To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding, excluding housing benefits, has been allocated to subsidise the rents of Northern Ireland Housing Executive private dwellings in the next financial year.

The amount of housing grant payable in the current financial year is estimated at £112 million. The grant payable in 1990–91 will be calculated after my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State makes his public expenditure statement. The arrangements for financing the Northern Ireland Housing Executive include payment of an annual housing grant based on the difference between the executive's approved revenue expenditure and its revenue income, mainly from rents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the staying on rates for those studying for A-levels in (a) 11-to-18 schools, (b) sixth form colleges, (c) tertiary, (d) and further education colleges, following 11-to-16 schooling.

The estimated proportion of 16-year-olds studying for A-levels in England in 1987–88 was as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list (a) by local education authorities and (b) nationally the proportions of children attending (i) grammar, (ii) comprehensive and (iii) secondary modern schools.

The information requested is given as at January 1989 in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if he will list the categories of courses that are still listed as non-designated courses.

Higher education courses which are designated for mandatory student awards purposes are those which fall within the terms of regulation 10 of the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989 No. 1458), a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member. No central list is kept of courses which are not designated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the amount spent by local education authorities on non-designated advance course grants.

This information is not available in the precise form requested.In 1987–88, the latest academic year for which figures are available, local education authorities in England and Wales paid a total of £158·3 million in discretionary awards made under section 2 of the Education Act 1962, as amended, to students attending non-designated courses of either higher or further education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what changes he has made in the method of funding of training grants to local education authorities in the financial year 1990–91; and what effects he expects these changes to have on the availability of in-service training courses.

The LEA training grants scheme in 1990–91 will support LEA expenditure of £122 million on national priority areas at a 65 per cent. rate of grant-an increase of £38 million over 1989–90. Adjustments have been made to the national priority rate of grant-from 70 per cent. to 65 per cent.-and to the amount of support given to expenditure on local priorities. Overall the effect will be that local education authorities will be able to spend more on training on national priorities, particularly the national curriculum. My right hon. Friend therefore expects more training to be available for national priorities, especially the implementation of the national curriculum and other provisions of the Education Reform Act 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Government intend to respond to the School Sport Forum report.

My hon. Friend the Minister for Sport and I will be publishing the Government's response to the School Sport Forum report on Monday 27 November. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses on that day. As our response emphasises, the Government fully recognise the importance of sport for young people and the value of close co-operation between providers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has received the annual report of the Agricultural and Food Research Council for 1988–89; and if he will make a statement.

The annual report of the Agricultural and Food Research Council has been submitted to me under the requirements of the Science and Technology Act 1965, and a copy is being laid before the House today.I was most interested to read about the council's achievements during what has clearly been another challenging year. I was particularly impressed by and interested in:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is planning to take with reference to the recent Confederation of British Industry report "Trade Routes to the Future".

The CBI report urges a more ambitious and urgent approach to investment in transport infrastructure. That is exactly what the Government are doing. The road programme has been doubled and so will the roads vote by 1992–93. British Rail's investment is at its highest level for a quarter of a century and will increase further particularly on rail freight and London commuter services. It is also investing heavily for the Channel tunnel. London Regional Transport's investment is at record levels and is set for a further large increase. The Jubilee line extension alone will be the first major addition to the underground network for 25 years. The Civil Aviation Authority plans major additions to airspace capacity and Manchester airport is to increase its terminal capacity by 50 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he proposes to introduce to lessen the congestion of road traffic; and if he will make a statement.

The expanded programme of trunk road widening and new construction announced in "Roads for Prosperity" will relieve congestion on major roads between cities and towns. In urban areas road improvements, traffic management and public transport have valuable contributions to make.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make available copies of the final east London assessment study, free of charge, to people living in the study area; and if he will make a statement on consultation.

Free copies of the reports will be available for members of the public to consult in borough libraries throughout the study area. Free summaries will also be readily available. Details of the arrangements for obtaining public comment will be given when the consultant's report is published next month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of the east London assessment study phase 11A study; and what is the estimated cost of the east London assessment study 11B study.

Stage 2 of east London assessment study is expected to cost about £1·75 million, but that sum is not readily apportionable between stages 2A and 2B.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what value is put on open space in cost-benefit analyses relating to proposals to build new roads.

Public open space taken for road schemes, like all land acquired for road schemes, is valued in the cost-benefit analysis on the basis of market price as assessed by the district valuer, who is independent of the Department. Cost-benefit analysis is only one part of the total appraisal procedure for road schemes. Decisions are taken in the light of a comprehensive assessment which includes environmental effects, such as the effect on amenity and nature and environmental conservation. Under the terms of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981, if open space or common land is taken for a road scheme, the Department provides equivalent land in exchange or the compulsory purchase order is subject to special parliamentary procedures. The current approach to the valuation of public open space, like all elements in the appraisal of roads, is kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are his Department's estimates of the proportion and value of freight carried in the United Kingdom by (a) rail, (b) road and (c) water for each year since 1979; and what are his estimates for the next five years.

The proportions of goods lifted and moved by transport mode in Great Britain between 1978 and 1988 are published in table 1.13 of "Transport Statistics Great Britain 1978–1988", a copy of which is in the Library. Information is not available on the value of freight or of estimates by all modes for future years. However, forecasts of goods moved by heavy goods road vehicles are given in table 2.45 of the publication referred to above and in "National Road Traffic Forecasts (Great Britain) 1989" which is also in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects the M1 to A1 link road to be completed to the west of Kettering; and if he will make a statement.

Work is now completed on the contract for the A605 interchange and is in hand on two more of the 11 contracts for the link road. We expect to let four more contracts this financial year—for the Catthorpe interchange, the section from Rothwell to Kettering, the Kettering southern bypass and an advance railway bridge on the Kettering northern bypass.With statutory procedures still outstanding, including public inquiries, on the Catthorpe to Rothwell section we cannot give a firm forecast for its completion or for completion of the remainder of the link road. We shall let the remaining contracts as quickly as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about the proposed increase in the road building programme.

We have received a large number of representations from organisations and individuals about the proposed increase in the trunk road building programme in England. Many have been supportive of our plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what improvements in service to its customers and the general public have followed the establishment of the vehicle inspectorate as an executive agency; and if he will make a statement.

I am pleased to say that the agency has already introduced a number of worthwhile improvements aimed at improving its service to customers and furthering road safety. The most recent initiative is to offer operators of heavy goods and public service vehicles the option of requesting an annual test or retest on a Saturday. This extension to the normal working week will operate first on a trial basis to test the demand at the Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Kidderminster, Northampton and Ipswich heavy goods vehicle testing stations.Following a successful trial at selected locations, a brake performance check service will be made available from next January on a national basis. The service is mainly intended for operators and repairers of heavy goods and public service vehicles.The inspectorate has also opened its training centre in Bristol to the private sector and has run a number of courses on brake testing and the inspection of public service and heavy goods vehicles. Training courses are also being run at operators' own premises where this is preferred.The manuals for the inspection of heavy goods and public service vehicles, cars and motorcycles are now available from the inspectorate's operations centre, Swansea, in addition to the normal HMSO outlets. A motorcycle test guide aimed at owners who undertake their own servicing and repairs will be available in the new year. This is being published by HMSO and sponsored by the Norwich Union Insurance Company. It will be sold through high street bookshops, as well as those of HMSO.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what humanitarian aid Her Majesty's Government have sent to E1 Salvador to assist the victims of the civil war; and if he will make a statement.

We have provided £100,000 through the International Committee of the Red Cross for its emergency relief programme in E1 Salvador. This is in addition to Britain's share of the European Community's 300,000 ecu emergency assistance.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the reasons for the refusal of a certificate of naturalisation to Mr. France Monien, a Crown servant in Mauritius.

Section 44(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981 relieves the Home Secretary of the obligation to assign any reason for the grant or refusal of any application under this Act where the decision is at his discretion. My right hon. Friend is not prepared to make an exception in this case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all cases since 1964 which the Home Secretary has referred to (a) the Court of Appeal and (b) for re-examination by the Director of Public Prosecutions, where all the normal legal processes have been exhausted.

Under the provisions of section 17(1)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 (which replaced section 19 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1907) my right hon. and learned Friend will normally refer to the Court of Appeal the case of someone who has been convicted on indictment, if there is some new evidence or other consideration of substance which has not been before the courts and which appears to cast doubt on the safety of the conviction. He is also prepared to refer cases under this section, where there is doubt about the validity of a sentence. It is not our practice to refer such cases to the Director of Public Prosecutions, although the director's advice may be sought from time to time in individual cases.Since 1964, the following cases have been referred to the Court of Appeal under section 19 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1907, or section 17(1)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new representations he has received concerning the case of the Birmingham Six; and what consideration he has given to referral of their case to the Court of Appeal.

Since my reply of 16 November 1989 to the hon. Member at column 449, we have continued to receive representations from Members of both Houses of Parliament and from members of the public, proposing that the case be referred again to the Court of Appeal.Careful consideration is given to all representations received about the safety of the convictions, but at present, my right hon. and learned Friend can find no grounds to justify his referring this case back to the Court of Appeal. He is, however, always ready to consider new evidence or other considerations of substance which have not been before the courts and which appear to cast doubt upon the safety of any conviction.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on progress with nutritional labelling.

We are taking an active part in negotiation of the European Commission's nutrition labelling proposals and hope that a common position will be reached soon. The proposals are similar to the Ministry's nutrition labelling guidelines and provide for a voluntary system of nutrition labelling with a mandatory format so that consumers can compare products more easily. Nutrition labelling would be compulsory only when a nutrition claim was made. There is no provision for a three-year lead-in period to allow labels to be changed and, given the close resemblance of the guidelines to the Commission proposals. I hope that manufacturers and retailers will be encouraged to provide as much nutrition information as possible within their resources according to the guideline, until Community legislation is in place. I also refer the hon. Member to the debate on nutritional labelling in Standing Committee on 1 November 1989.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if any British fishers or registered ships are currently employing large-scale pelagic drift net fishing.

It is not the practice of British fishers or British registered ships to employ large-scale pelagic drift nets.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy in respect of large scale pelagic drift net fishing.

Where appropriate, the Government support the introduction of suitable management procedures so that fisheries are conducted on a rational and sustainable basis, with due regard also to the conservation of the wider marine environment. Should large-scale pelagic drift net fishing be found to impact adversely on marine resources, we would support appropriate measures being taken.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has concerning the impact on marine resources of large-scale pelagic drift net fishing.

For the south Pacific, there is information which suggests that the current extent and practices in the large-scale pelagic drift net fisheries are likely to affect marine resources adversely.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether large-scale pelagic drift net fishing takes place in waters over which Her Majesty's Government exercises jurisdiction.

No.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he has any plans to introduce new contracts for special advisers.

There are no such plans.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what is his policy towards encouraging the national museums to raise their own funds.

I continue to attach high importance to encouraging national museums and galleries to develop self-reliance and diversification of funding. I congratulate the institutions on their achievements to date, and on becoming more professional in their management in recent years. I was delighted to announce on 23 November that MEPC plc is donating £1 million over five years to Sir John Soane's museum towards the repair of the fabric of the building. I am pleased to have been able to match this generous offer.

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether there has been any change in the forecast of liabilities under the Government indemnity scheme.

The forecast total liability in 1989–90 for indemnities under section 16 (2) of the National Heritage Act 1980 was £350 million, to cover objects on loan to non-national museums, galleries and other institutions in the United Kingdom, as shown in paragraph 6(c) of the introduction to the estimate class XIII, vote 1. The Government will now be giving further indemnities in respect of loans to non-national institutions which will increase the total outstanding liability for the period from 25 November 1989 to 30 June 1990 to £600 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military ambulances are available for use by a civilian power in the west midlands; and if he will make a statement.

A total of 54 service ambulances have been allocated for deployment in the west midlands if required to assist in the maintenance of essential accident and emergency services for the civilian population.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ambulances from (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy and (c) the Royal Air Force have been deployed on civilian duties in the current ambulance dispute.

To date, 54 Army ambulances, six Royal Air Force ambulances and no Royal Navy ambulances have been deployed on civilian duties in the current ambulance dispute.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will consider publishing a Green Paper on the subject of drafting of legislation, its scrutiny and subsequent interpretation, following the rejection by the Lord Chancellor of the proposal for the scrutiny of selected Bills by High Court judges, contained in the petition to this House of 17 April by George Bednar.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the percentage and amount of his Department's research and development budget now allocated to nuclear and renewable energy projects; and if he has any plans to review the priorities with a view to adjusting the present balance, consequential to his statement on the future nuclear power station construction programme.

The Department's plans for expenditure on nuclear and renewable energy research and development in the years 1989–90 to 1991–92 are set out in the table. The Department's expenditure on research arid development is kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel from (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy and (c) the Royal Air Force have been deployed on civilian duties in the current ambulance dispute.

To date, 228 Army personnel, 54 Royal Air Force personnel and no Royal Navy personnel have been deployed on civilian duties in the current ambulance dispute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated cost of the use of Army vehicles during the ambulance staffs' dispute.

It is too early to provide an estimate of the cost of the use of Army vehicles since the calculation is dependent, among other things, both on the length of the dispute and the number of vehicles finally involved. The Department of Health has undertaken to meet all the extra costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has about an incident involving a fishing vessel Scotia and a Royal Naval submarine off Stornoway on 13 November; what action he proposes to take; and if he will make a statement.

At 2156 hours on Monday 13 November, some 8·5 nm east south east of the Butt of Lewis, the fishing vessel Scotia was towed astern for a short distance by a Royal Navy submarine, which was on exercise in the area and which had snagged the fishing vessel's gear. The submarine, on becoming aware of the incident, conducted a full visual search to confirm that neither the fishing vessel involved nor any other vessel in the area was in any difficulty, then proceeded with her exercise. The circumstances of the incident are being investigated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what manufacturing capacity the United Kingdom proposes for biological and chemical weapons.

None.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make an official visit to Billericay.

I have at present no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings with Kurdish groups and visits to Kurdish-speaking areas have been undertaken by Her Majesty's embassy staff in Ankara; and if he will make a statement.

The staff of Her Majesty's embassy in Ankara undertake visits to all parts of Turkey, including Kurdish-speaking areas, during the course of their duties, and maintain contact with groups representing a wide range of opinion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings with Kurdish organisations and visits to Kurdish-speaking areas of Iraq have been undertaken by staff of Her Majesty's embassy in Baghdad since January 1988.

The British embassy maintains contact with a wide range of groups and individuals in Iraq including some of Kurdish origin.Since January 1988, diplomatic staff from the embassy have travelled frequently to Kurdish-speaking areas of Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been received for the Kurdish people to be given observer status at the United Nations; and if he will make a statement.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the commercial staffing section of Her Majesty's embassy in Iraq for each year since 1979.

Before the February 1987 inspection, the commercial section of the British embassy comprised four United Kingdom-based and six locally-engaged staff. In 1987 the number was reduced to three and five respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if Her Majesty's Government will agree to a moratorium on all high seas drift net fishing by 30 June 1992; and if he will make a statement;(2) what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on an immediate ban on the practice of drift net fishing in the South Pacific; and if he will make a statement.

We are concerned at the effects of large-scale pelagic drift net fishing and are playing a constructive role in discussions on this issue. The European Community has competence in high seas fisheries policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the governments of Japan and Taiwan in respect of drift net fishing.

We have made clear to the Japanese Government our concern at the effects of large-scale pelagic drift net fishing in the South Pacific, on both fish stocks and marine mammals and sea birds. We have no dealings with the authorities in Taiwan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the United Kingdom representatives who sit on the COCOM commission; and when it last met.

The COCOM regular committee meets in continuous session. The head of the United Kingdom delegation is Mr. H. Freeman, counsellor at the British embassy in Paris. The United Kingdom permanent, deputy and assistant delegates are Mr. M. Hentley, Mr. S. Shelly and Mr. S. Morgan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of the registrar general and at what grade are engaged in providing population estimates to the Department of the Environment in respect of standard spending assessments and the population report relating to the introduction of the poll tax.

The registrar general has no staff engaged primarily to provide a service to the Department of the Environment in respect of the community charge as such. However, the OPCS population estimates unit, which provides population estimates to all central Government Departments and to local and health authorities, has seven staff, with the following grade structure:

• 1 Grade 7 statistician.
• 1 Senior executive officer.
• 1 Assistant statistician.
• 2 Excutive officers.
• 3 Administrative officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will seek to obtain from the United States Government the number of abortions per state performed on girls aged 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 years, according to gestation, in each year since 1985;(2) if he will seek to obtain from the United States Government the number of abortions per state performed on women aged 18 to 24 years, 25 to 30 years, 30 to 35 years and 35 years and over, according to each gestational week, in each year since 1985.

I understand that the most recent federal abortion statistics for the United States were published in September 1989 for the years 1984–85. The data are collected and published by the centres for disease control (CDC), United States Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia 30333. Some more recent abortion statistics were published in the CDC's morbidity and mortality weekly report on 29 September 1989 but not in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulance staff in each region outside London have been suspended during the period of the current dispute; for what period; and how many have been reinstated.

These statistics are not collected centrally and the situation fluctuates on a day by day basis. I advise the hon. Member to make inquiries to the region direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of London ambulance service personnel who have been suspended from duty in the last month; how many received written warnings; and how many have been reinstated.

The management of the London ambulance service is the responsibility of the South West Thames regional health authority, to which I refer the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he has had with representatives of ambulance workers in the last month.