To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many (a) civil servants with higher education responsibilities, and (b) Her Majesty's inspectors (higher education), UGC/UFC, and NAB/PCFC, have been employed in 1987–88 and 1988–89; and how many extra it is proposed to recruit in 1989–90.

The information requested is as follows:

	11987–88	11988–89	11989–90
Civil Servants with responsibility for policy on higher education	57	54	51
HMI (Higher Education)2	150	150	150
UGC	70	68	—
UFC	—	—	80
NAB	30	33	—
PCFC	—	—	63

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average mileage per day travelled by the Minister for Overseas Development in performing her official duties; and what was the figure for her predecessor.

Between mid-1988 and mid-1989 my predecessor, the right hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Patten) travelled over 100,000 miles, an average of nearly 300 miles per day, in the course of his official duties. I expect my travel to follow a similar pattern.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Overseas Development Administration maintains a list of approved consultants.

The ODA maintains a register of consultants but inclusion on this register does not imply that ODA approves of the firm or individual concerned, nor that they will necessarily be invited to tender for projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements have been made to include Hong Kong and other colonies in the arrangements for pensioners of Her Majesty's overseas Civil Service to include pre-appointment war service in the calculation of their pensions.

Any overseas pensioner from one of our dependencies who also receives a pension paid under the terms of the Overseas Pensions Act 1973, will be eligible for consideration under the terms of the Colonial Service Officers' Pensions Addition for War Service (United Kingdom) Scheme 1989.We have written to Hong Kong and other dependencies whose expatriate pensions do not come within the scope of the Act, to ask if they will introduce arrangements which would parallel our scheme. Bermuda and the Cayman Islands have advised us that they have no pensioners to whom the terms would apply; we still await replies from the others, including Hong Kong whose Government have previously expressed a desire to intoduce credit for war service.

To ask the Prime Minister what steps are taken to encourage scientific civil servants working on areas related to public safety to draw public attention to threats to public safety.

This will depend on the circumstances in each case. In bringing matters to the attention of the public all civil servants are required to act in accordance with the principles concerning the provision of information set out in chapter 6 of the "Personnel Management Handbook", copies of which are available in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much of the money currently spent on residential care in Wales is specifically allocated to services for disabled people.

The only relevant figures available are those for expenditure by local authorities on residential homes for different categories of resident as shown in the following table.

Residential homes for	Net current expenditure (1987–38) (£)
The elderly	29,623,980
The younger physically disabled blind and deaf	1,869,453
Persons with a mental illness—Staffed homes	1,168,760
Persons with a mental illness—Unstaffed homes	11,287
Persons with a mental handicap—Staffed homes	5,947,987
Persons with a mental handicap—Unstaffed homes	43,406
Residential accommodation for mixed client groups	59,883

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions during 1988 and 1989 either he, or his officials, have met representatives of the Farmers Union of Wales.

I have met representatives of the Farmers Union of Wales on seven occasions and my officials have on 25 occasions. In addition there are frequent but irregular meetings with officials at the four divisional offices dealing with matters involving either individual farmers or of a more general, but essentially local, interest. Central records are not kept of these local meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps are being taken to monitor the linguistic rights of elderly Welsh-speaking people within private sector nursing and old people's homes.

It is for the individual elderly person to select a home which suits his/her particular language requirements. In exercising their responsibilities, several registration authorities have issued guidance to proprietors on how to cater for the Welsh-language needs of residents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the subjects on which he is not prepared to answer parliamentary questions.

It is not possible to provide a definite and exhaustive list of questions which I might exceptionally decline to answer on grounds other than cost and commercial confidence. Each question will continue to be considered on its merits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether it was with his authority that Welsh Water plc joined with Saur UK Ltd. to form a joint subsidiary company to undertake a variety of commercial activities.

We welcome Welsh Water's proposals to diversify its activities including its joint venture with SAUR about which we have been kept fully informed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) those county, district and community councils which have submitted comments on the letter dated 30 June entitled, land for low cost housing in rural areas in Wales draft planning guidance and (b) the authorities which were sent a copy of this letter.

The information is shown as follows:

(a)Clwyd County Council

• Colwyn Borough Council
• Delyn Borough Council
• Glyndwr District Council
• Rhuddlan Borough Council
• Wrexham Maelor Borough Council
• Dyfed County Council
• Carmarthen District Council
• Ceredigion District Council
• Dinefwr Borough Council
• Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council
• South Pembrokeshire District Council
• Gwent County Council
• Monmouth Borough Council
• Gwynedd County Council
• Aberconwy Borough Council
• Arfon Borough Council
• Dwyfor District Council
• Ynys Môn—Isle of Anglesey Borough Council
• Ogwr Borough Council
• Powys County Council
• Brecknock Borough Council
• Montgomeryshire District Council
• South Glamorgan County Council
• Cardiff City Council
• Vale of Glamorgan Borough Council
• West Glamorgan County Council
• Neath Borough Council
• Port Talbot Borough Council
• The Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast and Snowdonia National Park Committees also commented on the draft guidance.
• No Community Council has submitted comments.
• (b) All District and County Councils in Wales together with the three Welsh National Park Committees. The Welsh Counties Committee, the Council of Welsh Districts and the Welsh Association of Town and Community Councils were also consulted on the draft guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when his Department will pay the agricultural capital grant of £904·55 under the agriculture and horticultural development scheme in respect of sheep fencing for holding number 55/443/16 Mr. W. D. Harries, Crafty farm, Hayscastle cross, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, which was submitted in May.

Mr. W. D. Harries has already been informed that his claim has been approved for payment. He should receive his payment order by mid-November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to implement paragraph 29 of the European Community charter of fundamental social rights.

The charter has not been agreed by member states. Discussion of its implementation is therefore premature at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guarantees his Department has gained from the company EDS, awarded the contract to run the computer centre at Livingston, that a continuous service will be maintained.

Contractual arrangements are in place to ensure effective performance by EDS. Failure to meet the agreed levels of service will result in financial penalties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will place a copy of any guidance issued by the chief adjudication officer as a result of Commissioner's decision R(SB)6/89 in the Library.

The guidance issued by the chief adjudication officer as a result of Commissioner's decision R(SB)6/89 is contained in AOG Memo Vol. 3/22 which has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing, for men and women aged 16, 20, 30 and 40 years in April 1988, the ages at which it would pay the person concerned to cease contributing to a personal pension or other money purchase scheme, assuming rates of return of 0·5 per cent, and 2·5 per cent, above the annual increase in ·average earnings.

It is not possible to give such a table because of the wide range of other factors, in addition to the rate of return, which would affect the amount of the personal pension.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will investigate the circumstances surrounding the visit to Ms. Marsha Basaj by two regionally based fraud investigators responsible to the Central Office for Scotland CN (Fraud) branch.

I have called for a report on this case and will write to the hon. Member in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much the Government have spent on social fund loans and community grants; how many people have been refused help by the social fund from its inception to date; and if he will make a statement.

Information relating to 1988–89 is contained in the Secretary of State's annual report to Parliament.Information for the current year is available from the national summary statistics which are placed in the Library monthly. The latest month for which information is available is September 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he is proposing to take about the administration of the social fund following the report by the Social Fund Commission for 1988–89; and if he will make a statement.

The Social Fund Commissioner's first annual report, which was published in July, discharged her responsibility to report annually on the standard of reviews by social fund inspectors. I was pleased to note that 90 per cent, of the decisions monitored "met fully or exceeded the required standard" and that of the remainder very few "were found to be fundamentally flawed". I agree fully with the Commissioner's conclusion that the results of her monitoring will encourage public confidence in the review system.The Commissioner also made a number of recommendations to the Department. These are all issues on which the Department's views have been made known to the Commissioner, or on which the Department has already taken action. I understand that the Commissioner's next annual report will refer to this year's recommendations and the Department's response to them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the following totals at constant prices: (a) capital expenditure out of the public service obligation grant to British Rail and (b) other capital expenditure by British Rail authorised by his Department for each year since 1979.

The public service obligation grant meets the difference between costs and revenues for grant-supported services. Eligible costs include depreciation, a supplement to fund capital renewals, and interest. Grant therefore provides support for capital investment, but grant is not allocated to particular categories of expenditure.Figures for total BR investment are given in the table:

£ million 1989–90 prices
	Total BR investment
1979	518
1980	529
1981	433
1982	352
1983	347
1984	368
1985–86	491
1986–87	475
1987–88	594
1988–89	600

Note:—1984–85 was a 15 month financial period. The 1984 figure is the 12 month internally reported result. Figures exclude the laying of continuous welded track which BR no longer classify as investment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department has on the length of time taken to respond to letters from hon. Members.

Ministerial colleagues and I aim to deal with all correspondence in three weeks.Manually kept records show that of approximately 15,000 letters received from hon. Members since January 1989, 378 are currently outstanding. These have raised complex questions or problems which inevitably take longer to research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the answer to the hon. Member for Hexham on 10 January, Official Report, column 617, if he will list (a) those trunk road improvement contracts that have been awarded since the start of the financial year 1989–90. together with the name of the successful tenderer and the value of the contract, (b) those contracts on which tenders have been invited but contracts have not yet been awarded and (c) those contracts on which tenders have not yet been invited but are expected to be let by the end of the financial year 1989–90.

The following contracts have been awarded since 1 April 1989:

Scheme and Successful Tenderer	Contract Price £ million
M1 J34 Meadowhall Development1— Birse Construction	1·2
M3 Compton-Bassett Widening—John Mowlem	41·5
M20 Maidstone-Ashford (Contract 2)—Wimpey Construction	28·7
M40 Waterstock-Wendlebury Section—Fairclough/Alfred McAlpine	63·9
A23 Waddon Marsh Bridge—Balfour Beatty	2·7
A27 Brighton Bypass (Dyke Road/Patcham)— Alfred McAlpine	16·7
A41 Chester Improvement—Fairclough	17·5
A41 Bicester Bypass State 1—John Mowlem	4·7
A42 Castle Donnington North (Contract 1)— A F Budge (Construction)	24·7
A65 Addingham Bypass—Cumbrian Industrials	3·1
A69 Brampton Bypass—Cumbrian Industrials	4·9
A127 Rayleigh Weir GSJ—Christiani and Nielsen	11·8
A282 Dartford Third Crossing Approach Roads—Balfour Beatty	27·7
A303 Ilchester to South Petherton—
Wimpey Construction	12·8
A406 Chingford Road to Hale Road·Cementation Construction	60·3
A604 M1–A1 Link: Contract 6 (Kettering-Thrapston)— A. F. Budge (Construction)	25·7
Contract 7 (Thrapston-Brampton phase 1)—Tarmac Construction	14·2
1 Grant aided scheme.

Tenders have been invited for the following schemes and the contracts should be awarded before the end of the financial year:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has assessed whether the development of electronic anti-theft systems for cars has reached the point in cost and effectiveness at which he will consider legislation to make their installation mandatory.

Every new car sold in Britain since 1978 has had to have a steering lock. Britain has developed, in co-operation with manufacturers, new standards to improve car locks and to shield window mechanisms We are pressing for these to be adopted in the EC.Many cars are also fitted with alarm systems. The variations in their design and location contribute to their effectiveness. The greater standardisation likely to result from obligatory installation might diminish that effectiveness. Moreover, there is a growing volume of complaints about the environmental effects of alarms set off with no apparent attempt at theft.Parking sensibly, locking up carefully and avoiding leaving valuables in view are all strong deterrents to thieves.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many inspectors are employed at ports to ensure that lorry weights from incoming vessels are within United Kingdom requirements; and how many prosecutions were undertaken in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 to the most recent practicable date.

The Department currently has a force of 235 traffic examiners who carry out lorry weight checks at inland sites as well as at major ferry ports. Vehicles found to be overweight in ports are prohibited from further movement but are not normally prosecuted because an offence has not taken place until the vehicle has been on a public road. Separate figures for prohibitions in ports are not kept. The number of prosecutions nationally for overloading, with in brackets figures for prohibitions, in each of the years 1986–88 were, respectively, 6,400 (5,700), 5,500 (4,250) and 7,600 (7,700). The figures for the first half of 1989–90 were 3,250 and 2,900. These figures do not include offences taken by the police and local authority trading standards staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many of the short-span bridges on non-trunk roads will not meet 40-tonne lorry weights; what will be the cost of repairing or replacing such bridges; and what is the estimated cost of the traffic delays arising from such work;(2) whether his Department has carried out an assessment of the likely extra strengthening costs in the event of the EEC directive on 40-tonne lorries being applied in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

It was agreed at a meeting of the European Council of Transport Ministers in July that the United Kingdom's derogation from the directive permitting the use of lorries weighing 40 tonnes should end on 31 December 1998.In 1988 my Department began a programme—expected to last 10 years—to assess all the bridges on trunk roads and to strengthen them, where necessary, to cater for heavier lorries. The increase from 38 tonnes to 40 tonnes will require about another 400 bridges to be assessed, but it is expected to account for only a relatively small proportion of the total cost of strengthening work.Last December, the Government made provision through the rate support grant settlement for an additional £27 million expenditure by local authorities in England in 1989–90 so that a start could be made on the long-term programmes of work necessary on their roads. It is too soon to say what proportion of their bridges will eventually need to be strengthened, but a sample survey carried out by my Department in 1987 suggested that it might be about 20 per cent.In some cases, strengthening may not be the only option. It will be more appropriate to restrict some bridges to vehicles of a lower weight; in other cases, it would be possible to cater for heavier lorries by reducing the number of lanes of traffic.It is inevitable that there will be traffic delays while some of the work is carried out, but it is not possible to predict where these will occur or their economic cost. My Department's regional offices will assist in co-ordination of the work to help keep delays to a minimum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what research has been undertaken on the use of 16·5 m articulated lorries in the United Kingdom; what alterations will be required to existing tractor units, what design requirements will be needed for compatible tractor units for the 13·6 m trailer; and if he will make a statement;(2) when he expects to lay the order allowing 16·5 m articulated lorries in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement;(3) why he is advancing by 12 months the implementation of the EEC directive permitting 16·5 m articulated lorries; and if he will make a statement.

Once the EC date was imposed on us, there was a serious risk of detriment to the interests of British manufacturers. We therefore advanced implementation to January 1990 from January 1991.The order will be laid as soon as possible, subject to the completion of the necessary detailed consultation. No specific research was carried out on the proposals leading to the EC directive. The new 13·6 m semi-trailer will require the use of a tractor unit slightly longer than the shortest units now in use: some already exist. The shortest tractor units can still be used with semi-trailers slightly shorter than 13·6 m.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the total numbers of commercial vehicles in each category of unladen weight registered for 1989; what were the totals for each year from 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Information on vehicle stock for 1989 is not yet available. Details of the number of commercial vehicles registered in Great Britain are available by gross weight and were published in "Heavy Goods Vehicles in Great Britain 1988", transport statistics report, August 1989, a copy of which was placed in the House of Commons Library.The number of heavy goods vehicles has fallen from 506,000 in 1979 to 462,000 in 1988 despite a 25 per cent, increase in road freight activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been reported to him in the provision of rail services between the Channel tunnel and London; and whether it remains the Government's policy not to subsidise this project.

British Rail is planning to spend over £1 billion on upgrading the rail network in Kent and London, on developing Waterloo station and on rolling stock, so that a full international passenger and freight service can commence on the day that the Channel tunnel opens.In July of last year British Rail began consultations on the proposal to build a new line which would be needed by the end of the century. On the basis of consultation on four route options, British Rail narrowed the choice to a preferred route in March of this year. British Rail also isued an invitation to the private sector to participate in a joint venture. Five positive responses to this invitation were received, and BR subsequently shortlisted two consortia.Today British Rail has announced that it has selected its preferred partner in a joint venture for Channel tunnel rail services, and that is Eurorail, comprising Trafalgar House and BICC. I very much welcome this announcement.The broad scope of the joint venture has been settled. It includes the operation of international rail services, not just the construction of the link. The details are still to be negotiated and my approval to the final agreement will be necessary. At this stage, however, I am greatly encouraged by the clear indications that I have had from the private sector that Channel tunnel rail services, including a new Channel tunnel rail link, can be financed commercially and that the new link can still be brought into operation in 1998.I have been greatly impressed by the confidence, expertise and commitment shown by both the shortlisted consortia, Eurorail and the Acer Group. Eurorail is satisfied that detailed work carried out on the route through Kent confirms that the route proposed by BR is the best solution. It is confident that an acceptable way can be found of continuing the route from the outskirts of London to Waterloo and to a second terminal at Kings Cross with its excellent connections to the north.This confirmation of the route through Kent, on which so much work has already been done to minimise the environmental consequences, will help to end uncertainty in the county. I welcome that as I welcome the decision to bring forward immediately legislative proposals to allow Ashford international passenger station to be relocated so as to open in 1993, but to fit in with the new line. It is for British Rail and its partner to determine the best route and terminals to be included in a parliamentary Bill, and I accept that now that BR and Eurorail have reached agreement it will not be practicable or sensible for them to examine other possible alternative proposals and projects. It will be for Parliament to decide whether the route can be accepted.I think that it must be primarily for BR and Eurorail to judge how and when to seek the necessary legislative approval for their proposals. I accept BR's judgment that it is wiser to wait until all the details of the route through London have been finalised before introducing a Private Bill and that will also give the opportunity for further refinement of the detailed measures proposed for Kent. I welcome their stated intention to introduce a Bill in 1990.The provision of the Channel tunnel link is now the responsibility of BR and its chosen partner, Eurorail. I confirm that it remains the policy of the Government that no subsidy will be given to Channel tunnel rail services.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many gainers and losers his Department now estimates there will be after the introduction of the poll tax in England.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bath (Mr. Patten) to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) on 1 November 1989, at column 75.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what have been and will be the environmental consequences to the United Kingdom of the recent loss of a container of lindane in the Channel.

No signs of lindane pollution have been detected from the continuing joint Anglo-French monitoring programme, set up immediately after the incident.British and French scientists are confident that any increases in lindane concentrations in the marine environment could be easily detected at levels well below those at which they would represent a risk to human health. They further agree, after having carefully considered the probable rate of dissolution of the lindane in its container and its likely rate of release to the sea, that the chances of the lindane having any significant detectable effect are very slight.As a precaution joint monitoring continues and if any leakage is detected this would provide important clues as to the whereabouts of the container and so assist recovery action, should this be necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider giving additional incentives to councils to encourage the introduction of further schemes for the recycling of domestic waste; and if he will make a statement.

Our proposals to improve waste management on which we hope to legislate shortly should encourage local authorities to promote recycling. In addition we are carefully considering what further measures might be taken to encourage recycling both at the collection and disposal stages, and are evaluating examples of current best practice and the major experiment in recycling—"Recycling City"—which is now taking place in Sheffield, with the support of the Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to introduce legislation to allow local authorities to appoint designated officers for the purpose of taking the name and address of any alleged litter offender for subsequent prosecution.

I am pleased to inform my hon. Friend that our proposals for legislation to tackle the problem of litter, published on 20 July, include a provision which will allow all district and borough councils to operate a fixed penalty scheme for littering. Under such a scheme an authorised officer of the authority will be empowered to issue tickets to litterers requiring payment of a fixed penalty within a set period. Failure to pay the fixed penalty will render the offender liable to prosecution. We are not, however, proposing to give the authorised officer extra powers to demand the name and address of the offender.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for the financial years 1981 to 1988 inclusive the following information: (a) the housing investment allocation paid to Leicester city council for each of the years and (b) the housing investment allocation in real terms for each of those years.

The following figures give Leicester city council's housing investment programme allocations and also its outturn expenditure for the years requested, in both actual and real terms.

	£ million Allocation		£ million Outturn
Year	Actual	Real terms	Actual	Real terms
1981–82	17·036	24·628	19·464	28·137
1982–83	18·496	24·971	21·063	28·436
1983–84	17·373	22·416	22·488	29·016
1984–85	18·900	23·238	30·604	37·628
1985–86	15·000	17·482	28·395	33·093
1986–87	13·285	15·002	26·013	29·375
1987–88	14·277	15·319	23·983	25·733
1988–89	13·716	13·716	32·393	32·393

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the subjects on which he is not prepared to answer parliamentary questions.

I would normally expect to answer questions within my area of responsibility other than those involving disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether Her Majesty's Government intend to ratify the Basel convention on the control of transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal.

Yes, together with our European Community partners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to proceed with the restructuring of the Nature Conservancy Council and Countryside Commission as outlined by the previous Secretary of State for the Environment on 11 July.

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give an assurance that he will uphold the terms of the north-east Derbyshire green belt local plan (paragraph 5.20, proposal 6) and reject any application lodged on appeal by British Coal to begin opencast mining in the green belt and around Barlborough.

No. I cannot give such an assurance. This would clearly prejudice the position of the Secretary of State were an application to come before him on appeal. Minerals can be worked only where they occur, but extraction, including opencast coal, need not be incompatible with green belt objectives provided high environmental standards are maintained and sites are restored to a good standard. As Derbyshire's green belt local plan makes clear, mineral working is a temporary operation which can be acceptable in green belt areas and is not incompatible with the eventual restoration of the area to an open use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the extent of foreign investment in British water authorities.

The successor companies to the nine water authorities in England are wholly owned by the Crown.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will appoint a new member to the advisory committee on works of art in the House of Commons following the resignation from the committee of the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton (Mr. Callaghan).

I am pleased to announce that, with Mr. Speaker's agreement, I have appointed the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) to the advisory committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made with preparations for the forthcoming water share offers.

I have today placed in the Library the "Pathfinder" prospectus for the 10 water share offers which has been published today. It gives details of the forthcoming offers, apart from the price, share capital and related information. The share price will be announced on 22 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has regarding the toxic and carcinogenic properties of unleaded petrol; and what assessment he has made of the effects of using benzene in such petrol.

I have been asked to reply.We are not aware of any information to suggest that there are toxic or carcinogenic properties specific to unleaded petrol.Benzene is toxic at high doses and is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a human carcinogen on the basis of data from workers who were exposed to high levels in the past. The concentration of benzene permitted in petrol is regulated under a European directive and it is not used as an additive to substitute for lead.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to persuade the Korean Government to equalise the levels of duty on Scotch whisky and other spirits.

It has been our objective for some time to remove the discriminatory features of Korea's tax and tariff treatment of Scotch whisky and other imported spirits, as well as other restrictions on the import and distribution of these products. There has been some liberalisation which has benefited Scotch whisky but discriminatory treatment continues to hold back sales in Korea. We have made strong representations to the Korean Government and will continue to take every opportunity to do so, both bilaterally and through the European Community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken to overcome the import restrictions faced by Scotch whisky exports to Taiwan.

The authorities in Taiwan are well aware of United Kingdom concerns. Her Majesty's Government have no dealings with the Taiwanese authorities but United Kingdom concerns on this and other matters are put across very clearly in Taipei and London by the Anglo-Taiwan trade committee, a private organisation set up to promote British exports to Taiwan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which recommendations of the Office of Fair Trading set out in the document "Selling by telephone," in 1983 he has accepted; which of these have been implemented; and what are his reasons for not implementing the remainder.

Two of the recommendations in the 1984 report by the Office of Fair Trading on selling by telephone were addressed to Government.The first related to automatic dialling equipment. Such equipment which transmits recorded messages or synthesised speech may only be used with the consent in writing of the intended recipient. Other such equipment which transmits speech or data has only been approved by the Director General of Telecommunications for connection to the public network where there are legitimate reasons for its use.The Government have accepted the more recent advice of the Director General of Telecommunications that the new branch systems general licence, which will soon be granted under the Telecommunications Act 1984, should contain a condition requiring anyone making telephone sales calls not to do so in respect of any user who requests them to stop.On the second recommendation, the Government are not convinced that there have been sufficient problems to require the introduction of a statutory cooling-off period for oral contracts resulting from unsolicited telephone calls.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will list all offers of regional selective assistance in the Darlington area for each year since 1982; and whether he will provide the same information for (a) Stockton-on-Tees and (b) Middlesbrough.

The offers of regional selective assistance in the Darlington, Stockton and Middlesbrough areas in each year since 1 April 1982 are as follows:

(A) Offers of regional selective assistance in the Darlington parliamentary constituency
Company	Amount offered £
1 April 1982–31 March 1983
Nil
1 April 1983–31 March 1984
Whessoe Projects Ltd.	1,070,000
Brent Chemicals International Ltd.	40,000
Stenga Ltd.	25,000
C. P. Offset	25,000
Darlington Pattern Making Company	6,500
1 April 1984–31 March 1985
T. E. Catterall Ltd.	20,000
Amdega Ltd.	50,000
Indescon Ltd.	35,000
Priestgate Services (No. 29) Ltd.	30,000
1 April 1985–31 March 1986
Harvey Plating Ltd.	50,000
Rallbar Ltd.	10,000
Areena Shoe Components Ltd.	50,000
Mech-Tool Engineering Ltd.	70,000
Mini-Prints North East	15,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs have been created or safeguarded by regional aid in the Northern region since 1984.

The number of jobs expected to be created or safeguarded in the Northern region¹ through offers of regional develpment grant (RDG) and regional selective assistance (RSA) since 1984 is:

Regional Development Grants
Financial Year	Jobs
1984–85	2846
1985–86	11,340
1986–87	18,389
1987–88	21,156
1988–89	25,013
Total	76,744

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the subjects on which he is not prepared to answer parliamentary questions.

It is not possible to provide a definite and exhaustive list of questions which I might exceptionally decline to answer on grounds other than cost and commercial confidence. Each question will continue to be considered on its merits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make it his policy to introduce a system of licensing for ticket touts.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to remove Crown immunity from those establishments run by his Department subject to consumer protection and environmental health laws; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend gave to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West (Mr. Janner) on 20 October 1989 at column 279.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the cost to small firms wishing to attend the seminar organised by his Department on exporting to Belgium and Germany on 21 November.

The exporting to Belgium seminar on 21 November costs £35 per delegate, including lunch.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what trade union representation exists on the European trade committee.

There is no trade union representation on the European trade committee. Members are selected on the basis of their wide experience of exporting and their knowledge of western Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide information covering each of the last five years showing the number of employees whose earnings fell below (a) the national insurance contributions lower earnings limit; and (b) the PAYE threshold; and if he will estimate what proportion of these employees are (i) women, (ii) female part-timers and (iii) part-timers.

The available information from the new earnings survey is not sufficiently precise to make reliable estimates separately distinguishing the numbers with earnings below these two thresholds. However, the numbers are broadly estimated to be in the following ranges:

April	Millions
1984	2½–3
1985	2¾–3¼
1986	2¾–3¼
1987	3–3½
1988	3–3½

It is estimated that women account for 75 per cent, of these employees, that female part-timers account for 70 per cent, and that all part-timers account for 90 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when results from the Restart cohort survey will be available; if a copy of any preliminary findings and subsequently the full results will be published or placed in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

The final results from the Restart cohort study are likely to be available in the middle of 1991. A decision on publication will be taken in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information is collected on the ET2 form which is completed for each employment training trainee by training managers; and if he will give as much information as he has for each region and for Great Britain as a whole showing how many employment training trainees have achieved vocational qualifications; how many have received any form of training bonus: and how much.

The information which is collected from the ET2 trainee record form is detailed in the following table. Information from the forms on qualifications obtained and numbers receiving training bonuses is still being analysed and its reliability assessed. No information is available about the amount of training bonus paid to trainees.EMPLOYMENT TRAININGINFORMATION COLLECTED FROM ET2, TRAINEE RECORD FORM

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment why there has been a delay in assessing employment training training managers for ATO status; what effect this has had on the original timetable; how many employment training training managers passed stage one; how many have been told to make improvements; how many have failed; and if he will make a statement about the future timetable for carrying out the full assessment of ATO status in employment training.

Area office staff began the assessment of employment training training managers for ATO status immediately the programme began and they have continued that process.It was originally hoped the process would be completed within 18 months of the beginning of the programme. It was recognised that training of managers, many of whom were new to training of this type, needed sufficient time to provide the evidence of the high standards of training required to satisfy the stringent criteria leading to the award of approved status. For this reason, the timetable allowed for the approval process is now set at two years from the date of commencement of operation.At 31 October 1989, 338 training managers had passed stage 1. The monitoring activities for approved status provide for Training Agency staff to work in partnership with all training managers to offer advice about the developments necessary to achieve full status.No training managers have failed.The timetable for approved status is set as described.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will outline the steps being taken by Her Majesty's Government to encourage the employment of women in management jobs.

Employers are bound by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to afford equal opportunities at all occupational levels to women and men. The careers service, the employment service and the Training Agency take every opportunity to bring openings in management and other senior appointments to the attention of appropriate women and to advise them of the necessary qualifications and available training.I and colleagues frequently remind employers of the need to use women's talents to the full, particularly at managerial level, and to emphasise that women must be treated equally with men. We are also supporting initiatives which help to promote women's enterprise. It is encouraging that the number of women managers is rising and that the Institute of Employment Research predicts that by 1995 two fifths of managers and entrepreneurs will be women.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the extent of involvement by his Department in NATO exercise Wintex-Cimex 1987 and exercise Wintex-Cimex 1989; what is the number of staff engaged in the exercise planning process and in the exercises themselves; and what are the posts, ranks and responsibilities of the staff involved.

My Department plays its part in testing those procedures in which we have an interest. Staff participate as required; it would not be appropriate for me to supply the detail requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to ensure all aspects of decision-making at all levels involving public safety will not be compromised by the commercial secrecy of any computer codes which may be involved in such decision-making.

The Health and Safety Executive is working with Government Departments to develop guidelines and standards for the use of computer software in safety-related applications. Under section 20 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, inspectors have powers to make any necessary examination or investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will extend the scope of the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard (CIMAH) Regulations to cover nuclear installations.

No. Such an extension is neither appropriate nor necessary. The operation of nuclear installations is already closely controlled by the conditions attached to nuclear site licences granted by the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many new businesses registered for value added tax in Derbyshire in the latest year for which figures are available.

In 1988, the estimated number of new registrations for value added tax in Derbyshire was 3,110. The net increase in the number of VAT-registered businesses in Derbyshire in 1988 was 740, or 3·3 per cent, bringing the total number of VAT-registered businesses in Derbyshire to 22,770.

Injury incidence rates1 for injuries to employees and the self employed in the construction industry2 in Great Britain
Year	Employees		Self employed
	Fatal and major Rate per thousand3	All reported Rate per thousand4	Fatal and major Rate per thousand3	All reported Rate per thousand4
1979	7	31·5	7	7
1980	7	30·0	7	7
1981	1·7	41·9	0·1	7
1982	2·0	40·7	7	7
1983	2·2	7	0·2	7
1984	2·4	7	0·2	7
1985	2·4	7	0·3	7
1986–875	2·7	19·4	0·9	2·3
1987–885	2·8	19·3	1·0	2·4
1988–895 6	2·8	18·4	1·3	2·9
1 Rates based on injuries reported to Health and Safety Executive's Factory and Agricultural Inspectorates and all other relevant enforcing authorities, under the Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 1980 (NADOR) for 1981 to 1985 and the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 1985 (RIDDOR) for later years. Rates for the years 1979–80 are based on reports made under various legislation to the Health and Safety Executive's Inspectorate only.
2 The construction industry is defined as Standard Industrial Classification 1980 Division 5.
3 The major injury category was first introduced by NADOR. The definition of a major injury was widened with the introduction of RIDDOR on 1 April 1986.
4 Includes injuries causing incapacity for work for more than three days. For the years 1979–80 and from 1986–87 over three day injury data is based on employers' reports to enforcing authorities. For 1981–82 the over three day injury data is based on industrial injury benefit claims.
5 Year beginning 1 April.
6 Provisional.
7 Not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the balance of trade deficit.

The deficit on visible trade in the third quarter of 1989 was £6·8 billion. In that quarter exports, in both value and volume terms, were at an all-time high. Excluding oil and erratics, export volumes were 8½ per cent. higher than in the third quarter of 1988. Imports in the third quarter of 1989 were also at an all-time high, but import growth has slowed down significantly since last year. As domestic demand slows further, import growth should also continue to decline.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in Derbyshire were benefiting from the enterprise allowance scheme in the latest year for which figures are available.

In the financial year April 1988 to March 1989 a total of 1,555 people joined the enterprise allowance scheme in Derbyshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many occupational injuries per 1,000 workers were reported in the construction industry (a) in total, (b) for employees, (c) for the self-employed and (d) others for each year from 1979 to 1988·89.

[holding answer 2 November 1989]: The available information is given in the table. Figures for the periods 1979–80, 1981 to 1985 and 1986 onwards are not comparable owing to changes in reporting arrangements. Figures for 1988–89 are provisional.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the revenue raised by the Crown Estate for the last five years by sea area for (a) dredging licences and (b) mooring rights.

Statistics on dredging activity are collated by main dredging area. The revenues raised by the Crown Estate from licences to dredge aggregate for the last five calendar years were:

£ million
	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988
East Coast	0·9	1·1	1·3	1·5	1·9
Thames Estuary	0·4	0·4	0·4	0·4	0·5
South Coast	0·5	0·6	0·6	0·7	0·9
Solent and Spithead	0·1	0·1	0·1	0·1	0·1
Bristol channel	0·3	0·3	0·4	0·5	0·5
Liverpool Bay and River Mersey	0·05	0·05	0·06	0·07	0·07

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rules he applies to parents receiving vouchers or allowances in lieu of child care facilities not provided by employers; and what concessions he makes to those employers who do.

Under the normal business tax rules, employers qualify for tax relief on day-to-day expenditure on all forms of child care provision for their employees' children, including cash allowances and vouchers. Tax relief is also available for certain capital expenditure on child care facilities. Cash allowances or vouchers given by employers to employees in lieu of child care facilities are taxable under the normal income tax rules.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider a change in the law in relation to the taxation of workplace nurseries and child care subsidies.

Proposals to change the tax law in relation to workplace nurseries and child care subsidies were considered and rejected by the House during the passage of this year's Finance Bill. My right hon. Friend has no plans to reopen this matter.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the liaison arrangements between the Central Office of Information and United States civilian or military authorities on the proposed content of emergency radio and television broadcasts in the United Kingdom during a pre-war crisis.

No liaison arrangements have been made between the Central Office of Information and United States civilian or military authorities on the proposed content of emergency radio and television broadcasts in the United Kingdom during a pre-war crisis.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will arrange for a copy of the report by Professor Bernard Benjamin, "Accessibility and other problems relating to statistics used by social scientists", to be placed in the Library.