To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints he has received concerning misleading advertisements; and if he has any plans to amend the Control of Misleading Advertisement Regulations 1988.

My Department does not keep records of such complaints. Anyone complaining to the Department about an advertisement whether in respect of misleadingness or otherwise is referred to the appropriate advertising control authority: usually the Advertising Standards Authority or local trading standards department. Complaints about misleading advertisements which cannot be satisfactorily resolved by the authorities may be referred to the Director General of Fair Trading under the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988. I will ask the director general to write to the hon. Member about the number of complaints he has received.I have no plans to amend the regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has had discussions concerning clocking and the possibility of requiring notification of a car's mileage to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre when relicensing, acquiring, or disposing of a car.

I have seen the recommendations to which the hon. Member refers, which were made by the working group led by the Director General of Fair Trading. As my hon. Friend the Minister for Roads and Traffic told the House on 16 March, the Government do not believe that the expensive system proposed for collecting and storing data in order to deter clocking would be sufficiently reliable to warrant the cost and bureaucracy involved. There are already mileage verification services available from private sector companies, and we believe that motor manufacturers could do much to solve the problem by developing tamper-resistant odometers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints he has received concerning the failure of garages to carry out pre-sales inspections of second-hand cars; and what discussions he has had concerning the improvement of consumer protection in this area.

I am not aware of any complaints from consumers received by my Department specifically about the failure of garages to carry out pre-sales inspections of second-hand cars. I receive representations from time to time about various aspects of consumer protection in relation to used cars, but I have had no discussions specifically about pre-sales inspections.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received any recent representations about pilot or permanent workplace creches and similar incentives further to encourage the return to employment of women in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

The Department of Trade and Industry uses the joint management and union arrangements which exist within the Whitley machinery to discuss workplace child care. The Department has received no recent representations outside this forum.The DTI is keen both to retain female staff and to encourage women to return to its employ. With other Departments, the DTI has contributed funds to a play scheme in London for employees' children aged five to 12 years. We have also initiated a programme of action to promote part-time working, and have increased flexible working hours. We are shortly to announce details of a career break scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter written to him by the European Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan on 12 July regarding NESL.

It is not usual practice to publish correspondence of this kind between the European Commission and the Government of a member country. In the particular circumstances of this case, however, a copy of Sir Leon Brittan's letter of 12 July has, with his agreement, been placed in the Library appended to a note by the Department on exchanges between the Government and the Commission concerning NESL.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what assessment has been made of the impact on quality of service for letter deliveries by the Post Office if there is an extra hour of winter morning darkness due to the implementation of single/double summer time;(2) what information he has as to what extra costs the Post Office forecasts it will incur if there is an extra hour of winter morning darkness due to the implementation of single/double summer time.

Quality of service is a matter for the Post Office Board. I understand the change would increase lighting and heating costs and require some changes in staffing arrangements at post offices.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at what power levels the Astra satellite is authorised by international regulatory agreements to broadcast signals to the United Kingdom.

The power level for which the ASTRA. (Transmitting space station GDL-6) satellite has been co-ordinated with the United Kingdom under the procedures of the ITU/IFRB (International Frequency Registration Board of the International Telecommunication Union) is 53 dBW eirp (Effective isotropic radiated power).

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what payments from public funds have been made in each of the last five years to British Telecom International in respect of its involvement in the Eutelsat organisation and for what purpose.

No such payments have been made to British Telecom International (BTI). The following payments have, however, been made to EUTELSAT by the British National Space Centre in respect of United Kingdom membership of EUTELSAT:

	£
1984	513,523
1985	1,389,568
1986	1,843,321
1987	903,063
1988	3,342,463

These payments are a contribution towards the subscription payable to EUTELSAT by BTI, as United Kingdom signatory, in recognition of the costs associated with demonstrating the commercial applications of the ECS series of experimental telecommunications satellites. The payments will cease by the end of 1994.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he is now in a position to give his Department's considered response to recommendations Nos. 24–26 of the Select Committee on Trade and Industry's report on information technology concerning the zero rating of value added tax on donations of information technology equipment made to educational institutions for research purposes.

The issues governing the zero rating of value added tax and taxation matters generally are complex and range beyond my Department. I can, however, state that I have taken note of the Select Committee's recommendation and can confirm that my Department remains committed to maintaining and improving the climate for investment for research and technology within the existing legislative framework. It is within this context that my officials have been liaising with the Treasury, but the policy regarding all fiscal matters is determined by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

To ask the Attorney-General (1) how many actions for repossession as a result of mortgage arrears were begun in the Coventry county court in each year since 1979;(2) how many county court actions for mortgage repossession occurred in the Coventry county court; how many of these actions resulted in an order for possession of the property; how many of these orders for possession were suspended; and how many warrants for eviction were issued, in each year since 1979.

The number of mortgage actions for possession entered and orders made for possession in Coventry county court in each year since 1983 (the first year for which figures are available) are as follows. No information is collected on how many of these orders were suspended nor how many resulted in evictions.

Year	Number of mortgage possession actions entered	Number of mortgage possession orders made
1983	550	476
1984	545	446
1985	471	404
1986	505	497
1987	560	385
1988	454	536

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish his current estimate of the number of adult persons in the United Kingdom unable to read or write.

Few adults are totally unable to write, but a substantial number have some problems with reading, writing and spelling. Research sponsored by the adult literacy and basic skills unit (ALBSU) and the Training Agency suggests that of the cohort of 23-year-olds who were interviewed in 1981 as part of the national child development study survey, 13 per cent. said that they had some problems with reading, writing or numeracy, and 3 per cent. said that their problems caused difficulty in everyday life. If this were typical of all adults in England and Wales, an estimated 5·5 million people could have some difficulties with literacy and numeracy, of whom about 300,000 might experience serious difficulties with reading and writing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many letters were received from, and sent to. hon. Members by his Department in (a) January and (b) the whole of this Session up to 1 July.

This information is not readily available in the form requested. Between 1 December 1988 and 30 June 1989 the Department received 9,985 letters designated for ministerial reply, and 9,385 replies were issued. During January 1989, 1,352 letters for ministerial reply were received, and 1,041 replies issued. Approximately two thirds of this correspondence was from hon. Members.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many hours the subjects of personal and social education will occupy in the national curriculum; and what will be the format for teaching these studies;

Under section 4(3) of the Education Reform Act, national curriculum orders may not prescribe the time to he allocated to teaching any subject or topic. How the different programmes of study are taught will be a matter for each school to determine.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what recommendations he intends to make on alcohol education in the draft orders to be laid before Parliament on that subject;(2) when the draft orders on the study and attainment targets for alcohol education to be contained in the national curriculum will be laid before Parliament.

The order for science education within the national curriculum was laid before Parliament in March 1989. This includes attainment targets and programmes of study concerning the effects of alcohol on the way in which the human body functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the response in the Doncaster area to the Fun Eating at School Today campaign.

The FEAST campaign is run by individual local education authorities. Information on its results in particular areas is not collected by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to encourage education authorities and school governing bodies to establish work place or shared facility creches and similar incentives further to encourage the return of mothers to teaching.

Under the education support grant programme for 1990–91, support is available for up to £2 million to boost the local recruitment of former teachers and mature entrants. Provision of creche and other child care facilities will be relevant expenditure for this activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will ensure in the future that universities and polytechnics receive the same level of funding.

Decisions on the public funding of the universities and the polytechnics will continue to reflect differences in their circumstances, of which universities' research role is part.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about ethnically based statistics on school pupils.

The Department is today issuing a circular to local education authorities and others, instituting from September 1990 a national scheme for the collection of ethnically based statistics on school pupils. I shall be placing copies of the circular in the Library.The scheme's objective is to assist schools, parents, LEAs, the Department and others in ensuring that education meets the needs of all pupils, thereby helping to secure equality of opportunity. The great majority of those who commented on an earlier consultative circular welcomed the principle of collection of ethnically based data. The national scheme has been designed in the light of experience of pilot schemes in four LEAs.LEA maintained and grant-maintained schools will be expected to collect ethnically based information on pupils entering either the primary or secondary phase of schooling in September 1990, and thereafter. Parents will be asked to provide, on a voluntary basis, information on their children's ethnic origin, religion and the language spoken in their home. The circular emphasises the need for care and sensitivity in the collection and handling of this information. Information supplied to the DES will be aggregated and will not permit the identification of individual pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about ethnically based statistics on students in further and higher education.

The Department and the Welsh Office issued a consultation document raising the issues and options involved in the collection of ethnically based statistics for students in further and higher education last March. Comments were received from 100 bodies. There was general support for the proposal that the national data collection on ethnicity for each and every student/enrolment should be obtained via the incorporation of a question in the further education statistical record. Accordingly, we have agreed that a question to elicit this information using the agreed OPCS classification of ethnic groups will be included in the November 1990 FESR return.With regard to the collection of data on applications for higher education, both the University Central Council on Admissions and the Polytechnic Central Admissions Systems have agreed to include an ethnicity question in their admission material for full-time first degree courses relating to the academic year 1990–91 and subsequently. UCCA data will then be transferred to the university statistical record in respect of those students enrolled at university.The collection of these data will provide a valuable measure to inform forward planning and provision and alert decision-makers to issues and areas requiring further investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the projects on motor neurone disease funded by his Department.

[holding answer 14 July]: The Medical Research Council, which receives a grant in aid from this Department, is currently supporting the following projects on motor neurone disease:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the measures that he has taken since April, together with dates of implementation, to protect people from infection from anthrax; and if he will make a statement.

Restrictions made under the Anthrax Order 1938 prohibiting the movement of animals and carcases to and from the premises, and of other potentially infected materials from the premises, were imposed by the local authority.The community health physician, Wrexham, was notified on 19 April 1989. Where pigs had been licensed to be moved they had been inspected by a veterinary officer prior to leaving the farm; by a veterinary officer at the point of slaughter; and again by a qualified meat inspector after slaughter. Animals dying from anthrax were cremated and their surroundings cleansed and disinfected. Clwyd county council made appropriate arrangements to disinfect and dispose of the slurry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when officers of his Department last met representatives of local authorities in Gwynedd concerning the establishment of an opera venue at Llandudno; and what is the latest position with regard to this project.

Welsh Office officials met representatives of Aberconwy borough council and Gwynedd county council on 21 June. An application for

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list the figures by which an individual would be protected by the safety net against the full effects of the poll tax in each local authority area in Wales, showing against each the equivalent figure based on his written answer on 12 June, Official Report, columns 304–6;(2) whether, further to his written answer on 12 June,

No. The review of standard spending assessments has yet to be completed and the precise details of the safety net have yet to be settled. I agree with the Welsh local authority associations that it would be misleading to produce illustrative figures until consultation on these matters has been concluded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether his Department has submitted to the European Commission any plan, project or programme in respect of aid from the European regional development fund for any project within the Cardiff bay development corporation area;(2) whether his Department has conducted any negotiations with the European Commission or others on any plan, project or programme in respect of aid from the European regional development fund for any project within the Cardiff bay development corporation area.

Projects in the Cardiff bay area have been submitted individually for ERDF assistance in the past. Developments in the Cardiff bay area are included in a proposal for an integrated development operation for industrial south Wales submitted to the European Commission in May last year. A linked reconversion plan for industrial south Wales, submitted to the European Commission earlier this year also referred to developments in Cardiff bay. Discussions are currently under way between officials of my Department and of the European Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the properties and facilities and their cash values of the Welsh Development Agency and facilities that have been sold in each of the years since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 5 July 1989]: Details of industrial property sales in 1987–88 and 1988–89 are shown in the tables. Similar information for other years since 1979 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Location	Unit Reference	Consideration
		£ thousand
Year 1987–88
Amlwch	Amlwch No. 1	187
Maesteg	Revlon factory	360
Pyle	Northgate factory	145
Blackmill	G Q Parachutes factory	105
Maesteg	British Vita factory	140
Merthyr Tydfil	Ex-Hoover factory	3,000
Bridgend	Unit B15 Bridgend IE	60
Barry	Unit 1Ty Verlon	300
Tenby	A/F 16 and 17 Salterns IE	40
Burry Port	Units 4, 5, 6, and 7 Pembrey IE	115
Aberdare	A/F 1 Robertstown	206
Hirwaun	A/F 10 Hirwaun	350
Newport	Maesglas IE (26 factory units)	2,225
Swansea	Ex-Northgate premises	111
Kenfig	A/F 4 Kenfig IE	295
Pontardawe	A/F 1 Pontardawe IE	75
Cwmgors	A/F 1 Cwmgors IE	55
Ynyshir	A/F 7 and 8 Ynyshir IE	73
Porth	Remploy factory	98
Llwynypia	Glampak factory	85
Llwynypia	Unit A B 11 Llwynypia	45
Treforest	Commercial Unit, Treforest IE	13
Wrexham	Unit A, Redwither Road, Wrexham IE	205
Wrexham	Ex-Dunlop factory	725
Year 1988–89
Cwmbran	Units B1 and B3 Ty Coch IE	228
Cwmbran	Units 1, 2 and 3 Caldicot Way, Avondale IE	465
Blaenavon	Andrew Russell factory	98
Penyfan	A/F 5 Penyfan IE	278
Tafarnaubach	Unit 4, Tafarnaubach IE	555
Merthyr Tydfil	Unit 1, Goat Mill road, Dowlais	238
Merthyr Tydfil	Unit 2, Goat Mill road, Dowlais	200
Treorchy	Polikoff Universal factory	100
Cwmtillery	Unit 1, Cwmtillery IE	260
Merthyr Tydfil	Ex-Triang factory	41
Maesteg	A/F 3 Forge IE	235
Treforest	Units A16 and A17 Treforest IE	527
Hirwaun	Unit L2 Hirwaun IE	11
Cwmfelinfach	A/F 1 Nine Mile Point IE	364
Hirwaun	Unit L21, Hirwaun IE	65
Hirwaun	Unit B55, Hirwaun IE	20
Kenfig	A/F 3 Kenfig IE	465
Kenfig	A/F 4 Kenfig IE	295
Dafen	A/F 10 Dafen industrial park	275
Dafen	Unit 1, Dafen industrial park	350
Llanelli	A/F 1 North Dock	69
Morriston	A/F 3 St. Davids IE	225
Bridgend	James Walker factory	22
Ammanford	Unit 2, Park street	125
Llandeilo	Units B, C and D Beechwood IE	95
Milford Haven	Unit 5, Gt. Honeyborough IE	65

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British organisations are involved in the European Community DRIVE project.

British organisations are playing a major part in the DRIVE initiative and are involved in more than two thirds of the contracts let so far.Up to now, some 60 DRIVE contracts have been awarded: 27 British organisations are involved in 42 of them and are taking the lead in 19. Bearing in mind the EC has had 189 DRIVE proposals, this is an impressive hit rate and illustrates the depth of technology available in Britain.The Government's transport and road research laboratory has been awarded 12 contracts and is lead contractor in one. The local value of these contracts is £12·7 million, of which the TRRL share is £870,000. Work on most of these projects has started and will take two or three years.With a budget of 50 million ecu (£32 million), DRIVE aims to create an integrated pan-European road transport environment, mainly using electronic systems to convey information to drivers and for controlling traffic.

To ask the Secretary of State for transport what are the latest statistics he has available on the death rate of motor cyclists in relation to the overall population in (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) the United States of America, (iii) France, (iv) the Federal Republic of Germany and (v) Japan; and what were the comparable figures 10 Years ago.

the information is as follows:

Motor cyclist deaths per million head of population
	1977	1987
United Kingdom	21·6	13·0
USA	19·3	18·6
France	53·0	29·1
FRG	35·0	17·8
Japan	16·7	25·5

The figures are published in the transport statistics report entitled "International comparisons of transport statistics; Part 2". They do not give an indication of the size of the motor cycle population in each country. The trend in the United Kingdom towards reduced casualties among motor cyclists is a heartening one.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the driver testing and training business plan for 1989–90.

Copies of the driver testing and training division's 1989–90 business plan have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will report on progress in implementing the recommendations of the interdepartmental review on road safety; and if he will indicate his future priorities for work on reducing road casualties.

Good progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the road safety review. I have placed a full progress report in the Library of the House. This includes a summary of the areas of work on which we shall be concentrating for the next 18 months. Casualty figures suggest that we are making reasonable progress towards the target of reducing casualties by one third by the year 2000. It is also clear that there is no room for complacency and that we shall have to step up our efforts even more in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers involved in accidents were found to have been drinking over the limit in 1988; how this number has changed over the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Drivers involved in accidents who are not seriously injured may be breath-tested following the accident. In 1988, it is estimated that 75,000 drivers were so tested, of whom nearly 14 per cent., or just over 10,000, failed. In addition, coroners' reports on drivers who die in road accidents show that about 20 per cent. in 1988, or about 400, had a blood alcohol content above the legal limit.The following tables show

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list in the Official Report the numbers of passenger aircraft, in service with United Kingdom operators, which exceed 75 per cent. of their economic design life objectives according to model type and as defined by (a) total number of flights, (b) total number of flying hours and (c) age; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will list in the

These data are not held by the Department though some may be available to the Civil Aviation Authority, which has the statutory responsibility for the safety regulation of civil aviation.I shall ask the chairman of the authority to respond direct to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many licences for passenger aircraft were issued to United Kingdom operators by his Department under arrangements known as wet leasing; if he will list, according to each model type, the numbers of such aircraft which have (a) exceeded their economical design life objectives in terms of either (i) total number of flights, (ii) total number of flying hours and (iii) age, or (b) reached 75 per cent. or more of their economic design life objectives in terms of either (i) total number of flights, (ii) total number of flying hours and (iii) age; if he is satisfied with the safety standards of aircraft which are wet leased; and if he will make a statement.

In 1988, the Department approved 19 wet leases of foreign registered passenger aircraft by United Kingdom airlines. A breakdown of the types of aircraft is as follows:-

Type	Number
BAC 1–11 (500)	1
B727–100	1
B727–200	4
B737–200	5
B737–300	4
Convair CV-580	3

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects construction of the third Dartford crossing to be completed.

Good progress continues to be made on the new bridge. It is expected to be open early in 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in the Official Report the names, number of fatalities and port of registration of United Kingdom-registered cargo vessels and passenger ferries lost in each of the past five years; if each loss was the subject of an inquiry; how many masters of such vessels were held responsible; what was the range of sanctions imposed upon them; and to which regulations do these penalties refer.

The names and port of registry of cargo vessels and passenger ferries registered in the United Kingdom lost in the five years 1984–88 are listed, with the number of fatalities. Inquiries were carried out by the Department of Transport in all cases. The remaining information requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate expense.

Cargo Vessels and Passenger Ferries Lost 1984–88
Ship	Port of Registry	Deaths
1984
Camilla Weston	London	—
Fylrix	Hull	—
1985
Johanna V	London	—
Bridgeness (Tanker)	London	—
Xanthence	Colchester	—
David F	Liverpool	—
Gwyn	Cardiff	—
1986
Southern Quest	Grangemouth	—
Eilean Rosin Dubh	Stornoway	—
1987
Herald of Free Enterprise	Dover	189
Besthorpe	Hull	1
Maral R	London	—
1988
Grit	London	—
BC Mercurius	London	—
Deepdale H	Liverpool	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow on 11 July, Official Report, columns 458–59 he will indicate in how many of the subsequent inquiries into such losses the master was held responsible for the loss of his vessel; what were the penalties imposed upon those deemed to be offenders; and under which regulations those sanctions were imposed.

I regret that information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate expense.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow on 11 July, Official Report, columns 458–59, he will indicate how many of these losses of fishing vessels were subjects of inquiry; how many were lost as a direct result of collisions with submarines; and, of those which foundered following such collisions, how many were fishing at the time with (a) demersal gear and (b) pelagic gear.

The Department of Transport made inquiries into the large majority of the losses, including, all where fatalities occurred. None of the vessels was lost so far as is known as a direct result of collision with a submarine.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow on 11 July, Official Report, columns 458–59, he will indicate the number of inquiries where no judgment or assessment was made concerning the reason or reasons for the loss of a fishing vessel; and if he will make a statement.

In all cases where an inquiry is carried out, an attempt is made to assess the possible causes of the accident. A full list of all cases with information as to the extent to which cause remains uncertain could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many additional international flights to and from the far east and Manchester airport have been approved this year; which airlines and destinations are involved; and if he will list all similar applications still to be considered.

So far this year, arrangements have been made allowing new scheduled services from Manchester to be operated to Malaysia and to Hong Kong, and for additional services to Singapore. United Kingdom airlines can seek licences for these routes from the CAA (at present, only British Airways has one, from Manchester to Hong Kong). Airlines at present designated by the authorities at the other ends of the routes are MAS, Cathay Pacific, Air Hong Kong and SIA. It is for each of these airlines to decide whether or not to take advantage of the opportunities. Apart from a licence application by Virgin Atlantic for services between Manchester and Singapore under consideration by the CAA, there are no outstanding requests for services between Manchester and the far east.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he intends taking about the time-keeping and maintenance performance recently of the Airtours company and Orion airlines.

It is the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that is responsible for ensuring that all United States carriers, including Orion Air, operate their aircraft in accordance with safety and airworthiness standards set by the FAA pursuant to their obligations under the Chicago convention. Our Civil Aviation Authority has already drawn the FAA's attention to the recurring maintenance difficulties experienced on Orion Air's services to and from Manchester.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there are any plans to introduce legislation to require vehicle manufacturers to achieve fuel efficiency targets for cars and light vans.

A2/M2 road maintenance programme (£ million)
Scheme	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89
A2
Swanscombe-Pepper Hill	0·2	2·9	—	—	—
Barham-Westcourt Road	1·3	—	—	—	—
Tollgate-Marling Cross	—	0·1	1·4	—	—
Lydden-Whitfield	—	—	2·0	—	—
Tollgate-Thanglane	—	—	2·1	0·6	—
Coldred-Whitfield	—	—	0·4	1·3	—
Thanglane-M2	—	—	—	2·6	—
GLC Boundary-M25	—	—	—	0·05	—
Brewers Gate	—	—	—	—	0·2
West Court-Lydden	—	—	—	—	1·2
Whitfield Eastwards	—	—	—	—	0·2
County Boundary-M25	—	—	—	—	0·4
Singlewell-Hog Lane	—	—	—	—	0·05
M2
Junctions 3 and 4–5	4·8	—	—	—	—
Junctions 5–7 Joints Ph1	—	0·5	—	—	—
Junctions 5–7 Joints Ph2	—	—	0·5	—	—
Junctions 5–6 Concrete repairs	—	—	4·1	0·4	—
Junction 4	—	—	0·2	2·7	—
Junctions 5–7 overlay	—	—	—	5·5
Junction 5	—	—	—	—	3·9
Junctions 5–7	—	—	—	—	3·2
Junctions 6–7	—	—	1·1	—	—

A2 Improvement schemes (£ million)
Schemes	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89
Barham Crossroads	—	1·9	0·6	0·04
Swanscombe-B262	1·3	—	—	—
Tollgate-Marling Cross	—	0·78	—	—
Cobham-3 Crutches	—	—	0·94	—
London Boundary-M25	0·07	—	—	2·35
Singlewell-Hogg Lane	—	—	—	0·01
A2/M2 Brenley Corner Roundabout	—	0·02	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many journeys were made in 1988 of (a) uranium and (b) other nuclear or radioactive material, which were transported through the Doncaster metropolitan borough council area by (i) rail and (ii) road to Sellafield or other destinations; and what reviews are being carried out on the frequency of these cargo shipments.

The Department does not collect data of the kind requested.The movement of all radioactive materials must be made in compliance with national and international

[holding answer 24 July 1989]: Following the June Environment Council, the European Commission is committed to looking for ways of reducing the emissions from vehicles of carbon dioxide, the principal "greenhouse" gas. These emissions are directly related to fuel efficiency. It is unclear how the Commission intends to fulfil this commitment. We expect it will consult member states at an early stage to explore what might be technically, economically and legally feasible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent in respect of each A2-M2 road maintenance programme or improvement programme in each of the last 10 years; and if he will list the amounts by programme.

[holding answer 24 July 1989]: The information readily available is:regulations which require safety for both normal and accident conditions to be built in to the container used for transport.Safety does not depend on the choice of route used, which is a matter for the carrier.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many letters were received from, and sent to, hon. Members by his Department in (a) January and (b) the whole of this Session up to 1 July.

This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made in his Department's review, in line with Treasury guidelines, of the potential for the further relocation of Civil Service posts outside London and the south-east; and when he expects the review to be completed.

Eighty per cent. of DTp staff are located outside London and the Department is reviewing the possibilities for further relocation.A decision to relocate the headquarters of the driver testing and training division to Nottingham in mid-1990 was announced earlier this year; a review of TRRL at Crowthorne concluded against relocation; a review of marine HQ posts is nearing completion; and a review of parts of the highways command has recently started.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the decision was made to undertake the new road works south of Wetherby on the A1.

The carriageway repair work on the A1 at Bramham to the south of Wetherby was planned in February. The works are 0·5 miles long and are expected to be completed by 8 August.We are conscious of the need to plan and phase road works and try to keep those on the A1 to a minimum.To aid traffic flow, the lane restrictions which were in force on the A1 at Dishforth have been suspended until early September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of the A1 north of Doncaster to Dishforth are presently under repair.

One half of one mile.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to the nearest 1,000, how many cones are presently deployed on the A1 between Doncaster and Dishforth.

There are approximately 6,000 cones currently in use on the A1(M) Doncaster bypass. Between Doncaster and Dishforth, there are approximately 750 cones deployed for day-time lane closures. A further 750 cones are used for work which is being carried out at night to minimise traffic delays.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the distances between highways works signs on the Al between the M18 junction and the A19 both north and south.

The works on the A1(M) Doncaster bypass and those at Bramham to the south of Wetherby are 25 miles apart. The works at Bramham are 22 miles from those at Dishforth.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any departmental Ministers have travelled on the A1/M1 in Yorkshire during the past six months.

Yes. I drove up and down twice last month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of counties in which major checks have been carried out on the motorways in the last 12 months, to discover how many heavy goods vehicles were unfit for use; and whether he will hold talks with the Association of Chief Police Officers on the effectiveness and frequency of exercises such as that carried out by Staffordshire county constabulary.

In the 12 months to the end of June 1989, major vehicle checks were carried out in 23 counties; 470 goods vehicles were prohibited from further movement for offences including overloading, mechanical defects and breach of the drivers hours rules.The Department regularly holds liaison meetings with the Home Office and representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers at which enforcement procedures and other matters are discussed. The vehicle checks carried out by Staffordshire police are effective both in enforcing the law and increasing inter-agency co-operation. The Department's enforcement staff will continue to assist the police in Staffordshire and elsewhere in holding checks on motorways.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will include a test of literacy in the driving test procedure before a person is licensed to drive a motor vehicle.

There are no plans to do so. There is no known correlation between literacy and road safety.It is not difficult to envisage someone functionally illiterate driving better than a doctor of philosophy (and vice versa).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide additional resources to improve services on the Mersey Rail northern line; and if he will make a statement.

No additional resources are required. I understand that once recent traincrew recruits have been trained the problem of cancellations should be much reduced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much it cost to publish the "Annual Review of British Overseas Aid" in 1987.

Five thousand copies of "British Overseas Aid 1986" were produced in 1987 at a unit cost of £7·87.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, pursuant to the replies to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn), 19 June, Official Report, columns 32–33, he will seek from the Governments of the People's Republic of China, Argentina, Republic of South Africa and India the terms on which each is prepared to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

No. The non-proliferation treaty is open for signature to all states, and we take every suitable opportunity to encourage non-parties to join.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in his Department's review, in line with Treasury guidelines, of the potential for the further relocation of Civil Service posts outside London and the south-east; and when he expects the review to be completed.

As a result of the FCO review, about 250 diplomatic wing jobs have been identified for possible relocation to the FCO estate at Hanslope Park near Milton Keynes, subject to planning permission and financial provision for the necessary development of that estate.The aid wing has carried out two major relocation exercises in recent years and when the current move to Chatham is complete nearly 60 per cent. of ODA staff will be located outside London. Opportunities for further relocation are kept continuously under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total value of armament sales to Israel from Britain between 1980 and 1989; and if he will make a statement.

It has been the practice of successive Administrations not to give details of arms sales to particular countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last made representations to the Israeli Government concerning human rights in Israel; and if he will make a statement.

We have not taken up the question of human rights in Israel proper but have made repeated representations to the Israelis about human rights in the occupied territories.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has received any recent representations about pilot or permanent workplace creches and similar incentives further to encourage the return to employment of women in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

A survey to assess likely demand for a diplomatic and aid wing child care facility was recently carried out prior to a feasibility study completed in May this year. The results of this feasibility study are now being considered.Both the diplomatic and aid wings also contributed to the setting up fund for a 1989 Westminster holiday play scheme, and children of school age of employees in both wings registered to take part. Separate play schemes are being planned at outer London aid wing locations.A number of measures have been introduced in both the diplomatic and aid wings in recent years, designed to further the FCO equal opportunities policy—for instance, the introduction of flexible working hours, and the extension of special unpaid leave arrangements (for up to a total of five years) to enable an officer to meet domestic responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had, and what action is being taken, in secondary education in Hong Kong to lay the foundations for informed participation of youth in a democratic elective system in Hong Kong.

We are consulting the Government of Hong Kong. I will give the hon. Member a full reply as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) when Mr. Irfan Abdul Alikazi, whose date of birth is 13 October 1969, first applied to the post in Bombay to enter the United Kingdom; on what dates he has been interviewed at the post; and when a decision is to be taken on his application;(2) when Mr. Mohd Yasin, who was born in 1962 and whose reference is SN 81140, first applied to the post in Islamabad to enter the United Kingdom; and when a decision is going to be taken on his application.

[pursuant to the reply, 14 July 1989, c. 673]: In accordance with the guidelines on the handling of representations by Members of Parliament in immigration cases, issued to Members on 14 December 1988, the questions have been referred to the correspondence unit of the migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The hon. Member will receive a reply from the unit in due course.

To ask the Prime Minister whether she has received any recent representations requesting the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

No. The Prevention of Terrorism Act is one expression of our resolve to defeat the evil of terrorism, and there is no question of a repeal.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding the United Kingdom's relations with Italy.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding the fire service.

I have received a number of representations about fire service matters. We all owe a considerable debt to individual firefighters for their courageous service to the community. As with other public services, the Government have a responsibility to ensure that the fire service is run in the most efficient way possible and that it gives the best value for money to the public.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement following her recent meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

I had a very friendly and useful discussion with Prime Minister Bhutto on 7 July about a number of subjects, including Britain's relations with Pakistan, which are excellent, the situation in Afghanistan and other regional issues. I also welcomed the prospect of Pakistan's return to the Commonwealth.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding the performance of the Securities and Investments Board.

While I receive from time to time representations about various aspects of the financial services regulatory system, only one received in recent months would fall into the category referred to by my hon. Friend.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to rationalise the administration of maritime affairs into one Ministry.

No. There is a maritime aspect to the work of several Government Departments which could not sensibly he separated from their other responsibilities.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding environmental pollution.

I have received a number of representations. The Government are committed to the protection of the environment. Government and industry are already investing £2 billion to reduce air pollution, £1·3 billion in the water industry, and £100 million a year on schemes to improve the quality of coastal bathing waters. This investment will improve the quality of the environment for generations to come. We also intend to bring forward legislation to strengthen the powers available to control pollution at source.

To ask the Prime Minister what reply she has sent to the letter of 1 July from the President of the Methodist Conference.

It is not my usual practice to publish exchanges of this kind.

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

Yes, I receive regular representations on EC matters.

To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has had on the proposed reforms for the National Health Service.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding the National Health Service.

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

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding structural fund policy in the European Economic Community.

My right hon. Friends have received representations from local authorities and others about the management of the funds under the revised arrangements.

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

I regularly receive representations on a wide range of issues concerning transport policy. The programme of investment in railways is now running at the highest level since the transfer from steam to diesel 30 years ago. There is already a major programme of road building which the Government are committed to increasing still further.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding the level of crime.

I have received a number of such representations. The recent fall in the overall level of crime which is disclosed in the statistics for recorded offences in the year ending 31 March 1989 is encouraging.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to visit the Maesglas area of Newport, Gwent.

I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations regarding British Rail.

Yes, especially recently when a number of people have written to me about the great inconvenience caused to the travelling public by the rail strikes. Passengers and freight business will suffer unless the railways give a reliable service.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has received recent representations relating to the Commonwealth.

I regularly receive representations relating to the Commonwealth from hon. Members as well as from members of the public. I am greatly looking forward to attending this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, an event which is always of great importance to this Government.

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

I have received a number of representations relating to NATO, most of them strongly supportive of the continuing, vitally important role of NATO in sustaining peace and security.

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

The Government frequently received representations about agricultural policy.At the Royal Show earlier this month I was pleased to pay tribute to the enormous contribution the agriculture industry and the thousands of individual farmers make to our national life.Our policy is to provide a framework within which this industry can thrive. We shall continue to negotiate for a more market-orientated common agricultural policy, building on the major reforms agreed at the February 1988 European Council. Our agricultural industry is well placed to benefit from the opportunities for fair competition that the EC's single internal market will bring.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on progress made in rationalising the steel industry since 1979.

During the period since 1979 the Government promoted the Phoenix joint ventures involving private sector steel companies and the (then nationalised) British Steel Corporation and also a private sector steel scheme. These initiatives have now ceased but they reduced product overlap between the private and public sectors and contributed towards rationalisation within the industry as a whole. British Steel itself was then returned to the private sector in December 1988 and recently announced record profits of £593 million compared with substantial losses while nationalised. Productivity in the United Kingdom steel industry rose by 151 per cent. between 1979 and 1988.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to her reply to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill, of 17 July, Official Report, column 22, whether she will now take steps to set up an independent procedure to consider whether Mr. Graham Gaskin's files should be released to him; and if she will make a statement.

As my hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Health said in his written answer to the hon. Member on 18 July, a careful look is being taken in the light of the court's judgment in this case at the present general arrangements for social services clients to have access to their files to see whether any changes to those arrangements are needed.The court awarded Mr. Gaskin £5,000 compensation and that sum, along with the court's award for legal fees and expenses, is being paid to him.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 July.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 July.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 July.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 July.

This morning I had a number of meetings including one with General Yazov, the Soviet Defence Minister, on his first visit to the United Kingdom. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today and will be attending a special garden party to celebrate 150 years of public education. This evening I hope to have an audience of Her Majesty the Queen.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, further to his answer of 27 June, Official Report, column 441, he will give the greenhouse gas equivalents for carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.Molecule for molecule, the greenhouse warming effect of methane is approximately 27 times that of carbon dioxide and 165 times that of nitrous oxide. Taking account of concentrations in the atmosphere, their current contribution to the greenhouse effect is estimated to be 55 per cent. (carbon dioxide), 14 per cent. (methane) and 8 per cent. (nitrous oxide). The remaining fraction is primarily due to chlorofluorocarbons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those prisoners who were refused transfers to prisons in Northern Ireland in each of the past seven years indicating the grounds for the refusals.

The records available indicate that the numbers of requests from inmates in England and Wales for permanent transfer to Northern Ireland which were refused were as follows:1982–1; 1983–1; 1984–5; 1985–28; 1986–11; 1987–3; 1988–4.Information on the grounds for refusal in individual cases is not available, but all decisions were taken in accordance with the publicly stated policy on transfers which was in force at the relevant time. It would not be right to give the names of the inmates involved, many of whom will by now have been released.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement indicating the various grounds on which prisoners were transferred to Northern Ireland in each of the past seven years.

Prisoners may be transferred from England and Wales to Northern Ireland if they are required to face trial there, if their presence there is necessary in the interests of justice, or if they apply for temporary or permanent transfer. Applications for permanent transfer have been granted where the inmate meets the criteria for transfer, as agreed between the Home Office and the Northern Ireland Office, in force at the relevant time, or where there are exceptional compassionate circumstances. The criteria for transfer now in force were announced in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North (Mr. Burt) on 23 June at column 263.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a list of the names of all prisoners transferred to prisons in Northern Ireland in each of the past seven years, indicating the offences for which they were convicted, the prisons from which they were transferred, their sentences and the time served prior to transfer.

It would not be right to give the names of the inmates concerned, many of whom will now have been released. Information on the periods served by the inmates before transfer is not readily available. The remaining information, which relates only to inmates transferred from England and Wales to Northern Ireland to serve the remainder of their sentences, is as follows: