respectively. The prospects for power from fusion reactors are so far distant that it is not practicable to make any such estimate.UK Nirex Ltd. will provide facilities for the disposal of intermediate and low-level wastes arising from all sources, including any which may eventually arise from fusion power.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what responsibilities his Department has for the provision of a rescue service for licensed coal mines.

This Department has no direct responsibilities for the provision of rescue services at licensed mines. The Coal and Other Mines (Fire and Rescue) Regulations 1956 require that the owner of a mine is responsible for ensuring provision for rescue is available. The Health and Safety Executive's mines and quarries inspectorate is responsible for ensuring the provisions of the 1956 regulations are complied with.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much public money has been committed to Cyprus by the British Government in the last 12 months for the benefit of (a) Turkish Cypriots and (b) Greek Cypriots; and for what purposes.

The following commitments have been made to Cyprus in the last 12 months.I

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much public money has been committed to Cyprus by the European Community in the last 12 months for the benefit of (a) Turkish Cypriots and (b) Greek Cypriots; and for what purposes.

The European Community allocated £29 million under the second five year financial protocol for Cyprus which expired last December. A further five-year financial protocol under which £41 million will be provided was agreed at the beginning of this year. The Community seeks to support projects of benefit to the whole population of the island; in particular, it has met the cost of water, electricity and sewerage works. No division of the sums committed for the benefit of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much public money has been committed to Cyprus by the United Nations and its specialised agencies in the last 12 months for the benefit of (a) Turkish Cypriots and (b) Greek Cypriots; and for what purposes.

In 1987, the latest year for which figures are available, total net official development assistance to Cyprus from the United Nations and its agencies was $7·62 million, or some £4·65 million. Detailed information on the precise destination and purpose of this assistance is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government intend to continue the paying of public funds to the Greek Cypriots as aid, in view of the finding of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs that by most criteria the southern sector of Cyprus is no longer eligible for economic aid.

We regard it as important to make technical co-operation and other public funds available to both communities in Cyprus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) when Mr. Sodigar Hussain applied to the post in Islamabad to join his wife, Mrs. Zaidah Begum, whose date of birth is 27 January 1967; and when a decision on his application will be taken;(2) when Shamim Akhter, who was born on 12 November 1964, applied to the post in Islamabad to enter the United Kingdom; when her application was refused; when the post dispatched an explanatory statement setting out the reasons her application was refused; and if he will make a statement;(3) when Mr. Mchd Arif, who was born on 1 September 1963, will be issued with a visa by the post in Islamabad following his successful appeal against refusal to grant him permission to enter the United Kingdom;(4) when Mrs. Musrat Begum, whose date of birth is 1 January 1958, applied to the post in Islamabad, to join her husband in the United Kingdom; and when a decision will be taken on her application.

The information requested is not readily available. A further reply will be sent to the hon. Member in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence is now available of the use against the security forces in Northern Ireland of weapons obtained through the agency of South African intelligence personnel; and whether that evidence will affect in any way the policies of the Government towards South Africa.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers that my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State gave to questions on this matter in the House on 24 April at columns 660–65.It remains our policy towards South Africa to work for the abolition of apartheid arid the peaceful transition to a non-racial representative system of government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in the light of recent statements from Spanish police sources that the Provisional IRA active service unit was under surveillance until crossing into Gibraltar and that it was known that the unit was not armed or in possession of a bomb, what steps he is proposing to take to determine what information British or Gibraltarian security forces had in their possession when these members of the unit were shot.

We received full and invaluable co-operation from the Spanish authorities throughout this affair for which we remain very grateful. The nature of that co-operation is covered in the statement made to the Gibraltar coroner's officer by the responsible Spanish police officer, a copy of which, together with its translation by the coroner's officer, I have placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to request United Kingdom posts in Peru and Brazil to undertake inquiries about the whereabouts of Neil Sanderson; and what contact officials at United Kingdom posts have had with the Governments or other agencies in Peru and Brazil to obtain information about Neil Sanderson.

Her Majesty's embassies at Lima and Brasilia, Her Majesty's consulates-general at Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and the honorary consulates in Manaus, Belem and Recife were also alerted by consular department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in January this year, when Mr. Sanderson's father reported that his son was missing after setting off alone from Peru to canoe down the Amazon. None of the posts has had contact with Mr. Sanderson.Our posts have informed the Brazilian federal and the Peruvian police of the situation but our posts do not have the staff resources to make searches for missing persons themselves. We have advised Mr. Sanserson's family to contact their local police in Yorkshire in order to request a formal police investigation in South America, via Interpol.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards an agreement on banning chemical weapons.

Following the Paris conference on chemical weapons in January this year the chemical weapons negotiations in Geneva have had an active spring session which has just ended. Progress has been made on a number of issues, but much work remains to be done, especially on verification, before a comprehensive effectively verifiable and global convention on chemical weapons can be achieved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals London Underground has made for the modernisation of the Northern line; and if he will make a statement.

London Underground Ltd. is currently studying the options for modernising the Northern line but no proposals have yet been put to the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals for the modernisation of the Central line of London Underground he has received; at what cost; and if he will make a statement.

Last October my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State approved proposals to modernise and re-equip the Central line at a cost of over £700 million. New, faster trains will be introduced; the signalling will be replaced; and other improvements will be made. These changes will increase the line's capacity and reliability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action his Department has taken to respond to the proposals made in the 1983 Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the Civil Aviation Authority and national air traffic service; and if he will make a statement.

The Department of Transport monitored the actions taken by the Civil Aviation Authority in response to the 1983 report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, and discussed the follow-up action at a number of meetings with the CAA on 29 March 1984 and 23 January 1985. Statements were made to the House of Commons in answers to written questions at columns 274 and 415 on the progress being made by the CAA. My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Transport wrote to the incoming chairman of the CAA on 24 July 1986 setting out his objectives. These included action on several of the recommendations of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on the action the Civil Aviation Authority has taken to fulfil the recommendations made in the 1983 Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the Civil Aviation Authority and national air traffic service showing the dates on which specific actions were taken.

The information given to the Secretary of State for Transport on the action taken by the Civil Aviation Authority to fulfil the recommendations made in the 1983 Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the CAA and the national air traffic services is set out in the published CAA reports CAP 548 (February 1984) and CAP 499 (January 1985).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the policy of his Department in seeking to ensure safety on British Rail.

Responsibility for safety of operation lies with the British Railways board. The Department's railway inspectorate has certain statutory functions, principally the inspection and approval of new works on behalf of my right hon. Friend, and the monitoring of standards required by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Both contribute to the overall maintenance of high safety standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (i) his Department's prediction at planning stage of the average daily traffic flow in the opening year for trunk road bypass schemes completed in 1986–87 and 1987–88 and (ii) the observed average daily traffic flow in the opening for those schemes in 1986–87 and 1987–88.

Traffic is counted on all new trunk road schemes approximately one year after opening, to allow traffic patterns to settle down before the flow is measured. For bypass schemes opened in 1986–87, predicted and actual traffic in 1987–88 are given in the table.

Annual average daily traffic flow
	Forecast
Scheme	Low growth	High growth	count Traffic
A52 Bingham bypass	9,400	10,000	10,500
A43 Bulwick bypass	5,000	5,300	5,700
A11 Barton Mills bypass	16,600	17,800	19,250
A12 Chelmsford bypass	—	139,000	45,400
A31 Ferndown bypass	14,700	16,400	18,000
A54 Kelsall bypass	8,400	9,100	10,600
A57 Worksop bypass	10,300	12,800	9,800
A428 Bromham bypass	15,100	16,550	13,350
Al0 Ely/Littleport bypass	5,000	5,400	6,800
A49 Tarporley bypass	6,700	7,300	9,800
A47 Billesdon bypass	5,850	6,300	9,200
A56 Accrington bypass	21,300	25,900	13,100
1 Central forecast.

Those bypass schemes opened in 1987–88 for which data are available are listed below:

	Forecast
Scheme	Low growth	High growth	count Traffic
A43 Towcester bypass	12,650	14,250	14,150
A10 Buntingford bypass	8,900	10,050	10,150
A43 Brackley bypass	8,450	9,500	11,400

The forecasts for the schemes listed above were done several years ago, mostly between 1980 and 1984. The forecast range reflects uncertainty about future income and fuel prices, which are the main factors influencing the national traffic growth forecasts. Other uncertainties arise from traffic modelling and other developments which occur between the time of the forecast and the traffic count. Traffic counts are also subject to a degree of uncertainty.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will put in the Library copies of any environmental impact, engineering, costing and any other reports on the proposed route for the Channel tunnel rail link.

I have already arranged for copies of British Rail's published report and information pack on the rail link to be placed in the Library. BR will be carrying out an environmental assessment of the proposed route, in accordance with the requirements of the EC directive, and has undertaken to present an environmental statement to Parliament at the same time as it deposits a Private Bill. We will consider whether there are any further reports which it would be helpful to deposit in the Library in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list by standard region the research institutes operated for or on behalf of his Department and the total employment thereat; if he will give for each region the total number of such institutes and the employment therein; and if he will express the regional totals as a percentage of the national totals.

The details requested in respect of establishments of the research councils, as at 1 April 1989, are as follows:

	Numbers
North
MRC
Neurochemical Pathology Unit: Newcastle	29
External Scientific Staff	4
NERC
British Geological Survey: Newcastle	12
Institute of Freshwater Ecology: Windermere	65
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology: Merlewood	48
Terrestrial and Freshwater Sciences: Merlewood, Newcastle	2
Total 6 Establishments (1£3 per cent.)	160
North West
MRC
External Scientific Staff	16

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the distribution across the EEC countries of the expressions of interest in the proposed EEC marine science and technology programme; whether Her Majesty's Government have approved this programme; and how the distribution of expressions of interest varies amongst EEC countries as between higher education institutes, research centres and industry.

The Government agreed to a common position in March, as my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster reported to the House on 7 April, at columns 314–15. The Government expect to agree to the final adoption of this programme at the Community's Council of Ministers (Research) on 6 June. The approximate percentage distribution of expressions of interest among the member states was estimated by the Commission for internal purposes in June 1988, when just over 1,000 had been received, as follows:

	per cent.
Belgium	4
Federal Republic of Germany	11
Denmark	3
Spain	6
France	22
Greece	5
Italy	9
Ireland	5
Netherlands	4
Portugal	3
United Kingdom	27
EFTA countries	1

The distribution between higher education institutes, research centres and industry for the whole European Community was estimated at 41, 37 and 22 per cent. respectively. The United Kingdom distribution has been estimated at 59, 21 and 20 per cent. respectively. The distribution for other individual states is not readily available and cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost. However, I have arranged for a copy of the full list to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to make any special provision to assist departments of general practice in universities.

It is for each university to determine how the substantial public funds it receives, together with its other income, should be distributed between its faculties and departments. In the case of medical education, this normally follows discussion with the relevant health authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what courses are planned to be available in technical colleges or colleges of advanced education to train general practice managers; and how many places are envisaged for these courses.

This information is not available centrally. It is for the institutions themselves to plan such courses taking into account demand for places.I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health gave on 8 May at column

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what figures are available to indicate the percentage of the intake to universities since 1959 who came from working-class homes.

The percentage of home university students accepted through the Universities Central Council on Admissions, and who were from social groups IIIM, IV and V since 1977 are shown in the table. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has given further consideration to the proposals for a grant scheme put forward by the Council of British Independent Schools in the European Communities; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend met representatives of COBISEC on 6 December. At the meeting he undertook to consider the proposals further on the basis of certain additional evidence which COBISEC was to provide. I understand that some of this additional evidence is still in preparation and we must await this before any decision can be taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library details of each major publicity campaign mounted by his Department in 1985–86 and each successive year, including in each case the objectives of the campaign, the intended audience and the outcome of the monitoring of the achievement of the intended objectives, and national research conducted for him by the Central Office of Information together with a note of the intended objectives in the campaigns for 1989–90.

[pursuant to her reply, 2 May 1989, c. 79–80]: The requested information about publicity campaigns has today been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the latest figure for expenditure per pupil on (a) books and (b) equipment and comparable figures for each year since 1978–79 in (i) primary schools, (ii) seconday schools and (iii) special schools in cash and real terms using an index of 100 for 1978–79.

I shall reply to the hon. Lady as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many projects have been identified in Wales as suitable for European Community financing under the provisions of article 6 of the European Tourism Year 1990 decision document, adopted by the European Community Council on 21 December 1988.

None so far. A project submitted by the Wales tourist board was considered by the national examining committee on 4 May. I understand that the committee sought further information on the project and that it is intended that an expanded submission will be considered at the committee's June meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department is making available specific grants for tourism operators in Wales to achieve the objectives of the European Tourism Year 1990 in line with the European Community Council decision of 21 December 1988.

No. However, the European Commission has decided to allocate approximately £3·3 million to the year. From this source, funds will be available for co-financing of projects by public and private bodies, for prizes and competitions and for information and publicity campaigns. Bids should be submitted to the United Kingdom's national examining committee via the British tourism authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions since he became Secretary of State for Wales he has made official visits to Wales.

Since becoming Secretary of State for Wales I have fulfilled 301 official engagements in the Principality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many consultant dermatologists are attached to hospitals within the East Dyfed health authority and the West Glamorgan health authority.

As at 30 September 1988 it is provisionally estimated that there were 0·9 whole-time equivalent consultant dermatologists employed by the East Dyfed health authority and 1·8 by the West Glamorgan health authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average length of waiting time before a patient can see a consultant dermatologist after referral by a general practitioner at (a) Llanelli general hospital, (b) West Wales hospital, Carmarthen, (c) Morriston hospital and (d) Singleton hospital.

Information is not available centrally in the form requested. The number of people waiting, as at 31 March 1988, for a first consultation with a dermatologist is shown in the table:—

Number who have been waiting for more than three months
	Total number	Number waiting
Llanelli General Hospital	154	74
West Wales Hospital	637	480
Morriston Hospital	73	60
Singleton Hospital	1,060	583

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to review the new town responsibilities of the Development Board for Rural Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The Mid Wales Development Council and its successor body, the Development Board for Rural Wales, were charged with developing Newtown in Powys using new town powers. Population has risen consistently and is now close to the target level of 11,000. With the task of developing Newtown almost complete, I am reviewing the appropriate timetable for winding up the board's new town responsibilities consulting with the board and with the relevant local authorities as necessary. I expect to make a further announcement later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Agriculture Development and Advisory Service in Wales has succeeded during the past two years in achieving its revenue target; and whether the Transgoed laboratories reached their target contribution towards this revenue in the same period.

I have been asked to reply.The Agriculture Development and Advisory Service has achieved the overall revenue target set in appropriations in aid for its advisory services in 1987–88 and, on the basis of provisional results, in 1988–89. All constituent units of the Agriculture Development and Advisory Service have contributed to this performance. It is not our policy to disclose details of individual Agriculture Development and Advisory Service units targets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many women over the age of 59 years and how many men over the age of 64 years are registered as resident within Wales, by county.

[holding answer 8 May 1989]: The latest estimates of population in the age groups requested are given in the table:

Population mid-1987
County	Women aged 60 and over (thousands)	Men aged 65 and over (thousands)
Clwyd	53·6	27·0
Dyfed	47·4	24·3
Gwent	53·3	27·4
Gwynedd	34·7	16·9
Mid Glamorgan	63·9	31·6
Powys	15·2	8·7
South Glamorgan	484	23·7
West Glamorgan	48·7	24·2
TOTAL FOR WALES	365·2	183·8

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many research institutes are supported by his Department; how many people they employ; how many of these are located in Wales; and how many are employed in those institutes.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) on 4 May, at columns 193–95.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tons of rabbit meat were imported in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other members of the European Community from the People's Republic of China in 1988, 1987 and 1986.

Imports in 1988 of meat and edible meat offal of rabbits and hares from the People's Republic of China are shown in the table. Corresponding data are not available for 1986 and 1987, when a different trade classification system applied.

	Tonnes
United Kingdom	2,125
France	6,595
Belgium and Luxembourg	657
Germany	724
Italy	640
Portugal	207
Spain	760
Greece	n/a

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many employees in his Department are engaged in testing vegetables for pesticide residue.

At any one time, some 60 to 100 analysts in MAFF and other Government Departments are involved in analysing pesticide residues in the whole range of foods monitored by the working party on pesticide residues. The number engaged on testing vegetables within these figures will vary according to the nature of samples being analysed at any one time.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many pesticide ingredients are licensed to be used on food.

I regret that the information requested is not readily available. Approvals issued under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 relate to individual pesticide products, rather than active ingredients. These are listed in "Pesticides 1989" a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Government will respond to the first report of the Agriculture Committee, "Salmonella in Eggs"; and if he will make a statement.

The Government welcome the Committee's lucid analysis of the extent and implications of the problem of salmonella in eggs. In particular the Government consider that the Committee's very thorough report has put the problem into the correct perspective by refuting the more extreme and alarmist impressions.The Government also welcome the Committee's endorsement of our comprehensive campaign to control the disease and achieve the best possible standards in our egg industry. The response gives further details of measures, which we are taking to ensure the maximum possible degree of safety at every point in the chain from the poultry breeder to the kitchen table. Salmonella is a worldwide problem and no other country, to the best of our knowledge, has pursued such a vigorous campaign to combat it.The Government are grateful to the Agriculture Committee for the valuable contribution its report has made towards this campaign.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will pay the maximum rate of suckler cow premium following European Community decisions to increase the contribution from Community funds.

The beef reform package agreed by the Council of Agriculture Ministers in January included both an increase in the Community-funded element of the suckler cow premium from 25 ecus to 40 ecus and the continued option of paying a top-up of 25 ecus from national funds. In Northern Ireland the first 20 ecus of this top-up are also met from Community funds. More recently, as part of last month's price fixing, I negotiated a substantial devaluation of the green pound for beef which eliminated the monetary gap.I am pleased to announce that the Government have decided to pay the maximum rate of national supplement to the suckler cow subsidy, taking full account of the recent devaluation and the scope provided by the scheme rules. As a result the rate of the suckler cow premium for the 1989–90 scheme year will be increased from £33–40 per cow to £47·43.More beef producers than ever will benefit from the increased rate of premium because of a further change in the rules which in future will allow premium to be paid to farmers earning less than half their income from their holdings, provided they meet the other scheme rules. In particular, I would expect some crofters, farmers seeking to diversify, and those on low incomes to be able to benefit.These changes to the suckler cow premium, which means a 42 per cent. increase in the rate, demonstrate the Government's commitment to the beef sector, especially the more extensive production of quality beef from specialist suckler herds. For several years now the specialist beef sector has shown good signs of recovery. Producers now have an added incentive to build on this recovery and take advantage of the more open competitive climate which results from the reformed beef regime.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all the European Community meetings on matters concerning his Department held in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.

[holding answer 8 May 1989]: The Agriculture Council met on 14 occasions in 1985, 11 in 1986, 13 in 1987 (including one held jointly with Economic and Finance Ministers) and 13 in 1988.There were also occasional informal meetings of Agriculture Ministers. The Fisheries Council met on four occasions in 1985, five in 1986, two in 1987 and five in 1988. Also, at certain meetings of the Internal Market Council in 1988, a number of food items relevant to the single market were discussed. In addition there were numerous meetings of officials. Information on the number of such meetings could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress he has made on the preparation of proposals for the designation of areas sensitive to nitrate leaching.

The Government yesterday tabled amendments to the Water Bill to provide for the designation of nitrate-sensitive areas. Following my written reply to the House on 22 March I am pleased to announce that my Department and the Welsh Office Agricultural Department have today issued a joint consultation document entitled "Nitrate-Sensitive Areas Scheme". This has been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and is available in the Vote Office. It is also being circulated widely to some 170 farming, water, environmental and other interested parties. The document takes account of Government statements on the principles underlying a scheme and sets out the detailed ideas as a basis for discussion. We look forward to receiving comments on the issues covered in the document from a wide range of organisations.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the dangers posed to undersea rescue services in attempts to recover the container of Lindane chemicals lost off the sunken Perintis freighter in March by the surplus conventional explosives and radioactive waste packages disposed of in the third deep trench at 49 degrees 50 minutes north, two degrees 18 minutes west in the 1950's.

I have been asked to reply.

		Attendance of trade union representatives		Attendance of private sector representatives
Area Manpower Board	Number of meetings	Possible	Actual	Possible	Actual
1. Berkshire and Oxfordshire	6	25	15	32	16
2. Hampshire and Isle of Wight	9	33	23	42	25
3. Kent	12	60	31	60	26
4. Surrey	11	55	44	55	34
5. East And West Sussex	13	65	54	52	37
6. Buckinghamshire	8	24	19	32	13
7. Essex	7	33	16	42	31
8. Hertfordshire	6	18	16	30	12
9. London North	12	48	42	60	35
10. London South East	13	39	22	78	45
11. London South and West	11	55	37	55	32
12. London North East	11	56	24	48	27
13. Dorset and Somerset	12	60	36	60	32
14. Avon	12	60	28	60	24
15. Devon and Cornwall	11	44	26	44	25

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, further to his answer of Friday 21 April, Official Report, column 347, if he will consider extending the 1985 regulations to workers at the House of Commons.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 were made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. As I explained to the hon. Member on Monday 17 April at column 44, the Act does not apply to the House of Commons and I do not intend to seek its extension to the House.Under the arrangements for inspection of the Palace of Westminster and the parliamentary estate, the palace authorities would inform the Health and Safety Executive of major accidents, dangerous occurrences or diseases that occur at the palace. No such reports have been received by HSE since the arrangements were formalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the possible and actual attendance, separately, for both private sector and trade union representatives on area manpower boards, for each area manpower board in Great Britain for the last full year that these boards were in operation.

The information requested is set out in the table.