To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last visited either Newtownbutler or Rosslea Royal Ulster Constabulary stations in south-east Fermanagh; and what was the cost of the security operation thus entailed.

I have not visited Newtownbutler, but I visited Rosslea RUC station in December 1985. In the last 12 months I have visited three RUC stations in the same area and the nearby army headquarters at Lisnaskea. Information on the costs is not held in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how often the discretion given by article 8(4) of the Northern Ireland Criminal Injury Compensation Order has been exercised in favour of a person denied compensation as a result of article 6(3) of the order.

Three times.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many incentive posts for teachers are currently available; what is the financial remuneration for each grade; what were the comparable figures three years ago; and if he will make a statement.

The value and estimated number of incentive allowances in ordinary schools in October 1987 (the first year) and September 1988 are set out in the table:

	October 1987		September 1988
	Value (£)	Number	1Value (£)	Number
A	501	25,000	858	43,000
B	1,002	69,000	1,284	59,600
C	2,001	—	2,568	9,300
D	3,000	28,500	3,426	27,000
E	4,200	6,500	4,710	9,000
Total		129,000		174,600
1 From 1 April 1989.

There will be an further 27,500 As, 2,500 Bs, 1,500 Cs and 500 Ds from this September as a result of the recommendations of the interim advisory committee and plans already in the pipeline.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has received representations from local authorities seeking the statutory control of language schools.

My right hon. Friend has received no such representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will consider giving moderate learning difficulty and severe learning difficulty schools discretion over putting (a) French or (b) any other foreign language in their curriculum;(2) if he will detail those elements of the national curriculum that are applicable to the moderate learning difficulty and severe learning difficulty special schools;(3) if moderate learning difficulty and severe learning difficulty schools can work to their own curriculum so as to dispense with the national curriculum;(4) if moderate learning difficulty and severe learning difficulty schools can modify the whole of the national curriculum.

All maintained schools, including all maintained special schools, must meet the national curriculum requirements in full, including the requirement to teach a modern foreign language to all registered pupils in the third key stage (age 12 to14). We do not intend to except any category of school from this requirement. Children of all abilities, including children with moderate or severe learning difficulties, can benefit from the breadth and balance of the national curriculum. Within each national curriculum subject area, attainment targets and programmes of study are being developed to meet the needs of children of different abilities and maturities. For pupils with statements of special educational needs (SEN) under the 1981 Act, provision may be made, on an individual basis, to modify or disapply as necessary any or all of the elements of the national curriculum. The national curriculum does not come into force for pupils with statements of SEN until 1 August 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will make a statement on the progress of his Department's review of student union membership;(2) when he expects the results of his Department's review of student unions will be announced; and if he will make a statement.

We hope shortly to publish the factual analysis of the Department's survey of student unions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received concerning his Department's review of student unions; and if he will make a statement.

I refer to my replies to the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) on 12 April 1989 at column 526, to my hon. Friend and to my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington and Chelsea (Mr. Fishburn), both on 6 June 1989 at column 15. We have since received a further 19 letters concerned mainly with the National Union of Students, of which 15 were critical of present arrangements for membership and funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans his Department is making to mark the arrival of the open market of 1 January 1993 with educational exchanges or other events.

The Department is co-operating within the European Community in the development and implementation of appropriate programmes. In addition we have successful and expanding bilateral educational exchange and other programmes with our European partners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his latest estimate of (a) young people of 19 years of age or more attending schools, (b) young people of 19 years of age or more attending sixth form colleges and (c) young people of 19 years of age or more attending colleges specified in the Personal Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989 where they are studying for GCE A-levels or other courses which are taught in schools or sixth form colleges; and if he will make a statement of the effect of liability for poll tax and entitlement to the student 80 per cent. non-means-tested relief on the educational choices of young people.

In January 1988 the number of pupils aged 19 and over attending maintained and non-maintained schools (excluding sixth form colleges) in England was 2,078; attending sixth form colleges was 692. The number of full-time students aged 19 enrolled on GCE or GCSE courses lasting 18 weeks or more on 1 November 1987 (the latest date for which figures are available) was approximately 4,000.School pupils aged over 18 will be liable for the full community charge, but the great majority of them will be eligible for an 80 per cent. rebate on the basis of their low incomes and resources. Full-time students will be liable to pay only 20 per cent. of the community charge. For most 19-year-olds in full-time education there will therefore be no difference in the amount paid in community charge, whether the education is undertaken in schools, sixth form colleges or colleges of further and higher education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he proposes to introduce a top-up student loan scheme for current undergraduate student nurses in 1990–91.

Future arrangements for the support of undergraduates studying nursing are under consideration in the context of Project 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Russian authorities about their continued failure to grant an exit visa to George Belitsky of Moscow.

We have underlined our concern about George Belitsky to the Soviet authorities on numerous occasions over the past year—most recently during the Paris human rights conference in June. The Russians continue to refuse to grant a visa on security grounds which we find wholly unconvincing. We shall continue to press the case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Russian authorities about their continued failure to grant exit visas to Mark Berenfeld and his family who first applied for a visa in 1977.

We made representations to the Soviet authorities about the Berenfeld family shortly before Mr. Gorbachev's visit in April, and were told that the family would be given permission to leave. We shall raise the case again with the Soviet authorities if visas are not issued shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Russian authorities about their continued failure to grant exit visas to Ester and Simon Tsirelson of Leningrad who first applied for an exit visa in 1979.

We have pressed the Soviet authorities about the Tsirelson case on numerous occasions during the past year—most recently at the Paris CSCE human rights conference in June. They now claim that the case is under re-consideration. We shall continue to make representations until the family is allowed to leave.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the current waiting times both actual and estimated, and the numbers awaiting interview abroad for the following queues: (a) persons with a claim to the right of abode, dependent relatives over 70 years, special compassionate cases, (b) all spouses and all children under 18, (c) fiancées applying for the first time and (d) re-applicants for the following posts: (i) New Delhi, (ii) Bombay, (iii) Dhaka, (iv) Islamabad, (v) Karachi, (vi) Nairobi and (vii) Dar Es-Salaam.

As at 31 May 1989 waiting times (in months) to first interview at posts in the Indian sub-continent were as follows:

	Waiting times in months
Post	Queue	Actual	Estimated
New Delhi	1	0	0
	2	4	4
	3	5	6
	4	8	9
Bombay	1	2	2
	2	6	6
	3	9	9
	4	10	10
Dhaka	1	3	3
	2	6	6
	3	6	6
	4	22	22
Islamabad	1	3	3
	2	10	10
	3	16	16
	4	22	22
Karachi	1	1	1
	2	2	2
	3	2	2
	4	6	6

Settlement queues are organised as follows:

Q1	Persons with a claim to the right of abode, dependent relatives over 70 years, special compassionate cases.
Q2	All spouses, and all children under 18 years.
Q3	Fiancé(e)s and others applying for the first time for settlement.
Q4	Re-applicants.

Posts in Nairobi and Dar Es-Salaam do not operate a queue system along the lines of Indian subcontinent posts. Current waiting times to first interview for all types of settlement applications are:

	Weeks
Dar Es-Salaam	5
Nairobi	4

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to make a new statement about the alleged death of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg; and if he will make a statement.

The leader of the Soviet delegation at the recent human rights conference in Paris acknowledged that Raoul Wallenberg had been a "noble person" and had been murdered "by dark forces". We do not, of course, consider this a satisfactory explanation and will continue to press for the full story. But it may at least be a step nearer to the truth.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received concerning the case of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg; and if he will make a statement.

We receive a number of representations which reflect concern in this country that the fate of Raoul Wallenberg remains unknown. In an era of glasnost the Soviet Union does itself a disservice by failing to resolve widespread concern about this heroic figure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department is making to mark the arrival of the open market of 1 January 1993 with exchanges, exhibitions, or other events.

The next United Kingdom presidency of the EC falls in the second half of 1992, coinciding with the end of the period leading up to completion of the single market. We are considering how best to mark the occasion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the extent of the enforced exodus of ethnic Turks from Bulgaria.

We understand that over 130,000 members of Bulgaria's Turkish minority have fled to Turkey since mid-May. It seems that the first wave, perhaps numbering several thousand, were deported but that the vast majority of later arrivals left Bulgaria voluntarily, albeit as a result of long-term harassment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Bulgarian authorities concerning human rights abuses perpetrated against ethnic Turks.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs protested to the Bulgarian ambassador on 1 June about his Government's policy towards the Turkish minority. We have also taken the matter up in Sofia, and our delegation to the Paris conference on the "human dimension" of the CSCE raised it on numerous occasions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received concerning human rights abuses perpetrated against ethnic Turks by the Bulgarian authorities.

We receive frequent representations about human rights violations affecting Bulgaria's Turkish minority. We have long had a policy of taking all appropriate opportunities of expressing our concern to the Bulgarian authorities, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give for the different parts of the Indian subcontinent the latest information he has on the length of time from application for entry clearance to first interview for those now being interviewed, and the expected time for those applying now for (a) fiancés, (b) husbands, (c) wives and (d) dependent children.

As at 31 May 1989 waiting times (in months) for first interview at posts in the Indian subcontinent were as follows:

	Wives and children with right of abode (Q1)		Other, husbands, wives and dependant children (Q2)		Fiancé(e)s (Q3)
	(a)	(e)	(a)	(e)	(a)	(e)
Bombay	2	2	6	6	9	9
Delhi	0	0	4	4	5	6
Dhaka	3	3	6	6	6	6
Islamabad	3	3	10	10	16	16
Karachi	1	1	2	2	2	2
(a) Actual time those interviewed in May 1989 waited.
(e) Estimated time to interview for applications lodged in May.

There are no queues in Calcutta and Madras.

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

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many representations he has made complaining about the denial of human rights in the last five years in the Bahamas;(2) how many representations he has made complaining about the denial of human rights in the last five years in Botswana;(3) how many representations he has made complaining about the denial of human rights in the last five years in Guam.

None.

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

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will instruct Her Majesty's ambassador in Riyadh to protest to the Saudi Arabian authorities about their gift of six million US dollars to the Palestine Liberation Organisation on 4 July to finance violence on the West Bank; and whether he will make a statement.

No. The decisions of the Casablanca summit show that Saudi Arabia supports the PLO's efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement in the middle east.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, during the Minister of State's recent meeting with Bassam Abu Sharif, the Minister raised the statement in call No. 42 issued by the Palestine Liberation Organisation on 3 July, that 16 July should be designated as petrol bomb day, with the stepping up of petrol bomb attacks against West Bank settlers or the Israeli defence forces; and whether he will make a statement.

No. The PLO is well aware of our view, which I repeated to Bassam Abu Sharif, that the intifada should be pursued with the utmost restraint.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Enfield, North (Mr. Eggar), has transferred to the Department of Social Security the recent letter to him from the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton regarding consular assistance in Italy for N. A., a constituent of the hon. Member, who was dismissed from his employment by Halliburton Manufacturing and Services Ltd. while still in hospital; and whether he will now discuss the case with the Italian ambassador, following his Excellency's letter to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton dated 8 June, a copy of which has been sent to him.

The letter referred to covered social security payments in Italy, a matter which is properly for the Department of Social Security. That Department is currently in correspondence with the Italian authorities. It would therefore be inappropriate for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to discuss the case with the Italian ambassador.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's Government receives copies of the European Communities Commission's annual forward programme, three month forward programme and draft documents of forthcoming legislation; and if he will ensure that these are provided as soon as possible to the relevant parliamentary Committees.

Copies of the Commission's annual work programme for 1989 were placed in the Library of the House earlier this year. We understand that the Commission would be prepared for its three-month forward programmes, which are supplied to the European Parliament for planning purposes, to be passed to national Parliaments. All Commission proposals for draft legislation submitted to the Council of Ministers are deposited in the House, normally within 48 hours of receipt in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy towards the development within Third world countries of chemical industries with a capacity to make chemical weapons; and if he will make a statement.

We are in no way opposed to the development of chemical industries for peaceful purposes. We are, however, concerned that chemical industries, wherever they are located, should not contribute to the production of chemical weapons. Pending the achievement of a comprehensive ban on chemical weapons which would include verification that chemical weapon agents were not being produced in industry, we and a number of other chemical producing countries have imposed controls on the export of those chemicals which are key precursors for chemical weapons. We have urged other producing countries to follow suit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the overall state of Lomé IV negotiations.

The Lomé IV negotiations are making satisfactory progress and should be concluded by the end of the year. The next ACP-EC ministerial negotiating meeting is in Luxembourg on 10–12 October. I am participating in another round of discussions with my Community colleagues on 17 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the top five imports in both the European Economic Community in general and Great Britain from the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

The top five European Community imports from ACP states in 1987 were oil (4·26 billion ecu), coffee (1·61 billion ecu), cocoa (1·35 billion ecu), copper (0·55 billion ecu) and wood (0·55 billion ecu). (Source: European Commission "Principle EC imports from ACP states 1983–87"; 1987 exchange rate £1 = 1·41 ecu).Comparable figures for individual member states are not published by the Commission and the information requested for United Kingdom imports is not readily available from United Kingdom statistics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on studies comparing the shock and gradualist approach of disbursing aid to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

I have no information about such studies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current quota on the European market under the terms of the sugar protocol to the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Under the sugar protocol to the Lomé convention, the European Community undertakes for an indefinite period to purchase and import each year at guaranteed prices 1·3 million tonnes (white sugar equivalent) of cane sugar from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. This total is divided into national quotas among the ACP signatories.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current rate of exports from the African, Caribbean and Pacific to (a) the European Economic Community and (b) Great Britain.

In 1987 total ACP exports to the European Community were 16·37 billion ecu (Source: European Commission "Principle EC imports from ACP states 1983–87"); and to the United Kingdom 2·37 billion ecu (Source: Eurostat Monthly External Trade Statistics) (1987 exchange rate: £1 = 1·41 ecu).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the declaration made on 5 June in Brussels to ban all traffic of toxic waste to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries has been upheld.

At the ACP-EC ministerial negotiating meeting on 3–5 June, the European Community indicated that it was willing in principle to agree to an ACP request that the Community should ban the export of toxic waste to the ACP. Negotiations are continuing on the means of implementing such a ban.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the request from Mr. Seydina Oumar Sy, the Senegalese trade minister, on behalf of his African, Caribbean and Pacific colleagues, for the European Community to put extra money into the Lomé arrangement for structural adjustment has been met.

European Community member states have not yet discussed the level of resources to be provided under the next Lomé convention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which rules have been eased in regard to African, Caribbean and Pacific industrial products entering the European Community duty free, as promised by Mr. Manuel Martin, the European Community development Commissioner.

In the current renegotiation of the Lomé convention the Commission has proposed a number of improvements to the rules of origin. We support these concessions. The Council is considering its position on the Commission proposals. This will then be put to the ACP in the next round of the negotiations. The objective is agreement by the end of December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current rate of additional Lomé aid provided by the European Investment bank.

Under the third Lomé convention the European Investment bank agreed to make loans from its own resources of up to 1,100 million ecu (about £750 million). Commitments up to 30 June 1989 totalled some 490 million ecu (about £330 million).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current state of the Sysmin facility.

The third Lomé convention includes an allocation of 415 million ecu (about £280 million) for the Sysmin facility. Commitments up to 30 June 1989 totalled some 65 million ecu (about £44 million).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) Official Report, 28 June, column 955, if he will publish the statistical evidence for radon emissions in Cornwall making it 80 times more dangerous to live there than in Copeland.

The average radiation dose per person from radon in Cornwall is 6·3 millisieverts per year. This is about 80 times the annual average dose of below 0·08 millisieverts for Copeland from the discharges at Sellafield. For further information I refer the hon. Member to the 1988 "Review of Radiation Exposure of the UK Population" published by the National Radiological Protection Board. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Mrs. Taylor) Official Report, 28 June, column 955, he will identify by title and date of publication the report on dioxins to which he referred.

The title of the report is "Dioxins in the Environment", Pollution Paper No. 27 (ISBN 0 11 752229 5) published by HMSO on 22 June. Copies are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Normanton (Mr. O'Brien) Official Report, 23 February, column 704, concerning declaration of interest by chairs and members of urban development corporations, he will state any exception to the normal requirements of chairs set out therein; and if he will make it his policy to publish, on request of any hon. or right hon. Member, for any urban development corporation, the occasions when members of corporations have written to the relevant chair, together with the circumstances and action taken on each occasion.

We have made no exceptions to the normal requirements concerning declarations of interest. Chairmen and members are given full advice on this matter and their conditions are set out in their terms of appointment. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State would not wish to publish correspondence between members and their chairmen on such matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many outlets empty raw sewage into the Dart between Totnes and Dartmouth; how many of these outlets treat sewage in any way; and if he will make a statement on the quality of water currently in the Dart.

There are three major discharges of sewage into the Dart estuary: the Dartmouth combined outfall which discharges macerated sewage, the Coronation park outfall at Dartmouth which discharges crude sewage and the Totnes sewage treatment works which discharges treated sewage. Smaller sewage treatment works at Dittisham, Galmpton and Stoke Gabriel discharge treated sewage. There are another 80 or so very small and intermittent private discharges from houses or farms which discharge crude sewage directly into the estuary.The most recent river quality survey assessments showed that both the estuary and the river were of the highest quality (class A and class 1A respectively), except for a small stretch between Totnes weir and Riverford bridge which was class 1B. In recent weeks an algae bloom has developed in the estuary which has temporarily reduced the quality. Such blooms are a natural phenomenon in the early summer months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to ensure that no person pays more than one community charge in respect of second homes which are used by only one person.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to monitoring the impact of the arrangements for standard community charges on second homes on the effectiveness of the community charge in relating payment to services provided.

The impact of the standard community charge on owners of second homes will vary with the personal circumstances of owners, and with both the levels of community charge determined and the multipliers chosen by local authorities. We shall keep these matters under review in the usual way.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the liability to poll tax of (a) young people at school, (b) young people in sixth form colleges specified in the Personal Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989; and if he will make a statement.

I assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to the community charge.My Department discussed the definition of full-time students with representatives of local authorities and educational establishments before preparing these regulations. Young people who remain in full-time secondary education beyond their 18th birthday are exempt from the community charge for as long as their parents are entitled to claim child benefit on their behalf.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the effects of the ring-fencing of housing revenue accounts on the level of community charge, using the illustrative 1988–89 figures, for each charging authority.

[holding answer 13 July 1989]: As I have previously told the hon. Member, our practice is to publish only figures based on current responsibilities and expenditure patterns. There will be a number of changes in local government responsibilities from April 1990. It would not be appropriate to single out one particular change nor to attempt to predict the effect at the local level of one or more changes while details remain to be settled.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to make a decision on the eight large out-of-town retail shopping centres around Manchester.

Consideration of these proposals is well advanced; I hope to make announcements about them very soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money is to be made available to the National Rivers Authority for the establishment of a computer system for pollution control.

The National Rivers Authority is at present considering its long-term requirements for information technology, including computer systems for pollution control. These, and their expenditure implications, will be considered in the context of discussions on the NRA's corporate plan. In the meantime, the schemes of transfer under schedule 2 of the Water Act 1989 will provide the NRA with the resources and equipment it needs to carry out its statutory responsibilities for pollution control and other matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on the disclosure of information by water public limited companies in the event of the privatisation of the existing water authorities; and what changes are proposed to the policies governing the information water authorities currently have to make available to the public.

[holding answer 12 July 1989]: The Water Act 1989 and the proposed conditions of appointment of water and sewerage undertakers under the 1989 Act, contain a wide range of requirements for making information available to the public, either directly or through the Secretary of State, the National Rivers Authority, or the Director General. For example, water undertakers will be required for the first time to publish information about the quality of water supplied for domestic purposes, both regularly and in response to individual requests for information. The National Rivers Authority will be required to maintain a public register including matters such as details of analyses of samples of effluent discharged by sewerage undertakers into controlled waters.The Director General's register, which will also be a public document, will contain all key matters concerning appointments, and include information such as undertakings under section 20(5)(b) relating to compliance programmes. Under section 34, the Secretary of State may arrange for the publication of information connected with the carrying out of water and sewerage functions as may appear to be in the public interest to publish. And the Director General's annual report which must be laid before Parliament, will contain a general survey of developments within the scope of his functions. These information requirements, in addition to those applicable to registered limited companies, will replace those applicable to the water authorities as public sector bodies. They greatly extend and improve the availability of published information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make it his policy that full information should be accessible to the public in respect of statutory water companies to at least the same extent as any ordinary public limited company.

[holding answer 12 July 1989]: Under the Water Act 1989 statutory water companies would on the transfer date be appointed as water undertakers for their present areas of supply and the information requirements of that Act, which exceed those for an ordinary public limited company, will apply.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the synopsis of the actual business property revaluations, as carried out by the Inland Revenue in preparation for the introduction of the uniform business rate; and whether he will send a copy to the hon. Member for Tatton.

[holding answer 14 July 1989]: Under the Local Government Finance Act 1988 the valuation officer is required to deposit draft rating lists by 31 December 1989. It is unlikely that the lists will be ready much before that date. I placed in the Library on 15 February the summary of a sample survey by the Inland Revenue of the effects of the uniform business rate and the revaluation, I shall send the hon. Member a copy.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total cost in each year of the work, to each contributing body, of the Higher Folds, Leigh, land reclamation scheme.

The total cost of the Higher Folds, Leigh land reclamation scheme was £2·4 million. The Department of the Environment paid derelict land grant on this scheme as follows:

	£
1976–77	31,184
1977–78	395,767
1978–79	721,534

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the Merseyside development corporation; what representations he has received about the construction of a power station within the Merseyside development corporation's planning area; and if he will make a statement.

I have regular discussions with the chairman of the Merseyside development corporation and recently I met the MDC board to discuss its corporate plan for the next three years. A proposal for the construction of a power station was considered by the Merseyside development corporation earlier this year, alongside other development options for the preferred site. I was informed of the issues under discussion by the MDC and other interested parties. It was for the MDC to decide the development strategy for the site, and it resolved to pursue a mixed-use strategy. Private developers are now drawing up proposals for consideration by the MDC.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investment proposals by British Rail he has approved for new passenger stock and equipment on the Network SouthEast lines to Tonbridge, Ashford and Dover.

My right hon. Friend has received no recent investment proposals from British Rail about these lines. Network SouthEast's services will benefit from the resignalling works between Chislehurst and Dover, part of the major programme of investment which the Government have approved in principle, to allow Channel tunnel rail services to begin operating in 1993. Network SouthEast is planning to replace rolling stock on outer suburban services in Kent with new networker trains in the mid-1990s. I look forward to receiving British Rail's investment proposals for the new stock when they have been finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will call for a report from the chairman of British Rail of the total of unfilled vacancies for each region of the rail network.

These details are management matters for the British Railways board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects London Regional Transport to publish the independent review of the safety of the Underground ticket gates.

LRT has published the report today. Copies are being placed in the Library of the House together with copies of LRT's response. The report is a comprehensive, independent assessment by consulting engineers, Mott MacDonald, of the safety of the new automatic ticket gates being introduced on the London Underground.The report concludes that the gate system is basically suited to the safe operation of the Underground. The consultants confirm that in general the gates provide better evacuation routes than the traditional barrier line by providing more exit aisles. The gates were not found to impede access for the emergency services or to present a fire or electrical hazard. Compared with totally open stations the consultants consider that the gates contribute to safety by providing a method of exercising crowd control.Sixty detailed recommendations are made. The recommendations cover modifications to the design, installation and layout of the gate equipment and improvements to the maintenance, operations and staff training arrangements. Where extra gates are considered necessary at particular stations to cope with the growing number of passengers, appropriate recommendations have been made. The railway inspectorate and the London fire brigade have been consulted about the findings.London Underground has agreed to implement all the recommendations with the exception of one temporary measure for which an alternative arrangement is proposed to achieve the same objective.The majority of recommendations will be implemented within 12 months. LRT reports that 18 of the recommendations have already been completed or work put in hand. The estimated cost of complying with all the recommendations is estimated by LRT to be between £5 million to £10 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to examine why his Department's report on the foundering of motor fishing vessel Inspire on 5 September 1988 does not mention that a mayday call to the coastguard was made at about 3 pm on 5 September and not acted upon; whether he will institute a further inquiry to establish the true facts, circumstances and cause of the loss, taking account of all the information made available at last week's inquest; whether he will consider if any disciplinary action is appropriate; if he will examine the effect of the delay on the fate of the fishermen and whether any recompense to their families is appropriate as a result; and if he will make a statement.

The Department's report does mention the call which was sent. Paragraph 6.8 of the report says:

"When he"

(Mr. Skinner, the sole survivor)

"knew the boat was sinking he sent a distress signal over the VHF but had no time to give a position as the boat turned over upside down. This call evoked no response."

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects a decision to be made by the European Commission on the proposal by the port of Liverpool to construct a river terminal for Irish sea traffic; when the application was lodged; and if he will make a statement.

The port's application for a grant from the European regional development fund was lodged with the Commission on 1 December 1988. I have no information as to when the Commission will reach a decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals there are to (a) provide additional motorway service areas and (b) extend existing motorway service areas; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's strategic programme for the provision of new motorway service areas (MSAs) is as follows:

• M4 Reading area
• M11 Birchanger J8
• M18 Hatfield J4–5
• M20 Hollingbourne J8; Westenhanger J11
• M25 Thurrock J30–31; Clacket Lane J5–6; Iver J15–16
• M27 Meon J9–10
• M40 Ardley; Barn Hill; Stokenchurch area
• M42 Tamworth J10; Solihull area
• M54 Telford J4
• M56 Hapsford J14
• Birmingham Northern Relief Road

Completion of the new MSAs depends on success in obtaining planning clearance and acquiring the land.In addition, we are considering the possibilities of MSAs to serve the proposed Blackburn southern bypass and the proposed Birmingham western orbital.All these MSAs are to be developed by competitive tender, enabling the private sector to play a full and active part and in conformity with Government policy which I reaffirmed in this House on 17 March at columns 372–73.The increase in the road building programme announced in the "Roads for Prosperity" White Paper, coupled with the new national road traffic forecasts which are shortly to be published in full, will require additional provision of MSAs, including:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total number of passenger ferries operating from the United Kingdom; how many have sewage treatment plants; and what constraints exist over the discharge of raw and treated sewerage in the Channel and other confined water.

Annex IV of the international convention for the prevention of pollution from ships 1973–78, which deals with sewage, would prohibit the discharge of all untreated sewage into the sea within four miles from land and place stringent conditions on discharges beyond that distance. It has yet to come into force. Although there is no present obligation on shipowners, it is believed that about half the United Kingdom-registered class II ferries are fitted with sewage treatment plants and most of the others with sewage holding tanks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications for the ozone layer of the use of halon gas in equipment to protect from fire hazard the new tunnel being built to Bank underground station for the Dockland light railway.

[holding answer 13 July 1989]: Halon fire fighting equipment has been provided at a small number of strategic locations on the Docklands light railway where, if a fire occurred, there would be significant direct risk to life.Questions concerning the ozone layer are for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, but the impact on the ozone layer of intermittent use of halons in this particular example would be negligible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with British Rail regarding the environmental considerations of the route and design of the new railway that it is proposing to construct in Kent and south-east London; what assessment he has made of whether the present plans are the best design proposals in engineering and environmental terms and the most suitable for both British Rail and the people of London; what steps were taken to ensure that a full and proper period of consultation took place between British Rail and local communities; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 13 July 1989]: Before agreeing to the introduction by BR of a private Bill the Department will need to be satisfied that all the relevant environmental concerns have been considered by BR. Ultimately, however, it will be for Parliament to decide whether BR's proposals are acceptable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving test examiners were employed at each driving test centre in Greater Manchester in 1979 and 1988.

The average number of examiners in post, in 1985 and 1988, for each driving test centre in Greater Manchester are listed in the table. Earlier figures are not available.

Centre	1985 Examiners	1988 Examiners
Hyde	4	4
Sale	4	5
Withington	2	4
Reddish	6	6
Bolton	7	9
Bury	6	6
Rochdale	5	6
Didsbury	5	3
Failsworth	6	8
Whalley Range	6	6
Cheetham	7	7
Wilmslow	3	3
Wigan	6	7
Total	67	74

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how often driving test examiners have been seconded to other areas from each test centre in Greater Manchester (a) during 1988 and (b) in the current year to date.

The table shows the amount of time examiners from test centres in Greater Manchester spent on temporary postings outside the area.

Centre	1988	1989
	Man/Weeks	(first 6 months) Man/Weeks
Hyde	0	0
Sale	0	0
Withington	4	4
Reddish	8	8
Bolton	32	12
Bury	12	16
Rochdale	8	20
Didsbury	0	0
Failsworth	20	20
Whalley Range	8	0
Cheetham	12	8
Wilmslow	4	4
Wigan	8	8
Total	116	100

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what circumstances his Department's driving examiners are seconded to other areas from north-west examination centres.

Driving examiners are temporarily posted from centres with lower than average waiting times to those with longer waiting times in order to maintain, as far as possible, an even balance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current waiting time in weeks for a motor vehicle driving test at each of the driving test centres in Greater Manchester.

Current waiting times for an L test at each of the test centres in Greater Manchester are:

Centre	14 July 1989 Wailing Times
Hyde	13
Sale	5
Withington	8
Reddish	8
Bolton	10
Bury	8
Rochdale	8
Didsbury	13
Failsworth	8
Whalley Range	14
Cheetham	11
Wilmslow	10
Wigan	9

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the number of motor vehicle driving test cancellations in the current year at each of the test centres in Greater Manchester, due to staff absence.

Unexpected staff sickness led to the following short-notice L test cancellations:

Centre	1989
	(up to 30 June) Cancellations
Hyde	31
Sale	2
Withington	13
Reddish	66
Bolton	16
Bury	13
Rochdale	33
Didsbury	17
Failsworth	25
Whalley Range	12
Cheetham	49
Wilmslow	11
Wigan	23

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why his Department's south-eastern traffic area office has refused to issue a permit under section 19 of the Transport Act 1985 to Miss Annette Gerry of Victoria House, 71 Victoria road, Polegate, East Sussex, in respect of Ford Transit minibus registration number LYL 244K owned by Victoria house rest home.

Decisions on the granting of minibus permits are a matter for the Traffic Commissioner who is the independent licensing authority in these matters. The south-eastern traffic area office has sought legal advice on this case and will be writing shortly to the hon. Member.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if, for County Durham, he will list those Crown post offices (a) closed and (b) downgraded to sub-office status in the last five years; and if he will list those proposed for either outcome in the future.

These are operational questions for the Post Office board. However, I understand that it proposes to convert Seaham, Houghton-le-Spring and Crook crown offices into sub-offices in October this year. No crown offices have been either closed or converted in County Durham during the last five years.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has received a request from the chairman and chief executive of the Post Office to relieve him from the duty to collect mail in the London borough of Brent.

I have received no such request.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the operation of the Post Office's monopoly on the collection of mail from sub-post offices in the London borough of Brent.

The Post Office's monopoly is a privilege that applies in the whole of the United Kingdom. Its day-to-day operations are a matter of the Post Office itself.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he last met the chairman and chief executive of the Post Office; and if he will make a statement.

The Chancellor of the Duchy meets the chairman of the Post Office regularly, and last did so on June 27. A range of matters of current interest was discussed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he last met representatives of the six major brewers; and what was discussed.

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry met representatives of the six national brewers on 6 July. These were private discussions. He announced decisions on 10 July.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he is now able to announce his response to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of beer.

My right hon. Friend announced our response to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of beer in the House on 10 July.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many minor injuries to children at school were reported over the period 1 April 1986 to 31 March 1987 and 1 April 1987 to 31 March 1988 broken down by local education authority and whether nursery, primary or secondary school.

The information is not available in the form requested. However the most recent estimate from my Department's leisure accident surveillance of children treated in hospitals in England and Wales as a result of accidents in schools or nurseries (or during school sports) totalled 115,000 between May and October 1987, of which 95 per cent. of cases were minor injuries not requiring in-patient treatment.

To ask the Prime Minister what remedies Her Majesty's Government will provide to Mr. Graham Gaskin whose case was upheld in the European Court of Human Rights.

The Government will be paying the sums awarded by the court.

To ask the Prime Minister if she proposes that a medal be issued commemorating the Royal Navy's outstanding service in helping to keep open the sea lanes into and out of the Persian Gulf and through the straights of Hormuz; and if she will bear in mind the desirability of retaining in the annals of the Royal Navy the name of the Armilla patrol.

I refer my hon. Friend to he answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dorset, North (Mr. Baker) on 25 May. The Armilla patrol continues to serve in the Gulf with dedication and professionalism. The service that the Royal Navy has performed and continues to perform will not be forgotten; the term Armilla patrol will always be synonymous with a difficult and, at times, hazardous task carried out with exemplary efficiency, in the best traditions of the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the numbers of decisions of the European Court of Justice which have not been implemented by member states; and if she will make a statement.

No. However, it is for the Commission to decide whether a member state has failed to comply with a judgment and if necessary the Commission will take further action. The United Kingdom record on implementation is very good.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will ensure that junior Ministers do not use titles for which there is no statutory or constitutional justification and which are liable to be confused with the Secretary of State or other ministerial head of the Government Department concerned.

My authorisation is required for courtesy titles conferred on Ministers below Cabinet rank.

To ask the Prime Minister whether she has received any gifts made from Nile crocodile skin products during her visits overseas.

I have nothing further to add to the reply that I gave the hon. Member on 10 July at column 356.

To ask the Prime Minister how long it takes for her to reply to letters from hon. Members; and if she will make a statement.

I receive an enormous number of letters each week from Members of Parliament and others. It is not possible for me to deal with all these letters personally and I must accordingly refer most of them to

	Length of Service		Grade	Salary Per Annum £
Principal Private Secretary		7 months	G3	40,900
Private Secretary	5 years	4 months	G3	40,900
Private Secretary	1 year	7 months	G5	31,602
Private Secretary	1 year	1 month	G5	28,170
Private Secretary		1 month	G7	18,141
Diary Secretary		4 months	Special Adviser (p/t)	10,927
Assistant Private Secretary	16 years	2 months	Assistant One	17,861
Assistant Private Secretary	Joined	17 July 1989	SEO	17,861
Secretary for Appointments	7 years	4 months	G5	32,826
Salaries exclude London Weighting and allowance and are those payable as at 1 July 1989.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make an official visit to premises providing bed-and-breakfast accommodation for the homeless.

[holding answer 14 July 1989]: I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister what is her present policy regarding the making of official visits to hospitals where victims of major disasters are receiving medical treatment.

[holding answer 14 July 1989]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 13 January at column 764.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if it is his intention to include all products which contain nicotine, including Stubits and Stoppers, in his proposed ban on oral tobacco products.

No. The Government's proposal is to ban the supply of oral snuff dipping products consisting wholly or mainly of tobacco in fine cut, ground or particulate form. We have not yet decided whether to proceed with a ban. Preparations marketed for smoking replacement purposes that consist of tobacco extracts containing nicotine in a non-tobacco base would not be covered. There are regulations under existing Acts governing the supply of nicotine-containing products generally.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list all the current members of her private office showing how long each has been on her staff and their civil service grading and salary.

[holding answer 14 July 1989]: The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the percentage increase in medical and dental staff whole-time equivalents in (a) the Mersey region and (b) England, between September 1978 and the latest available date.

The information requested is set out in the table:

Hospital and community health service medical and dental staff1 in Mersey Regional Health Authority and England, percentage change, 30 September 1978–87
	Wholetime equivalent (per cent, increase)
Mersey RHA	14·1
England	14·9
1 Figures include Permanent Paid, Honorary and Locum staff. 1987 Locum figures include Agency Locums which were collected separately for the first time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the independent health panel investigating possible long-term health effects of the water contamination incident in July 1988 at Lowermoor treatment works, north Cornwall will publish its report before Parliament rises for the summer recess.

I understand that the report of the independent Lowermoor incident health advisory group to the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly district health authority is to be published on 20 July in Truro. Ministers will be giving careful consideration to the report and any recommendations that might be made by the group.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the revenue generated from private patients at hospitals in the Durham area in 1989; and what were the comparable figures for each of the last 10 years at 1989 prices.

The available information is given in the table:

Income from private patients: Durham health authority
	£ (at 1988–89 prices)
1982–83	6,158
1983–84	31,773
1984–85	34,230
1985–86	41,405
1986–87	49,912
11987–88	53,776
1 Latest year available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the estimated total number of hours received by clients of the home-help service of Durham county council for the years 1987–88 and 1988–89.

We do not collect this information centrally. Information about the number of hours received by elderly clients from home helps is collected by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and published in "Personal Social Service Statistics—Actuals" for each financial year. The latest publication available is for 1987–88. Copies are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role his Department envisages for cottage hospitals over the next five years; whether he estimates that their number will diminish; and if he will make a statement.

The pattern of hospital services locally is for health authority decision, taking into account the needs of all the communities they serve and available resources. In future district health authorities are likely to wish to place contracts with those cottage hospitals which are able to provide a good quality and cost-effective service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any document has replaced or updated the 1967 report on the "Definition of Drugs (Borderline Substances)" by the standing joint committee on the classification of proprietary preparations in particular paragraph 4 and appendix A on a guidance to general practitioners on prescribing preparations normally regarded as foods but regarded as drugs when used in the treatment of the diseases therein listed; and what is the status of the 1967 report.

The standing joint committee on the classification of proprietary preparation was replaced by the advisory committee on borderline substances in 1971. The report on the definition of drugs (borderline substances), which was produced by the standing joint committee, has been superseded by the recommendations of the advisory committee on borderline substances. These recommendations are revised periodically and are published in the "Drug Tariff", the "British National Formulary" and the "Monthly Index of Medical Specialties" (MIMS).The role of the advisory committee on borderline substances is to provide the Secretary of State and general practitioners with expert independent medical advice on the classification of borderline substances, and on whether they should be prescribed by general practitioners at NHS expense. In reaching its judgment on any particular product the committee's sole criterion is whether it has a therapeutic use in the treatment of disease in the community. This criterion was published on 25 February 1988 at column 302–03 in my predecessor's reply to a question from my hon. Friend the member for Surrey, South-West (Mrs. Bottomley).

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average size of a general practitioner's list in Luton in May 1979; and what it is now.

Figures are available only for 1 October each year by family practitioner committee (FPC) areas. Luton is served by Bedfordshire FPC. At 1 October 1979 the average list size of unrestricted principals in Bedfordshire FPC was 2,585. At 12 October 1987 (the latest available figure) the number had decreased to 2,052.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will publish a list of the financial and other links between the members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the pharmaceutical industry.

Information on members' links with the pharmaceutical industry was published with the 1987 annual report of the Medicines Commission and Medicines Act committees. A copy is in the Library. The 1988 report, which will contain additional information, will be published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed by the medicines control division of the Department in each year since 1979; and at what grades and locations.

I regret that information is not available in the form requested. The table gives numbers of staff in post as at 31 March of each year since 1986. This includes staff of the British Pharmacopoeia Commission.