To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is considering any research in developing a diagnostic test for bovine spongiform encephalopathy in live cattle.

On the advice of the Tyrrell committee, MAFF funds studies at the central veterinary laboratories, Weybridge, on the clinical features in cases of BSE with particular emphasis on methods of early diagnosis. Further studies at this laboratory and at the neuropath-ogenesis unit in Edinburgh on the genetics, molecular biology and chemical pathology of BSE are also funded by MAFF because of their potential for development of diagnostic tests.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will indicate by number the method of disposal of bovine spongiform encephalopathy infected cattle slaughtered during the current year.

The information for 1990 is not yet available.The information for 1989 is as follows:

Method of disposal	Number
Incineration	5,346
Burial	2,342
Retained for research	10

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the date of birth of the youngest confirmed cases of BSE to date.

The youngest confirmed case of BSE was 22 months old and was born on 18 November 1987.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will list the location of those abattoirs used for the slaughter of equines which are export-approved, and their owners or operators; and when such export approval was given.

There are five abattoirs licensed for the slaughter of equines which are export-approved. I shall write separately to the hon. Member.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on the extent of the bycatch of non-target fish in drift-nets on United Kingdom boats.

Precise information on the level of non-target fish bycatches in our drift-net fisheries is not readily available. However, through the appropriate choice of mesh size and net placement our fishermen are known to ensure selective fishing achieving a relatively clean catch of the target species.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if there are any plans to establish an observer programme to investigate the incidental capture of non-target species, particularly birds and marine mammals in United Kingdom drift-nets.

We have no plans for a scheme that would involve observers being placed on fishing boats. The drift-net fisheries around the UK are relatively small scale and in the main targeted on herring and salmon. The accidental catch of birds or marine mammals is not judged to be a frequent or significant occurrence. There is no evidence that these fisheries are threatening the survival of any species.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the location of the work of the Intervention Board.

Ministers have approved in principle the Intervention Board's proposal that a third of the agency's functions, consisting of its external trade work and administrative support, should be relocated in Newcastle, in order to relieve its staff shortages in Reading. About 350 posts will be transferred. In deciding upon Newcastle, where the agency already has facilities, Ministers and the agency were satisfied that there are good recruitment and career prospects, and that satisfactory office accommodation, housing, communications and other facilities are available. Subject to the necessary resources being available, the transfer of work will begin as soon as accommodation can be obtained and be made ready and essential data links installed. After a suitable period at this new site, the agency's experience there will be reviewed and a further report made to Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what percentage of the prison service remand sector he expects to be in the hands of the private sector by 1992;(2) how many remand prison establishments he anticipates being privatised by 1992.

We are not yet in a position to make a further announcement of decisions concerning private sector involvement in the remand system, but hope to be able to do so soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the percentage of black prison officers currently serving in British prisons.

Of the 32 per cent. of prison officer grades who responded to the voluntary survey of ethnic origin, 0·43 per cent. identified themselves as black. A primary objective of the current recruitment campaign for prison officers is to increase the number of new entrants from the ethnic minorities: the initial results are encouraging.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was (a) the average number of prisoners held in United Kingdom prisons during the years(i) 1974, (i) 1979, (iii) 1984 and (iv) 1989 and (b) the average number of full-time prison staff employed during this period.

The readily available information is given in the table.

Average population for prison service establishments in England and Wales and average number of staff1 in prison service employment in selected years.
Number of persons
	1974	1979	1984	1989
Average population	36,867	42,220	243349	248610
Average number of staff3	19,225	22,414	26,739	31,863
1 Comprising outstation and headquarters staff.
2 Including police cells.
3 Including part-time staff each of whom is counted as a half: disaggregation would involve disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of prisoners (a) serving sentences in United Kingdom prisons during the last five years for which figures are available and (b) held on remand pending trial or pending sentence.

Information for England and Wales was published in tables 3 and 4 of Home Office statistical bulletin "The Prison Population in 1989" (issue 12/90), a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average number of monthly overtime hours worked by prison staff during the last five years for which figures are available.

"Fresh start" ended overtime working for prison officers; in 1986–87, the last full year they worked overtime, the average number of monthly overtime hours worked was 69. Figures are not held centrally for previous years. There are no central records of overtime for prison staff in other grades.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his programme to (a) refurbish existing prisons and (b) build new prisons.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Dorset, South (Mr. Bruce) on 30 April 1990 at column 395.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were accepted for settlement in the United Kingdom in 1989.

The provisional figure for the number of persons accepted for settlement in the United Kingdom in 1989 is 48,600. More details are published in table 3 of Home Office statistical bulletin issue 8/90 "Control of Immigration: Statistics—Fourth Quarter and Year 1989", a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the time taken to process renewal applications for television licences and to cash cheques; and if he will make a statement.

We do not maintain separate records of representations about the time taken to process renewal applications or to cash cheques, and the information requested could not be provided without disproportionate cost. We believe the number of any such representations to be small.There were some delays in processing new and renewal applications for the concessionary television licence by the National Television Licence Records Office following the change in the regulations in 1988. In some cases cheques became time expired before eligibility could be established and the licence issued. Now that the backlog has largely been cleared and new internal procedures introduced, it is far less likely that such problems will recur.

To ask the Attorney-General what performance indicators are used by the Crown prosecution service; and if he will make a statement about the performance of the Crown prosecution service to date.

The 31 areas of the Crown prosecution service have compiled performance statistics on a monthly basis since October 1986. Separate records are maintained for magistrates court and Crown court cases. The records include the number of defendants in respect of whom cases have been:

(a) received by the CPS;

(b) finalised;

(c) dropped or rejected;

(d) discharged at committal or sent to Crown Court; and

(e) dismissed or convicted.

In addition, information is produced on the number of cases in which defendants have been bound over without trial, the number of adjournments and the extent to which CPS resources have been committed.From this information the following performance ratios, which enable CPS managers to monitor the quality of the service's performance both nationally and locally, are produced:

To ask the Attorney-General if he will state (a) the proportion of alleged crimes referred to the Crown prosecution service involving racial harassment in each year since its creation,(b) how many were proceeded with and (c) how many resulted in convictions.

The Crown prosecution service does not maintain statistics regarding cases involving racial harassment and accordingly the information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Attorney-General how much information is passed to victims of racial harassment by the Crown prosecution service in cases where it does not decide to proceed.

Home Office circular 20/1988 stressed the importance of sympathetic treatment of victims and keeping them informed of the progress and outcome of investigations. This guidance is applicable to all categories of crime including those involving racial harassment. It has recently been reinforced by the promulgation of a victim's charter.Under the working arrangements between the police service and the Crown prosecution service, it is the police who are the point of contact with the victims. The Crown prosecution service supports the principles of the victim's charter and recognises the importance to the victim of understanding what reasons have operated where a case is discontinued or a plea of guilty to a lesser offence than that charged is accepted. It is the policy of the Crown prosecution service that its staff should, so far as practicable, consult the police on taking such decisions. This should ensure proper understanding themselves and that they are in a position to explain the outcome of proceedings to the victims.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost of the carpeting, furnishing and general refurbishment of the former Crawfordsburn hospital when it was being used as a temporary office for the North Down and Ards unit of management of the Eastern health and social services board.

A total of £18,650.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the principal factors which account for the annual average cost per inmate in Northern Ireland prisons being the highest in the United Kingdom.

The custody of large numbers of paramilitary-type prisoners requires additional measures of security and control.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the revised annual reporting system for Department of Health and Social Services staff in Northern Ireland came into operation; since when the system for such staff has been monitored; and on what dates any changes were made in the monitoring system.

[holding answer 27 April 1990]: The new staff reporting and appraisal system was introduced to the Northern Ireland civil service in stages from 1 April 1987, and for Department of Health and Social Services staff from June 1988. The system has been monitored from the outset.The Department of Finance and Personnel is reviewing the system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will raise at the next meeting of the Anglo-Irish Conference the decision of the Government of the Republic of Ireland to award Irish citizenship to Mr. Martin Galvin, fund raiser for Noraid, and the consequent raising of the ban on his admission under EEC rules.

[holding answer 30 April 1990]: I understand that Mr. Galvin was registered as a citizen of the Republic of Ireland in 1986 in accordance with that country's law. This fact was one factor, among others, in the reconsideration of the previous (1984) decision to exclude him from the United Kingdom under the Immigration Act 1981. Should circumstances change, it remains open to my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary to reimpose a ban as necessary. We have no plans to raise the matter in the intergovernmental conference.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what research has been carried out to establish the incidence of health complaints among farm workers working with pesticides; and if he will make a statement.

The Health and Safety Executive publishes annual reports which detail incidents investigated by HSE inspectors which involve misuse of pesticides and allegations of ill-health arising from them. These reports are held in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the employment service's scrutiny into the reasons for drop-outs in employment training will be published.

I have received the report of the efficiency scrutiny of take-up of Department of Employment group programmes, which addresses among other things the reasons for drop-out from employment training. I am currently considering my response to the report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment has been made of environmental protection training needs; and if he will make a statement.

The Department of Employment Training Agency is currently funding a study to examine the labour market and skills implications of increased environmental awareness. The study will focus on air and water pollution and solid waste management. A report will be available in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish details for each of the Training Agency area offices of the percentage of staff who are registered disabled.

The information is not available for Training Agency area offices. The percentage of staff in each of the 10 Training Agency regions who were registered disabled at 31 January 1990 is as follows:

	Percentage
London	2·0
South East	3·2
South West	2·0
Wales	2·3
West Midlands	3·1
East Midlands and Eastern	2·6
Yorkshire and Humberside	2·2
North West	3·2

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether, when an unemployed claimant who is a quarterly attender has his benefit suspended for not actively seeking work, he automatically loses his quarterly attender status.

The employment service became an executive agency on 2 April 1990. The employment service's chief executive, Mr. Mike Fogden, will be replying in writing to the hon. Lady.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which 10 skill centres are to be sold to Astra Training Services Ltd.; and what price has been agreed.

My right hon. and learned Friend announced on 13 February 1990 at column 141 that terms of sale had been agreed with Astra Training Services Ltd. for the businesses at 46 skill centres, plus the skill centre training agency's head office, mobile training service, sales teams and colleges, and that the sale of these training businesses would involve a payment of some £11 million from the Government to Astra.The 10 skill centre sites referred to in my earlier reply on 27 March 1990 at column

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Bradford, South of 23 April, Official Report, column 99, at what stage of negotiations following the receipt of bids for skill centres it was decided that £11 million should be given to Astra Training Services; and what steps were taken to ascertain whether other bidders would revise their positions in the light of the sum being offered.

The payment of £11 million from the Government to Astra Training Services Ltd. represented Astra's assessment of the costs of turning around a business which is currently unprofitable and creating training businesses with good prospects of viability. Deloittes, in conjunction with my Department's other advisers, evaluated all the offers and made recommendations to my Department. The Government decided that the Astra offer, including the £11 million payment, met the Government's six objectives for the sale (a copy of which was placed in the Vote Office on 13 February 1990) more fully than competing offers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the three civil servants concerned have assumed full-time duties with Astra Training Services Ltd.; and what are the redundancy terms which apply to them.

The three civil servants concerned in the management buy-out of the skills training agency assume full-time duties with Astra Training Services Ltd. on 1 May 1990. Redundancy terms were not appropriate as they transferred their employment under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the main headings of expenditure on action for jobs in addition to expenditure on television advertising and printed material in 1987–88.

The main headings of expenditure on action for jobs in 1987–88, in addition to television advertising and printed material, were press, radio and outdoor advertising, regional campaigns, exhibition material and research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many exemptions from any provisions relating to mines safety have been granted to British Coal by the mines inspectorate in each year since 1979.

The total number of exemptions and consents granted by the Health and Safety Executive mines inspectorate from 1987–88 are as follows:

	Number
1987–88	2,024
1988–89	1,911
11989–90	990
1 Provisional.

It is not possible to give separate figures for exemptions and consents nor information prior to 1987–88 without incurring disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total sum to be expended by his Department on the finance of training in the current year; and by what percentage this has changed in real terms over the past five years.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 April 1990, c. 817]: I regret that the figures for expenditure given in the table accompanying my original reply were incorrect, being shown in millions, instead of billions. The correct figures are set out in the table:

Year	£	Percentage
1985–86	1,648,500,000
1986–87	1,830,700,000	+11·1
1987–88	1,945,400,000	+6·3
1988–89	2,328,800,000	+19·7
1989–90	2,840,400,000	+22·0
1990–91	2,693,00,000	−5·2

The percentage changes remain unaltered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy which agencies have been chosen to carry out the electricity privatisation advertising campaign.

The Department and the regional electricity companies are currently in the process of selecting an advertising agency to carry out a campaign to inform the public of the flotation of the distribution companies. An announcement of the successful candidate will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his current estimate of the cost of the electricity privatisation advertising campaign.

It is too early to make a reliable estimate of the cost of the advertising campaigns to inform the public of the flotations of the electricity supply industry in England and Wales. The full costs of the privatisation, including advertising costs, will be made available to Parliament in the normal way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is offering to store spent research reactor Fuel for overseas customers.

The Government are aware of the difficulties currently faced by many operators of research reactors around the world in managing their spent fuel. These reactors are used for a variety of technical and medical research.The Government will not allow spent fuel from overseas customers to be disposed of in the United Kingdom. However, they are content for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKA EA) to reprocess such fuel, provided that any reprocessing contract includes options for the return of waste. It would be the Government's intention that such options would be exercised and wastes returned. If, for whatever reason, the fuel were not reprocessed, it would have to be removed from the United Kingdom within a strictly defined time limit. Reprocessing and storage must be in accordance with the requirements of the relevant regulatory authorities.

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will list the objects and property accepted in satisfaction of inheritance tax and capital transfer tax during the financial year ended 31 March; if he will specify (a) the amount of tax satisfied in each case,(b) whether any offers of objects carried conditions as to destination,(c) the dates in each case of the recommendations received by him from the Museums and Galleries Commission for the acceptance of objects, (d) the total for the financial year of the tax thus satisfied and (e) the means by which that total has been covered in the public accounts; and whether a press notice will be issued by the Office of Arts and Libraries comprising the information given in his reply.

[ holding answer 30 April 1990]: The information that the hon. Member requests is as follows:

Item	Tax satisfied £	Date MGC recommendations received
1Collection of Coins	418,429·20	6 January 1989
1Painting by Rubens	169,852·48	26 January 1988
1Portrait of Sir Alexander Carew	103,976·42	8 April 1989
1'"Quai a Pontoise" by Pissarro	73,040·00	20 June 1989
Islamic tiles	42,000·00	8 August 1989
"Farm Cart with Horse in Harness" by Constable	50,025·00	25 April 1989
1Collection of modern paintings	82,742·00	6 October 1989
Harpsichord	25,276·95	16 October 1989
1Woodcut by Munch	57,539·00	25 May 1989
1Painting by Beechey	151,489·00	23 November 1989
"Richmond pres Londres" by Corot	361,500·00	19 January 1990
1Painting by Van der Heyden	2,800,000·00	15 January 1990
1Painting by de Heere	527,898·00	3 October 1989
1Two portraits by Gainsborough, one by Rubens and a landscape by Seghers	6,650,000·00	15 January 1990

Those offers marked

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will give the target reductions for energy consumption in the building occupied by the offices for which he is responsible.

[ holding answer 30 April 1990]: The Office of Arts and Libraries' aim is to reduce energy consumption by 15 per cent. over the next five years.

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will give the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by the offices for which he is responsible, for the latest year available.

[holding answer 30 April 1990]: The latest breakdown of energy costs of the Office of Arts and Libraries' accommodation is for 1989–90, and as follows:

	£
Electricity	5,877·30
Gas	871·59
Liquid fuel	777·90

Details of energy consumption are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to meet Mr. Nelson Mandela to discuss reform in South Africa.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs hopes to meet Mr. Mandela shortly to discuss how the process of peaceful change in South Africa can best be taken forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to discuss arrangements for 1992 with other EEC Foreign Ministries.

Her Majesty's embassies in EC member states regularly and frequently discuss single market issues with their host Foreign Ministries. The Foreign Affairs Council next meets on 7–8 May, and the International Market Council on 14–15 May. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and I regularly discuss the single market in bilateral meetings with other EC Foreign Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of South Africa; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 4 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about Her Majesty's Government's policy on the future status of Lithuania.

The people of Lithuania have made clear their wish to determine their own future. We are urging, and will continue to urge, the Soviet authorities and Lithuanians to begin purposeful negotiations aimed at a settlement acceptable to both sides which will satisfy the aspirations of the Lithuanian people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with other EEC member states concerning action to be taken in support of self-determination for Lithuania.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs attended a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the EC member states in Dublin on 21 April. They issued a joint statement which was conveyed to the Soviet Government and to the Ukranians, and was published. The text is as follows:

The Community and its member states express their serious concern at the economic measures recently introduced by Moscow in relation to Lithuania. They believe that measures of a coercive nature can make no contribution to the search for a solution through dialogue. They underline the obligation to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid actions that can only lead to a further deterioration of the situation. They are firmly of the view that an outcome acceptable to all must be sought and that this is possible only by means of discussion. They call on all concerned not to carry through measures which are in consistent with this objective. In view of their serious concern at these developments, the Community and its member states intend to keep the situation and its policy implications under continuous review. A Working Group meeting for this purpose will be held in the near future.

The Secretary of State and his colleagues reviewed the situation during the informal EC summit on 28 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise at the next United Nations Security Council the possible breach of the arms embargo to South Africa in the light of the alleged export of listed biological weapons, including Ebola, Marburg and Rift Valley Fever by the United States of America to South Africa.

No. We are not aware of any such allegations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average time taken by the district valuers of the Board of Inland Revenue to agree asset valuation for business expansion scheme purposes, following the receipt of a full valuation report from the company concerned.

District valuers are normally expected to report agreed values within 13 weeks of receiving instructions from the inspector of taxes, unless there are particular difficulties.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the reasons for the delay of the district valuation inspector of the small business in agreeing the valuation and definition of the case of the Swan Valley Railway (Holdings) plc for business expansion scheme purposes following agreement from Her Majesty's inspector of taxes (Kidderminster) in January 1989 that all assets except bridges would be regarded as plant and machinery.

I assume that my hon. Friend intends to refer to the Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) plc. The valuation of this case is taking longer than usual because the nature of the property makes the process particularly complex.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the information he has on tax and mortgage reliefs which operate in each European country to the benefit of house buyers.

The available information is as follows. All amounts have been converted to sterling using the latest available purchasing power parities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amounts have been collected to date in respect of value added tax arising from commercial consumption of gas, coal, and electricity, respectively; and what estimate he has made of the likely future annual equivalent income from each source.

Value added tax has not yet been imposed. The standard rating of non-domestic fuel and energy supplies from I July of this year is expected to yield £170 million in a full year mainly from the public sector. Most businesses will be able to deduct the VAT on fuel supplied to them as input tax. Separate estimates are not available for gas, coal or electricity.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Association for the Monetary Union of Europe receives any European Economic Community funding for its work; and whether conferences organised by this body are in any way supported by British funding.

The Association for the Monetary Union of Europe does not figure on the Commission's register of organisations receiving Community funding in 1989; and Her Majesty's Government do not support it in any way.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have for the future of the Chessington computer centre.

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in consultation with the Minister of State, Privy Council Office, has decided that the Chessington computer centre will become a "next steps" agency. The centre provides a wide range of payroll, financial accounting and personnel record services to central Government and non-departmental public bodies. Executive agency status will allow the centre to develop its business on sound commercial lines, and help the centre to deliver its services more efficiently and effectively.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions Customs and Excise has had with the Belgian police about the activities of the late Dr. Bull.

[holding answer 30 April 1990]: In the light of the criminal charges laid against an individual on Wednesday 25 April and in the light of the continuing investigations by Customs and Excise, it would be inappropriate to give any further information on these matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what was the Government's shareholding via British Steel in Sheffield Forgemasters when the order for the Iraqi gun was first placed with Forgemasters;

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what shareholdings nationalised industries have held in the companies presently under investigation by the Customs and Excise Department for exporting pipework and ancillary equipment to Iraq with potential military uses; and if he will set out (a) when such shareholdings were taken up and (b) when they were divested, in each case.

In the light of the criminal charges laid against an individual on Wednesday 25 April and in the light of the continuing investigations by Customs and Excise, it would be inappropriate to give any further information on these matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the dates when the hon. Member for Bromsgrove (Sir H. Miller) contacted his Department regarding export orders for Iraq; what was the subject of the hon. Member's representation on behalf of Walter Somers; and if he will also state the response of his Department.

[holding answer 23 April 1990]: In the light of the criminal charges laid against an individual on Wednesday 25 April and in the light of the continuing investigations by Customs and Excise, it would be inappropriate to give any further information on these matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the implications for free trade and enterprise between states in western and eastern Europe that will result from the recent agreement at the conference on security and co-operation in Europe.

The Government are very pleased that the 35 participating states at the recent Bonn CSCE intersessional conference on economic co-operation in Europe were able to reach consensus on an ambitious concluding document. In this document, all the participating states made commitments to expand economic co-operation and to enhance the growth of their economies.The document also contains important commitments by the countries of central and eastern Europe to fully embrace domestic and international policies to promote the creation of free and competitive market economies where prices are based on supply and demand and where the performance of their economies relies primarily on the freedom of individual enterprise. These mark a further and significant step forward in the economic reform process which should lead to the creation of conditions likely to foster increased economic and industrial co-operation between the east and the west.The Government are also pleased that the active participation in the conference of representatives of the business community produced many helpful comments and suggestions to encourage greater economic and industrial co-operation. My Department is holding a meeting on 11 May for United Kingdom business participants in the conference and for others who were unable to attend. Among other things we hope to see an exchange of views on the ways in which my Department may be able to help British business take forward any contracts or opportunities identified at the conference, including the use of the various bilateral and multilateral assistance schemes for the countries of central and eastern Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to encourage a joint review with industry of the environmental protection training needs of the work force; and if he will make a statement.

There are no immediate plans for such a review. However, environmental education and training are among the wide range of matters being considered in the context of the forthcoming White Paper on the environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will list the members and their organisations who belong to the Yorkshire and Humberside partnership scheme;(2) what has been achieved to date by the Yorkshire and Humberside partnership scheme.

The organisations represented are: CBI Yorkshire and Humberside, the Association of Yorkshire and Humberside Chambers of Commerce, TUC Yorkshire and Humberside, the Yorkshire and Humberside Development Association, and the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Association. It is up to these organisations to decide which individual should represent them on any particular occasion. I would refer the hon. Member to the organisations involved for information on the achievements of the partnership.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used to determine what constitutes a weapon, in respect of weapons export restrictions.

[holding answer 23 April 1990]: The definition of a weapon for this purpose is that contained in the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1989 as amended.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what criteria the export of pipes and tubes were covered by the export control orders in 1988.

The Export of Goods (Control) Order 1987 (S.I. 1987, No. 2070) listed goods subject to control in 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors dictated the location of the proposed over-the-horizon radar transmitter on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.

The principal factors dictating the location of the proposed over-the-horizon radar transmitter were the need for it to be situated on broadly the same latitude as the receiver but separated by a substantial distance; and the need to ensure that, together with the safety exclusion zone that surrounds it, it could be comfortably accommodated within the boundary of an existing MOD site without affecting other activities at that site. After a survey of 166 possible sites throughout the United Kingdom, St. David's airfield was selected as the only suitable location for the transmitter, in conjunction with the only suitable location for the receiver at Blakehill radio station, Wiltshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who will supply the transmission equipment for the proposed over-the-horizon radar transmitter on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.

The equipment for the trial of an over-the-horizon radar in the United Kingdom will be supplied by the United States Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there will be any radioactive emissions from the proposed over-the-horizon radar transmitter on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has concerning the interference to the operation of the United States Air Force base at Robins air base, Georgia, by the installation of an early-warning radar station in the vicinity; and what steps he will take to ensure that his proposed installation of an over-the-horizon radar transmitter on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire will not similarly affect the operation of RAF Brawdy and the United States naval facility at Brawdy.

The operation of the United States Air Force base at Robins air base, Georgia, is a matter for the United States Government. I understand, however, that the function and characteristics of radars situated in the vicinity of Robins air base are completely different from those of the planned over-the-horizon radar transmitter to be sited at St. David's airfield. The Ministry of Defence is satisfied that the installation of this radar will have no adverse effect on operations at RAF Brawdy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Cannock and Burntwood (Mr. Howarth) of 5 April, Official Report, column 838, when he expects to announce the results of his assessment of the milestone 2 report received from Vickers Defence Systems on the Challenger 2 tank.

I hope to make an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements exist to permit relatives of (a) Regular Army personnel and (b) Territorial Army personnel serving in the Falkland Islands on tours of (i) six months or less and (ii) more than six months to be flown on military flights when spare seats are available; and what charge is made.

Spouses and dependants of Regular Army personnel serving married accompanied tours of 12 months' duration in the Falkland Islands are entitled to fly on indulgence terms to the United Kingdom and return, where seats are available on RAF flights.In addition, spouses and dependants of Falkland islanders serving elsewhere are similarly entitled. The cost of an indulgence passage is £68 adult return, children under 12 travel at half fare, infants under two travel free.In the unlikely event of a Territorial Army soldier serving a temporary engagement in a 12-month accompanied tour in the Falkland Islands, his family would be entitled to the same indulgence concessions as a Regular Army counterpart.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the introduction of the community charge in England.

The vast majority of charging authorities in England have now sent out their bills net of both community charge benefit and transitional relief. I congratulate local authority chief finance officers on the work that they have done in meeting their billing deadlines. I deplore the decisions of those local authorities that have set excessive charges.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has recently held discussions with Chancellor Kohl and other NATO state leaders concerning the subject of membership of NATO for a unified German state.

When I met Chancellor Kohl on 30 March, we agreed it was very important that a united Germany should be a b of NATO. This matter will be further discussed at NATO meetings this summer.

To ask the Prime Minister what topics were discussed during her visit to Turkey on 25 April by her or her officials with Turkish Government Ministers or their officials.

I had wide-ranging discussions with President Ozal and Prime Minister Akbulut. The topics covered included east-west issues, the middle east, Cyprus, human rights and bilateral matters.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will provide the final figures for 1989–90 and the estimates for 1990–91 for the total cost to public funds of all her offices, duties, accommodation and expenses.

The final figure for the cost of all my offices in 1989–90 is not yet available. The estimated total cost for 1989–90 is £7,291,493. The estimated total cost for 1990–91 is £7,442,364¹

To ask the Prime Minister if she will provide the final figures for 1989–90 and the estimate for 1990–91 for (a) the cost of maintaining and running 10 Downing street and additional costs at Chequers, (b) the grant in aid to the Chequers Trust and (c) the costs on a consistent basis and expressed at constant 1984–85 prices.

Final figures for 1989–90 are not available. The latest estimates of the figures requested are:

(a) Costs of maintaining and running 10 Downing street and additional costs at Chequers123
	£
1989–90	7,256,373
1990–915	7,407,244

(b) Grant in aid to the Chequers Trust
	£
1989–90	238,000
1990–91	238,000

(c) Costs at (a) and (b) in 1984–85 price terms 4
	£
1989–90 (a)	5,541,552
(b)	181,756
1990–915 (a)	5,311,497
(b)	170,662
1 The figures include costs at both 10 Downing street and Chequers; the information is not available by location.
2Salaries and wages, notional pension liability, administration costs, the costs of office services and the grant in aid to the Chequers Trust are included. The Prime Minister's salary is excluded.
3 These totals are calculated on a consistent basis with the total for 1986–87 in sub-paragraph (a) of the reply to the hon. Member on 23 October 1987 at column 846. If office services costs are excluded (to produce a figure consistent with those at sub-paragraph (c) of that reply) the estimated totals are:

	£	£
1989–90	6,752,798	5,156,9826
1990–91	6,810,675	4,883,7176
4 Constant costs have been calculated using the Treasury's GDP deflator for 1988–89 rebased to 1984–85.
5 Estimate.
6 At 1984–85 prices.

To ask the Prime Minister how much was (a) spent on official hospitality in No. 10 Downing street during 1989–90 and (b) met by her office.

Final figures for 1989–90 are not yet available. The latest estimate of expenditure by my office on official hospitality at 10 Downing street and Chequers is £27,344.

To ask the Prime Minister what was the total cost of her recent trip to Bermuda to meet President Bush; how many staff accompanied her; what were their functions; and who was the flight carrier.

The figures for the total cost of my meeting with President Bush in Bermuda are not yet available. I was accompanied by two officials and 17 support staff (mostly security and communications personnel). The flight was by an RAF VC10.

To ask the Prime Minister how many journalists accompanied her on her recent trip to Bermuda using official transport; and what was the charge per capita.

Twenty journalists travelled with me. Information on the charge per capita is not yet available.

To ask the Prime Minister what was the total figure for travel costs for her and her staff in 1988–89 and 1989–90.

The total cost of my travel and that of my staff in 1988–89 was £925,150. Final figures for 1989–90 are not yet available. The estimated cost is £896,103.

To ask the Prime Minister what was the staff complement of No. 10 Downing street in 1989–90; and how many staff were registered disabled.

The total staff complement of 10 Downing street in 1989–90 was 68. None was registered disabled.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 1 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 1 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 1 May.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 1 May.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Prime Minister if, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Newham, South on 24 April, Official Report, column 132, she will seek the consent of the President of the European Council to place any papers relating to or for discussion at the 28 April meeting of Heads of State and Government in the Library.

[holding answer 30 April 1990]: The Commission papers on German unification and on Community relations with central and eastern European countries, which were considered by the special Dublin meeting of Heads of State and Government, have been placed in the Library, together with the Presidency's conclusions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what encouragement and support is being offered by the Government to research being undertaken in the United Kingdom into the causes, effects and treatment of asthma.

The Medical Research Council, the Government's main agency for the promotion of medical and related biological research in this country, is always willing to consider soundly based proposals for research funding in competition with other applications. In 1988–89, the last financial year for which figures are available, the council spent £756,000 on research projects which are in whole or in part relevant to asthma. In addition to this, university departments and medical schools, with support from University Funding Council block grants and health authorities, may be undertaking relevant research but information on this is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list for each of the city technology colleges (a) the amount of private capital promised and (b) the amount of private capital so far received.

The information that the hon. Member requests is listed in the table:

CTC	Amount of private sponsorship promised	Amount of private sponsorship received
	£ million	£ million
Kingshurst	1·982	1·450
Nottingham	1·882	1·104
Teesside	1·485	1·450
Tyneside	1·600	0·238
Bradford	2·675	1·526
Dartford	1·300	0·104
Harris (Croydon)	1·500	0·300
Britschool	4·-100	0·594
Bacons	2·500	0·000
Haberdashers' Askes'	14·100	0·000
Derby	1·150	0· 234
Telford	2·000	0·000
Corby	1·600	0·000
1 Includes estimated value of site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the first year's experience of the new arrangements regarding charges for school visits or expeditions.

My right hon. Friend has commissioned a sample survey to take place during the current term, which will look at the pattern of relevant school activities since April 1989 and investigate the reasons for any changes. The results of this survey and other monitoring will be available later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to meet vice-chancellors to discuss the future of science departments in smaller universities.

My right hon. Friend has no such plans. This is a matter for individual universities and the Universities Funding Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from Lancashire on local management of schools and its application in the county.

My right hon. Friend has received no further representations from Lancashire LEA since the authority's scheme for local management of schools came into force on 1 April 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from local education authorities for additional resources to deal with new school building and repair to existing schools.

My right hon. Friend has received a number of letters and other requests from local education authorities for additional resources to the annual capital guidelines he announced on 20 December 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to review the progress of the Education Reform Act in improving the standards of education delivered.

The objective of the Education Reform Act, particularly chapter 1, is to raise standards in schools so that pupils are better fitted to meet the demands of adult life and work. Her Majesty's inspectorate and local education authority inspectors and advisers have already begun to monitor the quality of teaching and learning within the new statutory framework. In due course, as the national curriculum assessment arrangements become established, it will also be possible to monitor trends in the results achieved by pupils at each stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received regarding expenditure on education in Avon; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received in the last month or so a small number of representations about expenditure on education in Avon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representation his Department had at the Financial Times conference on industry and the environment held in London on 23 and 24 April.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Government's intention in respect of the Horne report recommendations.

The Government intend to bring forward a Bill at a suitable opportunity to implement those recommendations of the Horne report which require primary legislation, as outlined in the consultation document issued by the Department of Transport in May 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in furthering training for the Merchant Navy under the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act; to what extent financial assistance has been made available for such training; and to what extent available finance has not been taken up.

Since the launch in November 1988, 773 new recruits have joined the Government assistance for training scheme. Up to £2·5 million was made available during the first year and £3·5 million has been earmarked for the scheme in a full year. The actual spend during the first year was £900,000 and the spend last year was £1·6 million. Expenditure levels are expected to rise as more trainees come into the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in the Official Report the grants made by his Department under section 13 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 showing the value of the grant as a percentage of the whole project cost.

[ holding answer 30 April 1990]: Section 13 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 enables Ministers to make grants towards improvements to "basic services" in assisted areas which will facilitate developments that will create new jobs for local people.In my Department, this is mainly used to make grants towards the cost of access and distributor roads for new industrial estates, but other developments may also be considered for grant assistance. Grant is usually paid at a rate of 30 per cent. of eligible expenditure. If a project is partly funded by a grant from the European regional development fund, Industrial Development Act grant is payable only on the balance of the cost.