To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of British merchant shipping capacity.

There are encouraging signs that the worst of the decline in world shipping in recent years is over. British operators are among the most entrepreneurial and cost-effective and should be well placed to take advantage of the improved opportunities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the cost of hydrographic work carried out on behalf of his Department by (a) the Royal Navy and (b) the private sector;(2) if he will list the number of marine surveys ordered by his Department for the last five years.

In 1989–90 the civil hydrographic survey programme is expected to cost about £6·3 million, of which about £2·1 million represents contracts let to the private sector, £2·8 million surveys undertaken by the Royal Navy survey flotilla, and £1·4 million work undertaken by the Royal Navy personnel in commercially chartered ships. The numbers of surveys undertaken in the last five years are 1985–21; 1986–18; 1987–21; 1988–20; 1989–15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those countries whose NAVTEX is fully operational and those which are not, together with the implementation dates.

NAVTEX services are fully operational in the following countries: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Cyprus, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom and Yugoslavia.NAVTEX services are operational in parts of, or under trial in, the following countries: Bulgaria, Canada, China, Egypt, France, United States of America and USSR.NAVTEX services are planned in the following countries, with an indication of the implementation date, where known: Bahrain, Bermuda, Cameroon, German Democratic Republic, India, Israel, Italy (1990–93), Korea (August 1993), Japan, Spain (1990), Thailand and Uruguay.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that EEC countries implement the NAVTEX broadcast requirements.

The United Kingdom, through its participation in the worldwide navigation warning system and membership of the International Maritime Organisation NAVTEX co-ordination panel, is actively encouraging the development of NAVTEX both within the EEC area of interest and on a worldwide basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Pilotage Commission to be wound up.

For reasons beyond its control the Pilotage Commission is not yet able to complete the winding up of the former pilotage authorities' affairs. It is therefore not yet possible to say when the commission itself will be wound up. The Department and the commission are considering what can be done to expedite the process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has made of the effects of pot-holes and poor road standards upon cyclists; if he will reconsider his decision not to implement the Horne report; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has not undertaken specific studies of this sort. It did publish a local transport note last June entitled "Making Way for Cyclists", which gives detailed guidance to local authorities and others on a range of planning, design and legal aspects of providing for cyclists, and emphasises the importance of proper inspections and maintenance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with British Rail about how it proposes to justify to him, for investment authorisation, expenditure on the works covered by the King's Cross Railways Bill; and if he will make a statement.

British Rail's investment at King's Cross will need to be justified according to the normal criteria agreed between the Department and the board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information British Rail has presented to him, for investment authorisation purposes, in relation to its anticipated revenues in connection with expenditure on the works contained in the King's Cross Railways Bill, in relation to (a) projected revenues from additional services on existing lines to King's Cross and (b) revenues from planned services on new lines for which parliamentary approval will be required and has yet to be sought; and if he will make a statement.

British Rail has not yet sought authorisation from the Secretary of State for its proposed investment at King's Cross.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to assess the environmental friendliness of his Department's policies.

The Department pays close attention to the environmental implications of its policies and many have a directly beneficial effect. For example, we are taking steps to control vehicle emissions; we build new roads to relieve congestion and bypass communities; and we are supporting massive investment in public transport. We shall be making an important contribution to the White Paper on the environment to be published later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is now able to say when he expects to announce the preferred route for the north-south A5 Dunstable bypass; and if he will make a statement.

Comments made during public consultation and the new national road traffic forecasts have made it necessary to reconsider our original proposals. Further consultation may be necessary, but we hope to announce a preferred route for the bypass by the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest timetable for the construction of a second highway crossing of the Severn estuary.

We are currently considering tenders and remain on course to provide the second crossing by the mid-1990s.

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will estimate the contribution to arts in the metropolitan area of (a) the Arts Council and (b) the London local authorities; upon what items this money is principally spent; and if he will make a statement.

I am advised that in 1987–88, the last year for which complete records are available, the Arts Council's grants to arts bodies in the London area (excluding the national companies) was £26·7 million. This sum was spread across the entire spectrum of art forms: music, drama, dance, literature, and the visual arts. Figures for local authority spending on the arts are more difficult to isolate. The Policy Studies Institute, however, has estimated that spending by local authorities on the arts in London for 1988–89 totalled some £42 million, of which £28 million went to arts premises and promotions, and £14 million in grants to arts organisations.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what discussions he has held with national opera houses and theatres on increasing the number of televised performances.

It is for the companies themselves to decide on these matters. It is, however, the policy of the Arts Council to encourage the televising of performances in order to promote access to the arts. In addition, many new operatic productions are now broadcast on the radio. Between the two media, there were 15 broadcast productions in 1989; nine from the royal opera house, and six for English national opera.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science pursuant to his answer of 8 January, Official Report, col, 487, what guidance he has issued to the National Curriculum Council about how much of a school's curriculum it should prescribe in its circulars to schools.

None. The Education Reform Act requires all maintained schools to provide a basic curriculum consisting of the national curriculum for all pupils of compulsory school age and religious education for all registered pupils at the school. Neither my right hon. Friend nor the National Curriculum Council has the power to prescribe what else is taught in schools, nor how the timetable is arranged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received on circular No. 6 of October 1989 from the National Curriculum Council on the subject of the whole curriculum.

My right hon. Friend has received one representation concerning the place of religious education and worship in the whole curriculum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to change the remit of the National Curriculum Council.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to change the remit of the National Curriculum Council which is set out in section 14 (3), (5) and (6) of the Education Reform Act 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any long-term plans to improve teacher remuneration.

The Government's policy is that teachers' pay should be such as to enable the maintained school system to recruit, retain and motivate sufficient teachers of the required quality, within what can be afforded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are his Department's current figures for teacher shortages in England and Wales; and if he will set out his answer in tabular form giving details for individual local education authorities.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend gave on 21 December 1989 to the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) at columns 353-55. Data for Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his estimate is of the average earnings in the valley communities.

Information is not available below county level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many qualified teachers there are in the high schools of the local education authorities in Wales of (a) Welsh, (b) German, (c) French, (d) Spanish, (e) Italian and (f) Latin; and if he will make a statement.

Provisional estimates of the numbers of secondary school language teachers holding a post A-level main subject qualification are shown in the table:

Subject	Number of Teachers
Welsh	1,100
German	300
French	1,000
Spanish	100
Italian	100
Classical Languages	200

Teachers possessing a qualification in a particular subject will not necessarily be teaching that subject. The figures are obtained from the Welsh secondary staffing survey conducted in February and March of 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will call a conference of local education authorities' parent-teacher associations and teacher unions to consider the need to increase the number of qualified foreign language teachers in Welsh high schools; and if he will make a statement.

No. The future pattern of demand for language teachers can be clearly determined in the light of the provisions of the national curriculum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he has taken to increase the number of qualified secondary teachers of (a) Welsh, (b) German, (c) French, (d) Spanish, (e) Italian and (f) Latin; and if he will make a statement.

The future demand for language teachers is being taken fully into account when setting the intakes to initial teacher training, in the revision of the criteria for initial teacher training courses and in planning the LEA in-service training grant scheme and education support grants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the arrangements for the levying of the uniform business rate in Wales on properties open for only part of the year as a result of seasonal trade.

Such property will be liable for non-domestic rating for the days on which it is used for non-domestic purposes and is entered on a local non-domestic rating list. Property used for non-domestic purposes can include property which is open all the year around, and also property where paying guests are not admitted out of season but where rooms are maintained in preparation for non-domestic use in the next holiday season. Where, however, the off-season use becomes domestic (for example, where the proprietor's family occupies the property for domestic purposes), the property is not rateable and should be deleted from the rating list for that period.Valuation of seasonally operated properties will take into account seasonal patterns of trade. The assessment of a hotel or guest house in an isolated tourist location can take into account the likelihood that winter trade may be minimal or non-existent. The pattern of trade is taken into account by the valuation officer in his valuation of a range of properties including hotels, guest houses, public houses and holiday cottages.Occupiers of seasonally operated properties which are liable to rates for any period will have their rate liabilities calculated in accordance with the Welsh non-domestic rating multiplier for the year. For the financial year 1990–91 that multiplier has been set at 0·368, or 36·8p in the pound.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements are under consideration for the all-Wales mental health strategy at the conclusion of the current 10-year programme.

We assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the all-Wales mental handicap strategy, as our all-Wales mental illness strategy was launched only last year and does not have a set 10-year programme. The Welsh chapter of the Government's White Paper "Caring for People" indicates that there will be a full review of service development and of the framework provided by the mental hanicap strategy in 1991–92. This review will help to inform consideration of future arrangements for mental handicap services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the timetable for making the A465, the Heads of the Valleys road, a continuous dual carriage highway throughout its entire length.

There are no plans for dualling the Heads of the Valleys section of the A465. The position is being reviewed as part of the south Wales traffic study, which will be completed towards the end of 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the timetable for the completion of the Pentrebach bypass, and other bypass work, to take the A470 round Merthyr Tydfil.

The A470 Pentrebach-Cefn Coed improvement is programmed to start in the period April 1991 to March 1994. Construction is expected to take two years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average price paid for the following agricultural land in Wales during 1989 (a) lowland. (b) marginal and (c) hill land; what were the corresponding figures for each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Information is available only on the basis of land grade. The average price paid for agricultural land of five or more hectares in vacant possession is shown in the table:

Average land prices (£): Reported in 12 months ended September
	Grades 1 and 2	Grade 3	Grades 4 and 5
1979	2,593	2,368	1,607
1980	4,351	3,240	2,181
1981	4,504	3,117	2,027
1982	3,353	3,119	1,792
1983	3,002	3,443	2,079
1984	4,801	3,816	2,427
1985	5,512	3,705	2,070
1986	4,238	3,642	2,213
1987	3,292	3,171	2,196
1988	4,376	2,906	1,604
1989	5,065	3,680	3,627

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the need for purpose-built bungalows for disabled people.

No such estimates are made. Generally the Government favour the design of housing, of whatever kind, which is accessible to the disabled and convenient for them to use. We aim to enable people with disabilities to lead, as far as possible, an independent and active life without having to move to specialised accommodation or institutional care. New grant arrangements coming into effect in April will facilitate adaptation and improvement works to help those who become disabled to remain in their existing homes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to prohibit the disposal of consumer durables containing chlorofluorocarbons to landfill.

The Government have at present no plans to do so, although the Department of Trade and Industry has commissioned an intensive study of the problems associated with the use of CFCs which is being carried out by Coopers and Lybrand. Further action will be considered in the light of that report. In addition, various pilot schemes are being undertaken by individual local authorities, some in conjunction with industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the meeting of EEC Housing Ministers held in Lille in December.

The meeting was arranged by the French Government with a view to establishing direct links between Housing Ministers from the EC member states. Almost all member states were represented, most at ministerial level, and discussions were cordial and productive. At the conclusion of the meeting it was unanimously agreed that similar meetings should be arranged annually, by the country holding the EC presidency for the second half-year, and that national Administrations should make the necessary arrangements to prepare for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by (a) location and (b) water authority the sites that suffered from toxic pollution due to blue-green algae, caused by phosphates and nitrogen from sewage and farming entering public reservoirs; and if any successful prosecutions have been made.

There were 53 sites in England where blooms of toxic blue-green algae were identified in 1989. The causes of the blooms have not yet been determined, but the National Rivers Authority is investigating the issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by (a) water company and (b) location those areas where drought orders still remain in force in England and Wales.

The table lists, by water company area, the drought orders currently in force in England (and that part of Wales served by Severn Trent Water), the locality or water supply source affected by each order and its expiry date. Orders affecting the supply area of Welsh Water are a matter for the Secretary of State for Wales.

Water company area and locality or water supply source affected	Date of expiry of Order
WATER SERVICE COMPANIES
Anglian
Ely-Ouse River, Essex1	28 February 1990
North West
Ullswater	31 January 1990
Bottoms and Teggsnose	31 March 1990
Lamaload	31 March 1990
Tytherington Boreholes	31 March 1990
Severn Trent
Tittesworth	6 March 1990
Clywedog Reservoir1	18 March 1990
Buxton	21 March 1990
Derwent Valley Reservoirs, Ambergate	6 April 1990
Homesford, Little Eaton, Church Wilne Derby, Notts, Leicester	26 April 1990
Southern
North and West Kent and West and East Sussex	20 January 1990
River Medway	31 March 1990
Kent Groundwater (No. 2)	31 March 1990
West and East Sussex	21 May 1990
Hardham (West Sussex)	31 March 1990
River Rother, Robertsbridge	31 March 1990
Plucks Gutter	31 March 1990
South West
River Torridge	29 January 1990
Avon Reservoir	21 January 1990
River Tamar	4 February 1990

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what financial assistance his Department has given to the joint project being carried out by the imperial war museum and the royal commission on the historical monuments of England towards the national inventory of war memorials.

The proposed joint project by the imperial war museum and the royal commission on the historical monuments of England is being supported by grants from the Leverhulme Trust, the Western Front Association and the Imperial War Museum Trust. With this support, the museum and the royal commission expect to be able to meet the full cost without the need to seek any additional funding from the Department of the Environment or any other Government source. The royal commission's day-to-day operations are, of course, largely funded through the grant-in-aid from the Department, which in 1990–91 will be £6·07 million. The grant-in-aid in 1990–91 to the imperial war museum from the Office of Arts and Libraries will be £9·6 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in which 10 local authority areas in the United Kingdom the Government have provided the largest sums of money for home improvement since 1979.

The table shows those local authorities in England which, between the financial years 1981–82 and 1988–89, received the largest total amount of Exchequer contribution towards the cost of loan charges incurred by them in giving home improvement grants. Information for years prior to 1981–82 is not readily available. I refer my hon. Friend to the Secretaries of State for Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland for information relating to the rest of the United Kingdom.

Local authority	Total payment £ million
Birmingham	69,640
Liverpool	61,475
Manchester	58,713
Bradford	39,970
Leicester	35,480
Wirral	35,229
Wandsworth	34,526
Nottingham	31,543
Hammersmith and Fulham	30,957
Sheffield	29,952

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make regulations under sections 150 and 151 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to provide for charges to be made for anything done by a local authority in connection with public footpaths and bridleways.

We are presently considering whether, and if so how, the enabling power in the Act might be used in respect of charging for public path orders. No regulations will be made without full consultation with interested parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to whom his Department has let the contract for monitoring the implementation of the environmental assessment directive.

My Department is currently considering tenders which have been received from invited organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he plans to introduce legislation to consolidate town and country planning legislation; and if he will make a statement.

It is hoped to introduce consolidating legislation prepared by the Law Commission into Parliament shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of the "Bathing Water Survey" (1989 results).

The results are at present being collated. I expect to place a report in the Library shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the use of ozone as a purifier of drinking water within the EEC.

I understand that ozone is used to some extent in most member states while it is used extensively in France.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the desirability of introducing legislation to afford protection to those who reside on houseboats on canals and rivers; what recent representations he has received on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

The Department occasionally receives letters from hon. Members and the public about security of moorings for houseboat residents. We have no plans to introduce legislation providing statutory security of tenure for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which data source is used to determine the number of households headed by migrants from the new Commonwealth and Pakistan in determining levels of rate support grants for local authorities.

The data source for the number of households headed by migrants from the New Commonwealth and Pakistan is the 1981 Census.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any proposals to deal with the causes of homelessness.

The review of the homelessness legislation, published in November 1989, sets out the Government's proposals for tackling homelessness. Copies are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by Kirklees metropolitan council in implementing the provisions of the Local Government Act 1988 in relation to compulsory competitive tendering of (a) refuse collection, (b) cleaning of buildings, (c) other forms of cleaning, (d) catering in schools and welfare roles, other forms of catering, (f) grounds maintenance, and (g) repair and maintenance of vehicles; what are the projected annual savings as a result of competitive tendering for each of the services; and when the successful tenderers will commence operating each of the services.

The dates by which local authorities are required to expose their services to competition under the terms of part I of the Local Government Act 1988 are prescribed in the Local Government Act 1988 (Defined Activities) (Competition) (England) Regulations 1988 (SI 1988 No. 1371). The dates by which Kirklees metropolitan borough council is required to expose services to competition in this way, and the progress in implementing those requirements is as follows:

(a) refuse collection—the date prescribed was 1 January 1990. I understand that the contract was awarded to the authority's Direct Service Organisation (DSO) and commenced on that date. The authority estimate that net savings of approximately £½ million or 10 per cent. have been achieved;

(b) cleaning of buildings—the date prescribed is 1 January 1991 and I understand that the authority is taking steps to ensure that competition is introduced in accordance with that timetable;

(c) other cleaning—the date prescribed is 1 August 1990. I understand that the authority is currently considering applications from persons wishing to be included on its select tendering list and intends to commence the contract in accordance with the timetable;

(d) catering for purposes of schools and welfare—the date prescribed is 1 January 1992. I understand that the authority is taking steps to ensure that competition is introduced in accordance with that timetable;

(e) other catering—the date prescribed is 1 August 1991. I understand that the authority is taking steps to ensure that competition is introduced in accordance with that timetable;

(f) grounds maintenance—the regulations require that authorities should expose a first tranche of 20 per cent. of this work to competition by 1 January 1990, and subsequent tranches of 20 per cent. at six monthly intervals thereafter. I understand that the contract comprising the first 20 per cent. tranche was awarded to the authority's DSO and commenced on 1 January and that a further contract comprising an additional 20 per cent. tranche of work was also won by the DSO and will commence on 1 April. The authority estimate that no net savings will be achieved from those contracts;

(g) repair and maintenance of vehicles—the date prescribed in Regulations for competition was 1 August 1989. I understand that the contract was awarded to a private contractor and commenced on that date. The authority estimate that net savings of approximately £50k or 2 per cent. will be achieved.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the research projects commissioned by his Department in the past 10 years on rural matters, giving details of cost, publication and follow-up action on recommendations.

Annual expenditure under the Department's countryside research programme and lists of publications resulting from it are given in the Department's periodic reports on research and development, published by HMSO, copies of which are in the Library. The individual research projects are listed in the annual surveys of research prepared for the countryside recreation research advisory group by the school for advanced urban studies at the university of Bristol, copies of which are obtainable from the school. It is usually left to the contractor to make the final report on a research project available to others on request. Such reports do not normally include recommendations for action.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many employees of each of the recently privatised water companies became shareholders; and what percentages of the total work forces this represented.

A total of 37,488 employees, representing 85·57 per cent. of the eligible work force of the 10 companies, have successfully applied for shares in the companies under free and matching offers.The figures for each company are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to introduce a standard symbol to denote material which has been recycled; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend announced on 9 January that, following consultation, the Government are to set up an advisory group to develop an eco-labelling scheme to reflect the key characteristics of a product's environmental impact from design to disposal or "cradle to grave". Thus the extent to which a product includes recycled material and can itself be recycled will be taken fully into account.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of profits and trading surpluses the unabated post-revaluation uniform business rate represents for each standard region.

The information from which to make such estimates is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the centenary of the Association of County Councils to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Services Committee, arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 5 February to Friday 9 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes to respond to the report of the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America in regard to the hazardous waste material which remains in Wath upon Dearne; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 15 January, Official Report, column 111.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the transfrontier shipment of toxic waste within the European Community.

Transfrontier shipment of hazardous waste into, out of or within the Community is subject to control under existing EC directives. Discussion is taking place in Brussels to revise these directives and to implement the Basel convention on transfrontier shipment. It is the Government's view that international waste movements should be reduced to the environmentally justified minimum and those that are necessary should be subject to effective monitoring and control.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) of 23 November 1989, Official Report, column 16, he will give the likely cost of creating a joint co-ordinating committee for the restyled nature conservancy bodies and the estimated annual cost of serving it; and what is the overall annual impact on public expenditure of the proposed reorganisation.

Preparatory work to establish the new conservation agencies, including the joint committee, is likely to cost £1·5 million in 1990–91. Some additional costs are likely to be incurred thereafter in operating the new agencies and servicing the committee. It is too early to give an estimate of these costs, as several issues, such as the staff complement of each agency and the programme of the joint committee, are still under detailed consideration by the Government and the Nature Conservancy Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on the siting of large toxic waste disposal plants in the middle of major conurbations.

The siting of waste disposal facilities is determined by local planning authorities in dealing with relevant planning applications. Any planning appeal to my right hon. Friend would be considered in relation to the circumstances of the case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce a decision concerning the appeal by Thomas Brown of Whinfield farm, Pennington, against revocation of his waste disposal licence by Cumbria county council, submitted in summer 1988.

Written representations have been completed on this appeal, lodged on 16 September 1988, and an official from the Department will make a site visit on 20 February. The Secretary of State hopes to be able to determine the appeal once he has received the site visit report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has yet established the criteria he will use for community charge capping.

If authorities insist on budgeting excessively my right hon. Friend will not hesitate to cap them, but it would not be right to speculate on the detailed operation of any charge-capping scheme which might be needed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the measures announced by the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities in October 1989 to limit the increase in the amount of the community charge to not more than £3 per week will apply to charge payers in the London borough of Hillingdon; and if he will make a statement.

The community charge transitional relief scheme will apply in all charging authority areas. In properties containing one or two community charge payers, relief will be paid where there is a difference of £156 a year (£3 a week) or more between the assumed rates bill and the community charges which would be set if local authority spending were in line with the Government's assumptions for this purpose. For properties with more than two charge payers relief will be based on a comparison between the assumed rates bill and two assumed community charges and distributed equally among the chargepayers. Elderly and disabled people who were not former ratepayers or the partners of former ratepayers will be entitled to relief to reduce their assumed community charge to £156. As was made clear in the announcement, however, relief will not cover any excess of the actual community charge over the assumed community charge.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department is considering measures to ensure that his recommendation that seafarers out of the country for more than six months are eligible for exemption from community charge will be complied with; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: Guidance on the treatment of Royal Navy personnel was contained in the community charge practice note No. 9 "UK Service Personnel". This advised that married seagoers might be regarded as having their residence with their family except for continuous absences in excess of six months, that single seagoers who are householders might be treated in the same way, and that single seagoers with no permanent home address need not be registered for the personal community charge except during periods of shore leave in excess of 61 days. My Department issued further guidance which suggested that merchant seamen might be treated in broadly the same way as their service counterparts. It is for community charges registration officers to determine liability taking into account all the circumstances of any individual case. Anyone dissatisfied with a determination may appeal to a valuation and community charge tribunal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the poll tax for Nottingham.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: If each authority seeks to raise from its residents an amount consistent with its behaviour in 1989–90 and with total standard spending of £32·8 billion for 1990–91, its community charge will be that shown in table 2 of the revised exemplifications which my right hon. Friend laid in the Library on 11 January. In the case of Nottingham that would be £254.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish an up-to-date list of all the regulations in respect of the community charge setting out the area each regulation covers, the primary legislation giving rise to each regulation, the date each came into force, details of amendments to the regulations and the number of pages of each regulation.

[holding answer15 January 1990]: The information is as follows:

	Date of coming into force
Regulations made under the Local Government Finance Act 1988
1. The Personal Community Charge (Exemptions) Order 1989–2 pages	7 April 1989
—These cover persons in detention, the severely mentally impaired and patients in homes
2. Valuation and Community Charge Tribunals Regulations 1989–15 pages
Regulations 4 to 8 and 11	7 April 1989
All others	1 May 1989
—These establish new appeal procedures
3. Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989–51 pages
All except Regulations 4 and 5	7 April 1989
Regulations 4 and 5	22 May 1989
—These define the detailed powers of authorities for registration, billing and collection of the charge
4 Valuation and Community Charge Tribunals (Transfer of Jurisdiction) Regulations 1989–10 pages	1 May 1989
—These transfer powers of Local Valuation Panels to the new Tribunals
5. Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) (Amendment) 1989–1 page	19 May 1989
—This inserts a line of print missing from item 3 above
6. The Community Charge (Information Concerning Social Security) Regulations 1989–2 pages	22 May 1989
—These enable Social Security offices to supply CCROs with details on persons receiving income support
7. The Community Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1989–2 pages	21 July 1989
—This amends the wording of item 3 above on service of summonses and redefines co—owners
8. The Community Charge Benefits (Transitional) Order 1989–4 pages	30 August 1989
—These allow for the transition from Housing Benefit to a scheme of community charge benefits
9 The Community Charges (Cross-Border Information) Regulations 1989–1 page	1 Sepember 1989
—These allow for specific information to be supplied between CCROs in England and Wales and Scotland
10. The Personal Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989–5 pages	1 October 1989
—These define full-time students and the functions of certification offices
11 The Collection Fund (England) Regulations 1989–7 pages	13 December 1989

	Date of coming into force
—These provide for the payments to and transfers from collection funds of charging authorities
12. The Community Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Regulations 1989–7 pages	28 December 1989
—These provide for local authorities to offer discounts and amend regulations on billing and the standard charge
13 The Personal Community Charge (Relief) (England) Regulations 1990–10 pages	21 January 1990
—These provide for a transitional relief scheme
Regulation made under the Social Security Act 1986
14 The Community Charge Benefits (General) Regulations 1989–61 pages
Regulations 1, 59-63, 92, 93	11 August 1989
All other regulations	1 April 1990
—These provide the operation of the community charge benefit system
Regulations made under the National Health Service Act 1977
15. The National Health Service (General Medical and Pharmaceutical Services) Amendment Regulations 1989–3 pages	25 August 1989
—These provide a procedure to identify and exempt severely mental impaired people

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the sums raised by the London borough of Newham from its industrial and commercial ratepayers for the financial year 1989–90 (a) in total and (b) per expected payer of the community charge; and what is the sum he expects to pay the borough in respect of the uniform business rate for the financial year 1990–91 (i) in total and (ii) per community charge payer.

I estimate that in 1989–90 industrial and commercial ratepayers will pay about £32·2 million in non-domestic rates to the London borough of Newham. This is £201·64 per community charge payer. Under our proposals for 1990–91 the share of the non-domestic rate pool paid to Newham will be £46·7 million. This is £292·51 per chargepayer. The two figures are not directly comparable. The relevant population calculation for Newham is 159,694.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken to ensure compliance with European Community quality objectives for list I dangerous substances in water; and if he will make a statement.

The Surface Waters (Dangerous Substances) (Classification) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989 No. 2286) came into force on 1 January 1990. These contain the quality standards for surface waters for each of the list I dangerous substances for which Communitywide standards have been set. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales have now issued a notice to the National Rivers Authority under section 105 of the Water Act 1989 establishing these standards as statutory water quality objectives. They have also issued directions to the authority under section 146 of the Act requiring it, with effect from 8 January, to implement the quality standards in the regulations, to undertake the necessary monitoring and to supply the Secretaries of State with the appropriate information. Copies of the notice and direction to the National Rivers Authority have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce a decision concerning the Crooklands Brow, Dalton-in-Furness, derelict land reclamation scheme.

The application for derelict land grant in respect of this scheme is currently receiving consideration. It is hoped to issue a decision within four weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what grant gain has resulted for the London boroughs of (a) Brent and (b) Ealing as a consequence of the reduction in the standard spending assessment of those boroughs; and on what basis the assessment was reduced.

The standard spending assessments (SSAs) for Brent and Ealing published on 11 January are lower overall than those published on 6 November 1989 primarily because of reductions in the highway maintenance SSA (in the case of Brent) and in the highway maintenance and capital financing SSAs (in the case of Ealing).The increase in the estimated revenue support grant entitlements for Brent and Ealing for 1990–91 (before safety net adjustments) flowing from the reports laid on 11 January as compared with our 6 November proposals is £1·004 million and £5·763 million respectively. This is primarily attributable to changes in our figures for estimated population and for the Metropolitan police budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to make an assessment of the noise impact upon the Palace of Westminster arising from helicopter movements using the proposed City of London heliport; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 21 December 1989]: No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy in respect of grant aiding future research into refuse-derived fuel and refuse-derived humus; and what priority will be given to industry-led and funded research.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: A substantial programme funded by my Department of research into combustion of refuse derived fuel is drawing to a close. Industry has developed techniques for solid waste composting. The reclamation and recycling group set up by my Department and the Department of Trade and Industry is currently looking at barriers to the increased use of recycled compostibles.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the water privatisation share issue.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: Over 2·7 million applications for shares in the 10 water plcs were received. The public offers were nearly 5·7 times oversubscribed. After clawback of shares from institutional and overseas offers, almost 47 per cent. of the shares available were allocated to the public. Nearly 1·35 million registered customers applied for incentives and preference in their local company. We allocated to registered customers 57·5 per cent. of the shares available to the public.The response from the public represents the second-highest level of applications for any privatisation. This is a privatisation that will bring benefits for the environment, for customers and for the 10 water plcs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the record of the National Rivers Authority since it was established.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: The NRA fully assumed its responsibilities on 1 September 1989. Since then regional rivers advisory committees, regional fisheries advisory committees and regional flood defence committees have been established in the 10 NRA regions together with regional advisory boards chaired by the regional board members. Priorities for future action are currently being set by the authority and will be set out in its corporate plan. The authority has already embarked on a number of reviews of policy areas. In addition, the authority has successfully prosecuted a number of offenders under its pollution control powers against offenders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of times per year since 1979 that Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution officials have inspected each of the following waste disposal sites (a) Rechem Incinerator, Pontypool, (b) Leigh Interest, Stubbers Green, Walsall, (c) Leigh Interests, Lumshill quarry, Matlock and (d) Leigh Interests, Killamarsh, Sheffield.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and its predecessors have inspected the Rechem incinerator at Pontypool at least 12 times in 1981 and in 1982 and between 15 and 18 times in each subsequent year. No inspections have been made of Lumshill quarry, Matlock by the inspectorate. The sites at Killamarsh and Walsall were inspected as follows:

	Killamarsh	Walsall
1981	23	—
1982	20	—
1983	8	1
1984	14	—
1985	30	—
1986	9	1
1987	13	—

	Killamarsh	Walsall
1988	39	—
1989	26	1

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding the plan by Leigh Interests plc to build a toxic waste incinerator at Kirk Sandall.

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: Various representations have been received from hon. Members and the public about this proposal which is to be the subject of a public local inquiry in April.

:To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what are the products of combustion from thermally stable plastics used in the medical industry during combustion in hospital-type incinerators;(2) what studies have been carried out by his Department of the problems experienced by the combustion of plastic clinical waste in hospital incinerators within the United Kingdom;(3) whether there is a requirement placed upon the suppliers of thermally stable plastics to provide a thermal analysis of their products to enable the combustion characteristics of such plastics to be understood.

[holding answer 16 January 1990]: The products will include carbon dioxide and water and may include hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, sulphur dioxide, metal oxides and halides and a range of organic materials. Some of these chemicals may be removed from the exhaust gases by scrubbing equipment. Because the quantities of plastics used in the medical industry are increasing and the compositions are changing, my Department has placed a research contract with the Warren Spring Laboratory to study combustion of them. The chemical compositions of these plastics are well known and no purpose would be served by requiring suppliers to provide thermal analyses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will consider prohibiting mixing of metals in tin cans where consumer safety does not require it, in order to allow recycling.

I have been asked to reply.No. The mixed composition of some cans does not inhibit their recycling. Indeed, the aluminium contained in the ends of certain steel cans is beneficial to current reprocessing operations.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will list in rank order, by number of questions, the 20 right hon. and hon. Members who asked the most parliamentary questions during the 1988–89 Session.

The information is as follows:

	Number
1. Mr. Ron Davies	775
2 Dr. Dafydd Elis Thomas	717
3. Mr. Graham Allen	707
4 Mr Martin Redmond	699
5. Mr Harry Cohen	661
6. Mr. Tony Banks	613
7. Mr. Paul Flynn	519
8. Dr. David Clark	483
9. Mr. Jack Ashley	456
10 Mr Austin Mitchell	445
11. Mr. Archy Kirkwood	443
12 Mr. Frank Dobson	439
13. Mr. Nicholas Bennett	426
14 Mr. David Flinchliffe	398
15. Mr. Jim Sillars	368
16. Mr. Henry McLeish	347
17 Mr. Jimmy Wray	342
18 Mr. Jeremy Corbyn	337
19. Mr. Barry Jones	327
20. Mr. Tam Dalyell	326

To ask the the Lord President of the Council what extra seating facilities for the general public are being made available, following the admission of television cameras to Select Committee meetings; and if he will make a statement.

The arrangements for televising Select Committees are at an experimental stage and I understand that the two temporary camera stands can take up space for some eight seats previously available to the general public. Every effort is made to make maximum use of space for those persons wishing to attend sittings of Select Committees and I understand that, in some cases, Chairmen have agreed to make available for the public parts of the Committee Room previously available to hon. Members.The Select Committee on Televising of Proceedings of the House will consider the availability of seating in Committee Rooms during its review of the experimental period.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make it his policy to give a favourable response to any application by a local authority for his fiat to a relator action in pursuance of its statutory duty to enforce the Shops Act 1950.

The statutory duty of local authorities to enforce the Shops Act 1950 is not subject to the consent of the Attorney-General. Local authorities act independently in the exercise of the duty.

To ask the Attorney-General what (a) assistance or (b) guidance he is proposing to give local authorities on the taking of measures to secure compliance with the Shops Act 1950 in the light of the recent decision of the European Court of Justice on 23 November.

Section 71 of the Shops Act 1950 places a clear duty on local authorities to enforce the provisions of the Act. That duty has not been altered by the judgment of the European Court of Justice in case 145/88.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received from the chairman of the Keep Sunday Special Campaign on the enforcement of the Shops Act 1950 in the light of the European Court decision on 23 November; if he will publish his response in the Official Report; and if he will make a statement.

The chairman of the Keep Sunday Special Campaign asked to see me with a group of trade representatives from the retail trade. I found the meeting helpful. It was useful to hear at first hand the problems of the enforcement of the Shops Act 1950 as they are perceived by some members of the trade.It is now for the domestic courts to apply the judgment of the European Court of Justice in case 145/88. Parliament has conferred the responsibility for enforcing the legislation on local authorities and I am not persuaded that it is appropriate for me to take an initiative on either a local or a national basis at present.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will investigate the charitable status of Ko Hsuan school in north Devon; and if he will make a statement.

I have caused investigations to be made and can inform my hon. Friend that the Ko Hsuan school in north Devon is not a registered charity.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will list by category the United Kingdom's accident compensation payment laws; when they were last brought up to date in line with inflation; and if he intends a further update in line with the current rate of inflation.

With the exception of the statutory provisions relating to damages for bereavement under the Administration of Justice Act 1982, which apply in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, it is not clear to what provisions the hon. Member may be referring, and there is, therefore, no further specific information which I am able to give. As to the position in relation to bereavement damages, I refer him to the reply which I gave to a question from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton) on 12 January 1990 at column 774.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has received any complaints about flooding at the rear gardens of dwellings at Four Winds park, Castlereagh; what proposals he has to remove the cause of this flooding; what works were carried out at the location of this flooding during the month of December 1989; what assessment he has made of the dangers to young children living at Four Winds park due to this flooding; and if he will make a statement.

A complaint was received by the Department of Agriculture on 16 December 1989. Flooding was caused by an obstruction in a culverted section of the watercourse to the rear of the dwellings and the Department deployed pumps to alleviate the flooding and removed debris from the entrance to the culvert.Responsibility for the efficiency of the watercourse lies with riparian occupiers. The culvert, which in any case is inadequate to discharge storm flows, was installed without the consent of the Department and in 1986 residents were asked to have it upgraded in size: householders will again be advised of their responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what groups comprise the task force established in April 1989 by the Department of Economic Development to promote awareness of, and stimulate demand for, the new telecommunications services as a result of the launch of the STAR programme;(2) what steps have been taken by the task force established in April 1989 by the Department of Economic Development to promote awareness of and stimulate demand for the new telecommunications services as a result of the launch of the STAR programme.

The STAR task force comprises representatives of the Department of Economic Development, the Industrial Development Board, the Local Enterprise Development Unit, the Technology Board for Northern Ireland, Queen's university of Belfast and the university of Ulster. To date £328,360 of grant aid from the European regional development fund has been committed to 10 projects in Northern Ireland aimed at promoting awareness and use of the new telecommunications infrastructure. These cover promotional seminars, feasibility studies and demonstration projects. Additional projects are being developed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services has to establish an institute for those suffering from cystic fibrosis similar to the one in Peto in Hungary.

I understand that conductive education as practised in the Peto institute in Budapest is not appropriate for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.However, the Government have agreed to contribute to the funding of a new international institute to be established in Hungary. Detailed discussions with the Hungarian Government on this project are continuing and it would not be appropriate to take decisions on proposals for similar provision in Northern Ireland until those discussions are concluded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will announce the membership of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland.

Mr. Speaker is the chairman of the Boundary Commission. The other members are as follows:

Members	Appointed by
Deputy Chairman
The Hon. Mr. Justice Higgins	The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
Members
Mr. P. G. Duffy	The Secretary of State
Mr. D. J. Clement	The Secretary of State

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the sums payable in compensation to officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers wounded on service in Northern Ireland.

They depend in each case on the seriousness of the injuries received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sums are payable in compensation to the families of officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers killed on service in Northern Ireland.

They depend in each case on the amount of pecuniary loss suffered and expenses actually and necessarily incurred by the families as a result of the victim's death.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number of ACE placements in each district council area in Northern Ireland.

[holding answer 16 January 1990]: Following is the information:

Action for Community Employment (ACE) Placements in each District Council area in Northern Ireland as at 5 January 1990 The numbers of filled places in each District Council area are—
District Council	Number
Belfast	3,452
North Down	185
Lisburn	479
Ards	210
Down	211
Castlereagh	153
Carrickfergus	207
Larne	121
Ballymena	209
Antrim	202
Moyle	132
Coleraine	224
Magherafelt	247
Ballymoney	171
Newtownabbey	353
Cookstown	171
Dungannon	391
Armagh	281
Banbridge	127
Craigavon	371
Newry and Mourne	648
Derry	1,050
Limavady	185
Strabane	307
Fermanagh	316

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number of youth training placements in each district council area in Northern Ireland.

[holding answer 16 January 1990]: The information is not available in the form requested. However, the table shows that 10,184 full-time training places, broken down by job market area, were occupied at 29 December 1989. In addition, 2,415 young people were receiving employment with training under YTP work scheme across the province at the same time.

Youth training programme full-time training
Job market	Occupied places at 29 December 1989
Bangor	404
Lisburn	462
Newtownards	157
Belfast	3,328
Antrim	165
Carrickfergus	148
Larne	137
Magherafelt	172
Ballymena	544
Ballymoney	135
Coleraine	277

£ thousand
Financial year		Roads service headquarters	Ballymena	Belfast	Coleraine	Craigavon	Downpatrick	Omagh
1985–86	Major works	612	906	3,154	757	1,434	985	1,568
	Minor works	—	1,108	1,045	1,237	1,351	1,367	1,164
1986–87	Major works	418	1,014	3,268	1,505	1,804	1,092	879
	Minor works	—	1,090	1,706	1,689	1,358	1,537	1,061
1987–88	Major works	690	1,071	3,169	1,821	1,784	890	793
	Minor works	—	1,341	1,480	1,271	1,174	1,401	1,382
1988–89	Major works	1,755	3,063	1,999	986	1,844	1,827	694
	Minor works	—	1,078	1,399	1,147	1,057	1,307	1,306
1989–901	Major works	119	1,830	7,839	1,425	1,569	2,215	3,107
	Minor works	—	1,305	1,593	1,416	1,399	1,358	1,524
1 To 11 January 1990.
Note:
The roads service headquarters expenditure was mainly in respect of specific major works handled centrally rather than divisionally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last discussed the Birmingham pub bombings case with the assistant chief constable of West Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend has not discussed this case with the assistant chief constable of West Yorkshire, Mr. Shaw. However, Home Office officials have maintained close contact with the Police Complaints Authority, which is supervising Mr. Shaw's