To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his Department's current estimate of the total capital costs of establishing a Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college; and what part of these costs is represented by the value of the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham schools premises or of the proposed lease under which those premises will be made available for the city technology college.

My right hon. Friend has agreed with the Haberdashers' Company to contribute at least £4 million to the initial capital costs of the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college. The Haberdashers' Company has agreed that its contribution will be the value of the sites of the two schools, and that it will also underwrite sponsorship of £1 million. A cash limit for the project will be decided following the completion of detailed building feasibility studies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if grants will be paid by his Department toward the capital costs of establishing a Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college prior to the advertising of a new scheme for the Robert Aske's Charity and the Charity Commissioners' consideration of any public representations on proposals for such a scheme.

My right hon. Friend has not yet determined the phasing for his contribution to initial capital expenditure on the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college. His decision will be made after the completion of current building feasibility studies, in the light of all the circumstances, including the Haberdashers' Company's progress in agreeing a new scheme for the Robert Aske's Charity with the Charity Commissioners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what the total expenditure on education by the Inner London education authority was in its final year before abolition.

Figures for the outturn expenditure of the Inner London education authority in 1989–90 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total projected expenditure on education by the 12 inner London boroughs and the City of London for the year 1990–91.

According to figures supplied by the inner London boroughs and the City of London to the Department, the current expenditure budgets for education for these authorities in 1990–91 amount in total to £1,068 million.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he has any plans to reform the private Bill procedure; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have been examining this whole subject following the report of the Joint Committee on Private Bill procedure and the debates on that report held in the House, and in another place, last year. Subject to consultation, we propose to build on the thinking behind the report by establishing new procedures so that railway and light rapid transit works which at present have to be authorised by private Bill could in future be authorised by order. The legislation would also increase the use of orders for amending and extending harbour legislation so that in future very few harbour measures would be promoted by private Bills. These proposals would lead to a reduction of about 50 per cent. in the number of private Bills promoted each year. It is also proposed to legislate so that the order-making procedure could be extended at a later date to other works proposals which would otherwise require a private Bill.The proposed procedures would involve a tiered approach so that minor matters might be dealt with locally; the majority would come within a ministerial order-making procedure with provision for a public inquiry; while for the most important projects after the inquiry and ministerial stages, the proposal would have to be approved by Parliament, but without further detailed examination. We would thus reduce the volume of private Bills significantly while ensuring that matters of genuinely national importance still came to Parliament for decision. No radical changes are planned for the separate and different system in Scotland—the private legislation procedure—which is generally satisfactory in the particular circumstances there.Together with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Transport and for the Environment, I have today published a consultation paper which sets out our proposals in greater detail and invites comments on them. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The changes would involve primary legislation and in the light of consultation the Government will look for an early opportunity to bring this forward.The procedure for those matters which would remain to be dealt with by private Bills will be reformed along the lines suggested by the Joint Committee and as broadly accepted by the Government in the debates on the report.The Government believe that these proposals, taken as a whole, will provide a more appropriate way to deal with infrastructure projects in the modern age while protecting the interests of all those involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what progress has been made by the EUROCAE working group in developing a European standard for smoke hoods since the group was created in December 1989; and if he will make a statement;(2) what progress has been made in discussions between the EUROCAE working group set up in December 1989 and the federal aviation authority in the United States of America in developing an international standard for passenger smoke hoods.

The initial working draft of the EUROCAE specification is expected to be issued in July. The draft will be sent to the United States Federal Aviation Administration, which is expected to issue its draft specification shortly thereafter. It is not possible at this stage to say how closely the FAA specification will match the EUROCAE specification, but the Civil Aviation Authority does not expect any significant differences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those ports of registry in independent territories where he is proposing to reduce the ability to register ships or limit their tonnage; and if he will tabulate the proposed regulations port by port.

The territories which are to be required to restrict the type and size of ship which they will be allowed to register are the following dependent territories:

• Anguilla
• British Virgin Islands
• Montserrat
• Falkland Islands
• St. Helena
• Turks and Caicos Islands

There is only one port of registry in each territory. The registrations will be the same in each case and will ensure that no new restrictions will be allowed for ships subject to international convention safety standards. The territories concerned are preparing legislation to implement the relevant conventions—so that the Department of Transport's surveyors have a legal basis on which to inspect those few ships currently registered in the territories to which the international convention safety standards apply—and to restrict new registration to non-convention ships.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those independent territories whose driving licences (a) are and (b) are not recognised in the United Kingdom.

Under international agreements, the holder of any valid foreign driving licence is permitted to drive in this country for up to 12 months as a visitor or new resident. In addition, holders of valid licences issued by member states of the European Community and by Australia, Austria, Barbados, Finland, Japan, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Cyprus, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the territory of the British Virgin Islands, the territory of Hong Kong or Zimbabwe may exchange their licences for a United Kingdom licence within 12 months of becoming resident here. Valid Northern Ireland licences may be used indefinitely for driving in Great Britain. Holders of valid Channel Islands and Isle of Man licences may exchange them for United Kingdom licences within 10 years of their date of expiry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects proposals to be finalised for improvements to the A696 south of Ravenscleugh farm, Northumberland.

If there are no land entry problems, improvements could be implemented before next winter. More than one landowner is involved and CPO procedures will be required. Should there be objections to a draft CPO considerably more time may be required for implementation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial authority he has given British Rail to order rolling stock to carry passengers on cross-channel railway services to destinations beyond London; when such authority was given; and how many such vehicles have been ordered.

British Rail published its plans for services beyond London on 14 December and I refer to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Lee) on that date, at column 767. British Rail has not yet submitted its investment proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to increase uniformed police presence on London underground; and if he will make a statement.

The complement of the division of the British Transport police responsible for the underground was increased in December 1988 to 400 officers. The division is now up to establishment. The increased number of officers will allow the home beat system to be extended throughout the network. This will result in a higher uniformed police presence on the underground. Police response times are being improved by opening new area police stations and by the installation of a new radio system to allow communication below ground. The Department of Transport is considering amendments to the force scheme governing the British Transport police which would allow the introduction of special constables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the current subsidies for rail routes; what were the comparable figures for the previous three years; and if he will make a statement.

Claims for 1990–91 have not yet been settled. Figures for central Government support paid to the British Railways Board are given in the table. They include both the public service obligation grant under EC regulation 1191/69 and section 3 of the Railways Act 1974, which compensates British Rail for maintaining loss-making passenger services on Network SouthEast and Provincial—InterCity services were removed from the obligation on 1 April 1988—and level crossings grant under EC regulation 1192/69. Final claims for 1988–89 have yet to be agreed; no final claims have been received for 1989–90.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what signals are available to assist blind pedestrians at pelican crossings on dual carriageway roads.

A new type of audible signal—"bleep and sweep"—has been installed at 25 trunk road pelican crossings following successful trials over the past few years. This new signal has been developed to overcome the problem at dual carriageway crossings where the normal "bleeper" sound from one crossing could be mistaken by a blind person as the signal to cross at the adjacent crossing. The new sound units have been welcomed by organisations representing blind and partially sighted people.

Section 36–37 Planning Appeals
National Park/Year	Decided	Allowed		Dismissed		Withdrawn	In hand at 31 March 1990
		Number	Per cent.	Number	Per cent.
Peak District
1988–89	47	4	8·5	43	91·5	4	—
1989–90	55	19	34·5	36	65·5	5	42
Lake District
1988–89	68	22	32·4	46	67·6	15	—
1989–90	104	41	39·4	63	60·6	7	63
Exmoor
1988–89	10	3	30·0	7	70·0	4	—
1989–90	17	5	29·4	12	70·6	0	2
Dartmoor
1988–89	46	10	21·7	36	78·3	5	—
1989–90	62	19	30·6	43	69·4	10	46
Yorkshire Dales
1988–89	28	12	42·9	16	57·1	1	—
1989–90	32	12	37·5	20	62·5	0	16
Yorkshire Moors
1988–89	22	5	22·7	17	77·3	0	—
1989–90	41	8	19·5	33	80·5	1	11
Northumberland
1988–89	0	0	—	0	—	0	—
1989–90	0	0	—	0	—	0	—

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning applications were submitted in each of the English national parks in the last

Planning Applications Decided and Numbers and Percentage Granted by English National Parks 1987–88 and 1988–89
National Park1	1987–88			1988–89
	Total Decisions	Granted	Percentage2	Total Decisions	Granted	Percentage2
Lake District S.P.B. 3	1,013	798	79	702	503	73
Peak Park J.P.B.	901	699	79	961	707	74
North Yorkshire Moors	627	501	82	669	525	80

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has received the marine investigations branch final report into the sinking of the Marchioness; and when he expects to be able to make the report publicly available.

My right hon. Friend has received the report of the chief inspector of marine accidents into the sinking of the Marchioness. He is considering publication of the report in full, as soon as is practicable, in the light of the decision to prosecute the master of the Bowbelle.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of planning appeal decisions (a) allowed, (b) dismissed, (c) withdrawn and (d) undetermined in each of the English national parks in each of the last two years for which figures are available; and if he will express the numbers allowed and dismissed as a percentage of those determined.

The information requested is as follows:two years for which figures are available; how many were determined; and how many of those determined, in numbers and as proportions, were successful.

The readily available information is given in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to statutory restrictions of production of ozone-destroying chemicals; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on Thursday 14 June 1990 to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedfordshire, North (Sir T. Skeet), at column 295.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make a statement on the future of the Housing Corporation office in Liverpool;(2) how much revenue deficit grant is paid by the Housing Corporation to Merseyside housing associations;(3) what capital allocations have been made to Co-operative Development Services (Liverpool) Ltd. and to Pierhead housing association, Liverpool, in 1990–91; and if he will make a statement about the implications of funding arrangements for Merseyside housing associations for their 1991–92 programmes;(4) when he expects a decision to be made on the funding of the Gable housing association's application to construct a scheme for disabled people in Liverpool;(5) if he will list the expenditure made by housing associations on Merseyside in 1989–90 and 1990–91; how much has been allocated for the following two years; what are the average figures for regions of England; and if he will make a statement;(6) what discussions his Department has had with the Housing Corporation about the suspension of the next phase of a Servite housing association project on Merseyside; and if he will consider bringing forward cash from the 1991–92 allocation to enable the completion of the 1990–91 programme.

These are matters for the Housing Corporation rather than for this Department. I have therefore asked the Housing Corporation to respond to the hon. Member direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the reasons for subsidies for council tenants to buy homes on the private market.

Section 129 of the Housing Act 1988 gives local authorities power to pay grants, under approved schemes, to assist their tenants to obtain homes of their own. Cash incentive schemes provide an important and cost-effective means by which local authorities can help their tenants into home ownership while securing vacancies for reletting to homeless families.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on city grants made up to the most recent practicable date in the current year.

During the current financial year to date, 23 projects have received offers of city grant totalling £22 million. These projects are expected to lead to some £106 million of private sector investment in inner city areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received a copy of the report prepared for the European Parliament's environment committee on the Commission's proposal for a directive on the disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls and terphynyls, document A3—84/90 SYN161, dated 4 April; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a copy of the report mentioned by the hon. Member. The report has been adopted by the European Parliament and it is now for the Commission to decide whether, in the light of this, to make a revised proposal to the Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has reassessed the safety of incineration as a means to dispose of polychlorinated biphenyls; and if he will make a statement;(2) what research his Department has commissioned into the effects of incineration of polychlorinated biphenyl chemicals in

Uncontrolled burning of polychlorinated biphenyls—PCBs—can produce traces of dioxins and furans. Properly designed and operated incinerators for disposing of PCBs, however, should not produce emissions harmful to the environment. The Department's pollution paper No. 27, "Dioxins in the Environment", published last year, found that in well-managed incinerators used for the combustion of waste, including PCBs, emissions of dioxins and furans were reduced to negligible levels. The paper assesses the health hazards from these compounds and sets out the steps and research undertaken by the Government to reduce human and environmental exposure. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is investigating the occurrence of PCBs, dioxins and furans in soil in urban and rural areas and issued a report in November last year. Copies of these documents are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government fund any research toward clean technology and alternative sewage disposal methods; and if he will make a statement.

The Department's environmental protection technology—EPT—scheme offers shared funding for research in defined priority areas which could lead to improvements in environmental standards. Two of the current EPT scheme priority areas concern reduction of polluting substances in industrial waste water. Sewage disposal methods are not at present within the scope of the scheme. The Department has however recently funded research, jointly with the water industry, on sewage sludge treatment processes and the safe disposal of sewage sludge on agricultural land. It is also open to companies and research establishments to come forward with proposals for collaborative research and development in any field of clean technology under the Department of Trade and Industry's research and technology initiatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the responsibilities of the drinking water inspectorate.

The drinking water inspectorate was established on 2 January 1990 under section 60 of the Water Act 1989 which empowers my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales to appoint persons to act on their behalf as technical assessors in relation to their powers and duties concerning the quality and sufficiency of water supplied by water undertakers.Its principal task is to check the quality of water supplied by water undertakers in England and Wales for compliance with the requirements of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989. If water undertakers are found not to be meeting their statutory requirements the inspectorate will advise my right hon. Friends, as appropriate, on enforcement action and if water is supplied which is unfit for human consumption will advise on possible prosecution.The inspectorate will also provide advice to my right hon. Friends on objections made to them against enforcement notices served by local authorities relating to private water supplies. It also provides technical and scientific advice to my right hon. Friends on drinking water quality standards and other issues including negotiations within the European Community.The inspectorate will produce an annual report which will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to seek an extension of EEC rules to cover the seizure of threatened species in transit.

Adequate provision exists for the seizure of unauthorised shipments of endangered species whilst in transit through the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the report of the water metering trials which have been carried out in various parts of the United Kingdom.

Information on the national water metering trials has been collected by the water industry. I understand that the national water metering trials co-ordinating committee intends to publish a second interim report on the trials early in July. A copy of the report will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent carriers of toxic waste or operators of plants or sites where such waste is disposed of are required to insure themselves against the costs of potential environmental damage; and if he will make a statement.

There are no specific requirements for either carriers of special waste or operators of facilities for the disposal of special waste to insure themselves against the costs of potential environmental damage. However, there are provisions in the Environmental Protection Bill which require the holder of a waste management licence to satisfy his waste regulation authority that he has sufficient resources to meet the obligations of his licence including the costs of remedying any pollution that might occur.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans there are for legislation to ban the trade in toxic waste to and from the United Kingdom following the agreement by EC Environment Ministers on 7 June for each member state to become self-sufficient in waste disposal.

Clause 131 of the Environmental Protection Bill contains powers to prohibit or restrict import or export of waste of any description and the EC Commission is preparing proposals to amend the existing directive on transfrontier shipment of hazardous waste. The United Kingdom is already self-sufficient in waste disposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what date he expects the London residuary body to have completed its work.

The bulk of the London residuary body's remaining GLC-related property, rights and liabilities were transferred by order to the London boroughs and other functional successors on 30 March. As a consequence of the abolition of the ILEA on 1 April, the residuary body inherited certain of that authority's ongoing responsibilities.My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Education and Science expect the residuary body to have completed both its GLC and ILEA tasks by 31 March 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what fixtures and fittings have been removed from the principal floor of county hall by the London residuary body.

None, apart from some fittings that the London residuary body has removed for safe keeping.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new homes were built in 1989; what were the comparable figures for the previous three years; and if he will make a statement.

Figures for housebuilding starts and completions in England for 1986 to 1989 appear in table 2 of my Department's press release No. 352 issued on 7 June 1990, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy in respect of the use of aluminium sulphate in water treatment works; and if he will make a statement.

Aluminium sulphate is a very effective coagulant which has been used for many years in the treatment of drinking water. It is listed in the 15th statement of the committee on chemicals and materials of construction for use in public water supply and swimming pools and because of this is authorised for use by water undertakers by virtue of regulation 25(1)(d) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989. The policy of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is that levels of residual aluminium and sulphate in drinking water shall not exceed the standards set in these regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has had any representations about the allocation of committee seats by councils as being contrary to section 15(5)(c) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he intends to take to ensure that councils fulfil their duty under section 15(5)(c)—allocation of seats—of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

If a local authority fails to comply with such a duty, it is for the authority's monitoring officer—under section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989—to draw its attention to the failure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the number of people accepted as homeless by local authorities in England due to mortgage repossession for (a) 1986, (b) 1987, (c) 1988, (d) 1989 and (e) 1990 (first quarter); for each English region and class of authority;

[holding answer 13 June 1990]: Local authorities report the number of households accepted under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act where the main immediate reason for homelessness is mortgage arrears, but do not distinguish those who were actually subject to repossession. Estimates by class of authority are as follows:

	London Authorities	Other Metropolitan Authorities	Non-Metropolitan Authorities	All England
1986	630	3,100	6,340	10,070
1987	600	3,620	6,240	10,460
1988	540	3,320	4,480	8,340
1989	840	3,370	4,150	8,360
19901	350	1,140	1,600	3,090
1 First quarter.

Corresponding estimates by region are not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the number of mortgage repossessions being made in Greater London and the effect on the use of expensive temporary accommodation by local authorities.

[holding answer 13 June 1990]: Information is not available centrally on the number of dwellings in Greater London that have been taken into possession by mortgage lenders. According to local authority returns the proportion of households accepted as homeless as a direct consequence of mortgage arrears is only some 3 to 4 per cent. of all households accepted in London under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985. The effect on the use of temporary accommodation is therefore likely to be small.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local government boundary commission reports he is currently considering, stating the date he received each and setting out reasons for any delay in making a decision.

[holding answer 19 June 1990]: The reports under consideration are:

Reviews of Counties	Commission's Report Number	Date of Receipt
Bedfordshire: boundaries with Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire	566	114 November 1988
Berkshire: boundaries with Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey	558	131 August 1988
Buckinghamshire: boundaries with Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire	571	15 May 1989

Reviews of Counties	Commission's Report Number	Date of Receipt
Hampshire: boundaries with Dorset, West Sussex and Wiltshire	580	1 February 1990
Leicestershire: boundaries with Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire	577	19 October 1989
South Yorkshire: boundaries with Doncaster (North Yorkshire) and Bassetlaw (Nottinghamshire)	585	4 June 1990
Staffordshire: boundaries with Cheshire, Derbyshire, Hereford and Worcester, and Warwickshire	582	1 12 February 1990
Surrey: boundary with Hampshire	578	19 January 1990
Reviews of Parishes within districts/boroughs
Chorley	—	1 May 1990
Northampton	—	2 January 1990
Woodspring	—	12 February 1990
1 Decision to be announced shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authority areas in England which have applied to be considered for any extension of the rents into mortgages scheme to England.

[holding answer 20 June 1990]:No such applications have been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received concerning the rents into mortgages scheme; how many were (a) in favour and (b) against the scheme; if he will list how many of these representations are from (i) individuals, (ii) organisations and (iii) local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 20 June 1990]: My hon. Friend and 25 members of the public have made representations in favour of a rent to mortgages scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans he has to increase the participation rate in the tenants incentive scheme;(2) if he will list, for each local authority participating in the tenants incentive scheme

[holding answer 20 June 1990]: The table sets out details of 89 local authorities which have been given approval to operate cash incentive schemes in 1990–91, the maximum expenditure to be incurred, and the grants to be made available to households. Details of vacancies created by these schemes and of grant applicants will be supplied to my Department by the local authorities concerned at the end of the year.Cash incentive schemes can be very valuable in helping existing tenants to move into homes of their own while releasing vacancies for reletting to homeless families. The Department encourages local authorities whose areas would benefit from a cash incentive scheme to bring forward proposals for approval. Once a scheme has been approved, details are published by the local authority and tenants are invited to make applications for grant.

Local authority cash incentive schemes approved 1990–91 83 schemes; maximum expenditure £40·4 million; maximum number of vacancies 2,597
Local authority	Maximum expenditure 1990–91 £	Maximum number of households assisted	Maximum grant for each household £
London
Barnet	600,000	30	20,000
Brent	1·8 million	150	13,000
Bromley	1·5 million	120	13,000
Camden	200,000	20	20,000
Croydon	500,000	33	22,000
Ealing	2·2 million	140	25,000
Enfield	1 million	55	20,000
Hackney	1 million	50	20,000
Hammersmith and Fulham	540,000	30	18,000
Haringey	1·5 million	100	20,000
Harrow	1 million	50	25,000
Havering	150,000	10	16,000
Hillingdon	2·25 million	150	15,000
Hounslow	150,000	20	15,000
Islington	1 million	50	25,000
Kensington and Chelsea	750,000	70	13,000
Lambeth	400,000	25	20,000
Lewisham	1 million	70	15,000
Merton	2 million	140	15,000
Redbridge	3·92 million	140	28,000
Richmond	300,000	30	10,000
South wark	300,000	34	10,000
Wandsworth	1·95 million	100	22,000
Westminster	2 million	100	20,000
Eastern
Aylesbury Vale	400,000	20	20,000
Harlow	150,000	15	10,000
Huntingdon	150,000	12	13,000
Luton	200,000	15	13,000
Maldon	100,000	8	12,000
Peterborough	100,000	20	5,000
Rochford	100,000	9	11,250
South Bucks	40,000	4	11,000
St. Albans	150,000	6	25,000
Watford	200,000	15	13,500
East Midlands
Charnwood	100,000	10	10,000
East Northants	102,000	17	6,000
South Kesteven	500,000	62	8,000
South East
Adur	100,000	10	10,000
Arun	50,000	5	10,000
Basingstoke and Deane	250,000	10	25,000
Brighton	301,500	15	20,000
Canterbury	300,000	14	22,000
Cherwell	300,000	25	12,500
Dover	220,000	10	22,000
East Hampshire	100,000	10	10,000
Elmbridge	240,000	12	20,000
Fareham	107,475	5	21,495
Gillingham	70,000	5	15,000
Hart	200,000	8	25,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the new system of house renovation grants provided in part VIII of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 will be brought into effect in England and Wales.

[pursuant to his answer, 22 February 1990, c. 888]: A booklet "House Renovation Grants" has been issued by my Department today and I am sending a copy to all hon. Members in England. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is sending copies to all hon. Members in Wales. The booklet provides a simple guide for the public on the new grants and assistance which may be available from local authorities towards the cost of home repairs and improvements. Copies of the booklet will be available free of charge from local authorities, citizens advice bureaux and local social security offices. Two circulars containing detailed guidance on the new grants have also been sent to local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many compulsory purchase orders were approved by the Department (i) in the latest year for which figures are available and (ii) five years ago for (a) residential property and (b) empty residential property;(2) what proportion of compulsory purchase orders approved by his Department are associated with purchase for rehabilitation and resale

[holding answer 19 June 1990]: The main compulsory purchase powers for residential properties are contained in parts II and VIII of the Housing Act, 1985. A total of 128 compulsory purchase orders were confirmed in 1989 and 238 in 1984. Orders are considered on their merits and statistics on the numbers of properties affected and their proposed use are not kept.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any plans to increase the powers and resources available to those bodies charged with the duty of enforcing legislation aimed at preventing insider dealing.

I am satisfied that the available powers are appropriate at present. The level of resources is kept under review with a view to ensuring efficient operation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will consider legislation to enable the use of civil remedies by law enforcement agencies and those who can establish loss in alleged cases of insider dealing.

The recent report "Company Investigations" by the Select Committee on Trade and Industry recommended changes in this area. The Government's response will be made in the normal fashion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the most recent decisions taken at the ministerial meeting in Italy considering the Eureka programme in regard to investment in environmental protection projects.

At the ministerial conference in Rome ealier this month, five EUREKA environmental protection projects involving United Kingdom organisations were announced. Their combined value is £66·2 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the main components of Government spending on technology transfer in the United Kingdom; how the level of spending has changed in the period 1979 to 1990; and what is the predicted level of spending in the future.

The DTI supports the widespread adoption of new technologies and current best practice through a range of specific technology transfer programmes which currently include advanced information technology, "open systems" standards for IT equipment and modern materials technology. In addition, the Department provides support for a number of other activities which contribute to technology transfer—particularly technology-based consultancies and the teaching company scheme. Total outturn and planned expenditure figures—which are available on a consistent basis only from 1984–85—are as follows:

Year	£ million
1984–85	80
1985–86	74
1986–87	99
1987–88	93
1988–89	96
1989–90	97
1990–91	112
1991–92	114
1992–93	113

Technology transfer is also encouraged in the United Kingdom through the R and D programmes supported by the Department and the European Community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the Government's main programmes to promote innovation in the United Kingdom's development areas; what is the current annual level of spend; and how this level has changed in the period 1979 to 1990.

The only scheme to promote innovation projects specifically in the development areas of Great Britain over the last 10 years is the innovation element of the regional enterprise grant scheme which started in April 1988; the expenditure for this scheme in the development areas—DAs—of Great Britain is listed in the table.A number of other schemes have promoted innovation projects in Great Britain over this period on a national basis.The product and process development scheme was introduced in 1977. This scheme was renamed support for innovation—SFI—in 1982 and in January 1988 the research and technology initiative was launched. It is not possible to detail expenditure for these schemes in the development areas.The small firms merit award for research and technology—SMART—was introduced on a pilot basis in 1986. A further competition was held in 1988 and a three-year programme of annual SMART competitions commenced in 1989. SMART is available throughout Great Britain, including the DAs. It is not possible to detail expenditure in those areas in the time available.Questions concerning Northern Ireland should be referred to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Regional Innovation Grants Expenditure
Year	£ million
1988–89	0·3
1989–90	2·1

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will seek to ensure that the European Commission's package travel directive will make British tour operators liable for defective holiday accommodation abroad offered to their customers.

The European Commission directive on package travel, package holidays and package tours was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 13 June this year. Under this measure, member states are required to ensure that the organiser and/or retailer of packages is liable to the consumer for the proper performance of obligations arising under the contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date and through what channel his Department first became aware of problems at Dunsdale Securities.

[holding answer 18 June 1990]: On the morning of 6 June, when FIMBRA's decision to ban Dunsdale Securities Ltd from carrying on investment business became public knowledge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he has taken, and pro-poses to take, on the recommendations of the Likierman review of professional liability.

[holding answer 19 June 1990]: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made in answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Banbury (Mr. Baldry) on 31 October 1989, at columns 106–08. Of the two recommendations of the auditors study team which fall to my Department, the proposal to clarify the law on directors' insurance, to enable a company to reimburse a director for his liability insurance, has been implemented in section 137 of the Companies Act 1989. However, as my statement made clear, we decided against the recommendation that an auditor should, by agreement with a company, be able to limit his liability. As to the recommendation of the other surveyors study team on the implementation of section 22 of the Estate Agents Act 1979, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Industry and Consumer Affairs stated on 29 November, in answer to a question from the hon. Member for Knowsley, South (Mr. Hughes), at columns 284–85, that we had decided against implementation. Other recommendations are for other Departments and my right hon. Friend has no proposals for further action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice the Companies House Agency offered to the National Front before extending limited liability status to it.

No limited liability status has been extended to the National Front as a political organisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries and territories for which stamp issues have been handled by the Crown Agents during the last two years; if he will list the stamp printers used; and if he will tabulate the fees earned from stamp issues.

This information concerns the Crown Agents' commercial relations with its clients and it would not therefore be appropriate for me to provide it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of the aid budget was spent within the United Kingdom for each year from 1980; and if he will give details of this expenditure for 1989.

Data are not collected on the amount of aid actually spent in the United Kingdom. However, an approximation can be obtained for bilateral aid expenditure by reference to the tying status of the original commitment and estimates of local costs. The proportion of tied to total financial aid has been as follows:

Year	Per cent
1980	59
1981	59
1982	61
1983	53
1984	46
1985	47
1986	60
1987	52
1988	52
1989	1
1 Not yet available.

Technical co-operation is by its nature mainly tied as its major components are financing of students from developing countries to study in the United Kingdom, consultancies, experts and volunteers from the United Kingdom and research in United Kingdom institutions.Multilateral aid is not tied to United Kingdom purchases; but those multilateral aid agencies we support procure goods and services from the United Kingdom equivalent to about £1·75 for each £1 we contribute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the British level of multilateral aid and (b) the level of British bilateral aid to refugees and displaced persons in each member state of the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference and South Africa for each year from 1987 to 1990.

The information is as follows:

(a) British contribution to multilateral aid for refugees and displaced persons in SADCC countries and South Africa
£ million
	1987	1988	1989	1990 (to date)
Angola	—	—	0·71	—
Botswana	—	—	—	—
Lesotho	—	—	—	—
Malawi	0·33	2·6	3·3	3·0
Mozambique	0·69	1·05	0·2	—
Namibia	—	—	0·5	—
Swaziland	0·8	0·5	—	—
Tanzania	—	0·5	—	—
Zambia	0·8	0·5	—	—
Zimbabwe	0·8	0·5	—	—
South Africa	—	—	—	—

(b) British bilateral aid to refugees and displaced persons in SADCC countries and South Africa
£ million
	1987	1988	1989	1990 (to date)
Angola	0·08	0·05	0·045	0·4
Botswana	0·25	—	0·1	—
Lesotho	—	0·004	—	—
Malawi	0·09	0·3	0·4	—
Mozambique	4·31	5·81	1·99	1·83
Namibia	—	—	—	—
Swaziland	0·04	0·02	0·04	—
Tanzania	0·04	—	0·036	—
Zambia	—	—	0·03	—
Zimbabwe	0·02	0·01	0·07	—
South Africa	0·25	0·34	0·17	0·05

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many agencies (a) have been set up over the past two years and (b) are currently expected to be set up.

[holding answer 19 June 1990]: A total of 31 executive agencies employing 69,000 staff have been set up over the past two years, and a further 25 activities employing some 125,000 staff have been announced as candidates for agency status. Departments are currently considering how "next steps" might be applied to a range of other activities, and I would expect announcements to be made on a number of these in due course. The project manager anticipates a total of around 50 agencies established by the end of July next year, and I expect to see "next steps" applied to at least half the civil service by the end of 1991, with still further progress after that.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what help his budget afforded to the development and playing of traditional types of British music.

Direct support for the arts is the responsibility of the Arts Council and the regional arts associations. I understand that both provide support for traditional types of British music in the form of help with recordings and general education work.

To ask the Attorney-General what assistance the Government provide for British citizens to seek legal redress in foreign courts.

The Government provide assistance for British citizens seeking legal redress in foreign courts in a number of ways.Under the terms of the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid any person who resides permanently in a contracting country and who wishes to apply for legal aid in civil, commercial or administrative matters in another contracting country may submit his application to the legal aid authority in the country in which he resides for transmission to the other contracting country.Where children are abducted from the United Kingdom to a country which is a party to either The Hague or European conventions of 1980 on international child abductions, the Lord Chancellor's Department acts as the central authority for the United Kingdom and communicates with central authorities in other contracting countries to facilitate the return of or access to the child.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and diplomatic and consular missions hold copies of lists of local lawyers which can be provided to inquirers on request.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he received the preliminary report of the noise survey carried out by Dr. Gerry McCullagh of the university of Ulster into noise levels in the vicinity of the helicopter landing site at Bessbrook, County Armagh; when the findings of the survey will be available; what representations he has received from residents of Bessbrook, County Armagh, about noise levels in the vicinity of the helicopter landing site in the village; and if he will make a statement.

The report was received on 1 June and one additional item of data is expected shortly. The report is currently being studied and my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces expects to be in a position to write to the hon. Member in the near future. We have received very few representations specifically relating to helicopter noise levels from residents in the Bessbrook area since the noise insulation grant scheme was introduced in June 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the cost to the public purse of taking the Bishop of Ripon on a flight in a Tornado jet fighter from the RAF base at RAF Leeming on 5 June;(2) what was the cost of taking

Such flights are undertaken as routine training sorties, and the carriage of a passenger involves no additional cost to public funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for the last 12 months, and by cost to the public purse, the number of air experience flights given to (a) hon. Members of Her Majesty's Government, (b) hon. Members of Her Majesty's Opposition and (c) other non-armed service persons, excluding those provided at air shows and air displays, in Royal Air Force jet aircraft.

My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the termination date of the current agreement between Her Majesty's Government and the United States Government on the use of Holy Loch as a United States navy submarine facility.

The agreement has no termination date; it will continue for as long as both parties require it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what date the Poseidon ballistic missile submarines are due to be withdrawn from the United States navy facility at Holy Loch;(2) when he last discussed the future of the United States facilities at Holy Loch with the United States authorities.

I have nothing to add to the answer given to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) on 20 March 1990 at column 521.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are his intentions for the current Fort class Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels following the introduction of the new Fort Victoria class.

The two Fort class Royal Fleet Auxiliary replenishment vessels are planned to remain in service until they reach the end of their useful operational lives. The new Fort Victoria class auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels will provide further support to the Royal Navy in the form of a one-stop liquids-solids replenishment facility.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements exist for anti-submarine warfare helicopter support of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels following the disbandment of No. 824 squadron.

Anti-submarine warfare helicopter support for Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels continues to be provided by Sea King aircraft of No. 826 squadron. No. 824 squadron was disbanded following the completion of the Sea King Mk 6 trials on which it was engaged. Its aircraft and manpower have been redeployed within the fleet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the planned decommissioning date of (a) HMS Valiant, (b) HMS Warspite and HMS Churchill.

No decisions have yet been taken on the decommissioning of the vessels to which the hon. Member refers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of plans to replace the Royal Navy's nuclear depth bombs; and when he expects to make a decision on their replacement.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave on 24 October 1989, Official Report, column 434.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what review his Department is carrying out of the rules under which hospitality can be accepted; and if he will make a statement.

The Ministry of Defence is currently engaged in a routine review of its hospitality rules involving all interested parties within the Department and in consultation with the trade unions. This review is concerned with clarifying the instructions and guidance which are currently given to all staff within the framework of existing policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people associated with his Department have logged, according to the Defence Council instruction, that they have been offered hospitality since the procedure was established; what investigations have, and are currently, taking place that the system has not been complied with; and if he will make a statement.

It is departmental policy that all offers of hospitality accepted by MOD staff should be registered in hospitality books. These books are the subject of regular review by senior management. The total number of invitations is not collated centrally. There is no evidence to suggest that the procedure is not being followed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) civil servants and (b) armed forces personnel, both current and formerly serving, are under investigation following allegations of bribery and corruption; if he will list the weapons, projects or circumstances involved in each case and the value of each project; and if he will make a statement.

An official of my Department has been arrested and charged with an offence contrary to the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. A retired Army officer has also been arrested in connection with a similar offence but has not so far been charged. The investigation is still in progress and other individuals will be interviewed as and when the police consider it appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money is currently being spent on research and development for a tactical air-to-surface missile with a range of 400 km, at the atomic weapons research establishment, Aldermaston; and if he will make a statement on the progress of this project.

Research and development of missiles does not take place at the atomic weapons establishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the purposes and terms of reference of a high-level military and diplomatic delegation to NATO from Japan.

A Japanese delegation, led by the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended a seminar in Belgium, jointly organised by the NATO information service and the United States delegation to NATO from 17 to 19 June. The subject of the seminar was "Security—North American, European and Japanese Interdependence in the 1990s". Such contact between NATO nations and Japan on security matters of mutual interest is useful, and I welcome the fact that the Japanese were able to participate.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recommendations he has received from the Veterinary Products Committee regarding the licensing of Aquagard; and if he will make a statement.

A product licence for Aquagard sea lice treatment for use in treating farmed salmon was first issued in June 1989, for a period of one year, following advice from the Veterinary Products Committee—VPC. The committee has recently met to review Aquagard in the light of a programme of further research, and has recommended that a two-year extension of the licence be granted subject to some modifications of the label warning and a further environmental impact report from the manufacturers in one year. I have decided to accept this recommendation, and a licence will therefore be issued subject to the conditions set by the VPC being met. Efforts will continue to be made to develop an alternative strategy to control sea lice in farmed salmon within this two year period.It is however imperative that an alternative strategy to control sea lice in farmed salmon be developed as soon as possible. The Government are determined to meet their commitment at the North sea conference to reduce by 50 per cent. the inputs of certain substances to the marine environment by 1995, including dichlorvos, the active ingredient of Aquagard. Any application for extension to the licence for Aquagard beyond 1992 will need to be considered in the light of this commitment, and the presumption will therefore be to replace it with satisfactory alternative methods of treatment.The VPC's original recommendation that the licence should be limited to one year's duration took account of the full range of Medicines Act considerations on product safety, quality and efficacy. The further review recently carried out did not therefore address matters on which the VPC was already satisfied, but took into account the following:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on control arrangements for sheep scab.

The Government have undertaken a review of their policy for dealing with sheep scab, following a five-year programme involving two compulsory annual dips. As a result, single dips were announced for 1989 and 1990. Sheep scab is a skin condition which, if neglected, may lead to an animal welfare problem but has no human health implications.Since the industry's rejection of a proposal for the introduction of movement controls in south-west Great Britain, discussions have continued to try to find a solution which achieves our objective of dealing effectively with sheep scab while avoiding unnecessary burdens on the industry. We believe we have now achieved this and we aim to have the new arrangements in place as soon as possible.Details of the new arrangements are as follows:

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the work of the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation in offering financial services required by the agricultural industry.

The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation presently operates within statutory constraints which limit the range of financial services that it can offer. I believe that the time has come to review its position to take account of moves to complete the EC internal market by 1992, and the changing circumstances and needs of the agricultural industry. I am, therefore, starting a process of consultation in order to identify what, if any, changes in present legislation might be desirable.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the diseases that have been introduced into the United Kingdom by imported animals since 1980; and if he will make a statement.

Apart from caseous lymphadenitis, which may have been introduced by goats imported from West Germany, no diseases are known to have been introduced into the United Kingdom by imported animals since 1980.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he is proposing to eradicate caseous lymphadenitis from sheep and goats in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

We are currently considering options for control of the disease. All farms where the disease has been confirmed or suspected have been subjected to movement restrictions and contacts have been traced.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answers of 12 June, Official Report, columns 77–78, whether goats infected with caseous lymphadenitis were imported into the United Kingdom with inaccurate certification documents; and if he will make a statement.

The recent outbreak of caseous lymphadenitis appears to be associated with a consignment of goats imported from West Germany. Investigations are continuing and it would not be appropriate for me to prejudge their outcome.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answers of 12 June, Official Report, columns 77–78, whether the goats imported from West Germany with caseous lymphadenitis underwent a period of quarantine; whether they were examined by veterinarians during that period; and if he will make a statement.

All animals susceptible to foot and mouth disease—FMD—including goats imported from West Germany are subjected to a period of post-import quarantine as a precaution against FMD, during which they are routinely examined by official veterinarians.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list (a) the dates on which the samples of shellfish were taken, (b) the sample points and (c) the number of samples which showed danger levels of toxins on which the decision to impose a shellfishing ban was based.

Details of the mussel samples on which a decision was taken to issue the warning on 26 May about the consumption of shellfish from the north-east coast are as follows:

Date of sample	Sample site	Units of toxin per 100g
19 May	Loch Elisor	Not detected
21 May	Whitby	848
21 May	Berwick Harbour	903
22 May	Trow Rocks	19,881
22 May	Redcar	909
22 May	Saltburn	255
22 May	Coquet Estuary	1,119
22 May	Cresswell	5,900
22 May	Holy Island	386
22 May	Montrose	Not detected
22 May	Scarborough	300

The World Health Organisation recommends that action should be taken to protect consumers from consuming shellfish containing more than 400 units of toxin per 100g of flesh.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his Department's role in securing the future of the national fruit collection at Brogdale.

My first concern has always been to provide a secure and stable home for the national fruit collection. This was the basis on which the decision was made last year to transfer the collection to Wye college, part of the university of London. Moreover, Wye college offers the scientific and academic expertise fully to develop and utilize the collection for educational and scientific purposes.I was conformed last week of the duchy of Cornwall's interest in purchasing the Brogdale site. The duchy's involvement offers the degree of stability which such a collection demands and I have therefore instructed my officials to look at the possibility of keeping the national fruit collection at Brogdale under Wye college's management.