To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the Government's policy towards the Lingua programme proposed by the European Commission;(2) what is the budget contribution from the United Kingdom for five years from 1994, as part of the Lingua programme;(3) what projects have been prepared for submission to the Lingua programme proposed by the European Community;(4) how much has been spent on preparatory work on the Lingua programme proposed by the European Commission.

Modern languages are a key part of the national curriculum and the Government attach great importance to improving our performance in this field. Provided an appropriate legal base can be agreed, the Government are prepared to support those parts of the proposed Lingua programme which relate to student mobility, in-service training for teachers, programmes of co-operation in language teaching between higher education institutions and language training for firms. It is not prepared to support proposals for Community action in areas of school education, which are matters for individual member states. Until the size and shape of the Lingua programme have been agreed, it is not possible to forecast the United Kingdom's budgetary contribution to it, or to invite the submission of projects within it. Preparatory work in this country has to date been limited to that required for negotiating the text of the decision establishing the programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many doctoral research students at the Open university have been awarded doctorates in each year since 1979; and what has been the comparable average success in other United Kingdom universities.

Numbers of training doctorates at the Open university are as follows:

	Number
1979	14
1980	13
1981	22
1982	31
1983	31
1984	45
1985	41
1986	54
1987	55
1988	39
1989	15

To ask the Secretary of Slate for Education and Science if he will publish a table on student grants updating his answer of 12 December 1988, Official Report, column 389, for the latest year for which figures are available.

The data requested are as follows:

Mandatory Awards (England and Wales) 1987–88 (Provisional)
	Student Numbers	1Percentage of award holders
Full maintenance	2153,000	37·7
Maintenance reduced by assessment:
(i)Numbers of dependent students with parental contributions of:
Under £200	22,800	5·6
£201 to £400	21,900	5·4
£401 to £600	17,100	4·2
£601 to £800	15,800	3·9
£801 to £1,000	14,500	3·6
£1,001 to £1,200	13,600	3·4
£1,201 to £1,400	11,800	2·9
£1,401 to £1,600	10,000	2·5
£1,601 to £1,800	7,700	1·9
£1,801 to £2,000	5,800	1·4
Over £2,001	5,300	1·3
(ii)Dependent students who contribute to grant from their own income	600	01
(iii)Independent students	5,900	1·4
Nil maintenance3	2100,000	24·7
1 Percentages calculated on unrounded figures.
2 Includes dependent and independent students.
3 For these students only the course fees are paid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the scales of parental contribution to the student grant, specifying what contribution parents should he making according to their income in the current year.

The scales for the current academic year are as follows:

Residual income1	2Scale 1	3Scale 2
9,900	50	37
10,000	64	48
11,000	207	155
12,000	350	262
12,600	435	326
13,000	515	386
14,000	715	536
15,000	915	686
16,000	1,115	836
17,000	1,315	986
18,000	1,515	1,136
18,400	1,595	1,196
19,000	1,745	1,309
20,000	1,995	1,496
21,000	2,245	1,684
22,000	2,495	1,871

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the figures, for his best available estimate, for the numbers of parents paying the parental contribution towards the student grant, specifying how many parents and how much they are paying in respect of each different level of contribution; and if he will also estimate what proportion of parents pay the full parental contribution at each different level.

Although the parents of two out of three mandatory award holders are assessed for a contribution towards the maintenance element of the award, they are under no legal obligation to pay it. Evidence of payment or non-payment is indirect, from surveys of students' income and expenditure, and needs to be treated with caution. Such evidence suggests that the average student receives financial help from parents in excess of their assessed contribution, but that one student in three of those whose parents are assessed for an award may receive less.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which modern foreign languages will be specified for inclusion in the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have today jointly published an order, which comes into effect on 1 August 1989, under section 3(2)(b) of the Education Reform Act 1988. This specifies two groups of modern foreign languages which will qualify for the purposes of the national curriculum. The terms of the order reflect consultations on the draft order which we initiated on 3 March. We are grateful for all the comments received during the consultation period.Initially this order will apply to the requirement that pupils in key stage 3—normally those aged II to 14—should study a modern foreign language for a reasonable time from autumn 1989 for pupils in England, and from autumn 1990 for those in Wales.The first group of languages consists of the eight working languages of the European Community (Danish, Dutch, French, German, Modern Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish) —the schedule 1 languages. The second group contains 11 non-EC languages (Arabic, Bengali, Gujerati, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Russian, Turkish, Urdu)— the schedule 2 languages.The order does not require all pupils to study a working language of the European Community. It requires schools to offer at least one such language as the first modern foreign language pupils study; but allows schools also to offer any of the other languages listed in schedule 2 so that pupils can choose to study one of these languages rather than the EC language offered. But the order does not give pupils a right to demand teaching of a non-EC language or an EC language other than that offered.Circulars of guidance for England and Wales are also being published today. Copies of the order and circulars will be sent to all LEAs and schools and have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will reconsider the exclusion of the Welsh Joint Education Committee from the recently reconstituted Wales advisory body for local authority higher education.

The reconstituted Wales advisory body for local authority higher education consists of eight county councillors chaired by myself. The Welsh Joint Education committee nominates four of the eight councillors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will consider appointing a representative of professional public sector higher education drawn from within the Principality to the newly constituted Wales advisory body for local authority higher education.

The former board of the Wales advisory body for local authority higher education has been reconstituted as the standing working group for the new single-tier Wales advisory body. Members appointed to the standing working group by my right hon. Friend are drawn from a variety of institutions. The only representative members are those appointed by the Welsh Counties committee and the Welsh joint education committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information has been received to date from British Rail on the progress of consultation on private sector involvement in the Settle-Carlisle railway line.

I understand that British Rail is considering, with the relevant local authorities, the precise scope of private sector involvement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will give a breakdown by region of the monies received from the European Community for transport or infrastructure investment for each year since 1980;(2) what monies have been or will be received from the European Community for infrastructure investment connected with the Channel tunnel; and if he will give a breakdown by standard region;(3) what information he has about what moneys are available from the European Community for infrastructure investment connected with the Channel tunnel for which Her Majesty's Government do not intend to apply; and if he will make a statement.

European Community transport infrastructure grant to the United Kingdom since 1985 by regions and year has been as follows:

	1985	1986	1987	1988
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
South East	11·2	6·6	2·1	7·0
Eastern	1·5	2·6	—	—
Wales	—	—	1·4	—
Northern Ireland	0·4	—	—	—

EC transport infrastructure grant so far awarded for investment connected with the Channel tunnel amounts to £15·6 million and a further £3·25 million is expected this year. All the projects concerned are in the south-east.The United Kingdom has also received support for transport infrastructure from the European regional development fund. Since 1980 this has been by region:

	£ million
Northern	142·6
East Midland	8·5
North-West	128·1
South-West	49·9
West Midland	78·3
Yorkshire and Humberside	94·9

Figures for transport infrastructure grant earlier than 1985 or for a separation into years of the European regional development figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost.We are therefore receiving funds from both available sources. We have no information of any other monies available from the EC for infrastructure investments connected with the Channel tunnel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if, when he next meets the chairmen of electricity boards, he will urge them to abolish standing charges on electricity bills for pensioner customers.

Standing charges are a matter for the electricity industry. They cover the cost of providing a connection to the distribution network, as well as all aspects of customer services, including those of meter reading, accounting and billing. These costs arise no matter how much or how little electricity is used. They reflect the fixed costs which the electricity supply industry incurs in maintaining a constant and safe supply to each customer's home. Abolition of standing charges would increase the unit rate.I do not, therefore, believe that the abolition of standing charges on electricity bills for pensioner customers would be in the interests of customers as a whole.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if, when he next meets the Director-General of Gas Supply, he will seek the abolition of standing charges on gas bills for pensioner customers.

No. Standing charges for gas are subject to the conditions of British Gas's authorisation as a public gas supplier.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many tonnes of uranium have been imported into the United Kingdom annually since 1979; whether the safeguards designation for each consignment was N or P; which authorities made the safeguards designation; from which countries the uranium originated; and was any subsequently re-exported.

[holding answer 11 May 1989]: The Euratom authorities assign appropriate safeguards coding, according to the conditions imposed by the government of the supplying country, at the time contracts are signed. Since 1979 over 10,000 tonnes of uranium as ore concentrate has been imported for use in the United Kingdom civil programme; all of it is subject to peaceful end-use restrictions imposed by the supplier country, with the exception of that from Namibia which was subject to obligation code "N". The ore concentrate was imported from Canada, United States of America and Namibia. No uranium ore concentrate has been imported from Namibia since 1984.In addition to uranium imported for use in the United Kingdom, over 30,000 tonnes of uranium, as ore concentrate, has been processed by British Nuclear Fuels Limited since 1979, on behalf of overseas customers for subsequent re-export. The origin of such material is a matter for these customers to determine.All uranium imported either for the United Kingdom civil programme or for re-export is subject to Euratom safeguards and the terms of the United Kingdom Euratom-International Atomic Energy Authority safeguards agreement and to any end use obligations imposed by the supplier country.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list by year for the last 10 years the value in current prices of polyester silk plants imported into the United Kingdom; and if he will show in his answer the country of origin.

United Kingdom exports of knitted or crocheted goods to Turkey (£'000)
	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	11988
Outerwear (group 845·0)	72·3	93·9	159·4	150·4	73·6	500·8	968·0	1,088·1	435·4	—
Underwear (group 846·0)	9·6	0·7	42·3	160·9	68·0	37·8	72·9	171·5	126·6	—
Accessories (sub-group 847·2)	—	—	0·6	1·3	1·8	44·0	14·2	22·4	1·4	—
Headgear (item 848·43)	3·6	—	1·3	—	113·7	1·5	4·7	—	3·4	—
Total	85·5	94·6	203·6	312·6	257·1	583·5	1,059·8	1,282·0	566·8	417·4
1 Provisional.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any plans to review the premium savings bond either by replacing it, or supplementing it with another scheme; and if he will make a statement.

The terms of premium bonds, like all National Savings products, are kept under constant review. There are no plans to replace or restructure the scheme.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the total amount of capital expenditure by construction, distribution and financial industries at constant factor prices in each of the standard regions, Scotland and Wales and for each of the years 1979 to 1988, inclusive.

Capital expenditure by the construction, distribution and financial industries is not estimated for Scotland, Wales or the regions of England at either current or constant prices.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the total amount of capital expenditure by manufacturing industry at constant factor prices for each standard region, Scotland and Wales and for each of the years 1979 to 1988, inclusive.

Capital expenditure is not estimated at constant prices in the regional accounts for Scotland, Wales or the regions of England, because there are no regional price indices. Current price estimates for 1983–86 were published in Economic Trends No. 421, November 1988, on page 97. Estimates for 1987 will be published in Economic Trends No. 433.

The information is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list United Kingdom exports to Turkey of knitted goods in each of the last 10 years.

The information is given in the table:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the gross domestic product at constant factor prices for each standard region, Scotland and Wales and for each of the years 1979 to 1988, inclusive.

Gross domestic product (output-based) at constant prices for Scotland from 1963–1987 was published by the Scottish Office on 3 May; comparable estimates are not made for Wales or the regions of England. Current price estimates (income based) for Scotland, Wales and the English regions for 1977–87 were published in Economic Trends No. 421, November 1988, on page 90. Provisional estimates for 1988 will be published in Economic Trends No. 433. Constant price income based estimates are not made because there are no regional price indices.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the managing director of London Underground Ltd. as to the proportion of its senior managers who are (a) black and (b) women; and what action he proposes to take to promote equal opportunities.

I have been asked to reply.This is a matter for London Underground Ltd. as employers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum in the United Kingdom were made at ports of entry when the applicant did not have prior entrance clearance to the United Kingdom; and how many such applicants were granted (i) asylum and (ii) exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom, in each of the years 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.

The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were refused entry to the United Kingdom at ports of entry; and how many of those refused entry subsequently applied for asylum in the United Kingdom, in the years 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.

The total number of passengers refused leave to enter and removed from the United Kingdom in 1985, 1986 and 1987 is published in table 4.2 of the Home Office publication "Immigration Nationality and Passports, October 1988", a copy of which is in the Library. The total in 1988 was 20,871. Information on the numbers of these passengers who subsequently applied for refugee status in the United Kingdom is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average Home Office decision time for asylum applications made at ports of entry in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988 and at the current time.

The available information is given in the table. Information for 1988 is not yet available.

Estimated average length of time1taken to reach a decision on an application2made at a port, for refugee status in the United Kingdom, for cases decided during the year.
	Average time in months
1985	38
1986	16
1987	11
1 Excluding the time accounted for by an appeal where practicable, although this cannot be done in all cases.
2 Excluding dependants.
3 The 1985 figure may be an underestimate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with other EC Governments regarding harmonisation of asylum procedures in preparation for the implementation of the Single European Act in 1992; and if he will make a statement.

Asylum procedures have been discussed in regular meetings of Ministers responsible for immigration, held on six occasions since December 1986. For details of the two most recent meetings, I refer the hon. Member to the replies my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Romsey and Waterside (Mr. Colvin) on 14 December 1988 at columns 576–7 and for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Martin) on 17 May 1989 at column 208.My right hon. Friend and I have also discussed asylum matters in various bilaterial contacts with Ministers from other member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the proposals in the White Paper on broadcasting ownership.

The White Paper made clear our determination that ownership in the independent broadcasting sector should remain widely spread, and that unhealthy concentrations of ownership and excessive cross-media ownership should be prevented. We are grateful to those who responded to the invitation to comment on the scope and formulation of the rules needed to achieve this objective.The White Paper envisaged (paragraph 6.51) that the same group would be permitted to hold two, but not more than two, regional Channel 3 licences. Many of those commenting thought it would be undesirable if the same group could control two large or contiguous Channel 3 regions. It has also been argued that some flexibility is needed to take account of the ways in which independent terrestrial television might develop.In the light of these responses we propose to strengthen the rules envisaged in the White Paper in the following way. Power would be taken to prescribe in subordinate legislation limits on the number of Independent Television Commission or Radio Authority licences within each main licence category which any one body or group would be permitted to hold or control. In the case of regional Channel 3 licences the initial limit would be set at two, as envisaged in the White Paper. But these limits would be capable of further restriction by reference to audience share and contiguity of licence area. The Government do not envisage that the same group should be allowed to own two large franchises or two franchises for contiguous areas.Paragraph 6·53 of the White Paper proposed clear reciprocal limits on broadcasting and newspaper cross-holdings. Taking account of comments on the White Paper, we propose that no proprietor of a national newspaper should be allowed to have an interest exceeding 20 per cent. in any DBS, UHF TV (including regional Channel 3) or national radio franchise. We also see a strong case for debarring national newspaper proprietors from having a significant financial interest in more than one such franchise. These limits also apply reciprocally to the holders of such franchises investing in groups controlling national newspapers. No regional or local newspaper would be allowed to have more than a 20 per cent. interest in any regional or local Independent Television Commission or Radio Authority licensee with whose area it substantially overlapped, and vice versa.Paragraph 6·53 of the White Paper proposed, folowing a recommendation by the Home Affairs Committee, that ownership of satellite channels not using United Kingdom broadcasting frequencies but receivable in the United Kingdom (whether based here or abroad) should be capable of being taken into account by the Independent Television Commission and the Radio Authority in operating their controls. We propose that no operator of such a service should be permitted to have more than a 20 per cent. interest in a DBS, UHF TV (including regional Channel 3) or national radio licensee, and that cross-interests exceeding 20 per cent. between DBS, UHF TV and national radio licensees should not be permitted. Similarly, cross-interests exceeding 20 per cent. would not be permitted between regional Channel 3, local delivery operator and local radio licensees whose areas substantially overlapped. These limits would be expressed in subordinate legislation and would be capable of variation. We envisage that legislation would also leave open the possibility of limiting other forms of cross-holding.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many magistrates courts' days have been lost or shortened because of the inadequacy in numbers of available clerks.

This information, not available at present, is now being obtained from magistrates courts committees on a quarterly basis. I shall write to the right hon. Member as soon as the first set of returns has been collated.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total value of goods seized under the Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986.

The best available information relates to confiscation orders. For the value of such orders to date, I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Lewes (Mr. Rathbone) on 11 May at column 986.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department has with regard to the proportion of burglaries committed by drug addicts (a) in the Wirral, (b) in Merseyside and (c) nationally.

The information requested is not available nationally. However, a Home Office research study "opioid use and burglary", published in 1986 estimated that in 1983, 1 per cent. of adult males convicted of burglary in a dwelling at Liverpool magistrates court, and 15 per cent. convicted at Wirral magistrates court were drug addicts notified to the Home Office. Other research has suggested that in 1985 at least half of the adult males convicted of burglary in the Wirral may have been drug misusers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to limit publication of names and addresses of lone occupants of houses.

We have no plans to do so. The only published official source in England and Wales from which such information might be inferred, so far as I am aware, is the electoral register. It is not, however, a comprehensive guide as to who lives at a particular address or whether a person on it is a lone occupant. We have no evidence of widespread misuse of the register for criminal or other illegitimate purposes. If my hon. Friend is aware of a particular problem, perhaps he would write to me about it.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female prisoners on the most recent convenient date were segregated under rule 43 of the prison rules (i) for their own protection and (ii) for reasons of good order and discipline.

The numbers of prisoners (sentenced and unsentenced) so segregated on 31 March 1989 was as follows:

	Own protection	Good order or discipline
Male	2,193	227
Female	21	8

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 20 December 1988, Official Report, column 178, what representation he has received about the legal validity of the powers used by immigration officers to sign notices of intention to deport under the Immigration Act 1971; what response he has made; if he will review these powers; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 17 May 1989]: This issue has been raised in a number of appeals before the independent appellate authorities. The immigration appeal tribunal has now endorsed the view that the service of notices of intention to deport authorised by members of the immigration service not below the rank of inspector is valid.We have also received two other letters about the delegation of the powers of the Secretary of State. A reply was sent to the first letter in November 1988 in similar

terms to the answer given to the hon. Member on 20 December 1988 at column

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek power to prohibit the sale to the public by open mail order of skeleton key sets suitable to open the locked doors of motor vehicles without the knowledge or permission of the owners; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 17 May 1989]: There is no existing legislation prohibiting the sale of skeleton key sets, but it is an offence to carry such an article for use in the course of or in connection with theft. There are legitimate uses of skeleton key sets—eg by locksmiths—and any proposals for controls on sales would need to take this into account. Inquiries made of the police by the Home Office crime prevention centre at Stafford have not revealed evidence of significant use of skeleton key sets in criminal offences.

To ask the Attorney-General how many appeals against refusal of asylum in the United Kingdom were heard by the immigration appellate authorities in each of the years 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.

In 1987, 407 such appeals were heard before adjudicators and 42 before the immmigration appeal tribunal. In 1988, 525 appeals were heard before adjudicators and 80 before the tribunal. Figures for 1985 and 1986 are not available.

To ask the Attorney-General, what is his policy towards the prosecution of perpetrators of unauthorised disclosures of information from police computers under the Official Secrets Act; and if he will make a statement.

The institution or continuance of criminal proceedings in these cases, as with all other cases, is considered in accordance with the guidelines set out in the code for crown prosecutors issued under section 10 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. Proceedings will be instituted or continued only where the evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a realistic prospect of conviction and a prosecution is required by the public interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether Her Majesty's Government will support an indefinite extension of European Community Directive 83/129/EEC which bans the importation of harp and hooded seal pup skins and products; and if he will make a statement on the health of seals in United Kingdom waters.

The killing of harp and hooded seals for trade has aroused strong public concern in many countries. We have considered carefully the conservation case for trade controls on these species and have consulted the sea mammal research unit of the Natural Environment Research Council, which is internationally acknowledged for its expertise in this area.Our view is that a permanent extension of the current temporary European Community directive (83/129 EEC) controlling this trade, which is due to expire on 1 October 1989, is required to ensure the conservation of the seal populations in question.The Government have also taken additional conservation measures to help reduce the threat to the United Kingdom seal population. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department announced last October the introduction of new orders under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 which extend throughout the year the general protection given under the Act. These measures apply to common and grey seals in England and common seals in Scotland.The seal population in the North sea and Irish sea have been affected by a virus. Research is continuing into the epidemic at the sea mammal research unit as part of this Department's North sea research programme. A total of around 2,750 seals were reported dead from a population of 95,000 grey seals and 25,000 common seals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the factual errors in his Department's leaflet "The Community Charge—How It Will Work for You".

There is none.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will explain the provisions for exemption of prisoners as set out in his Department's leaflet "The Community Charge—How It Will Work for You."

The Department's leaflet gives an accurate summary of the circumstances in which persons in detention are exempt from liability to the community charge, the full provisions of which are set out in paragraph 1 of schedule 1 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the cost of (a) production and (b) distribution of his Department's leaflet "The Community Charge—How It Will Work for You."

My Department has produced 23 million copies of the leaflet "The Community Charge—How It Will Work for You" at a total cost of £367,887.The estimated cost for distributing this leaflet to all households in England is under £600,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of widows he estimates will gain under the community charge.

I have no estimate of the proportion of widows who would pay less under the community charge than with rates. I would expect many to be gainers since 83 per cent. of single pensioner households and 75 per cent. of other single adult households are expected to gain.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is yet able to publish the community charge payable this year (a) on average in England and Wales and (b) in Derbyshire.

Illustrative 1989–90 community charges will be published once data needed from local authorities has been received and analysed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects to publish illustrative poll tax figures for English local authorities based on 1989–90 budgets.

The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax. Illustrative 1989–90 community charges will be published once data needed from local authorities has been received and analysed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of single-parent families he estimates will gain under the community charge.

I expect nearly 80 per cent. of single families to pay less with the community charge than they would with rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the wealth distribution effects on lower income groups of the changeover from domestic rates to community charge.

Figures placed in the Library on 15 December 1988 confirm that many of the poorest households would be better off under the community charge than under the rates. Community charges on average would be less than domestic rates for all income bands up to £200 per week; and households with a net weekly income of under £50 would, on average, pay over 20 per cent. less with community charge than with domestic rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions Her Majesty's Government have held during this Parliament with representatives of the Irish Government concerning pollution levels in the Irish sea.

Regular formal and informal contact takes place between representatives of the United Kingdom and Irish Governments on particular aspects of the marine environment such as the falling discharge of radioactive substances or factors relevant to the management of fisheries. More wide-ranging discussions on the marine environment take place from time to time. The next such meeting of officials is scheduled for 24–25 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department holds on the estate management board partnership arrangements between local authority tenants and some local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

The Department's consultants, the Priority Estates Project (PEP) Ltd., are currently working with local authorities and tenants on eight council estates to set up estate management boards (EMBs). They are:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Staffordshire, on 17 January, Official Report, column 148, if he is yet in a position to announce his conclusions to the consultation paper on disputes between valuations under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967.

We are still considering the responses to our consultation paper in conjunction with the Welsh Office and hope to announce our joint conclusions later this summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider scheduling the recently discovered site of the Rose theatre in Southwark in view of the imminent threat from developers.

[holding answer 12 May 1989]: The question of scheduling will be kept under review. Given the developers' strong commitment to preserve the remains the priority is for all parties concerned urgently to explore the best means of safeguarding them physically and the scope for providing public access in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for each district health authority, regional health authority and special health authority and for England as a total, the amount of income to the National Health Service from (a) charitable appeals, (b) subscriptions, (c) donations and grants, (d) legacies, (e) dividends and interest and (f) the total trust fund income for the latest available year.

Information for 1987–88 (the latest year available) as shown in the annual accounts of health authorities and special trustees in England has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will seek to reduce the pollution of the Bristol channel by co-ordinating those departments which authorise or control dumping of sewerage, chemical, agricultural, nuclear and industrial waste into the Bristol channel, together with control of dumping ships' refuse or the pumping out of tanks by ships in passage.

Departments with responsibilities in this field already co-ordinate their activities, and at national level policies to protect the marine environment are coordinated by the Department of the Environment. The Bristol channel, and all other United Kingdom coastal waters will benefit from the range of new initiatives adopted at the second North sea conference hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment in November 1987. These are set out in the guidance note on the ministerial declaration published in February 1988, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Prime Minister whether the answer to the hon. Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone (Mr. McKay) on Tuesday 16 May, Official Report, column 165, concerning EC funds includes bids made by local authorities for the European regional development fund; and if she will make a statement.

Yes, all bids from local authorities and from other bodies are put forward in the name of the member state, and grants paid to local authorities count as part of the member state's receipts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many workers at the Clyde submarine base have been retired on medical grounds in each of the years since 1974.

The information requested is as follows:

Retirements on medical grounds
Year	Numbers
11975	8
11976	8
11977	4
11978	13
11979	12
1980	9
1981	6
1982	11
1983	9
1984	15
1985	16
1986	37
1987	20
1988	17
1 Figures for these years relate to industrial staff only.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers in the Queen's Own Hussars went absent without leave in 1987.

Six.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will request the National Radiological Protection Board to produce an update of its report on the mortality of nuclear test veterans;(2) if he will detail the nature of the work that is proceeding with the study by the National Radiological Protection Board of the mortality of nuclear test veterans.

[holding answer 15 May 1989]: Details of deaths of nuclear test veterans are currently flagged at the National Health Service central register and are passed to the NRPB. This information is then added to NRPB's database which maintains a record of all deaths and personnel present during the test programme together with the control group. The NRPB is examining the position this year (five years from the previous cut off date) and will advise whether the major effort of a full scale statistical analysis would be justified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentage of officers in each of grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively, in his Department are (a) women and (b) from ethnic minorities.

Information is not available in the form requested because records are held on a combined basis with the Department of Health. I refer the right hon. Member to my reply to him on 22 March at column 679.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether his Department has conducted monitoring exercises in compliance with the code for the Commission on Racial Equality and Equal Opportunity Commission, respectively, separate from the Department of Health; whether his Department plans to do so; whether his Department plans to maintain records of the ethnic origins of its staff and officers separate from the Department of Health; and whether he will make a statement.

The Department will continue to pursue the equal opportunities policies and practices of the former Department of Health and Social Security. These follow the guidance in the codes of practice of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission and include the monitoring of personnel policies and procedures as set out in the codes of practice. Work is in hand to enable staff records, including ethnic origin data, to be separately identified from those for staff of the Department of Health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many full-time workers are not in occupational or personal pension schemes; and what was the equivalent number in 1979.

In 1979, 11·8 million employees were not members of occupational pension schemes. Of these, 7·65 million were full-time employees.Provisional figures for 1987 show that 11·4 million employees were not members of occupational pension schemes. This was of course before the Government's pension reforms took effect; since the introduction of personal pensions in July 1988, over 2 million people have opted to join a personal pension scheme. The number of full-time employees is not yet known.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many vaccine damage payments were made in 1985; and if he will categorise these according to the age of the child when the vaccination took place, the year of vaccination, and the nature of the vaccination.

Twenty-six payments were awarded in 1985 under the provisions of the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979. Details are in the table.

Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme
Awards made in 1985 by age of child at date of vaccination; year of vaccination and type of vaccination
	Age at date of vaccination (months)	Year vaccination was given	Type of vaccination cited on the claim form
1.	9 to 12	1962	Triple
2.	0 to3	1969	Pertussis
3.	6 to 9	1978	Pertussis
4.	3 to 6	1979	Triple
5.	3 to 6	1963	Triple
6.	3 to 6	1973	Triple
7.	6 to 9	1983	Pertussis
8.	3 to 6	1967	Triple
9.	3 to 6	1969	Triple
10.	0.to.3	1959	Polio
11.	6 to 9	1971	Triple/Pertussis
12.	3 to 6	1962	Triple
13.	3 to 6	1957	Triple

Office: Port Glasgow ILO 1988–89
Number of times a reason for refusal used
	Grants	Budgeting loans	Crisis loans
Savings over £500 meet the full cost	1	0	0
Not in receipt of IS	n/a	137	0
Not in receipt of IS for 26 weeks	n/a	180	0
Not in receipt of IS and unlikey to qualify	45	n/a	0
Item(s) excluded by Direction	27	69	1
Applicant excluded	113	5	0
Applied for less than £30	6	19	0
Adjusted amount less than £30	2	6	0
Total debt exceeds £1,000	n/a	0	0
Previous application and decision for the item	27	66	2
No serious risk to health or safety	n/a	n/a	7
Inability to repay	n/a	58	3
Help available from another source	5	7	3
Priority too low to meet from the budget	18	333	6
Alternative available to the whole application	10	6	7
Loan refused because CCG awarded	n/a	43	1
Others not covered above	72	17	18

n/a—Not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by each charging authority in England and Wales the income level at which (a) a single person aged under 25 years, (b) a single person aged over 25 years, (c) a single pensioner, (d) a pensioner couple

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for the Greenock and Port Glasgow offices of his Department the statistical information he has to date regarding the different reasons given by social fund officers for refusals to claimants for (i) budgeting loans, (ii) crisis loans and (iii) community care grants; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 May 1989]: Provisional figures for the period 11 April 1988 to 31 March 1989 are set out in the table.The table gives the number of times that a reason for decision is used by social fund officers for determining a nil award for community care grants, budgeting, and crisis loans.An application can be refused for more than one reason. The total number of reasons for decision used will be equal to or greater than the number of applications refused. Information on the numbers of applications processed and awarded is available in the Library.and

[holding answer 27 April 1989]: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to amend the rule whereby the retirement pension is paid not from the day of retirement but from the first day of the week following retirement.

We have no plans to do so. The majority of new claims for retirement pension are paid from the Monday following retirement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the composition of (a) the pensioners prices index and (b) the retail prices index.

I have been asked to reply.The price indices for one—and two—person pensioner households whose incomes are mainly comprised of state benefits are based on the expenditure patterns of such households and changes in prices across the full range of goods and services, with the exception of housing.The general index of retail prices is based on expenditure patterns of all households, excluding the pensioner households above and the 3–4 per cent. of households with the highest income, and changes in prices across the full range of goods and services including housing.More details can be found in "A short guide to the Retail Price Index",

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the forthcoming CSCE human rights conference in Paris.

The Paris meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension (CDH) opens on 30 May and will last four weeks. Its main tasks will be to review human rights cases and situations in CSCE participating states as well as the working of the human rights monitoring mechanism agreed at the Vienna CSCE meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent CSCE information forum in London.

The Information Forum, held at the Government's invitation in London from 18 April to 12 May 1989, was the first of the series of regular meetings in the Helsinki process following the third main CSCE follow-up meeting held in Vienna from November 1986 to January 1989. The forum was opened by the Prime Minister, and was attended by some 650 delegates from the 35 CSCE participating states. For the first time in CSCE meetings, all working sessions were open to the press and public.Many personalities in the field of information participated in the forum. The British delegation was led by Lord Rees-Mogg, and included journalists, telecommunications experts, cultural personalities and academics, as well as a small number of Government officials. The forum was a success: it stimulated numerous direct personal contacts between media experts from East and West; generated worthwhile ideas for future contact and co-operation; and welcomed the progress made towards greater freedom of expression in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe whilst exposing the Governments of those countries to demands for closer compliance with their commitments in the information field. Some 67 proposals for follow-up action (largely on improving working conditions for journalists) were tabled: they will go forward to the CSCE follow-up conference at Helsinki in 1992, and will meanwhile be studied by Governments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mr. Nasim Ahmed, who was born on 2 July 1965, and whose reference is IM M/84536 and A.421238, first applied to the British post in Islambad to enter the United Kingdom; when Mr. Ahmed successfully appealed against refusal to grant him entry; and when the British post in Islambad was instructed to issue Mr. Ahmed with a visa to enter the United Kingdom.

[pursuant to the reply, 16 May 1989, col. 135]: In accordance with the recent guidelines on the handling of representations by Members of Parliament in immigration cases, issued to Members on 14 December 1988, I have referred the question to the correspondence unit of the migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The hon. Member will receive a reply from the unit in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of people on work-related Government employment and training programmes by sex, in each of the standard regions and Wales, for each of the years 1983 to 1988.

The estimates of participants in work-related Government training programmes as included in the work force in employment statistics published in the monthly labour market press notice and Employment Gazette are given in the following table. They include those participants who in the course of their participation receive training in the context of a workplace but are not employees, self-employed or in Her Majesty's forces. The latest available figures are for December 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total number of planned employment training places in September 1988 for each of the standard regions and Wales.

Information on the planned level of filled employment training places is for internal management information purposes only.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total number of places by local authorities, private employees, voluntary sector and other public sector sponsors on the latest date for which information is available for each of the standard regions and Wales.

Employees in employment in manufacturing industries
Thousand
	December each year
	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988
South East	1,505	1,481	1,447	1,386	1,388	1,355
Greater London (included in South East	585	567	548	515	519	491
East Anglia	184	192	199	207	217	232
South West	368	376	373	369	371	378
West Midlands	709	707	709	698	710	732
East Midlands	487	486	495	492	504	509
Yorkshire and Humberside	495	482	477	456	456	456
North West	682	661	650	623	618	618
North	281	280	276	265	266	271
Wales	212	211	209	205	215	224
Scotland	437	433	423	404	395	402

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of employees in

Employees in employment in manufacturing industries
March each year
Thousand
	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
South East	1,870	1,838	1,719	1,621	1,541	1,489	1,464	1,427	1,363	1,384	1,333
Greater London (included in South East	1	1	1	657	615	577	560	539	498	517	474
East Anglia	204	203	187	181	179	181	192	198	206	218	231
South West	440	433	402	387	369	368	374	369	365	371	375
West Midlands	987	962	828	770	719	704	701	702	690	706	729
East Midlands	602	593	541	521	486	477	483	491	486	500	506
Yorkshire and Humberside	707	682	603	554	510	486	473	467	446	454	451
North West	976	936	832	767	702	672	653	636	614	615	610

Information on the number of filled employment training places by type of training manager is not held.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of employees in employment in manufacturing in each of the standard regions and Wales, for each of the years 1983 to 1988, inclusive.

The information is as follows:employment in manufacturing industry in each of the years March 1979 to March 1989, for each of the standard regions and Wales.

The information is as follows: