To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will give details of the financial aid available to send handicapped children and their parents to the Peto Institute in Hungary.

Provision is included in the Self-Governing Schools Etc. (Scotland) Bill to enable education authorities in Scotland to pay all or part of the fees, travelling, maintenance and other expenses in respect of a child's attendance at an establishment which makes provision wholly or mainly for persons with pronounced, specific or complex special education needs. The Peto Institute in Hungary is such an establishment. The assistance can include, where appropriate, the expenses of parents or another accompanying person.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many registered blind persons there are in Scotland.

The provisional figure for March 1988 is 13,760.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a report on environmentally sensitive areas in Scotland.

My right hon. and learned Friend is pleased to announce that a first report on environmentally sensitive areas in Scotland was published today and a copy placed in the Library. The report sets out the background to the designation of ESAs in Scotland, the main characteristics and objectives of each of the Scottish ESAs and the arrangements for monitoring the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the last advice he received from the Nature Conservancy Council concerning the practice of blocking of badger setts and digging of fox earths by fox hunters on Forestry Commission land.

My right hon. and learned Friend has received no advice from the Nature Conservancy Council on this subject, although it is possible that council staff have given informal advice to the Forestry Commission on a local basis. I understand, however, that the Nature Conservancy Council is preparing a report which will include discussion of the issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to give instructions to the Property Services Agency with regard to the erection of a proposed fence around HMS Cambridge at Wembury, Plymouth.

The Property Services Agency, acting on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, submitted a notification under the provisions of circular 18/84 to the South Hams district council of a proposal for the erection of new boundary fencing around the gunnery school at HMS Cambridge. The district council has objected to this proposal. No instructions will be given to the Property Services Agency for the erection of the proposed fence until the matter has been determined in accordance with normal planning procedures.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the average time from an appeal being notified to his Department from (a) Bombay high commission, (b) other Foreign Office outposts, (c) the Foreign Office itself, (d) the Home Office to (i) the date of the appeal being set and (ii) the hearing taking place.

This information is not recorded in the form requested. Currently, however, it is estimated that the time taken from receipt of the notice of appeal by the immigration appellate authorities in London to the despatch of the appeal papers to both parties' representative in the United Kingdom is four to eight weeks. Appeals cannot thereafter be listed for hearing until both parties' representatives indicate that they are ready to proceed: this is in the hands of the parties, and times vary from a few weeks to several months. If no response is received within nine months the appeal is automatically listed for hearing.When both parties have indicated their readiness to proceed, the IAA are generally able to list the case for hearing within the following eight weeks, although where a party requests an expedited hearing such requests can usually be met. However, where a party seeks an adjournment, the hearing may take place more than eight weeks after the parties have indicated their readiness to proceed.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what contribution private funding has made to new exhibitions at national museums and galleries in the last 12 months, in addition to public funding.

Full details of private funding of new exhibitions are not held centrally but notable examples of such funding over the last 12 months are The British museum's "Treasures for the Nation" exhibition attracting £150,000 from British Gas. The Tate gallery successfully raised £423,000 in sponsorship for exhibitions, and the Science museum's new "Food for Thought" gallery has attracted over £950,000 in commercial sponsorship. Such initiatives are to be encouraged.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce regulations to control the use of mechanically recovered meat in food products; and if he will make a statement.

Mechanically recovered meat is used in a number of meat products. The Food Labelling Regulations 1984 already require that a treatment given to a food, or food ingredient, should be shown in the appropriate place on the label if the omission of such an indication would mislead the purchaser.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total amount spent by the European Economic Community and by member states in subsidising the exports of food and wine in the most recent annual period for which figures are available; and if he will include in the total the moneys spent on exporting food and wine from intervention stores.

Expenditure on export refunds for food and wine in 1988 was £6,638 million (provisional), of which £165 million was for food aid.This includes refunds on exports of commodities from the free market and from intervention stocks. The breakdown between member states is shown below.

	Mecu	£ million
Belgium	297	201
Denmark	689	467
Germany	1,543	1,047
Greece	76	52
Spain	395	268
France	2,577	1,748
Ireland	317	215
Italy	557	378
Luxembourg	0	0
Netherlands	2,698	1,830
Portugal	2	1
United Kingdom	636	431
TOTAL EC	9,787	6,638

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the progress on the case for extending the United Kingdom's less-favoured areas.

Yesterday, my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, handed over to Mr. Raymond MacSharry the EC Commissioner for Agriculture a case to the EC Commission for an extension of the United Kingdom's less-favoured areas by 95,000 hectares of land in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This extension will require the agreement of the Commission before payment of any benefit can be considered. At this stage, I cannot say how long it will take to secure that agreement. The form of the submission follows from the initial discussions we have held with the EC Commission, which has made it clear that it will be examining our submission rigorously against the criteria on economic and demographic performance laid down in directive 75/268.I am arranging for copies of the results of our application of these criteria, together with an illustrative map of the areas submitted to the Commission, to be placed in the Library at the House and in local Ministry offices in the areas concerned. Farmers, who made representations following the 1984 extension, will be notified individually whether their land has been included in the submission.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will publish a report on the environmentally sensitive areas; and if he will make a statement.

The first report on the environmentally sensitive areas scheme is being published today by HMSO, meeting our obligation under section 18(8) of the Agriculture Act 1986.The environmentally sensitive areas scheme has been warmly welcomed by conservation bodies and farmers alike. Since going to press we have received further applications from over 300 farmers wishing to bring over 9,000 hectares (22,230 acres) of their land into the scheme this year. Overall, this gives us a total of 2,708 applications and agreements covering 110,495 hectares (273,000 acres) of land in England alone since the scheme was introduced in 1987. This represents over 90 per cent. of the land which we considered likely to enter the scheme and shows overwhelmingly the farming industry's commitment to environmentally conscious farming. It points to real progress in conserving some of our most beautiful countryside.My colleagues the Secretaries of State for Wales and Scotland have made similar announcements. The report sets out how the scheme operates in each of the designated areas and how we intend to assess its impact. I hope it will add to a wider understanding of environmentally sensitive areas and what they are designed to achieve.Copies of this report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and will be available from HMSO bookshops.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Agriculture Council in Luxembourg on 19 and 20 June.

The main item on the agenda of this Council, at which I represented the Government, was the Commission's proposal for changes to the support arrangements for sheep. The Commission indicated ways in which it might be prepared to adjust its proposal. I emphasised the main points which would be necessary for the proposals to be acceptable to the United Kingdom including the conditions which are necessary for a unified regime. Discussion showed that major differences of view persist and the Council will return to the matter at a subsequent meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the United Christian Broadcasters letter to him on the White Paper, "Broadcasting in the 1990s"; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

I have today placed in the Library a copy of my private secretary's reply of 8 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the policy of his Department as to the requirements of each prison in England and Wales to report the finding of drugs; and how often such reports are required to be made.

All prison service establishments are required to report to their regional office every find which is made of an illicit drug. A report on each incident should be submitted as soon as possible after the find is made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to introduce legislation giving full voting rights indefinitely to Britons abroad for both United Kingdom elections and European Parliament elections, in line with the rights accorded to other European nationals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has reached any conclusions, in the light of responses to Home Department consultation papers No. 1 Representation of the People: British Citizens Overseas, issued on 29 April 1988, and No. 2 Representation of the People: Absent Voting, issued on 2 March 1989; and if he has any proposals to amend electoral law; and if he will make a statement.

The Representation of the People Act 1985 brought the United Kingdom into line with most other western democracies by making provision for British citizens to vote whilst living abroad. This step was greatly welcomed by many British citizens worldwide. The detailed arrangements represented a cautious, evolutionary approach. They had the effect, amongst other things, of limiting in time the right to be registered as an overseas elector to five years from the date for which a British citizen was last registered as a United Kingdom resident; requiring the applicant to make a declaration, including a prescribed statement about residence intentions; requiring the declaration to be attested by a consular official; and requiring the overseas elector to make a fresh declaration annually. These provisions, stricter than in many other countries, considerably restricted the numbers abroad who could have access to the franchise and imposed significant burdens on those who did. The Government made a commitment, at the time the legislation was passing through Parliament, to review the new arrangements once they were in operation, and, in particular, to reconsider the five-year time limit.It is evident from the under-use of the franchise during its first three years of operation, and from replies to consultation paper No. 1, that the measures introduced in 1985–86 are unduly restrictive. They exclude from the franchise British citizens working on longer-term contracts abroad, often in the United Kingdom's interests, and they exclude completely anyone who left the United Kingdom before he was old enough to have been included in a register of electors. In addition, applicants are discouraged by the procedures for registration, and they are not reminded of the need to be registered annually, as are their counterparts resident in the United Kingdom.The overseas electors' franchise deprives too many British citizens abroad of the right to vote and the existing application procedures should be simplified. I am presenting today a Representation of the People Bill to amend the law relating to overseas electors. This would extend to 25 years the period abroad during which British citizens may apply to be registered to vote in United Kingdom parliamentary and European Parliament elections. The Bill would extend the overseas franchise to include those not previously registered as electors in the United Kingdom by reason of age; and it would remove from the declaration which overseas electors must now make the statement about residence intentions. Proposals to amend the relevant representation of the people regulations, so as to simplify further the registration procedures for overseas electors, will be brought forward.The Representation of the People Act 1985 also extended, for the first time, the right to a postal or proxy vote to any United Kingdom resident, registered as an elector, who cannot reasonably be expected to vote in person at his allotted polling station at a particular election. This reform meant that holidaymakers, people who had fallen ill, and those whose work took them away from home on polling day could nevertheless exercise their right to vote. Detailed conditions, which applicants for the new absent voting facility must satisfy, are specified in regulations. These include a requirement that applications for an absent vote at a particular election must be attested and, for the most general case, that the attester must not be related to the applicant and shall not have attested any other application in respect of the election for which the application is being made. The general election in 1987 provided the first major test of these new absent voting arrangements, and the attestation requirement gave rise to considerable difficulty with many applications being rejected as a result. We have already greatly simplified the application forms in the light of that experience, but it is clear from the response to consultation paper No. 2 that there should be some easing of the application procedures themselves. Accordingly, proposals to amend the relevant regulations will be brought before this House; it will be convenient to deal with them at the same time as the regulations relating to overseas electors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the Kurdish asylum seekers from Turkey who have arrived since the beginning of May were refused admission at airports and removed immediately; and to which countries they went.

None; immigration officers are required to refer all applications for asylum to the refugee unit of the Home Office for decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications were made in 1988; and what were the nationalities of the applicants.

This information will be contained in the 1988 issue of the annual Home Office statistical bulletin "Refugee Statistics, United Kingdom" which will be published next month.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Kurdish asylum seekers from Turkey have arrived since the beginning of May; how many are currently held in (a) prison, (b) Harmondsworth detention centre and (c) elsewhere; and if he will list the institutions where they are being held.

The information is not readily available in the precise form requested since records do not identify different ethnic groupings. As of midnight on 19 June, 2,838 Turkish nationals had arrived since the beginning of May and had sought asylum; 81 were detained in prison establishments at Winchester, Dorchester, Exeter and Gloucester; 92 were detained in Harmondsworth detention centre, Gatwick beehive and Latchmere house remand centre.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Kurdish asylum-seekers from Turkey who have arrived in Britain since the beginning of May have been interviewed about their claim for asylum; and how many of these have been (a) given refugee status, (b) given exceptional leave to remain, (c) refused leave to remain and removed and (d) refused leave to remain and are awaiting removal.

By 19 June the asylum applications from 138 Turkish nationals had been considered in detail. The results of this consideration are:

12: met the criteria of the 1951 UN convention and have been recognised as refugees;

38: have been given leave to remain in the United Kingdom on an exceptional basis;

5: are receiving further consideration;

3: departed voluntarily before a final decision was reached;

61: have been notified of a provisional decision that they do not qualify for asylum and any further information/representations are awaited;

19: did not qualify for asylum or leave to enter under the immigration rules, were refused entry and have been returned to Turkey.

In addition, 128 have made voluntary departures after withdrawing their claims for asylum.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the Council of Ministers did not approve the broadcasting directive on 14 June; and what plans the Commission has to pursue the matter.

The directive was not approved on that occasion because not enough member states were in a position to adopt it. It is proposed that the discussion of the Commission's re-examined proposal on the directive will continue under the French presidency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many overseas visitors were initially refused entry to the United Kingdom in (a) January to May 1988, inclusive, and (b) January to May 1989, inclusive, and what were their nationalities;(2) how many Jamaican citizens were initially refused entry into the United Kingdom as not being genuine visitors in

[holding answer 15 June 1989]: The total numbers of passengers by nationality who were refused leave to enter and removed from the United Kingdom between January and April of 1988 and 1989 are given in the table; figures for May 1989 are not yet available. It is not possible from the information available centrally to ascertain how many sought entry as visitors.Of the 113 Jamaican citizens removed between January and April 1988 and the 307 removed between January and April 1989, 108 and 273 respectively failed to satisfy the immigration officer that they qualified as genuine visitors under paragraph 17 of the rules. Some of the remainder may also have sought entry as visitors but have been refused for other reasons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested as being illegal immigrants in the first five months of 1989, and in the corresponding five months in 1988; and what were their nationalities.

[holding answer 15 June 1989]: The available information is of persons against whom action was commenced as illegal entrants, which is published quarterly in table 13 of Home Office statistical bulletin "Control of Immigration: Statistics", a copy of which is in the Library. The latest available figures relate to the fourth quarter of 1988 (in Bulletin 10/89). The figure for the first quarter of 1989 will be published in the next issue around the end of this month. A breakdown by nationality of the figures for the first and second quarters of 1988 is given in the following table.

Persons against whom action was commenced as illegal entrants by nationality
Number of persons
Nationality	1988
	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter
Europe	182	162
Austria	3	2
Bulgaria	1	—
Cyprus	10	4
Czechoslavakia	2	—
France	5	—
Federal Republic of Germany	—	2
Hungary	2	4
Italy	2	2
Malta	—	1
Netherlands	—	1
Norway	—	1
Poland	2	4
Portugal	20	51
Romania	—	—
Spain	15	4
Sweden	3	1
Switzerland	2	1
Turkey	108	72
Yugloslavia	6	12
Americas	51	55
Brazil	11	6
Canada	3	—
Chile	—	4
Colombia	11	13
Jamaica	12	16
Mexico	1	1
Peru	2	4
Trinidad and Tobago	—	2
United States of America	11	9
Africa	265	287
Algeria	21	23
Egypt	4	10
Ethiopia	1	1
Ghana	93	112
Libya	—	3
Mauritius	5	3
Morocco	15	13
Nigeria	118	111
South Africa	1	2
Sudan	1	4
Tunisia	3	2
Uganda	1	—
Zaire	2	—
Zambia	—	3
Asia	210	223
Bangladesh	43	65
China	1	1
Hong Kong BDTC	9	3
India	63	55
Iran	8	4
Iraq	1	4

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list year by year for the last 10 years how many tonnes of radioactive material were imported to Sellafield; what method of transport was used to convey the material to Sellafield; and from what countries the radioactive material was imported.

During the past 10 years, over 2,500 tonnes of irradiated fuel have been imported for reprocessing at Sellafield from the following countries:

Japan, Italy, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.

The bulk of this material has been transported by sea in BNFL's own ships with the balance being sent by rail/sea from European countries. To break this information down by individual years would involve disproportionate effort.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, in the light of the remarks by the chief constable of Gwent, echoing those by petitioners in Nottingham, of 11 May 1987, Official Report, column 150, he will seek to review the ban against blood testing of unconscious persons involved in motor accidents.

The White Paper "The Road User and the Law" (Cmnd. 576) published in February this year recorded in paragraph 2.41 the conclusion that the case for taking blood samples from unconscious drivers was not generally yet felt to be sufficiently strong to overcome the present serious legal and ethical issues perceived to be involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what powers he has permitted commercial bus companies to operate in the Greater London area which are not under the auspices of London Regional Transport; and if he will state the conditions under which such services now operate.

Local bus services in London other than those controlled by London Regional Transport are licensed by the metropolitan traffic commissioner under part II of the Transport Act 1985. Between October 1986 and March 1989, 101 licences for local services were granted together with 72 licences for excursions or tours. Conditions attached to licences vary according to the case, and are for the traffic commissioner to decide.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what records are maintained of accidents occurring on the public highway involving registered blind or visually handicapped persons; and if he will make a statement.

Our records of injury accidents occurring on the public highway do not include details of the disabilities of people involved. The Department works closely with local authorities and with organisations of blind and partially sighted people to improve facilities available to those who are visually handicapped so that they can go out with greater safety and confidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with the chairman of British Rail the withdrawal from auction, on 6 July, of sites on the Great Central line.

These are commercial matters for the British Rail property board and it would not be appropriate for Ministers to intervene.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with the chairman of British Rail the action he is taking to secure the route of the Great Central line as far as Rugby as a potential route for trains from the Channel tunnel.

Securing land which may be required for potential rail routes to the Channel tunnel is a matter for the proposers of the route.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any information on the terms and conditions set out by Pakistan that need to be met before Pakistan would sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Pakistan has stated on several occasions that it will accede to the non-proliferation treaty if and when India agrees to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will take steps to ensure that holders of Hong Kong British passports are given equal treatment with holders of full British passports in the matter of exit in emergency situations from the People's Republic of China; and if he will make a statement.

Our policy is to give Hong Kong people holding British nationality exactly the same treatment for consular purposes as any other British national. This approach was demonstrated by the help and advice given to Hong Kong people by the British embassy in Peking and the consulate general in Shanghai during recent weeks.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the manufacturing trade deficit in 1989.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the manufacturing trade deficit in 1989.

I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett) on 8 June at column 204.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the deficit in manufactured trade for 1989–90.

The Financial Statement and Budget Report for 1989–90 provides a forecast for trade in manufactures for calendar year 1989 only (table 3.5).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his best estimate of the trade deficit in 1989.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the trade deficit in 1989.

I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Lloyd) on 6 June at column 115.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make an announcement on the next composite rate investigation under section 483(5) of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988.

I have asked Inland Revenue to consult the savings institutions on arrangements for conducting a survey in respect of 1991–92.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to receive the report by Professor Sir Eric Stroud on the perinatal services in Wales.

I understand that the expert advisory group on perinatal intensive care services in Wales, under the chairmanship of Professor Sir Eric Stroud, is presently concluding its deliberations and expects to report shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will make a special allocation of cash to local education authorities in Wales to enable them to meet their legal obligations consequent upon the enactment of the Education Reform Act;(2) if he will make a special allocation of cash to local education authorities in Wales to enable them to meet their obligations concerning the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will make a special allocation of cash to local education authorities in Wales to enable them to meet their obligations concerning local management of schools; and if he will make a statement.

LEAs' expenditure requirements arising from the Education Reform Act are considered in the context of the revenue support grant negotiations. Specific additional support for aspects of ERA implementation is provided through education support grant and the LEA training grant scheme and through direct Welsh Office funding of the Curriculum Council for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will issue a direction to the Welsh Water Authority to prosecute all alleged industrial polluters of south Wales' rivers.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make it his policy that when prescriptions are supplied in a combination pack of two or more items which cannot be taken in isolation and therefore are supplied only to he taken together as one course of treatment, only one prescription charge should be levied on the patient.

Unless the patient is entitled to exemption a prescription charge is payable in respect of each quantity of a drug prescribed and the fact that, for convenience, two or more individual preparations may be supplied in one pack does not affect the liability for payment. It would be wrong to allow manufacturers packaging arrangements to determine the amount a patient is liable to pay.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many registered blind persons there are in Wales.

There were, in Wales, 8,564 people registered as blind on 31 March 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will publish a report on environmentally sensitive areas in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I am very pleased to say that the first report on ESAs in Wales has been published today. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Similar announcements are being made by my colleagues the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and by the Secretary of State for Scotland.The report explains the reasons for designating the Cambrian mountains and Lleyn peninsula ESAs and describes the way the schemes are operating. It sets out progress on implementation and outlines our plans to monitor the effects of the schemes.Progress with the scheme is very encouraging. Almost two-thirds of the holdings in the original Cambrian mountains ESA have applied to join the scheme. Fifty-four per cent. (13,931 ha) of the semi-natural rough grazing in that area is already subject to management agreements, and this proportion will increase when further applications are processed. I anticipate similar success in the Cambrian mountains extended area in due course. In little more than a year, 15,403 ha (38 per cent.) of the 39,700 ha of agricultural land in the Lleyn peninsula ESA has been the subject of applications to join the scheme. This progress is a sign of considerable interest in the scheme, and of the industry's commitment to farming in an environmentally conscious way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when Mrs. Phyllis Bateson was appointed as a member of the Northern Ireland Police Authority; whether her position as a member of the authority was a matter of consultation or discussion with the Government of the Republic of Ireland under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Agreement; and what was the proposed period of her membership of the authority.

[holding answer 19 June 1989]: For security reasons it is not our policy to disclose the names of members of the Northern Ireland Police Authority. Nor is it normal practice to disclose whether any views have been put forward on the composition of individual public bodies under article 6 of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his advice issued to local authority associations that access by community charge registration officers to the schools admissions register was not allowed because the register is under the control of school governors still applies; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. The advice on this subject issued in a letter from the Department to the local authority associations dated 2 May, repeated in a letter dated 17 May from my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member, remains valid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consideration has been given to the needs of archaeology and the conservation and protection of the British heritage in the development of the national curriculum.

My right hon. Friend announced on 13 January the establishment of a working group to make recommendations on attainment targets and programmes of study for history within the national curriculum in England and Wales. He asked the group to take into account, amongst other things, the cultural heritage of Britain; it will also consider links between history and related fields such as archaeology. The group's interim report is to be submitted to him by 30 June, and its final report by Christmas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many people are on employment training schemes whilst studying at college;(2) if he will list all employment schemes, other than educational training, which are based in the further education sector; how many students are on these schemes; and how they are funded.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment is responsible for administering and funding most training programmes. The information available for the number of students training in public further education colleges in England on 1 November 1987 (the latest year for which information is available), excluding YTS and TVEI, is as follows:

	Thousands
Industrial Type Training Course1	7
Adult Training Scheme2	13
Other Courses3	12
1 Industrial type training courses are courses at a college consisting entirely of training without a further education element, mounted at the behest of an industrial training board or employer, for which an economic charge is made.
2 Adult training scheme, includes students enrolled under the job training scheme, training for enterprise and wider opportunities training programmes.
3 Other courses include access to information technology and local grants to employers schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much each of the local authorities in England and Wales spend on discretionary awards as a total and as a percentage of their total budget; and what is the maximum and minimum awards given by them.

The table shows provisional outturn figures for the total amount spent on discretionary awards by each local education authority in England in 1987–88; and for the percentage this represents of their total net expenditure on education in each case where the latter figure is available. Policy for discretionary awards including the amount of support which should be given in each case is for each local authority to determine in the light of its own priorities and information about the value of individual awards is not collected centrally. Expenditure on education by local authorities in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Local education authority	Total expenditure on discretionary awards
	(i)	(ii)
	(£000's)	As per cent. of total net expenditure on education
Barking	163	0·26
Barnet	561	n.a.
Bexley	264	0·44

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much each of the local authorities in England and Wales spend on further education as a percentage of their total budget.

Information in the form requested is not available. According to returns made to the Department of the Environment by local education authorities in England the percentage of the total net expenditure on Education spent on maintained establishments of further education other than polytechnics in 1987–88, the latest year for which actual expenditure is available, was as given in the table. The figures include the expenditure incurred on higher education within the other maintained establishments. Nationally, this represented some 20 per cent. of the total.Figures for Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Net Expenditure on other Maintained Establishments of Further Education as a Percentage of Total Net Expenditure on Education
Local Education Authority	Percentage
Barking	7·9
Barnet	n/a
Bexley	7·7
Brent	10·8
Bromley	10·7
Croydon	10·8
Ealing	n/a
Enfield	9·4
Haringey	n/a
Harrow	21·8
Havering	7·6
Hillingdon	4·4
Hounslow	n/a
Kingston-upon-Thames	11·1
Merton	12·1
Newham	n/a
Redbridge	4·1
Richmond-upon-Thames	21·4
Sutton	8·8
Waltham Forest	8·6
ILEA	12·1

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much was spent in England and Wales on further education in each year from 1979 to 1989.

The information requested in respect of spending on further education, formerly non-advanced further education, in England, is set out in the table. The corresponding figures for Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Financial year	Cash (net) £ million
1979–80	546
1980–81	688
1981–82	790
1982–83	878
1983–84	931
1984–85	998
1985–86	979
1986–87	1,054
1987–88	1,148
11988–89	1,225
1 Provisional outturn spending.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on how many further education colleges in total and as a percentage of all further education colleges have (a) subsidised creche facilities for students, (b) free creche facilities for students, (c) no creche facilities for students, (d) subsidised meals for students, (e) sabbatical officers of student unions and (f) a student union office.

No information is held centrally on the number of further education institutions providing creche facilities, subsidised meals or a student union office. Although we have no record of the total number of sabbatical officers, the DES survey of student unions suggested that it is unusual for mainstream further education colleges to have sabbatical officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the number of YTS trainees based in further education colleges (a) in total at any one time, (b) five days a week for the duration of the academic year, (c) five days a week for a limited period, for example, one term, (d) two to three days a week for the duration of the academic year, (e) two to three days a week for a limited period and (f) one day a week on day release.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment is responsible for administering and funding YTS programmes. The information available for the number of trainees in public further education colleges in England on 1 November 1987 (the latest year for which information is available) is as follows:

	Thousands
Total	141
Trainees attending full-time for the duration of the course	42
Other trainees	99

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements have been made to wind up the University Grants Committee following the assumption from 1 April of full funding responsibilities by the Universities Funding Council.

The terms of office of the last members of the University Grants Committee expired on 31 March. To allow for the orderly winding-up of the UGC's affairs, the secretariat will continue to have an existence until 14 July 1989, exactly 70 years after the committee's inception. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the way members and officers of the committee have, over that long period, discharged their responsibilities to help steer our universities steadily through periods of great change.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are his latest estimates of the median weekly incomes, net and gross, of couples with (a) one child aged under five years, (b) single pensioners aged 75 years or over and (c) couples with one child under 16 years.

The information is set out as follows:

Median net and gross weekly incomes in 1986
	Net £	Gross £
Single pensioner aged 75 or over	59	60
Couples with (just) one child aged under five	171	209
Couples with (just) one child aged under 16	186	239

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what action is being taken to ensure that adjudication officers are aware of the relevant case law in relation to suspension of income support through claimant's misconduct or leaving without good cause;(2) what guidance he issues to his officials with regard to 26 weeks being the maximum figure for disqualification from income support on the grounds of misconduct or leaving without good cause, and not the standard figure.

Written guidance, which takes account of relevant case law, is given to adjudication officers by the chief adjudication officer in paragraphs 28901–28966 of the adjudication officers' guide. The adjudication officers' guide is published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. A copy is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average length of disqualification from income support for claimants who have lost their job through their misconduct, or leaving without good cause.

No one is disqualified from receiving income support because they have either lost a job through their misconduct or left it voluntarily without just cause. In such cases the claimant's personal level of income support is reduced—usually by 40 per cent. but by 20 per cent. if the claimant or a member of the family is seriously ill or pregnant and the family has less than £200 in savings. The average length of such reductions could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the rates bill estimates used to calculate the adjustments made in income support to cover claimants' 20 per cent. liability.

The calculations in April 1988 were based on details of rates paid by housing benefit recipients in 1986 uprated to estimated 1988–89 levels. Income support levels were further adjusted from April this year to include help towards the minimum 20 per cent. contribution to the community charge that recipients would be expected to pay. The amounts included continue to provide help towards the minimum contribution to domestic rates for people living in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average domestic rates bill in England and Wales for 1989–90 of people in receipt of income support.

I regret that this information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of claims for family credit were approved and resulted in payment of this allowance since 1 March; and what proportion of those claims resulted in payment of £2 per week or more.

A total of 58·9 per cent. of claims decided from 1 March 1989 to 16 June 1989 have been successful.Information about the proportion of these claims where the award was £2 a week or more is not available, but 97·6 per cent. of all families receiving family credit on 18 June were receiving £2 a week or more.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) if she will publish in the Official Report a copy of the letter she sent to a Pro-Life group about the Government's intention to allow a clause on the upper time limit for abortion to be added when the Warnock Bill is introduced;(2) what response she has given to the letter she was sent by a local anti-abortion group claiming that 12,000 abortion notification forms are returned each year with no medical condition recorded.

On the basis of the information in the questions I regret that I am not able to identify the correspondence mentioned.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will outline the arrangements made for the Cabinet Office to co-ordinate the consideration of European Economic Community directives; when the arrangement was established; what existing procedures within Government have been replaced; and if he will make a statement.

The Cabinet Office provides support to the Cabinet and its committees on European Community issues as it does in all other key areas of Government business. A European secretariat was established in 1973 within the Cabinet Office specifically to handle Community issues and under the direction of Ministers to co-ordinate the United Kingdom's approach to the Community. Its work includes ensuring that all Community developments of importance are examined in good time; that policy is co-ordinated between the relevant Departments; and that the processes required to facilitate parliamentary scrutiny of Community legislation are properly observed by Departments.

To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to her reply of 8 June, Official Report, column 368, if she will give details of the beneficial measures that Her Majesty's Government are taking in relation to the rain forests.

Details of the Overseas Development Administration's activities to protect rain forests are given in a supplement to the December 1988 issue of "British Overseas Development", copies of which are in the Library. More recent activities were described by my hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development on 23 May, at columns 932–936. Following a visit by a team of British experts my hon. Friend hopes to reach outline agreement on a package of environmental and forestry assistance when he visits Brazil in July. We are discussing the provision of technical co-operation in the forestry sector with the Indonesian Government and sent a mission on a successful visit last month.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the issue of the size of the net contributions made to the European Economic Community by the various member states; and if she will make a statement.

No. The review of the Community's finances concluded at the European Council in Brussels on 11–13 February 1988 confirmed the arrangements for abating the United Kingdom's contributions. The Fontainebleau mechanism remains totally intact; and it will last as long as the new own resources arrangements, reducing the United Kingdom's payments to the Community by over £1·3 billion in 1989–90.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, pursuant to his answer of 2 March, Official Report, column 314, to the hon. Member for Don Valley, he can now make an announcement as to which other hospitals in the Trent regional health authority are to be involved in the resource management initiative.

I announced on 20 March the names of 50 hospitals which have been chosen to prepare for resource management in the coming months.Those hospitals in the Trent regional health authority are listed as follows:

Hospital	District
Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital	North Derbyshire
Glenfield Hospital	Leicester
City Hospital	Nottingham
Royal Infirmary	Doncaster
Northern General Hospital	Sheffield
Children's Hospital	Sheffield

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there will be any implications for the doctor-patient relationship arising from the increased capitation element in the general practitioners' contract.

By increasing the proportion of GPs' income which comes from capitation payments, we will be encouraging greater competition in the family doctor service. This will ensure a better service for patients by giving GPs a greater incentive to provide the best possible range and quality of services geared to patients' needs. As a result, the relationship between doctor and patient will be improved.