To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what negotiations or discussions his Department had with third parties about the affairs of Selective Investment Brokers Ltd., between January 1985 and June 1986.

[holding answer 5 July 1989]: None. The company was mentioned in the context of investigations into Wessex Trust conducted by the Wiltshire police at the request of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the course of which assistance was provided by my Department.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what action he has taken to persuade European companies to locate in the United Kingdom in the light of the opening of the Channel tunnel and the advent of the single market in 1992;(2) what advice he has given to European companies on the advantages of the Channel tunnel in attracting investment in the United Kingdom from Europe.

[holding answer 11 July 1989]: The DTI's Invest in Britain Bureau organises a number of commercially sponsored seminars in Europe each year aimed at attracting investment into the United Kingdom generally and highlighting the benefits of the assisted areas.In promoting the United Kingdom as the "Preferred Location" it draws on a wide range of selling points which include its competitive wage rates, low social on-costs, low corporate taxation, skilled work force, membership of the Community, the impending completion of the single European market, the already good connections to the mainland, particularly from the east coast ports and the enhanced physical communications that will be brought about by the completion of the Channel tunnel.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on the supply of opium derivatives is to be published; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 April 1989, c. 254–260]: As recommended by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, we shall work towards the creation of a single EC market in opium derivatives. We envisage the development of reciprocal arrangements among EC countries for both promoting and supervising trade between them in these and other narcotic drugs, taking account of production within the Community and imports from elsewhere.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement outlining the powers of the European Economic Commission in relation to investment proposals for shipyards, with particular reference to proposals to re-open shipyards.

If shipbuilding were to resume at North East Shipbuilders Ltd. without their agreement, the Commission would be in a position to take infraction proceedings against the United Kingdom under article 85 of the treaty of Rome. The Commission could also open a procedure under article 93(2) of the treaty of Rome into all matters notified last December. As a result of such a procedure the Commission could require state aid that they decided was outwith the terms of the sixth directive on aid to shipbuilding to be repaid.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government concerning companies seeking to re-open shipyards owned by British Shipbuilders without intervention assistance, being required to submit proposals.

I refer my hon. Friend to my statement today.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has consulted the European Economic Community Commission on proposals ro reopen shipyards when the purchasers were not seeking any intervention assistance; and if he will make a statement.

In December 1988 the Government notified their intention to close North East Shipbuilders Limited as part of a package covering all aspects of support for the corporation under the sixth directive on aid to shipbuilding with the exception of the terms for the disposal of Govan which had already been cleared. The Commission took the closure into account in deciding not to raise objection to the extensive assistance that British Shipbuilders had required and to the manner in which the Government proposed to deal with this. Any proposal for a return to shipbuilding at North East Shipbuilders Limited would give the Commission grounds for re-opening all the matters cleared last December. In these circumstances we could only proceed sensibly on the basis of consulting the Commission about possible proposals.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service whether there has been any progress made in efforts in the Civil Service to produce documents in plain English and to reduce redundancy of forms and their contents.

Since the Government's forms initiative began in 1982, Departments have made good progress in producing forms and leaflets which are easier to understand and simpler to complete. A review of the forms that the Government send to business has recently been carried out by my office. This makes recommendations to reduce the numbers of forms sent out, and to make those that remain clearer and easier to complete. Copies of the review report have been placed in the Libraries of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what progress has been made on achieving equality of opportunity within the Civil Service for women and those from the ethnic minorities.

We are making good progress in this area. My Department will, next week, publish a report on progress achieved in implementing the programme of action to increase equality of opportunity for women in the Civil Service. This shows that opportunities for combining a family and a career are improving, and that we are seeing more women in middle and top management jobs. As I told the House on 22 May, a similar programme of action to increase equality of opportunity for ethnic minority staff and applicants is currently being drawn up in consultation with departments.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many branches of the Civil Service now have agency status; and in which Departments.

[holding answer 11 July 1989]: A total of eight Government activities have been set up as executive agencies. These are:

Agency	Department
Vehicle inspectorate	Department of Transport
Companies House	Department of Trade and Industry
HMSO
National weights and measures laboratory	Department of Trade and Industry
Warren Spring laboratory	Department of Trade and Industry
Resettlement agency	Department of Social Security
Civil Service College	Office of the Minister for the Civil Service
QEII conference centre	Property Services Agency

I shall be making a full progress report to the House shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any plans to privatise the Bank of England; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have no plans to privatise the Bank of England.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether changes are planned in the occupational pension arrangements for part-time staff working in the Civil Service.

New, more flexible pension arrangements for part-time staff, most of whom are women, are to be introduced from 1 January 1990. They will provide greater opportunity for part-time staff to earn pension benefits. The new arrangements complement the alternative working patterns initiative, and will help the Civil Service to tap into sources of skilled and experienced staff who may hitherto have been deterred by the traditional working pattern. The changes will also enable useful simplification of administrative procedures to be made.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about the arrangements for making advances of salary available to civil servants who have to move their homes as a result of being transferred in the public interest to a new place of work.

A civil servant who has to move home on transfer in the public interest to a new place of work may be eligible for an advance of salary. Under the current arrangements an advance may be made if the net proceeds of the sale of the existing property, if any, and the maximum mortgage available from commercial sources are not sufficient to cover the cost of a suitable property at the new station. The current maximum advance payable within upper and lower limits is six months' pay. The limits were last revised in 1981. The upper limit is £9,500 with a further £1,000 for transfers into London.The arrangements have recently been reviewed in the light of changes in the property market and in salaries since 1981. The intention is to allow departments more flexibility in making advances on transfer. It will no longer be an essential requirement, for example, that the individual should first obtain the maximum commercial mortgage. It is also proposed that the maximum advance should be six months' pay, as previously, but that the limits expressed in cash terms should be abolished.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recommendations have been made by the inter-departmental committee set up to consider whether Departments should enjoy a share of benefits accruing from rationalisation schemes and disposals of property declared surplus.

I have been asked to reply.At present, receipts from the disposal of Government civil property are in general accounted for by the PSA and accrue to the Exchequer. From 1 April 1990, responsibility for the existing civil estate will be divided between individual Departments and the PSA, as announced in the statement of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 25 May 1988,

To ask the Attorney-General what reasons have been given to the serious fraud squad by the Egyptian authorities for their refusal to provide papers relating to Mr. Fayed; and if he will make a statement.

Investigations into allegations that criminal offences have been committed by Mr. Fayed are continuing. It would not be appropriate for me to provide more specific information.

Civilian Employment (figures in thousands)
	1982	1987	Change	Percentage Change
United Kingdom1	23,584	25,060	+1,476	+6·3
Rest of EC	97,569	98,920	+1,351	+1·4
1 Over the five-year period 1983 to 1988 the rise was 111 per cent, for the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage reduction in employment in the manufacturing industry sector in the north-west from 1979 to 1988.

Between June 1979 and June 1988 the number of employees in employment in the manufacturing industry sector in the North West region fell by 36 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been unemployed for 12 months or more in the constituencies of (a) Burnley, (b) Pendle, (c) Hyndburn, (d) Rossendale and (e) Darwen.

The information is available from the Library. The following table shows for each parliamentary constituency requested, the number of unemployed claimants who had been unemployed for 12 months or more in April 1989, the latest available date.

Long-Term Unemployed Claimants—April 1989
Parliamentary constituency	Unemployed over 12 months
Burnley	1,188
Pendle	714
Hyndburn	650
Rossendale and Darwen	532

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration he has given to amending industrial relations law to deal with unofficial industrial action taken by those providing vital public services.

To ask the Attorney-General, how many prosecutions there have been under the Malicious Communications Act 1988; and what was their outcome.

I regret that such information is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been created in the last five years in the United Kingdom and in the European Community as a whole.

Employment estimates are not yet available for many EC countries after 1987. The table shows the data requested for the five-year period from 1982 to 1987.

Recent industrial action in certain public sector services has been irresponsible and unnecessary. The Government are considering what needs to be done to protect the public interest, and we shall not hesitate to come forward with appropriate proposals for legislation if that proves necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what advice he has received from the EEC Commission about the numbers and scope of directives which it intends to propose under the social charter; and if he will make a statement.

The European Commission have put forward a preliminary draft proposal for a Community charter of fundamental social rights, which they suggest should be adopted by a solemn declaration of all 12 heads of state and Government. The Commission's preliminary draft of the proposal includes an invitation to the Commission to draw up a programme of work by June 1990. No details of such a programme have been received from the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current estimated number of trade union safety representatives as defined by the 1977 Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations under the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act; and what was the number in 1978.

The health and Safety Executive does not keep records of the number of trade union safety representatives, but the Trades Union Congress currently estimates the numbers to be between 90,000 and 100,000.My right hon Friend has no reason to believe that this number has changed significantly since 1978.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps is he taking to deal with the increase in accidents in construction, agriculture and forestry.

The Health and Safety Commission's plan of work for 1989–90 and beyond approved in April by my right hon. Friend contains a number of extra measures designed to stimulate improvements in the health and safety performance of the construction, agricultural and associated industries. For construction these include reaching a target of 100 inspectors engaged on inspection in 1990, targeting inspections on the more hazardous activities and on the quality of site management, preparing new regulations to improve the management of health and safety on construction sites. Similarly for agriculture these include allocating additional resources to the agricultural inspectorate to be targeted primarily on high risk premises, certification of agricultural pesticide users under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986, and new guidance on obligations under these and related regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any further plans to tackle the problems of under-reporting of accidents to the Health and Safety Executive.

One and a half million copies of HSE's leaflet "Report that accident" have been distributed since 1987. The recent construction blitz campaign reminded small contractors of their reporting obligations. Also, in May and June 1988 an advertising campaign was directed specifically at under-reporting in the footwear and clothing industries and the timber and wooded furniture industries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment following his announcement about the future of tourism, which bodies will deal with strategic marketing and marketing policy.

The British Tourist Authority, the national and English regional tourist boards will carry out these functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how his announcement of his tourism review will affect the distribution of marketing functions between the British Tourist Authority and the national tourist boards.

There will be no change in the distribution of marketing functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now place in the Library a full copy of the tourism review carried out by his officials and PA Consulting Group.

No. The report was an internal document which provided a basis for the decisions which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced last week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which of the operations of the British Tourist Authority he envisages as being suitable for movement into the private sector.

A range of activities will be considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the top 20 tourist attractions in the South-West in numbers visiting or attending; and if he will indicate the numbers, in each instance, for the previous comparable year.

The English tourist board's annual survey of visits to attractions gives the following figures for the West Country regional tourist board area in 1987 and 1988.

	Number of visits
	1987	1988
Roman baths and pump room, Bath	873,414	954,142
English Riviera centre, Torquay	275,000	645,000
Stonehenge	617,295	640,416
Buckfast abbey	n.a.	574,389
Bristol zoo	575,000	571,679
Dartington cider press centre	480,000	561,000
Babbacombe model village	490,000	495,000
Paignton pier	n.a.	465,000
Cheddar caves	n.a.	400,000
Wells cathedral	400,000	360,000
Paignton zoo	343,229	351,398
Exeter cathedral	300,000	347,484
Wookey Hole caves	304,690	332,824
Clovelly village	312,000	327,000
Cricket St. Thomas wildlife park	308,990	303,826
Bristol City museum and art gallery	252,504	280,850
Arnolfini gallery, Bristol	400,000	280,590
National shire horse centre	250,000	275,000
Devonshire's centre	200,000	264,500
Sea life centre, Weymouth	n.a.	250,000
Truro cathedral	250,000	250,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what allocation the United Kingdom has been awarded by the European social fund for 1989; and how much had been allocated to each region.

The Commission of the European Communities has confirmed that for 1989 the United Kingdom has been allocated £418 million towards employment and training schemes from the European social fund. This represents 18–14 per cent. of the fund's budget and means that the United Kingdom is once again receiving more than any other Community member state.The regional breakdown is as follows:

	£
The North	22,125,684
Yorkshire and Humberside	20,755,226
East midlands	6,599,478
West midlands	21,444,259
East Anglia	418,785
South East	18,083,103
South West	2,535,074
North West	33,362,018
Scotland	31,083,672
Wales	18,929,242

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what decisions have been reached on the future of the Co-operative Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

The ceiling of financial provision available to support the CDA under current legislation will be reached in 1990–91, and we have been considering whether there is a case for any further support.The CDA itself considered the issue and proposed that it should become a body mainly devoted to the promotion of employee share ownership, particularly employee share ownership plans. It proposed that its existing role in providing a central forum for co-operative development should be drawn from and financed by those using it, and that much of its work to promote co-operative development could now be carried out by other organisations.The Government are firmly in favour of measures to extend the financial participation of employees in their employing organisations but we see no need for public support for another body to promote ESOPs, when there are a number of private organisations interested and active in this field. The Government did, however, agree with the CDA's view that its original remit could now be carried out by other organisations. We therefore consulted relevant organisations in the co-operative movement seeking their comments on a proposal to wind up the CDA by the time its current grant ceiling is reached.Fourteen organisations commented. A number were opposed to closure, largely on the grounds that the CDA should continue to provide a central focus for co-operative development; others pointed to the overlap between the CDA's work and their own. Careful consideration of all the comments made has confirmed our view that the work of the CDA has now reached the stage where it can be carried on by the well-established network of local agencies and other business support bodies, including the new training and enterprise councils which will include co-operatives as well as other forms of business in their plans for enterprise support. We do not consider that co-operative organisations need a Government-sponsored body to co-ordinate or represent them or to take on new functions.Our decision is therefore that the agency's life should not be extended when current funding runs out. We

	Col 1	Col. 2	Col. 3
	Annual percentage. Increase in Hospital and Community Health Services pay and prices (England)	Welsh DHA Revenue Allocations: Inflation Assumptions2	Annual percentage. Increase in GDP (Wales)3
1978–79	9·6	9·04	12·1
1979–80	20·5	7·94	14·8
1980–81	28·0	24·84	13·2

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to introduce legislation to curb unofficial strikes; and if he will make a statement.

Recent industrial action in certain public sector services has been irresponsible and unnecessary. The Government is considering what needs to be done to protect the public interest, and will not hesitate to come forward with appropriate proposals for legislation if that proves necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what inflation assumptions were built into Welsh health authority budget allocations for the fiscal year 1989–90 and plans for fiscal year 1990–91 and 1991–92;(2) what was

The information requested cannot be provided exactly in the form asked for. The table shows in column 1 the percentage increase in hospital and community health services pay and prices; the figures are based on English data as no information is collected in Wales. The second column shows the provision for inflation made in district health authorities' initial revenue allocations each year. Because the figures relate to allocations made at the beginning of each year, they do not take account of any supplementary funding made available in year to meet the excess costs of pay awards (mainly for review bodies staff) over and above the initial inflation allowance. They are not therefore comparable with the figures in column 1. Each health authority makes its own plans for inflation in setting its budget for the year ahead; however, these details are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consequences are envisaged for the Wales Tourist Board as the result of the announcements contained in the reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley, (Mr. Bevan) by the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield, (Mr. Fowler) on 6 July, Official Report, column 278; and if he will make a statement.

No direct consequences are envisaged for the Wales tourist board. The more effective arrangements for promoting Britain overseas will provide the board, working with the industry, with the opportunity to increase visitor numbers to Wales in collaboration with the British Tourist Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will allocate extra funds to Clwyd local education authority to enable the authority to supply an extra mobile classroom at Mountain Lane school; and if he will make a statement.

No. Clwyd local education authority must decide their priorities for the use of the capital resources available to them. Capital provision for education in Wales was increased by 11 per cent. in 1989–90.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales why there was a delay of a month in notification to Welsh local authorities of changes in the amount of mandatory repairs grant from 75 per cent. to 20 per cent. for landlords under sections 130 and 131 of the Housing Act 1988.

My officials wrote to Welsh Local authorities notifying them of the statutory instrument and that an explanatory circular was in preparation as soon as was practicable after the House approved the draft order. The letter issued on 10 January and the order came into effect on 19 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will pay an official visit to the beaches along the Welsh side of the Bristol channel to observe the degree of pollution apparent both on the beach and in the sea.

Monitoring of bathing waters is the responsibility of the appropriate water authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what preparations he is making to restore Government-to-Government aid in Cambodia in the light of the anticipated Vietnamese withdrawal.

We keep our policy on aid to Cambodia under regular review. Decisions cannot be taken before Vietnam ends it illegal occupation and an acceptable political settlement is in place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will next meet his ministerial colleagues of the European Community to discuss overseas development policy and the level of overseas assistance.

At the next Development Council of Ministers in November, when I expect to discuss a wide range of Community development policy questions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the extra aid given to the People's Democratic Republic of the Yemen as a result of the floods earlier in 1989.

We gave relief assistance totalling £179,000 in response to this emergency. This aid took the form of tents, blankets, foodstuffs, water purification tablets and vehicles.

To ask the secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the running cost limit for the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Department.

The running cost limit for 1989–90 for the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments is being set at £543·03 million. Further details of provision for individual Departments are set out in the appropriate Estimates volumes.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will list the numbers of statutory instruments issued by each Government Department in each of the last five years indicating how many were subject to affirmative procedure and how many to negative procedure.

The information is not held centrally in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings his Department's representatives has had with (a) the Government of Kampuchea, (b) the Government of Vietnam, (c) the Khmer Rouge and (d) Prince Sihanouk.

We have no dealings with the so-called Government of Kampuchea or with the Khmer Rouge. We have regular contact with the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam through our respective embassies. My noble Friend the Minister of State, Lord Glenarthur, paid the first ever visit by a British Minister to the SRV. from 9 to 14 April 1989. Most recently, the Vietnamese Foreign Minister called on my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State and my noble Friend the Minister of State on 28 June 1989. We have regular meetings with Prince Sihanouk and his representatives. The Prince saw my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. and learned Friend he Secretary of State during his visit to London in October 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will be the United Kingdom's representatives at the Paris conference on the future of Cambodia.

The composition of the United Kingdom delegation to the international conference on Cambodia in Paris, to which formal invitations have yet to be issued, has not yet been decided. But we expect to be invited and to play an active part.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government's plan to respond to the proposal made by the Soviet Union on 24 June that a global moratorium be implemented on the testing of nuclear weapons.

No. The Soviet proposal is not a new one. A moratorium would not be compatible with our policy on the testing of nuclear weapons which was set out by the then Minister of State, my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Mellor), in answer to a question on 27 June 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will state the number of times Ministers have had discussions about the Cyprus problem with President Vassiliou and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr. Raul Denktash, respectively, since the last presidential elections in Cyprus.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has discussed the Cyprus problem with President Vassiliou on five occasions since his election in February 1988. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs was present at two of those meetings and has also met Mr. Vassiliou separately on three other occasions. I attended one of those meetings and have also met the President twice separately. For reasons that are well known to the House, Mr. Denktash has not been received by Ministers during that period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans exist to ensure the safe disposal of both chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant material and chlorofluorocarbon II in the foam in refrigeration and air-cooling equipment under the control of his Department.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given today by the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey, South-West (Mrs. Bottomley).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what finance has been made available to the Hong Kong authorities for the care and settlement of Vietnamese boat people over each of the last five years.

The following funds have been made available to the Hong Kong Government for the care of the Vietnamese boat people from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR)'s general programme:

	US$ million
1985	4·3
1986	4·8
1987	4·5
1988	9·2
1989 (to date)	7·0

In addition to our regular contributions to the UNHCR's general programme, we have also contributed the following funds to UNHCR for specific Hong Kong purposes:

	£ million
1988	1·1
1989	7·1

We have also pledged this year £4.5 million directly to the Hong Kong Government for emergency accommodation, and £5 million towards the cost of a planned refugee processing centre in the Philippines which would accommodate Vietnamese refugees now in Hong Kong.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the present permanent population of the Falkland Islands; and what were the figures for the last five years.

At the last census held on 16 November 1986, the population of the Falkland Islands was 1,916. At the 1980 census, the population was 1,813. No other figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people formerly resident in Hong Kong and all associated territories and holding British passports have been accepted for permanent settlement into the United Kingdom in each year since 1979.

I have been asked to reply:The numbers of British dependent territory citizens from Hong Kong accepted for settlement in the United Kingdom in the years 1979–88 are published in table 22 of the 1987 and 1988 editions of the annual Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom" (Cm. 415 and Cm. 726), copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last had a meeting with the chief inspector of Her Majesty's pollution inspectorate to discuss the future programme for the existing radioactive and toxic wastes arising from the defence programme.

My right hon. Friend has had no recent meeting with the director of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution or his chief inspectors, but officials are in frequent contact with staff of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, in addition to their attendance at periodic inter departmental official meetings chaired by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any Ministry of Defence site has ever violated environmental regulations agreed with Her Majesty's pollution inspectorate, the Department of Health and Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Welsh and Scottish Offices, or the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, in regard to the storage, transport or disposal of radioactive and toxic wastes.

Although the Ministry of Defence as a Crown Department has immunity from certain regulations, it seeks to observe standards which are no less stringent than those required of civil operators. Unfortunately, accidents occur from time to time and may for example lead to minor dispersals of toxic or radioactive materials in contravention of the "agreements" reached with regulatory Departments. All such incidents are reported to the regulatory authorities, fully investigated and measures taken to avoid their recurrence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has reached a decision on the type of motor glider selected to replace the Venture at volunteer gliding schools.

No. A decision is expected very shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list, by geographical area, the number of second world war explosive devices which have been discovered in British coastal waters in each of the past 10 years.

Precise records of the number of such finds in each of the past ten years are not maintained. Each year, however, some 30 or 40 mines and 100 torpedoes, bombs or large calibre shells of world war I or world war II origin are found in British coastal waters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the crash of a Tornado aircraft at RAF Akrotiri on 4 July.

On 4 July a Tornado F3 aircraft (tail number ZE 834) of No. 23 squadron, RAF Leeming, on detachment to RAF Akrotiri, suffered a collapsed nosewheel on landing after a routine training mission. Both crew members ejected successfully sustaining only minor injuries. The aircraft came to rest just off the runway. The extent of the damage sustained in this accident has not yet been established.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to conduct a full environmental pollution audit of the military nuclear fuel cycle, including data from countries where the uranium used in the United Kingdom programme was mined and milled; and if he will publish the results at the earliest possible date.

No. The environmental impact of the processing of nuclear materials in the defence nuclear programme for which this department is responsible has been evaluated and conforms fully with United Kingdom legislative requirements. As regards standards in overseas countries, I have nothing to add to the reply I gave on 9 February at column 766 to the hon. Member for Meirionydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if radioactive wastes arising from the deployment of United Kingdom's nuclear forces abroad on land or at sea is (a) disposed of in foreign countries or (b) returned to the United Kingdom for disposal; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 25 January 1989 at column 653. Contingency arrangements exist for the handling of radioactive wastes arising, either on a routine or emergency basis, from United Kingdom military operations overseas. The decision between disposal abroad under locally approved arrangements and return to the United Kingdom depends on circumstances; it would not be in the national interest to elaborate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to deploy regularly a Skyguard fire control radar system to monitor the heights of low flying aircraft in areas of urban concentration such as Swansea; and if he will make a statement.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the recent incident involving an RAF Phantom based at Wildenrath in West Germany having to take evasive action to avoid collision with a Canberra aircraft.

On 6 July, during a routine training sortie, a RAF Phantom based at RAF Wildenrath in West Germany took evasive action to avoid a RAF Canberra aircraft operating in the same area. The Phantom navigator, believing the aircraft to be in danger, ejected successfully, suffering minor injuries. Neither aircraft was damaged. The Phantom returned to land safely at RAF Wildenrath. A unit inquiry into the incident has been convened.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Baldry) on 13 June, Official Report, column 689 he will give details of the assessment made following design work carried out at Royal Air Force Upper Heyford.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 18 April 1989 at column 111. No decisions have been taken to proceed with these projects but preliminary design work commissioned from the PSA in August 1988 indicates that the estimated costs of modifying the facilities at RAF Upper Heyford would be as follows:

	£million
Additions to the flight simulator facility	1·0
Additions to the engine shop	1·2
Additions to the avionics maintenance shop	1·7

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why inaccurate information about Birkbeck college was given to the Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday on Saturday 1 July by officials of his Department; what action is being taken against those responsible; what arrangements are being made to help repair the potential damage done to Birkbeck's reputation; and what changes are being made in the personnel and organisation of his Department's press office.

On the evening of Friday 30 June officials were asked to check the facts concerning any Ministry of Defence contracts with Birkbeck college. In an effort to be helpful, and in the limited time available, they did their best to do so. Nothing that was said confirmed the assertions made in the subsequent press reports. Changes in the MOD press office are neither called for nor planned.My noble Friend Lord Trefgarne wrote to the noble Baroness, Lady Blackstone, Master of Birkbeck College, on 6 July explaining that the MOD was entirely satisfied with the work that the college was doing and that no papers had been recalled on security grounds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans exist to ensure the safe disposal of both chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant materials and chlorofluorocarbon II in the foam in refrigeration and air-cooling equipment under the control of his Department.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the Official Report the total amounts paid by his Department in respect of headquarter contracts to United Kingdom-based contractors in each of the six years up to 31 March.

[holding answer 6 July 1989]: Total payments made in respect of headquarters contracts to United Kingdom-based contractors in each of the six years to 31 March 1989 were as follows:

	£million
1983–84	6,212
1984–85	6,879
1985–86	7,260

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding local government.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has received representations about a number of matters relating to local government.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received any recent representations regarding nuclear energy.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has received a number of letters from members of the public about various aspects of nuclear energy.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding the national heritage.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister receives representations frequently. The national heritage is vital to the quality of life. Since 1979 Government expenditure on the national heritage has increased by more than 75 per cent. in real terms.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding the new proposals for reform of the legal profession.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has received a number of representations on the Government's consultation papers, which were published with a view to seeing that the public has the best possible access to legal services of sound quality.

To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has had on the National Health Service White Paper.

I have been asked to reply.I understand that my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health has received some 8,500 representations on the White Paper; many correspondents give strong support for its objectives and endorse its proposals.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding part-time work.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister receives representations about part-time working from time to time.I know that the Select Committee on Employment is currently undertaking an inquiry into part-time working and I look forward to its report when it becomes available.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding human rights in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

I have been asked to reply.We receive many representations which reflect the deep concern in this country about human rights in the Soviet Union. We are continuing to press the Soviet authorities over a range of individual cases, and over the wider need for institutionalised reform. These efforts do bear fruit. In the past year, 68 refusenik cases which we have raised have been resolved satisfactorily.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding human rights in China.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister received a delegation of Chinese students on 28 June. My right hon. Friend has also received a number of representations expressing shock and outrage at recent events in China. These are, of course, sentiments that the British Government share.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding rural housing policy.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister receives representations on rural housing policy from time to time.

To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has had on water privatisation.

To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has had on water privatisation.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister receives many representations about water privatisation, which provides the best framework and conditions for achieving even higher standards of water quality.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding the Channel tunnel.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister frequently receives representations about various aspects of the Channel tunnel.

To ask the Prime Minister when Her Majesty's Government expect to publish a plain person's guide to the Disabled Persons (Services, Representation and Consultation) Act 1986.

I have been asked to reply.We have no plans to do so. Local authorities have a statutory duty to publish information about the welfare services they provide and, as a matter of good practice, we would expect them to produce this in a form which is readily understandable.

To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received in connection with world trade.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has received a number of representations about world trade. The Government will continue to combat protectionism and to work for open world markets which are of benefit to our exporters and the world economy as a whole.

To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has had on privatisation.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister receives a number of representations from time to time regarding the privatisation programme.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received representations regarding the recent train strikes.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has received a number of representations on this matter. The rail strikes are pointless and damaging and have shown no regard to the interests of passengers.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding reform of the common agricultural policy.

I have been asked to reply.The Government frequently receive representations about reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). The measures agreed at the February 1988 European Council, particularly those providing for budgetary discipline and for the stabilisation of agricultural production and expenditure, represent the most significant reforms to date. The benefits of reform are already apparent and farmers can look to the future with increasing confidence. The Government's policy is to build on those major reforms in EC negotiations and to work with our GATT partners to fulfil the commitment to achieve progressive and substantial reductions in agricultural support and protection.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received any recent representations regarding the Madrid summit.

I have been asked to reply.The statement my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made in this House on 29 June has been widely welcomed.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will urge her fellow Heads of Government at the world economic summit to allow private stock banks in their countries to issue their own notes and coins.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will urge her fellow Heads of Government at the world's economic summit to abolish their legal tender laws and allow competing currencies in their economies.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will urge her fellow Heads of Government to privatise their central banks.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list in the Official Report the names and current qualifications of the British members of the European Economic and Social Committee.

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Prime Minister why, pursuant to her answer of 10 July, she will not list all those gifts she has received in her official capacity over the past 12 months while on overseas visits.

It is not my practice to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 13 July.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 13 July.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 13 July.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 13 July.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 13 July.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is attending the economic summit in Paris.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the COBA criteria for construction of new roads being studied in his London transport assessment studies will apply with, or without modification, to any selected road schemes.

Any road scheme arising from the London assessment studies will be appraised using the Department's normal scheme appraisal methodology. This includes a full economic and environmental assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what significance is attached to saving in journey time in current COBA assessments of new road schemes; and what weighting is given therein to design speeds of new roads.

User benefits on COBA are derived from savings in journey times on links and at junctions, accidents and vehicle operating costs. In a representative scheme 90 per cent. of the benefits could be attributable to time savings. Design speeds are consistent with the anticipated vehicle speeds on the road and are contained in Department of Transport departmental standard TD9/81, "Road Layout and Geometry: Highway Link Design."

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he hopes to announce the preferred route for the A43 Silverstone bypass.

We are giving careful consideration to route options to the east or west of the village. The choice is difficult. We hope to announce the preferred route soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents in the last five years have involved a vehicle crashing through a crash barrier on the central reservation of a motorway or a dual carriageway road.

The table shows the number of accidents on motorways or dual carriageway roads in which at least one vehicle left the carriageway offside on to the central reservation. The number of accidents is broken down by whether the vehicle entering the central reservation hit the central crash barrier, and whether it crossed the central reserve.

Accidents involving a vehicle leaving the carriageway onto central reservation: Great Britain, 1983–1987
Number of accidents where at least one vehicle left the carriageway offside onto the central reservation	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	Percentage change 1987–83
Vehicle hit central barrier
Stayed on reservation or rebounded	579	767	752	844	918	59
Crossed central reservation	94	87	90	115	118	26
Total	669	852	834	953	1,031	54
Vehicle did not hit central barrier
Stayed on reservation or rebounded	1,414	1,509	1,572	1,585	1,545	9
Crossed central reservation	600	755	710	754	720	20
Total	1,990	2,231	2,254	2,299	2,236	12
All accidents
Stayed on reservation or rebounded	1,993	2,276	2,324	2,429	2,463	24
Crossed central reservation	694	842	800	869	838	21
Total	2,659	3,083	3,088	3,252	3,267	23

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will review the specification for crash barriers on motorways and dual carriageways.