To ask the Attorney-General what consideration the Lord Chancellor's Department is giving to the establishment of a conciliation service to assist the courts in matrimonial and custody cases.

The Lord Chancellor received the report of the conciliation project unit based at the university of Newcastle upon Tyne in March of this year. The report, and comments upon it, will be carefully evaluated and the role of conciliation considered as part of the Lord Chancellor's announced rolling programme of reform of family law and procedure.

To ask the Attorney-General what recent representations the Lord Chancellor has received on the subject of family courts.

My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor continues to receive correspondence regarding family courts both from hon. Members and from members of the public and interested organisations. Precise information on the number of representations is not readily available as much of the correspondence refers to family courts as one of a number of issues or as an ancillary matter to the main focus of the correspondence.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the longest and shortest time taken between the dispatch of an explanatory statement from the British embassy in Islamabad and arrival at the immigration appellate offices in London during the last year, to date; what is the longest and shortest time taken by the explanatory statements being sent from London and arrival in Leeds; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for dispatching explanatory statements from diplomatic posts overseas to the United Kingdom is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Explanatory statements from Islamabad are sent to the appellate authorities by diplomatic bag. During the last year to date the longest transit time for diplomatic mail between Islamabad and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was 11 days, the shortest two days. Mail received in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office addressed to the appellate authorities is forwarded by daily Government van service.Once received at the appellate authorities' headquarters in London, explanatory statements and the accompanying notices of appeal are checked, processed and where appropriate, dispatched to regional hearing centres. During the last year to date, it is estimated that explanatory statements have taken between three and 17 weeks to reach the hearing centre at Leeds.The delay in dispatching case papers to Leeds reflects the pressure on the appellate authorities caused by the increasing volume of work. The number of cases received in 1988 was 60 per cent. higher than in 1987, and there has been a further increase in the first five months of 1989. The appellate authorities have employed additional staff and overtime in an endeavour to minimise delays and the Lord Chancellor's Department continues to monitor the position.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received about delays in explanatory statements being dispatched from the post in Islamabad to the immigration appellate authorities in London and dispatch from London to Leeds; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for the despatch of explanatory statements from Islamabad to London rests with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The Lord Chancellor, who is responsible for the administration of the immigration appellate authorities, has received no specific representations about the length of time taken for explanatory statements to be processed in London and sent to Leeds, other than from the hon. Member himself.

To ask the Attorney-General what action he proposes to take in the light of the expressed intention of the Storehouse Group to open its shops for trading on Sundays in defiance of the provisions of the Shops Act 1950.

It is the duty of each local authority to enforce the Shops Act 1950 in its area. I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer that I gave him on 17 April 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to encourage environmentally friendly products as part of the Government's overseas development strategy.

We support research into a number of environmentally friendly products. For example, we fund the development of appropriate, energy-efficient technologies and of more precise application systems for pesticides. All programme managers in my Department are required to ensure the environmental soundness of projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the implications for overseas aid policy of the United Nations environmental convention initiative.

The Government have proposed a simple framework or umbrella convention setting out general principles for good practice in matters affecting the world's climate. The implications for our aid work would be to enhance the priority given in developing countries to programmes aimed at improving energy efficiency and at forestry. We are already using aid funds in these areas and are seeking to identify further projects which we might be able to support. It is too early to say how any specific protocol subsequently negotiated under the convention would affect aid policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the combined average gross national product given in overseas aid by all members of the European Community, except the United Kingdom, in the latest available year.

Figures are available only for those member countries of the European Community which are also members of the development assistance committee of the OECD. In any case, such figures are open to varying interpretations. The overall percentage of gross national product given in overseas aid by these seven countries, excluding the United Kingdom, was 0.53 per cent. in 1987 and is provisionally estimated at the same figure in 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications he has received for bursaries for students from the Republic of South Africa and Botswana to attend courses at British further education establishments for the academic year 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

The British Council, on our behalf, has received well over 2,200 applications for bursaries for the academic year 1989–90 for students from South Africa, and 100 applications for students from Botswana.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current level of expenditure on overseas students funded under the aid programme; and if he will make a statement.

Provision for the financial year 1989–90 is £94 million in support of more than 15,000 overseas students. In addition, a contribution of £5.8 million is being made available to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office scholarships and awards scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he expects to restore development aid to Vietnam in the light of Vietnam's withdrawal from Cambodia.

It is still too early to give a firm indication on development aid to Vietnam. We will consider this in the light of the actual withdrawal of troops from Cambodia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support he is providing for Guyana's economic reform programme.

Provided that the IMF programme remains viable, we shall be providing for the three years 1989 to 1991 (a) £13·7 million capital aid for the purchase of United Kingdom imports; (b) a $US8 million bridging loan to help Guyana pay its debt service arrears to the international financial institutions when they fall due in November; (c) a waiver of about £1 million a year of payments due on past United Kingdom aid loans; and (d) a technical co-operation programme costing about £1·5 million a year, aimed primarily at strengthening public sector management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of official assistance to central African countries is given in the form of medical supplies.

Information is not available in the precise form requested. In 1987, the latest year for which figures are available, 3 per cent. of the Overseas Development Administration's capital project aid to Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, taken together, was spent on the health sector. In the same year the proportion of British aid-financed personnel in those countries working in health was 14 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total bilateral aid in real terms given by the United Kingdom to sub-Saharan Africa in 1979 and in the latest year for which figures are available.

British bilateral aid to sub-Saharan Africa in constant 1988 prices was £410 million in 1979 and an estimated £400 million in 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) to which projects soft loans in the £50 million aid package to Indonesia announced on 14 June are to be applied;(2) what is the number of British companies and the types of products which will be supplied to Indonesia as part of the recently announced package of aid;(3) what is the number of British specialists who will be directly employed in Indonesia as part of the recently announced aid package;(4) whether the recently announced aid package to Indonesia will result in any greater preservation of the rain forest.

The £50 million aid package to Indonesia announced on 14 June is the second tranche of a £100 million soft loan facility signed with the Government of Indonesia in December 1988, and means that £185 million worth of soft loans are now available to fund projects in Indonesia. These funds are not allocated at the outset to specific projects, but likely candidates are the subject of feasibility studies and appraisals and then, if both Governments agree, are allocated funds. It is not, therefore, possible at this stage to say which projects will be allocated funds, how many British companies or specialists will benefit or what types of products will be supplied, but we will, of course, be seeking to maximise the benefits to British industry, as well as to Indonesia, of these funds. One of the leading candidates for funding is a forestry radio communications system project aimed at improving the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry's management and control of the rain forests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the amount of soft loans currently provided by the United Kingdom in the form of aid to Commonwealth countries.

In 1988 Commonwealth countries received £7,863,050 in the form of concessional loans qualifying as official development assistance. So far no soft loan agreements under the aid and trade provision have been concluded with Commonwealth countries, though several offers of soft loan assistance have been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the amount of soft loans currently provided by the United Kingdom in the form of aid to non-Commonwealth developing countries.

In 1988 non-Commonwealth developing countries received £4,833,155 from the United Kingdom in the form of concesional loans qualifying as official development assistance. In addition 12 soft loans worth in total £399 million have been concluded with six non-Commonwealth developing countries under the aid and trade provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent mission to Indonesia to discuss rain forest issues.

The recent forestry project identification mission made good progress in discussing with the Indonesian Government the provision of technical co-operation in the forestry sector. The mission recommends a four year co-ordinated programme of assistance with emphasis on improving the management (including natural regeneration) of the lowland rain forest of Indonesia. Senior Indonesian officials support the mission's findings in principle and when the latter have been formally approved, three project preparation missions will be mounted, probably in late 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance was provided to Tanzania for the purchase of vehicles.

During the financial year 1988–89, we provided nearly £7·5 million for vehicles from within the finance we made available to support the Tanzanian balance of payments. We also separately provided over £750,000 as emergency assistance for trucks for the cotton sector. In addition, we provided vehicles as part of our support to a number of development projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial aid has been given to Tanzania in 1989.

Gross British bilateral aid to Tanzania in 1988 is estimated at £33·5 million. This year we expect to maintain our programme at a substantial level.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation to forbid the sale of irradiated food in restaurants.

The sale of irradiated food in catering outlets presents different practical problems from sales in retail shops. I am in the process of examining the issues involved.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the procedures his Minister will go through up to the lifting of the ban on food irradiation and the timetable for these procedures; and if he will make a statement.

I have made clear that we need to obtain wider powers to enable us to provide for the control mechanism that we consider necessary for food irradiation. It will then be necessary to consult all the interested parties over the details of the control system and to introduce the necessary regulations to give effect to this. The timetable will depend on a number of factors, in particular the timing of the primary legislation.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he proposes to take any further action in the light of the Southwood report on bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 June 1989, c. 352]: The detailed plans in relation to the next stage of this vital study have now been drawn up, and implementation will start shortly. This will involve the purchase of 660 cattle, 330 offspring of animals affected with BSE and 330 control animals. They will be transported to and housed at the Ministry's experimental husbandry farms at Boxworth, Drayton and Gleadthorpe. The study will last up to seven years and will cost an estimated £4·7 million.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food further to his reply to the hon. Member for South Shields of 22 June, Official Report, column 251, if he is able to list the reasons for rejecting applications for farm diversification grant schemes in 1988.

The reasons for rejection of grant applications were as follows:

	Number
Able to carry out work without grant	45
Enterprises of works not eligible	44
Applicants not eligible	27
Receiving grant from other public funds	4
Planning consent refused	4
Not likely to be viable	3
Other miscellaneous reasons including work started before application	10

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his reply to the hon. Member for South Shields of 27 June, if he will list all the schemes introduced by his Ministry which help reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and if he will make a statement.

The measures include the designation of 19 environmentally sensitive areas since 1987; the introduction of the farm woodland scheme and the set-aside scheme in 1988; and the introduction, earlier this year, of a new farm and conservation grant scheme which offers grant inter alia for energy saving, effluent facilities and for the regeneration of native woodlands and heather moors. In addition, the policies adopted by the European Community in recent years to reduce surplus production of agricultural commodities will help to mitigate emissions.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of man hours in the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service devoted to environmental training for each year since 1980; and if he will make a statement.

Although records have not been kept in the precise form requested, it is estimated that from 1980 to the end of 1988 on average 4,780 man hours per year have been spent on ADAS environmental core training. In addition, a significant amount of environmental training is undertaken as an integral part of discipline training for new entrants and ADAS advisers.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of posts in the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service devoted to training for each year since 1980; and if he will make a statement.

Participation in training activities is an essential and integral feature of the professional development and responsibilities of all ADAS staff. No individual staff are allocated full-time to training duties but all officers responsible for managing other ADAS staff, or with appropriate professional skills, or experience have responsibility to monitor, arrange or provide training in appropriate subjects.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all the research projects directly aimed at (a) finding the causes of salmonella enteriditis, botulism and other similar infections such as salmonella typhimurium and (b) the treatment and or vaccination of poultry flocks.

Research on the causes of human infections is a matter for the Department of Health. My Department however funds the following work aimed at minimising the risk of infection through the food chain:

Predictive Modelling of the Growth of Pathogenic Microorganisms in Food Systems.

A co-ordinated programme of research into the growth and survival of microorganisms in real food systems. The development of a modelling database and expert system for eventual use by the food industry. The programme will initially concentrate on those food-related microorganisms that are of major public health significance: Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Clostridium botulinum, Listeria monocytogenes and other Salmonella and Clostridium species.

Other Research involving Salmonella enteriditis, Salmonella typhimurium, Clostridium botulinum.

Risk and Hazard Analysis in egg infections.

Thermal destruction of Salmonella enteriditis phase type 4 in the domestic cooking of food containing eggs.

Use of Non-radioctive DNA probes for the detection of pathogenic Bacteria in food.

Enzyme-linked immunological Biosensors for detection and identification of Pathogenic Bacteria in food.

Determination of Food Constituents and contaminants by ELISA.

Heat induced thermotolerance in food Poisoning organisms.

Survey of Bacteriological Quality of goats milk.

Lysozyme destruction of Gram negative organisms in Chicken and Red meat.

Bacteriological Hazards of large meat roasts in catering and long storage of chilled foods in catering.

Detection and quantification of microorganisms in foods by novel lectin-based assays.

An investigation into the use of biosorbants for the concentration, separation and detection of low levels of food contaminants with special reference to pathogenic microorganisms such as Salmonella.

Guidelines for Pasteurisation.

Develop and investigate novel methods to separate and concentrate microorganisms from food to enhance rapid microbiological methods.

Development of design nucleic acid probes for the rapid detection of food microorganisms.

Serological diagnosis of Salmonella enteritidis infection.

Plasmid profile analysis of S. enteriditis.

Development of a Salmonella enteritidis infection Vaccine to prevent Salmonella infections in chickens.

Salmonella Service: Bacteria typing, Surveillance and work under the Protein Processing Order.

Work being carried out under the Zoonosis Order and in collaboration with the Public Health Laboratory Service.

Factors Determining Intestinal colonization by Salmonella.

Investigating the basis of Virulence of the Salmonella genus.

Variation in virulence of Salmonellas, Host Responses to infection, Novel Vaccines and Strategies for Use.

Salmonellosis in Cattle—to determine the epidemiology in order that methods to minimize the spread of and effects of infection can be formulated and applied.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the specific arrangements for the monitoring of possible salmonella enteriditis or typhimurium, botulism and other infections in (a) animal feedingstuffs, (b) eggs and (c) poultry.

Monitoring for the presence of salmonella eneteriditis and typhimurium in animal feedingstuffs is already carried out on a voluntary basis by many manufacturers. The Government are shortly to introduce voluntary codes of practice which require the monitoring of animal feedingstuffs and raw materials used in their manufacture. Poultry laying flocks are subject to compulsory monitoring with similar provisions to be introduced shortly for breeding flocks and hatcheries. There is no requirement to monitor for botulism toxin because botulism toxin occurs in isolated pockets and would not readily be detected.As regards other infections, investigations are carried out by the state veterinary service at veterinary investigation centres on material submitted from private veterinary practices and other sources.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what regulatory provision exists concerning the minimum meat content of pies and other meat products; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether he will take steps to require food manufacturers to label meat pies and other meat products so that the percentage meat content is clear.

The Meat Products and Spreadable Fish Products Regulations 1984 already require most meat products to bear a clear declaration of their minimum meat content on the label. In addition, they contain minimum meat content requirements for a number of products including meat pies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the average class sizes in primary and secondary education in state and private schools, respectively, in the years 1979, 1984 and 1988.

Information on class sizes in independent schools is not collected centrally. The average class size in maintained primary and secondary schools in 1979, 1984 and 1988 were as follows:

	1979	1984	1988
Primary	25·9	24·7	25·4
Secondary	21·0	20·4	19·9

Classes relate to those taught by one teacher at a selected time on the day of the census count in January and do not necessarily represent the pattern of classes over the academic year as a whole.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what information the Government have on whether (a) the University Funding Council intends to continue its initiative to provide specific funds for the purchase of books for university libraries after 1989–90 and (b) it intends to extend the initiative to libraries at polytechnics and institutes of higher education;(2) whether the Government have monitored the effect on library acquisitions of the additional funding provided in 1987–88 for university library acquisitions.

It is for individual universities and polytechnics to decide their own priorities within the total

Applications and acceptances through the Universities Central Council on Admissions of home students from England and Wales who had attempted A levels.
Type of school	1983		1988
	Applications	Acceptances	Applications	Acceptances
Maintained sector
Grammar/technical	10,247	5,320	7,731	4,588
Sixth form college	12,279	5,997	11,910	6,403
Comprehensive	50,606	22,119	41,295	20,658
Other secondary and modern	758	286	310	120
Total maintained	73,890	33,722	61,246	31,769
Independent	23,365	12,814	23,519	14,217

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about the levels of funding for acquisitions in polytechnic and university libraries.

Representations have been received from the Publishers Association and the standing conference of national and university libraries, as well as from a number of hon. Members in the context of general higher education matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he intends to take within the new system of student finance to assist students to spend more on books.

It is for individual students to decide what priority to accord to particular items of expenditure within the resources at their disposal. Top-up loans will increase these resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money his Department expects to save through the withdrawal of funds for scientific research deemed near market; and how he intends to reallocate the money saved.

This Department funds basic and strategic research through the science budget. We have not withdrawn any funding in respect of near market research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to how many advanced level secondary school pupils from (a) local education authority maintained secondary schools and (b) private sector maintained secondary schools applied for a place at each university in the United Kingdom in 1979 and in 1988; and how many, from each sector, each university finally accepted.

Information on individual universities is not available. Available information for all United Kingdom universities is given in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what steps he is taking to improve the library provisions in universities and polytechnics;(2) when he last discussed the subject of adequate funding for libraries of universities and polytechnics with the Universities Grants Committee.

Decisions on the funding of university and polytechnic libraries are for the institutions themselves, in consultation as necessary with the relevant funding council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has had any recent representations about the loss of teachers and head-teachers from the profession because of (a) house prices and interest rates, (b) recent education reforms, (c) powers to school governors and (d) ability of schools to opt out.

My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations about the effect on teacher supply of house prices in the south-east. I am not aware of representations on loss of teachers and headteachers from the profession for the other reasons listed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress being made towards implementing the national curriculum and on whether teacher shortages are likely to delay its implementation in any area.

Implementation will start this autumn, when schools must begin teaching programmes of study in maths and science to 11-year-olds and in maths, science and English to five-year-olds. Pupils aged five to 14 must also study the foundation subjects for a reasonable time. We do not expect teacher shortages to delay implementation. My Department's action programme to combat teacher shortages is designed to help local authorities and schools to recruit the teachers they need.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress being made towards implementing local management schemes for schools and how such schemes can tackle teacher shortages.

Good progress is being made by local education authorities towards producing schemes of local management for submission to my right hon. Friend by 30 September. Approved schemes will be introduced from 1 April 1990. Local management will ensure the best possible match between schools' needs and the deployment of resources including the key resource of teachers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further steps he will be taking to encourage local education authorities to organise individual financial packages to solve difficulties encountered in recruiting high-calibre teachers and heads.

The interim advisory committee believes that teacher recruitment and retention measures should be flexible and precisely targeted, and that this is best achieved if they are designed locally. It recommended that authorities review their present policies to ensure that they are meeting the needs of their schools. My right hon. Friend has strongly endorsed this recommendation. Appropriate measures may include relocation and housing assistance and should embrace the flexible use of incentive allowances, an additional 27,500 of which will become available from September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to recruit Danish and other European national qualified teachers to fill teacher vacancies in the United Kingdom.

It is for local education authorities and schools, as the employer, to recruit teachers. On 21 December 1988 the Council of Ministers of the European Communities adopted a directive which will enable a range of professionals, including teachers, to have their professional qualifications recognised for the purpose of practise in member states other than their own. The directive must be implemented by 1991. My right hon. Friend proposes to make regulations according the benefits of the directive to members of the teaching profession qualified in other member states from September this year. This should assist LEAs in their recruitment of teachers from other member states. In addition, the Department has agreed to support a project to recruit and train teachers from France and West Germany, and is considering another in respect of German science teachers. Officials have put local authorities who have expressed an interest in touch with the Danish authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had in the past four months on teacher shortages region by region, subject by subject and from education authorities, headteachers or governors.

The information is not readily available in the form requested. My right hon. Friend has received in the past four months some 200 letters from local education authorities, headteachers, governors and parents about teacher shortages—including correspondence forwarded by hon. Members.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his best estimate of the number of children in maintained primary schools where the age of transfer is 11, 12 and 13 years, respectively.

In January 1988 the numbers of pupils in maintained schools of the following age ranges were as follows:

Age range of schools	Total pupils
5–11, 7–11, 8–11	2,589,690
5–12, 8,12	255,580
9–13, 10–13, 11–13	196,350

There were no primary schools in 1988 with a transfer age of 13: all the schools shown in the table with this age of transfer were middle or secondary.

To ask the Prime Minister when she last used (a) a scheduled British Rail train service and (b) any scheduled public transport service when travelling on official business.

February 1987. For reasons of practicality and security it is difficult for me to travel by rail on official business. I do so when a suitable opportunity arises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will ascertain from the Soviet authorities the cause of the delay in the appearance of new legislation on emigration promised by the Soviet Union for the last 18 months.

We are continuing to press the Soviet authorities over the urgent need for a new emigration law. We believe that this should establish clearly the principle that all Soviet citizens must be free to leave their country when they wish, and would thus —if properly implemented —provide a lasting solution to the refusenik problem.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has made complaining about the denial of human rights and the use of torture in the last five years in South Africa.

We make frequent representations to the South African Government, both bilaterally and with our European partners, to express our concern about human rights. More detailed information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has made complaining about the denial of human rights in the last five years in Saudi Arabia.

We have made no specific representations, but the Government of Saudi Arabia are aware of our view that all Governments should respect human rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has made complaining about the denial of human rights in the last five years in New Zealand.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has made complaining about the denial of human rights in the last five years in Chile.

We have made a number of representations about human rights to the Chilean authorities over the last five years. The precise information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has made complaining about the denial of human rights in the last five years in Austria.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has made complaining about the denial of human rights in the last five years in Belgium.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on recent allegations of torture in Fiji.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has made in the last five years complaining about the denial of human rights and the use of torture in Yugoslavia.

We have made a number of representations about human rights to the Yugoslav authorities over the last five years. The precise information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has made in the last five years complaining about the denial of human rights and the use of torture in Paraguay.

We have made a number of representations about human rights to the Paraguayan authorities over the last five years. The precise information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has made in the last five years complaining about the denial of human rights and the use of torture in India.

None. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 23 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what he is doing to speed up the dispatch and processing by his Department of explanatory statements prepared by the post in Islamabad and by the appellate authorities within the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I have given to his similar question today. Explanatory statements are sent to the appellate authorities by diplomatic bag and this arrangement will continue.Responsibility for the independent appellate authority (IAA) rests with the Lord Chancellor. I understand that in 1988 the volume of cases received by the IAA increased by 60 per cent. compared with 1987 and that the volume has risen further this year. In order to cope with that considerable and unexpected rise in workload the IAA has recruited an additional four staff in the last six months. Overtime is being worked and other measures are being taken to help improve efficiency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what he is doing to speed up the processing by the post in Islamabad of explanatory statements prepared by the Home Office; and if he will make a statement.

In recent months staffing levels of the immigration section of the British embassy in Islamabad have been increased. On average, explanatory statements are now prepared and forwarded to the appellate authorities within four to six weeks of receipt of an appeal. Individual cases may take longer depending on what further inquiries the entry clearance officer needs to make in the light of the grounds for appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mrs. Anwar Sultana, whose date of birth is 9 May 1957, and whose reference is IMM/92028, first applied to the post in Islamabad to enter the United Kingdom; and when a decision is to be taken on her application.

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 Wales how much money was provided by his Department for research into the links between pollution and human health (i) each year from 1979–89 and (ii) in the current financial year.

The Department has funded or contributed toward the costs of, a number of research projects concerned with the effects of pollution. Details of the major studies supported during the period in question are contained in the reports entitled "Research Wales" which are published annually by the Welsh Office. Copies of these reports are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much of his Department's budget is devoted to research purposes; how much is given in grants for research; and what proportion of each figure has been devoted to near market research (a) in the current financial year and (b) in each of the last three financial years.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to Tables 14a and 14b of the "Annual Review of Government Funded Research and Development 1988", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. None of my Department's budget is devoted to near market research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the research grants given for near market research for which his Department is directly or indirectly responsible in the current financial year and each of the last two financial years.

I have not made any such grants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Mrs. Taylor) of 14 June, Official Report, column 416, he will list the number of people affected and the main population centres supplied with water from supplies subject to European Community derogations; and when he now expects the need for derogations will be removed.

Supplies subject to derogations are mainly in rural areas with most of the supply areas affected being situated in Gwynedd, north Dyfed and south Powys. Information concerning the numbers of people affected is not available. The need for most of the derogations should be removed by 1990 and all by 1995 at the latest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he proposes to permit a management buy-out of the Welsh development Agency's sub-regional west Wales organisation; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he has received proposals for management buy-outs from the board of the Welsh Development Agency; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will meet the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency and indicate to him that he should forbid senior managers of the agency from working on buy-out proposals; and if he will make a statement;(4) if, when he next meets the board of the Welsh Development Agency, he will instruct the board to cease the consideration of buy-out plans by senior managers and to improve the board's capacity to attract inward investment and to build advance factories in Wales.(5) what is his policy concerning management buy-outs and the Welsh Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

I have received no proposal for management buy-outs from the board of the Welsh Development Agency, though I encourage the agency to be alert to any prospect for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of its activities through greater private sector involvement in the full range of its activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will institute an investigation and publish a report into proposals by the Welsh Development Agency's west Wales regional director and the west Wales senior investment executive to buy out the west Wales region and if he will make a statement.

No. This is a matter for the Welsh Development Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of employees and the value of, or the rent of the premises of the west Wales Welsh Development Agency.

There are 17 full-time employees in the Welsh Development Agency's west Wales region. As at 31 March 1989 the value of premises administered by the region was £5·1 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the Welsh Development Agency research, secretarial and technical facilities were used by the Welsh Development Agency employees to facilitate studies and proposals concerning management buy-out proposals; and if he will make a statement.

As far as the Welsh Development Agency is aware, none of its research, secretarial or technical facilities was drawn on to formulate the proposals made for the west Wales region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the senior management of the Welsh Development Agency's west Wales region first proposed to the Welsh Development Agency's chairman that there should be a management buy-out; and if he will make a statement.

I understand from the WDA that this particular proposal was first mentioned within the agency in October 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are (a) the current, (b) the 1987, and (c) the 1988 budgets of the west Wales Welsh Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

These are matters for the agency, but it informs me that the expenditure budgets directly under the control of the west Wales regional office amounted to a total of £1·4 million in 1987–88 and £1·7 million in 1988–89. In the current year they will amount to £1·5 million. The figures are not, however, directly comparable due to a reorganisation of the agency's regions in July 1988. The figures also omit a number of items of major expenditure including new factory building which are controlled and accounted for by central departments of the agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) when he last met the west Wales Welsh Development Agency's senior investment director;(2) when he last met the west Wales Welsh Development Agency regional director; and if he discussed management buy-outs.

I am not aware that I have met these officials of the Welsh Development Agency and have certainly not discussed management buy-outs with them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action is being taken to relieve the current congestion which is occurring on West Link in Belfast in the light of the construction of the new cross-harbour bridges.

Proposals for the improvement of West Link are included as part of the highway measures in the Belfast urban area plan. The recommendations of the inspector following the public inquiry are awaited.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are his intentions regarding the improvement of the road from the M1 motorway at Dungannon to Omagh, Strabane and Londonderry; and what is the accident rate on (i) the present road and (ii) as an average for the Province.

Proposals for the improvement of the road from the M1 motorway at Dungannon to Omagh, Strabane and Londonderry are currently under consideration. Stage I of the Omagh through pass is currently under constructon and stage I of the Strabane bypass will commence very soon.The three year average of accidents/million vehicle kilometres on this stretch of road is 0·48. There is no national average for the Province. The United Kingdom national average is 0·35.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consideration is being given to the construction of lengths of dual carriageway or climbing lanes on arterial routes and roads to ports supporting heavy lorry traffic; and when essential schemes already commenced in stages will be completed.

The roads system in Northern Ireland is constantly under review and capital improvements are dictated by capacity demand. Each proposed scheme is subjected to a strict cost-benefit analysis which determines its priority within the roads capital works programme. Arterial routes and roads to ports are fully catered for within that programme.Essential schemes already commenced in stages are planned for completion as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from how many people deductions were made under the Payments for Debt (Emergency Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 in each of the years from 1979 to 1989 inclusive.

[holding answer 20 June 1989]: The number of people from whom deductions have been made is not available, but the number of debt cases, recorded by the four main creditor bodies, in respect of which deductions were made in 1988–89 under the Payments for Debt (Emergency Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 was 16,479. Directly equivalent information for the earlier years is not available, but I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 25 October 1988, Official Report at column 137.With effect from April 1988, the major proportion of deductions from benefits against arrears of rent, rates, electricity and gas charges have been made under the provisions of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, and the 1988–89 figure given already referred to excludes deductions under these regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what percentage of cases dealt with by magistrates courts, judgment or sentence is deferred from the original hearing; and what proposals he has to shorten the length of time between arrest and the conclusion of a case and to cut the number of appearances of individual defendants in respect of a single charge.

In 1988 it is estimated that 76 per cent. of cases were adjourned one or more times. Measures to reduce delays include the establishment of a scrutiny of the magistrates courts service and of a committee to review the procedure of the magistrates courts; the introduction on an experimental basis of power for courts to remand defendants in custody in certain circumstances for up to 28 days at a time; the development of the magistrates courts management information system; and the progressive introduction of statutory time limits which govern the period during which an accused may be held in custody awaiting committal or trial.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints his Department has received about anomalies in the application of the concessionary television licence scheme since the rules change in May 1988; and if he will give details.

Since the change in the regulations in May 1988, we have received visits from five hon. Members and 202 letters, 98 of them from hon. Members, about aspects of the concessionary TV licensing scheme. The nature of each complaint is not separately recorded, but the main points raised were whether the scheme should be extended to ordinary housing, the treatment of new residents of schemes which no longer qualified and whether the circumstances of individual housing schemes fitted the new regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will inquire into the reasons why Miss S. A. Lawrence of 68 Sutton road, Southend whose date of birth is 1 February 1952, and who applied to his office in Croydon on 27 December 1987, and forwarded a cheque for £170, has had no notification since that time apart from an immediate acknowledgement; and if he will make a statement.

The Home Office received some 300,000 citizenship applications in the course of 1987, mostly in connection with the ending of certain registration rights under the British Nationality Act 1981. This led to delays in completing naturalisation that are currently around 22 months. Miss Lawrence applied for naturalisation in December 1987. Her application will reach its turn for consideration within the next few months. I am not aware of any reason for giving it priority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish the results of the scrutiny of the working of section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 which was undertaken by his Department.

The report of the scrutiny of section 11 grant is being published today, and a copy has been placed in the Library.The Government welcome the report's thorough analysis of the way in which the system has operated. The report shows that there is still a need for special provision to help break down barriers which prevent people from the ethnic minorities from using fully their opportunities for educational, economic and social development.We are considering further what changes need to be made to improve the effectiveness of help provided to ethnic minority communities by services funded under section 11 grant. Such services are one important means of enabling men and women from Britain's ethnic minorities to play a growing and confident part in the mainstream of our national life.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report in tabular form the results of the Home Office survey conducted in December 1987 into the extent of old and sub-standard police stations in the Metropolitan police area giving the names and locations of stations which are (a) first class, (b) second class, (c) vulnerable and (d) irrecoverable.

[holding answer 29 June 1989]: The Home Office survey focused on the extent of old and sub-standard police stations in England and Wales. Questionnaries were issued to the Metropolitan police only in respect of police stations which were in categories C and D. The total number of stations and the number in each category, have changed since 1987. The position is summarised as follows:

	Numbers
A first class	27
B second class	64
C vulnerable	58
D irrecoverable	37
Total	186

The details of the gradings of stations are as follows:

Grades of metropolitan police stations
Name	Grade updated
Acton	A
Addington	A
Barnes	A
Barnet	A
Brixton	A
Canon Row	A
Chigwell	A
Chingford	A
Chiswick	A
Croydon	A
East Dulwich	A
Epsom	A