To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further support he is providing for Ghana's economic recovery.

The United Kingdom continues to be a major supporter of Ghana's economic recovery programme. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, signed a grant agreement for a further £20 million balance of payments finance when she visited Ghana at the end of June. This brings to £92·5 million the total of our balance of payments support to Ghana since its economic recovery programme began in 1983.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the visit of the right hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Patten) to Brazil to discuss rain forest problems.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement of the objectives achieved by the Minister for Overseas Development on his recent visit to Brazil.

The main purpose of my visit was to sign, on 5 July, a memorandum of understanding on technical co-operation on environmental matters. On that day I also met President Sarney and other leading Brazilian figures. The agreement is the first of its kind which Brazil has made with an industrialised country and will provide the framework for a significant contribution to Brazil's environmental problems, especially in forestry where we have unique expertise.I also visited Sao Paulo and the Amazon region where I had discussions with the major research institutions. I saw our very successful Royal Geographical Society project at Maraca, visited an area reserved for the Yanomani Indians and saw a hospital provided for them.Our additional technical co-operation programme, the details of which we will now discuss with the Brazilian authorities, is likely to cover five areas: first, urban environment, in particular sewage and water treatment; secondly, the sustainable management of the Amazon rain forest, where we hope to be involved in establishing a new biological reserve in the Xingu river area; thirdly, collaborative research on the relationship between the forests and climate, involving the Institute of Hydrology; fourthly, research into the great potential of the genetic resources of the Amazon; and we hope to begin soon with a research project into aromatic plants undertaken by the Goeldi museum in Belem; and, fifthly, training in the United Kingdom and in Brazil in matters related to these areas.The visit shows that important progress is possible in these fields if the countries concerned adopt a co-operative spirit. Throughout my visit, I made it clear that we recognise Brazil's sensitiveness and sovereignty and the Brazilian Government responded in a helpful and positive way. I am sure that both countries will gain from the partnership.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the cost of publishing the anniversary review of British overseas aid.

It cost just under £105,000 to produce 20,000 copies of the anniversary review, a unit cost of £5·23. Despite more pages, photographs and graphics this was less than the unit cost of previous annual reviews.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects the Post Office to announce the new prices for first and second class mail from October.

[holding answer 13 July 1989]: Postal tariffs are a matter for the Post Office board. The Post Office announced on 3 July that it had proposed to the Post Office Users National Council that the standard charges should go to by 1 p, to 20p for first class and to 15p for second class letters, from 2 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when he will make a statement on local government finance for 1990–91.

In due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he first became aware of the October 1988 meeting between the chairman and chief executive of the Welsh Development Agency and the regional director and the senior investment executive of the west Wales office of the Welsh Development Agency at which management buy-out proposals were discussed.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave on 5 July to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones), Official Report, col. 182.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give full details of factory building completed in west Wales by the Welsh Development Agency for each year from 1983–84 to the present, giving the location and description of each site and the area of building involved.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if there are proposals under consideration in any of the regional offices of the Welsh Development Agency for contracting out (a) services currently provided by the Welsh Development Agency in the investment and business advisory field or (b) work as local agents for land reclamation, urban renewal and inward investment;(2) what consideration has been given to contracting out services currently provided by the west Wales region of the Welsh Development Agency in the fields of

I would expect the Welsh Development Agency to keep under continuing review opportunities for private sector involvement. I would naturally consider any proposal put to me by the agency for contracting out services where this would guarantee an equivalent or better level of service and a lesser cost to the taxpayer. There are, however, no such proposals before me at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his reply of 5 July, Official Report, column 181, how much of the 62,000 sq ft of factory building in west Wales referred to has been completed to date.

As I informed the hon. Gentleman in the reply to which he refers, the agency intends to start work on this factory space in the current financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many National Health Service hospitals in use today in Wales were built (a) before 1914 and (b) before 1939; and how many National Health Service hospitals have been started since 1979.

Information on the number of hospitals built before 1939 is not available centrally. Since 1979, seven new hospitals have been built and one is due for completion at the end of this year. Major developments have been started at three existing hospitals. Many other smaller developments have been built since 1979 or are in the process of construction throughout Wales. Since 1979, £700 million (at 1989–90 prices) will have been invested in the capital estates of hospital and community health services in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what directions are given to Cadw to resolve planning applications by negotiation rather than by public inquiry; and if he will investigate the relative cost to his Department of resolving queries on applications by (a) negotiation and (b) by public inquiry under section 33 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971.

In additon to its functions in relation to listed buildings, Cadw's role as a branch of my Department is to advise both myself and local authorities, as planning authorities, on the effect of development proposals on ancient monuments. While Cadw is willing to discuss proposals and alternative schemes with developers before a planning application is made, it will also in appropriate cases maintain objections to development for which an application has been made and ask me to consider calling it in for my own determination. Where I agree, the public inquiry that follows ensures compliance with the principles of openness, fairness and impartiality and serves to maintain public confidence in the quality of decisions and the process by which they are reached. Negotiation on alternative proposals is not possible once the application is called in and is thus not an alternative to negotiation before the application; nor can costs be usefully compared.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the policy of Welsh Water in respect of the clawback of ESA payments made to tenants of farms in Welsh Water's ownership.

This is a matter for the board of that authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what records he maintains of land acquired into public ownership for allotment purposes; and for how long these records have been kept.

None. Records on land acquired for allotment purposes are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many of his working party on the Football Spectators Bill represent non-Football League clubs in Wales;(2) whether he will list the members of his working party on the Football Spectators Bill, and their status and qualifications.

Membership is as follows:

• Mr. Richard Wallace (Chairman), Under Secretary, Welsh Office.
• Mr. Robin Baker, Superintendent, North Wales Police.
• Mr. Haydn Davies, Assistant Chief Constable, South Wales Constabulary.
• Mr. Chris Whalley, Community Affairs Officer, The Football League Ltd.
• Mr. Alan Evans, Secretary, Football Association of Wales.
• Mr. Tony Clemo, Chairman, Cardiff City AFC.
• Mr. Tony Rance, General Manager, Wrexham AFC.
• Mr. George Taylor, Company Secretary, Swansea City AFC.
• Mr. Linford Tatham, Director, Sports Council for Wales.
• Mr. David Powell (Secretary), Senior Executive Officer, Welsh Office.

The Football Association of Wales represents the interests of football at all levels, and the Sports Council for Wales is concerned with sport as a whole, including football.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if any categories of person will be exempt from security searches when moving between the air and land sides at Britain's 19 principal airports, when he introduces new security regulations in October; and if he will make a statement.

The requirements for certain airports to search personnel working at the airport before they enter restricted areas was promulgated in directions under the Aviation Security Act issued by the Department on 5 April. The search requirements come into force on 1 October. The only people who will be exempt are staff engaged on certain aviation security duties and persons (such as police officers, Customs and immigration officials) acting in the course of statutory duties which give them a right of entry to such areas in order to carry out those duties. The directions require airport managers to endeavour to persuade persons with statutory rights of entry to consent to being searched, and the Department has reached agreement with the police, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and the immigration service on the regime which will apply to their staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre inspectors are reclassifying vehicles used in dial-a-ride and similar schemes for elderly and disabled people in Scotland; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will publish what information he has on the effect of removing vehicle excise duty exemption from ambulance class vehicles used in dial-a-ride schemes for elderly and disabled people.

I will write to the hon. Lady.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many flights in and out of United Kingdom airports had to be cancelled as a result of staffing shortages at West Drayton on each day of the week commencing 1 July; and if he will make a statement on the extent of and reasons for the shortages.

I shall ask the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ask the Director General of Fair Trading to investigate the British Airways shuttle service between Manchester and London to see if they have sufficient staff, planes, equipment and air traffic slots to provide the service as advertised.

No. We are not aware of any evidence to suggest that British Airways lacks sufficient staff, aircraft, or equipment to operate the service adequately. Air traffic control slots can be requested only by the operator up to 2¼ hours before take-off, and the timing of the slots allocated depend on the traffic conditions prevailing at the time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has had with British Rail in producing a business plan for the Channel tunnel rail link; and if he will make a statement.

I have asked British Rail to prepare an outline investment appraisal of its proposals for the Channel tunnel rail link.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice has been given to date by the independent Safety Authority to the Intergovernmental Commission on the Channel tunnel on whether people should remain in their own road vehicles whilst in transit through the Channel tunnel; and what further advice is expected from the commission and on what time scale.

In 1988, the Safety Authority recommended to the Intergovernmental Commission that design work for the Channel tunnel project could continue on the assumption that passengers in private cars would be allowed to remain in their vehicles in shuttle trains. A final decision on this was subject to Eurotunnel producing further evidence about the procedures and arrangements required to ensure the safety of passengers (for example, dealing with emergencies, fire detection and extinction etc.). A substantial amount of further work has been carried out by Eurotunnel, in particular tests on vehicle fires and procedures for the evacuation of passengers in emergencies. The Safety Authority is currently evaluating this and other relevant evidence as a basis for its eventual advice to the Intergovernmental Commission on the principle of the non-segregation of passengers and their vehicles. Decisions are likely to be reached by the commission before the end of the year and will he made public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the debt outstanding on the Severn bridge for each year since the bridge opened and the toll revenue collected each year since it opened.

The figures are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects his Department's consideration of converting the whole of the A l from London to the North East to motorway status to be completed.

[holding answer 10 July 1989]: We will be commissioning studies by consultants shortly. They will involve a good deal of work. The aim is to complete these and other studies announced in the White Paper "Roads for Prosperity" in time for the next regular road programme review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much in total grant aid has been made available under the following schemes for each of the last five years (a) assistance with fares to work scheme, (b) adaptation to premises and equipment scheme and (c) personal reader service scheme.

The information requested on (a) the assistance with fares to work (FTW) scheme, (b) the adaptation to premises and equipment (APE) scheme and (c) the personal reader service (PRS) scheme is as follows:

Year	FTW £	APE £	PRS £
1984–85	397,000	244,000	119,000
1985–86	460,000	295,000	210,000
1986–87	589,000	256,000	329,000
1987–88	694,000	404,000	325,000
1988–89	853,000	423,000	387,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the approximate cost of the special aids to employment scheme for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

The cost of the special aids to employment scheme for each of the last five years is as follows:

Year	Cost £
1984–85	927,000
1985–86	1,094,000
1986–87	1,700,000
1987–88	2,319,000
1988–89	3,361,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of the job interview guarantee scheme.

[holding answer 20 June 1989]: The job interview guarantee will link the assistance already available through jobclubs and the employment service with new measures to enable longer term unemployed people to take job vacancies.These will include a job preparation course, tailored to meet employers' specific needs and "work trials", which offer short periods of work experience with potential employers to unemployed people while they remain on benefit. Where people need training for the vacancies on offer, training under employment training tailored to the employer's needs may be made available.In return, employers will enter into agreements with the employment service under which they guarantee to interview unemployed people who have taken one of these options for the vacancies they have available.The cities in which the job interview guarantee scheme will be piloted have now been chosen. They are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what statistical information he has as to the reasons given to applicants by social fund officers at the local office in Durham City for the nil awards in respect of an application for community care grants.

The table provides the statistical information available for the 1988–89 year.

Unsuccessful applications for community care grants by reason for refusal at Durham ILO
	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December	January	February	March	Total
Savings over £500 meet the full cost	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Not in receipt of IS and unlikely to qualify	0	0	1	3	5	1	4	2	0	1	4	1	22
Item(s) excluded by Direction	0	2	1	0	2	3	1	0	0	2	4	1	16
Applicant excluded by Direction	0	0	0	12	17	21	14	13	7	3	6	0	93
Applied for less than £30	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	5
Adjusted amount less than £30	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Previous application and decision for the item	0	0	0	1	4	1	1	0	2	0	1	0	10
Help available from another source	0	2	2	5	1	0	0	0	2	4	2	1	19
Priority too low to meet from the budget	0	0	3	1	1	4	0	0	2	0	3	1	15
Alternative available to the whole application	0	2	4	2	0	0	0	1	4	1	1	1	16
Others not covered above	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	10	13	6	34
Total	0	7	11	25	30	33	20	16	21	23	34	12	232

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what consideration the Minister for the Disabled has given to the report from the National Deaf Children's Society entitled "A Good Deal for Deaf Children"; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

I have not yet received a copy of the report, but I look forward with interest to reading it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the maximum weekly payment made by his Department in Bradford to support elderly people in private residential homes.

Information is not available on this basis. Help through income support with the fees of residential care homes in Bradford is subject to the national limits. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the current limits on 27 October 1988 at column 483.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received about the difference between charges levied by private residential homes in Bradford and the maximum weekly payment made by his Department to support elderly people living in such homes; what is the current minimum and maximum difference in Bradford; how many elderly people have been evicted from residential homes in Bradford in the last 12 months because of inability to pay fees; how many elderly people are now under notice to leave private residential homes because of inability to pay fees; and if he will make a statement.

Help with fees in an independent residential care home can be available through income support, subject to national limits. The level of a person's charges is a matter for him and the proprietor to agree based on the services to be provided. We have had representations from Bradford and elsewhere about the levels of income support in relation to fees charged by homes. However, it is not our policy to meet all fees, however high, and the levels of income support are enough to meet the fees in the majority of cases. The Department does not collect information on the remaining points.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds his Department decided to consult interested parties before making his decision to provide funds for the purchase of a cyclotron machine for St. Thomas's hospital; and if he will list the groups he consulted.

No external advice was received before the decision was taken to contribute to the charitable funds being raised by the Cyclotron Trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to continue to provide 60 per cent of the funds for the running costs of the cyclotron machine at St. Thomas's hospital in the light of concern over the safety of the machine; and if he will make a statement.

We have undertaken to meet up to 60 per cent. of the direct running costs of the cyclotron once it begins to operate, in so far as these are not met from other sources. We have given careful consideration to the views that have so far been expressed by the medical profession, but they have not produced any evidence which would cause us to change our views of the proposed project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the mortality statistics for motor neurone disease for each year from 1959 for which data is available.

The information is shown in the table.

Number of deaths from Motor Neurone Disease1 in England and Wales, 1959–1988
Year	Number of deaths
	Males	Females	Total
1959	308	260	568
1960	311	227	538
1961	306	230	536
1962	311	228	539
1963	290	227	517
1964	346	258	604
1965	375	265	640
1966	341	271	612
1967	343	269	612
1968	327	278	605

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the research projects on motor neurone disease funded by the Department in each year since 1959 for which data are available and the level of funding provided.

At present, the health and personal social services research programme does not include any research specifically into motor neurone disease (MND). However, the Department of Health does fund a number of studies about service delivery where MND sufferers would be among the service users. These studies are as follows:

(a) Research on aspects of physiotherapy provision, carried out by the Centre for Physiotherapy Research at King's college, London.

(b) Research on speech therapy provision, in particular; a study of Communication Aid Centres being carried out by Dr. Anne Chamberlain at Leeds;

a study on speech therapy services (demands and staffing) being undertaken by Dr. Philip Davies at Oxford.

(c) Research on disability generally is relevant to MND. An important example is the OPCS disability survey which, of course, includes MND sufferers.

A full list of earlier research into MND is not readily available. However, the Department's handbook of research and development, published annually, contains information about all directly funded research. Copies are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has a specific policy on giving financial support to voluntary organisations dealing with disabilities which are run by the disabled.

The major considerations in determining support to voluntary organisations dealing with disabilities are the services they offer to disabled people and the resources available. A number of organisations that we currently support are run by disabled people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department intends to review its level of funding to the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People.

The Department is currently considering an application from the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People for funds under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 for the period 1989–90 to 1991–92.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines have been issued by his Department relating to the removal and transplantation of organs from anacephalic infants.

The Chief Medical Officer wrote to regional medical officers on 1 February 1988 (PL/CM0(88)3). This letter drew to their attention a report of the working party, from the conference of medical royal colleges on organ transplantation in neonates. A copy has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the cumulative total of his Department's expenditure since May 1979 to date over and above the expenditure level prevailing in May 1979.

[holding answer 29 June 1989]: Between 1979–80 and 1989–90 total gross expenditure on the health and personal social services programme in England has increased by nearly 36 per cent. in real terms. The table shows gross expenditure in each year since 1979–80 at 1989–90 prices and the cumulative real terms increases during this period:

HPSS Gross Expenditure 1979–80 to 1989–90 at Current Prices
£ millions
	at 1989–90 prices	Cumulative increase in real terms
1979–80	18,574	—
1980–81	20,208	1,634
1981–82	20,591	2,017
1982–83	20,978	2,404
1983–84	21,353	2,779
1984–85	21,804	3,230
1985–86	21,868	3,294
1986–87	22,869	4,295
1987–88	24,006	5,432
1988–89	24,884	6,310
1989–90	25,230	6,656

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, by regional health authority, the number of compensation payments made exceeding £100,000 paid in each year from 1984–85 to 1987–88.

[holding answer 3 July 1989]: The number of compensation payments exceeding £100,000 notified to the Department in each year 1984–85 to 1987–88, together with the amounts involved, is as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the outcome of the latest meeting of the European Community's Economic and Finance Council.

The ECOFIN Council met in Brussels on 10 July. I represented the United Kingdom.The Council discussed the economic situation in the Community and the Commission's second quarterly review; and confirmed the economic policy guidelines set out in the 1988–89 annual economic report adopted last December. The Commission and the presidency explained their plans for implementing the decisions on European monetary union reached at the recent European Council at Madrid.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which year and on whose authority value added tax was first imposed on the maintenance of United States war graves in the United Kingdom; when and on whose authority war graves in the United Kingdom and European Economic Community nations were exempted from such value added tax charges; and when he proposes taking action to ensure that the war graves of our American and Commonwealth allies are not less favourably treated than those of our former enemies.

[holding answer 6 July 1989]: In 1985 Her Majesty's Customs and Excise ruled that suplies in the United Kingdom of goods and services for the American Battle Monuments Commission were chargeable with VAT.There was an exchange of notes between the Governments of the United Kingdom and the United States of America in 1952 regarding relief from taxation of United States Government expenditures in the United Kingdom. Information is not presently available on the position in other countries of the European Communities.Her Majesty's Customs and Excise is looking into the background to the ruling in 1985 to see whether it was correct then and is appropriate now.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he intends to take to increase the volume of information provided by Customs and Excise marketing agents relating to imported manufactured goods; and how he intends to make the information available to British manufacturers.

[holding answer 10 July 1989]: Customs and Excise is now making available to its approved marketing agents, in addition to traditional United Kingdom trade statistical data, the names and addresses of consignees shown on import declarations, listed against the commodities they import. This new facility has been available since 22 May 1989. The information covers importations from 1 January 1989 and is updated monthly. Commodities are distinguished by an appropriate commodity code; these are published in the Customs and Excise tariff. In most cases information is made available at the more detailed nine-digit level, but in some instances it is provided at a less detailed level where to provide at nine-digit level would lead to disclosure of confidential quantity and value data. Information covers the whole range of imported, including manufactured, goods.The marketing agents will supply the information in a form and manner which is convenient to their customers, and at an attractive price. British manufacturers who wish to obtain this data should therefore contact a marketing agent. This new service was announced by Customs and Excise in a press notice dated 1 June 1989 in which the names and addresses of the approved agents are listed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mention was made in the discussions or negotiations with Barclays bank over the charge to value added tax for the redevelopment of its new headquarters of the bank's co-operation with the Government scheme for top-up loans.

[holding answer 12 July 1989]: None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the policy of the Crown Estate Commissioners in respect of the clawback of ESA payments made to tenants of farms within the estate.

The only designated environmentally sensitive areas which affect the Crown Estate are in Wales.The Crown Estate Commissioners are content that either commoners with registered rights or tenants on the Crown Estate within environmentally sensitive areas should, if they so wish, enter the ESA scheme without any payment to the Crown Estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what would be the total cost of allowing pensioner households currently holding a colour television licence to pay only a monochrome licence fee; and what would be the additional cost per licence for non-pensioner licence holders if this additional cost was met through increases in the licence fee.

The cost would be about £260 million a year in terms of revenue lost to the BBC, which would mean that other licence holders would have to pay about £22 more for their licences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the number of television licences and the number of households; and if he will make a statement.

It is estimated that there are about 22,150,000 households in the United Kingdom, the Channel islands and the Isle of Man. As at 31 May 1989 there were 19,440,211 television licences in force.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he received the County NatWest report into the future of the police national computer organisation; if he will place a copy in the Library; what assessment he has made of considerations of security, accountability and public confidence which are addressed in the report; and what action he proposes to take on the recommendations contained therein.

The County NatWest report was received on 22 May; a copy of that part relating to the future of the police national computer organisation has been placed in the Library. The Department is now consulting senior management, the trade unions, the local authorities and the police service on its findings, including the issues referred to by the hon. Member. We shall be considering carefully the report's recommendations, together with the results of this consultation process, in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to seek additional powers to control and prevent static rallies likely to stir up racial hatred.

In its White Paper "Review of Public Order Law" (Cmnd 9510, May 1985), the Government concluded that the likelihood of incitement of racial hatred should not be a ground for banning a procession and that there should be no power to ban public assemblies. It is an offence under part III of the Public Order Act 1986 to use threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or to publish or distribute material which is intended or likely to stir up racial hatred.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will respond to the speech of the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington on 13 June, Official Report, columns 871–72, on how hard pornography emanating from an established European television channel can be prevented from being transmitted in the United Kingdom by satellite or other means.

I wrote to my hon. Friend on this subject on 6 July. In that letter I said:

"It was to avoid precisely this sort of problem that we were keen to secure agreement on provisions in the Council of Europe convention on transfrontier television which would preserve acceptable standards of taste and decency. I am pleased to say that we were successful in that objective. Article 7 of the convention requires that programmes should not be indecent or contain pornography. This is also reflected in article 22 of the draft directive, which places on broadcasters a responsibility to ensure that they do not transmit programmes which might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of minors, in particular those that involve pornography or gratuitous violence."

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the flow of people of Indian sub-continent cultural origin into and out of the United Kingdom in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement as to the reasons, where applicable, for the imbalance in the flows.

The information is not available in the form requested. "People of Indian sub-continent cultural origin" include British passport holders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the net inflow of visitors from Hong Kong in each of the last eight weeks; and what was the comparable figure in 1988.

It is not possible from the available information to provide the figures requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to the answer of 10 July, Official Report, column 358, who purchased the 39 prison officers' houses at Culcheth: why they had remained vacant for between seven and eight years; and at what price he expects to sell the six houses that became vacant during 1988–89.

The 39 prison officers' houses at Culcheth were purchased by Beazer Urban Developments Limited. Properties had remained vacant and surplus to requirements for between seven and eight years for a variety of reasons. These included the need to ascertain whether any would be needed to accommodate staff from the new prison at Thorn Cross, which opened in 1985; the need to clarify the requirements of the local authority as regards upgrading the roads and sewers to make them suitable for adoption; and the need to negotiate an easement for a new rising pumped main through adjoining land. The prices of the six houses that became vacant during 1988–89 have yet to be finally determined by the district valuer, but are likely to be in the region of £45,000 for the five three bedroom semi-detached houses, and £30,000 for the two bedroom semi-detached house.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Mr. K. Hussain, whose reference is H4/8/12/88, first applied for British citizenship; and when a decision is to be taken on his application.

As the hon. Member knows, we have been unable to trace this application on the reference given. To do so we would need Mr. Hussain's full name and his date and place of birth. I shall write to the hon. Member once we have this information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to how many councils have placed a ban on static weapon displays by the armed forces on council property; and if he will make a statement.

Five councils have asked that the armed forces should exclude or limit displays of weapons when mounting recruiting or promotional events in their areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many independent schools in respect of which grants were available to service families have ceased to be eligible for such funds in the last five years; and if he will state the reasons.

There is nothing I can add to the answer which was given to my hon. Friend on 9 June at column 257.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that every serving Army officer is made aware of the content of his reply to the hon. Member for Northampton, North on 6 July, Official Report, column 266.

There is no need to draw the attention of every `serving Army officer to the reply of 6 July. In this matter, as in any other, an officer who is in any doubt should consult the regimental adjutant or his commanding officer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when West Glamorgan county council is to be informed of the nuclear-powered warship safety committee's decision regarding berthing of nuclear submarines at Swansea; to whom it is to be communicated; what form the consultation with the council will take; what issues it will cover; and what powers the council has to stop the use of such a berth at the port.

[holding answer 13 July 1989]: The Ministry of Defence will be in touch with the chief executive of West Glamorgan county council as soon as the Royal Navy is ready to proceed. A public safety plan will need to be drawn up in consultation with council, fire, police and health officials. The disposition of naval vessels is a matter which affects national security, and as such it must remain the responsibility of central rather than local government. A defence policy can be effective only if applied on a national basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list those hospitals in which WRVS or other voluntary bodies' facilities for the provision of patients' and or relatives' services have been either removed or reduced;(2) why facilities made available to the WRVS at Stirling Royal infirmary have been reduced.

Proposals to remove or reduce the facilities used by the WRVS or other voluntary bodies for the provision of services to patients and others are a matter for the health board responsible for the hospital, in consultation with the voluntary body concerned. Information on this is not held centrally, but I am not aware of any case where the health board and the voluntary body have failed to reach an agreement.Forth Valley health board and the WRVS discussed the future of the WRVS canteen at Stirling Royal infirmary because wards in the immediate vicinity of its site were being relocated. Both parties concluded that the canteen should move to a new site in the maternity-gynaecology block nearby. The new canteen opened during May. WRVS facilities have not been reduced since the existing canteen has also been kept open because not all the wards have yet been relocated. No final decision has been taken about the future of the site.I have written recently in response to a letter from the Scottish chairman of the WRVS, emphasising my appreciation for the work of such organisations, which is greatly appreciated by health boards and, most important, by patients and their relatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Scottish Health Service Advisory Council will be able to initiate and pursue matters without prior approval by himself; and if he will make a statement.

The remit of the Scottish Health Service Advisory Council is:

"Where requested by or agreed with the Secretary of State to advise him on the exercise of his functions under the National Health Service Acts and to give advice on good practice to Health Boards, other Health Managers and those delivering Health Services."

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the attendance of each of his appointments to Lothian health board together with the possible totals, for each member of the board and its sub-committees for the years (a) 1987–88, (b) 1988–89 and (c) 1989–90.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many posts in Scottish institutions of higher education funded directly by his Department have been filled without advertisment over the period from 1983 to June 1989.

The arrangements for filling staff vacancies in the grant-aided colleges are for the college authorities to determine. The information requested is not collected by the Scottish Education Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish what information he has on the number of dial-a-ride and similar schemes for the elderly and disabled currently operating in Scotland.

Information on the number of dial-a-ride and similar schemes operating in Scotland is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what decision he has reached on whether to reduce places for dental education in Scotland.

The report of the working party to review dental provision in Scotland made recommendations for reductions in places for dental education in Scotland. With the agreement of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science, my right hon. and learned Friend sent the report to the Universities Funding Council and asked the council to consider the working party's advice in reaching decisions on undergraduate dental education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the proportions of dental school graduates from the three dental schools in Scotland who stayed on to practice in Scotland, giving the information broken down by school and for each year since 1977 for which figures are available.

Information is not held centrally in the form requested, but studies in recent years suggest that under 50 per cent. of the graduates of the Edinburgh school practice in Scotland whereas well over 50 per cent. of the graduates of the Dundee and Glasgow schools do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to back the case for a Gaelic broadcasting council funded on a similar basis to S4C.

[holding answer 13 July 1989]: The implications of the recent White Paper for Gaelic broadcasting are still under consideration. An announcement will be made in due course.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any plans to define in egg marketing regulations a fresh egg; and whether he intends to make sell-by stickers compulsory.

The egg marketing standards regulations of the European Community define quality standards for "fresh eggs", and require that the date or period of packing should be shown on the pack and provide that a sell-by date may also be added.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to introduce heavier fines for shops found selling bad eggs or other produce; and whether he will make a statement.

The Eggs (Marketing Standards) Regulations 1985 already prescribe a substantial fine of up to £2,000 for an offence relating to the marketing of substandard eggs. Under the Food Act 1984 it is an offence to sell unfit food. The maximum fine applicable is again £2,000. In each particular case it is for the courts to decide upon the appropriate level of fine within the maximum.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to initiate further spot checks in the United Kingdom to test the quality of eggs; and whether he will make a statement.

The egg marketing inspectorate already carries out a systematic schedule of inspection visits to egg packing centres and wholesalers, and provides technical assistance to trading standards officers at retail outlets, to ensure that eggs meet with requirements for quality, weight and labelling as prescribed by the egg marketing standards regulations of the European Community.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any record of anthrax being confirmed in any wild animals during the last 10 years.

Anthrax is not notifiable in animals in the wild and there are no records of cases having occurred in Great Britain.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what steps he is taking to determine the cause of the current outbreak of anthrax in Wales;(2) whether he has any evidence of contaminated animal feed being the cause of the current outbreak of anthrax in Wales.

Detailed epidemiological investigations have been undertaken including attempts to culture anthrax from food hoppers and environmental supplies. All results have been negative.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has concerning the incubation period of anthrax in (a) humans, (b) cattle, (c) sheep and (d) pigs.

The incubation period of anthrax in animals is variable in all species and can range from 24 hours to 14 days. In man, incubation can be up to seven days, and is normally between two and five days.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in the light of the current outbreak of anthrax in Wales, he will now introduce a compulsory slaughter and compensation scheme in respect of this disease.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of anthrax have been recorded in the United Kingdom in each of the farm animal species during each of the last five years.

The information requested is set out as follows:

• 1988 3 cattle
• 1987 6 cattle
• 1986 12 cattle; 2 sheep; 1 horse
• 1985 6 cattle
• 1984 9 cattle

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has concerning the susceptibility of bovine spongiform encephalopathy-infected cattle to other bovine ailments.

BSE-infected cattle are susceptible to all other bovine ailments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the amount of financial assistance given at present by the Inner London education authority towards education services at each London prison.

The responsibility for education in Her Majesty's prisons rests with the Home Office. It discharges this responsibility by contracting with the relevant local education authorities to provide an education service to prisons. The Inner London education authority provides this service to Her Majesty's prisons in London. The cost of this provision is met by the Home Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will use his powers under the Education Act 1981 to ensure compliance with the terms of the Act by the seven local education authorities which have failed to offer assessment and statementing procedures for more than 80 per cent. of children in their special schools; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has considered the statements made in the fact sheet written by Mr. Will Swann and published recently by the Centre for Studies on Integration in Education (CSIE), in the light of the latest available statistical returns. A number of local education authorities have been asked for further information about the number of pupils who attend special schools and do not have statements of special educational needs. In the light of their replies the Secretary of State will consider what further action may need to be taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he is giving to those local authorities where the proportion of children with special needs segregated in special schools is increasing.

It is for local education authorities to decide how they arrange to make the special educational provision required by pupils for whom they have made a statement of special educational needs. Section 2(2) of the Education Act 1981 places LEAs under a duty to secure that pupils with statements are educated in an ordinary school subject to the conditions described in section 2(3) of that Act. The Department will shortly be issuing a revised circular of guidance regarding the implementation of the 1981 Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether head teachers will be required to notify community charge registration officers of the names and home addresses of all pupils in secondary education over 18 years of age.

No. Community charge registration officers are not empowered to demand information other than from precepting or charging authorities or to approach schools directly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many independent schools have been closed following a notice of complaint in the last five years.

Since April 1984, five independent schools have closed following the issue of a notice of complaint.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to introduce an accreditation for independent schools supervised by Her Majesty's inspectorate.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to introduce an accreditation scheme for independent schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the proportion of students admitted to each of the three dental schools in Scotland in October 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 who graduated on time, and the proportion who failed to graduate in dentistry; and what the corresponding proportions are for dental schools in the United Kingdom as a whole.

Information is not available centrally which directly relates graduate output with entrants to dentistry courses. The numbers of graduates in clinical dentistry in each of the three dental schools in Scotland in the last four years were as follows:

	1985	1986	1987	1988
Dundee	48	n/a	33	44
Edinburgh	45	53	47	36
Glasgow	60	67	63	70
All United Kingdom	830	n/a	731	729

n/a not available.