To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy that on each future occasion when he publicises the retail prices index he will also publicise the annual increase in the cost of living excluding mortgage rate and such taxes as the community charge.

A series is already published in the monthly press notice for "all items excluding housing" which is very close to the index requested, since two thirds of the weight for housing is accounted for by mortgage payments and domestic rates/community charges.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of Inland Revenue executive officers who resigned from the service in the years 1988 and 1989.

One hundred and eighteen and 92 respectively.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Inland Revenue executive officers applied for the internal trawl for the AT-HEO`D' scheme in the months of May and June 1989; and how many were successful.

	Gas £000	Electricity £000	Solid/Liquid Fuel £000
Government Offices, Great George Street, London, SW1	38·6	189·6	4·4
Chessington Computer Centre, Surrey	0·3	39·7	10·3
Alencon Link, Basingstoke, Hampshire	0·2	5·8	2·6
Grosvenor House, Basingstoke, Hampshire	1·8	3·1	—
Riverwalk House, London, SW1	13·7	73·3	—

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether the Royal Opera house has applied for additional funds.

[holding answer 11 May 1990]: The Royal Opera house has consistently argued for additional Government funding. At the end of last year it alerted the chairman of the Arts Council and me to the prospect of a £2 million deficit in the coming year. This was despite an 11 per cent. increase in its grant from the Arts Council and

Ten executive officers from the Inland Revenue applied for this scheme, of whom one was successful.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the annual cost to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise of administering the value added tax on the sale of gold coins and bars in the latest available year;(2) what was the annual value added tax revenue accruing from the sales of gold

I regret that the information requested by my hon. Friend is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth will receive a reply to his letter dated 6 March referring to Mr. Allan Gear of the Henry Doubleday Research Association.

I replied to my hon. Friend's letter on 11 May.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 444, 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.

[holding answer 10 May 1990]: The information, which covers major offices only, is as follows:a severe pruning of projected expenditure plans. I recognise the excellent record of the Royal Opera house in increasing its self-generated income but, in reply, I made it clear that all arts organisations must, like any other business, demonstrate a commitment to good housekeeping and to controlling costs. It is also an important part of Arts Council policy that all arts organisations receiving grant-in-aid should balance their books over a three year period. I expect the Royal Opera house to discuss with the Arts Council how that policy can be complied with.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) when his Department first knew that Dr. Gerald Bull had a connection with SRC;

In the light of the criminal charges laid against individuals 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) when his Department was first made aware of a meeting in Brussels between Sheffield Forgemasters and the Space Research Corporation in June 1988, and of additional meetings that took place in Brussels in July 1988 between those parties;(2) if he has any information on the fire-testing in Iraq of any equipment provided for Iraq by Sheffield Forgemasters and Walter Somers.

[holding answer 26 April 1990]: In the light of the criminal charges laid against individuals 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) when he first received information about the activities of SRC Composites;(2) when he became aware of the project of SRC Composites to develop in Northern Ireland;(3) when he was first aware of SRC Composites' involvement with Iraq;(4) what investigations took place into Space Research Corporation after its involvement in the Iraqi export order became known.

[holding answer 30 April 1990]: In the light of the criminal charges laid against individuals 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 what further steps he will take to raise funds from the capital markets to reduce the costs of the fixed rate export finance scheme; and if he will make a statement.

As part of a programme of measures to reduce the cost of ECGD's fixed rate export finance scheme, the Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc (GEFCO) issued a second £250 million bond issue on 8 May which again carried the guarantee of the Secretary of State. The previous issue was launched last July and further periodic issues are envisaged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received on the working of (a) the Securities and Investments Board, (b) FIMBRA, (c) the Financial Services Act 1986 and (d) recognised professional bodies in the financial services industry; and from whom.

My right hon. Friend and I regularly receive a variety of representations on these matters from a wide range of sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will visit the state of California to study its regulatory system in the financial services industry.

Neither my right hon. Friend nor I have any plans at present to visit California.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received concerning the nature and level of capital adequacy for firms involved in the small independent intermediary sector of the financial services industry.

I have received a number of representations from organisations and firms in the independent financial intermediaries sector about capital adequacy requirements. Their views will be taken into account during the forthcoming negotiations on the proposed capital adequacy directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out in the Official Report an outline of the nature of the stance he will be adopting with regard to any European Commission proposals in respect of the harmonisation of the financial services industry prior to 1992 with particular regard to the small independent intermediary sector.

The Government welcome proposals from the European Commission which are designed to create a single market in financial services and which are based upon mutual recognition of member states' competent authorities and agreement on key standards. Our response to such proposals will be based upon two principles: first, that such measures should not undermine the Community's international competitiveness and, secondly, that they should not erect unnecessary barriers to market entry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received on the Hoylake bid for British American Tobacco; and from whom.

I have received many representations from hon. Members and others about various aspects of Hoylake Investments' bid for BAT Industries, but none since Hoylake announced on 23 April that it would not renew its offer for BAT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the number and value of grants made by the Export Credits Guarantee Department to South Africa for each year since 1985.

[holding answer 10 May 1990]: The ECGD has not made any grants to South Africa in the period in question.Since ECGD's normal fixed-rate export finance arrangements apply to medium and long-term export credits to South Africa, some grants to banks in Britain supporting such export credits will have been made as part of the overall arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Gateshead, East (Ms. Quin), Official Report, 30 April, column 386, what steps he is taking to increase the number of laboratories accredited by the NAMAS scheme, in the north-east, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

[holding answer 10 May 1990]: The national measurement accreditation service, NAMAS, actively encourages laboratories to become accredited for calibration and testing measurements. In conjunction with the Department's regional offices, promotional seminars have already been held in the north-east, Wales and Scotland. A seminar in Northern Ireland is currently being planned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken or has suggested that the National Physical Laboratory takes to increase the number of laboratories accredited with the national measurement accreditation service for radiological calibration; and if he will name the accredited laboratory.

[holding answer 10 May 1990]: Discussions are taking place between the national measurement accreditation service (NAMAS), involved in the radiological field of measurements both for calibration and testing with the view of increasing the number of accreditations in this area. The laboratory currently accredited for radiological calibration is Amersham International plc. Three further laboratories are currently being assessed prior to accreditation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what staff committment is devoted through the National Physical Laboratory to ensuring as wide as possible membership to the national measurement accreditation service; and how this staff commitment is broken down between accreditations awards to calibration laboratories and testing facilities.

[holding answer 10 May 1990]: The total number of staff currently employed in the national measurement accreditation service is 52. Of these, eight are directly involved in the accreditation of calibration laboratories and 25 in the accreditation of testing laboratories. In addition, three further staff are directly involved in accreditation of both calibration and testing laboratories.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 387, 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.

[holding answer 10 May 1990]: Expenditure on energy consumption in buildings occupied by the Department of Trade and Industry in 1988–89, the latest full year for which figures are available, was as follows:

	£ million
Electricity	2·3
Gas	0·7
Oil	0·3

May I also apologise for an error in my answer to the hon. Gentleman on 30 April at column

To ask the Attorney-General what information he has on the number of prosecutions which have been initiated under the provisions of the Perjury Act of 1911 relating to persons wilfully making statements false in a material particular to judges or persons with the legal status of judges.

The only information available to me relates to convictions rather than proceedings instituted. Eighty-four persons were convicted for offences contrary to section 1 of the Perjury Act 1911 during 1988. All such convictions related to false statements made in judicial proceedings.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received recently about the operations of the courts.

The Lord Chancellor frequently receives correspondence from Members of this House, legal practitioners and members of the public about the operations of the courts. All these are responded to by the Lord Chancellor or his officials.

To ask the Attorney-General when he last met the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss prosecution policy.

To ask the Attorney-General when he last met the Director of Public Prosecutions; and what matters were discussed.

I refer to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner).

To ask the Attorney-General whether he plans to have any discussions with the Law Reform Committee on the length of time for which covenants should be in force; and if he will make a statement.

There are no plans to refer any aspect of the law relating to covenants to the Law Reform Committee.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement about the operation of the Crown prosecution service.

The operation of the Crown prosecution service has been the subject of very recent scrutiny and report by the Home Affairs Select Committee of this House. The Committee recognised the impressive progress made by the Crown prosecution service despite its initial difficulties and confirmed our confidence that by proper assertion of its independence the CPS has contributed to a fairer and more just prosecution system. The Government will be responding to its recommendations in the normal manner.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he will prosecute Professor Wilhelm Feldberg for a contravention of section 1 of the Protection of Animals Act 1911.

A decision about the commencement of a prosecution could be properly taken only on the basis of evidence assembled through a criminal investigation. The investigation of an alleged criminal offence is a matter for the police service. The proper course for any person having evidence suggesting the commission of an offence is to make the evidence available to the police.It is to be noted that by virtue of section 1(3) of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and section 27(2) and schedule 3 to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 the provision to which hon. Member refers does not apply to anything lawfully done in accordance with the 1986 Act.

To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions have been mounted in (a) the Republic of Ireland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Great Britain

Offence	Sentence
John William Gilmour
Counselling and Procuring and causing an explosion	Convicted—16 years imprisonment
Possession of Explosives with intent (1)	Convicted—16 years imprisonment
Possession of Explosives (2)	Left on file
Possession of firearm with intent (1)	Convicted—10 years imprisonment
Possession of Firearms (2)	Left on file
Carrying of Firearm with intent	Convicted—10 years imprisonment

The trials in the Republic of Ireland listed in my previous answer took place in the following years:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Orpington (Mr. Stanbrook) on 19 December 1988, at column 92. All the prosecutions listed in that answer as having taken place in the United Kingdom took place in Northern Ireland. Those trials took place in the following years:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has to allow the spreading on land of human sewage sludge for fertilisation purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Sewage sludge is used as a fertiliser in Northern Ireland in accordance with the advice contained in the "Code of Practice for Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge", published by the Department of the Environment in 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the local councils which have police liaison committees; and if he will make a statement.

The following councils have police liaison committees:

• Ards
• Antrim
• Ballymena
• Ballymoney
• Banbridge
• Belfast
• Carrickfergus
• Castlereagh
• Coleraine
• Craigavon
• Derry
• Down
• Dungannon
• Fermanagh
• Larne
• Limavady
• Lisburn
• Magherafelt
• Moyle
• Newtownabbey
• North Down
• Strabane

I understand that the Police Authority for Northern Ireland is hopeful that further committees will be established. But if this is not possible alternative arrangements will be considered to ensure that there is effective consultation between the RUC and the community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will supply figures for the costs and earnings of United Kingdom fishing vessels in the Province for the period 1983 to 1989, broken down by vessel size (a) under 40 ft., (b) 40 to 79·9 ft., (c) 80 to 109·9 ft., (d) 110 to 139·9 ft., and (e) 10 ft. and over.

The information requested is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what percentage of the meat and livestock produce of Northern Ireland is required for Northern Ireland consumption;(2) what percentage of the meat and livestock produce of Northern Ireland is exported to

[holding answer 8 May 1990]: The table sets out the estimated utilisation of cattle, sheep and pig slaughterings in Northern Ireland in 1989.

Percentage
	Northern Ireland consumption	Great Britain	Exports Eropean Community	Countries outside European Community
Cattle	25	54	19	2
Sheep	4	1	95	Nil
Pigs	45	35	20	1
1Negligible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Livestock Marketing Commission budget for advertising is used to promote the consumption of Northern Ireland meat and livestock produce in Northern Ireland.

[holding answer 8 May 1990]: Approximately 30 per cent. of the commission's development budget is used for such promotion.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on her discussions with the Prime Minister of Lithuania.

I had talks with Mrs. Prunskiene on 9 May. We stressed that the Lithuanian people have the right to self-determination. We also shared the view that the gains that have been made in east-west relations must be preserved and strengthened. The present situation should and can be resolved through discussion.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will identify the community charge regulation she referred to on 3 May, Official Report, column 1204, relating to the sending out and writing-off of small accounts.

The regulation I referred to on 3 May at column 1204 is regulation 61 of the Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989, Statutory Instrument No. 438.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many representations he has received on the subject of specific learning difficulties in reading, writing, and spelling, dyslexia, since 23 January; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has received a number of such representations since the British Dyslexia Association began its dyslexia awareness campaign on 23 January. I shall be meeting representatives of the BDA shortly to discuss this important area of special educational needs.Under the Education Act 1981, it is the responsibility of LEAs to make appropriate provision for all pupils with special educational needs in their area. It is therefore for LEAs and schools to ensure that suitable provision is made for children with specific learning difficulties, including the teaching of reading and writing by methods appropriate to their needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas), Official Report, 10 January, columns 621–22, what is the relationship between the nuclear engineering course which commenced at Queen Mary college in autumn 1989 and courses which closed in nuclear engineering in 1988.

My reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) on 10 January reflected the position stated in the handbook for 1989 entry produced by the Universities Central Council on Admissions. I regret that this was incorrect. Further investigations have shown that Queen Mary and Westfield college, London university decided not to proceed with the indicated first-degree course in mechanical and nuclear engineering.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his Department's decision no longer to collect advanced courses early statistics, with the reasons for this decision; and what assessment he has made of the impact of this decision on planning for higher education provision on a regional basis.

Some 80 per cent. of enrolments in higher education in England outside the universities are in institutions funded by the Polytechnic and College Funding Council. That body is planning its own early statistics survey for next October, which should enable trends in enrolments to be estimated within broad subject-groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local education authorities made applications for funding under section 210 of the Education Reform Act 1988 for displaced persons and refugees but were refused grants which (a) had reception centres-hostels for refugees and displaced people and (b) had a significant number of refugees in other accommodation; and on what grounds these applications were rejected.

The bids for funding in 1990–91 under section 210 of the Education Reform Act 1988 exceeded the total resources available. In accordance with the advice contained in the draft circular issued in July 1989 priority was given, as far as possible, to the maintenance of existing special provision. It was consequently not possible to allocate any grant in response to the applications from the London boroughs of Lambeth and Wandsworth in respect of new provision for displaced persons and refugees in reception centres-hostels and in other accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of funding granted under section 210 of the Education Reform Act 1988 for displaced people and refugees was for (a) adults and (b) children; and what proportion was for (i) English language provision and (ii) advice and careers counselling.

About half the funding in 1990–91 is for adults and about half for children. Some 90 per cent. of the funding is for teaching provision including English language provision. Advice and careers counselling account for the remainder.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of funding under section 210 of the Education Reform Act 1988 was made available for refugees as opposed to travellers for the year 1990–91.

The proportion of funding to be made available for refugees in 1990–91 is some 4 per cent. of the total.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what funding has been made available under section 210 of the Education Reform Act 1988 for newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers from all nationalities who are living in reception centres or other accommodation in London; and if he will make a statement.

The London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames has been allocated grant to support expenditure of £54,100 in 1990–91.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what adjustments and flexibility he has approved in respect of the implementation of LMS; and if he will list those local education authorities where such adjustment or flexibility has been agreed.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Carlisle (Mr. Martlew) on 8 May, Official Report, column 11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those local education authorities implementing LMS in (a) 1990–91 and (b) 1991–92.

A total of 87 local authorities' schemes for LMS were approved to start from 1 April 1990. The 87 authorities are:

Avon	Devon
Barking and Dagenham	Doncaster
Barnet	Dorset
Barnsley	Dudley
Bedfordshire	Durham
Berkshire	Ealing
Bexley	East Sussex
Birmingham	Enfield
Bolton	Essex
Bradford	Gateshead
Brent	Gloucestershire
Bromley	Hampshire
Buckinghamshire	Haringey
Bury	Harrow
Calderdale	Havering
Cambridgeshire	Hounslow
Cheshire	Humberside
Cleveland	Isle of Wight
Cornwall	Kent
Coventry	Kingston
Cumbria	Kirklees
Derbyshire	Knowsley

Lancashire	Shropshire
Leeds	Solihull
Lincolnshire	Somerset
Liverpool	South Tyneside
Merton	Staffordshire
Newcastle	St. Helens
Norfolk	Suffolk
North Tyneside	Sunderland
North Yorkshire	Surrey
Northamptonshire	Sutton
Northumberland	Tameside
Nottinghamshire	Trafford
Oldham	Wakefield
Oxfordshire	Walsall
Redbridge	Waltham Forest
Richmond	Warwickshire
Rochdale	West Sussex
Rotherham	Westminster
Sandwell	Wigan
Salford	Wiltshire
Sefton	Wolverhampton
Sheffield

We shall continue to work with the 10 authorities, outside of inner London, that we were not able to approve this year, with the aim of getting approved schemes in place by April 1991. We want to keep delays to a minimum and will expect those authorities to phase in LMS according to the original timetable. Those 10 authorities areCroydon, Hereford and Worcester, Hertfordshire, Hillingdon, Isles of Scilly, Leicestershire, Manchester, Newham, Stockport, and Wirral.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those local education authorities which have submitted requests to defer the implementation of LMS by (a) six months; (b) a year, and (c) for any other period.

Of the 87 LEAs that have approved LMS schemes in force from 1 April 1990, we have received a representation from one seeking to defer implementation of the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements there are in cases where a school, under LMS, requires a teacher to accept redundancy to determine who is liable to pay the appropriate redundancy payments.

Section 46(5) of the Education Reform Act 1988 specifies that the costs incurred by a local education authority in respect of the dismissal or premature retirement, or for the purpose of securing the resignation, of any member of the staff of a school within the scope of an LMS scheme shall not be met from the school's budget except in so far as the authority. has good reason for deducting those costs, or any part of those costs, from that share.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the statutory provisions that relate to his duties in respect of implementation of a local management scheme by a local education authority; and if he will make a statement.

The statutory provisions that relate to the duties of my right hon. Friend in respect of implementation of a local management scheme by a local education authority are:

(i) to consider the approval of a scheme prepared by a local education authority under section 33 of the Education Reform Act which—

(a) replaces a previous scheme; or

(b) makes a significant variation to a previous scheme;

(ii) to determine within 2 months of notification, whether a variation proposed by a local education authority as a minor variation, falls within the description of a minor variation;

(iii) to consult the local education authority in question before varying a scheme by direction;

(iv) to consider any appeal made by a governing body against—

(a) the imposition of any suspension of delegation;

(b) the refusal of a local education authority to revoke any such suspension of delegation or any review required;

(v) in the event of an appeal made by a governing body as described in (iv) above; a duty to;

(a) allow or reject the appeal;

(b) have regard to the gravity of the default on the part of the governing body and the likelihood of its continuance or recurrence;

(vi) to make Regulations under section 42 of the Education Reform Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the new British airstrip in the Antarctic will be used for purposes other than scientific research, except in cases of emergencies.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 11 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much has been spent by the Medical Research Council on research into emphysema and bronchitis since 1988.

[holding answer 8 May 1990]: The expenditure on research into respiratory diseases which is in whole or part relevant to bronchitis and emphysema was as follows:

	£
1987–88	1,845,301
1988–89	1,832,953

Figures for the financial year 1989–90 will be available in July from the Medical Research Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he is satisfied with the financial control exercised by Gwynedd health authority in each of the two most recent financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Subject to submission of the authority's accounts for 1989–90, it would appear that the authority has continued to keep its cash spending within the sums allotted by my right hon. Friend. However, it would also appear from reports received from the authority that its underlying financial position, as measured in terms of the balance between its income and expenditure in accruals terms, is once again deteriorating, following the limited progress which was made towards restoring financial balance during 1987–88 and 1988–89. This is, of course, disappointing; but my right hon. Friend will not be in a position to comment more substantially on the authority's performance in exercising financial control until (i) the authority has had an opportunity to consider the results of the study which its general manager is currently undertaking with the assistance of management consultants, (ii) the authority's response to that study has been discussed with Welsh Office officials as part of the next round of annual performance reviews and (iii) the statutory auditor's audit of the authority's 1989–90 accounts has been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions his Department has had with Gwynedd health authority concerning the effects of the recent secretarial strike on the delivery of services in the county; and if he will make a statement.

The effect of the secretarial strike on the delivery of health services in Gwynedd is a matter for the district health authority and Welsh Office officials have not been in discussion on this aspect.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report the amount of capital expenditure on new facilities by Gwynedd health authority in 1988–89, 1989–90 and the projected level for such spending in 1990–91.

The information is not centrally available in the form requested since neither the annual accounts nor the 10-year capital programmes prepared by health authorities provide expenditure figures under the heading of "new facilities".

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a list of the repayable loans made by the Welsh Office to Gwynedd health authority over the past five years indicating for each such loan the sum involved, the period for repayment and the interest charged.

The information requested is as follows:

Date of loan	Amount of loan £ million	Date repaid
1985–86	0·200	1986–87
1986–87	—	—
1987–88	1·450	1988–89
1988–89	0·738	1989–90
1989–90	—	—

No interest was charged on any of these loans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the terms of reference given to the current team of consultants appointed by the Welsh Office to study the problem facing Gwynedd health authority; and by what date they are required to present their report.

In common with other district health authorities in Wales, Gwynedd has been asked to submit a pathfinder procurement plan in June and has commissioned management consultants to help it prepare this plan. Together with other health authorities, Gwynedd has secured a measure of Welsh Office funding for this exercise.In addition to the procurement plan project, Gwynedd health authority has asked the management consultants to assist in its review of its finances and services. I understand that the authority's report on the outcome of the review is likely to be considered by its members in June.As the study is being carried out by Gwynedd health authority, details of its management consultants' terms of reference should be obtained from the DHA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales by what date Gwynedd health authority was due to attain a financial balance following the Welsh Office consultant's investigation undertaken in 1987; and if he will make a statement on progress to date.

The action plan 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 was aimed at bringing the authority back into financial balance by 1991–92. This action plan remains the basic strategy for the financial restructuring of the authority. However, in view of the length of time taken to realise some of the planned savings associated with service rationalisation measures within the action plan, some slippage on this target would seem inevitable. The question of a revised target date will be considered in due course in the light of the review of the authority's financial position which is currently being undertaken by the authority with the assistance of management consultants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the (a) revenue budget and (b) capital budget allocated by the Welsh Office to Gwynedd health authority for each of the years 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90; and for each year what was the actual revenue and capital expenditure of the authority.

The information requested is as follows:

	Revenue cash limit £ million	Revenue charge against cash limit £ million	Capital cash limit £ million	Capital charge against cash limit1 £ million
1986–87	49·905	49·903	1·388	1·389
1987–88	55·855	55·841	3·433	3·434
1988–89	62·614	62·637	1·860	1·859
1989–90	65·436	262·397	2·829	22·829
1Source: Health Authority Annual Accounts
2Source: Form FIS(HA)2 Cumulative Cash Flow Statement for period ending March 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions during the past 12 months a minister of his Department has (a) visited Gwynedd for purposes related to Gwynedd health authority or (b) met the chairman or members of Gwynedd health authority at a location other than in Gwynedd.

Ministers have met the chairman of the authority on four occasions during the last 12 months in London and south Wales. In addition, senior officials of the Welsh Office have visited and met the authority's chairman and officers frequently, and briefed me comprehensively on the key issues involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department approved the discontinuation by Gwynedd health authority of the nursing surveillance service.

No approval was needed or sought.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether the announcement made on 5 March that the discharge of new sewage into the sea would be stopped will apply with equal force to discharges from Wales;(2) whether he will make it his policy to ban the discharge of new sewage from Wales into the estuaries and seas round Wales and to set a timetable for completing the implementation of such a policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether he will make it his policy to ban the discharge of new sewage from Wales into the estuaries and seas around Wales and to set a timetable for completing the implementation of such a policy;(2) whether the announcement made on 5 March that the discharge of new sewage into the sea would be stopped will apply with equal force to discharges from Wales.

The policies set out by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment on 5 March will apply to discharges from Wales. Discussions will be held with the National Rivers Authority, the Office of Water Services and the sewerage undertaker to work out the detailed arrangements for implementing this policy as soon as is practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make it his policy that the new sewage outfall into the Severn estuary at Lavernock will include full secondary treatment works, and to require that design work takes into account this policy to avoid delay in the implementation of the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make it his policy that the new sewage outfall into the Severn estuary at Lavernock will include full secondary treatment works, and require that design work takes into account this policy to avoid delay in the implementation of the scheme.

This is a matter for Dwr Cymru and the National Rivers Authority which are fully aware of and will take into account relevant Government policies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will seek urgent advice on the occurrence of a red slime on the beach at Blackpill, Swansea, on 7 May; and if he will make a statement.

I am advised by the National Rivers Authority that it has analysed a sample of the slime which was found to comprise diatoms and flocs of iron particles. The iron flocs, which gave the slime an orange-brown colour, emanated from the River Clyne which receives a significant proportion of drainage from abandoned coal mines in the Dunvant and Killay areas and enters the sea at Blackpill. The ferruginous inputs from these mines are of relatively constant flow and thus have a much greater impact on the appearance of the river when river levels are low, as has been the case during the recent dry spell. The slime, though aesthetically unpleasant, does not in the opinion of environmental health officials threaten human or animal health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will commission research into the identification of cases of glaucoma in Wales in the past five years, the effectiveness of measures taken by opticians, general practitioners and hospitals in preventing deterioration of eyesight in patients during the same period, and the effect of Government policy on these matters with particular reference to the period from 1 April 1989.

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 how many new out-patient attendances at ophthalmic clinics were recorded in each quarter of (a) 1986, (b) 1987 and (c) 1988 in Wales as a whole.

The following table shows the number of new ophthalmology out-patients recorded in NHS hospitals in Wales:

Quarter Ended	Number
March 1986	9,247
June 1986	9,905
September 1986	9,678
December 1986	10,383
March 1987	9,616
June 1987	9,825
September 1987	9,531
December 1987	10,263
March 1988	11,545
June 1988	10,280
September 1988	10,242
December 1988	10,771

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many new out-patient attendances at ophthalmic clinics were recorded (a) in South Glamorgan and (b) in Wales in the last quarter of 1989.

The information is not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date Mrs. Noreen Edwards was first appointed to the chair of Gwynedd health authority and for what period; on what subsequent dates and for what periods of time she was reappointed; and on what date her present appointment terminates.

Mrs. Edwards was first appointed to chair the authority on 1 August 1982 for four years. She was reappointed on 1 August 1986 for a further four years to 31 July 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report the acreage of land and the price realised for such land, arising from the sale of the land by each of the district health authorities in Wales since 1979.

The information is not immediately available in the form requested. I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the actual cost of wage and salary increases for each of the district health authorities in Wales in the financial year 1989–90; and what was the financial provision made by the Welsh Office in his revenue funding of each authority to meet wage and salary inflation in that year.

It is for each authority to decide how much of its annual increase in discretionary cash provision should be set aside for pay settlements in the light of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Industry Act forecast of general inflation in the economy for the year in question and in the light of the particular composition of its work force. For 1989–90 the forecast of general inflation was 5 per cent. and the initial percentage increase in cash provision of district health authorities in Wales (by comparison with their 1988–89 final allocations) were as follows:

	per cent. in-crease
Clwyd	6·5
East Dyfed	8·8
Gwent	5·8
Gwynedd	5·8
Mid Glamorgan	6·1
Pembrokeshire	6·8
Powys	8·6
South Glamorgan	5·8
West Glamorgan	5·8

However, it should be noted that these initial discretionary cash increases were subsequently enhanced to take account of the contribution which the Government made towards the cost of meeting the recommendations of the pay review bodies covering doctors and dentists, nurses and professions allied to medicine. This supplementary funding was distributed by reference to paybill data for those categories of staff in authorities 1988–89 accounts and resulted in revised discretionary cash increases for Welsh district health authorities, prior to further enhancement in respect of White Paper requirements, as follows:

	Increase Per cent.
Clwyd	7·4
East Dyfed	9·6
Gwent	6·6
Gwynedd	6·6
Mid Glamorgan	7·0
Pembrokeshire	7·6
Powys	9·5
South Glamorgan	6·6
West Glamorgan	6·6

It is not possible to estimate the actual cost of pay settlements in 1989–90 without details of the number, grades, and so on of staff employed by each of the district health authorities in Wales during that year. Acccounts data will be submitted to the Welsh Office in June but these will give only the increase in total expenditure on the various categories of staff and will not distinguish the increase in pay levels from changes in the number or composition of staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many established posts are currently frozen in each of the nine district health authorities in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is not held centrally. Staffing levels are operational issues for health authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to improve the reporting procedures which enable him to monitor the financial performance and delivery of services of district health authorities in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The main mechanism for monitoring the performance of individual district health authorities is the annual review undertaken each autumn by the executive committee of the Health Policy Board. This provides the opportunity for a rigorous central assessment of local management action and performance, and constitutes a key channel of accountability to the Secretary of State in relation to each health authority's stewardship of health care services and the public moneys which fund them.The annual review process is being developed to reflect the distinction between the purchaser and provider roles of district health authorities proposed in the White Paper "Working for Patients".In addition to the annual review, health authorities are required to submit a wide range of financial and service specific returns within the year. These are analysed carefully, and kept under continuous review to ensure that they remain fit for purpose.

	Discretionary capital allocations 1990–91 £ million	Discretionary capital allocations 1982–83 expressed at 1990–91 prices £ million	Percentage change in allocation in period 1982–83 to 1990–91 percentage
Clwyd	6·277	1·520	313
East Dyfed	3·205	0·956	235
Gwent	6·184	1·924	221
Gwynedd	1·710	0·870	97
Mid Glamorgan	8·054	2·170	271
Pembrokeshire	1·968	0·306	543
Powys	1·113	0·454	145
South Glamorgan	7·938	2·574	208
West Glamorgan	8·072	1·483	444

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to meet jointly the chairman of a district health authority in Wales together with hon. Members whose constituencies are served by that health authority when circumstances justify; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend will continue to consider each request for a meeting on its individual merits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the most recent figures

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the salary or fee paid to each of the chair persons of district health authorities in Wales during 1989–90; and what were the expenses paid to each of these persons.

In 1989–90, the chairmen of district health authorities in Wales received a flat-rate taxable honorarium of £12,462. Information about other expenses which may have been drawn from their own authorities is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the total sums paid by way of performance-related pay to senior managers in each of the new Welsh district health authorities in 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

No. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 15 March at column 346. Particulars of actual performance-related pay additions to salary made by employing authorities are confidential and information thereon is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if, pursuant to his answer of 18 April to the right hon. and learned Member for Aberavon (Mr. Morris), Official Report, columns 932–33, he will publish a table showing for each of the district health authorities in Wales the level of capital allocation in 1990–91 and the corresponding figure in real terms for 1982–83; and what has been the percentage change in each instance.

The information requested is given in the table:available on the death rate for each district health authority in Wales with corresponding figures for five and 10 years previously.

The information requested is given in the table:

	Crude death rate1
Welsh district health authorities	1988	1983	1978
Clwyd	12·6	12·9	13·6
East Dyfed	12·4	14·2	214·3
Pembrokeshire	11·8	11·6
Gwent	11·7	11·9	11·9

	Crude death rate1
Welsh district health authorities	1988	1983	1978
Gwynedd	12·5	14·0	14·3
Mid Glamorgan	11·6	12·4	12·8
Powys	12·2	13·2	13·4
South Glamorgan	10·7	11·5	11·6
West Glamorgan	12·2	12·5	13·4
Wales	11·9	12·6	13·0

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each health authority area in Wales the number of cancer cases newly diagnosed in each of the last five years; and if he will show these figures as a proportion of the base population in each health authority district.

The most recently available information on cancer incidence rates in Wales is presented in "Cancer Registration in Wales, 1974–84" published in 1988. It is intended that full data in respect of the period 1984 to 1986 together with a commentary will be published during 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales why the engineer from his Department who had agreed to attend a public meeting at Felinheli on Friday 4 May failed to arrive at that meeting; why the person who did attend was not authorised to inform the meeting of the Welsh Office's latest information on the Felinheli bypass; and if he will review the workings of his Department to avoid the public being let down in this manner in future.

The terms of reference for the attendance of an official at the meeting were explained to those who made the request.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the latest estimate of his Department of the date of commencement of work on the Felinheli bypass; by what date it is expected that land purchase will be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Felinheli bypass is programmed to start in the period April 1991 to March 1994 as shown in "Roads in Wales: Progress and Plans for the 1990s". Land purchase is programmed to meet this timetable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated cost of complying with each of the three conditions for closure of the Caernarfon cottage hospital laid down by the Welsh Office in its letter of 20 April, concerning alternative dental provision for the area; and by what date he expects each of these conditions to be met.

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 what are the latest estimated annual savings of closing the Madog memorial hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Following the issue of the Welsh Office's letters of 3 and 22 March 1989 which conveyed approval of Gwynedd health authority's proposals to close Madog memorial hospital, detailed issues relating to the closure are a matter for the health authority, subject to compliance with the relevant conditions set out in the letter of 3 March. The hon. Gentleman should therefore contact the health authority for further information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will commission research into the effect of Government funding in the Health Service on (a) the approach of NHS managers to charitable contributions, (b) the degree to which fund-raising is attracted to different areas of need within the Health Service and (c) the attitudes of fund-raising and charitable groups.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will take steps to ensure that in circumstances in which former trust hospitals are to be closed notwithstanding the provisions of section 88(2) of the National Health Service Act 1977, those hospital buildings will first be offered back to trustees, or acting trustees in the area, and that if such trustees wish to take over the hospital building, they shall not be required to pay more for them than was paid, if at all, by the National Health Service for them when they were taken over from the trustees.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the hospitals and other units in Wales which have expressed an interest in seeking National Health Service trust status once the current legislation has reached the statute book.

No firm expressions of interest have been received to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been his expenditure in each of the last five years on the National Health Service hospital travel costs scheme in each of the district health authority areas in Wales.

The information requested was not identified separately in health authorities' accounts until 1985–86. The figures for the years since then are shown in the table:

£000
	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89
Clwyd	26·7	29·0	28·7	38·4
East Dyfed	13·4	12·2	12·0	18·0
Gwent	31·4	28·1	28·3	39·6

	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89
Gwynedd	15·2	17·0	16·2	20·4
Mid Glamorgan	40·3	45·7	35·8	38·3
Pembrokeshire	6·5	7·6	7·9	9·1
Powys	0·3	0·3	0·0	0·9
South Glamorgan	61·6	54·9	60·2	77·7
West Glamorgan	23·9	31·1	28·0	34·9
Wales	219·3	225·9	217·1	277·3

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average cost per in-patient day at (a) the Cefni hospital, Llangefni and (b) the Druid hospital, Llangefni, on the basis of the most recently available information.

Information on average costs per in-patient day is not centrally available. However, the average treatment costs per day per patient using a bed (both in-patients and day cases) are given on page 208 of "Welsh Health Costing Returns 1988–89" a copy of which is in the Library of the House. These costs exclude general services—catering, laundry, cleaning, administration, and so on—it being not possible to distribute these costs between patients using a bed and out-patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales who appoints the members of the Sports Council for Wales.

The members are appointed by the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what help will be available to Towyn and the flood-affected areas to renovate their homes to a proper standard.

Owners of homes damaged by the floods will be eligible for up to 100 per cent. grants for approved expenditure subject to the test of resources under the new grant scheme to be introduced in seven weeks' time.The test of resources for owner-occupiers will be similar to that for housing benefit.Savings of £5,000 or less will be completely disregarded. Over £5,000 every £250 of savings will be treated as if it were £1 income. There will be no upper limit on capital or savings.Below a certain income an owner will qualify for 100 per cent. grant on eligible works. The threshold will depend on individual family circumstances—for example a couple with two children would have a different threshold from a single person. In every case this income threshold will be £20 per week higher than housing benefit levels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the average income for each county in England and Wales.

Provisional estimates for 1987 were published by the Central Statistical Office in the July edition of "Economic Trends" (pages 116 and 117). Revised estimates for the same year will be published later this month in the April 1990 "Economic Trends".

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average interval, in each region, between a social security appeal tribunal's oral hearing at which a decision is made and the notification of the decision to the claimant; and how much of this is attributable to administrative delay.

The administration of social security appeal tribunals is the responsibility of the president of the Social Security Appeal Tribunals, His Honour Judge Holden, and the hon. Member may care to contact him direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list each of the (a) inquiries and (b) research products initiated by his Department into the housing benefit scheme.

[holding answer 3 May 1990]: When the reformed housing benefit scheme was introduced in April 1988, the Department established, in conjunction with local authorities, the housing benefit management information system (HBMIS). This system enables the Department to collect information about housing benefit caseload on a regular basis. Caseload counts are carried out at quarterly intervals, and a survey of 1 per cent. of the housing benefit caseload is conducted on an annual basis.In addition, the Department's officials make regular visits to local authorities to obtain feedback about the operation of the housing benefit scheme, and meet representatives of the local authority associations quarterly at the housing benefit standing committee.In the period following the implementation of the reforms a number of research projects have been commissioned as follows:(i) the reform of housing benefit—a project commissioned in 1986 which resulted in the publication by the Housing Centre Trust entitled `Housing Benefit: A Discussion About Reform';

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost of catering provisions per patient per day in each regional health authority in each year since 1979, expressed in cash and constant prices.

Hospital costs—average cost of catering provisions per patient day
£ cash
		1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88
	Northern	1·01	1·10	1·22	1·27	1·30	1·36	1·38	1·43	1·56
	Yorkshire	1·00	1·09	1·18	1·26	1·26	1·32	1·33	1·42	1·53
	Trent	1·03	1·08	1·16	1·28	1·31	1·35	1·41	1·50	1·59
	East Anglia	1·02	1·09	1·17	1·23	1·27	1·33	1·32	1·35	1·46
	North West Thames	1·05	1·11	1·21	1·22	1·29	1·37	1·44	1·38	1·51
	North East Thames	1·01	1·07	1·17	1·24	1·28	1·33	1·41	1·49	1·58
	South East Thames	10·3	1·12	1·21	1·21	1·25	1·36	1·41	1·44	1·62
	South West Thames	1·02	1·09	1·16	1·19	1·24	1·30	1·37	1·43	1·55
	Wessex	1·02	1·07	1·17	1·23	1·22	1·36	1·43	1·49	1·52
	Oxford	1·10	1·20	1·29	1·25	1·30	1·34	1·36	1·53	1·68
	South Western	1·00	1·05	1·14	1·21	1·22	1·30	1·31	1·31	1·50
	West Midlands	1·00	1·06	1·15	1·22	1·20	1·26	1·28	1·31	1·42
	Mersey	1·01	1·07	1·17	1·23	1·20	1·26	1·31	1·33	1·39
	North Western	1·01	1·11	1·19	1·26	1·24	1·27	1·29	1·35	1·40
	SHAs	1·29	1·34	15·3	1·57	1·64	1·74	1·68	1·89	1·96
	England	1·02	1·09	1·18	1·24	1·26	1·32	1·36	1·41	1·52

Hospital costs—average cost of catering provisions per patient day
£ at 1989–90 prices
		1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88
	Northern	2·02	1·86	1·88	1·83	1·79	1·78	1·72	1·72	1·78
	Yorkshire	2·00	1·85	1·82	1·81	1·73	1·73	1·65	1·71	1·75
	Trent	2·06	1·83	1·79	1·84	1·80	1·77	1·75	1·80	1·81
	East Anglia	2·04	1·85	1·80	1·77	1·75	1·74	1·64	1·62	1·67
	North West Thames	2·10	1·88	1·87	1·76	1·77	1·79	1·79	1·66	1·72
	North East Thames	2·02	1·81	1·80	1·78	1·76	1·74	1·75	1·79	1·80
	South East Thames	2·06	1·90	1·87	1·74	1·72	1·78	1·75	1·73	1·85
	South West Thames	2·04	1·85	1·79	1·71	1·70	1·70	1·70	1·72	1·77
	Wessex	2·04	1·81	1·80	1·77	1·68	1·78	1·78	1·79	1·73
	Oxford	2·20	2·03	1·99	1·80	1·79	1·75	1·69	1·84	1·92
	South Western	2·00	1·78	1·76	1·74	1·68	1·70	1·63	1·57	1·71
	West Midlands	2·00	1·80	1·77	1·76	1·65	1·65	1·59	1·57	1·62
	Mersey	2·02	1·81	1·80	1·77	1·65	1·65	1·63	1·60	1·59
	North Western	2·02	1·88	1·84	1·81	1·70	1·66	1·60	1·62	1·60
	SHAs	2·59	2·27	2·36	2·26	2·25	2·28	2·09	2·27	2·24
	England	2·04	1·85	1·82	1·78	1·73	1·73	1·69	1·69	1·73