To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was collected in value added tax on "spot the ball" competitions in each of the last three years.

I regret that information is not available at a sufficient level of detail for estimates to be made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish an estimate in current prices of his support for research in higher education through (a) the Universities Funding Council, (b) the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council and (c) the research councils.

Estimated expenditure on research in higher education in 1989–90 is as follows:

	£ million
UFC	780·0
PCFC	10·3
Research councils	345·1
Total	1,135·4

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the contribution made by the Open university in assisting Commonwealth countries in establishing universities and other teaching-at-a-distance educational establishments.

Staff from the Open university have undertaken numerous short-term specialist consultancies and have organised workshops throughout the Commonwealth, in Africa, Asia, and Australasia. They have also arranged familiarisation and specialist programmes for visitors from Commonwealth countries. In addition the Open university has played a major part in planning and developing Open universities in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong.

To ask the Attorney-General if, pursuant to his answer of 5 April, Official Report, column 185, he will list the total number of immigration appeals (a) lodged and (b) lodged and ready to proceed.

On 29 March, the most recent date for which figures are available, 14,186 appeals had been lodged with the immigration adjudicators and 465 applications for leave to appeal had been lodged with the immigration appeal tribunal. On that date, the total number of cases lodged and ready to proceed to a hearing (a) before the adjudicators was 2,627; and (b) before the tribunal was 262.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the Official Report the precise amounts paid to each of the following contractors by his Department in respect of headquarters contracts in the year ended 31 March 1988 (a) Wimet Wear Parts Ltd., (b) J. S. Chinn Holdings Ltd., (c) Abbey Panels Investments plc., (d) Coventry Climax Engines Ltd., (e) Cornercroft Engineering Ltd., (f) Rotherham and Sons Ltd., (g) Commercial Shearing Inc., (h) Dunlop Ltd., (i) Alvis Ltd., (j) Lucas Aerospace Ltd., and (k) GEC Telecommunications Ltd.

The payment made to each of the following companies in the year ended 31 March in respect of headquarters contracts were as follows:

	£ million
Coventry Climax Engines Ltd.	1·75
Dunlop Ltd.	13·00
Alvis Ltd.	21·00
Lucas Aerospace Ltd.	35·00

Payments made to GEC Telecommunications Ltd. are included within the total payments made to the General Electric Company and cannot be separately identified.We have no record of any headquarters contracts having been placed with any of the other companies listed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will outline the general differences which occur between individual memoranda of understanding governing the international collaborative production of military equipment in the United Kingdom.

Within the general framework used for memoranda of understanding governing collaborative projects, issues which arise for consideration on a case-by-case basis include arrangements for management, contracting, cost and work-sharing, intellectual property rights and exports to third parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is possible to identify, from the records used to compile the regional disaggregation of expenditure published on page 62 of "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1988", volume 2, the proportion of expenditure made to Rolls-Royce plc. which was allocated to the west midlands standard region in that analysis.

It is not possible to identify payouts to individual companies from the information used to compile the regional disaggregation of expenditure published in the "Statement on the Defence Estimates". Furthermore, it would be a breach of commercial confidence to give the degree of detail requested for an individual company.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the Official Report the precise amounts paid to each of the following contractors in respect of headquarters contracts by his Department in the year ended 31 March (a) National Plastics Ltd., (b) Commercial Hydraulics Keelavite Ltd., (c) Kalmar Climax Ltd., and (d) Jaguar Cars Ltd.

The payments made to each of these companies in the year 31 March 1989 in respect of headquarters contracts were as follows:

	£ million
National Plastics Ltd.	4·7
Commercial Hydraulics Keelavite Ltd.	2·3
Kalmar Climax Ltd.	2·1
Jaguar Cars Ltd.	1·4

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the Official Report the value of headquarter contracts awarded by his Department on behalf of foreign Governments in each of the five years up to 31 March 1988.

[holding reply 4 April 1989]: The information in the format requested is subject to commercial confidentiality. However, defence export sales by British industry are expected to be worth some £3,500 million in 1988. In earlier years, the figures were:

	£ million
1984	2,250
1985	2,900
1986	5,900
1987	3,500

Further information concerning deliveries of defence equipment is given in table 2.7 of volume 2 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989" (Cm. 675 II).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there was any reference to United Kingdom overseas aid to Malaysia in any of the correspondence in 1988 concerning arms sales to Malaysia, a memorandum of understanding on which was signed in September 1988.

All dealings between the two Governments on the proposed sale of arms were formalised in the memorandum of understanding signed in September 1988. No mention is made in that document of overseas aid to Malaysia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has received any representations from the chairmen designate of Power Generator and National Power seeking the creation of a separate national nuclear generation corporation as part of the privatisation of the electricity supply industry.

I have discussions from time to time with both chairmen-designate of the successor companies to the CEGB about a wide range of issues relating to the reorganisation and subsequent privatisation of the electricity industry. These discussions are necessarily confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many dwelling houses, including any used as holiday accommodation, will be transferred from the ownership of the Central Electricity Generating Board to National Power in connection with the transfer under the provisions of the Electricity Bill of the area proposed for a nuclear power station at Druridge bay, Northumberland.

Under clause 63 of the Electricity Bill, the CEGB would be required to prepare a transfer scheme for the allocation of all its assets to the successor companies. The proposed transfer of assets would be subject to my approval but is, initially, a matter for the CEGB. I am therefore asking the CEGB to reply to the hon. Member direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what information he has as to whether the process pipework and vessels on the Piper Alpha platform were originally designed to comply with requirements of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers MR 01 75 standard for handling sour oil and gas;(2) if he is aware of any occasions in the United Kingdom continental shelf of premature failure of platform piping or vessels due to cracking induced by sour oil or gas;(3) what information he has as to whether during production from the Piper Alpha platform any sections of piping or vessels handled oil or gas which would be designated as sour by the NACE standard;(4) whether the operator of the Piper Alpha platform at any time informed the certifying authority of the handling of sour oil and gas and agreed a suitable programme of non-destructive testing to determine the suitability of the piping and vessels to handle sour oil and gas.

My Department has not received any reports of premature failure of offshore installation piping or vessels in the UKCS due to cracking induced by sour oil or gas. The bulk of the Piper Alpha installation was designed before the NACE MR 0175 standard was published. However, all installations are required to have a certificate of fitness issued by a certifying authority. The CA must ascertain, inter alia, that the materials employed are suitable for handling the products involved.I am advised that, from 1986, the levels of hydrogen sulphide produced from some of the Piper Alpha wells was increasing, and that the NACE standard would now designate some of the oil and gas on the platform as "sour". The owner is required to provide sufficient information to the CA for an independent assessment of the design to be carried out and for a periodic survey of the equipment to be undertaken.My Department understands from the CA that Occidental discussed with it a corrosion monitoring system, including non-destructive testing, which was designed to assess the suitability of the piping and vessels to handle the oil and gas involved, including the expected levels of hydrogen sulphide. Only when the CA is satisfied that it is proper to do so will it issue or renew a certificate of fitness.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has received a report on the causes of the recent explosion on the Cormorant Alpha platform; if he will make it his policy to publish any such report; and if he will make a statement.

The investigation into the cause of this incident is still in progress. As the hon. Member knows, and for reasons I have already explained, it would not be in accordance with our normal practice to publish the report on the findings of the investigation. I shall ensure that any lessons to be learned will be passed on to the industry at the earliest opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has concerning the recommencement of production on (a) the Cormorant Alpha platform and (b) the Brent pipeline system.

The latest information that my Department has from Shell indicates that the company believes there is a reasonable probability that start up of the Brent pipeline system will be achieved by 26 May 1989. Shell does not expect that the Cormorant Alpha platform will resume production before July 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will obtain and place copies of the daily transcript of the inquiry into the Piper Alpha tragedy in the Library.

The transcript is already accessible to the hon. Member at a number of locations, including my offices at Millbank, but I am happy to assist him further by placing a copy in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of members of each quango and non-departmental public body.

A table giving this information has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many parades were notified to the police under the terms of the Public Order (N.I.) Order 1986 in each of the years 1986, 1987 and 1988; what information organisers of parades are expected to give in the notice to police; and what form this information has to take.

[holding answer 5 May 1989]: In respect of parades notified to the police in the years 1986, 1987 and 1988, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his question on 10 May 1989 at column 444. Those figures relate to parades under the Public Order (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 and the Public Order (Northern Ireland) Order 1987. No similar order was made in 1986.The information required from parade organisers is a matter for the Chief Constable. However, I understand that the organisers are expected to give sufficient information to enable him to make adequate policing arrangements for the particular occasion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will now reconsider his decision not to hold a full public judicial inquiry into the shootings in Gibraltar of Mairead Farrell, Daniel McCann and Sean Savage;(2) if he has received a copy of the independent report, commissioned by Amnesty International, on the Gibraltar shootings of Sunday 6 March 1988; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he has received a copy of the independent report, commissioned by the National Council for Civil Liberties, on the Gibraltar shootings of Sunday 6 March 1988; and if he will make a statement.

We have received copies of the reports by Amnesty International and the National Council for Civil Liberties. We remain of the view that there are no grounds for holding a further inquiry into the deaths of Mairead Farrell, Daniel McCann and Sean Savage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the role of his Department's AIDS unit; how many staff and at what grades are employed in it; what is its budget for the current financial year; and if he will make a statement.

In the diplomatic wing, AIDS is the responsibility of the narcotics control and AIDS department. Its role is to consider the foreign policy implications of our AIDS-related policies. Staff dealing with AIDS are 15 per cent. × one DS4, 30 per cent. × one DS5, 100 per cent. × one DS9, 50 per cent. × one DS10 and 30 per cent. × one S2A. NCAD has no dedicated budget but AIDS-related assistance may be funded from assistant under-secretaries' general purpose budgets.AIDS-related assistance under the overseas aid programme is coordinated by the Overseas Development Administration health and population division. HPD staff dealing with AIDS are 10 per cent. × grade 5, 90 per cent. × SEO, 55 per cent. × HEO, 95 per cent. × EO, 70 per cent. × AO, 5 per cent. × personal secretary, 40 per cent. × typist. The ODA has committed £7·2 million so far for expenditure this financial year on AIDS prevention and control. Of this, £5·4 million will be administered by HPD.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Guyanese authorities to ensure that procedures operate for free and fair elections; and if he will make a statement.

We have no plans to make such representations to the Guyanese authorities. National elections are not due to be held in Guyana until 1990 and the great importance which we attach to the principle of free and fair elections is already widely known.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources are specifically allocated to the British Council to subsidise the travel costs of scientists engaged in the British-German academic research collaboration programme; what is the maximum grant available to individuals; and what are the criteria by which this sum is determined.

The British Council is contributing £175,000 towards the cost of the joint British-German academic research collaboration programme in this its first year. A part of this money is for organisational visits but the major part is intended to contribute to both the travel and the living costs of British scholars supported under the programme. A standard contribution of £150 is offered towards the cost of travel, together with a standard contribution towards living expenses while the British scientist is in Germany at the rate of £200 per week. The contribution towards travel, which is not intended to cover all travel costs, is based on the cheapest return air fare between most airports in Britain and Germany.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines he has given to health authorities in Wales on ensuring wherever possible that patients whose first language is Welsh, have access to Welsh-speaking nurses in hospitals in Wales.

Welsh Office Health Circular WHSC(IS)117 "The Health Service and The Welsh Language", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, recognises the importance of individuals being able to converse in their mother tongue during contact with the Health Service, and asks authorities to offer appropriate services wherever this would be reasonable and practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning his case for safeguarding the future of the museum of Welsh antiquities, and the associated art gallery, at Bangor; whether the Welsh Office are making any direct financial contribution towards the upkeep of these facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Six representations about the future of the museum of Welsh antiquities and the art gallery at Bangor have been received. The Welsh Office does not provide direct financial support for local museums and galleries. But local sources of funding for such facilities may be supplemented by the Council of Museums in Wales and the Welsh Arts Council which are centrally funded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what additional monies are to be made available other than the higher education quantum to promote the development of access throughout Wales.

£50,000 is being made available from the higher education quantum in 1989–90 to establish a Wales access unit that will encourage the development of access courses giving entry to higher education. The university of Wales has been invited to join and contribute to the initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish an analysis of expenditure shown in table 17.1 of "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1989–90 to 1991–92" Cm. 617 on a similar basis to his reply of 25 January 1988, to the right hon. Member for Swansea, West (Mr. Williams), Official Report column 108.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones) on 31 January 1989 at columns 97–110.

To aks the Secretary of State for Wales on what date the Welsh water authority commenced its current review into the costs of alternative schemes to deal with the 11 Welsh bathing beaches that do not conform with European Community bathing water directive 76/160/EEC; on what date the current review is expected to be completed; and if he will arrange for the review to be published.

Conclusions from the review of the bathing water compliance programme will be included in information made available prior to the flotation of Welsh Water.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library details of each 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 campaign in 1989–90.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 10 May 1989, at columns 437–8.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report a list of his initial housing investment allocated to local authorities in Wales for (i) 1989–90, (ii) 1987–88, (iii) 1985–86, (iv) 1983–84, (v) 1981–82 and (vi) 1979–80, at constant 1989–90 prices, separately distinguishing each authority.

Initial housing allocations at constant 1989–90 prices, by local authority, for the years 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88 and 1989–90 are shown in the following table. Initial housing allocations are not available for 1979–80.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library, for each local authority in Wales, its capital allocation, in total for 1989–90, showing the percentage change from (a) 1988–89 and (b) 1981–82.

The information requested is shown in the following table. The total amount to be allocated for 1989–90 is £336·9 million of which £307·3 million has been allocated to date. A copy of this answer will be placed in the Library of the House.

Local authority	1989–90 allocations to date £000	Per cent. change from 1981–82 to 1989–90	Per cent. change from 1988–89 to 1989–90
Alyn and Deeside	2,774	-21·37	2·36
Colwyn	2,365	-8·69	23·82
Delyn	2,823	24·58	12·38
Glyndwr	1,616	16·01	29·49
Rhuddlan	2,995	60·93	-27·69
Wrexham Maelor	7,080	22·77	19·57
Carmarthen	3,319	12·89	16·17
Ceredigion	2,868	5·13	0·35
Dinefwr	2,131	111·20	-4·18
Llanelli	4,187	7·50	24·72
Preseli Pembs	3,358	67·31	2·79
South Pembs	2,196	53·78	-33·19
Blaenau Gwent	11,553	119·43	33·89
Islwyn	4,439	27·78	-42·21
Monmouth	2,779	31·71	2·81

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Gower on 2 May, Official Report, column 59, if he will place in the Library details of the time limits on the derogations and delays relating to the non-compliance of potable waters in Wales with the European directive relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption 80/77/EC.

I shall arrange to place the relevant information in the Library of the House as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a list of the outfalls around the Welsh coast where consents have been given by his Department to the Welsh water authority for the disposal of sewage sludge.

Yes.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to her reply to the hon. Member for Southend, East of 8 May, if she has provided advice to Ministers about the procedures which are available to them in cases where the Commission submit proposals for legislation which do not fall within agreed Community competence; and if she will make a statement.

As I have told the House, we will continue to examine carefully whether proposals for EC legislation fall within agreed Community competence and we shall continue to deal with such proposals in the Council of Ministers in whatever way best protects and promotes British interests.

To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions she has attended the Chamber on official duties in the past 12 months, apart from when dealing with oral questions.

I frequently attend the Chamber on official duties.

To ask the Prime Minister whether she will agree to meet, either in Manchester or London, a group of constituents of the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton who are living in poverty.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has received from Scottish industry and commerce concerning Scottish lowland airports policy; and what reply she has given.

I have received representations from a Scottish bank, the chairman of a major Scottish firm and two Scottish chambers of commerce. In reply I have said that it was clear from the financial information on Prestwick airport submitted by BAA plc, along with its request for a review of the Scottish lowland airports policy, that there had in fact been a steady improvement in Prestwick's financial position. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, having consulted my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, concluded that a review of current policy would not be appropriate. I also pointed out in my reply that my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland considers that access to Prestwick could be improved and that steps are in hand to improve both rail and road access to the airport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what forecast studies of increased rail freight tonnage, following the opening of the Channel tunnel, his Department has made; whether the proposed rail routes for this traffic will be able to cope with any substantial increase; and to what extent the exporting base of the country in the north will be efficiently served by these routes and thus able to fully compete in the European market.

In compliance with section 40 of the Channel Tunnel Act, British Rail have to publish before the end of this year their plans for Channel tunnel freight and passenger services. The plans will take into account BR's widespread consultations with national and regional interests and customers. BR is satisfied that the rail network itself is capable of handling the substantial increase in freight traffic that is envisaged, but this report will look at the adequacy of road/rail interchange facilities and the need for improvements in local rail access.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has available on the average speed of traffic in (a) central London, (b) Paris, (c) Rome and (d) Madrid.

I have been asserting for a year that traffic moves faster in London than in comparable cities. I do not know whether this is true. So far no one has contradicted the claim.Comparisons of average traffic speeds between cities are difficult. The figures we have show speeds of 20 kilometres per hour or less for most major cities. Differences in survey method and coverage do not permit any firm conclusions to be drawn about differences.Speeds in central London are regularly surveyed at three or four-year intervals using timed runs over a network of 160 km of road, including all A roads. In 1986, the average speed between 7 am and 7 pm was found to be 18 kph. Full details are published in statistics bulletin (87)41. A copy is in the library.The available information for other cities is more limited. For Rome, the Rome municipal administration has provided figures for 1986 relating to the 13 km bypass route around the historic centre. The centre itself, covering roughly 14 square kilometres, is subject to traffic control measures which permit only residents, public transport and vehicles with special tickets to enter in the periods 7 am to 11 am and 3 pm to 7 pm. A series of timed runs commencing at 7.30 am, 10.00 am, 12.30 pm and 5.30 pm produced an average speed of 20 kph.According to the office of the mayor, the average traffic speed in Paris in 1987 was estimated at between 14 and 15 kph. Details of the survey method used and the area covered are not available.Our searches have failed to locate any statistics on the average traffic speed in Madrid.I believe traffic does move faster in Berlin, where few drive in from the suburbs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with whom he is consulting over his Department's consideration of the future of British Rail; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend expects to consult widely in due course if a decision is made to privatise British Rail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the most recently recorded traffic flows in each direction on the A1 Belford bypass.

The Department has no data on the A1 Belford bypass. The nearest point on the A1 for which a count has been made is at Ellingham south of Belford. The estimated 1987 annual average daily flow for combined directions at that point is 5,500. The AADF is not computed by direction. The count on which the AADF is based was carried out for 12 hours (7am to 7pm) on 5 October 1987 and recorded 2,569 vehicles northbound and 2,147 southbound. The records show that conditions were foggy on the day of the count, which may have affected traffic levels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration has been given to the safety implications of the dispute involving 200 maintenance workers on the Severn bridge and the recruitment of unskilled labour.

There have not been any safety implications for users of the bridge as a consequence of the dispute. Under the conditions of contract, the contractor is responsible for safety on site. Labour recruitment is also his concern.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the period of the following construction and maintenance works (a) Tees viaduct A19, (b) Darlington area A1 (M), (c) Dishforth interchange A1 and (d) Doncaster area A1(M ); what estimates he has of average delay times at peak periods for each set of works; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for undertaking all these works at the same time.

The information requested is:

	1months	2minutes
(a) Tees Viaduct A19	28	3
(b) Darlington area A1(M)	4	20 to 30
(c) Dishforth Interchange A1	17	0 to 30
(d) Doncaster area A1(M)	32 1/2	20 to 30
1 Period of works.
2Estimated average delay at peak times.
3 Now finished.

The delays vary greatly depending upon the stage of the works and traffic conditions.These road works are essential to maintain and improve these heavily trafficked routes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many public inquiries have been held, pursuant to section 19 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act; and if he will name and indicate the result of each such inquiry.

Central records are not kept of inquiries held in connection with traffic regulation orders made under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the level of factory building in 1988–89.

The value of construction orders for new factories for private sector clients in 1988 was £2·1 billion in current prices, an increase of 36 per cent. over the previous year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding the special situation of hon. Members regarding community charge payments and liability.

A few hon. Members have raised the position of those whose parliamentary duties require them to keep more than one home. Just as in any other case, it is for the relevant community charges registration officers to decide where an individual's main residence is for the purposes of the community charge. Like any other citizen, a Member of Parliament has the right to take such a decision to a valuation and community charge tribunal if he is dissatisfied.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his proposal to exclude from standard community charge unoccupied property which is held for the purpose of being available for occupation by a minister of religion as a residence from which to perform the duties of his or her office would also apply to unoccupied property owned by the Religious Society of Friends for the purposes of that society's ministry.

[holding answer 11 May 1989]: The Government are currently consulting on the draft of a regulation under section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The regulation—as drafted—sets a zero multiplier for the purposes of the standard charge for all unoccupied property which is held for the purpose of being available for occupation by a minister of religion as a residence from which to perform the duties of his office. The Government's proposal is to continue for the community charge the present position under the General Rate Act 1967. As is the case under the General Rate Act, the draft regulations do not give any definition of "minister of religion".

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the poll tax per head in Oxford city.

The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax. Illustrative 1989–90 community charges in England will be published once detailed budget returns from local authorities have been received and analysed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to implement section 450A of the Housing Act 1985.

My right hon. Friend proposes to make an order bringing into force section 5 of the Housing and Planning Act 1986, which inserted section 450A into the Housing Act 1985, as soon as the necessary regulations are ready to be made; they are in preparation and will be completed as soon as resources permit.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures have been introduced following the report of the National Audit Office to monitor payments of grants under the urban programme and to assess the effectiveness of the programme; and if he will make a statement.

Various measures were introduced under the urban programme management initiative in 1985 in anticipation of the NAO report that year. These included the preparation by each local authority of standardised inner area programmes, annual reports and regular financial forecasts. The Department annually examines selected projects and has a continuing programme of research to assess the programme's effectiveness.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what he estimates the cost to be of making every Football League ground all-seater.

The cost of making every Football League ground all-seater would depend on a variety of factors including the number and type of seats to be installed at each ground. I am not in a position to estimate these factors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will change responsibility for notification to adjoining owners of planning applications from the local authority to the applicant.

No. The present arrangements reflect the purpose of the planning system which is to regulate the development and use of land in the public interest. The extent of publicity for planning applications is best left to the discretion of the local planning authority, which can exercise their judgment in the light of local circumstances. A general requirement for applicants to notify owners of adjoining land would be an additional and unwarranted burden for applicants, and for local authorities in ensuring compliance.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will place in the Library, the information his Department holds concerning time-limited derogations and delays which have been granted on the non-compliance of potable waters in England with the European directive relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption 80/77/EC.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Gateshead, East (Ms. Quin) on 7 February 1989 at column 591–7 by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the leaflet "Tenants' Choice" was withdrawn by his Department; what were the reasons for withdrawing it; and what was the cost of producing and distributing the leaflet.

A tenants' choice leaflet was produced in June 1988 at a cost of £1,102 to explain the provisions of the then Housing Bill. About 5,000 copies were sent out in response to inquiries.A second leaflet was produced in March 1989 at a cost of £22,598 to explain the tenants' choice provisions of the Housing Act 1988. More than 11,000 have been sent out, also in response to inquiries. Neither booklet was withdrawn, although the first is now obsolete.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of water disconnections for each regional water authority for each of the last five years.

The information requested by the hon. Member is set out in the following table. Information on disconnections in 1988–89 is not yet available. Information on disconnections by the Welsh water authority is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Water authority disconnections
Authority	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88
North West	110	238	457	448
Northumbrian	70	59	300	480
Severn Trent	650	1,074	1,000	932

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures are being taken to reduce water pollution in and around the Humber estuary.

[holding answer 16 May 1989]: The Humber estuary from its confluence with the River Trent to the sea, is classified as good or fair quality (class A or B). Since the early 1960s there has been a progressive improvement in water quality. Measures being taken to reduce pollution include improvements to sewage treatment works, particularly at Leeds, Huddersfield, Sheffield and Chesterfield; a new long sewage outfall at Grimsby; and improvements by several factories to their effluents discharges to the Humber and the Ouse.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the pilot study for the testing of viruses in sea water will include the Solent and adjacent waters; if he will place in the Library the details and parameters of the study; and if he will extend the study to include the effect of disposal of sewage at sea on marine wildlife and the food chain.

I can today announce that my Department has let a contract to establish the risks of health of bathing in the seas off the United Kingdom. This is on the recommendation of a working group of experts which was set up last year to advise me on the best way to assess the risk of contracting illnesses from sea bathing. The working group has recommended that two types of study should be made at bathing waters that meet the standards set in the EEC bathing water directive.The first study involves bathers who are on the beach of their own volition. Information of any perceived symptoms will be obtained by means of a questionnaire at the time and subsequent telephone follow-ups.The second study will involve the use of healthy volunteers who will be asked to swim in waters meeting

Beaches	Scheme/type	Total capital expenditure £ million	Expected completion date
Minehead Terminus; Dunster North	Sea outfall with headworks	10·8	1989–90
Burnham Sea Jetty; Barrow	Diversion of Sewage to inland works	3·1	1990–91
Weston Super Mare; Uphill Slipway and Grand Jetty	New headworks for sea outfall	4·4	1990–91
Clevedon Swimming Pool	Diversion of sewage to inland works	1·2	1990–91

The comparative costs of alternative schemes is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by the Property Services Agency in installing water meters in residential buildings owned by Her Majesty's Government; and whether a water meter has been installed at No. 10 Downing street.

[holding answer 11 May 1989]: Departments are responsible for water comsumption in the buildings they occupy: the PSA gives professional advice and recommends the installation of meters where justified on economic grounds.Nos. 10, 11 and 12 Downing street are jointly served by one water meter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the estimated cost for each of (a) Minehead terminus, (b) Dunster North West, (c) Burnham jetty, (d) Barrow, (e) Weston Super Mare uphill slipway, (f) Weston Super Mare grand pier and (g) Clevedon swimming pool of (i) a long sea outfall, (ii) full sewage treatment works with a short sea outfall and (iii) full sewage treatment works with a long sea outfall to enable them to comply with European Economic Community bathing water directive 76/160/EEC; and when the appropriate solution will be put in place, giving estimated cost of commencement and completion.

I understand that Wessex water authority has schemes in progress which aim to bring these bathing beaches into compliance with the EC bathing water directive by mid-1991. The details are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how much public money has been allocated to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen during the past 12 months; for what purposes; and whether the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen has taken up all these allocations;(2) how much public money has been allocated to the Yemeni Arab Republic during the past 12 months; for what purposes and whether the Yemeni Arab Republic has taken up all these allocations.

For details of the level and nature of our aid to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and the Yemen Arab Republic in the financial year 1988–89, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch (Mr. Adley) on 10 April at column 572.Expenditure for the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen was somewhat lower than originally anticipated mainly because of problems arising from delay to the signature of a memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation. Expenditure for the Yemen Arab Republic was somewhat higher following approval of a project to be funded from the aid and trade provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how much public money has been allocated to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen by the European Community and the United Nations and its specialised agencies during the past 12 months; for what purposes; and whether the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen has taken up all these allocations;(2) how much public money has been allocated to the Yemeni Arab Republic by the European Community and the United Nations and its specialised agencies during the past 12 months; for what purposes; and whether the Yemeni Arab Republic has taken up all these allocations.

We are not aware of any pre-set annual allocations but in 1987, the latest year for which we have information, actual net flows of aid to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen from the European Community and from the United Nations system were US$0.06 million (£0·04 million) and US․18·49 million (£11·4 million) respectively. Comparable figures for the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) are US․2·45 million (£1·48 million) and US․16·75 million (£10·09 million) respectively.European Community aid to the PDRY was in the form of medical assistance; and to the YAR was in the form of food aid and assistance for rural development. The register of development activities of the United Nations system 1987, a copy of which is in the Library, provides a breakdown of United Nations aid to these countries by project.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the number of notices of intention to deport under the Immigration Act 1971 and (b) the number of persons subsequently removed for each week in 1989; if he will indicate the average length of time between issuing a notice of intention to deport and deportation in 1988 and 1989; and if he will make a statement.

The latest available information about the number of notices of intention to deport and the number of persons removed under the deportation powers is contained in table 14 of the Home Office statistical bulletin 10/89 "Control of Immigration: Statistics—Fourth Quarter and Year 1988", a copy of which is in the Library. Corresponding information for the first quarter of 1989 is due to be published next month. The average length of time beween the issue of a notice of intention to deport and removal under the deportation powers is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The period varies greatly from case to case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about the outcome of the meeting of EC Immigration Ministers and of Trevi Ministers in Madrid on 12 May.

The meeting of Ministers responsible for immigration, attended also by a vice-president of the Commission, was the sixth such meeting following an initiative taken during the United Kingdom presidency in 1986 to help prepare the EC's approach to the creation of the single market by end 1992 so far as the movement of persons is concerned.The meeting on 12 May took a significant step forward on asylum by instructing the official group to prepare a draft convention to deal with the so-called "refugee in orbit" problem. This would establish the criteria for determing which state should be responsible for examining an application for asylum. The meeting reviewed the other work done by officials, and in particular noted with satisfaction that the first regular bulletin on forged and false documents had been produced in April in accordance with the group's earlier recommendations. I welcome this example of solid, practical co-operation on shared operational problems.I took the opportunity of the meeting to re-state the Government's view of the interpretation of the relevant provision of the Single European Act and the frontier controls of persons, as endorsed by the House on 4 May at column 417.The later meeting of Trevi Ministers took further measures to enhance collaboration between European Community countries to combat terrorism and other crime. Agreement was reached on the study of forged documents, streamlined procedures for secure communications between Trevi countries, further exchanges on specialist matters, and the establishment in all member states of national drugs intelligence units similar to our own, as well as the later examination of the establishment of a European drugs intelligence unit. Ministers agreed to further work on closer co-operation between police forces.They also considered the preliminary work of the Group established within Trevi to study border checks and other security measures post 1992 in order that the changes to take place should not adversely affect the prevention of terrorism, drug trafficking and other serious crime in the Community.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) accommodation agencies and (b) directors of accommodation agencies have (i) had summons issued against them, (ii) been successfully prosecuted and (iii) continued to trade after successful prosecution under the Accommodation Agencies Act 1953 for each year since 1975.

Information available to me relates to the number of prosecutions and convictions under the Accommodation Agencies Act 1953 in England and Wales for 1986 and 1987.

	1986	1987
Prosecutions	21	3
Convictions	8	2

To produce further information for each year from 1975 would involve disproportionate cost. Information as to whether the prosecution was against the agency or a director and whether the agency continued to trade is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the projected size of each index and the projected number of accesses to each index, including those accesses that retrieve information from more than one index of the new police national computer for each year until 1993.

The projected size of each index on the new police national computer for the years 1991, 1992 and 1993 is as follows:

millions
	1991	1992	1993
Criminal Names	6·300	6·700	7·200
Wanted Missing	0·100	0·120	0·140
Disqualified Drivers	0·250	0·270	0·290
Impending Prosecution	0·500	0·540	0·570
Convictions	2·300	2·500	2·600
Fingerprints	4·000	4·300	4·600
Vehicles	42·800	45·800	49·000
Stolen Property	0·030	0·032	0·034

The estimated number of inquiries to each index on the new police national computer for the years 1991, 1992 and 1993 is as follows:

millions
	1991	1992	1993
All names indexes combined	15·700	16·700	17·700
Vehicles	19·100	20·300	21·500
Stolen Property	0·090	0·950	0·101

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will place the operational specification of the new police national computer and its accompanying management summary in the Library.

I have placed a copy of the functional specification for the new police national computer in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to review the enforcement of parking restrictions.

Parking enforcement has been under review by a working party under Home Office chairmanship on which the Department of Transport, the police service and the local authority associations have been represented. The working party has now completed its report, which identifies a number of areas of concern and possible proposals for change. I am placing a copy of the report in the Library. The Government will consider their conclusions carefully over the next few months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reply has been sent to the letter sent to his Department from Amnesty International dated 21 April about political refugees.

None, as yet. Amnesty International's letter raises a number of different points which we need to consider fully before replying.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce his decision on the possible prosecution of Nazi war crimes perpetrators now resident in the United Kingdom.

I shall consider what further action is required when I have had an opportunity to study the report of the war crimes inquiry, which I expect to receive in June.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to discuss all-seater football stadiums with the football authorities.

The Government will be consulting the football authorities about the introduction of all seated accommodation at major football clubs. I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is hoping to meet them for this purpose later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of cells in any privately managed remand centres will be for (a) single and (b) double occupation.

It is too early to take detailed decisions, but if the contracting out of the design, construction and operation of remand centres were to go ahead, I would expect inmates normally to he accommodated in individual cells, with some provision for circumstances where it is considered there are advantages for inmates to share with others.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 14 April, Official Report, column 748, what information his Department possesses concerning the incidence and location of confirmation of bovine spongiform encephalopathy infection in cattle at slaughterhouses of fatstock markets.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to him on Friday 12 May at column 571.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the duties of the National Office of Animal Health together with the sources of its income and any specific tasks that it has been set by Government.

The National Office of Animal Health Ltd. is a trade organisation representing manufacturers of veterinary medicines. I do not know how it is financed. It has not been set tasks by Government although it is consulted, along with other representative organisations, on matters affecting its members.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total amount, expressed in pounds sterling, which the EEC plans to spend this year on the disposal or destruction of food and wine surpluses; and if he will also publish a table showing these amounts in respect of the previous 15 years.

The 1989 Community budget made provision for expenditure of £8,281·9 million on export refunds, subsidies for internal disposals, losses on sale out of intervention and depreciation of stocks. Comparable data for earlier years are shown in the table.

	£ million
1974	431·1
1975	677·3
1976	1,058·4
1977	1,284·8
1978	2,836·2
1979	3,860·1
1980	3,947·5
1981	3,417·9
1982	3,565·0
1983	4,280·4
1984	5,249·1
1985	5,384·0
1986	6,272·4
11987	8,130·8
121988	8,451·4
21989	8,281·9
1 1987 budget year covered 10 months' expenditure, 1988 budget year covered 11½ months' expenditure.
2 Excluding provision for additional depreciation of old stocks; 1,240 mecu in 1988 and 1,449 mecu in 1989.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South, Official Report, 25 April, column 493, he will list the mechanical problems that he believes would arise if the European Commission's proposal for information labelling on food was implemented.

The European Commission's proposal concerns only post-harvest pesticide treatments. Some pesticide active ingredients can be used either pre or post-harvest. A requirement to label post-harvest might mislead consumers into believing no pre-harvest treatment had been given. In some cases it may be possible to evade the control by switching treatment which is normally post-harvest to the pre-harvest stage; it will be very difficult for the enforcement authorities to police such switching, and, more fundamentally, to test for the wide range of possible treatments.There could also be problems for packers, wholesalers and retailers especially when they are dealing with consignments from a number of sources which have been subject to differing treatments. The costs need to be weighed against the benefits which might arise from the proposal, especially when the results of pesticide residue monitoring are published.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South, Official Report, 25 April, column 492, whether any of the maximum residue levels for pesticides are at such a level they would result in any of international acceptable daily intakes being exceeded.

No. The MRLs used in the United Kingdom are either the same as, or less than, those used by international bodies such as the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission and should not be expected to result in international ADIs being exceeded.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, pursuant to his reply of 3 March, Official Report, columns 373–74, he will list for each of the 17 measures he has taken to control salmonella in poultry; whether primary or secondary legislation has been or will be implemented giving dates for each; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 May 1989]: The measures listed in my earlier reply are either covered by secondary legislation or are non-statutory. For each of the measures mentioned in my reply of 3 March, numbered as in that reply, the information is as follows:

	Entry into force
1. The Diseases of Animals (Protein Processing) (Amendment) Order 1989	2 February 1989
2. Achieved by administrative action
3. The Processed Animal Protein Order 1989	14 April 1989 and 13 June 1989
4. Achieved by administrative action
5. See my rely of 3 March
6. The Testing of Poultry Flocks Order 1989	16 March 1989
7. Still to be implemented
8 Achieved by administrative action
9. Achieved by administrative action