To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to take further powers to prevent undue pressure on tenants of a local authority in relation to their right to determine whether to transfer to alternative landlords; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. Although some local authorities have sought to dissuade public sector tenants from pursuing their statutory rights under tenants' choice unbiased information and advice is already available to tenants from the Housing Corporation. Next week I will be launching a series of four explanatory videos which the corporation will be ready to show to interested tenants' groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what proportion of expenditure by Shrewsbury and Atcham and Shropshire county council will be raised by the uniform business rate; and what were the Government's original estimates if councils had kept to spending guidelines;(2) what proportion of expenditure by Shrewsbury and Atcham and Shrophire county council will be raised by the community charge for the area; and what were the Government's original estimates if councils had kept to spending guidelines.

Business rates formed 36 per cent. and community charges 41 per cent. of the income required to finance Shrewsbury and Atcham district council's demand and its share (23 per cent.) of Shropshire county council's aggregate precepts. Had the authorities spent at the level of their standard spending assessments, the proportions would have been 38 per cent. and 37 per cent. respectively. Charge yield is gross of community charge benefits and transitional relief grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discretion is given to local authorities to vary the level of community charge in those areas where the cost of some local services is borne directly by local residents.

[holding answer 23 April 1990]: Authorities have no discretion to vary the level of community charge in those areas where the cost of some local services is borne directly by local residents, but they can vary the level of charge so that their special expenses are borne only by those charge payers of the area to which the expenses relate. An authority may treat the following as its special expenses:

—the expenses of meeting a levy or special levy issued to it;

—the expenses incurred by it in performing in a part of its area a function performed elsewhere in its area by a body with power to issue a levy or special levy to it, provided that it has also resolved to treat the expenses of meeting that levy or special levy as its "special expenses";

—expenditure which it incurs in performing in a part of its area a function performed elsewhere in its area by the sub-Treasurer of the Inner Temple, the under-treasurer of the Middle Temple, a parish or community council or the chairman of a parish meeting;

—expenditure relating to a property held in trust for part of its area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish details of (a) the amount of staff time and (b) the total cost of recent exercises by his Department attempting to exemplify systems of local government finance favoured by the opposition parties.

[holding answer 8 May 1990]: When hon. Members table questions asking for exemplifications of different systems of local government finance, these are provided when the costs of doing so are not disproportionate bearing in mind the normal guidelines for preparing answers to parliamentary questions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of local authority revenue expenditure in 1990–91 will be met by (i) central Government grant, (ii) national non-domestic rate, and (iii) poll tax expressed both in £ million and percentage terms.

[holding answer 8 May 1990]: The figures for England are:

	£ million	per cent.
Government grants	12,700	35
National non-domestic rate	10,400	29
Community charges	12,700	35

The above table understates central Government support, as it excludes community charge rebates, and other grants outside aggregate Exchequer finance. If these amounts are included within Government grants the figures are:

	£ million	per cent.
Government grants	19,700	48
National non-domestic rate	10,700	26
Community charges	10,400	26

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether a seaman is exempt from the community charge if his period of service on board a ship is continuous for eight months or amounts to a total of eight months in a year.

In the first instance, this is a matter for the community charges registration officer for the area in which the seaman lives. It is open to any charge payer to appeal to his local valuation and community charge tribunal against a decision by his registration officer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those English local authorities which have offered single household payment arrangements to householders for payment of the community charge; and if he will make a statement.

My Department does not hold this information, but I understand that many local authorities are offering this arrangement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he or officials of his Department have been invited to participate in the seminar "Dealing with Waste: the Emerging Regulatory Framework" organised by the Centre for International Environmental Law, to be held in London on 5 June.

Officials have received an invitation, but I regret that, owing to other commitments, it is not possible for the Department to supply a speaker on this occasion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount, in 1990 prices, was spent to promote the right to buy in England and Wales in each full year of operation.

Expenditure incurred by the Department on specific publicity to draw the attention of tenants in England and Wales to their right to buy their homes is set out in the table, at 1989–90 prices:

	£ thousands
1980–81	1,109
1981–82	369
1982–83	121
1983–84	—
1984–85	1,710
1985–86	373
1986–87	805
1987–88	29
1988–89	80
1989–90	—

In addition, costs have been incurred on the on-going projects of printing the booklet "Your right to buy your home", and in distributing the video "Buying your council home"; in 1989–90, these are estimated at about £66,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to introduce regulations relating to the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989; and if he will make a statement.

The Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 makes provision for the registration of carriers of controlled waste and extends the powers available to regulation authorities to deal with vehicles used in the illegal disposal of waste. The registration of carriers is closely related to the new duty of care in the Environmental Protection Bill and the 1989 amendment Act as a whole will greatly assist the deterrence, detection and prosecution of fly-tippers. It is our intention to implement all of the measures in the 1989 Act at the earliest possible date. The regulations necessary to bring the Act into force are therefore being prepared and will be issued for consultation as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Housing Act 1988.

The Housing Act 1988 laid the foundations for a revitalised independent rented sector and enabled an expansion of housing association activity using private finance. It gave public sector tenants new opportunities to choose their landlord or become home owners, and required local authorities to make annual reports to their tenants on their housing management performance. The main effects have been as follows:

(a) there are clear indications of a revival of activity in the private rented market: some £480 million has so far been invested in rented property under the business expansion scheme, which should produce an additional 8,000 homes for letting;

(b) new grant arrangements for housing associations were introduced in April 1989. Massive increases in public funding, together with the growing use of private loan finance, should come close to doubling the annual output of new housing association homes by 1992–93;

(c) the introduction of tenants' choice has already had an important effect on local housing authorities' attitudes to, and readiness to communicate with, their tenants, and the Housing Corporation is helping many tenants' groups up and down the country to explore the new opportunities now available to them;

(d) tenants of public sector housing designed or adapted for disabled people have been able to exercise the right to buy and tenants have made good use of a new sanction against reluctant or inefficient landlords who delay sales;

(e) local authorities have used their new power to pay cash incentives to help existing tenants to buy homes of their own and so release vacancies for reletting to homeless families: 44 authorities had schemes approved in 1989–90, and in the current year 80 schemes have been approved with the potential to release 2,555 homes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many tenants' choice transfers of housing stock have been agreed under the Housing Act 1989; and where they are located;(2) how many tenants' choice transfers of housing stock have been attempted unsuccessfully under the Housing Act 1985; and where they are located;(3) how many tenants' choice transfers of housing stock have been attempted unsuccessfully under the Housing Act 1988; and where they are located;(4) how many tenants' choice transfers under the Housing Act 1988 are pending.

The term "tenants' choice", is used to refer only to transfers of housing stock under part IV of the Housing Act 1988, as amended by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. One formal application has been made to acquire property under those provisions, on the Walterton and Elgin estate, Westminster. That application is still in progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many transfers of housing stock have been made made under the Housing Act 1985; and where they are located.

Sections 32 and 43 of the Housing Act 1985 give powers to local authorities to dispose of housing and housing land and relate to a wide range of disposals. Where a disposal takes place under a general consent, the authority is under no obligation to inform the Department that the disposal has taken place.Among the disposals to which consent has been given under these powers are voluntary transfers by five authorities of most or all of their housing. The authorities are: Broadland district council; Chiltern district council; Newbury district council; Sevenoaks district council; and Swale borough council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many transfers under the Housing Act 1985 are pending.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is currently considering six applications from local authorities to transfer tenanted housing to new landlords.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the National Rivers Authority has told his Department which 20 rivers in England and Wales it is giving priority to investigating, in order to formulate solutions to low flows during the summer months; and if he will make a statement.

The Department would not expect to be involved in the detail of the National Rivers Authority's work on this or other of its statutory responsibilities until the authority was in a position to put forward specific proposals. I am sure, however, that the authority would be happy to provide my right hon. Friend with the information he requires.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is planning to discontinue the system of revision of bench mark levels in the British Isles.

Bench marks established by Ordnance Survey in Great Britain are maintained at predetermined levels which are dependent on the type of terrain and degree of land development. Levelling policy is kept under periodic review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 383, if he will give the expenditure on energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department for the latest year available.

The latest estimate of expenditure on energy for buildings occupied by my Department for 1989–90 is:

	£
Electricity	1,593,562
Gas	831,377
Liquid Fuel	362,696
Solid Fuel	4,003

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has reached a decision about the scheme proposed by the North West water company to discharge sewage via a long sea outfall into the Lune deep.

The Secretary of State has given careful consideration to the applications submitted by the then North West water authority, to the representations received and to the benefits of the proposed scheme. He has also had regard to his policy announcement on 5 March that all substantial discharges of sewage should be treated. In the light of these considerations, he has decided not to give his consent to the proposed scheme which does not incorporate treatment and where there is no guarantee that a suitable site for a treatment works will become available. Letters have gone today to the North West Water plc and to the National Rivers Authority informing them of this decision. All those who made representations about this scheme will be informed in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has reached a decision about the scheme proposed by the South West water company to discharge sewage via a long sea outfall into the sea at Gwithian.

The Secretary of State has given careful consideration to the applications submitted by the then South West water authority, to the representations received and to the benefits of the proposed scheme. He has also had regard to his policy announcement on 5 March that all substantial discharges of sewage should be treated. In the light of these considerations he has decided that he can give his consent to the proposed scheme on the conditions that it be modified to incorporate primary treatment and that there must be scope for the addition of secondary treatment later should this prove necessary. Letters have gone today to South West Water plc and to the National Rivers Authority informing them of this decision. All those who made representations about this scheme will be informed in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to ensure that the unclean areas within the Members' Tea Room are properly and urgently cleaned; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 3 May 1990]: Discussions are taking place about possible changes in the arrangements for cleaning the Members' Tea Room.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to extend the conditions for the payment of war pensions which apply to the widows of officers to the widows of other ranks.

The basic condition for entitlement to a war widows pension, namely, that the husband's death was due to or substantially hastened by service in the armed forces, applies to the widows of officers and the widows of other ranks alike.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the answer of 30 April. Official Report, column 419, if he will give the expenditure on energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department, for the latest year available.

The latest available figures are for the financial year 1988–89. The division of the administration of Department of Health and Social Security was not completed at that time and the figures therefore reflect the cost of consumption of both Departments.

	£ million
Gas	2·78
Electricity	6·51
Solid fuel	0·27
Liquid fuel	0·41

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he has assessed the effect of erythropoletic porphyria on the mobility of children;(2) if he will widen the criteria for mobility allowance so as to include those unable to walk in daylight because of the disorder congenital erythropoletic porphyria.

[holding answers 3 May 1990]: We are aware of the recent representations made on behalf of a child suffering from this disorder. Apart from the recent extension we have made to deaf-blind people, the current criteria for award of mobility allowance do not provide for people who are able to walk but are restricted in the extent to which they can use this ability. We have no current plans to extend these criteria to meet the effects of particular disorders. I have written to the right hon. Member about the particular case which I believe underlies his concern.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what value for money savings have been achieved by his Department in the last year; and how much of this was as a result of advice from the Central Unit on Purchasing.

In the year 1989–90 the Welsh Office expenditure on purchasing totalled £155 million against which it achieved value for money savings of £14·4 million. It is not possible to attribute particular value for money savings to advice from the Central Unit on Purchasing. The role of the unit is to provide advice and guidance on best purchasing practice; it provides overall support and guidance and encourages value for money across all Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the Gwynedd health authority last provided his Department with strategic plans concerning Health Service provision in the Caernarfon area; and at what date he expects updated plans to be made available to him.

Gwynedd health authority submitted its last service-wide strategic plan to the Welsh Office in 1986. It is currently proposed to ask health authorities to submit their next long-term plans by December 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the chairman of Gwynedd health authority has informed him as to whether revenue resources provided by the Welsh Office to that authority, are adequate for the maintenance of current standards of health care by that authority in Gwynedd; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply which I gave to him on Wednesday 9 May which indicated that neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor his predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr. Walker), had received any recent representations from the chairman of the Gwynedd health authority concering the adequacy of that authority's current level of revenue provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether any changes have been instituted following the report of Welsh Office consultants on the financial position of Gwynedd health authority in September 1987, concerning the budgetary control procedures of that authority; and if he will make a statement.

Gwynedd health authority's budgetary control procedures, along with those of all other health authorities in Wales, were examined by the statutory auditor during the course of his 1987–88 audit round. The auditor found that the criticisms of such procedures as had been made previously by Deloitte Haskins and Sells in its 1987 report on the authority's financial position were being addressed and, in keeping remedial action under review, he did not find cause to report on progress during his 1988–89 audit round. Indeed, I would expect all of the weaknesses in the authority's control procedures that were identified in 1987 to have been remedied by now, particularly since my right hon. Friend's predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr. Walker) wrote to all DHA chairmen in 1989 stressing the need for strict budgetary control and received an assurance from each chairman that this need was well appreciated. However, the apparent further deterioration in Gwynedd health authority's financial position during 1989–90 suggests that action taken to date by the authority to restore budgetary control has not been sufficient. My right hon. Friend and I therefore await the findings of the further study by Coopers and Lybrand, Deloitte which has recently been commissioned by the authority together with any further reports which the statutory auditor may choose to issue during the course of his current audit round.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the names of those appointed by him to the Gwynedd health authority currently serving on that authority; and, for each member, what was the date of appointment and the date on which the appointment terminates or comes up for re-appointment.

The information requested is as follows:

	Date current appointment made	Date current appointment expires
Mrs. N. L. Edwards CBE (Chairman)	1 August 1986	31 July 1990
Dr. J. B. T. Griffiths	22 August 1986	31 July 1990
Mr. G. Hulse	19 August 1988	31 July 1992
Mr. G. W. Jones	1 August 1986	31 July 1990
Dr. J. H. Jones	1 August 1988	31 July 1992
Mr. R. H. P. Oliver	1 August 1988	31 July 1992
Lt. Col. Prescott Walker	1 August 1986	31 July 1990
Lady Jane Stanley	1 August 1986	31 July 1990
Mr. T. Thomas	19 August 1988	31 July 1992
Mrs. M. P. Wiliam	1 August 1986	31 July 1990
Mr. J. L. Williams	1 August 1988	31 July 1992

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has given the Gwynedd health authority permission to plan a reduction in services to the public during 1990–91 involving increasing hospital waiting lists; and if he will make a statement.

The permission of my right hon. Friend is not required for planned changes in health services solely on the basis that they might affect hospital waiting lists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each of the past 10 years the expenditure funded by his Department for current account spending of Gwynedd health authority in terms of (a) current money figures and (b) constant money figures.

The information requested is shown in the table:

	Revenue charge against cash limit
	At outturn prices (£000)	At constant 1988–89 prices (£000)1
1979–80	23,169	43,602
1980–81	30,153	47,949
1981–82	34,023	49,277
1982–83	37,212	50,267
1983–84	39,146	50,522
1984–85	44,250	54,407
1985–86	47,794	55,775
1986–87	49,903	56,323
1987–88	55,841	59,818
1988–89	62,637	62,637
1 Outturn prices adjusted by reference to the gross domestic product index of general inflation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether Welsh Office approval was sought or needed by Gwynedd healh authority for the reduction in services in the Arfon area caused by the reduction of four nursing posts in the Arfon unit community service; and if he will make a statement.

No approval was needed or sought.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, by items, the proposed annual revenue savings of the action plan proposed by Welsh Office consultants in September 1987 for cost reduction by Gwynedd health authority; and for the last recent available date what is the extent to which each of these items has been achieved or will be achieved in the financial year 1990–91.

I shall write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps under the default powers of section 85 of the National Health Service Act 1977 to remove every nominated member of Gwynedd health authority from their office in favour of new appointees.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied that the Gwynedd health authority acted within its statutory powers and responsibilities during the financial year 1989–90.

I have no reason to believe that the Gwynedd health authority did not act within its statutory powers and responsibilities, but in common with all other health authorities in Wales the authority will be subjected to an annual review of its performance in 1989–90 conducted by the executive committee of the health policy board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he still accepts the report of Deloitte Haskins and Sells, on the financial position of the Gwynedd health authority, as the guiding document for the financial restructuring of the Gwynedd health authority; and if he will make a statement.

The action plan aimed at bringing the Gwynedd health authority back into financial balance which was drawn up by the general manager of the authority early in 1988 with the help of the management consultants, Deloitte Haskins and Sells remains the agreed strategy for the financial restructuring of the authority. However, in the light of the apparent further deterioration in its financial position, the authority, with some Welsh Office financial assistance, has re-engaged the consultants to help review the situation, to identify whatever further action is necessary to restore financial balance, and to produce a pathfinder business plan for the contractual provision of services from 1 April 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table for each of the district health authorities in Wales showing how much (a) capital work was funded from revenue and (b) revenue work was funded from capital receipts, for each of the past five years.

The information requested is set out in the following table and relates to the virement exercised by district health authorities between their discretionary capital and revenue allocations:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each of the past five years the level of capital expenditure of each of the nine district health authorities in Wales.

£000's
		1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89
	Clwyd	4,474	7,354	5,966	6,061	6,610
	East Dyfed	2,204	1,818	2,561	1,980	2,658
	Gwent	4,101	4,029	6,970	6,910	7,198
	Gwynedd	2,811	936	1,248	3,457	2,066
	Mid Glamorgan	3,013	7,955	5,198	5,738	6,268
	Pembrokeshire	1,260	1,734	2,386	2,668	2,705
	Powys	949	1,257	1,186	971	1,037
	South Glamorgan	6,245	3,614	6,441	4,619	5,160
	West Glamorgan	5,258	8,348	10,835	11,225	12,654
	Total DHAs Wales	30,315	37,045	42,791	43,629	46,356

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what are the estimated annual savings of closing the Cottage hospital, Caernarfon; and if he will make a statement;(2) how many minor casualty cases were treated by the Cottage hospital, Caernarfon during 1989; and what proportion of such cases

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply of 9 May 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 427, if he will give the expenditure on energy consumption broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department, for the latest year available.

The information requested is shown in the following table:

Expenditure on energy consumption in buildings occupied by my Department in 1988–89 was as follows:

	£
Electricity	367,407
Gas	88,509
Liquid fuel	24,198
Solid fuel	2,431

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to ensure that the recent incidents at Isle of Wight prisons will be fully investigated and the necessary steps taken to ensure the maintenance of secure conditions at Parkhurst, Albany and Camp Hill.

All serious incidents are investigated, and steps are taken, as appropriate, to guard against a recurrence and to ensure that security at the establishment is maintained.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current number of probation officers in the probation service; and what is the average number of cases an officer deals with in a year.

The number of probation officers in post in 1988 was 6,604 (whole-time equivalents) and the average number of persons under supervision by a maingrade officer on general duties (that is, excluding community service orders) was 29 (tables 10.1 and 11.1 of "Probation Statistics, England and Wales, 1988"). In 1989, the number of probation officers was 6,750.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics are centrally maintained on the incidence of attacks by dogs on people; and what information he has on the level of attacks and the types of breeds involved in the past decade.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the cost of the immigration and nationality division in the years 1987 to 1989;(2) what revenue was generated by the immigration and nationality division in the years 1987 to 1989.

The information requested is set out in the table.

Immigration and Nationality Department expenditure and receipts
£ million
	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90
Pay running costs	42·9	49·9	57·8
Non-pay running costs	13·4	14·3	16·6
Non-running costs	4·5	4·4	5·3
Total gross expenditure	60·8	68·7	79–8
Receipts	16·8	7·9	4–2
Immigration1 (Carriers' liability) Act receipts	1·8	2·2	2·1
1 These receipts are not appropriated-in-aid to the IND budget and Home Office vote, but are paid direct into the Consolidated Fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the financial contribution made to the immigration and nationality division by Commonwealth citizens in the years 1987 to 1989.

This information is not readily available, and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 400, if he will give the expenditure on energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department, for the latest year available.

The information is as follows:

Expenditure on energy consumption in 21 Home Office buildings in 1989–90
Site	Gas £	Electricity £	Oil £	Solid £
Abell house	18,182	115,827	0	0
Branston	1,172	62,983	0	186,098
Cleland house	17,605	108,322	0	0
Clive house	10,881	44,357	0	0
Corby	4,043	16,071	4,122	0
Cowley	3,266	8,561	0	0
Dunkeswell	0	7,896	434	0
Easingwold	0	19,435	9,489	0
Fire Service college	124,259	123,895	73,567	0
Harmondsworth	3,407	38,020	19,472	0
Horseferry house	0	53,696	10,376	0
Horsham	2,128	9,889	0	0
Inverness	0	6,474	0	0
Langhurst	0	12,135	1,200	0
Leeds	18,739	13,812	0	0
Lunar house	0	134,396	31,706	0
Olympia	0	10,580	5,390	0
Queen Anne's gate	31,342	309,392	37,895	0
Sandridge	0	32,165	9,655	0
Steventon	0	27,480	28,184	0
Woking	20,123	14,184	0	0
1Expenditure on liquid petroleum gas.

To ask the Secretary of state for the Home Department if it is the practice for police forces to make a report to him of marches and demonstrations which have occurred in their area; and if he will make a statement.

A report from a police force to the Department about a public procession or assembly which had been held in the force area would normally be made only if one was requested by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by local authorities in fulfilling their civil defence obligations during the third year of the planned programme for implementation of the Civil Defence (General Local Authority Functions) Regulations 1983.

Copies of a report on implementation of the 1983 regulations by 30 September 1989 have today been placed in the Library. The report discusses local authorities' progress in meeting their civil defence obligations since the last such report, which covered the period up to 1 October 1988.The planned programme for implementation was introduced in 1986 to monitor local authority progress under the 1983 regulations. It provides a broad framework within which the work can be developed and enables the Government to assess whether the civil defence duties of local authorities are being adequately discharged and thus whether grant can properly be paid.It is clear that the planned programme for implementation has been an effective means of developing the planning process. A circular is therefore being issued to local authorities today announcing the Government's decision to extend the planned programme for implementation into a sixth year covering the period from October 1991 to September 1992.The Government will continue to monitor local authority activity and the value for money in the grant paid by calling for annual progress reports and costed programmes of work which will be the subject of individual discussion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the inquiry into the serious disturbances at Her Majesty's prison, Manchester and other establishments.

I understand that Lord Justice Woolf envisages the inquiry falling into two parts. The first part of the inquiry will examine the facts of the disturbances and evidence will be taken in public. The second part of the inquiry will involve consideration of the wider issues which may, in Lord Justice Woolf's view, underlie the recent serious prison disturbances. Lord Justice Woolf considers that it would be helpful if he was assisted in this second part of the inquiry by Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons, Judge Tumin, with his wide experience and independent view of prison matters. On the advice of Lord Justice Woolf and after consultation with Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons, I have therefore decided that once the first part of Lord Justice Woolfs inquiry has been completed Judge Tumin should join with him in the second part of the inquiry.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what reports he has received of airline passengers arriving at Heathrow being detained airside by officials of the carrying company and compelled to board departing aircraft without access to immigration officials; and if he will make a statement;(2) what involvement immigration officials had in the refusal of entry to Tamils who arrived at Heathrow on 9 April as passengers of Egyptair and British Airways; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 8 May 1990]: I understand that a group of seven Sri Lankans arrived at Heathrow on 5 April on an Egyptair flight, and a further group of three on 9 April by British Airways. None of the passengers was presented at the immigration control and none was refused entry. Later inquiries established that the airlines concerned had returned the groups to Cairo and Rome respectively. It is being made clear to representatives of the two airlines that any passenger who wishes to seek entry to the United Kingdom must be presented at the immigration control on arrival.

To ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 406, if he will give the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by the Privy Council Office for the latest year available, in kilowatt hours and therms.

The figures given in my answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 406, represent 195,414 kWh and 9,100 therms of electricity and gas respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has concerning the behaviour of spent fuel and storage facility components during long-term storage programmes co-ordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency; what information and assistance has been afforded to the BEFAST II secretariat; and what benefits to the medium and long-term financial planning of Nuclear Electric and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority spent fuel management programmes will accrue from the BEFAST II programme.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's BEFAST II programme has studied three major aspects of spent fuel storage: long-term behaviour of spent fuel in wet and dry storage; surveillance mechanisms; and the handling and transport of spent fuel after storage. The programme will not be completed until 1991.Nuclear Electric and British Nuclear Fuels have participated in the programme and have played a key part in the working groups set up to study the problems and prepare reports. The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is not directly involved. However, participation in the BEFAST II programme provides access to worldwide experience of the storage of spent oxide fuel and to related R and D activity. The knowledge acquired through this participation, supplementing the United Kingdom's own domestic expertise, should allow the longer-term spent fuel storage requirements of the United Kingdom's continuing nuclear power programme, including the Sizewell B PWR station, to be met in the most cost-effective manner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if his Department intends to license any explorations for (a) oil or (b) coal, in the county of Essex;(2) when his Department last licensed trials in Essex for

There are no current petroleum licences in respect of areas in the county of Essex or any area near the River Lea in the vicinity of Enfield lock and no petroleum licences have been awarded in the past 25 years in respect of these areas. The Petroleum (Production) (Landward Areas) Regulations 1984 set out the arrangements for making applications for petroleum licences.The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 vested the ownership of almost all coal deposits in Great Britain in the British Coal Corporation. At present the corporation also has exclusive right to search and bore for coal in Great Britain and is the licensing authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will take steps to require sellers of electrical or gas appliances to label each item to indicate the approximate fuel consumption or running cost.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) at column 275 on 26 April 1990.Almost all gas appliances sold in the United Kingdom are already marked with their rating (ie. the maximum rate of gas consumption) under voluntary agreements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 414, if he will give the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department for the latest year available in kilowatt hours, therms and litres.

In 1989–90 my Department is estimated to have consumed 3,292,605 kWh of electricity and 59,647 therms of gas. My Department has no fuel oil or electricity consumption figures for its former headquarters building as the cost of these fuels was included in the overall accommodation charge levied by the Property Services Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give, for each type of thermal insulation measure, and each other type of energy efficiency measure, where the payback period is 10 years or less (a) the number of homes occupied by claimants of means-tested benefits which would gain from the measure, (b) the cost per home and (c) the total cost of installing the measure in all homes occupied by claimants of means-tested benefits.

The infonnation requested is not available. However, surveys indicate that the proportion of households in social classes D and E where the following thermal insulation measures were appropriate which have them installed in whole or in part are:

	Per cent.
Loft insulation	83
Hot water tank jacket	90
Draughtproofing	33
Cavity wall insulation	14

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, under the Companies Act 1989, he will refuse to grant supervisory status to any accountancy body which in the past formulated rules on professional independence but failed to offer any way of monitoring compliance with such rules.

It is a requirement of the Act that before a supervisory body may be recognised it must appear to the Secretary of State to have adequate arrangements and resources for the effective monitoring and enforcement of compliance with its rules. The question of whether a body had such arrangements in the past is not directly relevant to that requirement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether he will provide a list of all the cases which he has referred to the joint disciplinary scheme since 1979;(2) whether he will provide a list showing the conclusions of the disciplinary hearings held by the joint disciplinary scheme as a result of his referral of the cases to the joint disciplinary scheme.

It is for individual accountancy bodies to decide whether to refer cases made to them to the joint disciplinary scheme. Completed inquiries under the scheme are reported in the annual reports of the Joint disciplinary scheme, copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies or firms which have ceased to be members of FIMBRA are known to have engaged in unauthorised investment business subsequently.

I am aware of only one instance recently. The Securities and Investments Board has prime responsibility for action in relation to firms believed to be engaged in unauthorised investment business.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will amend the Financial Services Act to give FIM BRA access to the client base of those companies whose licences it withdraws.

No; FIMBRA's rules are a matter for that body, subject to meeting the provisions of schedule 2 of the Financial Services Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the amount of electrical goods imported in each of the years 1979–89 from (a) Japan, (b) Taiwan, (c) Korea and (d) Singapore.

The figures are as follows:

United Kingdom imports of electrical goods 1979–89
	Japan £ million	Taiwan £ million	South Korea £ million	Singapore £ million
1979	88	17	5	16
1980	115	17	6	25
1981	180	21	5	30
1982	200	18	4	38
1983	310	32	7	44
1984	470	42	22	45
1985	506	46	41	46
1986	594	51	60	59
1987	694	68	99	77
1988	784	83	138	98
1989	886	108	131	142

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tonnes of steel per man were produced in the United Kingdom in (a) 1981 and (b) 1989.

Crude steel production per man rose from 159 tonnes in 1981 to 344 tonnes in 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on continued Export Credits Guarantee Department cover for exports to India and Indonesia.

ECGD is currently reviewing its policy towards those markets on which, in portfolio terms, its exposure is heavily concentrated. India and Indonesia are two such markets. The importance of these markets to United Kingdom exporters is recognised and this will be taken fully into account in the review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will establish an inquiry into the accounting policies of Atlantic Computers Company and their implications for public accountability of public limited companies.

No. Any such implications are primarily for the accountancy profession to address and I therefore welcome the recent decision of the research board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales to support a research study into accounting for the residual value of leased assets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received about the dumping in the United Kingdom from eastern Europe of combed wheat reed for thatching; and if he will make a statement on the state of the United Kingdom thatching industry at present.

I have received no representations about the dumping of combed wheat reed. The thatching industry is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. I understand, however, that business is generally good, particularly because of work needed after the storms that occurred earlier this year, although there are obviously regional variations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those parts of the United Kingdom that will be visited by Ministers responsible for the general agreement on tariffs and trade negotiations prior to the textile committee meeting in June.

Ministers in this Department responsible for the general agreement on tariffs and trade negotiations plan to visit the following parts of the United Kingdom before 12 June, the start of the next GATT textiles negotiating group meeting:

Cheltenham; Derby; Edinburgh; Kettering; Manchester; Slough; Wales; Yorkshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any new proposals to encourage British industry to be environmentally friendly.

I shall continue to encourage British industry to respond positively to the challenges and opportunities presented by environmental issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Bulgaria.

I have no immediate plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Romania.

I have no immediate plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what value for money savings have been achieved by (a) the diplomatic wing and (b) the Overseas Development Administration in the last year; and how much of this was as a result of advice from the Central Unit on Purchasing.

A table of value for money savings made in 1989–90 by the diplomatic wing of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been presented to Parliament in the committee proceedings of the Foreign Affairs Committee. These savings include some made under the purchasing initiative.Savings on the purchase of goods and services in 1989–90 were:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about his Department's decision not to participate in the Government supply index.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office considered joining the Government supply index in 1989. It was decided, at that time, that membership would not be cost effective.This Department will look again at this question as the range of products and services covered by the index expands.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide updated figures on assistance to countries of central and eastern Europe from the group of 24, in similar form to the tables in his Department's supplementary memorandum submitted to the Foreign Affairs Committee, printed in HC 58-i.

The G24 countries are now considering how to extend co-ordinated assistance to the countries of central and eastern Europe in addition to Poland and Hungary. As far as G24 assistance to those two countries is concerned, the European Commission has continued to compile a "scoreboard" of contributions by participating states. This was most recently published on 24 April, and a copy is being placed in the Library of the House. This provides the most comprehensive review available of G24 aid to Poland and Hungary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much emergency relief and humanitarian assistance has been provided to eastern Europe so far in the current year; how much more is promised; and from which budget the funds are drawn.

In 1990, we have allocated £500,000 for a donation to the World Health Organisation's programme of aid to the Romanian health service. Details were given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development on 26 April, at column 283. We have also allocated a total of £223,000 for various humanitarian projects for Romania, including donations of disposable syringes, treatment in the United Kingdom for victims of the fighting and a family planning project. These allocations were from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office class II, vote 2. No further aid of this nature is planned at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much food aid has been provided to eastern Europe in 1989 and 1990; what further food aid has been promised; and from which budget the food aid is taken.

In 1989 the European Community provided £97 million of food aid to eastern Europe. Since January 1990 it has provided a further £53 million. Funding has come from the "other policies" provisions within the Community's budget and from the FEOGA guarantee fund.No further food aid has been requested or therefore promised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 405, if he will give the expenditure on energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department.

In the financial year 1988–89, expenditure on fuel and utilities in Foreign and Commonwealth Office buildings was:

	£
(1) Electricity	925,600
(2) Gas	104,500
(3) Fuel oil	146,200

Overseas Development Administration expenditure was contained in our answer of 30 April, at column

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the current stocks of animal tusks, skins, antlers and other products held by the Hong Kong authorities arising from confiscation; and what plans are being considered for disposal of the items.

[holding answer 23 April 1990]: The following stocks of confiscated CITES specimens were held by the Hong Kong authorities as at 15 April 1990:

	Specimen	Quantities
Mammals
Bear	paw	22 pc
	skin	1 pc
Felidae (Cat family)	skin	759 pc
	skin scrap	7·3 kg
	stuffed	11 hd
Red Deer	antler	24 pc
	stuffed head	1 hd
Antelope	horn	9 pc
Chinchilla	skin	45 pc
Elephant ivory	worked ivory	133·85 kg
	raw ivory	506·5 kg
Skunk	skin	3 pc
Rhino	horn	130·7 kg + 6 pc
	hide	25 pc
Genet	skin	5 pc
Guanaco	skin	1 pc
Seal	skin	20 pc
Musk Deer	musk grain	5 kg
	musk pod	6·17 kg + 17 pc
Otter	skin	18 pc
Pangolin	stuffed specimen	5 hd
	scale	10 kg
	skin	312 pc
Cetacean	skull	1 pc
Avea
Hornbill	oasque	47 pc
Bird of Paradise	stuffed specimen	4 hd
Bird of Prey	stuffed specimen	23 hd
Reptiles
Crocodile/Alligator	stuffed specimen	43 hd
	skin	1,717 pc
	stuffed head	1 pc
Lizard	stuffed specimen	19 hd
	skin	17 kg + 678 pc
Python	stuffed specimen	2 hd
	skin	301 pc
Sea Turtle	stuffed specimen	258 hd
	scale	27·45 kg + 399 pc
	shell	7 pc
Turtle	skeleton	1 set
Invertebrates
Black Coral	skeleton	5 pc
Butterfly	mounted specimen	34 pc
Plant
American Wild Ginseng	root	17·3 kg

The specimens may be offered to scientific arid educational institutions, museums and management authorities. The Hong Kong Government have no intention of offering the items for sale for the foreseeable future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the 70-plus trade associations in the pharmaceutical industry referred to in a departmental letter of 6 April to the hon. Member for Erewash.

The reference is to the number of organisations that have asked to be included on the Medicines Control Agency's circulation list to receive details of any proposed changes in regulations to be made under the Medicines Act 1968. The list is as follows:

• Acupuncture Association
• Advertising Association
• Advertising Standards Authority Limited
• Agricultural Research Council
• Animal Health District Association
• Anthroposophical Medical Association
• Associated Health Foods Limited
• Association for the Advancement of British Pharmacy
• Association of Anaesthetists Great Britain and Ireland
• Association of Contact Lens Manufactuers Limited
• Association of County Councils
• Association of Independent Hospitals
• Association of Manufacturers of Medicinal Preparations
• Association of Metropolitan Authorities
• Association of Optical Practitioners
• Association of Public Analysts
• Association of Public Analysts of Scotland
• Association of Veterinarians in Industry
• Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
• BMA Belfast
• BMA Edinburgh
• Bio-Chemical Society
• British Acupuncture Association and Register
• British Aerosol Manufacturers' Association
• British Agrochemicals Association
• British Association for Chemical Specialities
• British Association of Dermatologists
• British Association of Feed Supplement Manufacturers Limited
• British Association of Pharmaceutical Physicians
• British Chemical and Dyestuffs Traders Association
• British Chiropractic Association
• British College of Optometrists
• British Committee on Natural Therapeutics
• British Contact Lens Association
• British Dental Association (Scottish Branch)
• British Dental Trade Association
• British Distributors of Animal Medicines Association
• British Herbal Medicine Association
• British Herbalists Union Limited
• British Homoeopathic Manufacturers Association
• British Institute of Regulatory Affairs
• British Insulin Manufacturers
• British Medical Association
• British Naturopathic and Osteopathic Association
• British Paediatric Association
• British Pharmacological Society
• British Poultry Federation Limited
• British Standards Institution
• British Universities Committee Ophthalmic Optics
• British Veterinary Association
• British and European Osteopathic Association "CHEMIST and DRUGGIST"
• Chiropodists Board, and Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine
• Clinical Genetics Society
• Cocoa Chocolate and Confectioners Alliance
• College of Osteopaths
• College of Osteopathy
• Company Chemist Association Limited
• Conference of Medical and Surgical Adhesive Plaster Manufacturers
• Consumer Council
• Contact Lens Study Group
• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
• Coroners Society
• Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association Limited
• English National Board for Nursing Midwifery and Health Visiting
• European Federation of the Contact Lens Industry Limited
• Faculty of Homoeopathy Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital
• Farmers Union of Wales
• Federation of Dressings, Plaster and Feminine Hygiene Industries
• General Council and Register of Consultant Herbalists Limited
• General Council and Register of Osteopaths
• General Dental Council
• Guild of British Dispensing Opticians
• Guild of Hospital Pharmacists
• Guild of Natural Medicine Practioners
• Health and Safety Executive
• Herb Society
• Homoeopathic Joint Committee
• Homoeopathic Research and Education Trust Homoepathic Association
• Huntingdon Research Centre
• Incorporated Society of British Advertisers Limited
• Independent Broadcasting Authority
• Independent Television Companies Association Limited
• Institute of Biology
• Institute of Chiropodists
• Institute of Packaging
• Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
• Institute of Trichologists
• Joint Consultant's Committee—BMA House
• Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine
• Meat and Livestock Commission
• Medical Biology Centre
• Medical Contact Lens Association
• Medical Defence Union
• Medical Research Council "MIMS"
• Multiple Food and Drink Retailers Association
• NAFPD
• National Association of Local Councils
• National Association of Pharmaceutical Distributors
• National Biological Standards Board
• National Chamber of Trade
• National Egg Producer Retailers' Association
• National Farmers Union of Scotland
• National Farmers Union
• National Federation of Consumers Groups
• National Federation of Wholesale Grocers and Provision Merchants
• National Federation of Women's Institutes
• National Food and Drink Federation
• National Institute of Medical Herbalists
• National Office of Animal Health
• National Organisation of Animal Health
• National Pharmaceutical Association Limited
• National Union of Small Shopkeepers
• National Union of Townswomen's Guilds
• Natural Medicines Group
• Newspaper Publishers Association Limited
• Newspaper Society
• North of Ireland Veterinary Association
• Ophthalmic Group Committee—BMA House
• Osteopathic and Naturopathic Guild Limited
• Periodical Publishers Association Limited
• Pharmaceutical General Council Scotland
• Pharmaceutical Journal
• Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee
• Pharmaceutical Society for Northern Ireland
• Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (Scottish Department)
• Proprietary Association of Great Britain
• Radiochemical Centre
• Register and Council of Homoepathics
• Royal College of General Practitioners
• Royal College of Midwives
• Royal College of Nursing
• Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
• Royal College of Pathologists
• Royal College of Physicians
• Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow
• Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Royal College of Radiologists
• Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
• Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Royal College of Surgeons of England—Faculty of Dental Surgery
• Royal College of Surgeons of England—Faculty of Ophthalmology
• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
• Royal Society of Chemistry
• Scottish Consumer Council
• Scottish Grocers' Federation
• Scottish Health Education Group
• Scottish National Committee of Ophthalmic Opticians "SCRIP"
• Service Scientifique
• Soap and Detergent Industries Association
• Society of Chiropodists
• Society of Homoepaths
• Society of Occupational Medicine

Area	Local government electors		Percentage increase 1975 to 1990
	1975	1990
English non-metropolitan counties
Buckinghamshire	351,504	475,158	35·2
Cambridgeshire	381,110	490,772	28·8
Shropshire	253,104	313,440	23·8
Berkshire	449,704	556,817	23·8
Hereford and Worcester	424,697	523,945	23·4
Northamptonshire	355,625	437,262	23·0
Somerset	297,443	364,569	22·6
Wiltshire	352,599	429,013	21·7
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly	304,921	369,663	21·2
Lincolnshire	377,351	456,118	20·9
Dorset	435,987	524,559	20·3
Hampshire	998,035	1,196,718	19·9
Suffolk	403,004	480,869	19·3
West Sussex	470,217	560,031	19·1
Norfolk	491,796	584,449	18·8
Bedfordshire	330,691	390,840	18·2
North Yorkshire	475,467	555,662	16·9
Gloucestershire	352,358	411,466	16·8
Isle of Wight	87,454	101,841	16·5
Oxfordshire	362,422	421,008	16·2

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the 30 English non-metropolitan districts which have shown the greatest percentage growth in the electorate since 1975; and what have been the percentage growth and actual figures in each case.

The information requested is as follows:

Area	Local government electors		Percentage Increase
	1975	1990	1975–90
English non-metropolitan county districts
Milton Keynes	57,136	126,345	121·1
Redditch	33,868	56,881	67·9
Tamworth	33,256	51,049	53·5
Bracknell	46,439	70,016	50·8
Wokingham	72,089	106,107	47·2
Peterborough	77,627	112,375	44·8
Huntingdonshire	70,823	101,348	43·1
East Dorset	44,664	63,875	43·0
Hart	44,946	64,041	42·5
Selby	51,421	71,619	39·3
The Wrekin	75,271	104,277	38·5
Basingstoke and Deane	79,049	109,487	38·5
Eastleigh	58,651	80,433	37·1
East Hampshire	57,583	77,460	34·5

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the 20 English non-metropolitan counties which have shown the greatest percentage growth in electorate since 1975; and what have been the percentage growth and actual figures in each case.

The information requested is as follows:

Area	Local government electors		Percentage Increase
	1975	1990	1975·90
Aylesbury Vale	81,127	108,734	34·0
Northampton	101,164	135,434	33·9
Newbury	77,739	103,786	33·5
South Staffordshire	61,930	82,558	33·3
South Cambridgeshire	68,444	90,906	32·8
Fareham	58,415	77,297	32·3
Caradon	45,332	59,899	32·1
Basildon	93,724	123,794	32·1
Crawley	50,753	66,777	31·6
Thamesdown	99,042	129,175	30·4
Test Valley	58,961	76,806	30·3
Woodspring	107,924	140,519	30·2
Breckland	62,820	81,270	29·4
Ryedale	56,135	72,620	29·4
Northavon	76,910	99,108	28·9
Cherwell	64,818	83,429	28·7

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the defence industries on future economic prospects.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence recently chaired a meeting of the National Defence Industries Council at which I was also present, and a number of issues were discussed. In addition, we have frequent informal contacts with the defence industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what economies he is making in defence procurement; and if he will make a statement.

The Department continues to seek value for money in procurement through the increased use of competition and taut contracting. This strategy has achieved substantial savings although these cannot be precisely quantified. Chapter 3 of volume 1 of the 1990 Statement on the Defence Estimates (Cm. 1022-I) gives more information on the ways in which we seek to make our procurement activities more cost effective.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent consideration he has given to a review of Government policy on nuclear weapons; and if he will make a statement.

We keep our policy on nuclear weapons under constant review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representation his Department will have at the conference on economic development and defence expenditure to be held in Sheffield on 24 May.

I am not aware of any invitations having been issued to officials of the Ministry of Defence.