To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to undertake a separate case study prior to any changes that would remove employment rights from public sector employees as part of any plan to privatise public sector jobs.

No. In all privatisations the Government observe the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE), which provide that, where there is a transfer of an undertaking, all the employees' rights and liabilities must automatically be transferred to the new employer. Pension rights fall outside the scope of TUPE and are negotiated separately in each case.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the number of people investing in premium bonds since the change to a minimum investment of £100.

In the three months since the change to a minimum purchase of £100 on 1 July, premium bond purchases have averaged 60,000 per month to a value of £23·7 million. In the three months prior to the change premium bond purchases averaged 175,000 per month to a value of £24 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out those Government statistics on which he now answers parliamentary questions, in the light of the changes in the arrangements of the Central Statistical Office.

[holding answer 6 November 1989]: I am placing in the Library a copy of the paper prepared by the Central Statistical Office "Note for the Table Office of the House of Commons and for the House of Lords following the reorganisation of the responsibility for economic statistics: The establishment of the 'new' Central Statistical Office", which sets out the new arrangements.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will remove the provision of subsidy of child care facilities by employers from the list of items regarded for tax purposes as a benefit in kind; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 2 November 1989]: There is no list of items regarded for tax purposes as benefits in kind. Such benefits are generally liable to taxation. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has no plans to exempt beneficiaries of subsidies for child care from taxation.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the Legal Action Group's report on financial eligibility for legal aid.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Norwood (Mr. Fraser) on 6 November 1989 at column 440.

To ask the Attorney-General what was the value of eligibility limits for legal aid in 1979; and what are, in real terms, the value of those limits today.

The eligibility limits for civil legal aid between April and November 1979 were £3,600 disposable income and £2,500 disposable capital. The retail prices index increased by 103·69 per cent. between 1979 and 1989. Increasing the 1979 civil legal aid limits by the same amount produces £7,332·85 disposable income and £5,092·25 disposable capital. However, the RPI includes increases in the cost of housing—which have been greater than the increase in prices generally—while housing costs are disregarded in assessing legal aid eligibility.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will send for the papers in Regina v. Barnard heard at Oxford Crown court before His Honour Judge Leo Clark, Queen's counsel on 21 October to consider whether the sentence imposed is such that it is a suitable case to refer to the Court of Appeal for review.

Yes.

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether any national galleries or museums are being prosecuted for responsibilities which were formerly covered by Crown immunity.

[holding answer 6 November 1989]: The science museum has been charged under the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 following an inspection of its water cooling plant.

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he has any plans to relocate his offices to the north-west of England; and if he will make a statement.

I have no such plans.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will provide an estimate of the administrative cost per successful candidate in the recent direct entry higher executive officer competition.

The information will not be available for some time. The Civil Service Commission began interviewing candidates for the scheme on 6 November 1989 and the entire exercise will not be completed until early next summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the present amount of aid now being given to Sri Lanka; and if he will list each project on which aid is being spent.

In 1988–89 expenditure on Britain's bilateral aid programme to Sri Lanka totalled £19·8 million, though disbursements in the present financial year are expected to be lower. Britain also contributes to programmes administered by the European Community and other international aid organisations. Current bilateral aid projects are as follows:

• Colombo Roads Rehabilitation
• Power Distribution, Colombo
• Supply of Agricultural Tractors to Trincomalee area
• Supply of Miscellaneous Vehicles
• Land Use and Conservation Project
• Mahaweli Catchment Area Project
• Sandskipper Project (Artisanal Fisheries)
• Coconut processing
• Wood burning stoves
• Victoria Dam Maintenance
• Supply of school furniture
• Archaeological assistance in Cultural Triangle
• Health and welfare projects (Anti-Malaria, Health Education, Cleft Lip and Palate)
• Support for Non-Governmental Organisations (Oxfam, Save the Children Fund and Sarvoydaya)
• English Language Training
• University link projects
• Heads of Mission Gift and Small Projects Schemes
• Books Presentation Programme
• Training awards in the United Kingdom
• Commonwealth Scholars and Fellowship Plan
• Joint Funding Schemes
• Associate Professional Officers Scheme
• Samanalawewa Hydroelectric Power Project
• Bus bodies for Colombo
• Water supply schemes in Southern Sri Lanka

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place between his Department and Oxfam with regard to the Government contributing towards some of the costs of Oxfam's aid programme; and if he will make a statement.

My officials and I are in regular contact with Oxfam both about support under our joint funding scheme and about emergency relief measures. Indeed, I have recently decided to increase our grant to Oxfam under the joint funding scheme to £3·5 million next year. We will of course also consider sympathetically requests for assistance for disaster and emergency relief measures if the need arises.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons of public policy the immigration portfolio has been moved from Minister of State to a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to a question from the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) on 6 November 1989 at column 417.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) by year, (b) amount paid and (c) cases, the number of occasions ex-gratia payments of compensation to persons wrongfully imprisoned have been made.

The information requested, based on the date on which the final payment of compensation was made from 1980, is as follows:

Year	Number awarded compensation	Total amount paid (£)
1980	18	92,631
1981	13	88,805
1982	10	114,157
1983	6	45,853
1984	12	14,450
1985	17	216,163
1986	13	154,890
1987	14	153,806
1988	8	56,925

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to ensure that computer codes involved in the decision-making process involving public safety are (a) reliable and (b) open to scrutiny by (i) the public and (ii) the scientific community.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to a question from him by my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Forth) on 6 November 1989 at columns 401–2. The Home Office is one of the Departments represented on the interdepartmental working committee on software engineering.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received a copy of "Unisex Pricing in Long Term Insurance" by the Equal Opportunities Commission; and if he will make a statement.

We received the report in July and are considering it in the context of the Equal Opportunities Commission's proposals for amending the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is any limit placed upon the maximum time after an alleged traffic offence in the Metropolitan police area after which no prosecution will be initiated.

Proceedings for most road traffic offences are subject to the normal limitation that, for summary offences, the information must be laid within six months of the offence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide figures on the number of arrests made in the Metropolitan police district under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 in the years 1987 and 1988.

[holding answer 27 October 1989]: Information is not held centrally on the number of arrests made under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. However in 1987 in the Metropolitan police district (including City of London) there were 2,600 prosecutions under section 5 of this Act of which 2,000 were found guilty. In 1988 the figures were 6,500 and 4,900 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to increase the number of nursery teachers.

In recent years the allocations of intake numbers to initial teacher training courses for early years (3–8) have been increased and institutions have been encouraged to increase the provision made for early years training within their allocation for primary places. The numbers recruited to such courses have nearly doubled since 1986.Publicity literature on teacher recruitment, including that aimed at mature entrants and re-entrants, has highlighted the opportunities for early-years specialists.Under the LEA training grants scheme, in-service training in the teaching of children in primary classes who are younger than "rising five" is a national priority area.My hon. Friend the Minister of State is chairing a committee of inquiry on the quality of educational provision for three and four-year-olds which will be taking into account the nature of training for teachers and other professional staff involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many representations he has received to date about student loans.

Since the publication of the White Paper on top-up loans for students, we have received about 4,100 letters, including 49 petitions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will provide guidance to local education authorities in relation to the provision they make for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties; and if he will make a statement.

The Department is today issuing a circular that provides guidance about the nature of educational provision that LEAs should make to meet the special educational needs of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties in special schools. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many disabled students were included in his survey of students income and expenditure commissioned by his Department when drawing up proposals for the White Paper on top up loans for students.

The surveys were designed to give a representative sample of the student population as a whole. We have no evidence that the proportion of disabled students included in the surveys was unrepresentative.

To ask the Lord President of the Council whether he has any plans to relocate the Privy Council offices to the north-west of England; and if he will make a statement.

I have no such plans. The Privy Council Office accommodates the Leaders of both Houses, the departments of the Clerk of the Privy Council and of the Judicial Committee of the Council. It would be impossible for those concerned to discharge their responsibilities to the sovereign and to Parliament if the office were to be located outside central London.

To ask the Lord President of the Council who is authorised to attach the parliamentary salary of right hon. or hon. Members who refuse to pay the community charge or so-called poll tax; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 30 October 1989]: Normally, the charging authority would serve an attachment of earnings order (AEO) on a debtor's employer, having first obtained a liability order from a magistrates' court. Since hon. Members do not have an employer, unless they authorise the attachment of their earnings, the charging authority would have to enforce recovery of the outstanding sum by other means.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve safety precautions for toxic and inflammable chemicals when being transported by road.

The rules for safely transporting these goods are reviewed regularly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) airports and (b) seaports that are used to transport (i) plutonium and (ii) other radioactive material to Europe and Japan.

There are over half a million movements of radioactive material per annum. The Department does not collect information on a routine basis on the ports and airports used to export such material to Europe and Japan. In the particular case of plutoniums, I am advised that during the last year the only exports, in greater than gramme quantities, have been to Europe and have been made via Carlisle airport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that detailed design work will be prepared for both his Department's preferred route for the A27 in the Worthing area and a real bypass in advance of the public inquiry.

In the special circumstances of the A27 Worthing-Lancing scheme, we have undertaken to carry out full traffic, economic and environmental assessments of the alternative "blue" bypass routes that have been put forward as well as of our preferred "green" route announced in July. This will ensure an adequate basis for all the issues to be thoroughly debated at a public inquiry.We could not justify carrying out detailed design work on routes other than the one to be published in draft orders unless, following an inquiry, we were persuaded that such an alternative route should be adopted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Burnley, (Mr. Pike), Official Report, 30 October, column 84, he will indicate which railway issues were discussed; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot add to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich (Mr. Bowden) on 30 October at column 84.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what success the Government have had in reducing the incidence of drinking and driving.

I am pleased to report that statistics published today by the Home Office show a furher reduction in the proportion of breath tests which are positive. Results published by the transport and road research laboratory of the blood alcohol levels of driver fatalities also show a similar downward trend. This demonstrates our continuing success in changing public attitudes towards drinking and driving. This could not have been achieved by the Government action alone. Much of the credit must go to the police and to the brewers, publicans, and soft drink producers for their support in promoting low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks and in helping us to bring home to people the awful consequences of drinking and driving.There is, however, still a long way to go and we must not let up. We shall be launching our Christmas campaign against drinking and driving early in December, with the continuing support of private industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures are being taken to improve services on the Waterloo and City line.

Network SouthEast is well aware of the shortcomings of the Waterloo and City line. It plans a major overhaul of the line over the next few years and a programme of improvements is in hand. Resignalling should be completed by 1992. I am pleased to say that Network SouthEast has today announced that it is to order 20 new coaches to replace the existing fleet. These will be of the most modern design, similar to those on order by London Underground for the Central line. I welcome the British Railways Board's decision to approve this important piece of investment. I expect deliveries to begin in 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what part his Department played at the recent Paris conference on the Antarctic.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 31 October, at column 143.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the exclusion of Cambodia from international agencies and agreements, including the World Health Organisation's international telecommunications treaties, airline agreements and trade agreements; and if he will make a statement.

Cambodia's participation in international agencies and agreements is a matter for the agencies and authorities concerned. The Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea currently occupies Democratic Kampuchea's United Nations seat. We have not opposed acceptance of the credentials of Democratic Kampuchea, but have made clear our abhorrence of Pol Pot and his associates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement about the Government's policy towards Cambodia.

The British Government's objective is a sovereign and independent Cambodia whose people are free to decide their own future. We do not have diplomatic relations with the unelected regime put into power by the Vietnamese. We have consistently made plain our repugnance for the Khmer Rouge. We have never given, and will never give, support of any kind to the Khmer Rouge.These objectives remain unchanged but we have reviewed their implementation in the light of recent events. Vietnam has withdrawn its combat units from Cambodia. The international conference at Paris failed to reach agreement on a political settlement. Fighting continues within Cambodia itself and the need for humanitarian aid has grown. In these circumstances we have decided:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he proposes to take any action in response to the recent Chinese sacking of two members of the Basic Law Drafting Committee in Hong Kong.

Members of the Basic Law drafting committee are appointed by the standing committee of the Chinese National People's Congress. The suspension of two members is a matter for the Chinese authorities and the members themselves. We hope that the Chinese Government will take full account of opinion in Hong Kong in their drafting of the Basic Law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Gibraltar does not have elected representation in the European Parliament.

I refer the hon. Member to the observations made on this matter by my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary on 20 June 1984.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to ascertain the reasons for the refusal of the Indian Government to grant entry visas to representatives of Amnesty International in January, March and December 1985, November 1986, November 1987 and March 1989.

The Indian Government have made their views on Amnesty International clear in public statements. Equally, we have made known to them that we regard Amnesty International as a serious and responsible organisation. The issuing of visas is a matter for the Indian Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the changes in the totals and percentages of unemployed in (a) Wales and (b) the area covered by the valleys initiative since (i) July 1986, (ii) July 1987 and (iii) July 1988.

The information requested is shown in the table. The figures used are not adjusted for seasonality and are affected by the change in benefit regulations for under 18-year-olds introduced in September 1988.

	Change in number of unemployed	1Change in unemployment rate (Percentage points)
July 1986–September 1989
Valleys area	-19,964	-9·1
Wales	-84,592	-8·1
July 1987–September 1989
Valleys area	-13,718	-6·3

	Change in number of unemployed	1Change in unemployment rate (Percentage points)
Wales	-61,535	-6·0
July 1988–September 1989
Valleys area	-7,630	-3·5
Wales	-35,478	-3·3
1 The rates used for Wales are on the "narrow base" (ie the denominator consisting of employees in employment and unemployed claimants) which provides the closest basis on which a comparison can be made with my estimates for the valleys programme area.

Since the launch of the valleys programme in June 1988, the unemployment rate in the valleys area has fallen by 3·9 percentage points compared to a fall in Wales of 3·4 percentage points.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will break down the distribution of the sum of money allocated for the implementation of the White Paper, "Working for Patients", by authority and by the sub-divisions as in his answer to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside of 31 October; and what uses he expects to be made of the cash sum for health authorities' discretionary use.

The distribution of the £1·62 million allocated for the discretionary use of health authorities in meeting the costs of implementing the White Paper "Working for Patients" during the current financial year is shown in the table:

	£ million
Clwyd	0·19
East Dyfed	0·13
Gwent	0·23
Gwynedd	0·13
Mid Glamorgan	0·26
Pembrokeshire	0·07
Powys	0·08
South Glamorgan	0·29
West Glamorgan	0·20
Welsh Health Common Services Authority	0·04
	1·62

The funding provided recognises the need for health authorities to strengthen their systems and staffing particularly in the fields of finance and personnel in order to meet the operational requirements of the White Paper reforms. While information is not available on the precise deployment of these additional funds—since this is a matter for each health authority to decide in the light of its own local circumstances—all authorities have confirmed that they have borne in mind the following considerations:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) by what date he plans to end the discharge of untreated sewage from Wales into the sea, whether by long or short outfalls;(2) what assessment he has made of the cost of ending the discharge of untreated sewage from Wales into the sea;(3) whether he will make it his policy to end the discharge of untreated sewage from Wales into the sea and into estuaries; and if he will make a statement.

The Government remain to be convinced that prior treatment is always necessary or desirable where properly designed and sited long sea outfalls are available. However, a study has been commissioned, to be undertaken by Consultants in Environmental Sciences Ltd., to investigate the likely costs and benefits, both environmental and financial, of applying various treatment standards to all major discharges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the outfalls into the sea and estuaries carrying untreated sewage from Wales which are currently being extended or for which extensions are being planned, with the cost of each project and its projected date of completion.

This is a matter for Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig. Information is held centrally only in respect of investment on outfalls in connection with the United Kingdom's programme to achieve compliance with its obligations under the EC's bathing water directive. This was placed in the Library by my hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning on 20 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the outfalls which currently convey untreated sewage from Wales into the sea and into estuaries.

This information is available on National Rivers Authority registers and is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms have approached his Department for information concerning the single market; and if he will make a statement.

The DTI has recorded over 260,000 inquiries for information on the single market since our `Europe Open for Business' campaign was launched in March 1988, including more than 150,000 calls to our 1992 telephone hotline. The large majority of these requests have been from individual firms or business organisations. In addition, DTI Ministers and officials have spoken at more than 1,250 single market conferences and seminars since the campaign began, mainly to business audiences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many single European market measures were agreed in principle, adopted or had common positions under the Spanish presidency of the European Commission; and whether this total exceeds those under previous presidencies.

[holding answer 3 November 1989]: A record 68 measures aimed at removing barriers to trade within the Community were finally adopted, agreed in principle, or had common positions agreed for submission to the European Parliament, under the Spanish presidency of the Council of Ministers in the first half of this year. Of these 23 came from the single market White Paper. The comparable figures for earlier presidencies were:

Presidency and Date	All measures	White Paper
Luxembourg
July—December 1985	32	22
Netherlands
January—June 1986	13	4
United Kingdom
July—December 1986	48	24
Belgium
January—June 1987	23	15
Denmark
July—December 1987	31	8
Federal Republic of Germany
January—June 1988	56	23
Greece
July—December 1988	54	18
Spain
January—June 1989	68	23

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total expenditure per year associated with his Department's single market unit.

[holding answer 3 November 1989]: Expenditure to date on the Department of Trade and Industry's "Europe Open for Business" campaign, which is the responsibility of my Department's single market unit, is around £13 million. Of this, around £8·9 million is represented by national advertising. The remaining £4·1 million has provided a detailed and comprehensive range of literature; a national telephone inquiry service and mailing operation; the Spearhead computer database; video materials; research into business preparations; and a major series of business conferences in 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make it his policy to hold six-monthly national conferences bringing together business men and women, trades unions and professional bodies to discuss the implications of the European single market of 1992.

[holding answer 3 November 1989]: I have no plans at present to hold regular conferences of this type. Department of Trade and Industry Ministers and officials have already spoken at over 1,250 single market conferences and seminars, and are further committed to participating in over 100 more. In addition, my Department's extensive day-to-day contact with business and representational bodies provides ample opportunity to discuss single market issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his policy towards placing restrictions on the importation of woven spun cotton; and if he will make a statement.

There are various restraints on imports into the United Kingdom of woven spun cotton fabrics from low-cost supplying countries under the European Community's agreements under the multi-fibre arrangement and other restraint arrangements. If it can be clearly demonstrated that unrestricted imports from a particular country subject to these arrangements are causing or threatening disruption of the United Kingdom market, my Department will consider whether it is in the United Kingdom interest to request restraint action in Brussels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will investigate whether Messrs. Gary Gilbert and Sankey or any of its employees and employees of related companies were knowingly connnected with companies in whose shares they traded during the period 1982 to 1988.

The concept of being knowingly connected with a company is one contained in the Company Securities (Insider Dealing) Act 1985. Investigations into possible contraventions of that Act are not normally announced. If the hon. Member has information suggesting that there may have been such a contravention he should draw it to my right hon. Friend's attention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total cost of the flotation of British Steel.

The total cost to the Government of the sale of British Steel is estimated to be as follows.

	£ million
Underwriting	21·3
Selling and broking commission	1·7
Receiving banks	4·3
Marketing	11·6
Advisers' fees	5·6
Other costs (excluding stamp duty)	0·2
Overseas costs	2·8
	47·5

This represents less than 2 per cent. of the gross proceeds of the sale.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any decisions have been made as a result of the recommendations from the Director General of Telecommunications about the further liberalisation of telecommunication services; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to the reply, 15 June 1989, c. 481–82]: I can now inform the House that I have signed the new branch systems general licence under the Telecommunications Act 1984. The licence enters into force today.The new licence provides for significant further liberalisation in a number of areas. In particular, it allows "simple resale" whereby companies and others can sell on to third parties any spare capacity they have on the private lines they lease from British Telecom and Mercury. The licence thus gives operators of private networks complete freedom in their use within the United Kingdom.The licence also contains a condition designed to limit the intrusion caused by unsolicited telephone and fax sales calls. Under it, users will be able to request that a particular company ceases such calls and if the company continues to make them, it will be in breach of the licence.Since the licence will govern the operation of the overwhelming majority of private networks and branch systems in the country, as well as the provision of telecommunications services, we have been particularly careful to produce a document which will put into practice the measures announced by my hon. Friend in the simplest and most effective way.We have also taken the opportunity to simplify further some of the conditions, particularly those relating to the provision of international data services.We have also added a requirement that specially adapted telephones for the hard of hearing located in lifts to which the public have access should be clearly signposted. We hope these further changes will bring additional benefits to the users of telecommunications in the United Kingdom.In preparing the new licence, my Department has received detailed advice from the Office of Telecommunications. I am grateful to the Director General of Telecommunications for this advice and for his recommendations, which have formed the basis for the further liberalisations that are contained in the licence.Copies of the new licence will be generally available at a cost of £5 from the Office of Telecommunications, and I will ensure that they are placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the post-1980 NATO exercises in which the NATO Wartime Oil Organisation's United Kingdom headquarters and the United Kingdom National Oil Board have been exercised.

The United Kingdom National Oil Board and the eastern branch of the NATO Wartime Oil Organisation have participated in a number of post-1980 NATO exercises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what arrangements for airport facilities British Nuclear Fuels plc. has made to transport plutonium from Sellafield to Dounreay and Europe in the light of the forthcoming closure of Carlisle airport.

As this is an operational matter for BNFL, I am asking the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what arrangements have been made in the event of a nuclear accident occurring in the United Kingdom larger than the so-called reference accident.

I refer the hon. Member to the Prime Minister's statement on 12 December 1988. She said that extensive consultations with the emergency services and local authorities have

"confirmed the availability of contingency plans which would permit an effective response to be made to any nuclear accident, including those with more widespread effects than the specific site and off-site plans are designed to cater for".—[Official Report, 12 December 1988; Vol. 143, c. 388.]

Off-site emergency exercises are regularly based on an assumed radioactive release going significantly beyond that which could arise from the reference accident to ensure this wider capability is tested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the increase in electricity prices in each year since 1979.

Annual percentage changes in electricity prices in current terms, that is, with no adjustment for inflation, are given in the table. Separate figures are given for domestic and industrial consumers.

Change in prices over previous year per cent.
Year	Domestic	Indtustrial
1979	8·5	11·1
1980	27·3	23·3
1981	20·2	15·8

Year	Domestic	Industrial
1982	9·8	9·5
1983	3·7	0·4
1984	1·4	-0·2
1985	3·2	3·9
1986	2·2	0·9
1987	-0·5	-2·9
1988	5·4	5·5

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the increase in gas prices in each year since 1979.

Annual percentage changes in gas prices in current terms, that is, with no adjustment for inflation, are given in the table. Separate figures are given for domestic and industrial consumers.

Change in prices over previous year (Percentage)
Year	Domestic	Industrial
1979	3·7	14·1
1980	16·6	36·0
1981	26·0	21·2
1982	24·7	6·3
1983	12·0	1·7
1984	3·7	3·3
1985	4·1	6·8
1986	1·8	-12·8
1987	-1·0	-5·8
1988	0·8	-4·8

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy by when the Government intend to comply with EEC directives on eliminating subsidies to the British coal mining industry.

There are no EC directives on eliminating subsidies to the British coal mining industry. The Government already comply with the EC directive on coal state aids under which member states can provide specified financial support to their coal industries subject to either the approval of, or prior notification to, the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how the Government intend to improve energy efficiency in the United Kingdom during 1990–91.

Energy efficiency is primarily a matter for individual consumers. The Energy Efficiency Office will continue to provide help and guidance to consumers, to improve their energy management and to encourage the energy efficiency industry. For Government Departments, where the Government have direct responsibility for energy use, we announced a framework for securing energy savings rising to £45 million per year, equivalent to 15 per cent. of their energy bills, over five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if provision will be made to make available to independent electricity generators the portfolio of redundant power stations currently held by National Power and PowerGen.

The Electricity Act 1989 includes, in schedule 3, a provision which could enable one electricity licence holder to make a compulsory purchase order covering surplus land held by another.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many YTS starts and how many leavers were recorded by each payment type, by male and female, and by one or two-year training entitlement by standard training agency in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, for each of the last three months.

As the information is contained in several tables I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, (1) pursuant to the answer of the hon. Member for Teignbridge (Mr. Nicholls) of 31 October, Official Report, column 160, what are the criteria for the 1990 target number of factory inspectors;(2) what was the target number of factory inspectors for 1 April 1988 and April 1989; and what it is for 1 April 1990.

The Government have made financial provision for the Health and Safety Executive to allow recruitment as follows:

	Total factory inspectors in HSE1	Inspectors in HM Factory Inspectorate
1 April 1988	634	574
1 April 1989	2 649	588
1 April 1990	640	590
1 Includes inspectors on non-inspection duties eg those contributing to policy or technical standards.
2 Following an unexpectedly high rate of resignations during 1987–88, this "target" was reduced in October 1988 by HSE to 638.

The criteria for HSE's 1990 target for factory inspectors were set out in the Health and Safety Commission's plan of work for 1989–90 and beyond.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Labour and Social Affairs Council meeting held in Brussels on 30 October.

The Council agreed some important items in the field of health and safety at work. They reached common positions on a directive to improve the minimum health and safety requirements for workers handling heavy loads, and on a directive covering health and safety requirements for workers working with visual display units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the various grants for which employers may apply in order to facilitate the employment of disabled people; and if he will indicate in each case (a) the amounts allocated by his Department and (b) the amounts taken up by employers, in each of the last 10 years.

[holding answer 6 November 1989]: My Department provides a variety of help to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities, including six special schemes to help overcome specific barriers to work. Two of these offer grants to employers:

(a) the Job Introduction Scheme—grants towards an individual's wages during a trial period.

(b) the Adaptations to Premises and Equipment Scheme—grants to employers to adapt their premises or equipment to enable a specific disabled employee to work more effectively and productively.

The other four offer help directly to individuals. Money is allocated to the special schemes as a bloc, and expenditure on any one scheme is not constrained by estimates for that scheme; these are based each year on previous take-up and other evidence of likely demand.Between 1979–80 and 1988–89, total expenditure on all the special schemes for the disabled rose from £743,000 per annum to £5,669,000 per annum.The financial information requested about the two schemes is as follows:

Job introduction scheme
Year	Expenditure estimate £	Actual expenditure £
1979–80	334,000	297,201
1980–81	457,000	269,433
1981–82	425,000	354,588
1982–83	531,500	439,861
1983–84	571,000	567,980
1984–85	646,000	659,000
1985–86	760,000	674,000
1986–87	837,000	574,000
1987–88	920,000	619,000
1988–89	609,000	614,000

Adaptations to premises and equipment scheme
Year	Expenditure estimate £	Actual expenditure £
1979–80	330,000	50,000
1980–81	381,000	64,233
1981–82	150,000	71,469
1982–83	177,000	107,334
1983–84	280,000	134,412
1984–85	150,000	243,649
1985–86	250,000	295,000
1986–87	450,000	256,000
1987–88	480,000	404,000
1988–89	354,000	423,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 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 exercise themselves; and what are the posts, ranks and responsibilities of the staff involved.

The Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments each play their 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 Northern Ireland if he will list the visits made by each of the Ministers in his Department to events in the arts in the last year; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 1 November 1989]: The information on official visits to arts events is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations have been undertaken into the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls in radar units and other equipment; what steps have been taken to arrange for their safe disposal; what measures have been taken to protect the health and safety of operators; what plans there are to discontinue their use; and if he will make a statement.

Extensive checks have been made over a number of years by the services and the Procurement Executive to ascertain whether equipment in use contains polychlorinated biphenyls. Such checks continue to be made as required. When disposal action needs to be taken, special arrangements are made to ensure that polychlorinated biphenyls are disposed of in accordance with the Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations 1980.Appropriate control measures have been laid down in general guidance on the handling of equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyls which has been issued to all units and establishments. This includes advice on the hazards involved and the steps to be taken to prevent contamination, including the use of protective clothing as appropriate.In accordance with the relevant regulations, whole equipments or components containing polychlorinated biphenyls, which are already in service, are not disposed of until they become obsolete or reach the end of their service life, unless they need replacing sooner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will estimate the value of defence procurement in the northern region.

Table 6.9 in volume II of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989" (SDE) shows that in 1986–87, the latest year for which figures are available, equipment expenditure of some £500 million was recorded against locations in the northern region of England. The assumptions which underlie the calculations are explained in an essay on pages 61–62 of SDE 88 volume II.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the liaison arrangements between his Department and the 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 my Department 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, but there would naturally be liaison between the United Kingdom and its NATO allies over such matters at such a time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the posts, ranks and responsibilities of United Kingdom military and civil participants in the biannual courses on civil-military co-operation held by NATO at Oberammergau.

The United Kingdom sends military field-grade officers of rank from major to colonel and civilians of equivalent status who have responsibilities for civil emergency or contingency planning. crisis management or aid to the civil authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the posts, ranks and responsibilities of United Kingdom delegates to the annual conference on civil-military co-operation at headquarters allied forces central Europe, Brunssum.

United Kingdom representatives at lieutenant colonel or equivalent level who have responsibilities for contingency planning and crisis management will attend the conference.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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 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 Defence what is the present state of progress towards (a) Immingham and (b) Tilbury ports' development of Z-berths for nuclear-powered submarine visits.

The only ports which are currently under discussion with local authorities as possible venues for visits by nuclear-powered submarines are Swansea and Tilbury. Regarding Tilbury, I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Bow and Poplar (Ms. Gordon) on 5 May 1989 at column 277.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the nature of the differences between the agency to be established for the Meteorological Office and the defence support agency to be established for the Hydrographic Office at Taunton.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence explained in his speech in the defence debate on 18 October, at column 155, many support activities are an integral part of overall military capability and must remain within the chain of command. Nevertheless, we believe that many of these support activities can be organised on the same lines as full Next Steps agencies, within framework documents which set out the terms under which the support agencies are to be managed on a day-to-day basis. In this way, it is possible for more of the Ministry of Defence to share in the advantages of the Government's Next Steps initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place copies of the criteria governing the management and operation of (a) the agency to be established for the Meteorological Office and (b) the agency to be established for the Hydrographic Office in the Library.

It is my intention to place in the Library, when these activities become agencies next year, copies of their framework documents, excluding any classified or commercially sensitive parts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) military survey activities, (b) defence accounts activities and (c) Royal Air Force training activities are due to become defence support agencies; and what is the nature of any other activities that are currently being considered for possible re-organisation into defence support agencies.

We plan to start operating the Hydrographic Office at Taunton as a defence support agency from April 1990. In addition, we are currently preparing framework documents to cover the operations of the following activities:

(a) Directorate of Military Survey at Feltham (excluding overseas elements)

(b) Director General Defence Accounts, including its central bill-paying office at Liverpool and pay-roll offices at Cheadle Hulme and elsewhere

(c) The RAF's training organisation within RAF Support command, based at various locations within the United Kingdom

(d) Service Children's Schools in North West Europe.

We are also looking at a wide range of other possibilities for operation as defence support agencies, including activities in the areas of aircraft maintenance and repair, stores and transport, naval bases, computer services, education and chemical defence research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what service schools in Germany are due to become defence support agencies.

As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 18 October at column 155, we are considering operating service children's schools in north-west Europe as a defence support agency, run on Next Steps lines, but remaining within the defence chain of command. The exact scope of the proposed new organisation is under study. There are 87 service children's schools in north-west Europe, located in the Federal Republic of Germany (and Berlin), Belgium and Sardinia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what details are required as standard operational practice before the competent authority authorises a flight by military aircraft operating within the United Kingdom airspace; and why no central records are kept of unauthorised low flights by military aircraft.

The requirement for information varies according to the circumstances. No central records are kept of unauthorised low flights because none is required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the offer by the Federal Republic of Germany to pay the costs of the alteration of the MSD 2000 radar to satisfy United Kingdom requirements for the European fighter aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Under agreed arrangements for procuring individual items of commonly required equipment, participants in the European fighter aircraft project pay for work undertaken within their own country. Two international consortia in which the industry of all four nations are represented have submitted proposals for developing radar for the European fighter aircraft; and discussions are proceeding among the European fighter aircraft nations with the aim of making a choice acceptable to all four participants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the purchase of ships built under licence to the design of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation frigate replacement 90 programme in United Kingdom shipyards; and if he will make a statement.

Following the United Kingdom withdrawal from the NFR90 project, we are looking at how best to meet the Royal Navy's requirement for a replacement for the type 42 destroyer, to come into service at about the turn of the century. It is most unlikely that this would involve licensing any design which might emerge from the NFR90 project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many courts martial have been held in the RAF for alleged low-flying offences in the last 10 years for which information is available; how many findings of guilt there have been; and what sentences have been imposed.

The table provides details of the Royal Air Force courts martial for low-flying offences in the last 10 years at which the accused were found guilty; there have been no cases in the past 10 years where individuals charged under sections 51 or 52 of the Air Force Act 1955 were found not guilty.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the effect on the NATO doctrine of forward defence in the event that the CFE talks achieve substantial reductions in conventional forces.

Any CFE agreement will require the Alliance to examine its force structures. Our current assessment is that forward defence is likely to remain a key element in NATO strategy for the foreseeable future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the deployment of an airborne stand-off radar system in Europe.

Studies into the feasibility and cost of an airborne stand-off radar system are in progress. No decisions to deploy such a system have been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the redistribution of forces within NATO in the event that the CFE talks achieve substantial reductions in conventional weapons.

The implications of a CFE agreement for NATO forces are under consideration in the Alliance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any vehicles belonging to or used by his Department and used on public roads run on leaded petrol.

Most vehicles used by the Ministry of Defence on public roads either run on unleaded petrol, or use diesel fuel. However, there is a residual number of vehicles, in particular some types of Land-Rover, which run on leaded petrol and which it would not be cost effective to convert to unleaded fuel. As they reach the end of their useful life they are replaced with vehicles which can run on unleaded petrol or are diesel-engined.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scoland if he has been approached by Strathclyde police about the length of time taken by the West German federal police to release relevant evidence in the form of an Air Malta loading list from Frankfurt; and what effect this has had on the investigation.

The investigation is being carried out by Dumfries and Galloway constabulary with assistance from Strathclyde police and other police forces who report to my noble and learned friend the Lord Advocate.The police have not found it necessary to approach the Lord Advocate or any Government Minister in this connection.The Lord Advocate does not consider that it is helpful to speculate upon specific lines of inquiry or their relevance to the general investigation.Both he and the chief constable of Dumfries and Galloway constabulary have recently emphasised the importance and productivity of a good working relationship which exists with the West German police and prosecution authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether all the available evidence that is held by the West German police forces investigating the Lockerbie air crash has been made available to the British police force investigating the crash.

As I have stated in another answer, my noble and learned friend, the Lord Advocate has overall responsibility for the criminal investigation and any criminal proceedings in this country which may result from it.In a press statement which he issued on Monday 30 October and again on 5 November he emphasised that the degree of international co-operation in this case has been unprecedented. That co-operation has included unprecedented access to evidential material held by the West German federal police (BKA). Neither he nor the chief constable of Dumfries and Galloway constabulary, who is leading the international inquiry, has any reason to believe that any evidence available to the German police has been denied to the investigating team.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about the impact of the cultivation of oil seed rape on human health or allergies; and if his Department will sponsor any research on this subject.

Although oil seed rape pollens have been identified as a cause of allergic reactions in some individuals there are at present no medical grounds for distinguishing their effects from those of the pollens of other plants and trees. A range of medicines is available for the treatment of such allergic conditions.The Scottish Office will give favourable consideration to any soundly based relevant research proposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by year to date, and by health authority, the number of incidences of childhood leukaemia that have been reported following the Chernobyl accident; and what was the reported number of incidences in 1980 and 1986.

The numbers of cases of leukaemia recorded in children in the 0 to 14 age group in Scotland, analysed by health board of residence in the years 1980, 1986 and 1987, are shown in the following table. 1987 is the latest year for which cancer registration in Scotland is complete.

Health Board	1980	1986	1987
Argyll and Clyde	4	4	6
Ayrshire and Arran	2	1	4
Borders	1	0	0
Dumfries and Galloway	1	0	0
Fife	3	2	7
Forth Valley	4	1	3
Grampian	3	5	2
Greater Glasgow	12	11	9
Highland	3	1	0
Lanarkshire	5	1	5
Lothian	6	6	9
Orkney	0	0	0
Shetland	0	0	0
Tayside	7	0	5
Western Isles	0	0	1
Scotland	51	32	51

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to support a Gaelic broadcasting council; and if he will make a statement.

The Government are currently considering the future of Gaelic broadcasting, including Comunn na

Number of schools with school board
Region/Islands areas	Primary schools	Percentage of Primary schools	Secondary schools	Percentage of Secondary schools
Borders	35	45	7	78
Central	60	51	10	53
Dumfries and Galloway	58	50	13	81
Fife	72	50	15	79
Grampian	151	55	28	72
Highland	83	41	22	81
Lothian	159	65	40	78
Orkney	15	75	5	83
Shetland	15	54	8	100
Strathclyde	636	71	158	85
Tayside	96	52	25	78
Western Isles	31	69	5	100

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the total number, in each regional council area, of schools in (a) the primary sector and (b) the secondary sector which did not Gaidhlig's proposals for the establishment of a Gaelic broadcasting council; and we will announce our conclusion shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of Grampian Television to discuss Gaelic broadcasting; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend met the managing director of Grampian Television on 5 April 1989 to discuss issues, including Gaelic broadcasting, arising from the broadcasting White Paper. The meeting was also attended by representatives of Scottish Television and Border Television.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report all current advisers to his Department who are not career civil servants, giving their date of appointment and fees.

There are currently two part-time advisers to the Scottish Office. They are:

• Professor J. Lamb CBE, Scientific Adviser, appointed on 20 September 1987.
• Dr. C. K. Bennington, Industrial Adviser, appointed on 8 August 1988.

It is not our practice to divulge the remuneration of industrial advisers. Fees are negotiated individually and relate to previous outside earnings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the total number, in each regional council area, of schools in (a) the primary sector and (b) the secondary sector which now have a school board in place, showing each total as a percentage of the total number of such schools in the area.

The information is set out in the table:require to hold elections for school boards, showing these as a percentage of the total number of boards currently in place.

The information is set out in the table.